Chapter 19
"Normal Speech"
Thoughts
'Mental Conversations'
Surrey Place-
Hermione was finally resting peacefully after a few long hours. Luna was sitting in a chair next to the bed reading a book when Harry walked in. "Hello Harry. I must say, you look very dashing tonight."
Harry was straightening his forest green tie and fixing his blacks shirt as he walked over to the bed to check on Hermione. "Thanks Luna, I think. How is Hermione doing?"
Luna put down her book and got up from the chair and went over to help him with his jacket. Harry decided to wear an all-black muggle suit for dinner tonight. "Hermione is doing well. She is completely healed, and will sleep for the rest of the night. Don't worry Harry, everything will be alright."
"Luna, when is your dad expecting you back?" he asked as Luna was helping.
She was brushing off some imaginary lint and replied, "Oh, I never told him a time. Daddy doesn't worry about such things. I will have Dobby bring me back once you are done with your dinner tonight. We wouldn't want you to be worried now would we?"
Harry tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. "Would you like to stay with us Luna? I can talk to Narcissa about it tonight."
"You don't have to do that Harry, I'm sure I would just be in the way." She replied as she went to take her seat.
"You wouldn't be Luna. Hermione and I consider you a friend. Besides, I'm sure Hermione would enjoy your company. You did save her life, and it's the least we can do. As soon as Hermione is back too normal, we plan on training and would love for you to join us as well. Draco will already be joining us, and I plan on extending the invitation to Susan and Neville as well."
Luna was stunned at what she was hearing. She always like Harry and Hermione, they never thought she was crazy and they were always nice to her. "We're friends?" she quietly asked.
Harry gave her a huge smile and said, "Of course we are. Do you think I would let anyone heal my wife?"
Luna launched herself at Harry who easily caught her. "Thank you." was all she said.
~Page Break~
Harry was waiting in the parlor for Amelia and Susan to arrive. Narcissa was taking Luna home so that she could grab whatever she needed and speak with her father. Her and Emma made sure Luna's room was close to Harry's and Hermione's before they left, and Emma went to sit with her daughter. Draco decided it would be for the best if he was out of sight due to his history of being a prat, and Remus was at the Leaky Cauldron with Tonks and Bill drawing up their game plan for the school year as well as developing the kids training routines. Sirius came strutting in the parlor, ready to try and woo the witch of his dreams. "Hey Padfoot, did you actually comb your hair?" asked Harry as he sniffed the air around him and added, "And took a flea bath?"
Sirius slapped his hand over his heart and tried to act like Harry's words had wounded him, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Not exactly original their pup. I'll let it slide this time on account of the amount of stress you have been under." Sirius ducked quickly as Harry threw a pillow at him that landed at the feet of Amelia Bones.
"I see you are still up to your usual tricks Black." Replied Amelia as she stepped over said pillow. "Lord Potter, I hope this mutt isn't bothering you. I believe you already know my niece Susan."
Susan dipped into a curtsey as Harry gave her a bow and said, "Greeting Heir Bones."
"Greeting Lord Potter, thank you for inviting us over for dinner this evening." Susan nervously replied.
Harry stood and clapped his hands together and said, "Right, now that formalities are out of the way, please call me Harry." He saw that one of his elves brought a tray with wine, whisky, what looked like mead, and pumpkin juice in. Harry motioned to the tray and said, "May I off either of you a drink". Harry walked over to the tray and poured Sirius a glass of whisky, himself a glass of wine (a/n: he is acting like a Lord, not a 14-year-old), and waited for his two guests to respond.
"I'll have glass of whisky myself and Susan will have glass of pumpkin juice." Harry saw the look Susan gave her Aunt, but wisely chose to ignore it as he handed out their drinks.
"I trust you had no trouble finding the place?" asked Harry as he took his seat again.
"No trouble at all Harry." Replied Amelia. "Tell me, how is Hermione doing? She did not look well when I left Gringotts."
Amelia saw Harry's shoulders slump when she asked. "She is resting now. Thankfully Luna Lovegood was able to save her. It turns outs if you used magic, it made to spell more toxic. If Luna hadn't come when she did, well, I don't even want to think about it."
"I'm glad Miss Lovegood was able to help. Is she still here? Perhaps you should invite her to dine with us." Replied Amelia, who wasn't too sure what else to say at the moment.
"I'm not sure if Luna is back yet. Narcissa took her to speak with her father and grab her things. She will be staying with us for the rest of the summer." Harry took a sip of his drink before adding, "I know it is not customary to discuss business before dinner, but how did everything go at the ministry this afternoon?"
"It turns out Dumbledore made an appearance before I returned with your statements. He managed to get the minister to think that he was trying to save yours and Lady Potter's life."
Harry gave a large sigh and Sirius said, "So that means he is just going to get away with it? He tried to kidnap my Godson's wife. We both know the manipulative old coot staged the whole thing, trying to get back his control of Harry."
Before Amelia could respond, Susan spoke up and asked, "Why would Professor Dumbledore want to control Harry? What happened this afternoon? And when did you get married?"
"We can discuss what happened today over dinner. I promise to get to the rest of your questions in a moment. I have another question for you." replied Harry as he thought, it's not or never. Might as well get it over with. He felt a push in the back of his head and felt his rings vibrate. 'Keep your trousers on, I'm getting there.' he thought as he tried to reply to Merlin, Godric, and Salazar. "Have you ever had you ever done a heritage test at Gringotts? I know that the Bones family is a Most Ancient and Noble house, but I ask you to humor me."
"No, we haven't. Do you know something that my niece and I don't Harry?" asked Amelia who was giving him a questioning glare.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. To answer your question, yes I do. Hermione and Luna are the only other people who know as well. Before you ask, Luna has a gift, that is the only reason she knows." Harry looked right at Sirius when he said this. "All I ask is that you both keep an open mind about what I am going to tell you." Harry wanted for they gave him their word before continuing, "Susan, what you do not know about me is that I am also Lord Gryffindor, Lord Syltherin, and Lord Pendragon. I am also a direct descendant of Merlin. Hermione is also Lady Ravenclaw, Lady Le Fey, and Lady Dagworth. But that isn't what I want you to keep an open mind with. You are Helga Hufflepuff's heir. I know you want to argue against it, but when was the last time your family was ever sorted into a different house?" Amelia and Susan both were too stunned to say anything. They just sat there and looked around with their eyes as wide as saucers.
"Amelia, you can trust Harry. This isn't a prank. I would see the reason to hesitate, but tell me. From the short time that you have known Harry, has he ever lied to you? Has he ever given you a reason not to believe him?" Sirius asked.
"As much as I hate to admit this, your right Sirius." Replied Amelia. "Harry, Susan and I will go to Gringotts either tomorrow or the next day for the test. There will be no harm done if you are wrong."
"Is this a joke Harry?" asked Susan. She was curious to see if he was right. As far as she knew he never did lie while at Hogwarts. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt for her own actions while at school.
Harry saw her face fall a little and said, "This isn't a joke Susan. I know a lot of people don't believe a lot of what I say, but I never lie and I wouldn't start now."
Susan felt the heat in her cheeks rise at this last comment and heard her aunt ask, "Are you alright Susan?"
"I'm fine Aunt." She replied before looking to Harry and said, "Harry, I'm sorry I didn't believe you while at school. You are right and I should have known better."
"Susan, what are you talking about?" asked Amelia who then narrowed her eyes at her niece and asked, "what have you done?"
Susan hung her head, but it was Harry who came to her rescue, "That was all in the past. Let's just move forward shall we?" Amelia wanted to know more, but was interrupted by Dro coming in and telling everyone dinner was ready. "Amelia, I know you want to know more, but I want you to know that if I hadn't experienced any of it, I wouldn't believe it either. I will tell you later about what happened. Actually, I will have one of my elves bring my pensive after dinner. It will easier to show you what has happened during out times at Hogwarts. You won't believe a word I say otherwise."
Leaky Cauldron-
Remus, Tonks and Bill were all huddled around a table going over their plans for the rest of the summer and the school year to come. They knew that the next year was going to be very trying and most likely incredibly dangerous. "I still think we need to enlist a couple of students, preferable Gryffindor's. We can't be with them 24 hours a day." Argued Bill as he was pinching the bridge of his nose. They have been having this argument for the last 10 minutes.
Remus got up from the table and started pace around the private room and said, "I already have had word from Harry. He has asked Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Susan Bones to train with him, Hermione and Draco. They can be our eyes and ears."
Sensing another blow up Tonks quickly asked, "Who else did you have in mind?"
"Fred and George." Replied Bill, ignoring the glare Remus was giving them.
"Absolutely not!" screamed Remus as he slammed his fists on the table.
"Remus, let's hear him out. This may work." Said Tonks as she walked over to Remus and put a hand on his arm to try and calm him down enough so that he would actually listen.
"I don't know what the problem is Remus. I know those two like to play a prank or two, but they know more about Hogwarts than any of us." This caused Remus to snort. Bill shot him a cold glare but continued to say, "They know how to get around the castle undetected. The only other people in the history of Hogwarts to outshine those two were the Marauder's. I'm telling you they would be an asset. They already told Harry that they would do anything for him. They are ready to leave the family over this. Harry told them that they would always be welcome. Besides, we will need the extra help inside the tower." Bill was staring down Remus at this point and after a minute decided to add, "Besides, they are already looking after Harry's interests. How else would I know all that I do? Those two are good at sneaking around."
Remus hung his head in defeat and fell back into his chair. Tonks crouched down next to him and said, "I know you don't agree with this Remus, but Bill is right. You know that as soon as they find out who the Marauder's actually are, they will not only be worshiped, but so will the ground they walk on. It will all work out. We have people watching out for them in all the houses. If anything, we could find a few more people from each house. Our agents might miss something."
"Fine." Replied Remus. "But Harry needs to give his ok on this matter. I may not agree with it, but you do have a point. Where are your brother's now?"
Tonks and Bill looked at each other and grinned while Bill said, "Let's put the rest of this meeting on hold for now and reconvene at my flat."
Bill's flat-
After the meeting in the Director's office was finished Bill went back to finish talking to his father and brothers. For now, Arthur was going to head home and keep a close eye on everything and the twins were going to stay with Bill for the night. It was decided that Bill was going to have a long conversation with the twins before bringing them back home tomorrow, and this was all per their father's orders. The twins were in the living room when Bill, Remus and Tonks walked in. Seeing that the twins had their heads together and were bent over a sheet of parchment Bill said, "What are you two up too?"
George and Fred both looked up and said, "Nothing." Bill chuckled and shook his head at the two. "Well, whatever you two are doing, put it away for right now and come sit down. We have some things to discuss with you." The twins curiosity was spike once they saw the expression on Lupin's face. They quickly did as they were asked and went to take a seat on the sofa next to Bill.
"What's" Fred started to say, and George finished, "up?" Bill looked over to Remus and Tonks to see if one of them wanted to explain, but saw the two zipped up tight.
"As you both know, I have been added as a Protector for the Potters. Tonks will be the other guard in the castle with me and Remus Lupin will be staying in Hogsmead and essential head of operations. With Remus on the outside, there is less of a worry about our mail being intercepted or obstructed. I know you two have already pledged yourselves to protect the Potter's in your own way." Bill held his hand up so he could finish speaking without interferences. "Not only is Dad and myself ok with this, the Director of Gringotts is well aware of this. From what you have told me, Lord Potter is aware of this as well. I have something else I would like to discuss with you two. As you have gathered, Remus here has a bit of a problem with it. I want you two to act as extra guards while at Hogwarts. It will add two more bodies to the detail."
Fred and George took a moment to let it all seek in. George with the first to speak up by starting to say, "We already planned on it. But,"
"We want to know why do you have a problem" Interrupted Fred, and both of them finished with, "Us."
Remus sighed before he said, "I'm worried you two won't take this serious. I have already let Harry down once. I will not let that happen again. No one, and I mean no one will get in my way."
"Look, you have nothing to" Fred started to say and was picked up by George who said, "worry about. We mean", and was finished by both of them saying, "Business."
"For the sake of keeping this conversation easier to follow, can one of you at a time speak please." Asked Remus. "I do have some other things I need to finish after here and then I have to get back to discuss all of this with Harry and would like to check on Hermione." Remus slid to the edge of his chair and asked, "Tell me, how is it you two know so much about Hogwarts?"
Fred and George looked at each other and grinned. "Since we are going to be working with you, we will tell you. We pinched a map from Filch that tells us all the secret passages." Replied Fred.
"I just wish we knew who the Marauders were. They are Gods!" added George. You couldn't miss the smile on Bill's and Remus' face when they said this.
Remus went to stand up and said, "Well, I think this is going to work out just fine. If need be, you can address me as Moony." Fred and George looked like they were about to faint from hearing the wonderful news.
Back in Surrey-
Amelia, Susan, and Sirius settled in the study to enjoy some brandy after a delicious dinner. Amelia was very disappointed by her niece's actions while at school and told Harry that she we take care of the discretion at home later this evening. Harry tried to tell her it was in the past, but she was having none of it. "Amy," called Sirius as he was walking over to her. He shot a discrete glance at Susan and saw that she was trying to make herself busy by admiring the books being stored in there. "Amy, I just wanted to tell you that you look ravishing this evening."
Amelia snorted at this and replied, "If I didn't know any better Sirius, I would say that you are trying to get me into bed." Sirius tried turning on his charm, but saw that Amelia was turning bright red from trying very hard not to laugh out loud. He tried to give her his puppy dog pout, but this seemed to drive her over the edge. Susan was seeing her aunt in a whole new light.
After about five minutes, Amelia managed to stop laughing and was wiping the tears away from her eyes when Harry came back in. He looked at his Godfather and lifted his brow and saw his head shake from side to side and that he had a huge grin on his face. "What did I miss?" asked Harry as he was walking over to a chair.
"Don't ask." Replied Susan as she was walking over to join him. "Harry, when did you get married? And why is it so important that I claim my inheritance?"
Harry looked at the two adults in the room to see if either of them had any advice on how to approach this topic. "Hermione and I have a soul bond, but please don't tell anyone. We wanted to keep that a secret as long as possible. As for your other question, we have already established that Dumbles has this unhealthy obsession with me and wants to control every aspect of my life right?" He waited for a nod from Susan before continuing, "At the beginning of the summer Dumbles decided to pay me a visit at my relatives. He blew the house up and tried to kill me, he then tried to claim that it was death eaters that tried to attack me. We went to Gringotts a few days after. Come to find out, I not only have quite a few titles, but Dumbles and a certain weasel's mother penned a betrothal contract for me and Ginny a few days after my parents dies. Dumbles also had my parents will sealed and has been stealing from me. He is also using my money to pay Molly and Ron Weasley. If he hadn't sealed the will, we would basically have been brother and sister."
Harry paused for a moment as Amelia handed him a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits. As Harry was about to continue with his story, a large barn owl flew in and perched itself in front of Amelia and held out its leg. Wondering who would be trying to owl her at this time, she quickly took the noted and handed the owl part of a biscuit before it flew off. Everyone stared at Amelia amazed as they saw her turn several different shades of red. Sirius all but ran to her side and asked, "What is it Amy?" It took about 15 minutes for her to calm down enough so that every other word out of her mouth wasn't a curse.
"I have just received word from Kingsley. Lucius Malfoy has escaped."
a/n- Next chapter we find what Lucy is up to and we have a little love scene between Harry and Hermione ;)
Chapter 20
"Normal Speech"
Thoughts
'Mental Conversations'
"I have just received word from Kingsley. Lucius Malfoy has escaped."
Before Harry exploded he check on Hermione through his bond to make sure she was still asleep. "When did this happen? And more importantly, how did this happen?" Harry was doing his best to keep his anger under control, managing to lower temperature a few degrees.
Sirius walked up to Amelia and put a hand on her shoulder to off some support and said, "Amy, can you tell us what happened? I assume you need to be going?"
Amelia put her hand on top of Sirius' and replied, "It is still too early to know every detail. We were keeping him in a maximum security cell at the ministry. And yes, I do need to be going." She turned to her niece and said, "I'm sorry Susan, but I won't be home tonight, would you like to go to Hannah's for the evening? I could even bring you to Longbottom manor."
"Amelia, why don't I see if Susan can stay here with us?" replied Harry, still breathing deeply. He thoughtfully added, "This way you won't have to worry about her, and it would give us a chance to get to know one another."
"We don't want to impose on you. Besides, how many people are actually staying here?" asked Amelia.
Harry took a minute to try and figure out how many people actually were staying there. "I think there are about 8 of us here right now. Plus 3 house elf's." Before Amelia could say anything, Harry walked out of the room to search for Narcissa.
"Stop right there Amy, there is no point of even trying to chase after him. He may look like his father, but he is every bit his mother's son." Sirius said to stop Amelia right in her tracks.
~PAGE BREAK~
Harry started running towards the back of the house and loudly called, "Cissy?"
Just as he reached the drawing room Narcissa poked her head out and said, "I'm in here Harry." She was beginning to learn that whenever Harry came running, something had happened.
Shaking her head, she walked back over to the fire and sat back on the sofa, waiting for Harry to make his grand entrance. And grand it was. He came flying into the room so fast that that when he tried to stop in front of her and Draco, he ended up skidding across the floor and into the wall. He laid stock still for just a moment. He jumped to his feet and saw that Draco and Narcissa were trying very hard not to laugh in his face, and were about to fail. "Cissy, would it be alright if Susan joined our little group for the night?" Harry hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should tell her and Draco about Lucius. "Could you join us for a moment?"
He saw Narcissa stiffen at the last part. She quietly asked, "Is this about Lucius?"
"Please, join us in the other room." Harry quickly walked out and back towards the others. He paused only briefly to ensure that Narcissa and Draco were following him. Harry walked back into the parlor and turned to motion Narcissa to take a seat, who was coming in just behind him. Harry waited for her and Draco to get situated before asking again if it was alright if Susan stayed with them.
"I don't have a problem that, but will someone tell me what is happening?" asked Narcissa.
Amelia was glaring daggers at Harry as she crossed the room. "Susan, would you like to stay here? Or would you like for me to bring you someplace else? We may have to figure out another way to get to Gringotts tomorrow. I may not be available for the next few days." The anger showed on Amelia's face at this.
"Amy, you need to tell them what happened." Sirius said as he crossed to stand next to her.
Narcissa tried keeping her hands on her lap still, but ended clinging to her skirt. "I'm sorry Narcissa, Lucius escaped a few hours ago." Narcissa paled slightly at hearing this.
Draco stood and went to stand behind his mother to offer support and asked, "What do we tell Emma?" Narcissa stiffened even more at this. Emma was finally becoming comfortable and not jumping at every sound that was unseen.
"Tell me what?" asked Emma as she came walking into the room.
Harry jumped slightly since his back was to the door. "Emma, is Hermione alright?" he asked.
Emma walked over to Harry and placed a hand on his arm and replied, "She is fine. Luna is with her now, and I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat from the kitchens. Now, tell me what?" Emma looked around the room and her eyes stopped on Narcissa. She saw her stiffly sitting in the chair and looking very pale. Emma looked up to Draco's face and saw a hint of concern in his eyes. It was so small that if you didn't look closely, you would have missed it. "Cissa, what is going on." She asked as she went to her side.
Narcissa stood, and had Emma take her seat. "Cissy, I don't think we should address this now." Replied Sirius.
"Normally, I would agree with you Sirius, but she deserves to know." Narcissa said as she knelt in front of Emma. Taking her hands she said, "Em, I want you to know that I will protect you and that you are safe here, alright." She saw Emma's panic start to rise, and gave her hands a squeeze. "Lucius has escaped." Emma's eyes glazed over for a moment before becoming wider and wider from fear. Emma started to slide out of the very chair she was sitting in, and Narcissa took her in her arms and held her tight. "Susan, you are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as is needed. We have one rule here, please call me Narcissa, none of this Lady Black, and never Lady Malfoy. Draco, could you please show Miss Bones to one of the spare bedrooms?"
Draco wanted to stay and help his mother, but knew it would be better for her to handle this alone. "Alright mother. Bones, if you will follow me." Susan went over and gave her Aunt a kiss on the cheek and said good evening before following Draco out of the room.
Amelia was watching the scene unfold between Narcissa and Emma. Her heart went out to Emma. She walked over and crouched down so that Emma could look at her face when she said, "Emma, I will find him and he will pay for what he has done. You have my word on this." Looking to Narcissa she said "Thank you for looking after my niece. I hope it won't be gone for too long. If you have need of me, send one of your elves." As she stood, Sirius took her by the elbow to guide her out. Harry made some excuse about turning in for the night and quickly left the two alone. Narcissa rocked Emma back and forth and tried to offer her some comfort. After a few minutes, the shaking seemed to stop and Narcissa said, "Let's get you into bed Em." Narcissa tried to get her to stand, but found Emma's legs wouldn't support her fully. She quickly cast a feather weight charm on Emma and picked her up to carry her to their bedroom.
"Stay with me." Asked Emma as she was burring her face into Narcissa's neck.
"Always."
~PAGE BREAK~
Sirius walked Amelia to the Floo in the study in silence. "Amy, don't worry about Susan. She will be well care for here. I will send an owl to Gringotts in the morning. I may be able to get them to come here. I also plan on having them freeze Malfoy's vaults. I'll see if I can convince them to detain him if he decides to try and show up." Sirius waited for Amelia to look him in the eyes before adding, "I know it is a terrible way to end such a wonderful evening."
Sirius leaned in for a kiss, but was stopped when Amelia put her hand on his chest. "Sirius, we can't. I must…"
Deciding to ignore her, Sirius pulled her in and gave her a passionate kiss, a very effect way to stop her protests. He pulled back a little and said, "Promise me one thing Amelia." She straightened a little at this. Sirius very rarely used her given name. "When your day is over, come back here. Stay with me. I know that Lucius may try to come after you. I'm not saying that you can't take care of you, because I know that is a lie."
"They tell me the real reason you want me to come back here." She replied in a pleading voice.
"So that I can know that you are safe. I just got you back. I don't know what I would do if you were taken from me."
Amelia kissed Sirius again before pulling away. "I have to go. I will send word when I know more. Look after Emma Sirius, she will need all the help she can get."
Unknown cottage in Northern England-
Lucius Malfoy was living anything but a comfortable life. The recent escapee was pacing around the one room cottage, trying to come up with an appropriate plan. He had to take out his enemies. But how? That damn Mudblood was never alone. He growled at the thought of Narcissa and Draco. He should have disowned the boy long ago. He threw the glass of brandy across the room and growled, "Filthy Blood Traitors." He had to figure out a way to make them all pay. No one made Lucius Malfoy look like a fool. This time would be different, instead of going after the bitch's mother, he would go straight to the heart of the matter. He was so busy trying to put the pieces together he never heard the crack announcing an arrival. He walked took deep breaths as he walked to the door. "What do you want?" he sneered at the old man standing before him.
"Perhaps we can help each other out Lucius." Replied Dumbledore as he was walking past. "You see, we both want the same thing and I believe that if we work together, we can accomplish the task at hand."
"And what is this task you speak of?" Lucius replied.
Dumbledore gave Lucius a hard look and said, "The torture and death of one Hermione Granger."
DMLE, Amelia's office-
Amelia Bones was sitting at her desk with a large cup of coffee as the sun was beginning to rise. As she was trying to put the finishing touches on the plans for the search and recapture of Lucius Malfoy. She would have no rest until the bastard was back in custody. At least she wouldn't have to worry for her niece. Amelia knew that Susan would be well cared for. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't hear the knock on the door. Then again, Tonks never did wait for her to invite her in. "Wotcher Bonesy."
Amelia looked up as she took a sip of coffee. "Ah, morning Tonks. Come sit down." Amelia watched Remus and Bill Weasley follow close behind. It was good that they were all there.
"Any clue what happened Amelia?" asked Remus.
Amelia sighed as she put her cup down. "The preliminary investigation shows that it was an inside job. We are trying to look into the matter more, but keep coming up with dead ends." She slammed her fists on the desk in frustration. "To make matter's worse, Fudge and his damn Toad keep trying to derail all attempts at investigating this matter."
Remus went over and put his hand on her arm to try and calm her. "Amelia, what would you like us to do?" he asked. Amelia fell back into her chair and was silent as she tried to gather her thoughts. "We need to protect not only Lord and Lady Potter, but also Emma Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Narcissa Black. I received a folder from Ragnok about Fudge's dealings and will use that to my advantage. You will know that part of my plan within the next few hours. Tell, what are your upcoming plans for the Potter's protection while at school?"
"Remus will be living in Hogsmead at one of the Potter properties while myself and Tonks will remain inside the castle. We have enlisted the help of two of their class mates. Fred and George Weasley. One other thing we had discussed is also adding additional eyes and ears within each of the other houses." Bill said. He waited for all this to sink in before continuing on with, "We plan on speaking with Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor, Draco will agree with the offer from Slytherin house and that Luna will also agree from Ravenclaw house. We want to discuss your thoughts on Susan being our eyes and ears for Hufflepuff. One thing we know for certain, several teachers are also on our side. Severus will be returning, and Minerva will keep a close eye on everything for us. I just wish there was another way to keep a closer eye on Dumbledore."
Amelia stood and crossed to the fire place to think for a moment. She took a deep breath before saying, "We need to discuss all of this with the Potter's. Let me think on how we get more ears and eyes on Dumbledore. For all we know, Lady Potter may be able to come up with a solution to that problem. I'm sure Susan will agree, just let her get to know those two and all will work out."
Narcissa's home, master bedroom-
The sun was just starting to peak through the windows as Harry tiptoed back from the bathroom. He didn't get much sleep the previous night. What with Lucius on the run, Dumbledore trying to control him, and his wife still recovering, who could blame him. He laid in bed propped up on his elbow watching Hermione sleep peacefully and thought, She looks like an angel when she sleeps. I fall in love with her all over again when I see each time I lay eyes on her. Hermione slowly rolled over, and her face was covered by her unruly, bushy hair. Harry brushed the hair off her face, causing her to throw her arm around his waist. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. He pushed all the love he was feeling through the bond. He snuggled closer to her, reveling in the moment. He knew that times like this were going to be a very rare. The next few weeks were going to be incredible busy with all the training, and trying to come up with a plan to defeat not one but two Dork Lords. Harry felt the bond become clearer and clearer, making him lean in close and say, "Good morning my heart." Hermione grumbled into Harry's chest, making him chuckle. Harry held her close and tried again, "Good morning sweetheart."
"Morning." She replied. Hermione was always grumpy first thing in the morning, and Harry loved every moment of it. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked.
"Just over 18 hours. How are you feeling?" He replied while still holding her close.
She stretched before replying, "Rested and pain free. But how? How did this happen?" Before Harry could reply Luna came skipping into the room. "Luna? What are you doing here?" asked Hermione as she was trying to sit up.
"I came to check on you. I helped heal you yesterday. Don't try moving too quickly." Replied Luna as she sat on the end of the bed and stared at the two of them.
"Um Luna, could you give us a few minutes to wake up?" asked Hermione.
"This will only take a few minutes. I just want to do a quick exam." Luna jumped off the end of the bed and pulled back the covers. Hermione was too shocked to do anything. Luna started to press on her joints. "How does that feel? Your aura seems to be much better today." Hermione jumped a little when Luna got to her lower back and then again to her hips and knees. "Hmm. You are much better than yesterday, but I think you need another treatment. I'm going to get my needles. Be right back."
Harry and Hermione watched Luna skip out of the room. "What just happened?" asked Hermione as she was trying to get out of bed. "I have the feeling that I better use the bathroom before Luna gets back. Can you give me a hand Harry?"
Harry quickly got up and went over to her side of the bed. Taking her hands, he helped her slowly walked to the bathroom. "Do you remember what the goblin healer said yesterday? About how the Cruciatus curse Snape used was a modified version? Well, it turns out that it draws more power not only off your core, but also on any magic that is used on you and that included potions. Luna had a vision and came to your rescue. If she hadn't showed up when she did, you wouldn't be standing here right now."
As soon as Hermione finished in the bathroom Harry took her in his arms and passionately kissed her. When they finally pulled a part, he looked deep into those warm chocolate eyes. Before she knew it, he picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the bed while she was saying, "Harry, I can walk you know. Put me down." All he did was laugh at her. It was the first time in a long time since he truly laughed like that. Just as he got to the bed, Luna came back into the room.
With her trademark dreamy stare, she asked, "Are we ready to get started?" She walked to Hermione's side and put down her needles. Hermione's curiosity was peaked when she noticed the needles and said, "Luna, can I ask you a question?"
Luna replied, "You already did, but I'll let you ask another", causing Harry to chuckle.
Hermione shot a mock glare at Harry before asking, "How did you heal me yesterday?"
Luna was pushing the covers back and said, "Lay on you back for me please. I used your pressure points and acupuncture." Luna saw the shocked look on Hermione's face, so she went on to say, "Merlin doesn't just speak to you two. He was the one who told me how to counter the curse that was used on you."
'Remember what Merlin told us and what the prophecy said, Keep the child of the moon close.' Harry gently reminded her.
Luna set to work with helping Hermione. Just like last time, Luna started from the top of Hermione's head and slowly worked her way down. "Can you turn onto your stomach now? I need to do the same thing to your back before placing the needles." Harry helped Hermione turn over, and called for Bess. The elf gave a curtsey and Harry asked, "I know it's early, but could you please start breakfast for us. As of right now, we plan on eating in the morning room."
"How long do I need to say like this?" Hermione asked with her face pushed into the mattress.
"Just a few more minutes and then you are free to go. Now, one more thing for you to know. You are not to do magic for the next 24 hours." Luna went to pick up the book and take a seat. Just as she grabbed the book, she dropped it and stared off into space.
Harry looked over at her and a became a little concerned. "Luna? Is everything alright?" Hermione tried to turn her head to see, but was stopped when Harry shoved her face further into the mattress to stop her. 'Not funny Potter. What is going on?'
'I think Luna is having a vision. I'm going to try to push the image through the bond.' Harry pulled the image to the front of his mind and tried to push it to Hermione's mind.
Hermione gasped as the image came through, but before she could ask Harry any questions, he saw that Luna was back in this realm and asked, "What did you see Luna?"
"There are troubling times ahead. Your heart will be stolen from you for a time. If you do not let your knights help, you will lose her forever." Luna replied as she went to take her seat. "You also need to tell her what happened last night as well."
Harry and Hermione were stunned. "Tell me about what Harry?"
He started to shift nervously on the bed. "I will tell you all about it once we are done with your treatment, and not a moment sooner."
Hermione wanted to pout, but realized that it was pointless since her face was basically in the mattress. "How much longer do have I have to stay like this Luna?" she asked.
Luna didn't bother to look up from her book and replied, "Just about a minute." Luna slowly put the book down and glided over to the bed. "Stay still" she said as she slowly started to pull the needles out. It only took her about 2 minutes to take them all out. "I'm going to head down to the kitchens. Hermione, we may need to repeat this tonight." Luna's eyes glazed over for a second before she dreamily added, "Make sure you keep your temper under control."
Hermione waited for Luna to leave the room before pouncing on Harry, pinning him to the bed. As she was straddling him she said, "Now Potter, tell me exactly what the hell happened last night."
"As much as I am enjoying this position, I don't think it will work in your favor." He replied as he flipped the over so that she was now pinned with her arms above her head. "I will tell you what has happened, but you have to swear that you will actually listen to what I have to say and not blow your top. You have been letting your anger get the best of you ever since the change, and that is not like you. You are supposed to be the one that stays calm, remember? I'm supposed to charge straight ahead without looking or thinking."
Hermione struggled against Harry's hold, but was going nowhere. "Fine" she replied in a huff.
"Lucius Malfoy escaped last night from the ministry. Amelia Bones has been investigating all night, and Susan is staying with us as well."
Hermione took several deep breaths, trying to keep her anger in check. She barely had it under control when she asked through gritted teeth, "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Neville will be joining us later today. He will be training with us." Harry felt the bed start to shake. "Hermione, I told you to keep your anger in check!" he growled.
"I'm trying Harry, it's not exactly easy at the moment." She snarled back. Ever since they have gone through their growth spurt, she has been having a lot of difficulty with her anger and emotions. She wasn't sure if this was because of the growth physically or magically. Or even both for that matter. Hermione was struggling in earnest to get out of Harry's grip. "Maya!" She was trying with all her might to through him off, but was getting nowhere. "Hermione! Look at me!" he barked, pushing a little magic into his words. This did the trick, she looked directly into his eyes. There was a fire burning in his eyes right now. Harry was staring deep in to her eyes and saw them basically glowing from the anger she had pent up inside of her. He slammed his lips into her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He thought that this would have made her melt, but if anything it seemed to give her strength.
~WARNING!~
Hermione managed to pull her arms free, and was clawing to get his shirt off. He lifted slight to let her, and as she lifted herself off he bed to meet his lips again, he ripped her shirt off. He went to slam her back into the bed, but then was flipped onto his back. "Wait." He panted. Hermione lifted her brow, but then realized that they needed to silence the room. She quickly waved her hand and not only silenced everything, but also set up wards that not even the best curse breaker could get through. Harry was next to wave his hand and cast a contraceptive charm. After the glowing stopped, they slammed back into each other and rolled from one side of the bed to the other. Harry ended up being pinned underneath Hermione, who was being the more aggressive of the two. Harry tried to flip her, but she growled and nipped his neck. Harry summoned his inner strength and flipped her over and conjured ropes, trying her arms to the head board. She growled at him again, but this time in a husky voice he said, "You want to play it like that my pet?" She growled again, but was stopped as Harry twisted her nipples, causing her to whimper a little. "Who is in charge?" he asked as he was lowering his face down to her ears. "Tell me. Who is in charge?" He was slowly working his fingers between her lips, making her to buck her hips wildly to try to get more pressure. He pulled them away and she tried bucking harder to get them back. Harry bit her neck this, drawing blood this time, and said, "Who. Is. In. Charge!"
Hermione whimpered and replied in a whisper, "You are." He bit her again and growled, "Louder!
While all of this was going on, Harry was lightly touching between her legs, suckling on her neck. In a gasp she said, "You are!" He used his knees to push her legs a part and then hovered himself just above her entrance. Hermione was trying to growl again, but was beat to the punch when he slammed himself into her all the way up to the hilt. Hermione gasped and moaned all at the same time. She managed to get dissolve the ropes and throw her arms around him and drag her nails down her back, making him hiss. At first he started moving slowly, but as soon as those nails scrapped down his back he slammed into her. She moaned his name and then growled as he tried to slow. Neither of them wanted to make love right now. What they wanted, needed, was to burn through the aggression they were feeling. Hermione tried clawing at his back again, but this time when Harry slammed in, he forced their bond to open completely. She gasped as she tried to scream/moan his name. Harry grabbed her wrists and forced her arms above her head. She tried to pull her arms away, but quickly reprimanded when he bit her for a third time and pushed his dominance through the bond. He needed her to know that he was in charge. That he was the man in this relationship.
"Harry…" she moaned. He felt her climax building, matching his own.
"Not yet" he growled back. She met him every step of the way, both of them feeling each other through their bond. Hermione squeezed her eyes closed as their bodies reached closer and closer to their mark. "Open your eyes Maya." He said. She arched her back, but didn't actually hear him. "Hermione, look at me dammit!" he said forcefully. Her eyes sprang open at this command, locking on his. "Who is your master? Who is your lord and husband?" he roared, keeping eye contact.
"You are." She panted. Hermione screamed Harry's name as they both went over the edge of the cliff they were teetering on.
~End warning~
Harry was staring into Hermione's eyes panting heavily for only a moment before his arms gave out, and sent him crashing to the bed. It took several minutes before of panting heavily before either of them could speak. "Harry, what is happening to us?" asked Hermione once she was able to catch her breath. She flipped to her side and Harry said, "I don't know Maya. Ever since this mess started, our emotions have been all over the place, and I'm not talking regular teenage hormones either."
"Who can we talk to about this? What are we going to do?" she asked.
"I think our first move is to shower. Then, we talk to Luna. We may have to try and reach out to Merlin and our other mentors." Replied Harry as he tried to roll off the bed to his feet, but fell flat on his face. Hermione was giggling when Harry popped up and said he was alright. He walked over to her and held out his hand to help her get up. Hermione leaned into Harry as she stood, and together they went to get ready to face whatever the day had in store for them.
a/n 2- Ok, the sex just kind of appeared. I hadn't planned on putting that in. Right now, they are very aggressive due to the changes they are going through. Which also explains why Harry was being so dominating. Let me know what you all think! You guys rock!
Chapter 21
"Normal speech"
thoughts
'mental conversations'
Morning Room-
Harry and Hermione eventually made their way downstairs and into the morning room. Despite the early hour, Narcissa was already in there along with Luna. Hearing their footsteps, Narcissa looked up and saw the two come in with a little glow, causing her to give them a knowing smirk. She waited for the two to sit at the small table and asked without looking up from the book she was reading, "How are you feeling this morning Hermione?"
Hermione blushed a little at her smirk but replied, "I'm still a little sore, but otherwise I'm well. Luna has been truly amazing." Narcissa felt a wave of magic wash over her, and looked up with her brow lifted slightly as she focused on the two.
"Did you two get older overnight?" She asked with wide eyes that carried a certain amusing glint in them.
Harry and Hermione gave each other questioning looks, but it was Luna who said, "They did. Their cores haven't finished maturing." Luna seemed to stare off into space and tapped her finger on her lip before adding, "I would give it another day or two before you both have finished." Luna went back to reading The Quibbler as if nothing had changed.
"Luna, can we ask you a question?" asked Hermione as she was grabbing a muffin. Luna looked up, and Hermione went on to say, "Is that the reason why I have been so angry lately? Or should I ask, why our emotions have been all over the place lately?"
Luna gave her a dreamy smile and said, "Yup. You know Hermione, you're a nicer person than the wrackspurts give you credit for."
Narcissa wanted to ask what a wrackspurt was, but saw the look on the teens' faces and decided to ask those two later. "What do you two have planned for today?" She asked while taking a sip of tea.
"We were hoping to train, but I think trying to use our magic today would be a bad thing." Replied Harry. "How is Emma doing with all that has happened?" Hermione visibly stiffened at Harry's question, but seemed to relax when Harry grabbed her hand.
Narcissa's face fell a little bit, "as best as can be expected. She is resting as well as possible. As you can imagine, she had some difficulties relaxing last night. I don't expect her to leave the house anytime soon." Emma's ears must have been ringing. As she walked into the room, her eyes fell on Narcissa's and the smile that came to her face seemed to make it glow.
"Good morning everyone." Emma went over and gave her daughter a kiss on the top of her head and Harry's shoulder a squeeze before making her way over to the chair next Narcissa. She gave Narcissa a warm smile and you could tell that she wanted to lean over and give her a warm kiss good morning. Hermione and Harry saw the hesitation but didn't say anything. Bess popped a plate full of egg's, fried mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, and a separate plate of bacon and toast. Emma was about to ask for some coffee when a cup of tea materialized in front of her. Narcissa saw the frown develop and added, "Sorry darling, but you know that you can't have coffee right now. Just be happy that Bess allowed you to have a cup of tea."
"Just because I'm pregnant, does not mean I'm incapable of caring for myself." She barked back. Almost immediately she blushed and apologized, mentioning something about the damn hormones. Narcissa gave Emma a sympathetic smile. Hermione saw the entire exchange and was unsure how to feel.
'Are you ok love?' asked Harry.
'Yea. I'm just wondering what is happening there.' repliedHermione as she looked over at Harry and saw a small smirk on his face. Her face darkened a little as she squinted and said, 'What aren't you telling me?'
'You should really talk to your mum about all of this.' Harry suggested
The two were interrupted when Emma said, "Hermione, if you have something to ask, please just ask me instead of having a private conversation in front of everyone else."
Hermione blushed and dropped her head a little and replied, "Sorry mum."
"It's alright my little humming bird. Let me finish my breakfast, and then we can talk." Everyone slipped back into a comfortable silence as they all ate their breakfasts.
Draco came walking in with Susan a few minutes later. Draco went over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and wished her good morning. He pulled a chair out for Susan, and after helping her he took the seat in between her and her mother. "Good morning Mrs. Malfoy, thank you for letting me stay over." Said Susan as she was pouring a glass of pumpkin juice. Susan was about to ask what was for breakfast, but Bess popped a plate full of waffles in front of her.
"Miss Bones, I believe Harry has already told you the rules of staying with me. Call me Narcissa. If etiquette dictates formality, then please call me Lady Black."
Susan blushed a little at this, and Draco chuckled. "Of course Narcissa, and please call me Susan." She replied as she elbowed Draco in the ribs.
Narcissa and Emma looked at each other a smiled before Emma looked to Susan and said, "I'm Emma Granger, Hermione's mother. It's nice to meet another one of Hermione's class mates."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs.…" Susan was suddenly stopped with what she was saying with the look that Narcissa gave her. "I mean it is a pleasure to meet you Emma. Is your husband going to be joining us later?" Emma's shoulders dropped and her face fell as the tears began to form in her eyes. Narcissa put her arm around Emma's shoulders and pulled the chair a little closer. Susan looked around, her eyes landing on Hermione's and silently asked what happened.
"There was an accident at the beginning of the summer." Replied Hermione as Harry grabbed her hand and saw the tears in her eyes as well.
Susan's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "I am sorry for bringing it up. I had no idea." As Emma was going to wave her off and tell her it was ok, the vase of flowers that were on the table seemed to levitate and then fly across the room. The vase flew towards the wall, and just barely missed Amelia's head. Amelia watched as the vase sailed into the wall before turning to look at the group of people seated at the table. She lifted one brow and saw Emma turn a little red at the unasked question. "Sorry apparently, my magic has a mind of its own. I'm just not sure if I'm the one causing it or if it's from this little one."
Everyone saw Emma place her hand on her abdomen and Narcissa place a hand on top of hers. Harry felt Hermione's anger spark and went to stand. "Hermione, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" He not only grabbed her hand, but took her by the elbow to steer her to the terrace before she said something she would regret.
Emma wanted to run after her daughter, but was stopped by Narcissa who said, "Just give them a few minutes Em." Emma looked like her heart was breaking a little bit. Narcissa stood up and took Emma in her arms and held her close.
"What if she is against this? Against us?" Emma whispered.
Narcissa kissed her head and replied, "She won't be. You have raised an amazing young lady. I know you think that she will be against us, but that is a lie. Trust me."
During this whole exchange Amelia went over a greeted her niece and sat next to her and watched a cup of coffee appear in front of her. "Long night Auntie?" asked Susan as she watched her aunt take a deep breath in as she smelled her cup of coffee.
"Extremely. What did I miss here? Hermione looked upset when I walked in." Amelia took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes as she savored the taste. Emma excused herself after she was able to collect herself and quickly went to check on her daughter. Narcissa went back to the table and decided to fill Amelia in on everything that had happened that morning. "I believe you deserve an explanation." She said as she sat back in her chair.
"What explanation is that?" asked Amelia who was slightly confused.
"We have finally figured out why Harry and Hermione have been so on edge. Perhaps we should wait for them to return to explain it themselves." Narcissa looked up thinking that at least one of them would have already made their way back in, but saw no one was there. "I'm just going to check on everyone."
Luna chose this moment to speak up and say, "I wouldn't worry about it just yet Narcissa. They will work it out on their own. Have a little faith. If you go out there now, it could ruin everything. We all know that Harry and Hermione are not themselves at the moment."
Out on the terrace-
Harry was still pulling Hermione towards the center of the terrace when she started to blow her top. He grabbed both of her arms and held them down at her side. "Hermione, I need you to breath for a moment." Harry saw her starting to turn bright red. Harry shook her slightly and said, "Love, before you say something you will regret, I want you to find your center. Just like we were taught." Harry saw that she wanted to argue with him, but he quickly added, "We will talk after you have found your center, not before. I'll do the exercise with you."
Knowing that they would just go in circles until they found their centers, Hermione closed her eyes and started to try and relax her body and go to her happy place. After a moment, she saw that she was sitting under her favorite tree beside Black Lake back at Hogwarts. True to his word, Harry did the same thing, and found himself sitting beside Hermione. After a few minutes, Harry felt all the anger and tension leave Hermione's body. She opened her eyes and stared deep into his emerald eyes as he said, "Now, do you want to tell me what all of that was about love?"
Hermione slumped her shoulders and replied, "I don't really know. I guess I got a little upset with the way my mum and Narcissa were acting with each other. I feel like she is cheating on my father." Neither of them knew that Emma was just on the other side of the door listening to everything that was being said.
"Maya, you know that your mother loved your father deeply." He gently said.
"So what did I miss yesterday? Something happened between yesterday and today. I feel as if a chunk of my life is missing." Replied Hermione
"Luna happened yesterday." Harry never got a chance to finish what he was going to say.
Emma decided to come and speak to Hermione about what was going on. "Maya."
Both the teens turned and saw Emma walking towards them. "I'll give you two sometime alone." Hermione pulled Harry back as he turned to head back inside.
Hermione took another deep breath before asking, "What?" at the same time Emma said, "I know you have questions." Both of them stopped and smiled at each other. Emma went on to say, "Hermione, I heard what you said to Harry. I want to know that I loved your father very much." No one knew that Narcissa was listening just outside the door.
Hermione was a whirlwind of emotions. Angry at the thought that her mother was trying to replace her father, and worried that Narcissa was going to break her mother's heart. Anxious that not only her mother would get hurt, but also her baby brother. Narcissa chose that moment to walk out onto the terrace. She was very nervous with how this could go. Granted Hermione couldn't help the mood, that didn't make her feel any safer. "Is everyone alright out here?" she asked as she slowly made her way over to everyone. Emma looked over and smiled at her, causing her heart to skip a beat. Harry felt Hermione's anxiety spike a little after Narcissa spoke.
Trying to prevent a blow up he took her hand and said, 'Talk to her love. You need to tell them how you feel. I know this is scary and hard for you, but you can't run from this.'
'What if she hurts her? What if this is all some kind of lie?' she replied.
Harry smiled at her and said, 'Besides, I'm supposed to be the one with the temper remember?' Hermione snorted at this, causing her mother to pale a little from the fear that her daughter was not only going to reject her, but also the woman she cares deeply for. Hermione saw Narcissa calmly walk to Emma's side and watched silently as Narcissa put a gentle hand on her mother's arm to try and offer her comfort and support. Hermione took a deep breath and tried to tell her mum that she wasn't angry with her, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Harry started to rub circles on her back while trying to send her the strength she needed and to try to calm her. She met Harry's eyes and saw him nod. She knew he was trying to gently urge her to speak.
She looked over and saw that her mother was pale and looked terrified. Hermione shook herself and tried to gather her thoughts. "Mum, I'm not upset. I just need some time. Harry and I are still going through some changes and I don't think it would be a good idea to talk about…issues involving the heart."
Before Emma could even respond, she watched Hermione turn and walk back towards the house. As soon as Hermione was out of sight, she threw herself into Narcissa's open arms and silently let the tears run down her face. For a moment, they forgot Harry was still standing there. Harry gave a little cough to get their attention and said, "Hermione is right. Our powers and emotions are still uncontrolled, and it would be better for everyone if we talked about this in a couple of days." Harry took a step towards the two witches and placed a gentle hand on Emma's arm before adding, "She doesn't hate you for this. She just needs some time to get herself together. You already know that she loves you with all her heart. Just give her some space. For what it's worth, I'm happy for the two of you. But let me warn you now Narcissa Black, if you hurt my mother in law, I will make sure Hermione is the least of your worries."
Narcissa gulped a little at the power behind his words hit her and Emma gasped as she felt it as well. "I would never intentionally hurt her; I care too deeply for her to let anything happen to her or her family." Satisfied with his threat, Harry turned and went to join the others, leaving Narcissa and Emma alone in each others arms.
As Harry was walking back towards the morning room, he felt Hermione's anger blast through the bond as he felt the floor begin to shake. He took off at a run, and skidded across the door way to see Hermione standing on the other side of the room with her hands clenched into tight fits and her eyes squeezed shut. He heard her trying to calm herself down, but saw it wasn't working. Looking around he saw Amelia Bones trying to move back from the table, but was frozen in place. He was about to have one of the elves get Hermione out of there when he heard a Phoenix start to sing, and land on her shoulder. Eilidh was rubbing her head on Hermione's cheek as she sung and saw his wife finally start to relax. Amelia gave her leg one last tug and ended up falling backwards due to the effort. Susan and Draco were too stunned to move. Harry ran to Hermione, and placed his hands on her cheeks and forced her face up so that she could look him in the eyes. They were so absorbed with looking at each other, neither of them saw Fawkes land on Harry's shoulder or that Luna walked up to them. Harry looked around and saw everyone staring at them and asked, "What happened?"
"I don't know love. I was walking back over to the table when I saw Madame Bones. I remember closing my eyes, and trying to keep my emotions under control. That was the last thing I remember."
Still cradling her face he said, "Why don't you head back up to the bedroom with Luna. Perhaps she can help guide you through some meditations. You may be able to connect with the others and get some answers." He gave her a passionate but quick kiss and guided her over to Luna who helped lead her out of the room.
As soon as she was gone Amelia asked, "What exactly is going on here?" Harry motioned for her to take a seat and saw that everyone else was getting up to leave.
"Please, you all need to hear about this too." He waited for everyone to get comfortable and saw that Emma and Narcissa had snuck into the room. Just as Harry was about to start speaking, Sirius came stumbling into the room with Remus. Harry saw his Godfather's face light up as he eyes landed on Amelia. Seeing her stone like features, Sirius gave her a quick peck on the forehead before taking the seat next to her and fixed a cup of coffee for both of them. Harry waited impatiently for him to finish.
Harry finally got fed up with waiting and actually growled. Everyone jumped a little and Sirius just lifted a brow, causing Harry's temper to climb even further, causing the temperature to drop several degrees. Fawkes started to sing and instantly stared to sooth him. Once Harry was able to get his temper under control, the temperature in the room started to return normal. Draco started to say, "What the bloody hell…" When Narcissa smacked the back of his head, effectively shutting him up.
Everyone chuckled at the show, but Harry growled out, "If I could get everyone's attention." Harry gave everyone a stern glare as he waited for everyone to settle. "Now, I am sure you have all noticed some changes in Hermione and myself over the last few days. In fact, over the next day or so our cores will have finished reaching their maturity. That is the reason why our emotions have been all over the place lately, and also the reason we have been growing so quickly. We are essentially maturing over about a week versus years." Harry paused for a moment to make sure every word was taken in. He looked to Susan and said, "I don't think you will go through the changes Hermione and I are, but I am unsure at the moment." He went to take a sip of juice but stopped suddenly as his rings vibrated and he heard, 'She will go though some changes, but they won't be as severe.'
Sirius looked concerned and as he asked, "Is everything ok pup?"
Harry shook himself as he was brought back to reality. "Sorry, Godric and Salazar wanted a quick word. They said you would though some changes, but they won't be as severe."
Susan paled slightly at this but didn't say anything. Amelia saw this and as she took her niece's hand said, "It will be alright. If this is what you truly want, we will get through this." She watched as her niece sat a little straighter in her chair and noticed she took a deep breath before replying, "I'm going through with this. I can't put my finger on it, but I have this feeling that this is what I am supposed to do."
Susan looked directly at Harry and cocked her brow while saying, "Besides Potter, I can't let you have all the fun now can I? I already know that Dumbledore will be… trying, but you will need someone in your corner who has the ear of the head of the DMLE. And to top this all off, I will get to experience one of your adventures first hand, and I suspect that I will not only have to keep Malfoy here in line, but also help Hermione keep you in line as well."
"Oi!" exclaimed Draco as Harry gave a hearty laugh at this.
"Well, good luck with that. I should warn you that my life is far from normal, and since you will be closely associated with me, yours will never be the same."
Susan snorted at hearing this and replied, "Besides, haven't you figured it out yet? Being normal is so overrated." All the adults watched the exchange with an amused glint in their eyes. Who would have thought that these teens would be getting along so well? Draco's true self was shining though without the influence of his father. But the biggest transformation was Harry. Not only was he growing at an alarming rate, he was becoming very confident. True that no one really knew him as well as Hermione, but they could all see that being around those that not only cared for him, but truly loved him for him, not the boy who lived crap was doing wonders for him as a person.
"I hate to break up this charming banter," stated Remus, "But could I suggest we adjourn to the reading room for a more comfortable discussion. I am sure Amelia would love to get a few hours sleep before returning back to the office." Sirius and Amelia quickly refilled their cups and Emma was trying to argue with Narcissa about having another cup of tea.
"I really don't believe another cup of tea will really make that much of a difference." Replied Emma as she was walking with Narcissa towards the reading room. Harry and Remus were the last to leave the morning room. "Should I have Hermione come and meet us?" asked Harry as they were half way down the hall.
"I think that would be for the best Harry." Replied Remus. Harry quickly sent a message to Hermione asking for her and Luna to join everyone in the reading room. A few minutes after a calmer Hermione and Luna came walking in. As the girls took a few steps into the room, Luna put hand on Hermione's arm to stop her and said, "Remember to keep your temper under control. It will all work out." Hermione gave her a little nod and went to sit next to Harry.
Harry looked over and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Hermione smiled as she took Harry's hand and replied, "Much better. But honestly, I can't wait until we have finished maturing." She leaned to whisper in his ear and added, "I really do hate all this PMS. It's as if my visitor is trying to kill me and take every anyone around with us." Harry blushed a little at this and Hermione gave a beaming smile. She accomplished her main goal, making Harry uncomfortable.
During this exchange, Sirius leaned over, pulling Amelia with him to say to Remus, "Lily use to do the same thing to James." The three of them chuckled quietly to themselves as they remember their dear friends.
As soon as Harry was able to get his blush under control he asked, "Do we need to wait for Bill and Tonks to be here before we move forward?"
"I believe we can move forward without them. The three of us have been working very closely and already know what we are going to discuss today" replied Remus. "Now, let's complete the task at hand. I'm sure we all have plenty to do once we are finished here. We have been discussing our network of eyes and ears. We want to have students from all the houses for this task. It will make sure we are aware of any potential threats not only from the students, but also from Dumbledore. Besides the students, the professors will also help. If any of you have any trouble while in the castle, go to your head of house." Remus looked around to make sure all the teens were actually listening to what he was saying.
"Who did you have in mind?" asked Hermione.
Remus smiled at her question. He knew Hermione never liked to have only half the information. "Well, we have already assigned Fred and George Weasley and plan on asking Neville if he would help. If you want to bring anyone else from Gryffindor on board, we can discuss that later." Remus looked over to Luna and asked, "Will you keep us informed with Ravenclaw?" Luna gave Remus as dreamy stare and replied, "Of course. I can tell you now that quite a few will have several problems. Several people tend to view Harry as a piece of meat. Just watch out for the wrackspurts this time of year." Everyone knew at this point not to ask Luna questions about these… creatures.
"Draco, would you handle Slytherin house, and could you think of anyone else we could enlist?" asked Remus as he tried to steer the conversation back on track.
"Of course. I will put together a list of those we can trust. Although, we should meet with them before we return to Hogwarts. In fact, I would recommend having a little get together as well. It would be good for all of us to get to know one another. The other Slytherins will be worried about trusting other houses." Remus tapped his finger on his lip as he thought about what Draco said.
"I think it's a good idea, but I will need to discuss it with Tonks and Bill before we plan it." Remus looked to Susan and asked, "Will you cover Hufflepuff house and come up with others as well?"
Remus expected Susan to look to her aunt, but without skipping a beat she replied, "I'll do it and will try to have a list put together for you by the end of the day." Amelia looked over to her niece and felt overwhelmed with pride. The Bones family always did what was right and never what was easy. She was proud to see that the apple did not fall far from the tree
"I have a suggestion," said Harry, "Instead of having each student contact you directly Remus, why don't we have them bring their information to the one student who is in charge of said house, and then we can deliver it to Tonks or Bill who could send it on to you. We can even set up times for quick meetings. We could call them war councils." Hermione gave Harry's hand a big squeeze and an even bigger smile. The more time he spent he spent away from the influence of a certain potion mistress and traitor, the more his intelligence and confidence shined through.
Sirius and Remus both sat a little straighter in their chairs, both sported huge grins as both men swelled with pride hearing this. "I think that is a fantastic idea!" replied Remus, "I'll bring this up to the others, but I can almost guarantee they will be as excited as we are. Who did you want to put in charge of Gryffindor house?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and at the same time said, "Neville Longbottom." Harry smiled and went on to say, "Not that I don't trust the twins, I feel that putting Neville in this position will help his confidence."
Susan seemed to brighten at his idea since she knew the real Neville and added, "That is a brilliant idea! We just need to make sure he gets his own wand." Everyone looked at Susan as if she had three heads.
"What do you mean get Neville his own wand?" asked Amelia.
Susan paled slightly under her aunt's watchful eye and hesitantly replied, "He uses his father's wand." Seeing that this wasn't enough for her aunt she quickly finished with, "His grandmother refuses to believe that the wand is the problem and says that his father was a great wizard. The wand should work just fine for him since it also works so well for her." Susan saw her aunt turning as red as her hair, but before Amelia could blow, Susan saw Sirius put a hand on her arm and gave very small shake of his head.
Amelia took several deep breaths before saying, "I will have a discussion with Augusta later today. In fact, I will do it before bringing Neville here. Harry, would you join me when I go to Longbottom Manor? The House of Longbottom has been a long-time ally to the House of Potter, and I believe Augusta needs to be reminded of that. It would help if you would share with the Lady Regent what the Longbottom heir is really like while at school."
"That sounds like a brilliant idea. All I ask is that Susan accompany us, while everyone else stays here. Perhaps after our visit, we could head to Diagon Alley. We can visit Ollivanders and then head to Gringotts." Harry felt Hermione's annoyance about being excluded from the day's activities. He chose to ignore the glare from Hermione and went on to say, "I will also talk to Madame Longbottom about Sirius' case. From what I hear, Augusta Longbottom is a formidable foe."
Sirius snorted at this statement and added, "That is an understatement. Knowing her personally, once she catches the scent of fear it's all over." Amelia sent a swift elbow at him. Harry was amused at his Godfather's antics but felt Hermione's anger spike a little more through the bond.
'You really plan on leaving me here?' Hermione asked with a disappointing sigh.
Harry took a deep breath and replied, 'Yes. I won't put you in danger. We don't know if someone will try to attack us and if you remember what Luna said earlier, you can't use any magic for at least 24 hours.'
'Nothing is going to happen Harry. Stop being paranoid.' Hermione's anger was quickly starting to rise to a dangerous level. Everyone saw it written all over her face, but no one dared to tell them that it was rude to have a private conversation in front of them. Narcissa put an unseen hand on Emma's arm, knowing that she wanted to help her daughter.
Harry's face darkened slightly as he said, 'You will stay here Hermione. Besides the danger, you can't even keep your emotions under control. In fact, Luna even warned you before we started.'
Hermione snorted and angrily bit back, 'Smooth Potter, coming from you.'
Harry's face immediately went blank and he quickly stood. He firmly grabbed her elbow and forced her to stand as well. "If you will excuse us for a moment." He quietly said. Hermione paled very slightly, recognizing Harry's tone and realized her mistake. Hermione let Harry steer her towards the terrace. They both knew this conversation would be best in an open area where there was little to damage. They reached the end of the terrace and Harry dropped Hermione's elbow and started to pace.
Hermione went to speak but was silenced with a look from Harry. She watched Harry while he paced, knowing that he was trying to gather his thoughts. The longer she watched, the more her temper started to rise. "Harry" she called, but he ignored her. "HARRY!" she screamed, forcing his head to snap up.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "You really have no clue how dangerous this all is do you? Not only has Dumbledore tried to kill you once and then tried to kidnap you, Lucius Malfoy is also running around and wishes to hurt me by taking away the one thing closest to my heart. Now, add into the fact that you can't use magic to protect yourself. Tell me how I am supposed to feel. Let's also add in the fact that you can't seem to keep your emotions under control at the moment. You have already insulted one of our allies, which who thankfully has forgiven you and understands what is going on. I will not let that happen again."
Harry was standing directly in front of Hermione at this point. "Do you really want to bring up dangerous situations?" she replied. "Alright, first year besides the Troll, how about the Stone? Second year, facing a Basilisk with a sword, Sorting Hat and Fawkes. Third year, Dementors. Tell me, who was by your side for most of that?" Hermione was shouting at this point and since both of them were concentrating so much on each other, they never saw when everyone gathered to watch.
Harry had enough and replied in a low and menacing tone, "That is enough! You WILL stay here. I refuse to put you in any danger for the time being. I will enlist the help of the house elves if I must. This discussion..." before he finished his sentence, an unknown owl screeched and dropped a red envelope in front of Harry and Hermione.
Amelia jumped forward and screamed, "DON'T TOUCH IT!" She came running over to the teens and said, "It potentially could either be cursed or a port key." Amelia flicked her wand and lifted the envelope. She looked over to Harry to make sure it was alright for her to open it. He gave her a quick nod, and positioned himself next to Hermione. Before Amelia opened it, she did a quick check for curses. Finding none, she gave another flick and the envelope exploded, revealing Lucius' voice:
"You will pay for what you have done Mudblood. I will make you suffer more than your muggle bitch of a mother. Your half-blooded bastard won't be able to save you this time. Not only will I torture and rape you, I will rip you to shreds and send the memory along with your head back to the bastard. By the time I finish with you, I will have destroyed all that you hold dear."
Harry was holding onto Hermione when he felt his rings vibrate and hastily cast his shield just as the howler shot a blood boiling curse directly at Hermione. He wandlessly made the howler burst into flames as the curse was absorbed into the shield. As Harry finally lowered his shield, Hermione's legs started to give out. He carefully helped her fall to her knees. She clung to him, and when Harry looked up, he saw that Narcissa was holding on to Emma who looked like she was ready to be sick and pass out.
Harry waited for Hermione to stop shaking before asking that everyone to head back into the reading room. Once they were alone he said, "Maya, I will do my best to keep you safe. Once you can use magic, we will train." He waited a moment to see if Hermione was going to try and argue with him. He pulled back a little and cupped her face while looking into her eyes. "Hermione, I promise not to be overbearing and try not to act like you can't protect yourself. All I ask is that you trust me."
"I trust you darling. I never stopped." Hermione replied, "I'm sorry for losing it back there. I hate to admit it, but you were right about staying here today." Harry leaned in and gave Hermione a passionate kiss, curling her toes. He pulled back and helped Hermione to her feet and said, "Let's head back to the reading room to talk with the others. I have an idea on how we can spin this recent development to our advantage."
Harry and Hermione were walking hand and had to the reading room and stopped just before the door. "Hermione, before we go in there I want you to be prepared to seeing Narcissa supporting your mother."
Harry waited to see Hermione's reaction. Her shoulders slumped a little as she said, "I know Harry. I really am ok with them, but right now I don't really have control." Harry gave her hand a quick squeeze before pushing open the door, and realized it was a good thing he warned Hermione. They saw that Emma was all but in Narcissa's lap. When Emma looked up she saw Hermione heading towards her, and she jumped up to take her daughter into a strong embrace and started crying all over again. Hermione held her mother for a few minutes before steering her back towards Narcissa. She tried to get Emma to sit, but found she was unable to get her to let go and Hermione looked over to Narcissa and silently pleaded for a hand.
Narcissa was trying to unlatch one of Emma's arms and said, "Emma darling, Hermione needs to breath." As Narcissa managed to get one arm free, Emma threw her other one around Narcissa, who was about to call for a calming draught when one instantly appeared.
Once Narcissa managed to get Emma settled, Harry said, "Right, I have an idea. With proof that Hermione is in danger, are we able to now have our own security team present while at Hogwarts from the start of term?" No one expected Harry to respond like this.
"I think that may be possible." Replied Amelia after she finished another pepper up potion.
"But what of Dumbledore? He will try to say that Hogwarts is perfectly safe" replied Sirius. Harry and Hermione looked at each other before they both started laughing.
"He can try to argue that all he likes. Let me give you a quick breakdown of the last three years. Year one, I battled a fully-grown Mountain Troll on Halloween, followed by protecting the Philosopher Stone from dork lord who possessed a professor. Year two, battled a Basilisk with only the Sword of Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat and Fawkes, Oh and also another form of the Moldy Shorts. Year three, one word. Dementors."
Hermione picked up with, "We can provide the memories if necessary and he can try to argue all he likes, but he won't win. We have proof that ever since Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, life has become very dangerous. Now, how do we go around the old goat?"
"Well that is simple, the Board of Governors." Replied Amelia with almost a feral grin. "I take it we are keeping your ownership under wraps?"
"Yes. We hope we can keep it quiet till the start of the tournament." Replied Harry and saw the questioning glance from the other teens. "I'll tell you guys later about it". Harry turned back to Amelia and said, "Isn't Augusta Longbottom on the board as well?"
"She is and we can speak to her later about it." Amelia replied as she went to stand. "Now, since I won't be getting any sleep any time soon, let me go up for a quick shower and change. I'll even send a quick note to Augusta to let her know that we are going to come by. Harry, change into your best robes since we will be discussing house business."
Sirius went to follow Amelia out of the room but was called back by Harry. Sirius met him half way and saw that Harry called Remus over as well. "What is it cub?" asked Remus as he got to the little group.
Harry cast a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Emma was far enough away and said, "Should we worry about Lucius coming here? That howler found us, what's to say he won't either?"
"I don't think he can, but I'll make sure Narcissa brings all the wards up to full power, and will make sure you are all keyed in 100%." Replied Sirius. Seeing the concern in Harry's eyes he added, "We will keep her safe pup. Besides myself, Remus and Narcissa, we have the house elves and your Phoenix's as well." Harry let some of the tension in his shoulders go after hearing this.
Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder to offer his support He knew this was all stating to weigh heavily on his nephew. "It will all work out cub. I'll send a message for Tonks to come as well. If things head south, we will get everyone out. We can head to Andy's house if that is the case."
Harry thought on this for a moment and then said, "No. Lucius may look there. What about that small cottage we first went to? That could be a staging area until I can fix the wards at Potter Manor."
"Sounds like a solid plan pup!" replied Sirius. The three of them were very happy with the contingency plan. Harry saw Hermione walking over and quietly added, "Hermione is not to do magic." Just as she got to the trio, Harry turned and kissed her on the cheek and said, "Hello love."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and said, "What are you three up too?"
Harry slammed his hand over his heart and said, "Your words wound me milady."
Hermione playfully smacked his arm and replied, "Oh no you don't. I know you three are up to something and I want to know what is going on". At this point Hermione had her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.
Harry said, "I need to go and get changed" as he reached for Hermione's hand. She turned her smirk into a smile and took it, knowing that he would explain as he got changed. And if he didn't, he knew that there would be hell to pay.
A/N 2: Sorry for the long wait everyone. Life has been incredible crazy. I hope you all enjoyed the latest installment. The next two chapters are already written, I just have to edit them and then send them over to The Ghostly Minion. I won't tell in what is to come, but all I can say is that you should love it!Please review! It helps brighten my day during the dark times.