Emma and Dan were standing in what would soon be their bedroom, the large glass front had French doors that led onto their own balcony. It really was the house of their dreams, and sharing it with their daughter and son made it much more special. The house was designed to accommodate their eventual grandchildren as well, both parents knew they were years away from that yet but the news lately appeared to bring that reality just a bit closer.
Sirius effectively had his own apartment on the grounds, they could all be together until the bachelor decided to marry and raise a family of his own. The thought of the exact same house being built on the beautiful piece of land they bought in Coronet Bay made the dream even more complete. Their lives from now on could be composed of perpetual springs and summers. Neither Dan nor Emma had ever spent Christmas in the sunshine but both were more than willing to give it a try.
Sirius ran a glance over the spacious apartment and thought he certainly could be comfortable here. They all recognised this was merely the next stepping stone in his acclimatisation back into society. Staying with the Grangers had been incredibly good for him, Emma's gentle reminders that he no longer lived in a cell forced Sirius to remember his manners and how to interact with people again. It was Dan though who had helped the most, sitting in a pub while having a drink and a chat with a friend was something Sirius never thought he would do again.
Dan had a sort of inner peace that made him really easy to talk to, Sirius had unburdened his soul to his new friend / family. It's no wonder Harry and Dan were so tight, if ever there was a father figure for the lad to model himself on then Dan Granger was of the twenty four carat variety.
That's not to say this man was a push over, anything but! As they got to know one another, the shields had come down and Sirius saw the fire and steel under the mild mannered exterior. The night of September the nineteenth they had touched on why they hated the Weasleys so much, Dan's reactions left Sirius glad he had black hair.
Sirius had later tried to put himself in Dan's place and wondered what it would take to get a reaction like that from him? The obvious answer left the man who had endured ten years in Azkaban feeling sick to his stomach and with fat tears running down his cheeks. His respect for these four sky-rocketed. To have that happen yet still try to help the people of Britain spoke volumes for their characters. Having to see that boy every day at Hogwarts must be driving them both nuts.
Sirius was beginning to understand their need to leave the country, Harry and Hermione would need time away to deal with everything that had happened to them. Sirius hoped it was no more than an extended holiday before they returned back to Britain, but he would support them no matter what they decided. With the ministry finally dealing with the country's death eater problem and the goblins roasting their last pig, prospects had seldom looked better for magical Britain.
Whether it could stand to lose its two brightest stars to Australia while still maintaining its reforms was another matter entirely.
Luna couldn't believe they had a bedroom in this fabulous house. It wasn't so much the actual room, more that it meant Harry and Hermione wanted them as part of their lives. For Luna Lovegood this was life changing. In such a short space of time she'd went from being a lonely girl to having her best friend live with her. Now she had another two friends who actually went out of their way to ensure she was included in their lives. This was a strange situation for Luna, wonderful but still strange. The little blond glanced toward Ginny and saw her friend displaying pretty much the same emotions she was, the Potters were having a huge influence on both their lives.
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Almost five hundred miles away in Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall was sharing those views as she finalised the arrangements for the first year's visit to the ministry this Friday. She had suspected they may be forced to cancel due to events happening in their society at the moment but the minister himself had been adamant that it would be business as usual. Minerva was sure she wouldn't be alone in expressing her shock that Cornelius had it in him, the entire electorate of magical Britain were probably thinking the same.
She also didn't think she would be alone in casting her vote for him at the next election, the green bowler hat went in the bin, as did listening to Albus and Malfoy. What emerged was a man who now believed in himself and didn't seem afraid to make the hard decisions, their society had been crying out for a strong leader for generations. That they had found one in the guise of Cornelius Fudge could be the most shocking revelation of all. Considering what life had been like lately, that was really saying something.
She would have Remus and Pomona accompany her and the students to the ministry. Filius would then lead the, as yet unannounced outing to Gringotts the following week. She couldn't remember a time when her job was so hectic, she also couldn't remember a time when she enjoyed her work more.
She would have to ensure they monitored the children of the arrested death eaters closely, that situation could not be allowed to fester and turn nasty. Minerva was delighted they now had Horace as head of Slytherin, his style of dealing with trouble was thankfully the total opposite of his confrontational predecessor. These children would remain in school at least until the summer, what happened after that was anyone's guess. A lot would depend on the sentences handed out, and the public's reaction to the trials.
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