Chapter 1188 - Ch: 25-26

Chapter 25 - Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot

While holding an event like this outdoors on a November afternoon, particularly in the Scottish Highlands, would normally be out of the question, this was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was no way all those who wished to attend Dumbledore's funeral would ever manage to squeeze into the great hall so the largest concentration of house elves in the British Isles had created an area outside the castle's walls that was pleasantly warm and protected from the elements.

This bubble of calm conditions was accessed from the castle by a covered walkway, ensuring all the guests would be warm and dry from start to finish. It was an astonishing piece of magic, yet one that would simply be overlooked by the vast majority of the attending guests.

Even as they took their reserved seats at the front of this massive gathering, Harry and Hermione were still refining their speech to include things they'd seen today. While it was their speech, both understood it would be much more powerful if Harry delivered it. He though insisted Hermione be at his side as he did so. After his dream last night, that was an invitation Hermione was never going to turn down.

Sirius was sitting with Amelia, Dan and Emma, Petunia not being able to make the funeral. He was just thinking the entire magical populous must be in attendance when a voice he hadn't heard in many years lent even more credence to that idea.

"Hello Sirius, how are you?"

Standing up immediately, Sirius ignored the offered hand and pulled the wizard into a hug. "Mooney, where the hell have you been hiding?"

"I was out of the country when news broke of your trial. I have to say though, that news was kinda buried under all the stories of what that godson of yours had been up to. I was working my way back to Britain when I heard about Dumbledore. I owe him so much, I simply had to come..."

"Of course you had to come, you should've been home ages ago. This is Emma and Dan Granger, Hogwarts professors, dentists and Hermione's parents. This is my best friend, Remus Lupin. Hermione is Harry's intended, you'll certainly meet her later. Of course, you already know my fiancée..."

"Same old Sirius, though I thought Amelia was immune to your charms."

This actually had Amelia smiling, even though her thoughts were currently on events that were planned to happen elsewhere. "Not immune, I just had a very high tolerance factor. Getting to know Sirius again rekindled something in both of us, and I said yes when he asked. It's good to see you again, Remus. Please sit with us." Some shuffling soon had him seated beside Sirius, just before things officially kicked off.

Dan had surmised from what Amelia and Sirius had said beforehand that wizarding funerals might be different from what he and Emma would possibly recognise as such. While standing and speaking about the deceased, and the impact they'd had on the speaker's life, was both recognisable and understandable to them, today's event felt more like a political rally than a funeral to the two dentists.

The young Gryffindor couple were sitting waiting on their turn in the proceedings to speak. They were up after someone called Deadly Dingle, or something like that. Both thought it sounded like a mystical creature Luna would make up. Diggle eventually spent about quarter of an hour going on and on about how he and Albus were such great friends before leaving the small stage in tears.

It was now Harry and Hermione's turn to face a large crowd who, if they felt anything like them, would be bored to tears with what they'd already heard here today. The crowd hopefully wouldn't be bored after listening to what they had to say. They were dressed in their finest robes, the Potter, Black and Hogwarts crests competing with their Orders of Merlin, First Class for attention. Confidently approaching the podium that already had a voice magnifying charm imbedded into the elaborate carvings, Harry took a steadying breath before beginning.

"Today we're all here to say goodbye to a great wizard. That Dumbledore was a great wizard is beyond dispute. There seems to be some confusion though over just who Albus Dumbledore actually was. While the headmaster was many different things to so many people - politician, statesman, leader, friend - I think we were privileged to see the real Albus Dumbledore."

Hermione could see a few disparaging looks heading in their direction at that comment, as if they dare claim they knew Albus better than them. Her hand slipped into Harry's, offering encouragement for him to continue.

"Between his time as a student, Transfiguration Professor and of course Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore spent over sixty years at Hogwarts. He passed away in the castle's infirmary and Hogwarts will now be his final resting place. Hogwarts was way more than just his occupation, his home, it became his life. Those of us privileged enough to have been taught by the great man will tell you Albus Dumbledore was a wonderful teacher. That was his passion, seeing students grasp the particular piece of knowledge he was trying to impart was certain to get those eyes of his twinkling with a delightful sense of achievement."

Both could see that taking this line had won the doubters over, no one could dispute Albus was brilliant at teaching. This was the part though that wouldn't sit well with certain members of the audience but they didn't really care. If they wanted to hear Harry Potter speak, he was going to say exactly what he and Hermione wanted to.

"Even lying there in his coffin, Albus is still trying to teach us lessons we really need to learn. Being Albus Dumbledore though meant you had to do a bit of work for that knowledge. He would never just come right out and say something, rather provide enough clues for you to work out the answer for yourself. So that's what we're going to do right now."

This had more than the crowd nervous. Harry's speech was second last in this event, with only the Minister of Magic still to speak. Fudge was a career politician however so they had no worries that he wouldn't be able to say something after them. Both were betting however that his carefully prepared speech would probably be torn up after they were finished speaking.

"Look around you. The sheer number of people here today is an instant indication of just how high an esteem Albus was held in. What we have to do though is take a closer look, because that's where the real message lies. In the crowd we have witches and wizards from all walks of life, yet you can be sure Albus treated every single one of them the same. At last month's Quidditch match, Hogwarts played host to the muggle parents of our younger students. Two of those parents are in this audience today. From the moment they met, Albus treated them so well they are now professors at Hogwarts."

Hermione gave a smile and a little wave to her parents as Harry kept going. "We have representations from ministries all over Europe here to pay their respects, as well as representatives from the Goblin Nation. Again, Albus would have treated them all as equals. If you look behind me, toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, you will see an honour guard of Centaurs. Look toward the lake you'll witness the same respect being demonstrated from the Merepeople. This ceremony could only take place because the castle's house elves were able to create this wonderful magical bubble that's protecting us from the usual Scottish November weather. Albus treated the Centaurs, Merepeople and House Elves with respect, that's why they are all here to honour him today."

That didn't go down too well with some of the people present but Harry carried on regardless. If they didn't like hearing that, they were certainly not going to like the rest of his speech. The passion began to build in both of them as Harry started the process of publicly nailing their colours to the mast.

"While I understand hearing this might make some people uncomfortable, let's examine the alternative that's been offered by a privileged few. Wars are never pretty but the last conflict fought in this country doesn't deserve the name war. It was nothing more than a bunch of thieves and murderers trying to overthrow this country's legal government of the day."

At this time of the year, so far north, the sun never climbed high in the sky. It was currently peeking out from the clouds and backlighting Harry and Hermione. This in itself was a dramatic effect. When you then factored in the magical power that appeared to be bubbling over from this passionate young witch and wizard, and distorting the sunlight now shining from behind them, it was truly mesmerising to see. Harry's words also drove home their opinion like hammering a tent peg in with a sledgehammer.

"There was no honour involved in their cause, this was no noble quest to form a better land for everyone who lived here. Men, women and children were being slaughtered in their sleep for the supposed crime of not meeting their murderer's ill thought out standards. My father actually met those standards, but simply disagreeing with their bigoted opinions was enough to have these genocidal scum turn up at your door. Their acts were so despicable and cowardly, they wore masks as they murdered innocent women and children. This allowed them to walk amongst us during the daylight, as if taking off their mask removed the stain of blood from all the innocents they had murdered. When their leader was defeated, those masks were hidden as they tried to pretend they were still respectable citizens. The arrest and trial of Lucius Malfoy showed that these people haven't changed."

The audience reaction to Harry's speech was as varied as the Scottish weather. One thing was certain however, none of the listeners were bored. Many were actually terrified over what this boy would say next, Harry didn't keep them waiting. "If you're still not sure, then just look around and ask yourself this very simple question. How many people attended Voldemort's Funeral? After Voldemort's demise, how many witches and wizards stood and proclaimed they believed in his teachings?"

If the Weasley twins has simultaneously set off the country's entire stock of dung bombs inside this elven made bubble, there were still people sitting whose complexions couldn't have gotten any greener. Raising their joined hands high in the air, Harry finished their presentation.

"Hermione and I are proud to say we had Albus Dumbledore as a mentor. We stand here today and publicly proclaim both of us will do our best to live our lives by the lessons he taught us. Earlier this year, we stood together and once more defeated Voldemort - and will continue that fight until the darkness is defeated. Who amongst you will stand against the darkness with us?"

The silence that question caused was soon broken. The Centaurs were first to shout their support, the Merepeople's song certainly sounded as if they supported the young couple's stance too. The loud pops caused by what must be every house elf in the castle appearing inside the bubble startled those sitting, no one had ever seen a house elf standing proudly before. The Goblin delegation too were on their feet, their lack of height however not making their gesture of support as dramatic as some of the others.

Minerva McGonagall seemed to be the first amongst the witches and wizards to stand, so many people got to their feet at once it was hard to say with any certainty. She was certainly the first to place her right hand over her heart, a move Harry and Hermione quickly copied, This gesture was then mirrored by everyone on their feet - even the house elves took it up.

Remus was on his feet, his hand might be on his heart but his mind was certainly elsewhere. He could only mutter one word though. "Merlin!"

Standing beside him, a proud Sirius was beaming a megawatt grin. "That's my godson, and his wonderful girl. Between them, they're going to turn our world on its head."

After what he'd just witnessed, Remus had no cause to disagree with Padfoot. The young couple had basically called all Voldemort's followers murdering cowards, and then got everyone here to stand up to show their support of their fight against these animals. Remus knew he had been out of the country for years but this was unbelievable. Even though he'd just witnessed it happening, he was still having trouble believing it.

Like Remus, Dan was also standing with his hand over his heart. Unlike Remus however, after what happened this morning, Dan had no trouble believing what he'd just witnessed.

-o- earlier -o-

Both parents knew something was wrong the instant Harry and Hermione entered their accommodation, Hermione practically leading Harry to an armchair before sitting in his lap was a sure giveaway.

"Harry had another dream last night, a bad one…"

"Hermione, if there are any worse days than that in my past then I don't ever want to experience them."

With going down to breakfast now forgotten about, both parents sat to hear what had happened. They thought this could be bad but 'bad' just didn't do it justice.

"Last night, I experienced the final event of the Tri-Wizard tournament. Sorry love, but hearing of Cedric being murdered and experiencing it are two totally different things. I now understand why that Harry flew into a rage when the ministry dragged him in front of their show trial. Experiencing that would break people a lot stronger than a fourteen year old boy."

Kissing her intended, Hermione defended that Harry to her new Harry. "They never broke you. Even without the support structure you have now, they still couldn't break you. You didn't have me as your girlfriend, you didn't even know my mum and dad. The Weasleys and me were really the only friends close to you. There was no family support from the Dursleys and Sirius was the most wanted man in Britain, so couldn't leave Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore repeatedly withheld crucial information and everyone else treated us like little kids. Looking back, you losing your temper at that trial was practically inevitable - but they still couldn't break you."

Gazing into those hazel eyes he loved so much, Harry voiced his greatest fear. "Losing you would break me, losing you would kill me…"

"Never going to happen…"

At this point Dan interrupted, since it appeared the couple cuddling on the chair were entering their own little universe where no one else existed. "Excuse me for asking but what has one dream changed?"

With his arms still tightly around Hermione, Harry uttered the words he knew her parents would hate. He hated those words himself. "Everything, Dan, it changes everything. As I said to Hermione, watching Cedric's murder was hundreds of times worse than hearing about it. Seeing Voldemort though, that was the game changer. He wants to kill me, needs to kill me, and will stop at nothing until he achieves that. We might be able to hide but he won't let up, he won't rest until I'm dead. What do we do when he decides to murder all the first years in Hogwarts unless I face him in a duel? Threatens to raise Crawley to the ground? Starts randomly wiping out muggle schools - nothing is beyond the bounds of possibility to this maniac."

That this shocked the two dentists was hardly surprising, someone who was a capable of committing cold-blooded savagery on a scale like that really had to be seen before you could believe it. The casual way that ugly little construct had said 'kill the spare' was easily the most shocking thing Harry had witnessed in his entire life, and finally opening his eyes to what a restored version of Voldemort would be capable of. That the life of pureblood Cedric Diggory was wiped out with about the same regard one would swat an annoying fly that entered your home spoke volumes to the witnessing Harry.

"In the original timeline I was stripped of my memories and magic, so was no longer any threat whatsoever to him. He and his death eaters would have spent their time after Dumbledore was murdered tightening their grip on the country. That witches and wizards were still talking about me a couple of years later was eventually enough for him to decide it was time for me to die too. Thankfully, he didn't reckon with my wonderful best friend."

While getting the gist of this, Dan needed to hear the words spoken out loud. "What are you saying, Harry?"

"Voldemort has to die, preferably before he can get himself a new body. We have to take a few more risks. Start going on the offensive while pulling out all the stops searching for his horcruxes. I know some graves that need robbing - that will be a good and yet safe place to start. If at all possible I want to avoid a direct confrontation with him, because I know who'll be standing right at my side if it comes down to that. Black Island is still an option, but more as a secure base of operations and safe haven for noncombatants - if things ever get that bad. This guy's like the Terminator, Dan, he'll just keep on coming - killing everything and everyone that stands in his way of getting to me. Like the Terminator though, we can stop him - permanently."

"Oh, does that make me Linda Hamilton?"

"Hermione, how can you joke about this?" Emma was almost in tears at the way this conversation had gone. Her daughter tried to reassure her, though without leaving Harry's lap.

"Mum, dad, this is who my Harry is. Yes he now thinks carefully about things, and considers all the options, but that doesn't mean he won't make the hard decisions. This is a very hard decision, but it's the right one. We still intend to take all the help we can get and hopefully put none of us at any risk. We also promise to discuss everything with you and not go charging off to battle. Right now, the only thing that's changed is our attitudes."

While agreeing with his intended, Harry tried to explain to her parents what these changes would actually mean in terms of their actions. "Albus has been championing the changes that are without doubt helping magical Britain take a step back from the dark future Hermione witnessed. While both of you, Sirius and Amelia can certainly help that cause, none of you can publicly lead it. That can only come from the two of us. That's the only real change we're talking about here, anything else can be discussed amongst the family."

"Mum, dad, the people who will staunchly oppose our stance already hate me and Harry - nothing will change there if we do this. I see the transformation in Luna and can't help but think this is something we need to do. Starting today, we hope to become the new champions of our cause for the witches and wizards of Britain."

-o- present -o-

Dan watched as the young couple approached Dumbledore's casket and bowed. Hermione kissed the tips of her fingers before laying her hand on the lid. This seemed to produce a wonderful sound that completely filled the bubble they were all standing in before a flash of flame introduced Fawkes to the proceedings. The song from the Phoenix took on a mournful tone as it landed on the casket. Harry and Hermione approached the mythical bird, stroking his feathers in their attempt to offer some comfort over Fawkes' loss. The flashes coming from the photographers capturing this scene meant there was already no doubt what image would appear on tomorrow's front page.

When Fawkes flamed away, the young couple returned to their seats as all those assembled once more sat down.

As Cornelius walked toward the podium, Both Harry and Hermione noticed his prepared speech stayed firmly in his pocket. He gave a nod in their direction before starting to speak.

"Albus was many things to many people, I couldn't have said it better myself. To me, he was a confidant, a college, an advisor, a good friend. While Cornelius Fudge can stand here and mourn the passing of his friend, the Minister of Magic can't afford that luxury. As Lord Potter so eloquently implied, Albus was many, many things to the entire country. His loss left a large hole in our community that I, as Minister of Magic, didn't know how we were going to fill. I should however have known Albus would never leave us in the lurch. That was so ably demonstrated by the young people who just spoke to you before me. Albus might not have complied with the strict terms of the recognised agreement, does anyone who just witnessed them speak have any doubts that Harry and Hermione were his apprentices?"

This caused a ripple of surprise throughout the assembled crowd but Cornelius now had their full attention, and wasn't for letting their attention wander anywhere. He of course recognised what this couple had just attempted to do and, being a shrewd politician, certainly understood the value of having someone else available to take the blame if things went tits-up. The mere suggestion these two were Albus' apprentices lent a degree of respectability to their claim, and cost Cornelius nothing. His public popularity had skyrocketed since he'd aligned his ministry alongside the boy-who-lived, Cornelius saw no reason to change course now.

"While I have no doubts Albus had hoped to have more time to instruct his two apprentices, I also have no doubt he chose the right people to pass on his knowledge - and take up the banner of his beliefs. The fact that both were able to stand here on this sad day yet still command the attention and respect of what is actually a quite daunting crowd really showed everyone their metral. Even Albus Dumbledore though couldn't do what he was attempting alone, his friends, colleges and his apprentices were assisting him every step of the way. Those two apprentices will need all our help to take Albus' work forward, I would just like to assure Harry and Hermione they have mine. By the way everyone present stood a few moments ago, it would seem they have yours too."

At any other time, those comments would have drawn tumultuous applause. This was after all a funeral so support was shown by a respectful lowering of heads.

The house elves took this as their cue. Dumbledore's casket rose off the temporary podium it was resting on and floated toward the lake. It passed without any problem through the magical bubble and carried on across the grass, coming to rest on a raft floating at the edge of the lake. This raft was then taken up by the merepeople as it glided along the mirror smooth surface of the Black Lake, the raft's destination clearly being the island where the white marble tomb awaited the headmaster. Everyone stood once more as the elves floated the casket to its custom-built home. The thick marble lid being placed on top sealed Albus Dumbledore into his final resting place, a place that would always be visible to those who visited Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore may be gone but his influence lingered on.

A final bow of heads, lead by the Minister of Magic and the ceremony was over. Cornelius had barely stepped down from the podium, approaching Harry and Hermione, when the podium disappeared. So did the temporary one that had held the casket as tables laden with food and drink soon took up this space. Once again the house elves were performing incredible feats of magic, and once again it was being ignored by the vast majority of the crowds.

Cornelius ensured he was first to shake their hands, though he would be by no means the last to do that today. The young couple were continually introduced to people they didn't know. After what they'd said today, both had expected this.

They were happy to shake Arthur and his wife's hand. While this was Harry's first real meeting with Molly, both of them already liked her husband. Shaking Amos Diggory's hand was also an experience. Harry kept flashing back to seeing the broken wizard weeping over his son's body - that wouldn't be happening this time. A ministry witch called Dolores shook their hands but Harry could sense it was forced. Turning to Hermione, he was rather shocked to see that there was also a sense of revulsion reflected from her toward this witch too. That would be a story for later though as Harry found himself being introduced to Barty Couch.

While he had never met the wizard, nor had any memories of doing so, Harry did remember his death eater son. The memory of Barty Crouch Jr getting ready to murder him, and only being stopped from doing so by Dumbledore blasting the door off the defence professor's room, was still vivid in his mind. He wondered how Amelia managed to deal with the man at the ministry, now knowing he was harbouring his son at home. He was soon to find out as Amelia approached.

Instead of coming forward to greet Harry and Hermione, Amelia chose this moment to initiate a confrontation that surprised everyone within earshot - and she wasn't being quiet about it.

"Barty Crouch, you are under arrest. We already have your son safely locked away in a ministry cell…"

The shocked wizard turned to face the Minister of Magic. "Cornelius, what is going on here…" While turned though, a panicked Barty was reaching for his wand.

Harry and Hermione were in a position to see this and their stunners hit who they aimed at, along with another three - including Sirius'. Madam Bones clearly was not one for taking chances as the remaining two stunners had come from her aurors. A quick glance around showed there were actually six keeping a careful eye on the situation from all different angles. While two moved toward the fallen wizard, the other four were rapidly joined by other colleges and their presence soon had the crowd reassured everything was in hand.

While restraints were fitted, Barty's wand was being taken as evidence. Cornelius finally found his voice.

"Amelia, I hope you know what you're doing here? If you're wrong, Barty will demand your head - and I would be forced to give it to him."

"I wasn't joking, we have his son in a cell…"

The Umbridge witch couldn't help adding her two knuts worth. "That's preposterous! Everyone knows Barty's son died in Azkaban."

"Just like everyone knew my fiancé was a murdering betrayer? Everyone knowing that supposed fact saw Sirius Black flung in Azkaban for over a decade. No questioning, no trial - everyone just knew. Barty was the chief architect of that decision being made, while in the background he was busy engineering his own son's escape from the very same prison. There will be a public trial and, after hearing all the evidence, then 'everyone' will discover the truth. That's how things work, Dolores. No one is above the law - no one."

The aurors were taking a still unconscious Barty away, a very powerful indicator to all the people present of just how much things had changed. Cornelius took the opportunity to have a quiet word with Amelia.

"Are you sure about the public trial?"

"Cornelius, we have nothing to hide. Barty was working alone, using the imperius curse to keep his son under control. He's guilty, so let's show all the witches and wizards of Britain how we deal with guilty people. We're putting a marker down here. Doesn't matter who you are, break our laws and you will be dealt with. First Malfoy, now Crouch - we're cleaning up our country a bit at a time."

The very public arrest of such a prominent figure in the ministry could have spoiled the event, but not when there was free food and drink available. With only a few student representatives from each year attending, most of the school were currently in their houses being supervised by the prefects, Harry and Hermione stood out even more. Cissi watched people practically queue to meet them and knew keeping Draco from trying to antagonise these two was now more important than ever. They were the new golden couple of British wizarding society, and Cissi knew how that system worked.

When she first married Lucius, they had held that heady position. They were invited to every event, and that was where the power lay. Just a mention to the host or organiser could see names added to the guest list - or removed. Although they probably didn't understand this yet, Potter and Granger now held this power to a far greater degree than the Malfoys ever had. With who they had around them though, Cissi knew that would soon be explained.

Watching as Augusta Longbottom publicly embraced both of them sent a message out to everyone who witnessed the act. Come Christmas, the Longbottom Ball would be the most sought after invitation in Britain. By her actions, Augusta had just declared Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would be present. Her ball was already a guaranteed success, while the former premier event on the British social calendar, the Malfoy Yule Ball, would be nothing more than a memory.

Like everything in life, things tend to work in cycles. The problem here was Cissi couldn't see anyone else being able to dethrone these two as the king and queen of society for many years to come. Their eventual marriage and any subsequent children would only cement their positions, not harm them. This unfortunately meant that the only way her son could ever regain any prominence for the once proud Malfoy name was with the approval of this couple.

Even without trying to, they held her son's future in their hands. What pureblood family would let their daughter marry Draco if the Malfoy money didn't grant that daughter access to the top echelons of wizarding society? Augusta had also cleverly just elevated her grandson into the most eligible bachelor in Britain status, since his best friend, Harry Potter, was most definitely off the market.

Trying to get her son to accept this new reality though was certain to prove a lot more challenging than teaching defence. Cissi would have another talk with Draco tomorrow, preferably before the newspapers were delivered to Hogwarts.

Dan and Emma had finally caught up with them while Amelia was thanking the couple for being so alert. Sirius dramatically cleared his throat, causing Amelia to thank him too, but this was not the reason behind his actions.

"Harry, Hermione, there's someone I want you to meet. This is Remus Lupin, a very good friend of mine - and Harry's parents too. Remus was actually a prefect with Lily and a marauder, his marauder name is Moony."

"A stag, grim and wolf - yet Prongs, Padfoot and Moony were the best names you could come up with? Looks like these marauders weren't as hot as they thought they were, Hermione." Harry was smiling as he held his hand out to a Remus who thought he couldn't be any more shocked today. Harry mentioning wolf in that manner had Remus instantly looking toward Sirius.

"You told him about me?"

"Moony, these two used the marauders map to capture that rat and get me freed - while still in first year. They also won those medals they're wearing for defeating Voldemort, the very same night! The marauders thought we were hot but trust me, we weren't ever in the same league as this pair."

"Why thank you, Sirius. Harry, behave yourself. Pleased to meet you Mr Lupin, I'm Hermione Granger. Oh, and your furry little problem doesn't make any difference to us."

Hermione had fond memories of Remus, she just didn't know if they could trust him - certainly not with something as big as their secret. The fact that she'd seen him transformed, and the werewolf had wanted to kill both her and Harry, played no part in Hermione's decision.

Remus was a kind and compassionate man, an academic who was also brave and loyal. While Remus Lupin was a wizard who wouldn't hesitate to stand beside them in any fight, there's no way he would get involved in publicly pushing the changes they wanted to happen. Remus had been dealing with his condition for so long, he'd let it define who he was. The attitudes of witches and wizards in Britain toward those afflicted with lycanthropy had certainly played a massive part in forging what was Remus' defence mechanism against being hurt.

A change in attitude had allowed Luna to emerge from her defence mechanism cocoon and bloom into a beautiful butterfly. While Remus could never be described as a butterfly, the mere chance of him one day being able to stand that bit straighter was yet another reason for them to continue with their cause. Hermione didn't know but there was news coming Remus' way that would allow him to take the first steps down that long road.

While shaking Hermione's hand, Remus had an epiphany. "Very pleased to meet you, and hear that. Hermione, I hope your not offended if I say that, though you look nothing like her, your poise, mannerisms and the way you speak remind me so much of a dear friend of mine - Lily Evans, later to become Lily Potter. She was also the only person I've ever met who could keep James and Sirius in line, something you seem to have already mastered."

"Why thank you for that, Remus. I will take any comparison to Harry's mother as a compliment. I don't know about mastering keeping these two in line though, Harry continually finds new ways to infuriate me, while Sirius will soon be Amelia's problem."

Remus couldn't help but laugh at that comeback and found himself being gently punched on the shoulder by Sirius. "What did I tell you, Moony - streets ahead of us at our best. If only I could get them interested in pranking..."

They were joined at that moment by Minerva. "I don't know that you were unsuccessful in those attempts, Sirius. These two, aided and abetted by the Minister of Magic, just pulled off the biggest prank I've ever seen. I've no doubt Albus' eyes would have been twinkling as he watched. Cornelius pulling that apprentice line out the air was something I didn't know he had in him. Hello Remus, so nice to see you again."

"You too, Professor - though I wish the circumstances were better."

"As do all of us, and it's Headmistress now. It's as headmistress I'd like to have a word with you, if you have the time?"

After hearing from Hermione that Remus had taught them defence for a year, Sirius was delighted at the prospect of his friend being offered a job. His smile though froze on his face as Minerva then turned her attention to him. "I'd like to speak with you too, Sirius. I realise that you have plans you'll need to make for you and Amelia's future but I hope we can work something out that's beneficial to everyone here."

As usual, Sirius tried to cover his shock with a joke. As usual, he was the only one who thought it was funny. "It's alright, Minerva, my favourite professor was always getting an invitation to our wedding."

Looking from Sirius to Amelia, Minerva let her own dry wit make a rare appearance. "There's still time to change your mind, Amelia..."

That her gag was better received than his own did nothing toward reinstating Sirius' smile. "Have we written those invitations yet, love?"

"We've been too busy, and I'll need to head to the ministry and question Barty."

"We'll need to head out too. We managed some cover and rearranged a few appointments but the Granger Dental Practice won't run itself. We'll see everyone again on Friday evening." After some farewell hugs, Dan, Emma and Amelia headed for the front gate while Minerva escorted Sirius and Remus to her office - something she hadn't had to do for a number of years.

Harry and Hermione set off for Gryffindor, thinking the might as well enjoy the relative peace just now. Things would change tomorrow when the papers hit Hogwarts.

-oOoOo-

Severus certainly knew things had changed. If the Prophet's front page picture of Potter and his mudblood, standing with Fawkes at Dumbledore's casket, didn't get that message across - their headline left no one in any doubt about how things now were.

The Leader of the Light is dead, long live the Leader of the Light

He didn't need to read any speeches or speculation about apprenticeships. With that one sentence, the witches and wizards of Britain had just bestowed the title of Leader of the Light onto a twelve year old boy. Thinking they were all crazy, Severus would have been dismayed to learn he now shared an opinion with James Potter's whelp.

His real ire though was reserved for an article deeper inside the newspaper. McGonagall had been confirmed as the new Headmistress, no shock there. No surprise either in her choice of deputy. Filius wouldn't want the job while Septima didn't have the experience, Pomona was always the clear favourite for the post. It was Minerva's other appointments that had Severus' blood boiling.

While she clearly wished to continue teaching, it wasn't really practical for the new Headmistress to have a full timetable. She'd solved this problem by having the bloody werewolf teach Transfiguration to the first three years worth of students. If that wasn't bad enough, that bastard Black would be in his dungeons teaching potions to the classes Dumbledore used to take. The real kick in the teeth though was appointing them both joint heads of Gryffindor. He was also willing to wager their partial timetables didn't overlap, allowing Black to cover for his furry friend on those awkward few days of the month Lupin became a deadly dark creature.

It wasn't so much the light's objectives that Severus couldn't accept, rather the personnel involved. Potter, Black and Lupin were the bane of his teenage life. They certainly played a part in half blood Severus Snape's decision to become a death eater. While he couldn't dispute change was all around him, some things were really too ingrained to be altered. Quite simply, whatever those three stood for, Severus would be on the other side.

History was repeating itself as those very same names once more saw him choosing the dark lord. Dumbledore had promised to keep Lily safe, he didn't. Promises were also made about him teaching in Hogwarts, and broken by Dumbledore because it suited the old bastard. Severus had made a promise to himself about Lily - that promise was now going to join the long list of broken promises in his life.

He would rest up and recuperate first, probably waiting until the new year to start looking for his master. He would still be keeping an eye on the situation in Britain, though continually seeing Potter being praised on the front pages of the newspapers would only harden his decision.

A/N This is now my second longest story, though Harry Crow is in no danger of being overtaken. No idea of the eventual length but I hope to have the next chapter out in two weeks. Since I haven't written one word of Chapter 26 yet, it really is hope rather than a promise. Good luck to everyone who is planning to celebrate the birthday of Scotland's favourite son by holding a Burns supper on Monday. You don't need me to tell you where this chapter title came from.

Chapter 26 - A Powerful Curse

They had deliberately held back on going down to breakfast this morning, not wanting to be sitting there when the newspapers were delivered. That everyone in the hall were gathered around those who had copies of today's newspapers was expected, Neville verbally pouncing on them as soon as they sat down was not.

"You two were Dumbledore's apprentices and didn't even tell me?"

It was Harry who tried to put an end to that story, amongst their friends at least, before it grew arms and legs. "Nev, the first we heard of that was when the Minister mentioned it in his speech yesterday. After spending last night looking up what an apprenticeship involved, neither Hermione nor I would have anything to do with one of those."

His intended instantly agreed. "You're basically signing control of your life away to someone else, becoming an indentured servant until your master thinks you've learned enough. No way will we be signing a contract like that - no matter who is offering it."

Parvati's answer of 'that's the way it's always been' left both Harry and Hermione shaking their heads.

"My mum and dad intend to cover this in their class later on in the year. In the muggle world you still pick your options like we do here, and then go on to higher exams while at school. After that though it's an entirely different matter. Assuming you worked hard enough to get the passes you needed, you would then start applying to universities that offered the course you wanted. Both my parents are dentists, a type of specialised healer dealing with teeth and your mouth. They attended university for five years, then worked almost as a trainee before becoming fully qualified."

"Before discovering I was a wizard I always fancied working in veterinarian medicine, healing animals."

Their conversation had of course drawn a lot of attention. That last remark from Harry though had left some of them flabbergasted.

"You're on the front page of the Prophet, being proclaimed the new 'Leader of the Light' and yet you want to be Hagrid? That's just …nuts!"

While Lavender's tone was one of disbelief, hearing his favourite phrase used against him had Harry almost choking. Trying to laugh while eating porridge is not recommended. As Hermione hit him on his back, Harry found Dean rushing to put the rest of those listening straight.

"Being a vet in the muggle world is a very highly respected position, and takes someone with brains to even take a shot at a career like that. As Hermione said, it's five hard years of university followed by on the job training. I'll be honest and say I don't think I've got the smarts - or the dedication - to pull something like that off."

His eyes may still be watering but Harry had his vocal cords back under control. "Thanks for that, Dean. Hermione and I also think it's unlikely every country has the same apprenticeship scheme as Britain. We intend to do some research on magical means of higher education, knowing that we also have the muggle system available too."

It was a puzzled Luna who probed further. "You would return to muggle education? What would you study there?"

A smiling Hermione answered that one. "We would have a vast and varied choice of courses - from astronomy to zoology, with all the other letters in-between being well represented too." Trying to personalise the discussion, and take some of the focus off them, she highlighted a few things Hermione knew their group of friends were interested in."There are courses on designing clothes, usually combined with art. Photography is another profession that you can study, as is journalism. By the way, Luna, we met your father yesterday."

This certainly switched their little blonde friend's attention from today's newspaper headlines. "How was he? What did he say?"

"He was chatting with us and my parents, just trying to get to know the people his daughter will be spending Christmas with."

Hermione wasn't for mentioning their friend's father seemed far more interested in the Hallows than Luna. Xeno wore his Hallows medallion to the funeral, claiming that Albus was a lifelong quester - and enquiring if the headmaster had left any information on his searches with his apprentices. Harry mentioning that these Hallows sounded like nothing more than stories for children had Xeno leaving in a huff, and left the rest of them biting their cheeks to stop laughing. With only her father's influence in her life, it was now easier for Hermione to see how the original Luna could have arrive at Hogwarts and be considered strange. If admiring Hermione Granger helped their friend become a more rounded person, it merely reinforced their opinion that yesterday's decision was the right one to make.

By the time the first bell sounded, most of their friends had moved onto a different subject than this morning's paper. Their first potions class with Sirius helped a good few more along the same track.

At the end of his class, again they delayed. This time however it was to speak with Sirius, rather than avoid anyone.

"That was quite the speech you two pulled off yesterday. Would you like to tell me why you shifted your position so radically?"

"We'll tell you and Amelia everything, just not here. What we wanted to talk to you about was defence training. I can teach Harry the spells, and neither of us are lacking magical power. What we are lacking is experience in magical fighting. We have our defence self study today and were hoping you could help us with that?"

"Of course I will. Remus is a defence specialist though…"

"…who couldn't fail to notice something wasn't right the instant we started casting." After cutting Sirius off, Harry further explained his reasoning. "I also need to start practicing with the wand Dumbledore gave me, not something we want known. I'm sorry Sirius, but neither of us are comfortable bringing anyone else into our group at the moment."

"Harry, Hermione must have told you that Remus can be trusted…"

"Actually Sirius, I agree with Harry. I thought I knew you, then you go and pull this wedding on us. We're very happy for you, and both of us really like Amelia, but it kinda proves our point. Things are so different this time around, my knowledge from before is becoming more and more useless. Let's give it some time for all of us to get to know this Remus again, then we can look at where we go from here. We like Remus but this is just too big to blurt out right after just meeting him again. After all, it took us months to tell you our secret."

A sighing Sirius consented. "Okay, I'm looking forward to teaching you two but not happy about hiding this from Remus. What am I supposed to say if he finds out?"

"What we need is somewhere we can't be found…"

With a light pop, Dobby appeared beside them with an answer to Harry's question. "Dobby has heard of a room that you can use, and not be found. The castle elves call it the come and go room…"

-oOoOo-

While all the students of a shocked Slytherin house had quietly read the news that morning, one had his gaze glued to the entrance doors instead. After having a long talk with his mother yesterday, Draco had expected today's Prophet to be full of Potter and his pet mudblood. What he didn't expect was the Gryffindor couple coming down late to breakfast and looking almost embarrassed at all the furore the Prophet had stirred up. There was no grand entrance, no basking in the notoriety of again being front page news. While his mother had gone to great lengths to explain that things were changing, and that they would have to at least appear to be changing as well, Potter's behaviour puzzled Draco.

Looking over toward the Gryffindor table, Draco's eyes were drawn to the closer Hufflepuff one. Sitting there was a perfect example of how much things had changed. The Weasley / Potter duo had been incredibly easy to rile, only luck had saved them being caught by Filtch in the excellent trap he'd set with that midnight duel ploy.

The Potter / Granger partnership though was a whole different animal, one that appeared to be at least two steps ahead of everyone since that troll ran amuck last Halloween. Weasley had loudly and publicly opposed the formation of that partnership, even taking steps to try and shatter the bond the couple clearly shared. That Weasley had gone from notoriety within Hogwarts to now being a total nonentity - a first year Puff to boot - graphically illustrated what could befall those who opposed Britain's new golden couple.

McGonagall had stood at dinner last night and announced that their potions lesson would now be taught by Potter's godfather, Lord Black. Draco knew his own godfather was now out of prison but there had been no contact between them since Severus got carted out of Hogwarts in irons by the aurors. With yet another supposed friend of the Potters, Professor Lupin, now teaching them transfiguration, this was simply more indicators of the startling changes his mother was warning him about.

Draco honestly didn't know if he could change that much. A mudblood Order of Merlin holder being praised on the front page of the wizarding press, and receiving plaudits from the Minister of Magic, was way beyond anything he thought acceptable for magical Britain. To please his mother though, Draco was sure he could at least play the part of one who was changing to suit the circumstances. His mother didn't want him going up against Potter, something that her son had already come to realise was not in his best interest. Every time since that Halloween he had done so, Draco had come off the worse. It was now time to be a Slytherin and wait to see what happened next.

With patience, he might actually figure out a way to get back at Potter - harming his pet mudblood would certainly do that. Doing so and not getting caught was always going to be the problem with that course of action but Draco could wait, and seeing him waiting would also get his mother off his back.

-oOoOo-

After spending half their time gawking at what this room could do, Sirius then put them to work. He wanted to see what level they were at, and what he needed to help them with. As usual, Hermione had been spot on with her assessment. They had the power and a wide range of spells at their command, they just had very little experience of how to use these assets in a fight.

The room actually provided them with sofas and refreshments after they finished, Sirius waited until the couple had at least sat and sipped their drinks before breaking the bad news to them.

"What you've been doing up until now gives us a solid foundation to build on, but there's a lot of building to do. While what you're doing here will easily be enough to see off any school fights against students, this won't do against death eaters or Voldemort. I understand you both holding back on your choice of spells and power, not wanting to hurt each other. That's a very bad habit to get into, and a hard one to break if you do. In a fight, you hit whoever is standing against you with everything you've got. Holding back could get both of you killed."

His godson nodding in agreement told Sirius they were all on the same page here. Harry's comments certainly lent credence to that point.

"We know that, Sirius, that's why we came to you for help. Hermione is a genius, and a brilliant teacher. She would be the first to admit though that she's no warrior. So, where do we go from here?" Sitting on the sofa the room had provide, Harry had his arm around Hermione - taking any and all sting out of his words.

"Well I know you both like your books. I'll speak with Ami and we'll work some kind of training program out for you. Is it okay to involve Ami in this?"

Hermione was all over that one. "Of course it is. She's going to soon be your wife, we don't want you to have secrets between you because of us. Apart from liking her very much, your fiancée has also trained aurors. We'd be really stupid not to want her involvement in this. We also need to get together for a talk on where we go next with our plans for defeating Voldemort."

Stupid was not something Sirius could see being associated with these two. "She'll be busy with the Crouch case for a while, the ministry are going for a quick trial. How about scheduling next weekend for a meeting, and I'll certainly get some books to you quicker than that. She might even send a couple of auror training manuals along. There's some stuff in them I'd like you to start with, and we'll then take it from there. Now I think we need to get down to dinner before questions start getting asked. The last thing we want to do is draw attention to this training."

With offers of help and at least a framework in place for moving forward, it was a much happier Harry and Hermione who headed toward the great hall for dinner.

-oOoOo-

They knew it would take something rather sensational to push the supposed new leaders of the light from the front pages of the papers. Thankfully, the following Saturday saw that happening. The trial of a top ministry official who had sneaked his death eater son from within Azkaban's secure clutches easily managed that task.

Barty Sr. had magically expanded the internal dimensions of a closet in his home, keeping his son a prisoner there by means of repeated use of the unforgivable imperius curse and watched over by their family's house elf.

The uproar Barty Jr.'s outing from the closet caused amongst Britain's witches and wizards had absolutely nothing to do with his sexual preferences. Compared to the fact that Barty Jr. was sentenced to life imprisonment in the secure wing of Azkaban, and was reported to have died there a decade ago, sexual preferences didn't rate a mention. Either father or son could have been photographed having sexual relations with the goat of their choice outside Buckingham Palace and it wouldn't have rated a mention when faced with the other facts of this case.

Barty Sr. might have been able to garner a smidgen of sympathy for how he came to be entrapped into this situation, a vow made to his dying wife. When, under truth serum questioning, Barty revealed he hated his son for costing him the chance of ever being Minister of Magic - any sympathy vanished almost as fast as free whisky at a Highland ceilidh. That a father could leave his only flesh and blood imperiused and locked in a windowless box hardened hearts and minds against the person who was already considered a callous, cold-hearted character. Details of him memory charming the few people who discovered his secret sealed both Crouches' fates.

The son's fate was actually never in any doubt. He'd already been tried, found guilty and then escaped from the prison he'd been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in. Barty Jr. was sentenced to be kissed by a dementor. His father would be spending the rest of his life residing in the same Azkaban cell he'd previously orchestrated his son's escape from.

That the young Gryffindor couple were being forgotten about for the moment pleased them greatly. Walking through the corridors, Harry and Hermione noticed someone who appeared just as happy. Susan's smile widened as she was greeted by them.

"Hi Susan, your aunt is really making a difference in cleaning up this country. First Malfoy, now Crouch..."

Although blushing, the pride Susan was feeling easily shone through her reddening cheeks. "Thanks, Harry. It shows that whether you're a death eater or ministry official, the law's the same for everyone. That's something auntie always prided herself on. Now the entire country can see that, with her in charge of magical law enforcement, that's what they're going to get."

Her blushing actually increased as Susan attempted to ask Harry something. "Although she's my auntie, she's really more like my mother. I was only a year old when death eaters murdered my parents and auntie stepped in to raise me. What I was wondering, with auntie marrying Sirius - and you both knowing him better than me - him teaching in Hogwarts will help..."

Hermione was sure she knew where the girl was going with this but Susan was tying herself in knots trying to ask her question. "Just ask, Susan. You know we'll help you any way we can."

With her head down, Susan blurted out the question she was desperate to know the answer to. "When Sirius marries auntie, do you think he'll want to be my uncle?"

Hermione loved her more mature, more confident Harry. He used both of those qualities as he stepped forward and embraced Susan in a hug.

"I'm certain he would love nothing more than for you to think of him as that. With me being his godson, this wedding will make us family too. If I get an auntie and a sister out of it, then I might be just as happy as Sirius at the wedding."

Still held in Harry's arms, a trembling Susan lifted her head and gazed into the greenest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. Unsure whether she had actually heard Harry correctly, Susan whispered that magical word back at him. "Sister?"

Smiling and kissing her forehead, Harry spoke from the heart. "When Sirius and Amelia officially become married, I think sister best describes the way I feel about you. Are you okay with that?"

By way of an answer, an excited little squeal was mostly muffled by her hugging Harry tighter than she thought possible. It took a moment for Susan to get her thoughts back in order, she was standing in a corridor hugging Harry Potter after all. Remembering who else was in that corridor had Susan finding her voice. "I always wanted a brother or sister, now I'm getting both. Thanks, Harry - you too Hermione."

Embracing Harry and her new pseudo sibling, Hermione jokingly enquirer if Susan understood what she was letting herself in for. "Are you sure about this, Susan? Being attached to Harry Potter comes with it's own health warning, and can you imagine the glares any potential boyfriend of yours is going to receive?"

Playing along with Hermione's jokey theme, Harry also kept it very light. "My sister will have the crests of houses Bones, Black and Potter on her robes. Anyone messing with her is going to be in more trouble than they know how to handle."

Laughing along with them, Susan was still blushing as she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "Who can say no to those green eyes. I don't know how you manage it, Hermione."

"Who says I do?" Hermione's flippant comment seemed to suck all the air out of the corridor for an instant before it was replaced by loud laughter. Hermione was laughing at the two shocked expressions facing her while Susan thought she'd just been had.

Changing the subject, Hermione mentioned something that had been on her mind since spotting today's paper. "Harry, we really need to spend some time with Neville today, the news about Barty Crouch Jr. will have shocked him to the core. Susan, you want to come along?"

"Oh I'd love to. I'll need to let Hannah know first though, we Puffs tend to look out for one another. She would have me posted missing and the search parties out before dinner time."

"Harry will do it, he's been dying to try this out anyway."

The witch in question was sitting inside the Hufflepuff common room chatting to Ernie when she suddenly found herself the centre of attention for everyone there. That wasn't exactly true though, the ghostly stag that had just passed through the wall had every pair of eyes currently in the common room fixed on it. When the stag began to speak to Hannah in Harry Potter's voice, no one was quite sure what to make of this.

"Hi Hannah, just to let you know that Susan's fine, and will be spending some time with me and Hermione." That Susan's giggles could clearly be heard along with Harry's message raised more than a few eyebrows.

The stag fading into nothing restarted all the conversations that its appearance had halted, only this time all those conversations were centred around what had just happened. Leaving his chess game, Ron stormed out of the common room. He so wanted to loudly rant and rave about Potter bloody showing off again but had learned behaviour like that didn't go down too well in his new house. Sometimes Puffs were just too bloody sweet to be wholesome for the former Gryffindor.

The Puff walking along the corridor with the Gryffindor couple was still giggling. "Harry, have you any idea the interrogation that will be waiting on me when I get back to my common room after that message of yours? Hannah will be putting at least a dozen different slants on that short sentence."

"Just imagine the fun you can have by saying you were with your brother and sister." Harry's reply brought on even more giggles from the bubbly girl. Susan entered the Gryffindor common room between Harry and Hermione, and no one even commented on this highly unusual occurrence.

Hermione quickly spotted the person they were looking for, and she was actually pleased to see Parvati almost glued to Neville's side. "Hi Nev, we're taking Susan up to our rooms for a chat. You and Parvati would be more than welcome to join us."

Neville was still taking his relationship with Parvati slowly, thus didn't want her running about their room whenever she felt like it. He was more than happy to have Parvati there along with Harry and Hermione however. He'd been sitting in the common room feeling like shit but didn't want to disappear up the stairs himself - nor take Parvati with him. He jumped at the chance however of joining his friends, Neville was now also happy for his girlfriend to come with him. Taking Parvati by the hand, he followed the other three up the stairs.

Entering the room, they all took seats while butterbeer and some snacks appeared on the table.

Looking around the room, and checking out the amazing views through the large windows, a clearly impressed Susan let out a low whistle. "If this is how the Gryffindors live, I think I want a transfer."

Sitting cuddling into Neville, Parvati put the Hufflepuff straight. "Oh it's only these three that live like this. These rooms were McGonagall's bargaining chip to keep these three in Gryffindor. Then again, I think they earned them." She was supporting her boyfriend as best she could but Parvati was also curious. "So Susan, what brings you into the Lions' Den?"

"Just visiting my brother and sister..."

This perked Neville up. "Of course, Sirius marrying your aunt. Are you going for siblings?"

"That's what Harry offered, and what I always wanted."

"Me too, though that's something I never thought about. Gaining siblings due to a wedding..."

"I've got a sister you could share..."

Neville smiled at his girlfriend before another thought had him bursting into laughter. Seeing his girlfriend's hurt expression, he immediately explained his actions. "Sorry about that, I certainly wasn't laughing at you or Padma. I just had the crazy thought enter my head that whoever marries Ginny Weasley also inherits six older brothers."

This had all of them laughing, and started Neville down the road of leaving his grade one funk behind. Sitting having fun with his friends and girlfriend was just what he needed to get over the fact that one of the people who had tortured his parents managed to escape from Azkaban. That Crouch Jr. had been caught and would now never harm anyone ever again was helping him relax, as was the company he was currently in.

They even had dinner brought to their room, Harry and Hermione only leaving when it was time to take Susan back to Hufflepuff before curfew. As they left, a now smiling Neville thanked them for keeping him company today. He then went on to thank Parvati rather more personally as she wasn't allowed up here after curfew.

As Susan had expected, there was a welcoming committee waiting for her as they approached Hufflepuff. Playing to the crowd, she hugged Harry and Hermione - thanking them for a wonderful day. Both had trouble holding their laughter in as Susan winked at them, her housemates would certainly have a few questions for her.

Walking back to Gryffindor, Hermione had Harry's arm and lent her head on his shoulder. "I actually enjoyed that today. It's so tempting just to be twelve and thirteen."

"Only for a while, love. I really can't wait until we're older. Also days like today are only possible because Voldemort doesn't currently have a body. We need to stop him getting one, so everyone can have a lot more days like that."

A certain someone was listening, deciding that it was time to help.

-oOoOo-

When the kitchen of Hogwarts was full of elves, the place was normally a hive of activity. Tonight not one of them moved, they were all too busy staring at the two house elves standing side by side on the table.

"You all know our family, and that family has vowed to fight the dark one."

Both elves standing there in probably the finest robes ever worn by a house elf was a massive clue who these elves belonged to. The Potter and Black house crests worn on the chest of those fine robes put any doubt to bed.

"As good house elves, Dobby and Darla will protect their family. Our family knows why dark one won't stay dead, house elves have helped our family find these sick and evil things the dark one made. With every one we find, the dark one grows nearer his end."

"A Black house elf had one that killed his former master, Kreacher watched as Dumbledore destroyed it. Dobby and Darla helped their family find one more, Dumbledore destroyed that one too. It was another one of these that killed the Headmaster, but not before he destroyed it. Our family will now destroy any that are left, but we need to find them first. Dobby and Darla are asking for your help to do this."

The oldest elf in the castle shuffled forward and asked a question. "What are you asking us to do, young one? Like you, we too have bonds that we must live by."

Bowing to the old elf, Dobby signalled to Darla to offer the diary. "Respected elder, be it Hogwarts or a home - no one knows what goes on in that building better than a house elf. This book once held the taint of the dark one, it has been removed. If any elf has felt a taint like this before, or feels one later, we ask only to be told. We all know there are ways around instructions and bonds, if we wish it to be so..."

This started murmurings which, for house elves, was practically a riot. Dobby cut right across those murmurings, the powerful young elf being an imposing figure to those gathered. His words also had the ring of truth that couldn't be disputed.

"The dark one and his followers treated us worse than vermin, who wants to go back to those days? The young wizard and witch that stood at the Headmaster's burial and promised to stand against the dark one call Dobby and Darla family - they call Dobby and Darla friend. Dobby would give his life to help them defeat the dark one, so they could then go on to make lots of little Potters."

Dobby had tears running down his cheeks as he proudly stood wearing his family's crests on his robes, waiting to see if anyone doubted his word. Darla handed the diary to the ancient house elf before standing beside Dobby. She'd watched as all the female elves had eyed Dobby up, She now stood beside him.

"Darla would also give her life for her family. Darla's new family got her away from the Malfoys, and bad former master is now on the island of the soul suckers."

The shiver that went through the other elves wasn't just because Darla mentioned dementors. The diary was getting passed around, with no elf holding the disgusting thing for more than a few seconds.

The oldest elf was rubbing his hands up and down his pillowcase, as if to try and remove the taint. "Never has Pappy felt such evil, such wrongness - this should not exist. These things must be destroyed. Any Hogwarts elf feeling such a taint will inform Pappy, Pappy will call for Dobby or Darla. Hogwarts elves will spend any free time from their duties scouring the castle from top to bottom, we don't want one of these in our home. Your family is really powerful wizards and witches if they can destroy these."

Having now achieved what they'd asked for, Dobby and Darla began to relax. Dobby also gladly accepted the opportunity to talk about his family. "Dobby watched as his family destroyed the dark one's host, Quirrell, before chasing the spirit of the dark one from the castle with a curse."

This really impressed all those listening. As the diary was passed back to Darla, Pappy asked a question. After all, it was their duty to protect Hogwarts.

"What was this curse that chased the dark one out of the castle? Could an elf cast it?"

"Harry Potter used the 'fuck off' curse, before his golden animal pushed the dark one's spirit away. Dobby doesn't know if an elf could cast it, but it worked really well. Perhaps Dobby and Darla should ask their family to teach them this curse. If elves could use it, the dark one would no longer be feared."

This time the murmur that went around the room was one of anticipation, and appreciation. Even the mere thought of a defence against the dark one had them excited, and ready to search for items that had the dark one's disgusting taint.

-oOoOo-

As things quickly got back into the routine of classes, homework, looking forward to the next quidditch match and then the Christmas Holidays, Hogwarts began to settle down to its new normal. With one thing and another keeping getting in the way, it actually took another two weeks before all the family was gathered in the Grangers' quarters for their meeting.

When Dobby explained how the meeting with the castle's elves had gone, Sirius was on the floor with laughter. There was no laughter coming from the Granger girls, Hermione's tone was stern as she stared at her intended.

"Harry Potter, no child of mine will be using language like that. So their daddy better start practicing not using it now, then he'll have mastered it by the time they come along. Dobby, Harry will also explain to you those are not magical curse words, they are not a spell. No one is laughing at you, it's just the misuse of those words some uncouth people find funny..."

Sirius was climbing back into his seat, the loud laughter now somewhat under control. He was still sniggering at his godson though as Harry led Dobby off to a corner for a quiet word.

Harry was thinking he'd gotten off lightly, considering he didn't have to explain this to Darla as well. He really should have known better as Dobby just broadcast the gist of what he'd said to the entire room.

"You told the dark one to leave Hogwarts and perform a sex act on himself? Harry Potter is indeed a great wizard."

With both elves now looking at Harry in awe, and his shocked expression to their reaction, Sirius was back on the floor. Dan may have stayed in his seat but he was laughing just as loudly as the marauder. As Harry looked around the room for help, Amelia lost her battle for control and started laughing too. Seeing her mother beginning to crack, Hermione rose and approached the lost pair in the corner.

Putting her arm around her intended, Hermione tried to explain. "Dobby, when Harry gets angry, he says things that shouldn't be repeated in polite company. The muggle world calls these curse words, and using them is called swearing. I can see how this could be confusing but there is no magic involved or summoned by using them. They are merely insults, used to relieve the stress of the person saying them. Do you understand?"

"Dobby thinks so. Like telling another elf they need to go and wash their pillowcases?"

"Dobby Potter!"

This rebuke being shrieked by Darla indicated to the rest of them Dobby now probably had the gist of swearing. Emma tried to get the meeting back on track.

"So the castle's elves will check Hogwarts for any more of these. Where does that leave us?"

"Unless we get lucky, all it will tell us is the castle is safe. Then again, the elves won't have access to the chamber of secrets - Tom Riddle clearly did. If he hid one down there, only Harry can open it. Neither of my Harry's are prone to exaggeration. When Harry told me the basilisk down there was humongous and terrifying - I not only believed him but never wanted proof."

Mulling all that information over, there was only one conclusion Harry could come to. "It makes sense for one to be down there. It's called the chamber of secrets for a reason - no one knows where it is. Add to that you need to be a parselmouth to open the chamber, and it's protected by one of the most deadly creatures on the planet - why would he not put one down there?"

"Just the thought of that place has a shiver of dread running down my spine, but I can't disagree with a word of that. Let's leave discussing the chamber until the rest of the school has been searched. Having to go down there will be a last resort..." Hermione found herself being interrupted by her mother.

"I thought fighting Voldemort was your last resort? How many last resorts do you have, and how many don't your father and me know about?"

"Mum, we're training to fight in case we have to - not because we want to fight this nutter. It's always better to have skills and not need them, rather than things being the opposite way around." Hermione rolling her eyes like a thirteen year old didn't help their case, or do anything to ease Emma's worries. Knowing this was something both Emma and Dan strongly objected to, the idea of them fighting rather than the training, Harry moved the meeting on.

"I think we're all agreed that any family dark enough for Voldemort to entrust with one of his horcruxes is unlikely to have a house elf willing to help us. If they tell their master what we're looking for then our chances of getting our hands on it drop drastically. I think it's time to call Albus and see if he has any information that helps us go forward with this."

After witnessing James and Lily's appearance amongst them, the group were somewhat prepared for Albus' return - though none of them thought they would ever reach the stage where this would become routine.

A smiling Albus soon greeted them. "Hello everyone. I'm glad to see you took my advice, adding Sirius and Amelia to the group will surely help with this task. I would also like to thank Harry and Hermione for that lovely eulogy…"

"You were there?" It was only after she said the words, Hermione realised how stupid that sounded.

It actually put grins on everyone's faces, and helped bring things to an almost normal level. Like the Potters though, Albus had no more information on any locations of horcruxes. He did have an idea however, and even a plan to take that idea forward.

"We are working on the assumption that, since Voldemort trusted one of them to Malfoy, he might have done the same with another of his followers. I also agree with the point made earlier, that we can't trust any approach to a dark family's house elf wouldn't backfire on us. There is another option - what if it wasn't hidden in their house?'

It was actually Amelia who guessed where Albus was going with this. "Of course, it could be locked in their family vault in Gringotts."

"Yes, and Harry's speech at my funeral was very well received by the goblin contingent that was present. An approach to Gringotts from the ministry would almost instantly be rejected. A personal appeal from the person who just swore to stand against the dark lord has a far greater chance of succeeding. It will be turning that request around to show the goblins how this could benefit them that will be the key to achieving their assistance. We can provide a method of destroying any horcrux they find, without even taking the item out of the vault it's secured in."

It was Dan who asked what he thought was actually a stupid question. "Surely it is in everyone's interest to see this monster destroyed? Will the goblins support him if he returns?"

"From our point of view, there really is no thought necessary - Voldemort needs to be stopped. When dealing with other species and cultures, one always needs to remember their views on any given situation will almost certainly differ from ours. It's all about finding the common ground, the points we agree on, and then taking things forward from there. Dobby and Darla's presentation to the Hogwarts house elves was devastatingly effective, gaining their complete support. Getting the goblins to scan vaults may be a harder nut to crack but I can't help thinking a witch or wizard would believe their Gringotts vault would be safer than their house."

This saw an audible groan coming from Harry. "I suppose we should have expected things like this to come our way, after being promoted to 'leaders of the light'. Dobby and Darla are certainly coming to Gringotts with us - though no cursing allowed."

This put the grins back but Hermione was looking a little further ahead. "Augusta's Christmas Ball will now be a nightmare…"

"Not if I'm on the dance floor with you the entire night." Both liked that idea, then Albus threw something special into the mix.

"Your parents are really looking forward to talking with you over the Christmas holidays."

Knowing he had that spectacular event to look forward to, neither discussions with the goblins nor the thought of all the people who would be trying to buttonhole him at the ball could affect the grin Harry now wore.

Hermione asking Albus if he could tell them any more about Harry being 'Master of Death' saw Albus' expression instantly change. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I have been expressly forbidden about discussing that topic. Anyone Harry calls will be under the same restriction. I'm in Death's realm now, I can't disobey that order - even to the 'Master of Death'."

While that introduced a bit of a downer to the meeting, they at least now had some plans for moving forward. The castle's elves would search Hogwarts and Sirius would approach Gringotts to hopefully arrange a meeting for Harry during the holidays. Harry and Hermione meanwhile would continue with their new defence lessons. Hoping for the best - but preparing for the worst.

They did have to promise Emma and Dan that they wouldn't go searching in the chamber of secrets without sitting down and discussing it with the group first. Since neither Harry nor Hermione wanted to go anywhere near the chamber, they were more than happy to give their word on that.

After the meeting broke up, Sirius and Amelia escorted both Gryffindors back to their dorm - just making curfew. They had barely said goodbye when Remus appeared, obviously patrolling the corridors.

"Hey Moony, no rest for the wicked. Can I have a word?"

Amelia gave Sirius' arm a squeeze and told her fiancé she would wait at the entrance hall for him. Once she had gone, Sirius got right down to business.

"I wanted to ask if you would be best man at my wedding?"

This question did not get the reaction Sirius was expecting. "Why me? I thought you would have asked Harry. Did he turn you down?"

"You're my best friend, why wouldn't I ask you? And Harry would never turn me down…"

"Yeah, a best friend who you like to keep in the dark. I thought we were marauders? Didn't you get a bellyful of keeping secrets from your supposed best friend? I thought you would have realised by now where keeping secrets can lead?"

A shocked Sirius took a step back, before the Black temper asserted itself. "The marauders - yeah we were a shit hot bunch. One murdered, one unjustly imprisoned, one hiding as a rat while the fourth just disappeared off the face of the planet. What I learned from that experience is the problem doesn't lie with the secrets you're keeping, it's who you tell those secrets to that causes the grief. You're my best friend, no question about that. The people I was with tonight however - they're my family. It's taken me my entire life to find a family I can be proud to be a part of, nothing and no-one is more important to me than that family."

Remus was getting angry too though, he'd hardly seen Sirius since starting working in the castle. You didn't have to be a genius to work out Sirius was far closer to the people he had been with tonight than his oldest friend. That Remus also appeared to be getting deliberately excluded from this group was what really hurt, and brought his temper into play as well.

"You talk of family, yet are marrying a witch who's probably too old to provide you with one…"

Remus never said anymore, Sirius' fist connecting with his mouth put a stop to anything else he might have said. The rage Sirius had put into that blow would have knocked a normal wizard unconscious. Even although Remus was a werewolf, the blow still landed him on his arse. He looked up into the furious eyes of his best friend, a best friend whose wand was now trained on him.

"You sanctimonious, sorry-arsed excuse of a friend. You've had a hard life - big deal! Stop with the pity parties and start making the best of what you've got. Talk about Ami like that again and you'll get far more than a punch in the mouth."

A couple of deep breaths brought Sirius somewhat under control. While still very angry, at least he wasn't about to start firing curses.

"Forget about being best man, Harry will stand with me. My godson is twelve, got me set free from Azkaban, yet not only understands that Ami is the most important person in my life - he insists that's the way it has to be. Compare your actions to that twelve year old boy's, Professor Lupin, then ask yourself who is right. Here's a big clue, it's not you!"

With that, Sirius stormed away. His best friend lay on the cold stone floor, neither marauder knowing whether their friendship was left lying there too.

Amelia missed nothing, a sometimes lifesaving byproduct of being an auror for so many years. While she didn't need those enhanced powers of observation to determine Sirius was angry, spotting his skinned knuckles as he hugged her helped paint the picture of what had happened after she left.

"Do I take it Harry is now best man?"

"The one thing my godson and I have in common is that we both love scarily smart women. Hermione was right, we've all changed..."

"My fiancé has certainly changed, which is why I said yes when he asked me. Remus is back at Hogwarts, and perhaps expected things to go back to the way they used to be. You are his only friend..."

"Yet he can't be happy for me? Sorry but I'd rather spend my nights with you, rather than sitting in some old castle reminiscing about my teenage years. The next move is his to make, it will also decide whether we still have a friendship."

Amelia healed his hand, before taking it in one of her own as they walked from the castle to the edge of the wards.