The Power of the Press :: Chapter 7

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Bob walked out onto the stage and looked at the audience who were eagerly awaiting what he had to say. They knew it was important, after all, only Bob says important things on stage.

"A number of you have complained about Alyx and her violent author's notes from the last chapter," Bob said.

"In fact, she's really a sweet and gentle girl. She isn't violent at all... well except for that time her Dad ran over her foot with the truck. And trust me, her peg leg is harmless! She'd never dream of using it for anything other walking on. Her other uses for the leg is a private matter between her, myself, my proctologist and the splinter removal company."

"No, you see Alyx is really a mild tempered individual. A truly sweet girl who wouldn't harm a flea."

Perspiration formed on Bob's forehead and he glanced nervously towards one wing of the stage. Sticking between the curtains was the double barrels of a shotgun.

Bob swallowed nervously. "So anyway, I'm proud to be her husband... yeah, she's great! Even if she does eat potato chips in bed and..."

The sound of triggers cocking was clearly heard and Bob flinched. "And now on with our story!"

He turned and walked to the wing of the stage where Alyx met him, still holding the shotgun. "You call that a disclaimer? I mean I appreciate the kind words, but it isn't getting you off the hook. The next time you mix up the heating rub with a personal lubricant I'll kill you. Slowly."

Bob nodded. "Well, they know it isn't ours don't they?"

She shrugged. "If they don't, nothing we say will convince them."

"On with the story?" he asked.

"You're not off the hook yet," she growled.

"Yes dear," he replied, then he flipped the switch turning on the rest of the chapter.

The Power of the Press
Chapter 7

The Granger Home, June 11th 1997, Oxford England...

Harry woke early, despite getting to sleep very late. His first impression was one of confusion until he realized he was in his room at the Grangers. His second impression was of a very warm and soft Hermione curled up against him, her head on his chest, sleeping soundly.

He glanced over at the clock, but he was too late to join the Grangers for breakfast. They'd already left for work.

"Mum's already been here and gone," Hermione said sleepily. "Now go back to sleep, Harry."

He ran his fingers through her hair and she sighed and snuggled closer. His last thought was that he'd never get back to sleep.

Two hours later he awoke to feel Hermione giggling against him.

"Hermione?"

"You have very sensitive skin," she murmured.

"What?"

She ran her fingertips very lightly along his ribs, barely touching the skin and he shivered from the sensation. She giggled at his reaction and he sighed before he reached up to cup her cheek.

"I'm glad you're having fun," he said dryly.

She giggled again and rested her head against his chest. "So, what now? You're done with school, but you can't use a wand here, not until your birthday."

"We'll work on your homework. That means you'll do it and I'll be here to help, though you won't need it. But no matter. I do have some reading material of my own, as well as some equipment to look over."

"Are you going to explain now about this reserve position you spoke about?"

"It's not all that complicated. Sirius, Remus and I have been played for fools, to an extent. We might have fooled the British Ministry, but the Americans and the Pacific Rim knew who I was shortly after I arrived in Fiji. My defense instructor, Professor Murphy, is a trainer of senior level hit wizards. He was assigned to be my instructor by the United States Department of Magic. It seems that a good many of the other countries have been angry with Britain and their attitude, especially where it concerned Voldemort and myself.

"Officially, I am a reserve, unpaid Auror, attached to the Pacific Rim Ministry. I have an open invitation to their academy, but they wanted me to take this position so that I could legally rely on their resources while I hunt for Nagini.

"They know I may not want to be an Auror, but they were really frothing at the mouth to get me to sign on. All I have to do is agree to attend their academy and they'll issue me a hit wizard license when I complete an accelerated set of classes. It's nice to know I have these options, but I'm not really set on doing that for the rest of my life."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked softly.

"I don't know, but I'd hate to think that fighting was my sole talent."

She sat up on the bed, letting the sheets slip from her body. He sucked in a breath, seeing how thin and nearly translucent her nightgown was.

"You pulled full marks in Transfiguration, Languages, Charms and Runes. Defense is not your only talent, Harry." She looked around, frowning. "But you're right. I have a lot of homework to do, so let's talk about this later."

He nodded and resisted the urge to pull her down into the bed for some serious exploration without bookspace applying limits on them.

An hour later, Hermione set up on the picnic table in the back to do her homework, but found herself watching Harry, rather than working.

Not far away, Harry fussed around with a small tent. Once he had gotten it erect, he crawled into the tent and vanished. The tent shimmered for a moment, then it, too, faded from sight.

Alarmed, she stood up. "Harry?" she called loudly.

There was a sound of rustling canvas and then his head appeared, floating a couple feet above the ground. "You've got to see this," he exclaimed. "It's like a small apartment in here. There's even a small library!" He frowned. "The topics are pretty limited though; Defense, Healing and Law, mostly. A smattering of other things related to survival."

When she looked down at her stack of books, then longingly at the tent opening, he knew what she was thinking. "Hermione, do your work. The tent isn't going anywhere. I'll grab a few of the books and come sit with you and read."

She smiled and turned back to her own books. Harry vanished for a moment, then reappeared. When he exited the tent, it became visible. He sat next to her, reading a text on advanced curse detection and breaking, skills every investigative Auror should have.

Every so often, he'd curse a coin he had placed on the table, then test a few spells on it, observing their results. Hermione would pause to watch, and then she'd turn back to her essay, never noticing that Harry would stop his work to watch her, as well.

Without realizing it, they had set the pattern for the next two weeks. They'd study during the day, and to his surprise, she would ask for his advice and opinions on her Defense and Transfiguration homework. At night, they'd retire to his bed, where they would lie talking and lightly cuddling until sleep took them. They were still going slowly with the physical aspects of their relationship, but without the limitations of bookspace, they were enjoying a more pleasurable time together.

Hermione's parents weren't oblivious to what was going on, but Dan, who had the most objections, seemed resigned to it. Emma, on the other hand, walked around with a smug grin on her face.

Varied Locations in Britain, June 25th 1997...

Harry looked up from the skillet he was using to cook an omelette when Remus and Tonks walked into the room from the back door. He blinked at them in confusion — he hadn't expected them to show up today — then turned and moved the omelette to Hermione's plate.

"Good morning, you two," he said, setting up to cook another omelette. "I wasn't expecting you today. What happened to Sirius?"

Remus shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. "Right. About that, Harry..."

Harry turned off the stove and turned to face Remus. "He's all right, isn't he?"

"He's fine, he's just... Well, I know he promised to come along with us, but like yourself, he hasn't been back there since that night. He lost his nerve this morning. Cindy is with him, but he was hitting the firewhiskey pretty hard," Remus said sadly.

Harry sighed and nodded unhappily. "I think we should stop by Sirius' place before we go, then. He needs to know that I understand and don't blame him."

"All right. Finish your breakfast and then we'll swing by Sirius' place," Remus said.

Harry nodded absently and turned back to making his breakfast. "Have either of you eaten yet?"

"We're good. I made us something to eat before we left," Tonks said, then she frowned. "Although I will admit I'm not nearly as good a cook as you or Remus."

Harry shrugged. He was a decent cook, thanks to the Dursleys, but he wasn't always comfortable with it.

Hermione, meanwhile, was watching and surprisingly, wolfing down her omelette. In her mind, Harry was a wonderful cook, far better than she was, and her mother had made sure she knew her way around the kitchen.

"I do all right, I suppose," he admitted. Then he grinned wryly. "If nothing else, I could be a cook or a landscaper if push came to shove."

He levitated his omelette from the pan onto a plate and moved to the table to sit. Remus poured a cup of tea for himself and for Tonks, then joined them at the table.

Harry grinned weakly at Hermione when he spotted her clean plate. She made it perfectly clear that she loved his cooking.

"I was hungry," she mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Good. I like cooking for you," he said.

It was a simple admission, but it still touched her. This day wasn't turning out like she thought it would. Already there were uncomfortable emotions rising to the surface and they hadn't even left Oxford!

An hour later, the four of them walked into the foyer of Grimmauld Place. Harry looked around in amusement, Sirius had always called the place a dump, but it looked far from that these days. Polished dark wood floors and cheery lights gave the place a happy contrast. Harry knew most of this was the work of Dobby, who was only working for Sirius until Harry could move into his own house.

Dobby appeared in the foyer and bowed slightly. Sirius had asked Dobby to wear a miniature uniform and Harry had to admit, he made an interesting looking Beefeater. Dobby had his choice of uniforms and Harry was never sure what he'd be wearing on a day when he arrived.

"Master Padfeet and Miss Cindy are in the sitting room," Dobby announced.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry replied, then he turned and opened the door to the main sitting room.

Cindy sat uncomfortably on one end of the couch. Sirius lay stretched out with his head in her lap. It was obvious that he had been crying shortly before they arrived.

"Sirius?" Harry asked worriedly.

He opened his eyes and looked up at Harry miserably. "I'm sorry. I've failed you like I failed your parents."

Cindy moved to caress him again, but Harry stepped closer and grabbed onto of one Sirius' ears. Sirius' eyes widened and he turned to face Harry.

Harry could tell Sirius had been drinking. He knew he'd need to be forceful to get through to the man. He pulled Sirius into a sitting position.

Once he was sitting up, Harry released him. Sirius rubbed his ear and looked at him with a pained expression.

"You only fail them, and me, when you refuse to live, Sirius Black," Harry said angrily. "You saved me from Dumbledore and the Dursleys. It is not a failure if you can't visit my parents’ graves with me. Remus will show us the way, and we'll go another day when you feel up to it. But it is a failure to give up like this and admit defeat."

As he spoke, tears rolled down his cheeks. He loved his parents, of course. After all, they'd given him life. But the truth was, he didn't remember them. The man before him, however, was his father in all the ways that really mattered.

Sirius looked up into Harry's eyes, startled by the intensity of emotion he felt from him. Around him, the others seem stunned into silence, watching a drama that was intimate and personal and yet so much a part of what they were all involved in.

"But I convinced James to switch to Peter. If that wasn't bad enough, I gave you to Hagrid so I could chase after the bastard! I can't even work up the courage to face their graves!" Sirius protested brokenly.

Harry kneeled in front of Sirius and leaned back on his heels. "You did. You made some mistakes and as soon as you could, you fixed them. I don't blame you for what I went through with the Dursleys, Sirius. I don't blame you for the death of my parents. You were just one small cog in a machine built by Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"Dumbledore is dead and together, Sirius, we will kill Voldemort so that our family will survive. You saw to that by stepping in and derailing Dumbledore's plan.

"You fixed things as soon as you could. If it weren't for you, I'd still be with those Muggles, or worse. I know. Moony told me how you convinced him that Dumbledore wasn't being truthful and that it was your plan to pull that stunt, faking my loss of magic. Don't you see? You corrected the errors the way my parents expected you would. They know that and I know it."

Sirius shed silent tears listening to Harry.

Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked away. He was suddenly aware that he was crying in front of his family.

Sirius wiped his face and heaved a sigh. "How did you ever get so smart?" he asked.

Harry choked on a laugh. "My mother, I think. Or maybe from Remus' side of the family. Can't be from your side; you're too stupid."

There was a moment of shocked silence, then Tonks started to giggle, while Remus preened and looked proud. Sirius looked at Harry for a moment longer, then he barked out a laugh in that strange style of his.

Sirius started to stand up, but Cindy placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. "Sirius, relax," she said. "Harry said he doesn't need for you to accompany him."

Harry stood and patted him on the shoulder. "Someday, Sirius, when you're ready, we'll go and sit by their graves and tell them about our adventures on Fiji. Today, Remus will take us."

Harry walked to Remus as Sirius moved into Cindy's embrace.

Remus held out the portkey for the others. Tonks, Hermione and Harry reached for it and they all vanished.

Sirius looked at the spot where they had stood a moment before, then turned to Cindy. "I've made a right fool of myself today, haven't I?"

She patted his cheek fondly. "Yes, but you had a good reason for it. And while you might have made a fool of yourself, most of it came from a bottle. Do have any idea what just happened here, Siri?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, my pup is growing up."

"He's grown into a fine man, Siri. You and Remus should be proud of that. You both made it happen, despite his rough start. His parents would be so proud of him, and you for what you've done for him."

He nodded sadly. "I just wish it hadn't been necessary."

"We all do. Now, let's get up and be about our business. We have a wedding in four days and I still haven't bought my nightgown for our wedding night."

Sirius' expression brightened. "Do I get to help with that?"

She laughed and hugged his arm. "Maybe, if you help me finish the seating chart the caterer needs."

Godric's Hallow, June 25th 1997...

Harry looked around curiously once he had recovered his footing. He would have preferred another method, but he was the only one who knew that way of traveling yet. Since Remus was the only one who had been here before, a portkey was the preferred method of travel.

They were on a footpath at the bottom of a gentle slope. Around them were thick woods that blocked and dimmed the sunlight.

"It's at the top of the hill," Remus said, then he took Tonks' hand and started walking up the path.

Harry reached for Hermione's hand and followed the pair in silence. He was grateful that Hermione was here, but right now he didn't need to talk. She knew that he would speak when he was ready.

After a short walk they came out on top of a small hill. The path wound its way towards a small cemetery. The cemetery was built around a small chapel, and around the entire area was a wrought iron fence. The gate was marked with the names of Gryffindor, Finch, Stevens and Potter, each name marking a cadet branch that at one time carried the title of Heir of Gryffindor.

Harry turned to Remus, who glanced at the gate, then shrugged. "Each family made its mark here. Your family is the sole surviving line of Gryffindor. The other branches have all died out now."

He paused and looked at the gate again. The names represented many people, perhaps hundreds, now gone. He reached out and touched the gate, testing its reality. This is my family, he thought. No, this was my family. Sirius, Remus, Cindy, Hermione and the others are my family. This is my history and I am their legacy.

He pushed against the gate and it swung open noiselessly. He glanced at Remus who smiled. "I've visited here several times each year since that... day. It doesn't take much to refresh the charms on the place."

Harry nodded and smiled his thanks. Gripping Hermione's hand he walked through the gate. He looked at the small chapel for a moment, but turned away, looking for a specific spot.

"It's this way, Harry," Remus said, pointing. He led them around the side of the chapel. There, under a huge oak tree, lay a simple stone marker.

Harry sped up, crossing the other graves with barely a glance until he reached the marker under the tree. There, he knelt next to the stone, examining it as if it held the answers he sought.

James Potter
27 March 1960 - 31 October 1981
Lily Potter
30 January 1960 - 31 October 1981
Beloved Parents, Faithful Friends
Truly missed
CERVUS LACESSITUS LEO

Remus and Tonks moved to sit at a nearby bench, leaving Harry and Hermione alone at the grave.

He ran a hand over the cool marble, then he conjured a handful of flowers, which he laid at the base of the headstone.

He looked up at Hermione, who stood nearby nibbling her lip worriedly. "I always thought that visiting this place would mean a lot to me. I mean, when I was growing up in my cupboard, I used to dream that my parents would show up one say and say 'We're sorry, it was a terrible mistake, we're here to take you home'. But that never happened."

He sighed and his shoulders drooped a little. "I thought I would feel remorse, but I don't. I mean, I feel the hole they left behind when they left me, but it's been a part of me for so long, and Remus, Sirius and you have filled so much of it. I'm sad, in a way, that I couldn't be with them. But how can I miss what I don't remember? I can't miss what I never had, can I? Does this make me a bad person, Hermione?"

She smiled sadly at him and moved to stand closer. Her own heart was breaking for him and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "No, it doesn't make you a bad person. It just means you're human. They were taken from you so long ago you don't remember them."

He nodded slowly and turned back to the headstones. "I'm sorry," he said simply to the cold stone. "We could have had so much and it was taken away from us. You probably already know it, but Remus and Sirius have been taking care of me."

He stood and placed a hand on the stone. "I hope that I'm good enough. I try to live up to what I think you'd like me to be. You were my parents, but I don't remember you, except for some nightmares. I don't remember you at all, and for that, I'm sorry."

He reached for Hermione's hand, the pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"This is my Hermione," he said to the stone. "Someday, after I kill Voldemort, I'm going to marry her and we'll build a family of our own. I'll do my best to be the type of parent I know you would have been."

She turned into his chest and bit her lip. It had dawned on her that he wasn't mourning his parents; they were strangers to him. He was mourning a concept of parents and family that had been denied to him for most of his life.

She looked at the stone again. "Cervus lacessitus leo," she whispered.

Harry smiled. "Appropriate, don't you think? It suits me and my father. I wonder if it was the family motto or just his?"

Seeing her confusion, his grin widened. "Cervus lacessitus leo: The stag at bay becomes a lion," he translated. Her knowledge of Latin was limited to her spell vocabulary, while Harry had picked up the language on a lark. It annoyed Sirius when Harry spoke to him in Latin, and anything that annoyed Sirius was well worth the effort.

She smiled up at him, comprehending. It was appropriate, considering his connection with stags and the Gryffindor line.

He wrapped his other arm around her, holding her tightly and laid his head against the top of hers.

"Are you all right?" she asked softly.

He kissed the top of her head. "Never better. I can't be upset when I'm holding you."

They stood like that for several minutes before he released her and they walked over to the bench were Remus and Tonks sat, talking softly.

The two adults smiled at the teens approach. "All right there, Harry?" asked Tonks.

"Fine," Harry replied.

Seeing both Remus and Tonks frown at him, he grinned. "Really, I'm just fine. I needed to visit this place to understand."

"Understand?" echoed Remus in confusion.

Harry nodded and waved a hand towards the graves. "These were my family, people who lived their lives and, through them, allowed me to be born. I am their legacy, but they're not my real family, they're my history. My family, the people I can reach out and touch right now, who alter my life by being a part of it, are you and Tonks, Sirius and Cindy, Hermione and her parents. That's my family now. Family is people you love and who love you. Blood is part of it, but the love is even more important.

"James Potter was my father, but you and Sirius earned the title of Dad."

Remus stood and walked over to Harry, then clapped a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were suspiciously bright. Tonks sniffled on the bench. She was a late comer to the group and after a few welcoming pranks, had been accepted by all with open arms.

Harry's right, she thought. We are a family. It was a difficult concept for her. She had parents who loved her, but Sirius, Remus and the others accepted her for what she was. Acceptance was a rare commodity for the young metamorph.

"It'll be fine, Remus," Harry said. He had rarely seen the older werewolf so touched before.

"You know it will, cub," replied Remus.

Harry looked around. "Remus, who owns all this? Besides yourself, who keeps it up? The lawns look freshly cut and raked. Is there a caretaker?"

"You own the land," Remus said quietly. "Magic does most of the upkeep, but like I said, I come here every few months to refresh the charms."

He pointed south, towards a thick picket of trees. "That way lies Potter Manor, and your parents’ cottage. A little further south of the cottage is the village. The cottage is just a burned down shell. No one wanted to touch it. I'm not sure if it was in memory of your parents, or fear that the ground had been cursed."

Harry nodded grimly. He would do something about that. Perhaps rebuild the cottage. But not today. He wouldn't worry about that until he officially came of age in Britain in another month.

He looked at Remus. "Thank you, for what you've done here for them, and for me."

"We're family," Remus replied, testing the word out for himself and liking it. He always thought of it like that, but it wasn't always easy to say so.

"Shall we apparate back to Hermione's place?" Harry asked.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to show Tonks around a bit more."

He nodded and watched them walk over to another pair of graves. Harry had spotted them on the way in. They marked the resting place of his grandparents, killed before his father had married his mother.

"Harry, I'm not sure I can apparate that far," Hermione said uncertainly.

He tore his eyes away from Remus and Tonks and looked at her. "I think you're underestimating your abilities, sweetheart. But no matter. Do you trust me?"

"You know I do," she said.

He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

She leaned against him, her eyes shut tightly. There was a brief sensation of motion, and then he tilted her chin up and kissed her lingeringly. When the kiss finally ended, she sighed happily against his chest.

"You can open your eyes," he whispered.

She looked around in astonishment. They were in her room!

"What was that?" she asked in a shocked voice.

"That," he said smugly, "was an International Auror Teleport. It's banned here in the U.K., but I'm going to teach you how to do it tomorrow. An average wizard has a range of nearly two thousand miles with it, instead of the usual one hundred to two hundred miles of an apparate."

"Why is it banned here?"

Harry sighed. "Because it's untraceable and there are no wards preventing it. Aurors outside of Britain learn it in their last year at their academies. It's not taught to the general public, but I have permission to teach it to my family, as long as I get an oath that you won't show it to others and will only use it when you know you won't be seen. It's not a perfect spell, though. Never open your eyes while teleporting. Trust me on that."

Hermione nodded absently and moved to sit on her bed.

He watched her for a moment, worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Aren't you worried that with all the help you've been given by the Pacific Rim that you'll feel obligated to go back there?"

Harry leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, looking at her. "I suppose that's a possibility, but would it really be all that bad? I've been invited to attend the Mitsumi, to study. Their Ministry wants me, in particular their Magical Law Enforcement, but they aren't the only Department interested. I'm not saying I will go that route, but it's nice to know I have options."

"But what do you want to do?" she pressed, then laughed when he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Besides that!" she exclaimed. Their sex life was steadily improving, even if they were still both technically virgins. Between them, body modesty had already vanished.

"There are no magical universities in Britain or Europe, Hermione. If you want to go for your Mastery here, you need to accept an Apprenticeship under a Master, and that Master can keep you up to seven years. I know you want to continue working for a Mastery in Arithmancy and maybe Runes. We could do that elsewhere."

She leaned back against the headboard, thinking. She did want a Mastery in Runes and Arithmancy, as they were prerequisites for getting into spell crafting. "So I could go to a school in Japan and get a Mastery there without an Apprenticeship?"

He nodded and tried not to grin. He could see she was weakening. The Apprenticeship system in Britain was downright feudal in nature. The Master had control over the apprentice and was allowed to do nearly anything he or she wanted to. It was the primary reason why so few people went on to obtain a Mastery in any subject.

"I don't speak Japanese," she noted.

"There are translation spells which you can use until you learn. It's not an easy language to learn, but it's worth the effort. Besides, we're not limited to Japan. There's a whole world out there waiting for us. And there are a lot of places that speak English."

"And what would you do?"

He shrugged. "Same as you, only different subjects. Transfiguration and Charms."

She shook her head. "It's so far from home, though."

"And I would buy a portal door to wherever we stay. Look, sweetie, you don't need to decide today. I haven't made a decision myself. But I want you to promise me that you'll at least consider it. I don't think either of us want to stay in Britain afterwards."

Hermione frowned and got off the bed. She paced in front of Harry a few times before turning to him. "I don't understand this. Why are we the ones who are so backward? Portals are a prime example of that. Illegal in Britain and barely used in Europe, but they are everywhere else!"

"You know the answer to that already," he replied calmly.

When she turned away to begin pacing once more, he came away from the wall and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "We've talked about this before. Wizarding Britain is behind most of the rest of the world, except for the European nations that seem eager to follow us. Meanwhile, our society has a moral system that more closely resembles Imperial Britannia at the height of Queen Victoria, than it does modern Muggle Britain.

"You saw Molly last year. She didn't like the idea that other countries were ignoring British law. And she didn't like that I was so assertive with her. Britain and the continent are so conservative, it's remarkable that they even allow new spell development.

"Madam Bones is working hard on fixing that, and Sirius is helping, but I don't expect she'll make any major changes anytime soon. Look at Sirius' equality bill, it was passed, grudgingly, but is rarely enforced. The Minister is stuck trying to implement slow changes because sweeping reforms would spark a revolt among the purebloods.

"Look at the Yanks, or the Pacific Rim. Both Ministries are working to integrate themselves with the Muggle governments. They are openly embracing the newer Muggle technologies. The Yanks are even working on something called technomancy, which combines technology and magic together. If you don't believe me, ask Remus what your chances are of landing a Ministry job."

She frowned at him and sat at her desk. "So you think we should abandon Britain altogether? Our home?"

Harry scowled back at her. "Now, I didn't say that and you know it. All I'm saying is that there is little either of us can do as fresh graduates. I have a Mastery under my belt, but it's not the one I really want. I'm willing to spend the five years of schooling to obtain Masteries in Charms and Transfiguration, and then maybe spend a few more years outside of Britain, getting experience before coming back to help move things forward.

"This is my home," he said firmly. "But I can't do anything about it until I have some real life experience under my belt. You're in the same boat, sweetie, like it or not."

She leaned back on her chair, thinking. It was a bold move, but she was already aware of the difficulty she'd face trying to get a Ministry job, considering her background. Having a Mastery would make that so much easier. Even a Muggleborn was respected when she has a Mastery in a subject. The Mastery opened doors that her heritage slammed shut.

Slowly she nodded. "All right, I'll consider it. In the meantime, I want to see the book you learned the Auror Teleport spell from."

Harry nodded and summoned the book to his hand, then gave it to her with a broad grin. It wasn't exactly the same book he had learned from. His book was more practical in nature. The one he gave her was an in-depth examination of the process, including the theory behind it.

She turned and took a seat at her desk, opening the book.

"Call me when you're ready to try it," he said, kissing the side of her head. She was already engrossed in the book.

"Uh huh," she mumbled.

He chuckled and walked from her room.

The Granger Home, June 29th 1997, Oxford England...

Harry walked out into the backyard holding a tray of drinks. Emma followed him a moment later carrying another tray with snacks on it. He placed the tray on the table and sat down next to Hermione, exhausted from the day and, for the first time in hours, comfortable.

Hermione opened a butterbeer and passed it to him before taking one for herself. "Well, that was fun," she murmured tiredly.

Harry kicked off his shoes and banished his socks to his room, then he sighed, brushing his bare feet in the cool grass. Hermione grinned and echoed his actions a moment later. They both had spent a good deal of the evening dancing and their feet were sore.

Remus and Tonks appeared at the apparation point with loud pops and spotted the trio sitting at the table in the dark. They angled over to join them.

"Why are we sitting in the dark?" asked Tonks.

"It's quiet and not so bright," Hermione replied. She was leaning up against Harry.

As if to belie that statement, the yard lights switched on. Harry flinched and blinked under their harsh glare.

"Drink too much, cub?" Remus asked in amusement.

He shook his head. "No, just that one champagne toast. I just wasn't expecting Dan to switch on the lights."

The back door opened and Dan stepped out into the yard. He joined them at the table. "There's just something about weddings and receptions that exhausts me," he complained as he sat down.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Did Sirius and Cindy get off all right?" asked Emma.

"I don't know. We'd have had to stick around to find that out," answered Tonks with a snort and a laugh.

A complete and shocked silence fell on the table for a moment before Harry began to laugh. A moment later everyone joined him.

When the laughter finally died down, Remus replied to Emma's question. "They left for the airport just fine. I'm surprised that Cindy convinced Sirius to use Muggle transportation."

"Come on, Remus. Not everyone likes international portkeys," Harry said sourly. His hatred of them was legendary. "Besides, a flight to the States is a lot shorter than a flight to Nadi."

"Cindy convinced Sirius to travel as a Muggle for this trip. He has his wand with him, but he's promised to keep the magic to a minimum," Emma commented.

"I have to admit I was surprised that the ceremony was so... ordinary. I expected that sometime after the service there would be some sort of magical ceremony," Dan said quietly.

Emma nodded in agreement. "Yes, what about the whole lifespan and magic merging thing?"

Tonks shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Remus, who could only shrug in return. "I don't really know. My mum told me about the magic merging when she gave me the talk, but she never told me the exact details. She said it was something the couple learned closer to their wedding. The Ministry didn't want people merging magic during a casual encounter."

"Sirius explained it to me," Harry said softly. "When he gave me the talk, he was already thinking about marrying Cindy and had looked up the information. It's another case of the Ministry being pigheaded, if you ask me. It's not something that can happen accidentally."

Dan turned to him. "So, how is it done?"

Harry blushed and was thankful that, even with the yard lights, his blush wasn't that obvious. "Well, the merging isn't something that happens instantly. It can take up to a year or more, depending on the strength of the people involved.

"There's a short ritual that starts the merging. That's usually done by the couple, in private. Did you know that failure to perform the ritual, or if the ritual fails, you have the only acceptable grounds for annulment by the Ministry?"

Dan leaned closer. "But how is it done?" he pressed.

"Ah..." Harry said, looking very uncomfortable. "I'd rather not say. It's private."

"Harry?" Hermione said.

"Later," he replied in a strangled tone. He was reluctant to explain to the parents of his girlfriend what was entailed in the ritual. It was a private matter between the couple and not something you normally spoke of with future in-laws. Dan was just getting used to them sleeping in the same bed; he wasn't ready to entertain the idea that they might have sex. And he certainly wasn't ready to hear about a ceremony that involved certain bodily fluids.

Hermione sat back and huffed. She hated not knowing something and this was clearly magical, so it had not come up when her Mother gave her The Talk.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Tonks said easily. "It's listed in several common books, and if you really wanted to know you could always ask someone, like that red head's mother."

Harry choked on his drink and coughed loudly. Ask Molly Weasley? Oh, Merlin, can I get the pensieve memory of that conversation to see? he thought.

Remus pounded on Harry's back and grinned. He knew of the ritual, and while he never thought he'd ever perform it, both Sirius and James had explained it to him. Unlike Harry, however, he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Hermione glared at Harry and he winced, knowing full well that she would be demanding an explanation in private.

"So, what's this about you talking to the press, Harry? Do you know how dangerous that was?" Remus asked.

Harry shrugged. "Evan spoke to the press, and he wouldn't have done so, but it seemed the best man was too busy ogling the pretty blond in the front row on the groom's side."

Remus blushed and looked away from Harry's gaze. "I guess I deserved that."

"Be thankful, Remus. I was half tempted to tell that reporter from the Prophet that the Quibbler had the story right all along."

Hermione started to choke on her drink. She sputtered for a moment, then glared at him. "Don't do that! It's bad enough that Luna knows about you without you fanning the fire."

He grinned. He'd never tell the Prophet any such thing, but he could dream, couldn't he?

Disney Contemporary Hotel, Disney World, Orlando Florida, June 30th 1997...

Cindy breathed a sigh of relief when Sirius closed the door after the bellhop left. Their flight had arrived barely an hour ago and it was very early in the morning.

Sirius pulled off his tie and smiled tiredly at her. "I never knew sitting could be so tiring," he said. "I've flown enough times now, you'd think I'd be used to it."

She laughed. "We have some flights that will be a lot worse, love. That flight from Los Angeles to Sydney will seem like forever."

"I'm not going to worry about it," he said bravely. "Right now, it's four in the morning and I think we need to get some sleep."

She nodded and walked into the bedroom with Sirius close on her heels. She opened the large steamer trunk they were using and wondered why the wizards seemed so enamored of steamer trunks. With a mental shrug, she pulled out her nightgown and headed into the bathroom.

Sirius looked out at the panoramic view of the Magic Kingdom and chuckled to himself. Magic? If they only knew, he mused. Despite the late hour, the park was lit up, as was the edge of the man-made lake. They were in one of the many executive suites, which included nearly every luxury one could possibly imagine.

Shaking his head in amusement at his own thoughts, he moved away from the window and started to strip down.

From the bathroom he could hear Cindy getting ready and he grinned. He had seen her nightgown, but hadn't seen it on her yet. That was something he was looking forward to with anticipation.

By the time he was down to his boxers, she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a light robe over her nightgown. "Your turn," she told him.

He grinned and headed into the bathroom, pausing only long enough to kiss her cheek.

Cindy smiled to herself and marveled at the changes in her life. Sirius had appeared on the horizon, thanks to her friends, and he quickly filled a place she didn't even know was empty. Their romance blossomed so quickly that it had at first worried her that it was an infatuation.

That worry dropped away as Sirius started showing her more and more aspects of his personality and his world. He was eager to show her the magical world; the good along with the bad. She knew that despite his fears, he would make a wonderful father. It was obvious from the way he treated Harry.

Sirius was a complex man who hid much behind a mask of practical jokes and a happy-go-lucky nature. But she had seen beyond the mask and held him when he wept for friends lost and years wasted in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

She thought herself to be extremely lucky to be loved by such a man and would have been surprised to know that Sirius thought the same thing about her.

Sirius stepped from the bathroom and turned off the bathroom light. He grinned and approached Cindy, who stood waiting for him. She smiled softly and then she turned and shut off the lamp near the bed. The room fell into darkness with the only light coming from the illumination of the park in the distance.

She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Finally, this day is over and I have you where I want you," she whispered.

He leaned down a little and kissed her while his hands undid the belt holding her robe closed. "My mother wouldn't have approved, but I am so happy you're now Mrs. Black," he replied after breaking their kiss.

She stepped out of his arms and let her robe slip to the floor, where it pooled at her feet. Sirius gasped; she looked almost like an angel in her nightgown. For a brief moment, he recalled a conversation he once had with Harry about there being two types of nightwear for women; the type that keeps them warm and the type that makes them hot. This was definitely one of the latter category.

She put a hand on her hip and twisted slightly, posing for him. "I take it you like what you see?"

He nodded dumbly, unable to find the words.

She smiled to herself then stepped close enough to reach down and caress his erection through his boxers.

He moaned slightly and his boxers exploded.

Literally.

There was a sharp snap and pieces of cotton flew everywhere. She jumped back in alarm and his pelvic region suddenly lit up like someone had turned a spotlight on it.

"What the...," Sirius gasped in alarm.

Two eyes appeared and blinked at him. He blinked back and looked back at Little Sirius, who was giving new meaning to the words 'get head'. His erection twisted and bent so that there was a ninety degree angle in the middle. The head swiveled until it spotted Cindy who, by now, was sitting on the floor, staring at Sirius' suddenly sentient penis in awe. One eye deliberately winked at her and she blinked in surprise, then, to Sirius' consternation, she started to giggle.

His erection wolf whistled at her, twice, and she blushed heavily.

"Hey now! That's my wife..." Sirius trailed off and wondered just who he was arguing with. After all, he wanted to use that particular organ on her.

The head twisted for a moment and glared up at Sirius before turning back to Cindy. It winked again and then began to sing.

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts
There they are all standing in a row
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
That’s what the showman said
I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts
Every ball you throw will make me rich
There stands my wife, the idol of me life
Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch
Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

Sirius groaned and buried his face in his hands, while Cindy howled with laughter.

"Now you stop that!" shouted Sirius, which only caused Cindy to laugh even harder.

His erection twisted again and looked up at him and quite clearly blew a raspberry in his direction. Sirius stumbled backwards and fell into a chair. His erection changed songs.

Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home...

Sirius groaned and grabbed at the singing penis, which made a strangled noise.

"Help me!" shouted his penis. "No, wait, do that again!"

Cindy peeked her head around the edge of the bed to see Sirius trying to strangle the little crooner and she started laughing again. Sirius let go of himself and shot her a sour look. He didn't know who was responsible, but someone was going to pay for this!

Daily Prophet Headline, June 30th 1997...

Sirius Orion Black Marries Muggle!

Yesterday, in a small private service consisting of mostly Muggles and a few wizards, Sirius Orion Black, age 36, wed Cynthia Patricia Adams, age 34. The ceremony took place in the famous chapel of St. Mary's, in Oxford.

Black has been long listed as one of Britain's most eligible bachelors, topping out that list at number eight for the past three years. He is most famous for his role in Harry Potter's life and as such, his wedding resulted in more press present than actual participants of the service. It had been hoped that Black's marriage would have resulted in a public appearance by Harry Potter, but that wasn't the case.

Potter, age 16, heroically sacrificed his magic so that we may live happily without the threat of You-Know-Who. Although there have been numerous sightings of Mr. Potter over the past three years, none have been confirmed.

Evan Black, a cousin of Mr. Black, offered a statement to the press following the service. "Mr. Black appreciates the interest his wedding has generated, but he asks your indulgence as he and his new bride desire nothing more than to have their privacy while on their honeymoon."

When pressed, Evan Black admitted that Mr. Potter regretted his inability to attend his godfather's wedding, but that he was not in the country and had other obligations. Mr Black refused to divulge any further information concerning Harry Potter.

Sirius Black is a current member of the Wizengamot and one of the Ministry's strongest supporters. Currently, he holds the only Ambassador-at-Large position, standing in for the Ministry in several recent international conferences. Prior to that, he spent twelve years in Azkaban prison, wrongly accused and never tried for the crime he was accused of.

Mr. Black escaped from prison for the express purpose of coming to the aid of his godson, Harry Potter. He spent an uncomfortable year on the run from Ministry Aurors until his name was cleared in the scandals that followed the fall of Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic.

It was rumored that he played a key role in the downfall of Minister Fudge, and in the disappearance of Harry Potter. Efforts to locate the missing hero have failed because the Ministry does not track Muggles.

Mr Black was attended by long time friend and known werewolf, Remus John Lupin, and his younger cousin, Evan Black.

Ms. Adams was attended by Emma Granger, Muggle, and her daughter Hermione, a seventh year student at Hogwarts. It is rumored that the Grangers were instrumental in arranging for Ms. Adams to meet Mr. Black.

Ms. Adams is a doctor of some sort, a respected job among the Muggles.

Quibbler headline, June 30th, 1997...

Stubby Boardman Marries Duck!

In a move that surprised no one, Stubby Boardman, former lead singer of the Hobgoblins, married long time sweetheart and known reversemagus, Doris Purkiss.

Ms. Purkiss is famous for claiming that Stubby Boardman really was Sirius Black. She is also the only known duck capable of changing herself into a witch.

The ceremony was attended by friends of Mr. Boardman's and Ms. Purkiss' paddling. We were unable to attend the party that followed the service, but we were told by reliable sources that guests were served cheese and quackers.

See photos page 6 and 9.

Coming next week. Harry Potter invades Antarctica! Claims the continent for Cyprus, then challenges Canada to an arm wrestling match.

Little Whinging, Surrey, July 20th 1997...

"Are you sure about this, dear?" asked Emma as she pulled out onto the motorway.

"Do you think I shouldn't?"

"I'm not saying that, Hermione. I just want to make sure you're absolutely certain why you're doing this."

Hermione sighed and looked out the window for a moment, trying to order her thoughts before replying. "I told you that he's told me that when I graduate from Hogwarts, he'll ask me to marry him, officially, ring and all?"

Emma resisted the urge to let go of the steering wheel and hug her daughter, opting instead to grin broadly. She couldn't help but marvel at the thought of her daughter in love. Before Harry, she thought Hermione would never get her nose out of her books to discover the world. "Yes, I think I recall you mentioning that before. I'm not surprised that he'd mention it before he actually asks you. Your father did the same thing."

"He even intends to ask you and Dad for permission sometime after I return to school," Hermione added.

"How do you feel about it?" Emma asked calmly.

"I love him, Mum. I want to marry him and I don't want to wait for us to get married. I'd marry him tomorrow, if I thought I could get away with it."

Emma nodded. Her daughter had just confirmed that they hadn't been fully intimate yet. It was information she was interested in. She'd never admit it to Hermione, but she was downright nosy about her daughter's love life. She and Dan had a wonderful relationship and she wanted Hermione to be as lucky as she was.

"I love him, but despite all the good in him and the things I love about him, there is still a part of him that isn't quite... complete. Those people made him that way and I will spend the rest of my life trying to correct that."

"You've read that literature then?"

"I did, and for the most part, he is not that way. I've seen him with small children and in every argument we've had he has not ever been violent. His... damage lies in another area."

Emma frowned. She had been concerned that Harry was still having problems from his experience with the Dursleys. It was commonly known that children who are abused while growing up often become abusers, thus continuing the cycle.

"Oh?"

Hermione sighed. "He lacks confidence in himself and us. He won't let us get too intimate because deep down I think he's still convinced he isn't worthy of my love. I think he's afraid that someday I'll leave him and he's keeping us from taking that last step because it," she replied, then her voice dropped lower. "I think he's scared he won't be able to please me physically or emotionally."

Emma nodded. "And how does your cursing the Dursleys help that?"

"It doesn't," Hermione said firmly, "except that it lets me vent some of the anger I've felt. I'm not angry at Harry, so it isn't fair to vent it at him. They have had no punishment for their crimes. Harry is going to force them to start paying to live in Privet Drive, but that's not enough."

Emma nodded slowly. "Yes, I can agree with that, but won't you get into trouble with what you have planned?"

Hermione's grin sharpened and her eyes narrowed. "No. If I cursed the Dursleys directly, I could be arrested, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to set some one time wards that will vanish once they're triggered. They'll make the Dursley's think they are having a particularly nasty string of bad luck. The effects will, for the most part, be subtle and difficult to attribute to a spell. Besides, I won't cast with my wand, so it can't be traced back to me."

"But you won't hurt them?" Emma asked again.

Hermione shook her head. "No. Like Harry, I have no intention of hurting them. Now, if they hurt themselves, that's another matter."

Emma glanced at her daughter. "Hermione," she said warningly.

"Oh, honestly, Mum Do you really think I'd hurt anyone? As much as the Dursleys deserve it, I have no intention of hurting anyone. What happens when the Dursleys react to the problems as they arise is their problem," she replied in a patient tone.

Satisfied, Emma stopped her line of questioning and went back to a subject she wanted to know more about. "So, he's going to ask you to marry him?"

Hermione nodded a bit dreamily. It was something she was looking forward to. Harry had spoken with her on a number of occasions about the future and the one thing he stressed over and over were the options. The world would be there for them to explore after she left Hogwarts and she wanted do that with him.

"Yes, and he intends to ask you and Dad for permission," she replied softly. It was old fashioned and not necessary, but Harry wanted their approval.

"Well, I think your father is ready for that news, if not being asked. It is a bit old fashioned though."

"It's a lot less old fashioned than what normally happens in the wizarding world. During the seventh year, many parents negotiate arranged unions for their children."

Emma scowled. "Are we going to have someone asking about you, then?"

Hermione shook her head. "I doubt it. I've made it plainly clear over the last two years that I am with Evan. Besides, I'm Muggleborn, therefore beneath notice of most pure blood wizards. I would be shocked if someone approached you, but even if they did, I have the right to say no."

Emma shuddered. "Arranged marriages? In this day and age?"

Hermione shrugged. "I know. But like Harry keeps saying, think Britain at the height of East India Trading Company in the nineteenth century. Arrogant and prideful, they even looked down on white Europe. It's not really a problem, Mum. If necessary, you could even tell someone that you already have an agreement with Sirius, for Evan and myself."

Emma nodded, relieved to know there was an easy way out. She pulled out of the far lane heading toward the Little Whinging exit. She drove into the small township, slowing considerably. "How do you want to do this?"

"You just need to drive by the places I tell you. I can lay the spells from the car if it isn't going too fast."

"All right, where to first?"

"There's a small park off Wisteria Walk," Hermione replied, as she consulted a map. "That's the fourth left from our location."

"Who is this spell aimed at?"

"Dudley."

Emma nodded. She had heard the stories from Sirius and Remus about Dudley and the rest of the Dursleys. Harry didn't talk much about that time, except with Hermione, and rarely he'd have terrible nightmares about being locked in a cupboard. He's lucky he's not claustrophobic, she thought. She shivered involuntarily. She could recall twice Harry having severe nightmares that woke everyone up. The look on his face was something she'd never forget.

She spotted her turn and took it. After traveling several blocks, they came upon a small playground that looked like it had seen better days. There were signs posted stating that the park closed at dusk and trespassers after closing hours would be prosecuted. Despite the signs, the park showed signs of heavy vandalism. It seemed out of place in this neat and tidy village.

Emma spotted a place to pull into and she brought the car to a stop.

"This is the place," Hermione said softly, while rolling down her window. "Harry said his cousin often destroyed the playground equipment when they couldn't find a victim to pick on."

Hermione mumbled a Latin incantation under her breath and her hand glowed briefly in the bright sunshine, then the glow faded away.

"What did you do?" asked Emma.

"It's a punishment spell, keyed on Dudley Dursley only."

Emma frowned. Sometimes Hermione was very reticent with her information. "Which does what?" she asked in that commanding tone mother's often used.

"It will help teach Dudley not to hurt others. Every time he tries to hurt anyone, he'll have a violent physical reaction. A small experiment in continuing Doctor Pavlov's work."

"I thought you said you wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Hermione sighed. "It's not going to hurt anyone, Mum; embarrass maybe, but not hurt. Dudley will experience a bad reaction every time he tries to hurt someone. It's not going to hurt him, except perhaps to force him to change his ways while he still can. I harbor no such hope for the other Dursleys.

"Each spell will trigger on the worst of their behavior and inflict a punishment accordingly. Petunia's worst trait is pride. Vernon's is anger. Dudley is a spoiled bully. For Petunia and Vernon, the spells will do little more than exacerbate their traits. What happens as a result of that is up to them.

"Dudley is a little different. His spell will attempt to make him change his ways. A reasonably minded person would learn from the experiences and move on. What Dudley does is another matter entirely."

Emma nodded unhappily. She couldn't fault her daughter's logic.

Within an hour they were back on the motorway heading toward Oxford.

Little Whinging, Surrey, July 22nd, 1997...

It had been raining for two days and Vernon Dursley was in a foul mood when he left the house. Grunnings had posted a loss in the last quarter and auditors from the corporate offices of the parent company had arrived to look over the books and the facility in the hopes of finding ways of cutting costs.

Rumors were rampant about layoffs and other cost cutting measures. Being one of the executives, Vernon wasn't too worried. It was the little guy that got laid off in times like this. But he was concerned that this could cost him his company car. That would be a disaster beyond the two hundred jobs they expected to trim from the company.

He grumbled and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Had that Potter boy still been with them, he would have blamed him for losing that large Chinese account to the Italians. As it stood, he wasn't sure that those freaks weren't somehow involved anyway. They were everywhere and he knew it, even if no one else did.

Up ahead a traffic light turned red. Unknown to Uncle Vernon, all the conditions for Hermione's curse were coming into play. It was rather specific, requiring a rainy day, and a very special vehicle stopped at the red light in front of him.

Without thinking, he moved his foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator and pushed down. Hermione had been very specific with her curse and Vernon accelerated through to nearly fifteen miles per hour in the short distance before slamming into the back of the stopped police car.

His airbag fired, pinning him painfully into his seat and his head smashed against the headrest causing pain to flare in his skull. His rage climbed to uncontrollable proportions.

Constable Shelly Parks looked in her rear view mirror and growled in the back of her throat. Her pants were soaked in hot tea and this was going to require a mountain of paperwork!

"A32, I've been rear ended at the intersection of Piston and Peterborough. Requesting a senior constable and backup," she spoke into her radio, then she opened her door. At least the rain will cool me off, she thought sourly.

"A32, affirmative, backup and supervisor en route," said a voice over the speaker.

She stepped from the car just in time to see Vernon boil from his vehicle.

"You bitch! What arsehole taught you to drive?" he shouted. The vein in his forehead throbbed noticeably.

He marched up to her, and she took a step backwards in surprise. Normally, people who hit police cars tend to be rather polite and a bit afraid. This whale of a man was neither and acted like he wanted to hurt her.

"Sir," she said in a calm voice. "If you will just calm down we can get through this with as little fuss as possible." She reached for her nightstick, just in case. She knew help was on its way, but the man considerably out massed her. If he started swinging, she'd be in trouble. She needed to keep him calm until help arrived!

Vernon was not in a mood to calm down. If anything, he saw her attitude as a way of patronizing him. He closed the distance, getting into her face. "Don't tell me what to do, dearie," he snapped. "I pay your salary. This is your fault! Look what you did to my car!"

"Sir, if you don't calm down, I'll be forced to arrest you," cautioned Constable Parks, feeling her own anger begin to rise.

Vernon turned purple and raised his arm. He wasn't really thinking and Constable Parks wasn't about to take the chance that he was merely gesturing. She tried to step back only to discover he had backed her up against her car. A moment later, several burly constables who had just arrived on the scene swarmed over Vernon.

He screamed incoherently and swung wildly, hitting Constable Parks in the cheek. She slammed into her patrol car, hitting her head. Dazed, she slid to the ground. All around Little Whinging, sirens sounded as the call for assistance was sent out by the supervisor on the scene.

Within minutes, Vernon was handcuffed and thrown into the back of a police car. It would be three days before he could be bailed out of jail and his solicitor would eventually plea bargain his sentence down to time served, a fine, fifty hours of community service, a driver refresher course and a course on anger management. The fine would make a serious dent in their savings.

North of Carlisle in Cumbria, England, July 30th, 1997...

If it wasn't for the cooling charm, he would have collapsed from the heat hours ago. He was dressed in heavy denim, with high top boots and a heavy flannel shirt. In one hand he held a staff, which he used occasionally to pry up a deadfall. There was nothing magical about the staff except that he had used magic to create it. Other than that, it was merely a long walking stick.

Emma had taken Hermione out shopping and he had been told he couldn't come along since this was a girls’ shopping trip. He grinned and told Hermione and her mother that he'd use the time to scout out an area north of and not far from Little Hangleton.

There was a lot of agriculture in this area of England, with small patches of forest tucked in among the fields. Between the fields were hedgerows of bushes and trees. It was one of these hedgerows that he was poking through at the moment. This was his eighth hedgerow and he had been at this most of the day.

Harry pulled his canteen from his belt and took a drink of cool water, then he stopped and tensed. He had the distinct feeling that someone or something was watching him.

He turned slowly, his eyes scanning the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He couldn't see any people or detect any magic. Looking at the ground, he noted an old rotted log nearby and walked over to it.

"Come closer and I will bite you," said a voice.

Harry stopped and smiled. After hours of looking, he had finally found what he was looking for.

"Hello. I mean you no harm," he replied in parseltongue.

A flat, black head poked out from under the log. "A speaker. It has been a long time since there were rumors of a speaker."

A moment later the snake came out from under the log and slithered onto it. It was barely two feet in length, and poisonous. The common European viper was the only poisonous snake indigenous to Britain, and while it could inflict a painful bite, it was rarely lethal.

"I'm looking for a snake," Harry said.

The snake eyed him for a moment and he suddenly had a feeling that the snake was considering calling him stupid.

"Do I look like the food that flies?" replied the snake dryly.

Yup, it's official. It thinks I'm stupid, he thought sourly. He was sure if the snake could laugh, it would. "I know, but you're not the snake I'm looking for. This one would be much larger than you."

The viper raised it's head and nodded slowly. "Larger than me? I am very large for my kind and my bite is fierce. One female even admired my scales last mating season. Silly thing, she was lucky I didn't bite her."

Mating among snakes is dangerous! he thought. Hermione nibbles, but I'm glad she doesn't bite!

"Yes you are very large, but have you heard of the snake I'm looking for? It would be much larger and very dangerous."

"All snakes are dangerous. I might have heard of the one you speak of. What is it worth to you?"

Harry paused, dumbfounded. What did he have that might interest a snake? It wasn't like he could offer to give the snake a few galleons. Then it hit him. He gestured with one hand and a moment later a squealing rat flew across the field, stopping to hover near Harry.

The snake reared up, it's head flattening slightly and eyed the rat carefully before turning back to Harry. "Not only a speaker, but a worker of magic?"

"I am," Harry replied. "I would offer you this meal if you can help me. Help me and I will give you this gift, plus I will make your nest warm for the coming winter."

The snake turned to the rat, which continued to squeal unhappily. It knew the rat would keep it fed for at least a month. Here was food, easily obtained and fresh.

The snake turned back to Harry and curled its body around until it could rest its head on the coils.

"I will help you, speaker," the snake hissed. "Rumor has it of a great visitor from a land far away that has been freed. I have not seen the visitor, but I have been told that she feeds on any who cross her path and she carries a taste of sickness about her, even though she doesn't appear ill."

Harry sat on the ground a few feet from the viper. He knew he was safe the moment the snake agreed to help him. This sounds like Nagini, he thought. The sickness could be the snakes sensing the horcrux inside her.

"What do these rumors say she is doing?"

"She moves towards the cold, which is most unusual for our kind. I do not like the cold, it makes me slow and sleepy."

"Can you spread a message to your kind and other snakes?"

"Perhaps."

"Would you tell the others that a speaker seeks this visitor from another land and I will be looking for news of her? I will be asking other snakes."

"After I eat this fine meal, I will pass your message. Others will know of your need and speak to you."

Harry nodded and looked at the rotting log. With a wave of his hand the log glowed briefly. "Your home will always be warm for you now."

"I thank you, speaker."

With a gesture Harry moved the rat to a spot in front of the snake, then released it. The rat stared up at the black onyx eyes and quivered. With a blinding thrust, the snake had the rat in its jaws, and its coils looped around the prey while it waited for the venom to take effect.

Harry stood slowly so as to not alarm the snake, then he backed away. He shimmered for a moment and vanished from sight without a sound.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry Building, London, July 30th 1997...

"Are you sure about this?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Yes. We received the information and a confirmation of it this morning," replied Director Hammer.

Kingsley looked down at the parchment detailing the information again.

"Assemble your team, Kingsley. If we do this right, we can roll up the entire cult."

He stood and rolled up the parchment. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll take two troops, plus a technical squad and a forensics group."

"Very well. I'll have one troop assembled as a ready reserve if you need them. And I'll alert the medical staff," Director Hammer said calmly. "Good luck, Kingsley, and bring my Aurors back safely."

"I'll try, Director, Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare a briefing for later. I'll do a surprise recall. That will keep the possibility of the news leaking to a minimum."

Connie Hammer nodded and waved a dismissal.

Kingsley turned and left the room, determined to succeed. As he walked out, his mind was already whirling with possible plans. It would not be an easy job.

The Granger Home, late afternoon, July 30th 1997, Oxford England...

Harry faded back into view to the sound of someone shrieking. He immediately ducked and rolled to one side. His hand flared with magic, and he looked around wildly for the threat.

"Harry James Potter! Don't do that!" shouted Emma. She had been lying on a lounger, catching some sun, and his arrival had startled her. One moment she was alone and had untied the strap to her bikini top to even out her tan on her back and the next minute he was there. Fortunately, she had been lying on her stomach. While she didn't mind an even tan on her back, she had almost never gone topless, except when she was alone with Dan, long before Hermione had been born.

Realizing she had been sunbathing, he blushed and quickly averted his gaze. It didn't help matters that Hermione was sitting on the grass not far from the back door, holding her sides and laughing at both of them. Hermione had just exited the house when he arrived.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger," Harry mumbled. "I expected you'd still be out shopping with Hermione."

Emma sat up and adjusted her bikini top, then looked around for the book she had thrown in her fright. "You can turn around now," she said, then shot him a glare. Her book was in the pool, on the bottom.

Following her gaze, he spotted the book and summoned it. After he applied a quick drying charm, he handed it to her. She took the book, then looked sourly at her daughter, who was still chuckling.

"Will you do something with him?" she demanded. "Teach him to make a noise like that popping thing you do when you apparate."

Hermione stood and brushed off her shorts. "Honestly, Mum, his apparation is nearly silent anyway. I suppose we could put a bell around his neck."

"Maybe some kind of siren or alarm of some kind?" Emma countered.

"I'm right here, you know," Harry said, feeling a bit put out.

"Yes, dear, we know. How did your trip go?" asked Emma calmly. Now that the crisis was done with, it was time to gently tease her daughter's boyfriend.

Harry moved over to sit at the picnic table. "It was hot, and the snake I found wasn't interested in cooperating until I fed him."

Hermione sat next to him at the table. "So, what did he say?"

"Nagini is moving north, like we suspected. The snakes call her the great visitor from another land. It makes sense, I suppose. After all, her species isn't native to Britain. He also said that she's a big predator and I got the distinct feeling that he didn't want to meet up with her.

"He agreed to pass along a message that I am searching for her and would be seeking out other snakes to ask for information," he finished, then he paused and frowned. "Although I suspect I'll have to feed each snake before I get my information."

"Feed them?"

He nodded to Emma. "I had to pay for my information with a freshly caught rat."

She gulped and looked a little woozy.

"Where are Remus and Tonks? I thought they would be here today."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Apparently Tonks has discovered my father's love of all things Doctor Who, including his library of video tapes. They're inside right now watching one and arguing over whether the Doctor used a space enlarging charm on the Tardis or some alien technology."

The back door opened and Remus walked out into the yard and joined them at the table.

"Where's Tonks?" asked Emma. "Isn't she joining us?"

"She had to go. That watch of hers started buzzing. She said it was signaling an emergency recall," he replied, then he turned to Harry. "How did it go today?"

Harry grinned broadly. "Much better than I expected. It took some bargaining, but I found a talkative snake that was willing to help. It's a little difficult dealing with them; they don't think the way we do."

Emma leaned forward. "Oh? How so?"

Harry shrugged. "They see things differently. For example, they don't use names. They give appellations to some things, the great visitor, a speaker and so on. Most snakes lead a solitary existence, so individual names aren't necessary. Had I asked for Nagini, he wouldn't have known what I was talking about.

"As far as the snake was concerned, I was a speaker and a user of magic. If I said I was Harry it wouldn't have understood at all. That's a strange way of looking at things, going about the world not giving names to things, or to yourself."

Harry turned to Hermione. "Did you get all your shopping done?"

Hermione shot her Mum a glance, then nodded. "Yes, it's all taken care of, now."

Remus' expression brightened. "I got another postcard from Sirius. They were in Japan, but they are now headed back to Europe. I think they go on to either Turkey or Germany."

Harry winced. "Is he still mad at me? I wish you hadn't told him."

Remus grinned. "Hey, it was either you or me, and I'm not about to take the fall for your prank. I think he's moved beyond mad and is planning his revenge."

Harry flinched and Hermione glared at him. "That's it. We're going to elope!" she snapped. "You and your practical jokes. Think what he'll do to us!"

There was a moment of total silence, then Emma finally spoke. "Hermione, is there something you want to tell me?"

Hermione turned white and looked down. "Er...no," she said.

"You might as well tell her," Harry said with a loud laugh. It was a rare event when she spoke without thinking first and he wanted to enjoy it. "After all, she's not about to forget it or let it go."

She shot him a glare, then her shoulders slumped. "All right. I might have helped Harry with his honeymoon prank."

"You?" exclaimed Remus. "You came up with the singing penis? Cindy said she never laughed so hard in her life."

Hermione looked aghast. "Of course I didn't! I just figured out how to do it, that's all. The idea is all his."

"And the eloping part?" pressed Emma teasingly.

"Bollocks. I hoped you'd forget that," she muttered.

Harry looked worried. He was unaware of how much information Hermione had shared with her mother.

"That's my fault, Mrs. Granger. Hermione and I have spoken about our future together and I've promised her that I'd ask her parents for permission to marry her, then ask her officially on her graduation day. She's treating her focus ring like it's a promise ring," Harry said, jumping to her defense. He was blushing heavily now and Remus was beaming like the morning sun.

Emma sat silently for a long moment, her expression stern.

Harry quailed back from her look. He'd blown it! Now they'd never give their permission!

She smiled slowly, then laughed at his expression. "Oh, Harry, if you could only see yourself! You have my permission, of course." When he began to grin, she added, "But don't forget, you still need to ask Dan."

Harry's expression fell again and he wondered if Hermione would seriously consider eloping.

Hermione grabbed his hand in an iron grip. She was nearly bouncing in her seat and her ring was sparking with excess magic. He returned her smiled and nodded to Emma. He'd talk to Dan. He might not be a Gryffindor any longer, but he still had the courage of one.

Emma turned to Remus. "Will you join us for dinner?"

He stretched and nodded. "I might as well. My dinner plans went out the window when Tonks left for the Ministry."

Barnard Castle, County Durham (Northeast England), July 30th 1997...

Tonks knelt by a fallen stone wall and waited for the signal to begin the assault. This would be one of the largest attacks ever made by the Auror force since its inception in 1282.

Acting on solid intelligence from an inside source, the Aurors would be assaulting a general assembly of the Cult of Voldemort tonight in the hopes of destroying the sect once and for all. According to Kingsley Shacklebolt, they had information that this meeting would include every member of the sect. It was too juicy a target to bypass.

The Director had granted Kingsley two hundred Aurors, two Auror troops, with another one hundred in reserve to storm the castle.

The opening start to the conflict began with a technical squad placing powerful anti-portkey and anti-apparation wards that covered a significant area, including the castle, the grounds and part of the nearby Muggle village. The only portkeys that would work were ones created by the DMLE and coded with the proper signature.

A dozen Aurors then blasted the main gate of the castle with the bombarda spell, destroying it, and signaling the start of the Auror attack.

Tonks leaped over the wall, and tripped. Her fall couldn't have been more opportune, as it removed her from the path of a killing curse hurled from one of the castle's arrow ports.

She shook her head and climbed to her feet, then she sprinted forward, just behind her mates. Her position, bringing up the rear, allowed her to spot the three wizards attempting to flee the castle via broom.

"Broomers!" she shouted.

Five Aurors turned back and followed her pointing arm.

"Tonks! Take five and handle the broomers," shouted Kingsley, then he turned back to rejoin his men.

Tonks nodded and snapped off a spell. Despite the distance and the altitude of the three wizards, she hit one broom and it immediately started to spiral towards the ground with its rider screaming.

The other two wizards immediately fired back, then dove for the ground, landing just behind the low stone wall she had been using for cover only a few minutes ago. Two of her Aurors screamed from curse hits and fell, leaving her and three others.

She dove for the ground, trying to find cover, and the others copied her move. Two killing curses flew their way, missing them completely.

Crawling forward, she signaled to two Aurors to head to the cultists’ right while she went left, with the third Auror following her. A particularly nasty curse flew over their heads and exploded against the castle walls only a few yards away. The explosion made her ears ring and showered her with dust and rock chips.

"Shit," she breathed, then she tried to burrow deeper into the ground. A scream to the right told her that at least one of the Aurors that went that way had been injured.

She aimed and fired off a heavy blasting hex at the rock wall and it exploded violently. Someone ahead screamed and stood.

Wands flashed and then she was flying, thrown backwards by a nearby blast. As she flew backwards, time seemed to slow and she could clearly see her opponent: Walden McNair, a Wizengamot member who had managed to escape the purges that followed the fall of the Fudge Administration. Then she hit something solid and a wave of pain washed through her. Her vision grayed and blackness consumed her.

The Granger Home, July 31st 1997, Oxford England...

Harry woke to a pair of smiling brown eyes.

"Happy birthday," she whispered. She had been lying in his loose grip for the past hour, waiting for him to wake up.

He pulled her a little closer and snuggled his face into her hair. "Thank you," he said softly, holding her tightly.

She snuggled closer. For most of the past month and a half they had become more intimate without taking that final step. In doing so, she had seen new aspects of him, and he had awoken feelings in her she had never thought possible.

The fact that they were sharing a bed had brought new changes to her life that she hadn't expected. Her father seemed more resigned than pleased. He had started treating her more like an adult than a child and it was an attitude she knew could vanish with a single misstep. At the start of the summer, before Harry had arrived, her mother had asked if she wanted to see her doctor and get on the pill. Hermione explained to her mother that she had taken a potion that was good for four months and wouldn't need to take it again until early October.

That particular fact lead to an uncomfortable discussion about wizarding birth control methods and how they related to Muggle methods.

Another conversation with Harry had convinced her that she really didn't want to pursue a Mastery in Britain, or anywhere in Europe, for that matter. She had questioned Remus and Tonks about the Apprenticeship approach used and discovered it was more like a form of indentured servitude than a true course of study. Depending on one's 'Master', one could live a miserable seven years, or a good seven years.

Harry's idea of attending a magical university was sounding more and more appealing. And attending it with Harry made it sound like a wonderful idea.

She looked up at him. "You're of age now, you know. Add to that your N.E.W.T.s and you're a fully trained wizard."

He ran his hand up her back to caress the back of her neck. "It's going to take me a few days to figure it all out."

"What's to figure out?"

His expression soured. "I start taking over the Potter Trust. I won't have full control until I turn twenty-five, but tomorrow I need to meet with the Goblins at Gringotts to go over the accounts and start approving their decisions. I also need to make plans for the Dursleys and then..."

She gently placed a hand over his mouth. "Hey, no more. Save the serious thoughts for tomorrow, all right? Today is a day to celebrate."

He nodded and smiled at her. Just as he started to lift himself up enough to kiss her, an annoying buzz started up on the night table. He sighed and reached for the mirror.

"Hello?" he said, holding the mirror up so Hermione could see it as well. The surface turned black and shimmered, then Remus appeared. He looked tense. His clothing was rumpled and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Harry?"

He tensed. "I'm here, Remus. What's wrong?"

"Harry, that thing you learned, that apparation technique, do you think you could use it to pick up Sirius and Cindy? They should be in Germany or Turkey by now."

Harry blinked stupidly for a moment, then he nodded.

Hermione sucked in a sharp, worried breath. She had learned the technique and had used it a few times for short distances, but Remus was asking for Harry to carry two people hundreds of miles.

"Remus, what's wrong?" she asked.

His image turned towards Hermione. "I'm at St. Mungo's. Tonks has been badly injured in a raid. I'm not family, so the blasted healers won't talk to me. The only thing I can get from one of the Aurors is that she's in bad shape and they don't know if she'll make it."

It was impossible to miss or ignore the anguish in his voice.

"I'm getting up now, Remus," Harry said. "I'll phone Sirius on Cindy's mobile and warn them I'm coming. Do you know where Mrs. Tonks and her husband are?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I don't. Tonks said they were on a vacation and the Aurors haven't been able to reach them. Look, Harry, Sirius, Cindy and you are her only easily locatable family, but Sirius and Cindy are out of the country."

Harry passed the mirror to Hermione. "Here, talk to him while I get dressed and dig out that phone number Cindy gave us. Keep him calm."

She nodded and took the mirror, while Harry sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. He summoned the clothing he needed and started dressing, half listening to Hermione talking to Remus.

Once he was dressed, he opened his trunk and pulled out his mobile phone and his small book of phone numbers. Hermione continued assuring Remus via the mirror and Harry cursed the fact that Sirius wanted to do his honeymoon as a Muggle, so he hadn't brought a mirror with him. All he had was his wand.

The door opened and Emma peeked in. "Breakfast is ready for the birthday... What's wrong?"

He stopped thumbing through the book and walked over to Emma and explained the situation to her. She paled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It will be all right," he told her. "It has to be." He was afraid for Remus, who had finally found something good and now stood on the brink of losing it.

Emma nodded uncertainly and walked over to sit on the bed next to Hermione. Remus spotted her and they spoke for a moment, while Hermione held the mirror, then she closed the connection and started to put on her robe. She might sleep in Harry's bed, but she hadn't moved into his room yet.

"I'll tell Dan and then we'll go, Hermione," Emma said.

Hermione looked up at her mother. "Go?"

Emma's expression hardened. "Yes. Your father and I will go with you. We'll help keep Remus company. He shouldn't be alone, especially if things go badly."

Hermione looked at her mother in surprise, then nodded. It would mean a drive to London instead of apparating.

"Take the Grimmauld Portkey," Harry said. "Then taxi to St. Mungo's."

Hermione nodded and Emma rushed from the room. Hermione paused and turned at the door.

"Harry, why does Remus think you're part of the Black family?"

He looked up from his phone book. "I'm Sirius' heir, until he has a child of his own. He formally adopted Evan Black under Muggle law on Fiji and I'm in his existing will as his heir. It's temporary, since both Cindy and Sirius want children. And it gives me a real dad," he replied with a smile. "It didn't seem all that important, but now it turns out he was right after all. If he was unreachable, I'd still be able to get in to see Tonks and get the information we need."

She smiled softly. "I'm going to get dressed, then I'll meet you in the kitchen."

He nodded and opened up the phone book again, this time he started punching in numbers on the keypad.

Ten minutes later, after a hurried explanation to an increasingly worried Sirius, he walked into the kitchen. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small money bag, which he handed to Hermione. She looked at him curiously.

"St. Mungo's won't accept Muggle money. There's enough money to spend in the cafe on the fifth floor. If I know Remus, he hasn't eaten and Merlin knows how long we'll be there. I'll get it back from you when I arrive."

She nodded reluctantly and pocketed the money bag.

"Did you get a hold of Sirius and Cindy?" asked Dan.

"Yes. They're packing and preparing to check out right now. I know where I'm jumping to, then I'll meet up with them."

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this, Harry? This is a long time for you to carry two people," Hermione asked worriedly.

He shrugged. "It shouldn't be a problem. After all, I Apparated from Japan to Fiji, didn't I?"

Hermione scowled at him and folded her arms across her chest. "Alone, and using a method that requires a third of the power that this teleport spell uses."

"Can you think of another way then? A Portkey would take them nearly an hour to get here and they'd be sick as a dog when they arrive. A Muggle plane would take hours and if I Apparate that far I'll set off alarms all over the place," Harry said testily.

Hermione's shoulders slumped in defeat. She knew he was right. There was no quick way and, unlike Harry, most wizards had a range of only few hundred miles using Apparition. That range reduced dramatically when Apparating someone side along. It would take Sirius twenty or more jumps to bring Cindy here and he'd be exhausted when he arrived.

"You're right," she said softly.

Harry eyed her for a moment, then he sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Would it ease your concerns if I brought them here one at a time?"

She thought about it for a long moment, and Harry was certain she was looking at an imaginary blackboard, reviewing equations. Finally, she nodded uncertainly. She hadn't been able to work out the power requirements in her head, but she'd never admit that to him.

"Are we all set, then?" asked Dan.

Harry stood and bent over to kiss Hermione's head, then he straightened up. "I think so. I'll see you at St. Mungo's in a bit."

His body seemed to shimmer and ripple, then he seemed to flatten and faded from sight. The whole process took less than a second and was totally soundless.

Dan shook his head and muttered to himself about what kind of trouble he could have gotten into if he could have done that as a kid.

St. Mungo's, London, July 31st 1997...

Hermione paced nervously next to the St. Mungo's apparition point. They had been at the hospital for nearly an hour already and were still waiting for Harry to arrive with Sirius and Cindy. Fortunately for Harry, the Apparition point was off to one side of the lobby and not many people bothered to sit around watching it. In fact, this section of the lobby was deserted.

She was watching the point when Harry faded into view with Cindy. A split second later a loud pop was heard. It didn't quite work. He was trying to make it seem like he was Apparating, but it still took time to cast a spell to make that popping noise. Anyone watching would suspect something was off with the Apparition.

Cindy was hugging Harry and her eyes had a wild look about them. He had warned her to close her eyes and she hadn't listened to him. Hermione had learned the hard way that the visual effects of the Auror Teleport were nearly as unsettling as an international portkey. Despite Harry telling her to keep her eyes closed, despite the book strongly urging she keep her eyes closed, she had teleported from Grimmauld to Oxford one day with her eyes open.

The Auror Teleport was tightly tied to the mental abilities and acuity of the person. Keeping your eyes open was like a trip through your worst nightmare, only it looked real.

Harry pushed Cindy towards Hermione, who gently grabbed her arm and took her over to a chair.

"I'll be right back," Harry said, then he faded from sight with a soft pop. He was getting better at combining the spells.

Less than a minute later he was back with Sirius holding his arm tightly, his eyes screwed shut. Harry grinned tiredly and Hermione frowned, seeing it.

"Where is she?"

"Fourth floor, Spell Damage and Magical injuries," replied Hermione.

Sirius turned to his bride. "Are you all right?"

She nodded shakily and promised herself that next time she'd listen to Harry when he told her to close her eyes. The last thing she wanted to see was herself under an autopsy knife again!

Hermione stepped over to Harry. "What about you? Are you all right?"

"I'm a little tired, but otherwise fine," he replied with smile. "Don't worry, if I get a chance later, I'll kip out at home."

She nodded unhappily and fell into step next to him, behind Sirius and Cindy.

Sirius stepped out of the lift, leading Cindy, Harry and Hermione. Not far from the lift were several couches where Dan and Emma sat watching Remus pace.

Sirius walked up to Remus and laid a hand on his shoulder. His fellow Marauder looked like hell. He had been up most of the night and the lack of information was visibly aging him.

Sirius looked around and his expression hardened. "Evan, attend and learn," he snapped. Harry, Cindy and Hermione stared at Sirius in shock. Sirius ignored them and walked over to a man dressed as a senior healer.

"You there," Sirius said in a commanding tone. "I understand my cousin has been hurt and we are being refused information on her condition. Tell who ever is caring for her that Lord Black, the Head of her family, is here to inquire about Nymphadora Tonks, and be quick about it."

The healer, obviously much older than Sirius and probably one of the senior healers in the hospital, blinked at him stupidly for a moment. Sirius glared at the man and, to Harry's surprise, the healer suddenly nodded rapidly.

"Yes m-m-my lord," he stammered. "Healer Boswell is handling that case. I'll summon her immediately."

The healer scurried off and Sirius turned to Harry and winked. He leaned a little closer to Harry and whispered. "I'm on the committee that decides how much to fund for healer research grants."

Harry shook his head and started to chuckle. Hermione and Cindy moved closer, curious to know why he was laughing. "So, it was all an act then?" Harry asked, still chuckling.

Sirius buffed his nails on his shirt, then inspected them. "Of course it was, but I was raised by pure-bloods. What is it the Muggles say? I can walk the walk and talk the talk."

Harry shook his head. He was about to reply with a short rotund woman dressed in healer green approached Sirius.

"Lord Black? I am Healer Boswell. This is quite an honor," she gasped.

"My cousin?" Sirius asked frostily.

Boswell bobbed her head several times. "Ms. Tonks is recovering nicely, although it was doubtful for a while. She was thrown up against a stone wall and had numerous injuries, most of the blunt force type. Let's see, broken bones in one arm, both legs and her hip. Her spine and neck weren't damaged, thank Merlin. She had a fractured skull and a ruptured spleen and kidneys due to the impact. She was bleeding internally when she arrived here.

"We were forced to regrow her hip and one complete set of leg bones. Everything else was repaired well enough. Right now, our principal concern stems from her concussion. Until she awakens, we won't know if she's suffered any neurological problems."

Boswell took a deep breath and her expression softened. "Barring that, I think she'll pull through, but I do not believe she'll be able to return to being an Auror for at least a year. Her injuries simply won't permit it. It will take her time to recover and regain her strength."

Sirius nodded gravely. "May we see her?"

Boswell glanced around, noting everyone clustered around her and Sirius and she frowned.

"Not all of us," Sirius said quickly. "Just myself, Mr. Lupin and my wife Cynthia. My wife is a Muggle physician, she might have ideas which you could use."

Boswell nodded reluctantly. She really didn't want Lupin near her patient. The man was a known dark creature. She leaned closer to Sirius. "If my lord would keep an eye on the werewolf..."

Harry's eyes flashed angrily at the insult to Remus and Sirius held up a hand, stopping Harry from doing anything. "Evan, stay here with Hermione and her parents. I, or Cindy will be out shortly and someone can take their place."

Sirius turned and glared at Healer Boswell.

Realizing she'd just made a major mistake, the healer backed away fearfully. "This way, my lord," she squeaked.

Harry motioned for Hermione and her parents to move to a pair of couches by the lift, while Sirius led the others towards Tonks' room.

"Sirius really surprised me. For a moment, I thought I was seeing a black haired Malfoy," Hermione said softly.

Harry nodded absently, his eyes fixed on the door the others had vanished behind. Finally, he tore his gaze away and looked at her. He cast a quick privacy charm around the area before speaking.

"It's part of how he grew up. The Blacks and the Malfoys had similar attitudes and money. Sirius and Andromeda were the only two that were capable of breaking away from that mold. I've seen him pull that routine a few times and every time he tells me to pay attention. I think he wants me to know how to act that way, also."

Emma frowned. "Why would you need to?"

"The Potters have a longer history than the Blacks do," Harry said softly. "And while Sirius can legally lay claim to a title of Lord, I could claim Godric Gryffindor's title of Duke, if I were so inclined. I am the last remaining Potter and that makes me the Head of the family, not that it's much of a family these days."

He shook his head and his expression changing, becoming pensive. "I wasn't raised in that environment and I honestly don't think I could treat others that way. It's bad enough that Sirius wants to give up the Potter proxy after I deal with Nagini."

"What does that mean?" asked Dan.

"Sirius has been voting for my family since he claimed his family seat in the Wizengamot. He wants to return the voting rights back to me. It's one of the few real bones of contention between us. He's in favor of the Wizengamot and keeping it going," Harry said, then he paused and sighed. "I would like to see it replaced with a more modern representative body, one voted into office."

He smiled at Hermione, who smiled back at him. "It's one of the things Hermione and I both feel strongly about. There may be a Potter seat on the Wizengamot, but the only way I'll occupy it is to help transition from what we have now to a democratically elected body. I suppose had I been raised by my parents or by Sirius, I would be into all that stuff. But I was raised in a Muggle home. Vernon had nothing good to say about the aristocracy."

That man probably had nothing good to say about anything, thought Emma. I wonder if Hermione's curses have kicked in yet?

"So, you won't assume that seat?" asked Dan.

Harry shook his head and reached for Hermione's hand. "Not without a lot of convincing on the part of someone. I see the Wizengamot as a symbol of everything that is wrong with Wizarding Britain."

"What will you do, then? If Sirius gives up the proxy?"

Harry frowned at Dan's question. "I'm not sure," he said uncertainly. "I guess I'll find another person to be the proxy until it's no longer necessary. I don't want to tie myself down here after Hermione graduates."

"Harry and I are looking into obtaining our Masteries," Hermione added quietly. "We can't do that here or in Europe, but there are some wonderful options in the Pacific and the Americas."

"But you have a Mastery," protested Emma.

He smiled at her. "I know, Mum," he replied, his gaze lingered on Hermione for a moment, softening as it did. "But I think Hermione would prefer I do something other than hunt dark wizards. I'm good at fighting because I have to be, not because I want to be."

Emma's eyes glistened and Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand in support. They had spoken about this several times and she had discovered there were a lot of aspects to Aurors other than just chasing down dark wizards or upholding the law. Some of those careers sounded quite exciting to her, especially magical forensics.

A cough interrupted the conversation and everyone turned to see Sirius standing nearby.

"How is she?" asked Harry.

"Awake and in a lot of pain, even with the potions. Skele-grow, you know the routine," he said tiredly.

Harry nodded. He knew what that was like, thanks to Lockhart.

"I spoke to the healer and firmly told her that Remus is to be allowed to see her whenever he wants. In the meantime, I'm going to go get in touch with Andromeda. She and Ted are vacationing in the States. Once that's done, I'll have Dobby set up a room for her at my place. She's going to need help for a few weeks, then it's all about getting her strength back."

"Do we know how Tonks was injured?" asked Emma.

Sirius nodded. "It seems the DMLE managed to get some information on a general meeting of the Cult of Voldemort, and they assaulted the castle. Kingsley Shacklebolt is with her right now, questioning her. She and several other Aurors were tasked to stop some wizards from escaping on their brooms. In the firefight that ensued, two Aurors were killed and at least one cult member got away. Tonks saw her attacker clearly and recognized him as Walden McNair, a member of the Wizengamot and a Department Head for the Ministry."

Harry scowled. "It's about time. I don't know who he bribed to escape the purge after Fudge, but it always shocked me that Minister Bones didn't do something about him."

"Don't blame her, Harry. She tried, but by the time she took office, McNair's files had vanished," Sirius replied.

"Did they catch him?" asked Hermione worriedly.

"No," Sirius said. "Shacklebolt says they'll send people to his home and all of his usual hangouts, but he knows they're looking for him now. He'll go to ground."

He ran a hand tiredly over his face, then he turned to the Grangers. "Look, there isn't much that can be done here. Why don't you guys head home after you say hi to Tonks? Cindy and I will catch up with you later. I doubt Remus will leave Tonks' side."

Dan and Emma exchanged a glance. "Are you sure, Sirius?" Emma asked uncertainly.

"Yes, there's no reason for everyone to sit here all day. You should be able to visit with Tonks in a bit, then you guys can head home."

Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He thought about the problem of Tonks being on medical leave for so long, and McNair, the only member of Voldemort's inner circle who was still at large.

"Sirius?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Did you talk to the board about Remus?"

"I did. It's all set."

Harry grinned. "Why can't Tonks, as soon as she's feeling better, help Remus, especially around the full moon?"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Hermione. She hated not knowing.

Sirius smirked at her. "You'll find out eventually, and don't try to wheedle it out of Harry. He gave me a vow of secrecy," he replied, then turned back to Harry. "It's a good idea. I'll ask Remus what he thinks of it."

Over the course of the next hour, each of them spent a brief time with Tonks, who was struggling with the pain from a massive dose of Skele-Grow, and it would not be her only dose. Afterwards, they took another taxi back to Grimmauld Place and portkeyed home from there.

It was mid afternoon and no one was in a mood to celebrate anything. Seeing Tonks in so much pain had a sobering effect on everyone. Emma was especially upset at the monkey wrench this had thrown into their plans to celebrate Harry's birthday. Eventually, they decided to wait until Tonks came home from St. Mungo's to celebrate her return and Harry's birthday together.

From the Journal of Hermione Jane Granger (Private Entry), Aug 1st 1997, Oxford England...

Nothing went right yesterday. Wait, let me amend that, almost nothing went right.

Our plans for Harry's birthday were put on hold due to what happened to Tonks. Well, most of the plans. One thing, however, went even better than planned.

Harry and I made love for the first time last night. It turned even better than I could have hoped for! And I will admit, I planned for it to happen. Harry and I have been slowly increasing the level of intimacy since school ended. His resolve had been weakening and it broke last night like I hoped it would. I wanted to give myself to him. It was his birthday and I wanted to show him that I was willing to commit to us enough to make love with him.

I wore the negligee that I bought just for this purpose. It's a soft baby blue and translucent enough to leave little to the imagination. His reaction when I took off my robe and let it slip to the floor was everything I could have hoped for.

"What are you doing?" he gasped in surprise. I could feel his gaze on me like a burning spotlight. Until this point, we had been relying mostly on some very nice mutual masturbation. But I wanted more. After all, this was the man I wanted to marry. Why shouldn't I give myself to him like this?

"Don't you like your present?" I asked him.

He nodded mutely and I was shocked by the look of raw, almost feral hunger in his gaze. He wanted me, he needed me. Not Ginny, not Miss Lavender with the boobs of four girls. Me!

I won't go into complete detail here, since I hope I'll be able to share this book with a daughter someday, but I will make two observations. The first is losing your virginity hurts! I don't care what anyone thinks, it hurts. A lot! I've read romance novels where the girl loses her virginity with an earth shattering orgasm. They lie. The authors are either male, or have forgotten what happened when they lost their virginity, or they are simply going with the male driven myth that the "pain will go away". No such luck.

And that ties into the second observation I made last night. Harry is a wonderfully kind and considerate lover.

He held me tight and cast a field first aid charm that took away the pain. It was only then that I saw how much it affected him, as well. He was upset and wanted us to stop. Up until that point, he had been trying to make the experience the best he could for me, but it broke his heart to see that he had hurt me. For a brief moment his tears mixed with mine, but I told him I had expected it to hurt the first time.

I didn't orgasm and it took a some convincing to talk Harry into finishing. Once the pain was gone it wasn't unpleasant, it was -- different. I could literally feel his heart beat. It was like nothing I had ever felt before when he orgasmed inside me. There was a burst of heat and the look of awe he gave me made me shiver.

When we woke this morning I felt pretty good, his first aid charm had done the trick and I was feeling brave. I woke him up by stroking him, then we made love again. I understand what Mum said about fireworks now. I'm sure sex can be nice by itself, but when it's with someone you love, it's like nothing I've ever read about before.

Harry took me to the edge of an orgasm and then he made love to me, throwing us both over the edge with a shattering climax. I was lost and helpless, completely unable to think coherently while my body shuddered through the experience. I happened to glance up into his gaze and his slight lopsided smile and knew then I was safe and always would be in his arms. He pulled me up and into his lap, still connected and he held me like I was the most precious thing in the world. It was a feeling even more breathtaking than the actual act!

There are still obstacles for us to overcome; school, Nagini, the Wizarding World when they learn that Harry is still a wizard. But we'll get through them.

It's strange, really. I always thought that this moment would come with a mind shattering sense of change. Think about it. Many seem to think losing your virginity is a transition point where you move from child to adult. I don't sense any of that at all. What I do sense is a feeling of completeness. What we did was right and he makes me feel special and whole.

Harry is out with Dad at the moment and Mum is at the surgery today. Harry's setting things up for his visit with the Dursleys. This morning he's visiting with my parents’ solicitor, arranging for several letters, and then they will go arrange for a car for the visit. Dad's solicitor is an old family friend and the only other Muggle I know that knows about our world. My father told him about the wizarding world when I was accepted to Hogwarts. He wanted to make sure I was covered by our insurance.

Harry's supposed to go to Gringotts tomorrow to get the keys and information on his holdings. This is where things start getting tricky. Gringotts will have to inform the Ministry about Harry's coming of age and his assuming control of the estate.

Sirius and Harry have worked things out so that they are doing this through the Pacific Rim Ministry, which doesn't have any anti-Squib/Muggle laws against inheritances. Our Ministry may scream bloody murder about it, but there won't be anything they can do to stop it. Harry's concern is that the Ministry may decide to investigate.

Tonks is going to be in St. Mungo's longer than we thought. The healers changed their minds about when she would be released. They intend to keep her in hospital at least five days, maybe a full week.

It turns out she is experiencing some neurological difficulties they are looking into. She has a problem with the vision in her left eye, she doesn't seem to be able to focus properly, and she has a twitch. All symptoms of a brain injury. The healers are confident they will be able to clear it up, but they need a few extra days.

It's strange. He's been gone for only a few hours and I miss him dreadfully now. I'm not looking forward to Mum coming home. I'm sure she suspected what I was planning since she was with me when I bought that negligee. Mum won't want to know the gory details, but she will want to know more than I'm comfortable telling her.

Maybe I'll go start revising for my N.E.W.T.s again. It's something to do until the others get home. If I sit here thinking about this morning I'll be ripping his clothes off as he walks in the door!

From the Journal of Harry Potter (Private Entry), Aug 1st 1997, Oxford England...

She's laughing at me. No, she's not making fun of me, it's just that she caught me writing in my journal a while back and she's been itching to know what I would say about today and last night. I don't intend to show this to her, at least for now, so my thoughts are still safe. I hope.

No, really, I know they are... I think. Maybe.

Mr. Granger and I went together today to make arrangements for our visit with the Dursleys. After we left the car company and had finished with his solicitor, he took me to lunch. Little did I know how uncomfortable that lunch would be.

"Harry, I won't hide the fact that I don't like the idea that you're sleeping with Hermione," he said to me.

I nearly spit my drink all over the table to that. "What?" I sputtered.

Dan frowned and looked at me hard. "Come on, Harry. I know you're not stupid and neither am I. Hermione and you have been sharing a bed since she returned from school."

I looked down at the table for a moment before meeting his eyes. "I love her, Mr. Granger. Perhaps that isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth. And she loves me."

Dan grimaced and leaned closer. "Then tell me what your intentions are."

"Damn," I swore under my breath, then I squared my shoulders. "With your blessing, I intend to ask her to marry me when she leaves school. It was my intention to ask her at her leaving ceremony."

"And the snake?" Dan asked.

"Nagini or not, I'm not letting Voldemort run my life, sir. Hermione will be nearly nineteen and I will be nearly eighteen by then. We don't need anyone's permission, but I would like your blessing. After that, well, we've talked about a few plans, mostly about school, assuming that Nagini is out of the picture by then."

Dan nodded slowly. "Assuming I gave my blessing, what then? Would you marry right out of school? What would you do? Where would you live?"

I sipped my drink and grimaced. "Some of these things I've discussed with Hermione. Others we haven't talked about yet and I don't want to make decisions without her. Everything is predicated on my finding that snake. If I do, then we're free and clear and we'll probably marry and go off to university, either in the States or in the Pacific. If not, we may still marry, but I'd try to talk Hermione into going to school without me. I don't think I'll be successful in that attempt, but I'd try, at least."

Dan nodded thoughtfully and turned his glass idly in his hands for a minute, then he looked me again. "All right, you have my permission. I know something of your financial situation and I know you won't have a problem keeping a roof over her head and food on the table.

I breathed a sigh of relief and then our conversation moved onto to other subjects. For a brief moment I felt the insane urge to say to him, "Oh, and by the way? Your daughter is an absolute minx. We shagged half the night away last night."

Fortunately, I have long since learned to curb my inner stupid. Sirius taught me the lesson of keeping my mouth shut when I don't have anything useful to say. And believe me when I say I'll never complain I'm bored after a fishing trip. He left me to clean and gut the fish and he made me to do it the Muggle way.

As it stands, I'm pleased that I did get his blessing. Sirius told me there were several boxes of jewelry that belonged to my Mum and other Potters in the vault. I'll have to remember that and check them out. If there isn't something suitable, I'll find a jeweler for her ring.

Last night she came to bed wearing this little scrap of clothing that wouldn't have kept an ant warm and we made love. I was appalled by how much pain it caused her and wanted to stop right then and there, but she wouldn't let me. There is a big difference between knowing that something will hurt and actually seeing it happen. I felt terrible knowing I had hurt her.

This morning she woke me and we did it again. Mind you, I'm not complaining. I'm really pleased that my first aid charm helped her so much. There was a world of difference between what happened last night and what happened this morning. This morning I know she enjoyed it and wasn't in pain, but I'll always feel a little guilty about that first time.

As to making love to Hermione, I can not find the words that would express the experience. Our relationship has moved to a new stage and I welcome it. I think I was stupid in trying to avoid this step. I want to wake up with her hair tickling my face in the mornings and I want to go to bed loving her for as long as I live.

Right now, she's rereading her fourth year Potions book on the other side of the room, revising for her N.E.W.T.s. I'd like to help her, but her course work is too different from my own. I can help her with specific problems, but in general, her Potions class has little in common with the Potions/Alchemy I took in the Pacific.

Every time I look at her, I can't help but grin. I don't think I'm the only one because she has this satisfied smile on her face.

Maybe I'll work on my shields and take my mind off her for a while, if that's possible. Or I can day dream about the coming night and hopefully a repeat of this morning.

Hogsmeade, August 2nd 1997...

Nagini topped the small rise and paused. Below her lay the small village of Hogsmeade and in the distance, she could make out one wall and two towers of Hogwarts castle.

A part of her was relieved that her long and dangerous journey was finally coming to a close. It had taken her two long and difficult years to travel only a few hundred miles.

She surveyed the village and considered the possibility of finding food. The voice that had been hammering at the back of her mind had grown silent for now.

Finally coming to a decision, she slithered down the hillside in the hopes of finding a small dog, or perhaps a child to snack on. The voice wouldn't mind a short delay, not with the castle in sight.

Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, August 5th 1997...

Petunia gasped and stared through the blinds at the jet black stretch limo which had just stopped in front of their house. Conditions in the Dursley household had taken an unexpected turn for the worse in the last few weeks. Anything was a welcome distraction and a limousine pulling up in front was a major distraction.

Dudley was ill. He had returned to the house on several occasions, having soiled himself, but he refused to explain it to Petunia or Vernon. Vernon was convinced it was those freaks doing it to him. Or Dudley's weirdo friends, who Vernon didn't approve of. He was certain Piers was a poofter.

Vernon had spent several nights in jail before being released on bail. On the advice of his solicitor, he had pled guilty to reduced charges and accepted the judgment of the court. The court had fined him and ordered him in into anger management classes, along with a remedial driving course.

As far as Petunia was concerned, his anger had only increased since entering the classes.

Every little thing got Vernon angry these days. His tea too cold, a meal slightly overcooked, the weather, a noisy neighbor. It was getting on Petunia's nerves and she had made a career of ignoring his rants. Until now. Now she was finding him impossible to ignore. Vernon's complaints grated on her like nails against a blackboard.

Vernon's doctor had warned him about his weight and high blood pressure and cautioned him to try to avoid stress. He's supposed to relax? Right! Petunia thought spitefully. If there isn't any stress, Vernon will find a way to create some! The mouth that walks!

She had learned a bitter truth when they discovered that Harry had vanished. Vernon had used the boy as his outlet for his aggressive tendencies. Without the boy here, he picked on her and Dudley mercilessly. She tried not to think about that freak very much anymore. He was gone and that was all that mattered.

As Vernon's anger and general stress levels in the house increased, Petunia found comfort in ordinary things, turning them into a ritual. She routinely spent hours on her knees in her garden or cleaning the house. It had become her obsession.

It's like we've been cursed, she thought. But that isn't possible. We've gotten rid of that Potter freak and his kind. I don't care what Vernon says, they aren't paying any attention to us anymore.

She tore her eyes away from the limo to a spot of imaginary dust on the blinds and she scowled. No matter what she did, the house just wouldn't stay clean!

Hermione's curse was magnifying Petunia's worst qualities, and her pride in maintaining a clean home was driving her slowly insane.

She was about to reach for her cleaning rag when another car pulled up behind the limo. A police car! She gasped and wondered what trouble would be visiting them now.

"What is it, Pet?" asked Vernon from his favorite chair, where he'd been reading the paper.

"I'm not sure, dear. There's a police car out front," she replied, not seeing Vernon's flinch. "And a limousine."

" A limousine?" he repeated stupidly, then he folded his paper and placed it on the stand next to the chair and stood.

"People are coming to our door!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I do hope this is good news for a change. I mean, a limousine? Maybe we've won a prize or something."

A knock came from the front door and the two adult Dursleys exchanged anxious glances.

"I'll get it, dear. You relax in your chair."

Vernon nodded and swallowed nervously. A vein in his forehead began to throb in time to his heartbeat. The presence of the police worried him. He had learned that he couldn't bully the police, and people that he couldn't bully intimidated him.

A moment later, Petunia led two police officers and three other people into the living room. There was an older gentleman with graying sideburns and he carried a brief case. Behind him was a young woman and a young man, both wearing sunglasses. Something about the young man set Vernon's teeth on edge.

Petunia glanced at the young man and privately wished her Dudley looked as dashing as this young man did in his Armani suit. He was tall and broad shouldered and carried himself with confidence. Dudley would do well if he took after someone like this, she thought.

"Mr. Dursley, Mrs. Dursley, my name is Arnold Nottingham. I am a solicitor and representative of my client who happens to hold the title to this home," said the gray haired man.

"WHAT?" bellowed Vernon. The vein in his forehead started to visibly throb and his face turned a deep red.

Nottingham reached behind him and the young woman handed him a folder. He extracted several papers and looked down at them. "According to an agreement made on 1 November, 1981 between yourselves and one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, deceased, you would be allowed to stay in this home, rent free, for as long as you were providing care of your nephew, Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter."

"NO! That freak left here years ago!" Petunia protested. "This is our home! My home! I clean this home!"

For some reason Petunia's last remark made the young woman smile.

Nottingham smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid that is no longer the case. In fact, you've been in violation of the agreement since November of 1994."

Petunia sank down onto a chair and stared at Vernon in consternation. "What do we do?"

"Now, see here," blustered Vernon. "You can't barge into my home and start making up stories..."

One of the policemen stepped forward, holding his nightstick in one hand. Vernon took a step back, recognizing him as one of the policemen that arrested him last month.

"You want to calm down, Dursley," growled the officer menacingly.

There was a moment of silence while Vernon glared at the constable, who refused to be intimidated. Finally, Vernon gave up and sat down next to Petunia. At that moment, Dudley entered the house smelling like an unwashed toilet. He took one look at the crowd and the policemen who were eying him carefully and he yelped, then ran upstairs.

"You'll have to excuse our Dudley," Petunia said softly. "He's been sick a lot lately and we haven't been able to get him the help he needs."

The young man stared up the stairwell at the retreating form for a moment, then he caught the satisfied smirk the young woman was wearing. He eyed her speculatively for a moment, then he turned back to Nottingham and the others. Whatever she was hiding, he'd find out later.

Nottingham cleared his throat. "Now, if I may continue? My client is willing to forgo seeking back rent for the past three years that you've been in violation of the original contract, but he insists that you start paying rent on the home. After all, at fair market value, he could be bringing in over two thousand pounds per month for the residence. All he asks is sixteen hundred."

"Outrageous!" shouted Vernon. "I won't pay it! We had a deal with Dumbledore. I want to talk to that old man!"

Nottingham nodded. "You did have a deal, however Dumbledore is dead and he had no legal right to make such a deal in the first place. If you are unwilling to pay the monthly rent, these nice policemen are prepared to witness my serving an eviction notice. In which case, you would have seventy two hours to vacate the premises."

Vernon's face mottled and his hands clenched. Petunia reached out and tugged on Vernon's shirt. He turned and glared at her.

"Dear, remember what the doctor said about stress and your blood pressure," she reminded him. It was a futile gesture and she truly meant well, despite the fact that she only succeeded in driving his blood pressure even higher.

He grimaced and turned to Nottingham again. "I want to talk to the so-called owner, then. This is our home and I'm not about to give it up or start paying someone else for a place we've lived these past seventeen years!"

Nottingham turned to the young man. "Well?"

When the man removed his glasses, Petunia gasped and went white. She thought she'd seen the last of her freakish nephew, yet here he stood, bold as the sun!

"This house belongs to me and my family," Harry stated in a soft voice. "I could easily, and without regret, throw you out of here today. But I'm not as vindictive as you were to me."

Vernon surged from his seat and the two policemen stepped in front of Harry, their expressions full of hope that Vernon might actually try something.

"You! You fucking freak! This is all your fault! This house was supposed to go to us after you were killed..."

"Vernon!" shrieked Petunia, horrified by what he had just admitted in front of witnesses.

Vernon glanced at her and it dawned on him what he had just said, in front of a solicitor and two police officers.

Harry shook his head, his expression grim. "Why am I not surprised?"

Hermione removed her own glasses and stepped closer to him. She looped her arm inside his, providing him with the support he needed. She understood that, deep down, he still felt a need to gain his Aunt's acceptance. That would never come now.

Nottingham turned to one of the policemen. "You might want to contact an Inspector. This may have turned from a simple serving to a possible conspiracy case."

Vernon growled and lunged for Harry, plowing through the two policemen, his arms outstretched as if he meant to throttle him. Harry stepped to one side and grabbed onto Vernon's arm, pulling him even further off balance.

Vernon crashed into the wall. Dazed, he shook his head and leaned against the wall wondering how it gotten in his way like that. Then, before he could quite comprehend what had just happened, both policemen jumped on him.

Petunia shrieked and grabbed a heavy glass ashtray. She turned to throw the ashtray only to discover she was facing down Hermione's wand at point blank range. She gasped and fainted backwards into her chair, the ashtray falling to the floor with a heavy thud.

Harry glanced over to see Hermione putting her wand away and he winked at her. Nottingham and the two policemen were so busy with Vernon, they never noticed Hermione and her wand. It wouldn't have mattered if Nottingham saw the wand, of course.

The two policeman made short work of handcuffing Vernon. He was still stunned from hitting the wall and unable to put up much of a fight.

Hermione cast a ring-based Ennervate on Petunia and her eyes fluttered open. She didn't want Harry's Aunt to miss one bit of this.

A yell came from the top of the stairs and Dudley literally bounded down them, his fists balled and his face contorted in fury. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and his expression altered dramatically. There was a foul noise and he gagged. Harry pulled Hermione closer to him, away from Dudley, who turned and dashed back upstairs again, one hand over his mouth and another clutching his bum. No one could ignore the increasingly foul odor, or the loud sound of Dudley being violently sick before he reached the safety of the bathroom.

"So, what now?" asked Harry turning back to Nottingham and trying to ignore the pitiful sounds or retching coming from upstairs.

Hermione stepped away from Harry and smiled benignly at Petunia, who was still staring up the stairs in horror.

Nottingham shrugged. "I'd suggest just serving the papers and washing your hands of the whole affair. There is enough of a paper trail from what I could tell to bring this to trial but a conviction would be difficult. Dumbledore is dead and we have only what Vernon said in anger. That's not a very solid case. As it stands, I'd say there is an attempted assault charge on top of possible conspiracy."

Harry sighed and shook his head, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Hermione moved a bit closer to him. "What are you thinking?" she asked in a very quiet voice.

He looked up at her, his expression torn. "I'm trying to figure out what my Mum would want me to do."

She inhaled sharply and moved close enough to hug him. He leaned against her, drawing strength from her for a moment, then he looked up.

"No," Harry said sharply. Petunia looked at him fearfully while Nottingham and the two policemen looked at him in confusion. "As much as I would like to deny it, these people are my last living relatives. I will not sink to their level and be as vindictive to them as they were to me," Harry said in a firm voice.

He turned to Vernon. "You will pay the rent I set or you will move out. But I will not press charges against you. What you did here, in front of the police, is a problem of your own making and you will face that on your own. You are a petty man, Vernon Dursley, and I have it in my power to make your life as miserable as you made mine. But I will not stoop so low. I like to think I'm a better man than that and will not kick a man when he's down, even if he is a pitiful excuse for a man."

Harry turned then to Petunia. "You are my mother's sister, but you are nothing like her. Where she was kind and loving; you are cruel and full of spite. You let your greed and the smooth talk of an old man convince you to treat me, your only kin, as little better than a slave. That is your loss. My parents, those freakish bums you used to complain about, were rich and I have inherited that fortune. Had you treated me like a part of the family, I would have gladly shared all that I now own. Now you have nothing and only yourselves to blame for what is happening here today.

"We share blood, Aunt Petunia, but you are not part of my family. Mr. Nottingham is my representative and you will deal with him from here on. It is my distinct hope that we do not meet again."

Harry turned and took Hermione's hand and started to walk to the door. He paused just by the door and turned to Petunia again. "How do you think my mother would have treated your son had the roles been reversed?" he asked, then he walked out of the house.

"Blimey!" muttered one of the policemen.

"My sentiments exactly," added Nottingham. "I thought it might come down to this."

Nottingham turned to Petunia. "Well, Madam? Will you accept the wishes of my client or shall I serve the eviction papers that Mr. Potter had me draw up?"

One of the policemen helped Vernon roll over and sit up. He nodded to Petunia in resignation. There was little they could do about it. After all, the freak owned the title to the house.

"Excellent," Nottingham said with a smile. He loved it when people caved in. "I'll keep the eviction papers on file for now." He carefully tucked the papers into the file folder, then put the folder back into his briefcase. He paused and looked at Vernon carefully. "You are aware that, should you decide to destroy this house, my client has ways of finding you? Ways you cannot hope to avoid?"

Vernon glared at him, then nodded and looked away, defeated. He knew there was no hiding from magic.

Nottingham smirked to himself and looked at the policemen. "Officers? Do you need me any further?"

"We've got it from here, sir," replied one of the policemen. The other was helping Vernon to his feet.

Nodding, Nottingham turned and left the house. Behind him, the two officers debated whether to bring Vernon in or not. Without Harry pressing charges and Dumbledore being dead, the case against them was really very weak.

In the limo, Harry sat staring out a window, but he really wasn't seeing anything. Hermione sat next to him, watching him carefully. Finally, he blinked and turned to her with a soft smile. Nottingham climbed into the car and picked up the phone to talk with the driver for a few moments. He wanted to stick around to see what the police and the Dursleys would do about the changes forced upon them.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

He nodded. "I think I'm more surprised than anything else. I wanted to hurt them like they've hurt me, but in the end I just couldn't do it. For all her faults, she is still my mother's sister and I don't think my mother would have approved of me hurting them. They might learn from this, but I doubt it."

"If I may, Mr. Potter?" interjected Nottingham. "The desire to lash out against those that hurt us is primal. It's part of who and what we are as people. That you rose above that imperative speaks very well for your character. I admit that, in the short run, I would have made a fair amount of money suing them and representing you. Instead, I came away impressed by your integrity."

Harry flushed at Nottingham's words. "I can't claim entirely altruistic reasons, Mr. Nottingham. It's just that in my limited experience, people like that will either change for the better, or someday, someone tougher and meaner will come along and teach them a lesson. I just didn't want that someone to be me."

"For what it's worth, I'm proud of you, Harry," Hermione said with a beaming smile.

He smiled back at her. Her approval clinched it for him. He was certain he had done the right thing now. He reached up and gently caressed her cheek.

"Is that wedding bells I hear in the distance?" asked Nottingham, slipping from his role of solicitor to his role of old family friend.

Harry grinned and looked over at the old man. "Not until next summer, at the earliest. We haven't set a date or anything."

"And you haven't asked me," Hermione added in a dry tone.

He grinned at her. "I told you, at the leaving ceremony."

She huffed a moment, then broke into a giggle. "You still need to talk to Daddy."

Harry buffed his nails and looked at her smugly. "Took care of that little chore on August first."

"And you didn't tell me?"

He shrugged and his grin widened. "I would have gotten around to it, but I was waiting to see how long it would take before your Mum told you."

Hermione chuckled. "I'm surprised she hasn't told me yet. Daddy tells her everything."

The conversation died as the police left the residence without Vernon in handcuffs.

"They probably issued him a summons to appear before a magistrate," Nottingham said, then he knocked on the glass separating them from the driver. A moment later the engine started and they pulled away from Privet Drive for the last time.

As the limo pulled away, Harry turned to Hermione. "Would you care to explain the satisfied look on your face when we visited my relatives? You seemed inordinately pleased with yourself."

She sighed and looked out a window for a moment, knowing there was no escaping. She turned back to Harry and launched into an explanation of the three spells she had cast. As she spoke, Nottingham's eyes widened.

"My word, Hermione!" he exclaimed. He was about to start in on her when Harry began to chuckle.

"Don't be mad at her, Mr. Nottingham. I can't tell you how tempted I was to curse them for all the years of abuse and starvation. In the long run, all she did to my Aunt and Uncle was make their more endearing qualities more noticeable. As to Dudley, he will learn to be nice, or suffer the ridicule of his friends for his problem," Harry said, then he pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it.

"I don't approve of her using magic on them and if I know her, she only did it because I refused to do more to them."

"They got away with hurting you for years," Hermione protested softly.

"Yes, but they are part of my past, not part of my future," Harry replied. "Now, no more cursing them, all right?"

She nodded, silently pleased that he didn't ask her to lift the existing curses.

Nottingham shook his head. He never suspected Hermione would have a vindictive streak. One thing was clear, she would not allow anyone to hurt Harry and get away with it.

Hogsmeade, August 5th 1997...

Tom slept for the most part and his dreams were a disturbing mix of snake and human memory. It was getting harder and harder to rouse from his slumber and struggling with the Horcrux exhausted him. Every so often he'd awaken and look through Nagini's eyes and try to determine where they were and if they were still on track.

For the most part, Nagini stayed on course, but she meandered heavily while hunting. In fact, he had no clue where they were, so it came as a great surprise when he looked out at the village of Hogsmeade below them. They had made it.

He reached with what little power he had, trying to increase his connection to the snake. She had eaten recently and she was sluggish and lethargic.

Nagini lifted her head and looked around, unsure why she felt so compelled to examine her surroundings. Perhaps she sensed a predator nearby?

In the distance, Tom could make out two of the towers of the castle. And the wards, he could see the flows of magic surrounding the structure, protecting it. He peered at the wards, absently identifying them one by one, until he came upon a new one. The ward covered the school in a dome shape and it sparkled with flecks of coal black.

He puzzled over it and sank back down towards the Horcrux, wondering what this new ward could possibly be. In the meantime, Nagini lifted her head higher and she tasted the air several times. Humans were approaching! It was time for her to move.

She slithered down off the rock and headed in the direction of Hogwarts. Behind her, she could feel the approaching humans as they thrashed clumsily about in the undergrowth.

Meanwhile, Tom contemplated the concept of the black flecked ward and started to work out the equations in his mind to determine its purpose. It was a new ward, one put in place after he left Hogwarts for the last time.

He paused in his calculations as he sensed the Horcrux around him begin to vibrate. Then it dawned on him.

"DANGER! DANGER!" he screamed to the snake. It must not cross the ward! Whatever it was, it was reacting with the Horcrux, which meant it was either there to destroy it, or detect it. In either case, it was a danger to himself and the snake.

"DANGER! DANGER!" he shouted over and over.

Nagini slowed and came to a complete stop. She couldn't see the ward, but Tom could. She was only a hundred yards from the edge, and Ravenclaw's scrying gem was humming with energy, being so close to this ward.

Nagini, who no longer recalled having the gem inside her, felt a slight discomfort and a vague unease, as if there was a powerful predator ahead, one which was a danger to her. The nagging, annoying voice in the back of mind said the place ahead was her destination and it was dangerous. She could not proceed openly. She must use guile and find another route into the castle.

She tasted the air again and turned to head into the forest. The forest smelled of man-horse and one of their foals would be quite tasty. She had eaten a small dog, but that would not hold her long, and she would need her strength in order to find a secret way into the place of stone.

12 Grimmauld Place, London, August 8th 1997...

Tonks didn't know whether to snap at him or not. It really was sweet, but also annoying as hell.

Remus was hovering.

He wasn't exactly carrying her into the house, although she could tell he had thought about it. Instead, he was walking slowly behind her, only a foot or so away, ready to help her at a moment's notice.

She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she knew she needed help. It just rubbed her wrong to be needy at the moment.

Her bones had been all healed, but the week spent in bed had weakened her. Plus the enormous amount of muscles and tendons that had been stretched out of shape made her feel like someone had been beating her with a cricket bat. She moved like she was an old woman of a hundred, rather than her twenty five years.

"Go into the living room, Tonks," Remus said from behind her.

She nodded and moved from the foyer to the large living room. Inside the room was a large banner with a "Welcome home!" written on it, and a large group of people.

"SURPRISE!" shouted the assembled crowd.

She blinked and stared incredulously at everyone for a long moment in disbelief.

"What?" she stammered.

Sirius broke away from the group and stepped forward. "We wanted to welcome you home properly, since you'll be spending some time here."

"Sirius, about that..."

He held up a hand, silencing her. "I won't hear it, Tonks. You're a member of this family and I'm not going to let you go back to that cramped shoe box of a flat. Besides, Remus will be happier if you are close by and Cindy will be around in case you need help. Your Mum has a portkey, so she can drop in anytime she wants to see you."

Tonks nodded reluctantly. She hadn't been told about her move to Grimmauld Place until last night, and up until that point, she hadn't been looking forward to being alone in her place.

She looked around and was surprised to find Kingsley and Alastor Moody present, along with Minerva McGonagall, Harry in his Evan persona and Hermione and her parents.

Remus steered her gently to a couch central to the room and Emma placed a piece of cake and a drink on the table next to her.

A moment later, Minerva McGonagall joined her on the couch along with Remus.

"Remus tells me that you're on indefinite medical leave?" asked Minerva.

Tonks nodded unhappily. "The department healer said I won't be able to even return to limited duty until after the new year."

"Then perhaps I might ask if you would like something to occupy your time?"

Tonks stared at her for a moment, blinking, then she shook her head. "I don't know if I could teach..."

Minerva smiled and shook her head. "You are young yet, Miss Tonks, and no doubt someday you would make a fine teacher, either in Transfiguration or in Defense. But what I had in mind was more of an assistant position. My new Defense instructor comes highly recommended, but he will need some help and someone to fill in for him at least three days every month. It would allow you enough free time to work on your recovery, and let you keep up on your important Auror skills, plus be an educational experience."

Tonks turned to look at Remus, who smiled back at her benignly.

"Helping this old wolf?" Tonks asked, a smile slowly forming. Suddenly the next year wasn't looking so bleak after all.

"I'm not that old," Remus muttered.

Minerva smiled thinly at Remus, then turned back to Tonks. "Yes, you would teach the classes at most three days a month, and the rest of the time either help in the class or help afterwards. Your position would be as an assistant Professor. Madam Pomfrey would be available to help you as you recover from your injuries. And we would expect you to help keep the students in line."

Tonks nodded. She knew from her own experience that the teachers helped the Prefects by patrolling the castle late at night and there was always one teacher on duty should a Prefect need help.

"I'll do it. As much as I love Sirius, I can't see myself sitting around this house for the next five months."

Minerva smiled. "Excellent. We look forward to having you join our staff. Remus will fill you in on all the pertinent details."

When she stood and walked away, Tonks turned to Remus and tried to hide the wince.

"I know you're hurting," he said quietly.

"I don't need a nursemaid," she snapped, then her expression changed. "Remus, I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

He looked at her, and she could see the hurt in his eyes, but he tried to shrug it off. "It's all right. I guess I'm not used to having someone close to me being badly injured."

She reached out and took his hand in hers. "No, I shouldn't have snapped at you, especially since you've been helping me and been by my side since I woke up."

"I can't help it, I care for you more than I can say," Remus admitted.

Tonks felt a rush of pleasure at his words and was about to reply when they were interrupted.

"You know, I've tried talking Amelia into sponsoring a bill to repeal those pesky Werewolf restrictions so you two kids can think about tying a knot or two," Sirius said, popping up from behind the couch.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Remus asked, annoyed. He had enough trouble talking about his feelings with Tonks. The last thing he wanted or needed was help from Sirius!

"Eavesdropping? No, I didn't drop any eaves back here. I was umm... looking for my wand."

Remus could hear Harry's snicker from the other side of the room.

"I do believe that Cindy has control of your wand these days, Sirius," Tonks said with a grin.

Remus pulled his wand and hit Sirius with a stinging hex, causing him to yelp and move away from the couch with a hurt look. He watched his friend rejoin Harry, Hermione and her parents and then Sirius handed Harry a coin. Remus frowned. Harry was betting with Sirius again! The last time they'd done so, Harry had bet Sirius wouldn't water ski using a boat that had been Disillusioned.

The Pacific Rim Ministry had not been pleased over the large number of Muggles they needed to Obliviate from that incident. The fine was more than Remus would have made in a year of teaching at Hogwarts! Sirius got a warning not to do it again. Remus thought they should have spanked him...publicly, with lots of pictures published in the papers.

"What was that all about?" asked Tonks.

"I'm not sure," Remus said softly. "I'm almost afraid to find out. Getting involved usually ends up with me being humiliated or having to fight for my life or my sanity."

"Oh?"

He turned to look at her. "Yes. One time I found myself coated with golden paint and thrown into a room with starving nifflers." He shuddered. "It wasn't a pretty sight."

Across the room, Sirius was muttering under his breath.

"I told you not to bet on that," Harry told him with a chuckle as he pocketed the money. "The pair of them are like you and Cindy. She'd jump at the chance to be with him more often."

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius muttered to the general laughter of everyone. "And while we're talking about couples, what about you and Hermione, eh? You two seem to be more chummy than usual."

Dan's expression darkened for a moment, then he sighed and shook his head. There was no fighting progress, even if this was progress he didn't like to hear about.

Harry reached for Hermione's hand and smiled at his godfather. "I got lucky. I fell in love with my best friend and she loves me. What more could I ask for?"

"How about falling in love ten years from now?" muttered Dan.

Emma smiled prettily and stomped her foot down hard on Dan's foot. He gasped and started hopping up and down on one foot.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I thought I was stepping on an obstinate father bug," Emma cooed, then she patted her husband's cheek fondly.

Hermione grinned. She knew her father was only putting up a token resistance at this point.

"Come on, Evan. Let's go talk to Tonks, while Mum strokes Dad's ego and calms him down," she said.

Harry blinked at her and Dan groaned. "Betrayed, I tell you! Evan, have sons. Daughters are evil."

Harry chuckled and followed Hermione over to talk with Tonks and Remus.

Sirius laughed and shook his head at the parting pair, then he grabbed Cindy as she walked by. She had been making sure that Dobby was passing out drinks, not that Dobby needed the supervision. "Aha!" he exclaimed, grabbing her and dipping her backwards. "I have you now, my pretty!"

Dan shook his head. "We never should have shown him the Wizard of Oz," he commented to Emma.

Cindy grinned at Dan, then looked up at Sirius with an innocent expression on her face. "You know that means you have to ravish me right here, now that you've claimed me."

"Here? In front of everyone?" he said doubtfully.

"It's a Muggle tradition. Why do you think Dan never says that to Emma? He's too shy to do it in public," she replied.

Dan nodded. "I hate doing it in public," he said in agreement.

"I don't mind," added Emma.

Sirius straightened up and released her. "In front of everyone? A tradition? How come no one ever told me? Lils never said anything like that and I'm sure James would have mentioned it." He scowled. Muggles sure had unusual ideas. Not that he was against the idea of making love to his wife, but in front of all these people? What would Moody think? Moony would make fun of the size of his wand!

He turned to Cindy with a confused expression. "You really want me to do it here in front of everyone?"

She grinned, reached up and twisted his nose. "Gotcha," she said with an impish grin, then she walked off.

Dan and Emma laughed at Sirius' expression when he turned to face them. "Whew, I thought for a moment she was serious. I mean, I'm not into that sort of thing, but tradition, I would have done it for tradition's sake."

Dan and Emma could only laugh harder.

Across the room, Harry and Hermione ran into Minerva before they could reach Tonks and Remus.

Minerva smiled, seeing her best student and her boyfriend. "Miss Granger, and Mister Black. It is good to see you again."

"Hello, Headmistress," Hermione replied.

Harry nodded. "Hello, Professor," he replied.

Minerva smiled. She realized that to Harry, she was still just a Professor. "Have you been enjoying your summer so far?"

"It's been the best," Hermione said joyfully.

Harry smiled softly. "That it has," he agreed.

"Your guardian told me about your N.E.W.T. Results, Mister Black. Quite impressive, if you don't mind me saying so. I understand you were actually granted a Mastery in Defense?"

"And a reserve Auror position with the Pac Rim," added Hermione proudly.

Minerva lifted an eyebrow and turned to look closer at Harry, who suddenly felt like a first year who'd been caught out after curfew. "Really? I hadn't heard that."

Harry shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. I'm not sure I want to be an Auror and my grades were good enough to pursue a Mastery in Transfiguration. I have an open invitation to attend the Mitsumi Magical Academy in Kyoto."

She nodded knowingly. In the past one hundred years it had become common practice to seek a Mastery outside of Britain and Europe. In fact, her own Mastery had been obtained at Capetown Magical University in South Africa, just prior to the outbreak of World War II.

"The Mitsumi Academy is a fine institution, and they are quite progressive. They have a program designed to move magical students into Muggle universities that other institutions are just now starting to copy," Minerva said with approval. "You would do well there if you can understand the language."

"Evan speaks Japanese," Hermione offered. "And he says there are translation charms I could use."

Minerva looked at Harry appraisingly. It never occurred to her that he would be multilingual. "It would be an excellent selection, and, of course, your position this year as Head Girl would help gain acceptance at the school."

Hermione gripped Harry's arm hard and gasped. Head Girl? It had been something she had always wanted.

He pulled her into a hug. "I'm very proud of you." he said softly.

"Yes, well done, Miss Granger. I suspected you were Head Girl material for the longest time, although your escapades in your earlier years gave me pause. Especially the one involving the troll," Minerva said dryly.

Harry laughed and Hermione blushed thoroughly.

Minerva eyed the pair, then she turned to Harry. After all, she couldn't leave him out of the conversation. "And what about you, Mister Black? I heard about your little experiment in Apparition."

Harry's jaw snapped shut and he looked away. He didn't want to dredge that topic back up. It had taken three separate trips into bookspace before Hermione would stop talking about his recklessness. He glanced up and winced. She was glaring at him again!

Minerva smiled to herself and nodded before walking away. They had been good children and were turning into fine adults. But every so often she needed to remind them of their foolish days, if for no other reason than keeping them humble.

She looked around and spotted Sirius. Yes, she thought. Perhaps it was time for me to perform my humbling service again. She grabbed Cindy by an arm and dragged her over to where Sirius stood. "My dear, has Sirius ever told you of the time he spent two days in the girls’ changing rooms under an invisibility cloak, and then had the audacity to claim he had been locked in?"

Sirius blanched and Cindy looked like Father Christmas had just arrived with a bag of presents, all for her.

Office of the Minister, Ministry of Magic, London. August 10th 1997...

"Ambassador Black is here as you requested, Madam Minister."

Amelia looked up from her notes and straightened her papers. "Send him in, and bring a service of tea for two, then see we are not disturbed for any reason."

"Yes, Ma'am," replied her secretary.

A moment later, Sirius entered her office, followed by her secretary carrying a tea service. Amelia sat calmly and silently while the girl served their drinks. Once she was done, she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Amelia leaned forward a little. She knew this game well and planned on playing it by the rules. "I am thankful you are taking such good care of Auror Tonks, Ambassador. She is a valuable member of our Auror force and we simply do not have the budget to see to all her needs."

Sirius' eyebrow raised to his hairline and he knew something was up. Normally, he and Amelia were on a first name basis.

"She is family, Minister," he replied softly. "While the Blacks might not have acknowledged the bond under the old Lord, I am not subject to such limited views. I have reinstated her mother back into the family line."

"Still, with your help, she secured temporary employment while she recovers, and her position at the school will place her in a prime position to pre-screen Auror candidates."

Sirius nodded, accepting the point. He wished she'd get to the real reason for the meeting. He hated playing political games.

Amelia smiled at him; she realized he was waiting for her to open the real conversation. She reached into her top drawer and removed a large crystal ball. She placed the ball in a holder on the desk and it started to glow.

"There, now the room is sealed from all forms of eavesdropping."

He stared at her. He had heard about this artifact, a device that was supposedly created by Merlin himself. Whatever she wanted to talk about was more secret than the highest State secrets!

Amelia leaned back on her chair and she steepled her fingers together. "Purely by chance, I was approached by Dirk Cresswell, manager of our Goblin Relations Bureau. He had received a strange notice from Gringotts pertaining to an old, and until recently, thought extinct family.

"Your involvement in that family is well documented, and so is your guardianship of a distant cousin, an Evan Black. Strangely enough, we have been unable to determine which part of your family he stems from."

She stopped when he raised a hand. "Amelia, I know what you're hinting at and I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more about it except to say that this is a matter best left untouched and unspoken of."

Amelia frowned. This was not a response she had been hoping for.

"Sirius, this matter isn't to be taken lightly. Charges could be pressed. You, Evan and everyone else involved could go to Azkaban."

Sirius leaned forward. "Madam Minister, there are forces at work and plans in play that are designed to insure the safety of Wizarding Britain and, by extension, you and your government. We only learned about them ourselves at the beginning of the summer. I ask you to not push this."

She frowned and picked up a parchment and read from it. Maybe she could pry some information loose by revealing some of what she knew.

"Evan Black, age 17, is a reserve member of the Maori Auror division of the Pacific Rim Ministry. The first record of young Mr. Black appeared shortly after Mr. Potter's disappearance, when he was listed by the Pacific Rim as being home schooled by some of the most prestigious instructors in the world. According to our sources, three of his tutors were Hit Wizard instructors, one for the Americans, one from Japan and one from China. All three instructors were still on active duty and continued to train their people while they were also providing training to your cousin.

"His remaining instructors were the ones originally hired by his parents, as outlined in the Codicil to their Will."

"Minister," Sirius said painfully.

She laid the parchment down and smacked her hand down on top of it, making him flinch at the sound. "Damn it, Sirius, what is going on here?"

He sighed. She knew too much. "Amelia, if I offer you an oath on my magic that what is happening is not illegal, nor is it aimed at harming any living citizen of this nation, will you stop this now?"

Amelia paused to consider that. Potter is obviously capable of performing magic, and he's been trained by an international cast of professional hit wizards, the best of the best, she thought. But why?

"Really, Minister, there is nothing wrong with Harry receiving his inheritance. The Pacific Rim Ministry has no laws preventing a Squib from receiving his inheritance like the British Ministry does. And as for Evan..."

"Oh, cut the crap, Sirius. We both know Harry and Evan are the same person! Furthermore, Potter can do magic." she snapped. She paused and her expression changed. Something tickled at the back of her mind, some intelligence reports she had read months ago.

"Oh, Merlin! This is it, isn't it? The internationals are moving against us?" she said suddenly, surprising Sirius.

Several months earlier she had read an intelligence report concerning joint operations by several Ministries to influence Britain. It was recognized by the nations involved that Britain represented the European nations and they would follow her lead. The Ministries involved represented the bulk of the magical world with the exception of Europe and certain small central American Ministries.

Sirius thought furiously. His back was against a wall and he had to give her something to calm her down. "Not quite, Amelia. I don't know what you're thinking, but yes the internationals are involved, and what Evan is involved in is designed to appease them, and keep your government in charge. Take Evan out of the picture and the results could be catastrophic."

She looked at him curiously.

"We weren't aware of their involvement until they revealed themselves in June of this year. Up until that point, we always thought it was just our small group that knew the truth. Evan has a very important job to do and the internationals want him to do that job. That's why they trained him as hard as they did and that's why a seventeen year old is the youngest Auror on record," he told her.

"The internationals like your government, but they acknowledge the fact that you could easily be replaced with someone as bad as Fudge because most of our government is still corrupt. They want to give you the chance to clean things up and they know that if Evan fails in his task, your government will fall and our world could be exposed. They will not allow that to happen. They want to give Evan a chance to do his job, otherwise they will become more directly involved."

Amelia straightened in her chair. "What can I do to help?"

"Bury those reports from Gringotts, make sure people forget they exist and pretend this conversation never took place," Sirius replied.

"Sirius... I..."

"I know, Amelia, I don't like it either. That boy is my son in every way that matters and the fate of our nation is riding on his shoulders. He knows it, and he's dealing with it. And when it's done, he'll want nothing more than to fade into obscurity and live a normal life."

She nodded, then she pulled out a small piece of parchment and scribbled some notes on it. When she was done, she slid them across the desk to Sirius. "Give this to Evan. It's an emergency Floo address for myself and a Floo address to an Unspeakable safehouse, owned by a Ministry healer. Should he need help, he can go there and there will be no questions asked."

Sirius pocketed the paper and nodded. It would be useful for Harry to have.

"Will that be all, Minister?" he asked.

She nodded and he stood up and left, leaving her alone in the office. She leaned back on her chair, considering what she had learned. Potter still has his magic, so our 'experts' were wrong, she mused. And that means... Sweet Merlin, he's hunting Voldemort! That's the job the internationals are so worried about. If Voldemort comes into power, our world would be exposed.

She sat up and shivered. The idea that a seventeen year old, even a highly trained seventeen year old, was hunting that monster was enough to make her stomach churn. She considered setting up a task force to shadow him, then discarded the idea. Right now, she was the only person in the government, besides Black, who knew about Potter.

She wouldn't admit it to Black, but she had personally Obliviated the six employees who had come into contact with the Gringotts report. The Unspeakable who had researched Evan Black had been sent to Station Zebra to investigate a bogus report of Yetis living on the continent of Antarctica. He would be out of the country until she decided to recall him.

Amelia stood and walked over to a window.

The window was charmed to show a pretty pastoral scene with some snow capped mountains in the background. It was so realistic, she could open the window and feel a soft breeze scented with the mountain flowers.

It wasn't real, but that didn't stop her from treating it like a real window and staring out while she ordered her thoughts. And right now, her thoughts needed ordering. Her government hung by a thread and only a handful of people knew about it. And its fate lay in the hands of a seventeen year old who had been chosen by prophecy.

Authors Notes:

~Glares at Bob~ Why am I doing the AN's again? It's your damn story! And apparently, I don't do them as well as you! ~Glares at Crys, then kicks him in the shins~ Be glad I didn't aim higher up!

Ahem...right, so on with the damn notes. I'll tone it down this time, since SOMEONE didn't like them last time.

Yes, Hannah Abbott does have red hair — except in Bob's world, where he sent her to a muggle salon for a dye job!

Wavelink99: We will not disclose how we differentiate between a generic reader and a "loyal follower" (Hey Bob! We have followers! I think we need to start our own cult.). It's taken us years to perfect our technique and we're not about to give it away. Oh, and it's nice to know you don't trust me with the AN's. If I could get Bob to feel the same way, my life would be freakin' peachy!

Melferd: ~Perk~ A small tactical nuke? For me? How lovely! If only all reviewers offered such wonderful toys! You're a gem.

Dazza: Ask Bob. It's his story.

~Blinks~ Hell, I could have saved myself a lot of time by answer every question that way. Damn it!

Erm...actually, he says he answered that question for you on the group, so let's move on, shall we?

Hemotem: Actually, we tend to forget the disclaimers and AN's rather quickly. I think it's the drugs wearing off.

Iluvchocs: We were seriously thinking of building a shrine dedicated to your review. Bob for the chocolate, me for the sacrificing of impatient reviewers. But Bob never got the sweets and I didn't hear any screaming. ~Sigh~ You're nothing but a tease.

GreatWarlord: This story is written by Bob, edited by me, and beta read by the amazing Keith and Dorothy. However, most of our other stories were written by both of us. It's surprisingly easy to do, if you outline your story before hand. We knew where we were going with out stories at all times. ~Nods firmly~

(Bob here) Why are Keith and Dorothy so amazing?

I fix your mistakes, Bob. They fix BOTH of ours. Plus, they each have the cutest pair of bunny slippers...Now shut up and let me finish this.

Donald: I really couldn't tell you. Neither can Bob. You'll have to ask Mr. Lovegood, I'm afraid.

~Smacks Noylj with my telescope...a Meade LX 200 16"~ How's that? Does that work for ya? No? I could hit you again...just don't bleed on my shoes. They're new, ya see, and bloodstains are a pain to get out.

James: No, we meant Bonzai. See, it's this thing we call humor. Unfortunately, not everyone gets it.

Lilly_Kris: There's a link right under the banner that reads "Email Alerts". Click it and all your worries will disappear. Well? Go on! Click it! NOW!

Genericrandom: You think we're strange? You're the one reading this, so I think you might just be up there with us!

~Blinks~ Er, I think I just called you all strange. How impolitic of me...

Biblios: Your mother-in-law arrived in three pieces — you really should have chosen a more secure carrier, as Acme doesn't have the best reputation. Please send super glue and duct tape, ASAP.

~Roasts Teganii over an open flame~ You opened YOURSELF up to that. This is what I get for thinking I'm the only smart ass here.

Mickey: Your seatbelt is fashioned with a padlock for added safety. We're all about the care and well being of our reviewers. Ignore the screams and trust us. Come on, you know you want to!

As for your question about the Mastery, you missed the point. Harry didn't take the standard N.E.W.T for Defense. He took the Hit Wizard exam...and pass it with flying colors...and coconuts.

As for the broken bones, you missed something again. It was a compound fracture (worse than a simple break) AND a tropical infection from the open wound on his arm and the cut on his forehead. Hope that helps clear things up.

You know, I think I'm going to buy stock in adult diapers. The number of people who seem to wet themselves, their cats, their chairs and just about everything else will send stock prices through the roof. I'll be rich! "So, Alyx, how did you make your fortune?" "Urine speculation."

So, where was I?

Infin1x: Bookspace requires clothing. No, really. The warning is right there on the cover. Didn't you read it? Trying to go in naked would mean getting kicked right back out. As for the age of consent, the inventor was an American. Yeah, that's it.

Thanach: Bob thanks you for the 11 cloned Snapes. I know you sent 12, but I kept one for myself. Hey, I need something to get me through these AN's, don't I?

PhishBulb: The exits are clearly marked. Please, use them.

Webdoc: No, Wizards Fall isn't finished.

Slayersfan01: Because burning a witch at the stake is considered rude. Burning your child at the stake is considered rude and abusive. Seriously, though. Keeping Lavender from going to Hogwarts won't make her any less magical, will it? Her power won't just dry up and go away. It's better that she learns to control it, rather than turning her priest into a Blast-Ended Skrewt by accident, don't you think?

Jeff: How many chapter will this story be? I don't know. I just write the AN's. And apparently, I don't do that as well as Bob. ~Glares at Crys again~

Piad2691: Please floss after eating Lavender. There's nothing more unsightly than food stuck in one's teeth. Also, you might want to add a bit of fiber to your diet for awhile.

Faith: We rarely hurt people on their first review. It's better to break you in slowly. This way, we don't alarm you into fleeing. Chasing people is fun and all, but it's more enjoyable when we blind-side them. ~Smiles sweetly, while Bob hides the branding iron behind his back~

Ronnie McMains: You haven't read Attack of the Fan Fic Authors? Wise choice. I don't suggest reading it unless you're heavily medicated first.

LDA: A story with a powerful Vamp!Harry who hooks up with Tonks? I think I say with complete certainty that we will NEVER write a story like that. Unless it's a parody and includes Smurfs and a toilet brush named Neil. Thanks for asking.

~Smacks Alex2877 in the head with the FPIA+5~ Brilliant! I love new toys! But I have to ask, how did you find this? I thought I had the only known FPIA in existence! Alex? Umm, Alex? ~Glances down at the twitching, bleeding form at her feet~ Damn it! Ask first, then hit... I really need to remember that.

Aberbadger: I read your questions about the Quibbler articles to Bob to refresh his memory of your review. His answer, and I quote, is: Yes. He's just so helpful, isn't he?

Philipe: Nice fish slap, I must say. I know you've had a lot of practice with it on the forums and Bob does make a tempting target. However, I do make one request. Next time, please clean it first. Between his hard head and your swing, I spent several hours cleaning fish guts out of my hair. ~Shudder~

Solicitor: You must have missed the sign on the door. It clearly says "No Solicitors Allowed — Trespassers Will Be Tortured — You Will Be Bent, Mutilated, and HACKED INTO BITS if you annoy us." Guess what? I'm annoyed. Mostly because I have to do the Authors Notes, but that's besides the point. Screaming is allowed, just try not to bleed to much, eh?

To the new reviewers who came out of the woodwork this chapter: Welcome to our little corner of the nut house. Take your medication, don't back-talk the nurse and you'll survive relatively unscathed.

If we didn't get to your question and it's burning a hole in your brain, notify me so I can watch. Then hop on over to the group and ask it there.

Also, thanks to Keith and Dorothy for the beta work. They got this back to us incredibly fast, so everyone bow down to them, then send them donuts and chocolate, please.

That's it, folks. My job is done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got Solicitor staked down in my fire ant farm. The honey is warm enough to spread evenly now, so I'm off to entertain myself.

~Glares at Crys as she exits the Notes~

Back to:: Harry Potter » The Power of the Press

The Power of the Press
Chapter 7 - Year Seven Summer

By Bobmin

The Power of the Press Chapter 7 - Year Seven Summer

By Bobmin

The Power of the Press
Chapter 7 - Year Seven Summer