Chapter 1181 - Ch: 11-12

Chapter 11 - Night Terrors

An invisible Albus arrived at the scene, not sure what to expect. That there were no curses currently flying through the air was a bonus, as was everything being bathed in artificial light. The multiple floodlights attached to the Grangers' home were turning night into day, though that piercing noise would leave Albus needing a headache potion if he remained here for any length of time.

A quick search revealed no current threats, yet the wards did register that they had very recently been attacked by magic. The levels of noise and light were then added to by a rapidly approaching vehicle. Albus carefully watched as a couple of uniformed muggles left the vehicle and proceeded to search around the property. With his wards preventing the spells cast doing any damage to the building, there really wasn't anything for the investigating muggles to find.

After recognising that fact, one of the muggles spoke into a device that squawked back at him. It was mere moments later however that the spotlights went out, and silence once more returned to the night. The flashing lights on their vehicle were also extinguished and the pair eventually left at a pace greatly reduced from the one they'd arrived at.

Not being able to raise anyone in the house, and seeing no signs of forced entry, they obviously reached the conclusion that no one was home - and the house's defences had scared whoever was attempting entry away.

Albus thought at least part of that was true. Whoever attacked the Grangers' house would have gotten an almighty shock to discover it was warded. If that attack also triggered the muggle defences, then shock wouldn't really be a strong enough word to describe the wizards who were doing the attacking's reactions.

What really intrigued the headmaster though was the whereabouts of the Grangers. Yes they could simply be spending the night elsewhere but Albus didn't think so. He certainly believed Miss Granger was capable of providing her parents with a means of emergency escape yet Albus couldn't see how she would get her parents to accept something like that - unless Harry and Hermione had gone down the route of full disclosure?

The fact Miss Granger's parents were missing the afternoon he'd erected the wards at her home hadn't troubled Albus at the time. Now it was beginning to appear that their absence might have been deliberate. If so, it was almost certainly to stop him gleaming any information he shouldn't have from them. If she did indeed provide her parents with a means for an emergency escape, Miss Granger was sure to be monitoring that system.

He would need to head back to Hogwarts and see if he was correct. If Albus was, the young couple might already be looking for him.

-oOoOo-

Harry and Hermione needed to get out of the castle that was locked for the night. They were under Harry's invisibility cloak as Hermione practically dragged him to the statue of the one eyed witch. Speaking the password saw both of them descend into the tunnel and hurry along it. With wands lit, they soon spotted Dobby waiting on them at what they assumed was the edge of the Hogwarts wards. They had no sooner reached him when Dobby popped the couple away.

Emma was sitting wringing her hands with worry. Dan however was far too wound-up to sit. He was stalking up and down behind Emma, the broken wooden chair leg in his hand at least making him feel slightly less defenceless. That improvised weapon was raised and ready for action at the pop he heard, only for it to be instantly lowered the second he recognised it was their daughter calling for them. Emma's answering shout had Hermione bursting into the room and both his girls were soon wrapped up in each other. Harry followed on behind, his wand still held ready. He noticed the chair leg in Dan's hand and nodded his approval before asking the obvious question.

"You both alright?"

"Yes. Our house alarm went off, waking both of us instantly. We never saw or even heard if we were under attack. Dobby was in our bedroom seconds later and brought us here. Just where is here?"

After confirming her mother was fine, Hermione was now hugging her father. Harry found himself being enveloped in Emma's arms as Hermione then answered her father's geographical enquiry.

"You're in Hogsmeade, Dad. We're on the outskirts of the village actually. This is the Shrieking Shack. It's supposedly haunted so no one ever comes here."

At that, Dobby popped back with some clothes for Dan and Emma. Pyjamas and a nightdress weren't really suitable attire for what they would need to do next. Dobby also had some news.

"The house is undamaged. There were muggles checking it and Dobby was sure he felt Dumbledore pop away."

Hermione and Harry moved outside the room to allow them their privacy to change, continuing their conversation through the door as they did.

"What happens now?"

"We need to go and see Dumbledore, Dad, and also cover how you got here. We want to keep Dobby's presence a secret so need to invent a cover story."

Harry and Hermione had simply pulled robes over their sleepwear but Dobby had even thought to add jackets to the clothes he had collected from home for her parents. As the elf popped in again with heavy cloaks from their Gryffindor rooms, Hermione now had time to hug their little friend in thanks.

A blushing Dobby brushed that thanks off. "Dobby was being a good house elf and protecting his family..."

"Dobby, you are the best elf in the world. We simply can't thank you enough."

Harry saying that made the little guy's night, he popped away very happy. When joined by a now dressed set of parents, Hermione led them into a different tunnel. With wand lit, she took her father by the hand while Harry did the same with Emma behind them. Pressing the knot on the Whomping Willow stilled its branches and allowed the four safe passage. With Hogwarts in darkness and it being a cloudy night, their view was limited to that provided by the light from the two wands.

Hermione had coached her parents not to let go of their hands, otherwise the wards would have them wanting to leave. In that manner the four headed off to get some help.

Emma held Harry's other hand tightly as he banged on the door of the strange round house. The loud barking coming from inside was soon drowned out by a voice she could only describe as booming.

"Who the bleedin' 'ell is knockin' on me door at this time o' night. Yeh better 'ave a bloody good reason"

"Hagrid, it's Harry. We need your help."

'Arry? What are yeh doin' oot o' bed, never mind oot the castle. Do yeh know what time it is?"

As the scrape of the heavy door's bolts being drawn back sent shivers up Emma's spine, Hermione spoke from behind her."

"We know what time it is, Hagrid. We've got an emergency here."

"'Ermione? Yeh're oot o' bed too? I should've known. Yeh never get one o' yeh without the other. Oh, who's this?"

The door opened to reveal a hairy giant of a man who had to stoop not to hit his head off his own doorway lintel. Emma could see every detail of his features due to the massive lantern he held in his hand. Those black eyes focused on her standing beside Harry and only the fact the man was smiling stopped Emma panicking. She did squeeze Harry's hand a touch harder though.

"These are Hermione's parents. Their house was attacked by death eaters tonight. Only Dumbledore's protections on the house got them out of there safely." Using Dumbledore's name with Hagrid invoked its own kind of magic. Their large friend immediately assumed everything was fine. It simply couldn't be otherwise with Albus Dumbledore involved.

"Attacked by death eaters yeh say. Well, we'd better get yeh right up to see Dumbledore then. Great man, Dumbledore. 'E'll soon sort everythin' oot."

Grabbing a hairy cloak and pulling his boots on, Hagrid and Fang were soon accompanying the party to the castle. Hagrid of course had the keys needed to gain entry, which is why they had gone to him in the first place.

Once inside the castle, it wasn't strictly necessary for Dan and Emma to continue holding Hermione and Harry's hands. Everything was so strange though that neither relinquished that grip on their only link to normality.

They found the passageway to the Headmaster's Office already open, and Dumbledore sitting waiting on them - convincing Hagrid even more that his idol was a great man.

"Ah, come in. I certainly expected to see two of you tonight. All four is indeed a pleasant surprise. You'll be pleased to know the wards I placed around your home worked perfectly. There is no damage but the attackers had fled before I got there. Hagrid, thank you so much for bringing them here." While Albus was talking, his wand was busy conjuring chairs for the four guests - followed by a small table that soon contained tea and biscuits. Hagrid wished them well before heading off home, and back to his bed.

Emma really needed a cup of tea, though it was a bit disconcerting having all those moving portraits watching her drink it. When one of them spoke out, she nearly spilled her tea.

"Muggles in the Headmaster's Office? You go too far, Albus."

This almost started a fight up on the walls as portraits took sides on that argument, an argument that Albus soon put a stop to.

"Silence. How dare you disrespect my guests, Phineas Black. As parents of one of this school's top students, Mister and Mrs Granger have every right to be here. I won't hear another word on the matter." Albus' glare ended any and all complaints.

"Miss Granger, I'm impressed and intrigued that you actually got your parents here. Would you care to tell me how you managed it?"

"I made them an emergency portkey, Headmaster. It took them to the Shrieking Shack. It also alerted me when triggered so Harry and I headed there at once. Getting out of the castle is a lot easier than gaining entry, especially when having my parents along too. So we headed from the Whomping Willow exit straight to Hagrid's hut."

"Can I assume your parents understand how a first year magical student is able to do all of these things?"

"Yes Headmaster, and I would ask that you respect their privacy on the matter. We're all on the same team here and my parents have been very supportive…"

Albus interrupted the young girl. "Miss Granger, you have my word. Since your parents are already at Hogwarts, and welcome to stay, I would like to extend an invitation for them to join us tomorrow for the quidditch match. We'll have lots of visitors so they won't stand out. I'm sure they would like the opportunity to watch Harry play."

"Thank you, sir - for all of that. I'm sure my father will enjoy watching quidditch. My mother will probably be a bit more like me - terrified that Harry will get hurt."

"We can have guest quarters prepared tomorrow but I wonder if I could impose on your hospitality…"

"That would be brilliant, Sir. They can stay in our room for what's left of tonight. We can sort out tomorrow - make that later today - what happens next."

Dan had been overawed by the whole experience tonight. Once he was sure his family were indeed safe, the fact that Dobby had just transported them to the Scottish Highlands in a matter of seconds blew his mind. Events, if anything, had just gotten stranger after that. He felt there was something he could contribute to the situation here though.

"Headmaster, I would like to offer my thanks for placing those wards around our home. They really saved us tonight. The attack also triggered our own alarm system, which includes surveillance cameras. Those cameras would have sent pictures to the alarm company's regional control centre. We should hopefully have images of whoever attacked our house tonight."

"Oh dear, that might just complicate matters..."

"Excuse me, Sir. What do you mean by complicate matters? We're all pretty sure that Malfoy was behind this attack on the Grangers' home, though Emma and Dan wisely didn't hang around long enough to make certain. This might be our proof, and our one chance to make something stick to Malfoy."

"I'm sorry, Harry, but those photographs would never be admissible as proof in a magical courtroom." Albus held his hand up as quite a few of his guests appeared ready to explode at hearing that. "Bearing in mind I know practically nothing about muggle photography, please answer this question honestly. How difficult would it be to fake pictures of Lucius Malfoy being at the Grangers tonight?"

This immediately deflated Harry's ire. Although not yet the phenomenon it would later become, he knew Photoshop and other similar computer programs were already out there. "With the right equipment, ridiculously easy. If Dan get's proof though, that will be good enough for me. Malfoy doesn't seem to care if he breaks the law or not. Those who live by the sword..."

Albus really didn't have an answer to that, more just a request. "Harry, please don't do anything rash."

"Sir, I've got Hermione to stop me doing anything like that."

Albus glanced toward the girl, saw the barely contained rage that there had been an attempt to attack her parents, and wasn't convinced she would be able - or even willing - to contain or curtail her intended's response.

"That doesn't get around the fact that these pictures could be considered a breach of the Statute of Secrecy Act."

It was left to Dan to reassure the headmaster. "The police will have checked our property and found no damage or any signs of forced entry. If these pictures show people in funny costumes trying to gain access, it will be put down as some kind of prank. With no damage, there will be no insurance claim so practically no investigation will take place. The alarm company will send me the photographs as a matter of course, since the alarm was triggered, but the entire incident will then be quickly dropped and forgotten."

Albus was satisfied with that, but certainly intended to inform Amelia and Cornelius about the attack too.

-oOoOo-

Neville awoke to a strange sight - Harry was sleeping in his own bed. The knocking then reminded Neville just what had woken him in the first place. He staggered through to their living room, opening the door to find Professor McGonagall standing there.

"Good morning, Mister Longbottom. The Headmaster informed me you all had some excitement last night."

Neville's puzzled look disappeared the instant he heard the strange voice coming from behind him. He almost jumped out of his pyjamas in fright.

"Good morning Professor McGonagall. It's nice to meet you again."

"I wish the circumstances were better, Mister Granger. Is your wife sharing your daughter's room?"

"Yes. Me on the couch seemed to be the easiest option. I have to say, it was very comfortable.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Harry was now up too. "Morning Professor. I expected Ollie to be banging on our door at first light."

"I did indeed intercept Mister Wood on my way up here. When I told him why I needed to speak with you, he was then worried that you wouldn't be able to play today. You seem to me to all be handling this experience exceedingly well."

It was Dan who quickly answered that. "We had plans in place to deal with something like last night. Emma and I were out of there within seconds of the attack beginning. My family are fine and Professor Dumbledore's work saved our home from being damaged too. Things really couldn't have gone much better for us and we're all very grateful for that. We will hopefully sit down later as a family to discuss exactly what we do next. Our home being attacked certainly changes things."

Harry introduced Neville to Dan, before reassuring their friend he would be included in any plans that saw them moving away from Hogwarts. He also explained why that might happen now, Hermione's house being attacked by suspected death eaters. Harry also assured his head of house he would be ready to play. "It was a rough night, Professor, nothing more. While not ideal preparation for a big match, I'll be fine."

"A rough night? That's an apt description." Hermione then noticed Harry did indeed look rough, she went over and hugged him. His needy response had her own alarm bells ringing.

"After getting back to sleep I had a bad dream - what are the odds on that? I'd just nodded off again when it was time to get up."

Understanding at once what he meant by a bad dream, Hermione couldn't wait to get him alone and discover what the unlocked memory was.

Emma was introduced to Neville too, before McGonagall pushed on with today's arrangements. "I'll have a house elf drop off a couple of robes for you both, then please join us in the Great Hall for breakfast. After that, while Harry heads off with the rest of the team, there should be time enough to get you set up in guest quarters before the match."

While Dan didn't want to put the school to any trouble, he was quite willing to stay here for another night, McGonagall had to say no to that idea.

"These are the children's dorms. While I will have no problem justifying you staying here under last night's circumstances, I really can't do so for another. We're currently arranging guest quarters close to Gryffindor House. With those conditions, and considering it's Saturday, I'll even extend these two's curfew by an hour - providing they're both with you."

After thanking the professor, they all headed off to get ready for their day. Harry was just pulling on his quidditch team jersey when Dan stuck his head in the room and asked if he could use the shower facilities. Pointing him in the right direction, he and Neville then went into their living area. Seeing that Harry would need to wait not only on Hermione and Emma but Dan too, Neville decided he would head down to breakfast first. He didn't want to intrude on the family at a time like this.

Harry was sitting on an armchair when Hermione entered, immediately settling herself on his lap. "What did you remember this time?"

"I don't think it's a huge surprise that Malfoy made an appearance, just as we're both sure he was behind last night. I was in Dumbledore's office and Malfoy strode in as if he owned the place, kicking a beleaguered Dobby in the process. All of us in that office knew Malfoy was behind setting the basilisk on the school but he just challenged us to prove it. Again he walked away with nothing done about it. He's not getting away with it this time."

"Harry, we need to be careful..."

"Hermione, when I tricked him into freeing Dobby, the bastard pulled his wand on a twelve year old kid. Only Dobby knocking him on his arse saved me from getting cursed with who knows what."

Emma was listening in too, as was someone else. A beaming Dobby popped right beside the couple. "Harry remembers freeing Dobby?"

Harry's arm came from around Hermione and his hand rested on Dobby's shoulder. "Best thing ever I did, Dobby. That man is a sadistic arsehole who thinks he's above the law, probably because his position and money have let him get away with just about anything for his entire life. With your help, we can show him that his actions will have consequences. It might be the only way we can stay in Britain..."

A dressed Dan entered still towelling his hair. "What have you got in mind, Harry?"

"If we get photographic proof Malfoy was involved, I intend to send him a message of exactly what will happen if he goes after anyone connected to me again. He needs to know I can and will do whatever is necessary to protect those closest to me."

When Dan heard details of Harry's plans, he was grinning like a loon. It was a ploy straight out of his favourite movie. These people behaved like gangsters, it was time to use tactics they would not only understand - but ignore the warning at their peril.

Harry had both arms back around Hermione as he told everyone the rest of what he'd remembered. "My dream finished with a newly unpetrified Hermione Granger racing into the Great Hall and almost hugging the life out of me - in front of the entire school too. At least I hugged you right back, still without realising just what I felt for you."

"You do now, Harry. What more could I ask for?"

Dan's quip of 'Breakfast?' soon had all of them heading out the door.

-oOoOo-

Draco was also grinning like a loon. His father intended to strike back against Potter last night, and in doing so also ruin any chance of him being able to play in the quidditch match today. Seeing the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team enter without Potter had started him smiling. Longbottom entering and still no sign of Potter just widened that grin. The rumour sweeping through the great hall was that the mudblood's parents had been attacked by wizards last night, a rumour that was being believed - especially by Draco.

That good mood crashed and burned as Potter entered the Great Hall. Not only was he in his quidditch uniform, the two adults with him could only be the mudblood's parents. How was this possible? No one had ever stood up to his father before - and lived to tell the tale.

Harry had quickly settled Ollie's nerves by assuring his captain he was fit and ready to play. As he'd predicted, the game against Ravenclaw had become something much more than a simple school quidditch match. There would be government officials, press representatives and even other concerned parents in the stands today - all here to see if their revered hero - the boy-who-lived - was indeed a coward.

While Harry didn't really give a shit about that, there was now even more at stake here. All four of them recognised the timing of last night's attack was no coincidence. Malfoy thought today's game was important enough of an event to wreck his chances of playing so Harry was going to rub salt into the open wound that was last night's failure. Then he was going to defang Lucius Malfoy for good.

-oOoOo-

The Hogwarts quidditch stands were full to capacity, something that was evident by the noise being generated. Harry spotted Dumbledore, sitting in one of the stands with the Minister of Magic and Head of the D.M.L.E. That at least meant there wouldn't be an attack coming from the possessed Quirrell. Seeing Hagrid beside Hermione and her parents removed any worry from that direction too. No one would mess with the trio of Grangers with their large friend in attendance, something Harry thought Dumbledore was more than shrewd enough to arrange. This left him free to concentrate on the match.

The game started with friendly handshakes all around, then it was down to business. Harry was flying around like he did in the last game, causing disruption wherever he could - though careful not to cross over the line that would have given away a foul.

Gryffindor were thirty points up when the crowd got their first glimpse that things were different. Katie appeared to drop the quaffle but Harry was right below her and plucked it out the air. He bolted toward the Ravenclaw hoops, leaving the rest of the opposition not sure what to do. The keeper was doing his best to cover the top hoop as Harry drew his arm back to shoot there, only for his empty hand to come forward. The quaffle had been flipped over his shoulder, the waiting Katie then firing it through the bottom left hoop to much cheering - and whining from the Ravenclaw team.

Lee's voice boomed out announcing the goal. He also brought to everyone's attention that the rules allowed a seeker to carry the quaffle - but not score with it.

With Harry being the lightest player on the fastest broom, none of the Ravenclaw chasers could get near him when he had the quaffle. Knowing he couldn't score, the keeper was ignoring Harry in favour of watching who was available for the pass. The quaffle bouncing off his back and then tumbling through the lower right hoop had the Gryffindors in the crowd cheering like mad.

Dan was sitting beside Hagrid and Neville, all three of them were right into the game. Emma had both hands over her eyes and occasionally peeking through her fingers.

"Hermione, how can you possibly watch this?"

Putting her arm around her mother allowed Hermione to have her mouth close to Emma's ear. She was then able to speak without fear of being overheard. "I watched Harry fly against a dragon. Compared to that, quidditch is tame."

Shuddering at the mere thought of witnessing that, Emma glanced toward her husband. Dan was punching the air and screaming his approval as Gryffindor scored another goal. There was then a massive intaking of breath as Harry's broom seemed to fall out the sky. The other seeker though was right on his broom's bristles so Emma though it must be a dive. She wanted to scream as the ground rushed up to meet Harry at a ridiculously fast pace but no sound was coming out of her wide open mouth. Harry pulled up not a second too soon and whizzed safely away, the other seeker wasn't as skilful and ploughed into the pitch.

Harry flew past and high fived Hermione as she leaned over the barrier, just as the Ravenclaw captain called a time-out. Dan's eyes were sparkling with excitement as he spoke to the girls in his life. "I've never seen anything like this - it's fantastic!"

Using his years of experience from watching his beloved football, Dan offered an analogy of what he thought was happening up in the air. "It's like playing three midfielders against four. The three are being totally overrun, and Harry just took out the only player capable of evening that part of the game out. The skill and tactics on show out there today are simply fantastic. Those three Gryffindor girls appear able to read each other's minds, and Harry is clearly the best and quickest flier out there. With the twins batting those cannonballs with the precision of a snooker pro too, It's easy to see why the other team is getting swamped."

If a muggle at his first match could see what was happening, the Ravenclaw captain certainly had no trouble discerning what the problem was. That didn't mean he knew how to fix it though. All their plays and preparations assumed they would be facing three chasers, not four. With no answers he was left trying to encouraged his dazed and bruised seeker to hurry up and catch the snitch - before it was too late.

A smiling Cornelius was also enjoying himself. No matter the score today, Harry Potter had answered the accusations publicly aimed in his direction in The Prophet by Lucius Malfoy. There was also the fact that he had given Dumbledore permission to erect those wards on the Grangers' home, something he would be sure to work into the conversation he intended to have with Harry later. Amelia would also have the attack investigated, though none of them expected that to turn up much evidence. If Harry Potter chose to leave Hogwarts and Britain, things like that may be the only reasons Cornelius held onto his job.

As their score climbed, it seemed to supply even more energy to the Gryffindor attack. When they surged one hundred and sixty points ahead, their supporters went absolutely nuts. It also had the effect of totally demoralising the Ravenclaw team, it was almost a relief for them when Harry eventually caught the snitch.

The Gryffindor supporters were ecstatic, as was the team. Harry shot up to Hermione and presented her with the snitch, receiving a kiss from his intended before Emma almost smothered him in a hug of relief.

Due to the massive interest in this match, and doubt placed over their quidditch playing children's safety by the Prophet article, Dumbledore had invited the families of those playing today along to watch the game. With her twin brothers wearing the red and gold of Gryffindor, Ginny Weasley sat beside her father as she got to see her first Hogwarts quidditch match.

Although there had been two Weasleys up in the air, Ginny was sure she wasn't the only person in the stadium who couldn't take her eyes off Harry Potter. It was no hardship however, he was easily the star player up there. She could have done without seeing him kiss his intended, and that didn't look like anything other than a kiss between a very serious couple.

The girl's mother then hugging Harry was also entirely genuine. Ginny came from a family whose mother practiced the exact same behaviour, she certainly could recognise a genuine hug when she saw one. It didn't look however as if Molly Weasley would ever be hugging Harry Potter like that. Between them, the two Granger ladies seemed to have those positions all sewn up. That Harry appeared very happy about that fact really drove home to Ginny her childhood dreams would never be anything more than just that.

-oOoOo-

Albus had set an unused classroom aside and the Hogwarts elves soon had it transformed into a suitable location where the players could mingle with their parents. This would be done while enjoying a light buffet and some refreshments - thus also providing Cornelius with an opportunity to meet the players too.

Hermione and her parents were of course invited. The girl with memories of the future also knew there was no way a certain Arthur Weasley could be in a room with two muggles and not approach them. He didn't even wait for Harry to arrive before introducing himself, and his daughter of course.

This was how Hermione found herself chatting to Ginny Weasley. "Are you the little sister who wrote to Harry?"

Her blush was of epic proportions and Ginny could only nod in agreement, her voice somewhat deserting the bashful little redhead.

"That's great. Harry and I have met four Weasleys so far at Hogwarts, and two of them are our friends." Hermione didn't need to name names. Ginny knew exactly which of her brothers she was speaking of. Arthur meanwhile was far too busy concentrating on interrogating Hermione's mother and father to care what the two girls were talking about.

The teams arriving disrupted all conversations and Harry was soon standing with his arm around Hermione's waist as she introduced him to Ginny. That went about as well as could be expected, with Ginny at least managing to say 'hi'. Her twin brothers then recommended Hermione save her parents from their father, Arthur's fascination with muggles being a long running joke in the Weasley family.

Dan and Emma's relief at being rescued was short lived. After escaping Arthur's inane questions - 'what is the purpose of a rubber duck?' - they then found themselves in the company of the Minister of Magic. Harry handled the introductions and Cornelius was happy to shake a couple of muggles by the hand. He was actually prepared to do a lot more than that to keep Harry Potter in Britain.

"I was really sorry to hear of your home being attacked, though delighted signing that warding permission played a small part in what became a fortuitous outcome. Madam Bones will have her aurors checking today to see if they can determine any information from the attack. I have to be honest here and say she's not too hopeful it will. What they will also do though is add an auror alarm ward to your existing protection. This will see those wards monitored from within the ministry. Should this ever be attempted again, the attackers will find a squad of aurors appearing when that ward is triggered."

Hermione thanked the Minister profusely, both for his initial permission and the follow on alarm wards. She recognised why he was doing this but keeping her parents safe was their number one priority here. Anything that helped with that aim was okay in her book.

The Minister then gushed all over Harry about the game he'd played today. While the praise was deserved, it didn't make Harry's blush any less noticeable.

Emma and Dan were also seeing the 'children' in what they now considered their natural environment, a magical one. While being introduced to that culture's Prime Minister was a bit of a shock, seeing their daughter not only being accepted but have friends was somewhat of a dream come true for her once worried parents.

Visiting Hogwarts and seeing where and how they lived, meeting Neville and some of their other friends too, all this was helping Emma and Dan reach the decision they wouldn't have believed possible last night. They had Dobby watching over them in Crawley and now the Ministry would also respond along with Dumbledore should this attack ever be repeated. They also knew what Harry had planned as retribution against Malfoy, should the security cameras pictures place him at the house.

They would leave Harry and Hermione at Hogwarts, at least until their already planned conversations on the matter over the summer. Seeing how close they were to Neville, they would also ask Harry and Hermione if they wanted to invite their friend to Crawley over the summer. They would stay in the castle tonight in the lovely guest quarters provided and return to Crawley tomorrow.

Due to the methods of transportation available to them, they would be able to have lunch with Harry and Hermione yet still be home in time for dinner. That was one thing both non magicals thought they could easily get used to.

-oOoOo-

That there had been a press presence at the school quidditch match saw Harry Potter once more feature heavily in The Prophet. Albus had allowed team photographs to be taken before the match, though barred all press from the families gathering after the game, and it was the Gryffindor team picture that hit the headlines. While their teamwork, inventive use of strategy and plays were rightly praised, the paper couldn't help but single out the performance of their seeker, Harry Potter. Harry's control on his Nimbus Two Thousand had rather graphically and comprehensively rubbished any claims his flying was a danger to the other players. The same report also praised Hogwarts for recognising the young wizard had prodigious talent on a broom, relaxing their own rules to accommodate and help develop that tremendous potential. It was also widely reported that professional quidditch teams the length and breadth of the country were already showing interest in Harry Potter's abilities.

All this positive attention on Potter had really ruined Lucius' week. Instead of his usual glass of exquisite port before bed, the amount consumed by the seething head of the Malfoy family had steadily climbed each and every night. So much so that it was a rather slow and disjointed hand that blindly reached for his wand on the nightstand in response to his wife's horrified screams.

Using his wand to dramatically increase the illumination in their bedroom, Lucius was first puzzled at how the hand holding his wand had blood dripping from it. Turning to his still screaming wife, he couldn't miss that she was standing out of their bed and liberally splattered with fresh blood too. Cissy's eyes were almost bulging out of her head as she stared back into the bed, her screams if anything becoming more frantic and distraught.

It was then the alcohol evaporated out of Lucius' system as he noticed who was still in the bed with him. Lucius was staring into the lifeless eyes of his son. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was staring into the lifeless eyes of his son's detached head. The rest of Draco's body was missing, the head appearing to have been brutally ripped off, and thus accounting for why he and Cissy were covered in their son's sticky red blood.

It took a moment for Lucius to realise he was screaming too, that was before what was now pinned to the headboard caught his eye. He didn't know how this item was taken, or even how it got into its present position. There wasn't a single shred of ambiguity concerning what this item was however. Standing in his death eater regalia, a clearly identifiable Lucius Malfoy was pictured attacking Potter's mudblood's home.

Written across the bottom of the large photograph in blood, probably Draco's, was just one word.

RETRIBUTION.

His wife's grief was turning to anger as it began to dawn on her who was responsible for this chilling catastrophe. "You stupid, arrogant bastard. You just couldn't let it go. Now our son has been murdered…"

Narcissa was then left trying to believe her eyes. Her son's beautiful features were slowly transforming into something horrible - though with its own special sense of beauty. Where once had lain Draco's detached head, his bloody yet still aristocratic features easily identifiable, there was now forming a pile of offal. This led to the beautiful hope that her son may indeed be still alive and well. The flames of that hope were fanned further still by the message on the picture changing too. Blood was now running over Lucius' image in the picture as this message was far longer, though still managed to get its point across with horrifying clarity and simplicity.

NO MORE WARNINGS

MOVE AGAINST MY FAMILY

DRACO DIES

THEN NARCISSA

FINALLY YOU

NO MORE MALFOYS

As Lucius eventually stumbled out of the bloody bed, and away from the blood-soaked offal, his relief at Draco apparently still being alive was soon replaced by his incandescent fury at who was obviously responsible for this warning.

"This is Potter's doing! I'm going to…"

Lucius never got to say what he intended to do to a certain Harry Potter. The curse that left his wife's wand passed close enough to his head for Lucius to feel the power it contained. Her power abated not an iota as it transferred to her voice while a raging Cissy screamed at him.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR TINY FUCKING MIND?"

With a Herculean effort, she managed to rein in her temper just enough to be able to talk with her husband. Her wand though was still trained on him.

"This person was not only able to access our home, they were clearly in our bedroom while we slept. Both of us could have been murdered and we wouldn't have known anything about it."

"Exactly, he hasn't got the balls to carry his threat out"

"You're prepared to gamble all out lives on that? Let's remember, he can get to Draco anytime he wants inside Hogwarts. Dumbledore won't investigate his golden boy and all they would need to do was make our son's death look like an accident. Just because he's giving out a warning first, that doesn't mean Potter won't kill if he feels he has to. You, or anyone else, attacking the mudblood's family will see him make that decision. Is that worth the death of our son? Is it worth my life? Is it worth the annihilation of the entire Malfoy family? You yourself have told Draco and I many times that muggles are beneath us, mere worthless creatures. Are you willing to gamble all our lives on this matter, just so you can again attempt to harm these particular worthless creatures?"

Seeing she was finally getting through to her husband, Narcissa changed tack. "They seem to have been one step ahead of everyone since Potter took up with the mudblood. Now is not the time to go charging in like a bloody Gryffindor. It's way past time for some Slytherin cunning to be brought to bare on the matter."

Lucius stood there amid the stench that was reeking from the bloody mess on their marital bed. With blood in his hair, the same substance polluting his silk pyjamas, and his wife's wand still steadily pointed at him - Lucius finally began to think rationally about the situation. "Darla."

The little female elf popped into the bedroom. She stood in her tattered and faded blue plaid dress, head down and hands behind her back. "Master called for Darla?"

"Who was in this house, elf."

"Darla didn't see anyone in the house, Master. Would Master like Darla to clean the mess in here?"

The kick sent Darla to her knees. The elf didn't think it was too bad though, Master didn't have his boots on.

"Who do you think is going to clean it? Burn those sheets, pillows - the mattress too. I will sleep in Draco's room tonight while your mistress will choose one of the guest bedrooms. Have them prepared first before clearing up this mess. Burn these too." Lucius stripped out of his pyjamas. The expensive nightwear was covered with so much blood, they hit the marble floor with a splat.

Narcissa disrobed at the same time before heading off in the direction of their showers. Lucius though had more to say before leaving their bedroom. "The person who did this will pay."

A now naked Narcissa stared straight into her husband's eyes and made a promise. "Whoever did this left me thinking our son had been brutally murdered. Even just for a moment, that pain was unbearable. They are not getting away with doing that to us. We need a plan that hurts them yet in no way even hints at any Malfoy involvement. Come to me with a plan like that and I swear I will help you take our revenge."

This was more like the witch he married, Lucius nodded in agreement. "I'll check the wards after my shower, you write to Draco and have him confirm nothing is amiss as quickly as possible. We'll let things settle down before retaliating. That will give us more time to plan too."

Only after they had left the room did Darla's mouth form a wry smile. Dobby would be so proud of her, and making Dobby proud was quickly becoming more important to Darla than pleasing her family. Dobby was teaching Darla how not to lie, but still not answer Master's questions. Darla knew it was Dobby who had accomplished this tonight but she had deliberately not seen him. Therefore Darla could truthfully answer her master and protect Dobby too.

Dobby was helping Darla with so much, and promised to try and free her from the bad family too. Dobby was such a powerful elf, and Darla would give anything to be part of his family. Telling Dobby about any plans the bad Masters made should help with Dobby's family liking Darla too, though Dobby said they would do so anyway.

Master thought he was being so clever, ordering Darla to keep the family's secrets. Dobby was family though, even if Master thought Dobby was dead. Dobby said he was free, and his magic certainly allowed him to do things against the Master that Darla could never do. Then again, the house magic didn't stop Darla talking to, or even sometimes helping, Dobby. Darla didn't know why that was, Darla just knew the handsome elf would always receive anything Dobby asked of Darla. The little elf popped away to carry out the tasks her Master had just ordered Darla to do.

Chapter 12 - The More Things Change

Ron was left wondering what he had done to deserve all this bad luck. His Hogwarts experience had started off so spectacularly too, yet was now turning to one big steaming pile of shit. To make matters even worse, his beloved quidditch had now become an instrument of torture to Ron. You couldn't mention the sport anywhere in Hogwarts without the conversation instantly switching to Gryffindor's amazing last game.

That the boy he'd initiated a censure procedure against was easily the stand-out player of their unbelievable win left the students with the greyed-out house associations even further alienated inside Gryffindor - and a laughing stock amongst the other three houses.

Ron was left delighted that Valentine's Day was almost upon them. Not that he expected anything in the way of cards or gifts from any of the castle's witches. No, it was more to provide a reason for others to think about something or someone else for a while - rather than the Gryffindor five.

However welcome though, Valentine's day would ultimately prove to be nothing more than a brief interlude in this dreadful situation. What Ron needed was a way to endear himself to the rest of Gryffindor House. Otherwise, you didn't need to have any seer in you to predict a resorting in his future come September. The main problems with achieving this aim was that he hadn't a clue how to go about it, and even the calendar was slowly turning against him. Every day that he didn't come up with an idea to keep him in Gryffindor was a day closer to his resorting.

Since no Weasley would ever be sorted into Slytherin, and he was honest enough to admit Ravenclaw was beyond his academic capabilities, that left only Hufflepuff as an alternative house. Ron didn't think his pride would survive being resorted from Gryffindor to Hufflepuff, he really would rather just leave Hogwarts without adding that ignominy to his already dreadful school experience.

-oOoOo-

Harry also had a couple of reasons to be thankful it was now St Valentine's Day. Unsurprisingly, both of those reasons centred around Hermione. For one, she'd agreed not to mention him playing quidditch against Slytherin next month for all of today. More specifically though, it was playing Gryffindor's new system, a system that put their seeker in a lot more danger of being injured, that had Hermione constantly on his case.

Having never seen a Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, Harry had no idea of just how bad things could get up there - and he wasn't taking her warnings as seriously as she'd clearly hoped he would.

The second reason to be thankful was Hermione herself - or rather what she meant to Harry. This was the first year he would be celebrating this most romantic of days while having a significant other in his life, he wanted the entire day to be perfect for his intended.

Hermione awoke cuddling into Harry, his arms lovingly wrapped around her.

"Good morning, Love. Happy Valentine's Day."

Hermione enjoyed the kiss that followed Harry's greeting. "Mmm… You're lovely and warm to cuddle into, and you even used a breath freshening charm before kissing me good morning. I might have to keep you, Mister Potter."

It was only then Hermione noticed her bedroom was bedecked with dozens of red roses. "Oh Harry, They're beautiful…"

"Considering who they are for, they needed to be…"

"Listen, Harry - I've got no moves - Potter, You're spoiling me. I would have been more than happy with just one…"

"So you want me to cancel the romantic evening meal for two I've got planned? Neville is going to give us the full evening to ourselves, and Dobby knows all your favourite foods…" Hermione kissed him before Harry could say any more.

"Mmm… Remind me to make sure to plan some time into our evening for doing a lot more of that…"

"You mean you haven't already?"

"Oh you better believe 'kissing Hermione' was top of my list of things that I had to arrange time for. I'm just wondering if I can move some time from dancing to increase the portion I've allocated to be spent kissing…"

"With the right music, I'm sure we could sway to the rhythm while kissing at the same time."

"Beautiful, brilliant, and lying here in my arms. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one, Harry. I'm also the hungry one. We need to get up for breakfast."

"I had considered arranging breakfast in bed for us but thought that might be tempting fate. McGonagall would have both of us for breakfast if she caught us in bed together." With their last kiss before rising, Harry headed off to get ready to face the day.

The Great Hall was more animated than usual this morning, with owl traffic increased considerably. Hermione was wearing one of her red roses pined to her robes as she and Harry enjoyed breakfast together. A soft yelp of shock had both of them looking across the table at their best friend.

With a blush that turned his face scarlet, Neville was staring at the two owls that were trying to deliver what were obviously Valentine cards to him.

"Two, Neville? My, someone's popular."

Harry was having a chuckle at Hermione's quip, and Neville's embarrassment at receiving two cards. "Rather you than me, mate. I was dreading a queue of owls for the boy-who-lived. You've met my intended, she doesn't share."

Shaking his head, Neville removed both cards from the owls who delivered them. "Since Hermione's your intended, and the entire country knows that, it would have been considered the height of bad manners to send either of you Valentine cards."

Opening the envelopes confirmed Neville's suspicions. "They're from Lavender and Parvati. They keep pushing and I don't know what to do."

A quick glance from Harry to Hermione was all it took for her to understand she should offer their friend some advice. "Neville, I'm sorry you're caught up in this but please don't feel you have to not talk to people because of us. Parvati and Lavender have at least admitted they made a mistake in following the two redheads at the centre of the problem. Thanks also for giving Harry and I the evening to ourselves tonight. Why don't you use that time to sit and talk with the girls? I really don't want to be the only Gryffindor witch in second year so someone has to make the first move towards reconciliation. Seeing the way they're all being treated actually leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Had things worked out differently, it could so easily have been us left in that position…"

"Um, you don't think they'll take the wrong meaning out of me talking to them on Valentine's Day, do you?"

"Neville, they are two lovely young ladies - unless you have your eye on someone else?"

His blush was back as Neville shook his head in answer to Hermione's question.

"Sorry to break this to you, Neville, but those girls will take whatever meaning they want out of you talking to them - no matter what day it is."

Knowing Hermione was, as usual, right, Neville could only groan at what was now lying on the table in front of him.

Harry then had a quick word of warning for their best friend. "Nev, both girls can hardly eat their breakfast for glancing over to see your reaction to their cards."

If nothing else, Neville Longbottom had been raised to be a gentleman. Plastering a smile on his face, he made a show of reading both cards again before carefully putting them in his pocket. Seeing how both girls reacted to that had Hermione smiling too. While she and Harry spent a romantic evening together, Neville was going to begin building bridges that might see their Gryffindor yeargroup eventually heal.

-oOoOo-

Sometimes Hermione hated being right, and this was certainly one of those occasions. The Slytherins had been brutal throughout the match, with most of their brutality being focused on Harry. He was battered and bruised but actually seemed to be enjoying himself, which just appeared to infuriate the Slytherin team all the more. That, and the fact their arch rivals, Gryffindor, were currently hammering them while three quarters of the school cheered the red and gold on.

While everyone in the Quidditch Stadium was concentrating on Alicia taking the latest penalty - it would put Gryffindor one hundred and fifty points ahead - a Slytherin beater silently flew up behind Harry. As the quaffle sailed through the top hoop, Bole's beater bat whistled through the air on its route to the back of Harry's head.

Some sixth sense had Harry move at the last second, which saved his head, but was not quick enough to avoid being hurt. The bat still connected solidly against Harry, and with more than enough force to shatter his shoulder blade. Hermione's wand was in her hand, thinking she was the only person to witness what had just happened to Harry - she was wrong.

Dumbledore's 'aresto momentum' spell caught Harry just after he was thrown from his broom by the force of the blow. Hermione felt as if she was currently moving faster than her intended, and that was with the young witch having to literally push people out of her way while racing for the stairs. The Gryffindors were slowly stopping celebrating the latest goal as they finally saw their seeker falling from his broom to the ground.

Hermione screamed her loudest from the stand, her voice reverberating right across the now silent pitch, and just in time to stop Fred Weasley's desperate rescue attempt. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Fred was trying to grab Harry as he fell, that could actually do more harm than good. She quickly cast a cushioning charm on the patch of the pitch where Harry was going to land.

Finally down the stairs and now racing across the grass, Hermione then quantified her reason for shouting at Fred while speeding toward him. He was now standing protectively over Gryddindor's fallen seeker. "I'm pretty sure that bastard Bole broke his shoulder, hitting him with a beater's bat. That's why I shouted, Fred. You grabbing Harry's arm could have done even more damage. Dumbledore had Harry's fall under control from the second he was knocked off his broom."

Harry was still conscious as she got there and knelt at his side, but pain was written all over his features.

"You were right, love. Shower of dirty bastards…"

The grimace showed just how much pain he was in. Hermione wanted to cast the numbing charm on his shoulder but there were far too many witnesses who would certainly wonder how she knew such advanced magic. She then spotted Dumbledore quickly making his way toward them too. Fred was standing beside Hermione while George was trying to stop Oliver - who'd seen the entire incident while guarding his own set of hoops - from physically ripping Bole's head off.

Albus immediately cast a numbing charm on the boy's shoulder, seeing the pain leave Harry's face was its own reward. He couldn't miss the utter rage being emitted from Harry's intended. Miss Granger had her wand in her hand and probably didn't even realise she hadn't put it away agter casting the cushioning charm. Albus remembered her asking him to attend Harry's quidditch matches, he was beginning to understand that request now. Had she been forced to cast the 'aresto momentum' spell, there would now be a large question mark over her seemingly extraordinary magical abilities. He would have to deal with the perpetrators of this attack on Harry most severely.

Madam Pomfrey pushed past Albus, her focus solely on her newest patient. With all the players now on the ground, Madam Hooch approached the Headmaster.

"I was watching the penalty being taken and didn't see the incident where Mister Potter was injured. Can I assume you saw it, Headmaster?"

"Mister Bole attempted to cave the back of Mister Potter's head in with his beater's bat."

"My bat slipped…" Bole's crass comment had the rest of his team sniggering while their captain now taunted his Gryffindor counterpart.

"Hey Wood, do you concede? You can't win the match without your seeker."

A livid Oliver was in no mood to make any concessions. "Neither can you. Fred, George, when the match restarts - take out their seeker. Do what you have to do - within the rules - but I want him on the ground and unable to continue. Don't worry about anything else, we'll look after ourselves…"

That tactical change from Gryffindor almost started a battle on the pitch, leaving Albus with no other option than to intercede. "Mister Bole, is that your last word on this matter? Just to explain some of the trouble you are currently in. As of right this minute, you are barred from ever playing quidditch at Hogwarts again…"

The Slytherins tried to turn their ire onto the Headmaster but were quickly silenced by a mere look, and Albus wasn't finished yet. "Your 'bat slipped' explanation doesn't satisfy me in the slightest, so shall we see what the D.M.L.E. make of it?"

The headmaster was interrupted by a clearly unhappy Poppy. "Mister Potter's scapula is shattered beyond repair. I'm going to have to vanish the bones and regrow them. If the same blow from that bat had struck his head, Mister Potter would almost certainly have been dead before he hit the ground. The fall alone might have been enough to see us with a fatality here if you hadn't caught him with that spell."

Hearing that diagnosis was like a bucket of iced water being flung over each of those involved in this situation, kicking the seriousness level up by quite a few levels too. Albus pinned the offender with his gaze.

"Well, Mister Bole? Have you anything to add to your previous statement? Bearing in mind, once the D.M.L.E. become involved it will cease to be a matter that can be dealt with by Hogwarts."

All the colour had drained from Bole's features, there was certainly no sniggering from the rest of his teammates this time. "We were told to take Potter out, the harder the better…"

Fred had to physically restrain Hermione from attacking Bole after hearing that. Even although he was bigger and stronger than the first year witch, it was still a close call.

Septima had heard enough. As Heads of House to those playing, she and Minerva had both made their way onto the pitch. "Slytherin concedes the match…" The howls of derision from the members of her house team saw their Head of House quickly slapping them down.

"If you think what happened here today is acceptable behaviour for a member of my house then you are sadly mistaken. Quidditch is a game, not an excuse to settle house vendettas. I will be investigating this matter thoroughly. Should I discover you were all involved, Slytherin will be withdrawing from this year's Quidditch Cup, and requiring an entire new team come September."

Nodding his acceptance of that decision, Albus began issuing orders. "Professor Vector, could you accompany Mister Bole to my office? I shall be there shortly to deal with the matter. Professor McGonagall, would you accompany Mister Potter to the infirmary before joining us in my office to help decide Mister Bole's punishment."

As Harry was gently levitated away, a now barely back under control Hermione at his side, Albus then addressed the stands packed full of spectators. Casting a sonorus charm on himself, his amplified voice passed on the result of their deliberations to the waiting crowd.

"Due to a player's behaviour that bordered on criminal, the Head of Slytherin House has conceded the match to Gryffindor."

There was no protest or even celebration coming from any section of the stands. Bole was being led away while Potter needed levitated to the infirmary. Both teams walked off the pitch with their heads down, neither feeling like the victors. That alone told the story of what had just happened here.

Today would be remembered as the day when quidditch at Hogwarts changed forever. While what happened on the quidditch pitch had always tended to be dealt with by the same rules that governed the sport, they had just witnessed a fundamental change. Dumbledore had just demonstrated that, first and foremost, the players were still Hogwarts students. Therefore their behaviour would always be judged under the school's rule - not anyone else's.

With the shattered bone now vanished, most of Harry's pain left with it. He found it quite disconcerting though to have his arm just flopping about. "Can my bone really be regrown? How long will it take?"

Professor McGonagall was levitating Harry to the infirmary but it was Madam Pomfrey who answered his medical questions. "You'll drink a potion called skele-gro and spend an uncomfortable night in the infirmary. Growing bone back isn't exactly fun. You should be free to leave by tomorrow, providing you take care of that shoulder when I discharge you."

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey, I'll make sure he follows whatever instructions you give him to the letter." Hermione's declaration left Harry no wiggle room at all. This time, he would be doing exactly what she told him.

Harry knew he would be in trouble with his intended from the instant that bat hit his shoulder. Him having to spend the night in the infirmary wouldn't help Hermione's ire either. She was walking at his uninjured side and Harry reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry love, you were right. Using those tactics against Slytherin was a bad mistake..."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione tried to centre herself. Harry was lying there in pain, the last thing he needed was to have his head bitten off by her. She attempted to sum up today's situation without any verbal mauling. "Harry, what do you think my parents' reactions would have been if that was the quidditch match they had seen?"

Knowing Dan and Emma, there was only one way they would react to the sheer brutality that had been on display against him today. "They would have withdrawn their daughter from Hogwarts, knowing I would have immediately followed you out the door."

Hermione's anger spilled over as she began to rant. "That was quidditch in name only. The only objective of the entire Slytherin team today was to hurt you, and the penalties Madam Hooch kept giving against them didn't curb their disgusting conduct in the slightest. They wanted the chance to hurt Harry Potter, and knew putting you in the infirmary would also win them the game too. Everyone in the stadium could see what their game plan was, yet no one did anything to stop it."

"Miss Granger, quiddich can be a dangerous sport…"

Her Head of House wasn't injured so Hermione didn't feel the need to hold back this time. "Professor, please don't insult my intelligence. That was nothing more than an organised assault on my intended by seven older Slytherin wizards. Gryffindor were playing quidditch while Slytherin were playing for keeps. My Harry could have been killed, and it would have been passed off as a tragic quidditch accident. What I saw in that stadium was no accident. Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore saw it too."

"Yes, and the Slytherins' behaviour cost them the match…"

"The match? You think I care a jot about the match? Answer me this question, Professor. At any other time, in any other part of Hogwarts, would what those Slytherins were trying to do to Harry have been instantly stopped?"

"Of course it would…"

"And there is your problem. The last war isn't over, Professor. The attack on my parents' house proved that." Hermione cut McGonagall off before she could come back at her. "Our home's security system took pictures of three wizards, in full death eater regalia, as they attacked our muggle house. Professor Dumbledore told us those pictures were useless in a magical court, even though one of the attackers is clearly identifiable. The Slytherins took that war to the boy-who-lived today, and the entire staff of Hogwarts sat there and watched them doing so. You heard Madam Pomfrey's assessment of how bad it could have been, or very nearly was. Do you disagree with her? That match should have been stopped long before it got to that stage."

Harry then chipped into the conversation, aware Hermione's anger had her sailing close to the edge of what would be considered acceptable behaviour by their Head of House. "In football, our main sport, a bad foul gets the player awarded a yellow card by the referee. Committing a really bad foul draws a red card - an immediate sending off and suspension from at least the next match. Receive two yellow cards in the same match and they also count as a red - you're off and suspended too. Slytherin would have been down to just their keeper today, that's how bad they were."

The young couple discovered they had a supporter for that idea in the Hogwarts healer. "Anything that cuts down on the students being injured gets my vote. Their safety is our responsibility after all. Quidditch can be a dangerous sport, and yes, accidents can and will happen. Today though was no accident. It was a premeditated attack on Mister Potter. A system like that might have stopped today's fiasco from happening."

"But what about our traditions?"

They had just entered the castle and Hermione actually stopped to stare at her Head of House, not quite believing what she had just heard. "I just watched seven pureblood use your traditions to legally beat the snot out of my intended. Why should Harry and I willingly accept traditions that attempt to make us second class citizens in comparison to cretins like Bole? In our society, there are actually laws that prevent someone being discriminated against by their sex, creed or colour. What about our traditions, Professor?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione lowered her hostility level and started walking beside Harry again. "My home was attacked yet the magical courts won't accept our evidence - simply because it's muggle generated. If we take that evidence to our courts, where it most certainly will be accepted and acted upon, the magical courts would have us up for breeching the Statute of Secrecy. It's today's situation all over again, Professor. They make the rules and know exactly how to break them. Are we just supposed to stand back and take the blows? I've always felt that offering someone your other cheek just leaves you with both sides of your face slapped."

Minerva so wanted to refute this first year witch's conclusions but was left trying to defend a system she herself didn't really support. "I can sympathise with your arguments, especially since you don't know most of our traditions - or how they came to be. It's something I've long fought for and am pleased to say we can at least address part of that shortly. Madam Longbottom, Neville's Grandmother, is going to be in Hogwarts and offering classes on wizarding traditions and our culture. It's hoped this can forge closer links for those students who don't have a magical background."

A determined Hermione nodded her acceptance of that. "Harry and I will be there, Professor. First rule of war - know thy enemy."

"Miss Granger! Do you think we're your enemy?"

"They went after the muggle born before. I don't see them changing that tactic - do you? As Harry's muggle born intended, I'll be near the top of their hit list. The fact my home has already been attacked should surely answer that question."

Knowing Hermione was close to losing it, and ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone, Harry squeezed her hand in support and attempted to defuse the situation. "Yes we are a wizard and witch but not all countries in the world are as backward looking as magical Britain. We're looking for somewhere where we won't be judged on who our parents are, rather concentrating instead on taking the time to discover who we are. We've committed to Hogwarts until the end of term, no further. I think Hermione and I will definitely be discussing the situation with our families over the summer."

Hermione squeezing his hand let Harry know he got it right, and again McGonagall was left without an answer. They barely made the infirmary when she left for Dumbledore's office. Both teens would like to have been a fly on the wall at that meeting.

-oOoOo-

Emma was also wishing she could be a fly on a certain wall in Privet Drive as she told Dan how her afternoon tea meeting had gone.

"Petunia told me her husband and son were digging their heels in over Harry and Hermione staying with them over the summer. They seemed to be prepared to put up with Harry for ten days to gain the protection. I got the impression they didn't want Hermione there to witness how they treat Harry. Petunia could have done with something stronger than tea after I told her our house had been attacked by wizards."

This drew a chuckle out of Dan. "I'll bet she changed her mind after hearing that. There's no way Hermione will let Harry go there for ten days without her."

"You know, I actually think she was jealous we got to see Hogwarts, and spend the weekend inside the castle. Petunia just kept repeating she didn't think that was possible for normal people. Like you, I know there's no chance those two will be apart for ten days - they wouldn't last ten hours. Petunia was heading home to convince the men in her life that they need both Harry and Hermione staying there over the summer. It's the only way they'll be protected from an attack."

Dobby popping into the lounge was a welcome sight, that was until they saw he was in a state of some distress. Hearing that Harry was currently in the infirmary shared that distress around, Emma now had tears in her eyes too. Hermione's quickly scribbled note, explaining that Harry would be back to normal tomorrow, eased a fair bit of their worries. Dobby saying he would be popping back to Hogwarts later to check on them was the only reason any of the trio were able to face dinner.

-oOoOo-

Harry's bed in the infirmary had people gathered around it all day. The entire quidditch team turned up to see how he was, staying awhile to chat. They had no sooner left when Neville arrived, with a very nervous Parvati and Lavender in tow. They too all stayed to chat. Though pleased to see the gradual rebuilding of relationships within Gryffindor, between all the visitors and the perpetually hovering Madam Pomfrey, Harry and Hermione never got a moment's privacy to discuss anything.

When Harry started flagging, due to his injuries and the potions, Madam Pomfrey chased everyone not a patient out of her domain.

Due to the pain in his shoulder from having to regrow his shoulder blade, Harry spent a restless evening. Sleep was fitful at best though hearing a slight pop had him instantly wide awake. Dobby had popped Hermione to him. She climbed in beside her intended, on Harry's uninjured side, while awaiting the nod from Dobby that he had his wards up before speaking.

With the okay from their little friend, both spoke the same words at the same time. "I'm sorry about today…"

Seeing Hermione smile at that, Harry gently kissed her before speaking again. "Let me go first, love. I'm sorry for not listening to your warnings, and then making you sit through that. I've been lying here trying to imagine how I would feel, left sitting helpless and having to watch you get physically beaten. You must be stronger than me because I don't think - hell I know I couldn't do that."

She kissed her intended to show he was forgiven, now it was her turn. "I'm sorry for going off at you today, Harry. You're right, sitting watching that was torture. We went to all this trouble to come back and save you, then you were almost killed at a stupid quidditch game. I just totally lost it."

Harry kissed her before confessing. "I feel like a bit of a fraud. You see, there is nothing you need forgiving for - not from me anyway."

Hermione blushed as she had a confession of her own to make. "After dinner, and knowing I couldn't get back in to see you, I visited Professor McGonagall. I tried to apologise but she too wouldn't let me. We had a nice cup of tea and a bit of shortbread while discussing what happened after she left us. She, like everyone else, had been watching the penalty being taken. Professor Dumbledore used his pensieve to show his memory of the event to both Heads of House and Bole. After seeing Dumbledore's memory, McGonagall said she perfectly understood my anger, knowing I would be watching you as it happened."

Snuggling in to Harry's good side, Hermione told him what else she'd learned. "After seeing that memory, and having Dumbledore, McGonagall and Vector all glaring at him, Bole spilled everything he knew. It turns out Draco had originally offered a hundred galleons to whoever put you in the infirmary…"

Dobby's silencing charms were tested as Harry let out a rather loud 'WHAT!'

A grinning Hermione told him there was more to come. "Apparently, when Draco sent home for the galleons, his parents went ballistic at the little shit. Not only was Draco ordered to withdraw that offer at once, he was also told in no uncertain terms to stay the hell away from both of us."

"It would seem the Malfoys are taking our warning seriously."

"Let's just say Draco isn't 'Mister Popular' in Slytherin, or at home. The Slytherins though didn't need the promise of gold to want to put you in the infirmary. All seven of the players were involved in the plot and Professor Vector has kicked every single one of them off the team. They've conceded the last match too, throwing this year's quidditch cup into disarray. A solution has been proposed and Professor McGonagall told me about it earlier tonight. The two best teams this year are clearly us and Hufflepuff. A 'winner take all' game has been proposed as the last game of the season…"

"Hermione, I won't play. I can't put you through that again…"

"Harry, if there's one team in Hogwarts that will play quidditch fairly then it's Hufflepuff. Professor McGonagall also admitted Slytherin have been using tactics like that for years - since Snape became their Head of House. They would bully the opposition team into submission, using every dirty trick they could get away with. Quidditch in Hogwarts changed today - because of you."

She then explained that reasoning to her dumbfounded boyfriend. "Dumbledore stepped in and took action. Bole's parents were called to Hogwarts, shown that memory before leaving with their son. He's been expelled from Hogwarts. If you hadn't been playing, and if I didn't ask him to attend your games, Dumbledore probably wouldn't even have been at today's match - far less be properly motivated into taking action. I'll be fine watching you play Hufflepuff, we might even wangle another visit for my mum and dad out of it."

A surprised Harry could only kiss his wonderful intended for that. He had one last thing to ask though. "So, are we okay?"

"Since I'm currently in your bed and kissing you, I reckon that would be its own answer. Don't you think so?"

"Hey, told you I was clueless. I just had to be sure…"

Hermione kissing him again reassured Harry more than words ever would. His shoulder was still painfully throbbing but he now felt so much better.

Seeing that his two favourite people were now fine, Dobby got ready to leave. His alarm wards would give him enough warning if someone was approaching, and he needed to get Hermione back into her own bed. He also had elven wards around the Grangers that would alert him if he was needed there too. Dobby loved his family and was determined to take care of them. With all four of them currently safe though, that gave him a little time to pop over and see how Darla was doing. Dobby told himself it was to find out if Darla had any more news for him, but neither elf really believed that excuse any more.

-oOoOo-

Having been popped back to her own room before anyone found them in bed together, Hermione then got ready to face the day. Dobby had actually laid clothes out for Harry too, which she placed in her bag to take to the infirmary. Neville was up early as well and both swung by the infirmary to see how Harry was.

After giving Hermione a list of do's and don't's for her intended to follow, while Harry quickly got changed into the clothes he'd been brought, Madam Pomfrey then released him in time for breakfast. The three headed into the Great Hall and their entry was immediately noticed. Cedric Diggory was the first out of his seat and approaching them.

"Have you heard the Quidditch Cup proposal? Will you be able to play?"

"Yeah I heard, and was a bit surprised. Hufflepuff are undefeated this year, surely that wins you the cup?"

"The record books might say we're undefeated but that doesn't tell the whole story. Yes we beat Ravenclaw, fair and square. I fluked catching the snitch against you though and now we have a bye against Slytherin. Hufflepuff really wants to win the Quidditch Cup, but we're not so desperate that we would take it at any cost. We're the two best teams this year and no one will be able to dispute the house that wins this play-off will really have earned the Quidditch Cup."

They had now drawn quite a crowd around them, all clearly waiting to hear what Harry's answer would be. Hermione squeezed his good arm to reassure her intended she was fine with this.

"Cedric, I would shake on it but Madam Pomfrey doesn't want me doing anything with this shoulder for a day or two. I'm banned from writing until tomorrow but will be fine long before we have our rematch."

This actually started some cheering, with Ollie bouncing up and down like a delighted five year old who'd just been given a free pass to their favourite sweet shop. Since their quiddich obsessed captain knew his team now had a great shot at winning the cup, his excitement was at least understandable.

Even with her previous experience of this phenomenon, Hermione still struggled to understand just how important the sport of quidditch was inside Hogwarts. As she sat with Harry and Neville at the now excited Gryffindor table, she tried to make some sense of the reactions all around her.

Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses were elated, and already looking forward to the match. The Ravenclaws had been beaten by both teams so therefore wouldn't expect to be involved in the fight for the cup. They too though would certainly be anticipating watching a match between the two best teams in Hogwarts this year.

Slytherin currently didn't have a quidditch team, and just had one of their house expelled - the first student expelled for fifty years. While visibly they had nothing to celebrate, there was the beginnings of a subtile shift in attitude amongst the students wearing the silver and green.

Professor Vector had wrought the changes and laid down her marker. She wanted a quidditch team that played the sport with skill and enthusiasm, not bruisers out to beat the opposition into submission. This opened the door for everyone in the house to try out for quidditch, with their Head of House promising it would be ability rather than influence that would win spots on the new team. Even though they would be hoping for a Hufflepuff victory in the play-off, they would still be looking forward to watching a good match.

The timing of the game was perfect too. Traditionally, the last match was just after everyone's exams finished. This match would take the already rearranged slot that would have seen Hufflepuff playing Slytherin.

Hermione was well aware the original schedule had Gryffindor playing Ravenclaw on that date. She was also the only one who knew that, in the original timeline, Gryffindor would have been forced to concede the match. This would be due to Harry lying unconscious in the infirmary after his confrontation with Quirrell/Voldemort. This was again going to be a pivotal event, though Hermione intended to ensure Harry would be fit enough to make the match this time around.

Before that however, they had these new lessons with Madam Longbottom to look forward to. There was also the problem of a rather large fire-breathing lizard about to be hatched in their friend's hut that would need to be dealt with. While Hermione really liked Harry's idea of letting someone else deal with Hagrid's baby dragon, she had eventually spotted a potential problem with that solution.

Talking it over with Harry, both had rather reluctantly come to the conclusion that his original idea could cause them unforeseen troubles. Should Dumbledore discover Hagrid had hatched a dragon's egg, the headmaster was bound to ask their large friend how he came to possess such a heavily regulated and restricted item. Within moments, Dumbledore would learn Voldemort had used the lure of a dragon's egg to garner the information he was missing. Namely, how to get past Fluffy.

Having that knowledge, it was debatable if Dumbledore would answer the false summons from the ministry when it arrived that first Thursday in June. Since Hermione and Harry had so much riding on that night, this was a chance they really couldn't take. If everything went to their plan, Dan and Emma Granger might have some special company sitting watching Harry play agains Hufflepuff.

The match might be a little too much and just a tad too soon for a certain Azkaban prisoner but simply having Sirius meet Harry, and her parents, would be enough for Hermione. Her Harry had never met his godfather, Sirius Black was currently just a name to him. Hermione had known the wizard though, she also knew Sirius loved Harry almost as much as she did. It had really hurt to leave Sirius in that hellhole even a day longer than they had to.

Like everything else in their lives though, they had to protect the fact that they had knowledge of the future. This was the earliest she and Harry could not only get Sirius out of Azkaban, they wanted him to officially have his freedom too. For that to happen, they needed circumstances to play out as they had so carefully planned. If that meant they had to deal with a heartbroken half giant and smuggling a baby dragon out of Hogwarts, so be it.

As she was eating her breakfast, Hermione started to smile. This wasn't so much in consideration of what they faced in the near future. It was more that, in all of those thoughts, she hadn't wasted a single moment worrying about the upcoming end of year exams. Although she had been working Harry hard, and was extremely confident both of them would breeze right through any first year test - her twelve year old self had already done so the first time around - for Hermione Granger not to be worrying about imminent exams was a really, really strange feeling.