27

The following day was very sombre. Fawkes had spent the night serenading the castle to keep away the potential nightmares, but the human mind is not an easily tameable essence.

The story in all the papers was the same, the Massacre of Hogwarts. There were photos of the huge Fiendfyre Dragon taking a bite out of the stadium. Only the Quibbler had images of Harry defeating the dragon with a whole page dedicated to Norbert.

Xander was not forgoing his right to say 'I told you so'. He had been ranting and raving at his mother and brothers for most of the night, Joyce having extracted herself from the castle after the danger had passed. He was now arranging a full goblin company to attend as security and every Champion would have to run their plans past Joyce, Sal and Godric.

Later in the week, Xander heard news from Amelia that absolutely boiled his blood.

"What do you mean Lucius is free?" He growled dangerously.

"We have no evidence and he was very careful to distance himself. He seems to have improved on the 'I was under the Imperious' defence." Amelia growled back, she was not going to take the rap for this one. "But we did get the instructors."

"What aid has he offered to Draco?" Minerva asked.

"None, rumour has it that he plans to disown Draco publicly. Probably to improve public opinion of the Malfoy's in general."

"What will become of Draco? Surely they aren't going to just leave him to the wolves?" Minerva asked, she may not like the boy, but she still felt responsible.

"Min, he made his bed and now he gets to lie in it. There were plenty of options far less dangerous and far more effective than Fiendfyre." Sal scowled. "It was his arrogance that let him think he could do what better men than him couldn't."

"What's Fudge's take on all this?" Xander asked.

"Washing his hands of it, you might need to confront him." Amelia grimaced.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention, I will make a statement regarding the recent disaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Fudge announced as he stood on the steps of the Ministry building with reporters from around the world before him.

This would be a career maker for him. He wasn't just about to address the British media, but the international media as well. He would truly be world famous, it could be a stepping-stone to the International Political Arena, maybe even to the ousting of Dumbledore from the position of Supreme Mugwump.

"First, I would like to express my condolences and sympathies to those injured and those who lost loved ones last Saturday. Our thoughts are with them." He said solemnly.

"I was deeply shocked by the fact that young Mr. Draco was permitted to call forth Fiendfyre for what was to be a happy and joyous event, especially in the midst of so many innocents. He was immediately taken into custody by one of our Aurors and subsequently interrogated by the proper authorities.

"As a result of these interrogations we have arrested those that taught Mr. Draco the spell and advised him to use it.

"Because the event occurred at Hogwarts which is sovereign territory, and because many victims were foreign dignitaries, we have been petitioned by the ICW for extradition of Mr. Draco to be tried directly by the ICW.

"After careful consideration and deliberation with my advisors I have decided to grant extradition.

"Finally, we are appalled by the lack of safety and security that allowed this to happen at Hogwarts. I am afraid that if they cannot show a significant improvement in these areas we will remove Ministry support for the Tournament and would urge our counterparts in France and Bulgaria to do the same. We-"

There was a thunderous bang and a flash that nearly blinded the reporters and knocked Fudge to the ground. There standing before them and behind Fudge were the French Minister for Magic and the Bulgarian Minister for Magic with Igor Karkarov, Olympe Maxine, Xander Harris and the four remaining Champions.

None of them looked especially happy.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I was just at Hogwarts with these good people as we listened the Minister give his 'statement'." Xander spat snidely. "None of us felt we could simply allow this man to denigrate us unchallenged.

"Let me be quite clear that I was fully opposed to this Tournament. It was only due to the Ministry forcing it upon me that it has happened. Furthermore, the Ministry has done nothing to help with the clear up and aftermath. They are not responsible for the capture and holding of Mr. Malfoy, my girlfriend, Nym Tonks, did that and Mr. Malfoy is currently being held in a Goblin facility on my orders, which means the ICW needs to petition me for extradition.

"We do however, thank the Minister for recognising the sovereignty of Hogwarts. If you have questions, please raise your hand and wait to be recognised."

Fudge was fuming. Lord Hogwarts had not only hijacked his press conference but also sullied his reputation. Worst of all, there was little he could do in full public view. He began planning to take Hogwarts and see to it that he had it firmly under his control and that Lord Hogwarts and his annoying family were no longer a threat.

Xander meanwhile pointed to a male journalist.

"Jean Dupris, Nouveux Magique. Lord Xander, I understand you personally were against the Tournament, what of your fellow co-'eads?"

Xander smiled. "In order to answer that properly, allow me to explain the origins of the Tournament. The Lady Hogwarts and her children, the Hogwarts Founders, arranged a series of games to be held between various schools that had started around the same time as Hogwarts. These games were tests of various aspects of a persons grasp on magic. Some of them were scenarios much like the Dragon task we had on Saturday.

"Back then, they didn't have the Goblet of Fire. The students would compete in internal competitions for the right to compete in the tournament with the other schools, on top of this, they could only compete with the support of the Headmaster or Headmistress.

"This is what they were expecting when they signed up for the tournament. What they got was something very different. I think it is safe to say that Hogwarts will not be participating in any future tournaments unless they revert to the original requirements."

"Andy Smudgley, The Daily Prophet. Minister Fudge, you called the son of Lucius Malfoy, 'Mr. Draco'. Why?"

This would be a big deal, Draco had been disowned and had no name to use. It was one of the worst things to happen to someone of Draco's standing. Or former standing.

"Due to the atrocities that Mr. Draco was allowed to commit by the staff at Hogwarts, he has been disowned for being such a disgrace. I am afraid I must refrain from further comment on this subject as it is a topic that should be left to the House of Malfoy." Fudge said inwardly smirking at the additional jibe at Hogwarts.

"Lord Hogwarts, your response?" Smudgley asked.

"First of all, Mr. Malfoy was not 'allowed' to commit the atrocities, as soon as it was discovered what he was doing every attempt was made to stop him. If Norberta the dragon hadn't given her life as she had, everyone would have died. If Fawkes and Neville as Phoenixes hadn't trapped the Fiendfyre Dragon, it would have destroyed Hogwarts and then rampaged the rest of the world. If Headmaster Karkarov and Viktor Krum hadn't taught Harry Potter a quick course on Fiendfyre, we would still be trying to stop it… and you would all be dead.

"Secondly, Mr. Malfoy refused the offer of additional training from Hogwarts and the other schools. He demanded that he be allowed to train with tutors provided by his father. I would be happy to swear under oath and veritiserum that he did not learn about Fiendfyre at Hogwarts.

"What Mr. Malfoy did, he did as a Malfoy, he did with the blessing of his father, Lucius Malfoy. And yet, Lucius has been allowed to go free."

"Joanna Arlington, Sydney Seer, are we really expected to believe that a fourteen year old boy was able to learn how to conjure and control Fiendfyre in the space of a few minutes and then go on to immediately control and dispel a raging out of control Fiendfyre Dragon?" The woman asked sceptically.

"Lord Hogwarts, if I may?" Igor asked politely. Xander gave the man a respectful nod and took a step back as Igor stepped forward. "As vith My Lord Hogwarts, I vould be happy to svear an oath that Lord Harry Potter of Gryffindor did indeed do as you said. However, I vill perform a demonstration."

Igor withdrew his wand and began incanting over the tip, ending with blowing across the top. A stream of fire swept out and the flame coalesced into the shape of a chimera, only this one was roughly the size of a Labrador.

The crowd gasped and began backing away nervously.

"Do not vorry, all Durmstrang students are taught to cast and control Fiendfyre in their final year. It is a test of vhat they have learnt regarding control." Igor called out in a strained voice. "This is the extent of vhat I can safely conjure and control. Harry, vould you please take control?"

Harry sighed and stepped forward. He really wanted to just go home and hide in his room. Neville had decided to move back to his old room for a few nights to give Harry the privacy he knew his friend craved.

But no, here he was standing in front of the whole world about to put on a dog and pony show.

Igor and Viktor had been very interested in Harry's ability to control and conjure Fiendfyre, especially as he had taken to conjuring it without a wand or incantation, he just blew on the palm of his hand. He could also take control of it without having to 'become' the Fiendfyre he conjured, his Fiendfyre dragon seemed to have a personality of it's own and didn't consume anything that Harry didn't want it too.

It seemed that each witch or wizard that conjured Fiendfyre, had it take a form that was representative of them. Harry, Draco and Viktor conjured dragons, Igor conjured a chimera. Harry quickly conjured his dragon and sent it to take over the chimera, soon enough the two merged and the chimera was subsumed by the dragon.

Igor visibly relaxed from the release of the strain as the dragon trotted over to Harry and Harry gave it a pat.

"As you can see, Lord Harry of Gryffindor is more than capable of doing vhat vas described." Igor grinned.

Harry was relaxing in his room, trying to decompress after the press conference that afternoon. He still hadn't had time to deal with what had happened on Saturday. At the moment he was trying to think up ways to say thank you to Neville for giving him some space by taking back his old room for a few days. It was much better than trying to focus on the last few days.

He was still hurting after losing Norbert, not to mention the clutch of eggs she had left behind. Harry was surprised that she hadn't told him. For now the four female dragons that had come for the tournament were taking turns nursing them.

One of the reasons that Harry was grateful for Neville moving out was that it gave him the freedom to sneak down to Norbert's cave and sleep there in the company of the three females and the eggs. Norbert had asked him to take care of them, and he would.

His musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. Hermione peaked in.

"Hey Harry." She said with a small smile. "Can you come out? Xander says we need to discuss some things."

Harry sighed, but struggled into a seated position. "Can't you come in here and nap with me?"

"As much as I would love to do that, we might wind up setting the alarms off." She said with a saucy smirk. "But, when we move back home we can nap all you want."

"Can we nap on the couch in the living room?" He asked hopefully.

"You think you can?" She asked with a frown. Usually Harry was far too fidgety to properly relax in a public space.

"We could sleep under my cloak." Harry grinned.

"That sounds lovely, Harry. Right up until the point where someone actually sits on us." She teased as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to standing. "Now, come on, hopefully this won't take long."

Harry pulled her into his arms and gave her soft kiss on the lips before burying his face in her neck. "I love you Hermione." He whispered softly.

Hermione sighed. She knew he was still down over the last task and losing Norbert, she hoped he would recover soon. "I love you too, Harry." She said as she kissed ear.

Harry was surprised to find not only his fellow Champions in the living room, but also the other two Heads.

"Harry, take a seat. There is an event due this Christmas and we wanted to know what you want to do." Xander explained as a love seat appeared and the young couple sat together. Harry was a little confused as Xander was sat between Nym and Fleur, and Xander looked a little unsure himself. Luna was snuggled up between Joyce and Minerva. She might be thirteen but she often came across as a little girl looking for her mummy. Something that both Joyce and Minerva were happy to indulge when Xander wasn't playing daddy.

"I thought the next task wasn't until February?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, not a task, an event." Xander grimaced.

Harry was really worried now, if it was enough to worry Xander it had to be bad. Xander had been opposed to the tournament, but he hadn't been worried.

"What is it?" Harry asked, visibly bracing.

"Tradition… one that apparently dates back to Mom's time, says there is to be a ball or dance at Christmas. One has been arranged for Christmas Eve."

"Ok, that doesn't sound too bad… what's the catch?"

Xander grinned. "Moody will be pleased with your caution Harry.

"The catch, is that the Champions and their dates are supposed to open the dancing by themselves."

"You mean-"

"You and the other three would have to dance in front of everyone for one song."

Harry froze. Fighting dragons was bad enough, but dancing!

"No, we will not do it." Fleur said decisively. "He is already hurting and it has not sunk in yet. We will not dance the first dance, let them all dance."

Cedric and Viktor shared a look. "Ve agree. Harry has done enough, let him have some peace." Viktor declared as Cedric nodded.

"But, your dates, won't they want to dance? And Hermione!" Harry objected.

"No Harry, we know you would do it for us, but we would know you would be highly uncomfortable and we would be unable to enjoy ourselves whilst you aren't able to." Hermione said gently but firmly.

"Besides, I can change the tradition a bit." Joyce shrugged. "We will have the school heads and visiting dignitaries open the dancing."

"Oh Merlin, does this mean I need to find a date?" Minerva said theatrically.

"My dear lady, would you do me the honour of escorting me to the dance?" Sal asked as he knelt before the Scottish lady.

Minerva eyed him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know… a Slytherin? I'm not sure I could debase myself so. I will have to defer to My Lord Gryffindor." She said with a smirk.

"Which one?" Godric asked with a grin.

"The living one." Minerva snarked.

"Ach! Replaced by a younger model." Godric cried as he placed the back of his hand to his forehead. "Well young Gryffindor, what say you?"

Harry gulped as everyone turned to look at him with expectant smirks. He swallowed and thought about it for a second.

"Ok… the thing is… she's my mother, my teacher, my head of house and my Headmistress. In everyway I can think of, she outranks me."

"He's the perfect man, he knows his place!" Nym crowed.

"Makes me wonder what went wrong with my other three." Joyce teased. She was treated to several indignant protests.

"Thanks… I think." Harry said uncertainly. "The other problem is that Sal can be as persistent and annoying as anyone I've ever met. If I say no, I'll never get any peace. So… you have my permission to do what you want." He decided.

"Congratulations brother, you have taught him well. Size up your options and then pass the buck." Godric told Sal laughingly.

"I am definitely going to remember that von." Igor mused. "It is a lesson all men should learn before they marry."

Godric was nodding vigorously with Xander whilst the older women just smirked.

"I suppose I could do worse." Minerva said waving her hand dismissively. "You may escort me to the ball."

"Milady, in the words of my eldest brother… 'cool'!"

The students were informed the following day that the Yule Ball would take place and would be open to 4th years and up but that 3rd years could attend as the date of a 4th year.

Some students immediately leapt to the task and asked out their desired dates. Cedric was especially quick off the mark in asking his long time crush, Cho Chang of Ravenclaw.

Viktor couldn't think of anyone to take. He really did not want to dance at all, not because of reasons such as Harry's, but more because he was more graceful on his broom than he was on his feet. After a discussion with Neville, Cedric and Harry, he came up with a plan.

"Headmaster Harris, I vish to make a request of you." Viktor stated formally as Xander opened the door to the apartment.

"Crap that sounds official." Xander winced. He stood to the side to let Viktor enter, some lessons are never unlearned.

"Headmaster, I vould like to have your permission to ask your daughter Luna to the Yule Ball as my date as a friend."

Xander frowned. He wasn't expecting this. "No one your own age you fancy?"

"It is not that I fancy Luna, she is a nice girl. But she vill be unable to attend with no date. I have no vish to be vith a… fan girl, and Neville is making offer to Ginny. I vould like to do this, if no reason than a favour for Harry. He saved our lives, escorting his sister is no chore and vill aid me as vell."

Xander thought for a second. Viktor was a good man, and clearly very respectful. It was a wonder Godric hadn't placed him in Gryffindor, but he seemed quite happy with Hufflepuff.

"Viktor, you are a good man and I am grateful for the respect you have shown me by requesting my blessing. You have it. If Luna is agreeable, then you may escort her to the Yule Ball." Xander said formerly.

Viktor gave a short bow. "Thank you Headmaster."

"Great, now that's done, can we drop the 'Headmaster'? Luna's not here at the moment, she is currently with some friends. Anything else you want to discuss?"

Viktor took the offered seat and nodded. "Yes, during my Quidditch career I take many injuries. I find it… quicker and easier to learn to heal some vounds in flight. After last Saturday's disaster, many vere injured. Ve Champions could be injured, could ve have medical training?"

"First aid?" Xander mused interestedly. "Sounds like a great idea. Yeah, I think I can set that up. I know a few people."

Hermione was very put out when she was told that Madam Pomphrey's lessons would only be for the Champions. This was to ensure they would receive her full attention. Poppy and Xander decided to investigate creating a mandatory first aid course for the following year. What surprised Viktor and Cedric was the introduction of Dan Granger as their instructor for non-magical first aid. Xander was insistent that they need to learn how to administer first aid when magic was unwise or unavailable, his time serving as a Doctor in the Army meant he was well versed in a wide array of first aid.

Dan was just happy to be able to spend more time with Harry and Hermione, Emma would join them in the evenings for dinner.

The following day was both embarrassing and enraging for Harry and Hermione and their friends and family.

Rita Skeeter had made the front page and she was not writing about the first task.

Boy-Who-lived Heartbroken as Girlfriend chooses Durmstrang Champion!

That was the headline, Hermione was named as Harry's girlfriend of four years and that she had been seen cosy-ing up to Viktor Krum. The entire story held less than six words of truth, those words being: 'Hermione Granger is Harry Potter's girlfriend'. Everything else was either an outright fabrication or gross distortion of the truth as Hermione was painted as a gold digging floozy.

"I can't believe that bitch!" Ginny screeched.

"Ginny! Language!" Hermione admonished as they were seated for breakfast. All around them students were reading the article and murmurs were erupting. The crowd suddenly grew silent as Viktor stood suddenly and marched over to the table where Harry and his friends sat.

"Harry, I svear on my life and honour I have never done anything vith Her-My-own-nee." He said solemnly.

Harry, who was sat on the opposite side of the table so his back was to the wall indicated the seat opposite which Neville cleared for him. "I know Viktor. I trust both you and Hermione. Nothing in that article is accurate. But what can we do?" He asked helplessly.

"Ve can do plenty!" Viktor said slightly shocked that Harry Potter of all people was willing to let this lie.

"Viktor, Harry doesn't have a good history of receiving justice. He spent most of his life having far worse than this said about him." Luna said sadly.

Viktor grunted in disgust. "Then allow me to handle it. I vill have my agents arrange a press conference with a few select reporters and ve vill see this… Skeeter, buried."

"More reporters?" Harry wailed.

"Harry, you need to make friends vith the reporters. You vill be around them a lot, it is… it… must happen?" Viktor stumbled for the appropriate words.

"Unavoidable?" Ginny offered.

"Inevitable?" Luna suggested.

"Yes! Both. Some of them are good people, not like Skeeter. I vill introduce you to the good vons. It vill make it easier in the future to handle the press."

"Aren't I a good one?" Luna pouted.

"The absolute best." Harry grinned as the others nodded enthusiastically.

Whilst the others were at lunch, Viktor went to speak with Xander about dealing with Skeeter and Harry's fear of the press.

At dinner Hermione and Viktor were drowned in owls.

"Why are people writing you?" Harry asked curiously.

"It is likely not good." Viktor grimaced. His hand shot out with seeker reflexes and stopped Hermione's hand before she could reach for a nearby owl. "Do not touch them, some people they… put spells on letters."

"Booby traps?" She asked nervously as she suddenly pulled back from the owl.

"Yes, booby traps." Viktor confirmed.

Despite Viktor's warning there was one owl that was clearly agitated.

"What's Errol doing here?" Ginny wondered as she went over to the ancient Weasley Post Owl. There tied to his leg was a red letter that appeared to be smoking. She quickly began to untie the letter before the bird was hurt. Only for the letter to suddenly unfurl and Molly Weasley's screaming voice filled the Great Hall.

"HERMIONE GRANGER! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY POOR HARRY LIKE THAT! CAVORTING WITH STRANGE MEN LIKE SOME SCARLET WOMAN! YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE AND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"

There was a deathly silence as the Howler rolled up and vanished in a puff of smoke. Harry was absolutely livid, as was Viktor. The twins and Ginny were right behind them.

Hermione just sat there with tears streaming down her face. Luna who was seated on her other side from Harry pulled her into a hug.

"Harry, take care of Hermione." Xander's voice startled Harry as he hadn't realised that Xander had moved from his seat at the table. What scared him more was the murderous look on Dan and Emma's faces as they stood to his right.

Emma knelt down and retrieved Hermione from Luna's arms and pulled her daughter close. "Xander, your father and I are going to have a word Molly Weasley. This was unacceptable." She muttered quietly into Hermione's hair.

"Lord Hogwarts, a moment." Percy called out from his place at the staff table. Percy moved to a corner behind the staff table as Xander joined him.

"I hope you are not about to try and justify or defend your mother, Percy." Xander warned.

Percy just scoffed. "If I thought it would help I would come with you! No, I will have my hands full trying to keep my younger siblings from committing Matricide."

"Kill their beds?" Xander asked, slightly worried that this was a magical custom he hadn't heard of.

"No sir, their mother." Percy said as he tried to hide a smile. "Even Ronald seems to realise that Mother has crossed the line."

Xander looked over and saw that Ron Weasley did look very disappointed and sad.

"Ok, so what did you want to say?"

"Before the three of you confront my mother, you should go and confront my father first. He would never condone what she has done. My family owes you and Lord Harry a life debt for saving Ginevra, she has disgraced us by her actions. My father needs to be made aware of what has happened as Head of House. He needs to be able to make overtures and apologies for the House." Percy saw that Xander was dubious about this. "It's a wizarding thing, if you don't and Dad can't make amends it will destroy the entire Weasley House."

"Alright, so I take Dan and Emma to Arthur and explain the situation then he can guide us from there."

"Yes… actually, let me come with you to explain to Father. I can also explain things from a pureblood point of view for you."

"Molly, would you join us in the kitchen please?" Arthur called out as he let his guests in. Having heard the whole story from Xander, the Grangers and his own son, he knew he had no option but to leave work immediately and deal with this situation.

Molly strode quickly into the room not paying attention to who was there. "Arthur? Why are you home early?"

"'Why' Molly?" Arthur asked unbelievingly. "Because you had the gall to insult a young lady who I happen to hold in high esteem and who is dating the head of a notable house and who belongs to a family made up of heads of even more notable families."

"Arthur, you're not making any sense dear. What are you on about?"

Arthur gestured to the three adults seated at the table. "You remember Dan and Emma? Hermione Granger's parents. And Lord Hogwarts, of course. Her boyfriends father."

Molly visibly paled as she realised what was going on.

"Ah! I see you have realised the problem." Arthur spat harshly. "Just what the devil were you thinking Molly?"

Molly had quailed at first under her husbands ire, something that she hadn't seen since Fred and George had nearly tricked Ron into an Unbreakable Vow. But then she rallied and launched her defence.

"I was simply attempting to ensure the girl didn't hurt Harry. I read the Prophet, I know what she is doing."

Dan shot to his feet. "How dare you!" Dan shouted. "Hermione has done nothing wrong and absolutely nothing that that blasted paper says she did!"

"Dan." Emma said quietly with a calm yet angered look. Dan knew his wife wanted to take it from here, and he was loathe to back off, but he trusted Emma.

"Molly, let's forget the actual paper and accusations they made for a moment and focus purely on what you did wrong." She said as she calmly sat down, Dan following her lead. "You accused my daughter of betrayal of the boy she loves. A boy who is not your family. You had no right to interfere in a family matter."

"Harry is as good as family to us!" Molly argued.

"But he is not your family." Xander said quietly with a nasty look. "You should have come to his actual family head, me, first."

"You're not his real family either! The boy is an orphan!"

"Molly! Why must you be so stupid?" Arthur raged. "Xander and his family were accepted magically by Harry and vice versa. They are family in everyway that counts! You know this, stop being so… obtuse!"

Molly looked indignant but held her peace. Emma moved on.

"You called my daughter a 'Scarlet Woman'. I don't care if it's my daughter or yours, that type of behaviour is inappropriate when attempting to take the moral stance with anyone. Worst of all, you did all of this in front of the entire school. Students, professors and support staff alike. Even the ghosts were there and I am sure the paintings all know by now."

"And if that wasn't bad enough you went behind my back as Head of House!" Arthur added. That was a big no-no. Arthur's authority as Head of House was absolute as a Pureblood. It was rarely exercised by the average Head of House, but in matters such as this they had to make the decisions.

"You would not have done anything!" Molly argued.

"BECAUSE IT'S NOT OUR PLACE!" Arthur roared.

Molly flinched back in absolute shock. She had never seen Arthur like this, even during the last war he had been easy and affable, a good mentor to James and his young friends. Molly had no idea how to handle this new Arthur.

"Perhaps we should move onto the other half of the problem?" Xander suggested.

Arthur visibly reigned himself in then turned to Xander gave a tight nod and took a step back. Xander just nodded in sad understanding at Arthur. The man would need a stout drink later, he and his brothers would see to it.

"Where did you get your information Molly?" Xander asked calmly from where he was seated.

"Fr-fr-from the Prophet of course!" Molly stuttered, she was very unsure of her footing at this point.

"And?" Dan prompted.

"And what?"

"You got your information from the Prophet and…?" He prompted.

"Just the Prophet, where else?" She asked bewilderedly.

"Hermione? Harry?" Dan offered.

"Xander, Sirius, Remus, Rick, Sal, Joyce, Minerva." Emma continued.

"Percy, George, Fred, Ginny and for Merlin's sake even Ron!" Arthur spat.

"Rita Skeeter is a well respected-"

"-Nothing!" Xander spat. "She physically attacked my daughter and wrote various lies about me, my family and my school. She will be dealt with very soon."

"And just how am I supposed to know this?" Molly argued with indignation.

"By using your brain?" Xander mocked snidely.

"Asking those of us you used to call friends?"

"Actually none of that matters, all those arguments would be moot because you did what you did with consultation or permission of your Head of House." Arthur said tiredly and dejectedly as he sat down next to Xander.

Emma, as royally pissed as she was, truly felt for Arthur. She had no real understanding of how this Head of House deal worked, but she could see that Arthur was truly hurting and reaching the end of his tether. She moved forward and placed her hands on Arthur's shoulders gently rubbing them.

"How dare you touch my husband!" Molly screeched as she drew her wand.

Arthur was faster and Molly slumped to the floor.

Arthur just sat back down and placed his wand on the table. Unmoving and silent. Dan and Emma were shocked and couldn't think what to do.

Xander just sighed, his hands relaxing as he stood down from raising hell before Arthur beat him too it. He sent out a mental message to Joyce as he stood up and raided the cupboard for the bottle of bourbon he remembered giving Arthur and Molly as a thank you for letting them stay that first summer.

"Here, drink up." He said as he placed a conjured glass in front of the dejected Weasley Patriarch. He then proceeded to do the same for Dan and Emma.

"What do we do?" Emma asked nervously, she was not entirely happy about leaving Molly lying on the floor but didn't want to do anything wrong, she was already sitting on the opposite side of the table to Arthur now.

"We wait a few minutes while those older and wiser than us make their way to aid and advise us." Xander said solemnly, they spent the next few minutes in silence as Xander thought fondly of the times when Giles had been his 'older and wiser' mentor.

The front door was soon opened to admit Bill, Godric and Augusta Longbottom with Bill carrying Godric's hat. People that Xander knew Arthur respected and could lean on. Godric was only too pleased to help as Arthur was the epitome of a Gryffindor, he wasn't going to let a member of his house suffer if he could help it.

Xander called in Dobby to take Molly upstairs and put her to bed and the rest sat down with a glass of bourbon.

"What are Arthur's options?" Xander asked.

"That will depend on Molly." Augusta said gravely. "From what you have described, she seems absolutely steadfast that she did nothing wrong and would likely refuse to apologise?"

"At the moment." Xander allowed.

"She won't change her mind." Arthur said sadly. "She is far too stubborn."

"Father, may I speak freely and without reservation to our guests?" Bill requested.

Arthur blanched. Bill was clearly wanting to air the families dirty laundry. He knew that no one at the table would ever speak of it but it was still not something he would ever want to do. But he also realised that these people were the only way that he could save his family… or at the very least, his children.

Arthur just nodded.

"I am about to share the darker side of the Weasley family with you. So we would appreciate it if you would keep this private." Bill said looking each one in the eye. "My mother is, as muggles say, a control freak. In every sense of the word. It's why I went to Egypt and why Charlie went to Romania. After all, I could have taken a Curse-breaker job in Britain and Charlie could have worked with the dragons in Gringotts.

"Ginny took a lot of heat during the summer because she wasn't the proper little lady that mum had drilled into her. Dad didn't know this at first, it was the twins that clued him in and it took a lot of arguing from what I hear for him to convince mum to leave Ginny be."

"Ok, so maybe she needs to speak to a psychiatrist." Dan suggested.

"Forgive me, but what is a 'psychiatrist'?" Augusta asked politely.

"A non-magical healer who can help people talk through mental and emotional problems." Xander explained. He had spent more than his share of time on the couch after the fall of Sunnydale.

"We have potions and charms for that." Augusta pointed out.

"Yes, but my reading leads us to believe they don't deal with the cause of the problems, just the effects. A combination of potions and psychiatry is what non-magicals use." Dan frowned.

"Muggles use potions?" Bill asked curiously.

"No, and I think this is a topic to be discussed after we have helped Arthur." Xander said firmly. "Bearing in mind Molly's mindset, what are Arthur's options?"

"He can confiscate her wand and confine her to the family home for no less than a year.

"He can order her magic bound.

"He can also expel her from the family." Augusta listed.

There were sharp intakes of breath from Bill and Arthur, not of surprise but at the shock of actually hearing the options spoken of.

"Can't Arthur start with just reprimanding her and giving her a warning? Or even sending her away for a time." Xander asked.

"The offence she committed was against three families belonging to even more houses and very public. The accusations were unacceptable coming from a housewife, given their nature. There must be a suitable punishment or the honour of the Weasley House will carry the stain and stigma and so will the children." Godric answered.

"And the kids are the reason we are here." Arthur said hoarsely.

"And a big part of this is the effect that her actions will have on the Weasley House standing and their children?" Xander asked for clarification.

"They could become outcasts in wizarding society." Godric said sadly.

"Dan, Emma, what would you do? What would be the most likely thing to happen if Molly did this in the non-magical world?" Xander asked.

Dan looked at Emma and they thought for a second. Dan started. "Well, bearing in mind that men and women are 'technically' equals, the ideal solution would stem from the fact that one member of the family has fallen out with the rest of the family and is doing things that hurt the family as a whole."

"What do you mean 'technically equals'?" Augusta asked.

"When it comes to things like freedom, education and so on, men and women are supposed to be equal. Men don't have command over women in general or vice versa, but in reality, there are many things that make that completely false. Women still earn less, have less rights in a marriage, things like that." Emma explained.

"To put it simply, it's a work in progress and progress is slow." Dan shrugged. "But, we are looking at this from the 'ideal non-magical perspective'. If Arthur and Molly were Emma and myself. The best solution would be a separation. A temporary one where Molly would live away from the family for a time and only have supervised visits with the children. If the situation can be resolved then they can resume living together and life as a family.

"If it doesn't work then the next step is divorce."

"What would doing that mean for a pureblood family?" Xander asked.

Godric and Augusta frowned as they thought about it.

"It would be considered rather harsh." Godric admitted. "It would be the same as expelling her from the house. Molly would be disgraced."

"What if we didn't tell anyone we were sending her away but gave her a job somewhere that would require her to spend time away from the family?" Xander suggested.

"Arthur needs Molly to apologise publicly or to make the apology himself, but if he does it himself, he has to announce that he has taken measures against his wife for her transgressions." Augusta sighed.

"Does he have to say what measures?" Emma asked.

"Only to you, Dan and Viktor's father." Godric shrugged.

"So we just confirm to them what is going on and then have Arthur apologise to the families in public." Xander shrugged.

"I… I don't think I can live without Molly." Arthur said shakily, tears began to poor down his face. "I just love her so much." He whispered.

Bill growled and smashed his hand on the table angrily startling the others. "As the heir to the Head of House Weasley I declare my belief that my father is under the influence of an outside source. I hereby claim my place as Head of House until this is proven one way or another."

The look of shock on Augusta and Godric's faces was enough for the others to realise this was huge, not to mention the general statement itself.

"What source?" Xander asked carefully.

Bill had a look of disgust on his face. "My mother." He spat. "Some of you may have heard her tell the story of how she and Dad started going out, you may have heard her casually heard joke about using love potion to help get his attention?"

"Oh no." Godric groaned.

The others except Bill and Arthur looked at Godric expectantly.

"I heard the story, I thought it was cute." Emma shrugged.

"Emma dear, love potions are highly illegal, the consequences are even more dire when you consider that she used them on the heir to a Head of House." Augusta explained gently.

"You know of the Unforgivables? The Imperious curse that controls a person?" Bill asked.

Dan and Emma both nodded. "Love potions are the Imperious without the wand or incantation."

"And you believe she wasn't joking?" Dan asked.

"'Many a truth said in jest'." Godric quoted sternly, he took on an air of dominance and power, of a man who had earned respect and command of the situation. "Lord Hogwarts, please take Arthur and Bill Weasley to Madam Pomphrey and ask her to examine both for various potions and poisons including love potions. I recommend consulting Lord Slytherin and Professor Flamel as well.

"My Lady Longbottom, would you be so kind as to summon Madam Bones and ask her to arrive discretely at our request?"

Augusta understood the situation perfectly and stood and gave slight curtsey. "Yes My Lord Gryffindor."

"Now brother." Godric said quietly to a worried looking Xander. "And please summon the rest of the Weasley family for similar examinations, including young Charlie."

Xander stood and gave a short quick bow to Godric before touching Bill and Arthur's shoulders and they vanished.

Arthur Weasley was admitted that evening to St. Mungo's for further testing. His last act before being led away was to officially approve his son as his heir and relinquish his position as Head of House.

In order to allow them some time to come to terms with the news that they were the product of what was essentially rape, Bill withdrew the children still attending. The Burrow was off limits whilst the DMLE investigated but Xander, Minerva, Luna and Harry instantly offered their home in London for them to use. Dan and Emma promised to help as much as they could. It was Harry who practically ordered Winky and Bill to accept each other as elf and family. Hermione was not pleased but held her peace.

The following day Bill stood before the Great Hall and at breakfast and made formal apologies for the House of Weasley to Hermione and Viktor. Viktor being of age accepted the apology himself whilst Dan accepted for Hermione. Viktor shook hands with Bill and then sat back down with the other Hufflepuffs.

"Arthur Weasley is an honourable man and a good friend. As are his children." Xander declared to the Great Hall. They had invited journalists for this occasion. "Only one of their family has acted with dishonour and deceit. The Houses of Hogwarts, Potter, Gryffindor, Granger and their friends and family stand with House Weasley and offer aid and support in this trying time for them. We ask that you respect their privacy and them as individuals."

There had been an all night discussion on how far they could go to support the Weasley's the night before. Xander had eventually made his position clear.

"Some traditions are all fine and good, as long as they don't work against justice and good people. The British Wizarding World is stuck in the Victorian era, and I am not talking about fashion and technology. There are roughly 3 to 4 thousand magicals in Britain, most of our new Hogwarts intake are first generations, it's time for the magical world to grow up."

Hermione was thrilled, Augusta was worried. Dan however saw this and invited to show her around the non-magical world.