HPF271-280

Chapter 271

He turned on his heel and led them from the

room through to the rear of the Hall.

As they walked, Harry said to him, "I've been

wondering why you refer to Longbottom

Manor as Longbottom Hall."

"It comes from our familial roots," replied

Neville, with a slight grin. "The Longbottoms

are of Nordic stock. More to the point, we

descend directly from Vikings."

"Ah!" said Harry. "And the Vikings referred to

their clan main building as Halls. As the

manor is the main building of the

Longbottom clan..."

"Exactly," smiled Neville, glad to see Harry

understood.

The conservatory, as the name implied, was a

large room that could easily have doubled as

a small greenhouse. The only exception was

that the climate within was at nominal room

temperature, even with all the glass that

formed the walls and roof.

The room was filled near the walls with

potted plants of many varieties; some on

shelves or in hanging baskets, some not. A

small coffee table and 'outdoor'

white-painted wicker couches with attached

cushions surrounded it and were in the

middle of the floor. Sitting in two wicker

armchairs slightly turned to one another

were Frank and Alice Longbottom. They had

been softly conversing when Neville led their

small party in. Both looked up at their

approach and smiled.

"Mother, father," said Neville, a little

formally, "May I present..."

"Harry!" Alice softly exclaimed, cutting him

off; as she held out one hand, waiting to

grasp Harry's.

Harry heard Daphne snicker slightly at

Neville. If Harry knew the boy as well as he

thought he did, the expression on Neville's

face would have been priceless.

"Hello godmother," smiled Harry, as he

joined her, placing his own hand in hers for a

few moments.

Turning to the girls, he said, "I'm sure you

remember my wives, Hermione and

Daphne?" He indicated each.

"Of course," she said, as both girls came

closer.

After initial greetings, with cheek-kissing for

the girls, the four teens sat on the available

couches while Frank called a Longbottom

house elf.

"Tea for six, please," he instructed the little

elf.

While they waited, Harry said to them both,

"I must say, I'm very pleased with how you

are both looking. There has clearly been a lot

of improvement in the health of you both."

"There has," said Frank, with a slight nod

back in acknowledgement. With a sigh, he

continued, "We've been told, already, that

the prognosis for a full recovery is unlikely.

However, the lack will only

be slightly noticeable."

"It means, though, Frank will be unable to

return to auror duty, at least," said Alice.

"And, I have to say, I'm actually happy with

that."

"There are other ways one can be of service

to the wizarding world," offered Daphne.

"For example, there's always the

Wizengamot. Perhaps a life of politics is in

your future."

"Perhaps," said Harry. "However, no one can

claim the Longbottoms haven't already given

enough of themselves to the service of the

wizarding world."

"Well said," said Madam Longbottom

walking into the room. "Though I hope Frank

will eventually succeed me to the

Wizengamot when his health allows it;

there's no reason to rush."

Harry could see that this was an

uncomfortable subject among the adult

Longbottoms. To change the subject, he

asked Alice, "Were you aware Neville is

considered a prodigy in Herbology?"

Alice, recognising Harry's attempt, smiled

back and said, "It was not hard to come to

understand our Neville's love of botany. And

his marks from school reflect that. We are,

however, at a loss to understand his marks in

potions. The two subjects should be closely

linked. And, as such, his marks in Herbology

should carry over."

"The fault is not Neville's," said Daphne.

"Rather, it is the fault of the Potions Master,

Professor Snape."

"From day one, Professor Snape has targeted

both Neville and Harry for... direct abuse,"

said Hermione. "The man may well be an

expert in Potions; however, he is a poor

educator. Neville is terrified of him. And he

has cause to be so."

Almost angrily, Augusta turned her eyes on

Neville and asked, "Why am I only hearing of

this now, Neville? If I could have heard of this

earlier, I may have been able to use my

position on the School Board to do

something about it."

"I... did not want to use my family name to

get better treatment over everyone else,"

the boy muttered, bashfully.

"You should have," said Daphne. "Professor

Snape was already targeting you, partly due

to your name. Therefore, it would have only

been fair on your part to use the same

excuse to have our Potions Master... dealt

with."

"I realise that, now," the boy replied, a little

stronger. "After Harry had the man's

behaviour... adjusted by the Headmaster, I

realise I could have done the same. But, it's

too late now."

"No, it's not," she disagreed. Looking to the

Longbottoms, she said, "I'd recommend a

private tutor. The one thing Professor Snape

will not argue with, is performance. If Neville

shows a marked improvement when we

return to school, I envision our Potions

Master will redirect his attentions to another;

probably Weasley; who actually deserves the

ire."

"We shall consider it," replied Frank.

"Thank you," said Harry. "Neville has stood

by me through my entire time at Hogwarts.

Even when just about everyone else turned

their backs on me, or directed their anger

towards me, Neville never faltered. I was just

too blind to see it until the beginning of this

year.

"I would be undeserving of that friendship,

offered without expectation of anything in

return, if I did not stand by him now."

"Thank you, Harry," Neville softly said. It was

clear the boy was quite moved by Harry's

words.

"You have nothing to thank me for, Neville,"

smiled Harry right back. "Instead, it's I who

should be thanking you."

With a little throat clear, Alice said, "Yes.

Well. I think you should tell us about what I

hear about the Weasley children attempting

to potion you, Harry."

With a nod of recognition, Harry began to

explain how Hermione witnessed Molly dose

him, and attempt to dose her,

with Amortentia on the morning they

boarded the train to head to Hogwarts for

their fourth year. Then he went into what

they caught Ginevra doing a couple of days

later. And what happened from there."

"Where is she now?" asked an angry Alice.

Chapter 272

"Molly served her six months in the low

security wing in Azkaban and, as far as we

know, returned to wizarding Britain,"

explained Hermione. "Where she is now,

though, we don't know."

"We do know, though," added Daphne,

"Arthur has divorced her and blocked her

from returning to The Burrow. We think she

may be staying with her Aunt Muriel."

"Even though she's served her time, we've

cut off all ties with the Weasleys except for

the twins… who we know had no idea what

was happening… and Arthur, who was the

same," said Harry. "We don't know enough

about Bill or Charlie to form an opinion

about them. And Percy has his lips firmly

attached to our current dear Minister's

bum..."

"Harry!" gasped Hermione, giving him a little

smack to his arm while she blushed.

"Well, it's true," smirked Harry right back.

"Even so, you shouldn't voice it quite so...

crudely," she huffed.

Harry chuckled a little and said, "We like

Arthur and the twins. You couldn't meet a

nicer man than he. And the twins are very

loyal to their friends, including us.

"Bill, their oldest, dotes on his little sister.

And we've no idea whether he'd side with

her against the evidence, or still remain a

good guy. But, I'm pretty sure Charlie

currently hates me. I killed one of his

favourite dragons in the first task of the

Tournament.

"What I know about both of them is that

they fled magical Britain and into careers

that took them away from the Islands, as

soon as they graduated. I think that was so

they could get away from their overbearing

mother."

"She sounds like a right harpy," said Alice.

"Oh, I don't fault her love of her children,"

said Harry. "It's just the way she goes about

demonstrating that love. She smothers

them."

"But, why have the youngest two turned out

the way they have?" asked Frank, genuinely

curious.

"Ginevra was raised on those fictional stories

about the Boy-Who-Lived. From them she

developed this mindset that she was

destined to marry him," explained Hermione.

"When Harry didn't display the same

affection for her, especially after he saved

her life in the Chamber of Secrets, she

apparently demanded of her mother her

help in making Harry fall in love with her.

"Her mother saw that Ginevra marrying

Harry would mean they'd have some access

to the Potter fortune. And saw it as a way to

drag the Weasley's out of what she perceived

as near-poverty. So, she went along with it."

"Ronald's different, though," said Daphne.

"As the sixth son he grew up having to put up

with hand-me-downs that had often already

been handed down before. Just about

everything he had he got second-, third- or

fourth-hand, including his wand. And, though

the rest of his family is unlike that, he seems

to have developed this belief that, as a

pureblood, he deserved a lot more than he

got.

"This then led to him being near-insanely

jealous of others having more than he.

Especially, when that person or persons were

not pureblood, such as the case with Harry.

So, he decided that Harry's fortune was his

ticket out of financial poverty and into the

life he believed he deserved. Then, when his

mother told him to make friends with Harry

as a plan to get Ginevra closer to him, he

eagerly went along with it."

"I didn't know that," said a shocked Neville.

"I'd've been disappointed with you if you

did," smiled Harry. "You just need to be

aware he may well try the same thing with

you."

"He's already tried," the other boy scoffed.

"However, no one in Gryffindor wants

anything to do with either of them."

"Good," said Harry. He hesitated a moment

before he admitted, "We've also been

keeping a close eye on you, Nev. We know

how you feel about Hannah. If we start

seeing you pay more attention to Ginevra,

and you've dropped Hannah, you can expect

to find yourself being dragged to the

Infirmary for Madam Pomfrey to take a look

at you; no matter how much you try to stop

us doing so."

While Neville blushed at the mention of

Hannah, he also looked a little shocked that

the three bondmates had been watching

over him for Amortentia poisoning.

"Thank you," he softly said.

"Yes; thank you," said Alice.

"That's what friends do for friends," said

Daphne.

Clearly a little uncomfortable, after a

moment he said, "I also think Ron's failed his

exams and assignments. Word in the tower

has it he may well be forced to repeat fourth

year, or be expelled from school due to

scholastic failure."

With a snort, Daphne said, "That's

unsurprising. Without Hermione there to

carry the majority of his work for him, he

actually has to do his own work for a

change."

"I, for one, will be happy if he is held back a

year," smiled Neville. "It'll mean I won't have

to put up with him and his whining in the

dorm any more."

"Or his flatulence," laughed Harry.

"That too," smiled Neville right back.

"And we won't have to put up with him in

the classes Ravenclaw shares with

Gryffindor," said Hermione.

"That's if the rumours are true and he gets

held back," said Neville, bringing their joy

back down to earth.

The three returned to Greengrass Farm well

before dinner was due and returned to their

homework with Astoria, who was still sitting

at the table and working away.

"How'd it go?" she asked, barely looking up.

"Good," replied Hermione with a sigh.

"Neville is now behaving more confidently,

now that he has his parents back.

"You noticed that too?" asked Harry.

"We all did," said Daphne. She thought for a

moment before she said, "I think Neville's

problem is his grandmother. She's quite

domineering."

"I know," sighed Harry. "But, I've already

verbally spanked her once; about the wand. I

didn't want to do it again on what amounted

to the third time I'd met her."

"Let his parents do that," said Hermione. "I

thought you might have noticed the way

Alice appeared quite angry with her. It was in

her body language each time Augusta spoke

to Neville. She tensed just a little."

"I noticed that, too," said Daphne.

"Facial expressions I'm okay with," said Harry.

"Body language I'm still trying to come to

terms with."

"Let's not discuss this now," suggested

Hermione. "We'll keep an eye on him, as we

said, and act if we need to. Let his parents

rein the matriarch in."

As they were talking, they spread their

homework back out again.

"By the way," said Daphne. "We also need to

see if Draco's called Sirius yet. If he hasn't, I

think we should alert Sirius that Draco's

likely to contact him soon."

Harry shook his head and said, "No need.

Draco and Narcissa are staying at the Black

House in London with Sirius and Remus.

We'll probably even run into them the first

day we turn up there."

"They're there?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"I would have thought, with Lucius dead,

they'd have returned to Malfoy Manor."

"It's not safe," said Daphne. "They have no

idea whether or not Riddle can get in.

They're having the wards seen to by the

goblins, but that black smokey flying thing

they do hasn't been seen before. No one

knows if it'll keep out Riddle and his flunkies

if they make a concerted effort to get in.

"And that also doesn't include whether or

not there are... certain devices within the

property that Riddle can use to bypass any

wards to get in, or something that he can use

to remotely detonate hidden explosives or

release potions in gas form, and similar. So,

they've got to be very careful and have a very

close examination of the entire property."

"Besides," he added, "Though I might be a

prime target of Riddle… and that also brings

you two into the mix… the same can be said

of Draco and his mother if Riddle learns of

their... 'defection'. For the time being, the

Black House, with its heavy enchantments

and escape tunnel, is the safest place for

them. Sirius is determined to do right by the

last few remaining members of his family."

"Has he told them of the tunnel?" asked

Hermione, a little worriedly.

"No," he replied. "He'll only tell them if they

have no other choice but to use it.

Apparently, my safety - as well as the secret

of the tunnels - is more important to him

than the very slight risk the House might be

attacked while both he and Remus are

away."

In a private dining room in the back of the

Hog's Head Tavern, Dumbledore walked into

the room and sighed to himself. There were

less than a dozen people waiting for him

inside, sitting around a large table. The Order,

he felt, should have been far larger.

He walked up to the head of the table and

took the seat left there especially for him.

Looking around, he saw, Kingsley Shacklebolt,

Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody, Dedalus

Diggle, Elphias Doge, Mundungus Fletcher,

Rubeus Hagrid, Severus Snape, Emmeline

Vance, Molly Prewett, and Minerva

McGonagall.

What he did not know was that Shacklebolt

was there under the direct orders of Madam

Bones, and was tasked with reporting all he

knew from the meetings back to her. Nor

that Tonks was there as Sirius's personal spy

within the Order.

People he hoped to see, but weren't there,

included: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Filius

Flitwick, Arthur Weasley, Hestia Jones and

Sturgis Podmore. All but Jones were

members of the old Order and he'd hoped

they'd come to the meeting where he

reformed it.

He had also hoped to have at his fingers the

Potter and Black fortunes to help fund the

Order while they battled Riddle's forces. Alas,

that was clearly now not going to happen.

"Thank you, all, for coming," he began. "As

you know, Voldemort has been resurrected

and, of course, will soon return to attacking

all that which we hold dear.

"I have been unable to review young Harry's

memories of the resurrection where it took

place in the cemetery in Little Hangleton.

However, I hold to the hope that Amelia

Bones will soon see reason and allow me to

view it.

"It's irrelevant," growled Moody. "The

evidence collected at the site shows the

ritual occurred. We don't need to know any

more about it."

Dumbledore leaned forward and put on his

most heartfelt pleading expression. He said,

"Can you get me a copy of the memory,

Alastor? I feel I really must review it. I believe

I might be able to deduce something from it

that Amelia's people would have missed, or

not realised the significance of."

Chapter 273

"Not going to happen, Albus,"

grumble-snarled Moody. "Amelia has it

locked up tight, and only she has access to it.

She never lets it leave her sight, unless it's

secured away. I don't even know where it

currently is."

With a sigh of great disappointment,

Dumbledore said, "Very well. I shall

endeavour to appeal to Amelia to use her

common sense, yet again."

Sitting up a little straighter, he said, "The

second issue is Harry, himself. He has, yet

again, refused to listen to my advice and has

refused to return to his childhood home

where he would be safe. He is

being quite rebellious."

"Safe?!" scoffed McGonagall. "The boy

was abused there! Albus, you're the only

one who has yet to accept that simple fact.

He is far better off with his wives, the

Greengrasses and Sirius."

"The blood wards I'd placed on the Dursley

home..." he began.

"Are now useless," she snapped back,

interrupting. "I heard what he said to you the

morning the train departed, Albus. With

Riddle using Harry's blood as part of his ritual,

your so-called vaunted blood wards became

useless.

"If he's at the Greengrasses, he's protected

under the Fidelius, ancient magic

and war wards. All of which are far superior,

in each instance, than the blood wards you

placed on Privett Drive. Leave the boy be!"

Dumbledore sighed again. This meeting was

not going as he would have wanted it. He

had hoped to gain their support in tracking

Harry down and returning him to the

Dursleys. Clearly, that was not going to

happen.

"Harry must be protected, under our care..."

Dumbledore was about to appeal to them all

to hunt down Harry when a letter flashed

into existence directly in front of Shacklebolt.

He gave a bare little jump in fright, not

realising it had just been delivered by 'Dobby

Express Deliveries' before casting his wand

over it.

Finding no enchantments on it, he picked it

up. The letter was addressed to him.

Opening it he pulled it out and quickly read it.

As he read, his face changed from a

concerned scowl, to smiling, to opening

grinning, to chuckling, before he began to

openly laugh.

He was laughing so hard by the end he just

handed the letter off to Moody. Of course,

Moody first scanned it again before taking it

and quickly reading through it.

By the time he finished, he too was laughing.

"Gotta love the humour of that boy!"

Calming down, Kingsley finally managed to

get his laughter under control and accepted

the letter back off Moody. Reading from it,

he said, "This is an open letter to...

'Fumbledorks's Disorder of the Basted

Turkey'."

Grinning, as many who listened huffed as if

scandalised by Harry's cheek, he continued,

"Dear Disorder. As you can deduce, for

security purposes, for most people I'll use

false names in this letter.

"No doubt Dumb-as-a-Door has attempted to

convince you all I'm unsafe where I currently

am. He might have even tried to convince

you I'm under some sort of evil enchantment,

and need to be found so that I can be

brought under the Order's care. He's tricky,

that way. The only enchantment I'm under is

one of love for my two wives, to whom I

remind you all I'm soul-bonded; and our real

family. And by real family I don't mean, of

course, those wastes of good oxygen called

the Dursley family.

"I'm finally free of such enchantments; or,

should I say, potions? Isn't that right, Potions

Queen Dolly Brew-it? Have you tried to

excuse your actions to your fellow Disorder

medallion holders by claiming it was all some

big misunderstanding, yet? If not, well, I

suppose there's still time before

Mumblebore's little birdie club winds up its

meeting. You should speak up while you have

the chance. Of course, you can do that at any

time, as the sheer volume and annoying

sound of your screech could cow a dire wolf.

"Trust me, Brew-it; I understood very well

what you were attempting to do. You can

think yourself lucky I didn't demand the

charge of attempted Line Theft be added to

your charges. I doubt even Arse Pus

Fumbledick's backroom shenanigans could

have got you off that particular charge, had I

pushed it.

"So, for the rest of you, I know exactly who

you all are. Besides, the aforementioned two,

there are: Borers Queenie Shot-me-Bolt,

Sexy-Do-Me Bonks, and A-bore Broody; then

there's Diddle-less Dangle, Oh-my-Arse Bog,

Done-poo-us Felcher, Roots-us Hangin',

Sniffles Snipe, Err-my-line Lance and

Me-Never McGonna-Call.

Your information security is abysmal. And yet,

the self-appointed Leader of the Laughable,

Albumen Pustule-Sore, wants you to take

care of my security needs. Ha!

"Should you approach me, attempt to cast a

spell upon me or my wives and family, or

otherwise attempt to do me what I consider

harm - due to the current risk of Riddle and

his lickspittles wanting to attack my person - I

will assume you're a Death Eater who's using

Polyjuice or similar who's attempting to

kidnap me; and treat you as an enemy

combatant. At that point, I will aim to put

you down... hard. You can consider the

likelihood of me using lethal force in defence

of my person or family as 'High'. I cannot

afford to take a chance. You can now

consider yourselves well warned.

"I am a married emancipated minor. That

means I'm under no one's enforced authority.

No one can claim guardianship of me, any

longer. No one can order me about. I'm free

of such. If you try to take me by force, it will

be kidnapping. And the first thing I'll do

when I'm away from you, if you're lucky

enough not to find yourselves dead while I

escape your clutches, is make that charge to

Madam Amelia Bones, herself. As I'm now a

member of the Wizengamot, I believe I can

easily make it stick.

"I should say I'm sorry for interrupting your

little club meeting being held in the private

dining room at the back of the Hog's Head

Tavern; but, you see, I'm really not. Unlike

the White Whiskered Wanker, I'm not a liar.

I'll now allow you to return to your close

physical inspection of Arse-bum's navel lint.

"See you! Hairy Pouter"

When he finished, Kingsley lowered the note

and looked around with a grin on his face.

Prewett and Snape were both almost red

with rage, McGonagall and a few others

looked amused, including Tonks. The rest,

including Dumbledore, looked shocked.

"Well, Albus," said Moody into the silence.

"It appears the boy has you well and truly

pegged. And it appears he knows exactly

what you were attempting to do in this

meeting."

Then he roared with laughter again, as

Dumbledore looked furious.

That led to the others looking around, quite

worriedly, and chatter about the risk they

were taking meeting at the unsecured Hog's

Head if Harry was able to deduce who and

where they were so easily.

None of them, magical raised all, realised

Harry had a supposedly lowly house elf

spying on Dumbledore. And that Dobby had

reported to Harry of the meeting. It only took

Harry a few minutes to write the letter based

on what Dobby told him and had Dobby

deliver it while elf-invisible.

When Dobby had returned from Hogsmeade

and reported he had both delivered the

letter and was not spotted doing so, Harry

grinned at his wives.

Daphne rolled her eyes a little but couldn't

help smirking back. "You're incorrigible, you

know that?"

Chapter 274

When Harry finally boosted his courage

enough to visit Potter Retreat, the Seat of

House Potter, he asked his two wives if

they'd like to accompany him. Both replied in

the affirmative.

"Just give us a few minutes to change into

something more appropriate," said Daphne,

rising from her seat and heading for their

bedroom.

As Hermione moved to follow her, he asked,

"How do we know what'll be appropriate?

For all we know the place will be anything

from pristine condition to nothing but a pile

of burnt remains."

"We'll dress as if it's in pristine condition,"

replied Hermione.

Walking into their bedroom, Daphne was

going through their wardrobe looking for

something particular.

Harry just sighed and watched as she, with

Hermione's help, laid out a set of wizarding

casual wear for him to wear.

"Clearly, I'm not going to be allowed to wear

jeans, collared t-shirt and joggers," he said.

"No," Daphne replied, while still looking

through the wardrobe; this time through her

own clothes.

Harry quickly changed into the wizarding

world version of casual wear and was

slipping on a pair of slip-on shoes when

Daphne finally made her own selection and

began to change. Hermione was almost

finished changing and only needed to don

her own footwear.

Once his ladies deemed them presentable

they headed down to let Deece know what

they were up to before they Floo'ed to the

Leaky Cauldron. From there, both girls

touched Harry's Head of House ring portkey

as he softly called, "Potter Retreat."

When they arrived near the outskirts of a

little Welsh village, they looked around to

see if they could see where they were. Harry

then felt the ring on his finger pulling him to

a rusty old gate on the side of the road.

The ring led to him guiding his hand to a

small metal plate on the gate, where you'd

expect a handle or a lock to be. Seeing a

small depression he made a fist and pressed

the stone on the ring into the depression.

Suddenly, words sprang forth in his mind. In

clear words he said, "Potter Retreat is

located in Merlin's Bridge on Under the Hills

Road."

As he said the last word, the land beyond the

gate, including the gate and the fence either

side, changed. Where what looked like fields

of wheat or similar crops, now appeared as

extensive lawns, gardens and a huge Manor

House with smaller out buildings and

attached.

The gate swung open and the three stepped

through.

They'd no sooner stepped about five paces in

when the gate they passed through silently

swung back until they heard a click as it

latched.

As soon as the gate latched closed, a house

elf appeared about five feet in front of them.

"Who be..." the little elf began before it's

eyes suddenly widened. "Master Harry!" it

gasped.

"Hello," smiled Harry. "And who might you

be?"

"I am Jeeves," said the little elf. "You are

Master Harry." The little elf then turned to

Hermione and said, "And you are, Mistress?"

"Hermione Granger-Potter," replied

Hermione.

When the little elf turned to look at Daphne,

she said, "Daphne Greengrass-Potter. Both of

us ladies are Master Harry's wives."

Looking a little shocked, the elf asked,

"Two?"

"Yes," grinned Harry. "Two."

The little elf thought about that for a

moment before it snapped its fingers. Two

other elves popped in alongside him.

"Master Harry has returned and brought his

two wives," said Jeeves. "Take them to the

Entry Hall."

Both elves gave a little nod before one each

took a hand of the ladies and popped away

with them.

Jeeves then stepped forward and said,

"Come," while holding up his hand.

Harry had no sooner taken Jeeves's hand

when the elf popped him to inside the manor

house and alongside the girls.

Jeeves then looked to the three of them and

said, "Come." He walked out of the room as

the three were still looking about. And led

them through to a very large study.

He guided the girls to chairs before the desk

and then led Harry over to a portrait.

Indicating a depression carefully hidden in

the bottom gilding of the frame, Jeeves said,

"Master Harry must press his ring to there."

With an amused shrug, Harry did as he was

told. He then felt a click through the ring as

the portrait came adrift from the wall a little.

Once the portrait came loose, Harry lowered

his hand. Jeeves then opened the portrait

further and indicated a large ledger within.

"The ward book, Master Harry," said the

little elf before it levitated the book out and

moved it to the desk. It was a red

leather-bound book with gold lettering and

filigree embossed on the cover. It also had a

large single-toned copy of the Potter crest,

also in gold gilding.

Jeeves then indicated for Harry to walk

around the desk and take a seat in the office

chair.

Once Harry was happily comfortable, and

watching the amusement play over the faces

of both his wives sitting on the other side,

Jeeves said, "Press your ring to the crest,

Master Harry."

Looking down at the book now before him,

Harry gave another amused glance to his

wives before doing as the elf instructed. As

soon as he did the gold embossing softly

glowed a little before fading.

Jeeves them stepped forward and opened

the book to the last page of entries.

"This is the ward permissions book," said the

elf. "It defines who is allowed onto the

grounds. You must add your name and the

name of your two wives, just as Master

James did for himself and Mistress Lily before

you."

Harry looked down at the page and saw the

list of names written ledger-style on the

parchment. The last name entered was Harry

James Potter. Names appearing above his

own were Remus John Lupin, Sirius Orion

Black, Peter Andrew Pettigrew, and then Lily

Sophia Potter (Lady). Looking up the list,

Harry saw a number of other names he

recognised until he reached, on a previous

page, James Charlus Potter (Lord).

Chapter 275

All the other names, except for James

Charlus Potter, Lily Sophia Potter, and Harry

James Potter were crossed out; ruled

through as if to cancel them.

"Master must add the term Lord after his

name before then adding the full names of

his wives with Lady after them," instructed

Jeeves.

When Harry looked around for a pen or quill

with ink, Jeeves snapped his fingers and an

expensive self-inking eagle feather quill

appeared next to his right hand.

He picked it up and made the changes as

Jeeves instructed. He added the Lord in

brackets after his name, and then added the

names Daphne Anna Greengrass-Potter (Lady)

and Hermione Jean Granger-Potter (Lady).

"Should I add the rest of the names for

people I want to grant access now, Jeeves?"

asked Harry.

"Not just yet, Master Harry," replied the elf.

"First, close the book and press your ring to

the crest again."

Harry did that and the gold embossing

glowed for a few moments again.

"Now, do the same to reopen it," instructed

the elf.

Once Harry had the book reopened to the

page he'd just been on, he asked, "Now, can I

enter the names?"

"Now, Master Harry," smiled the elf.

"Alright, ladies," he said, looking up at his

wives, "Let's start with the full names of

Daphne's parents and sister."

As Daphne slowly listed out the three names,

Harry entered them on each line.

After he was done, he looked to Hermione.

"Your turn, love," he said.

He then entered the names of both her

parents. When he looked up he asked, "Do

you know the sex and name of your

soon-to-be new sibling yet?"

"Not yet," she smiled back.

"Pity," he said. Giving it a bit of thought he

then re-entered the names for Sirius and

Remus and added Tonks.

"Alright," he muttered. "I've added Padfoot,

Moony and Tonks. Anyone else I should think

of adding?" he asked.

Both girls thought and Daphne piped up, "If

we're going to consider moving in here

sometime over the holidays, can we add

some friends now?"

"Yeah, I guess we can," replied Harry. "Let's

start with Tracey's full name..."

As the girls suggested friends who should or

should not be added, Harry wrote down the

one's they thought should be granted

immediate access. They were Tracey, Neville,

Luna, and the twins. Harry had to think hard

all the way back to his first remembered

meeting with John to recall some of the

middle names.

He then added Susan, Madam Bones and

Augusta Longbottom - the last two whose

middle name he found from previous entries,

the same with Frank and Alice Longbottom.

"Anyone else?" he asked as he finished

writing Alice's name.

"That's it, I think," said Hermione, to which

Daphne nodded.

With a firm nod of his own, Harry blew the

page dry as he put the quill down. He then

closed the book and, once again, pressed his

ring to the crest.

"All done, Master Harry?" asked Jeeves.

"Yes, thank you," replied Harry.

Jeeves then levitated the ledger back into the

still open hidden wall safe before pushing the

portrait closed with elf magic. Harry didn't

even hear it click but knew it was firmly

closed.

"What was all that about Lords and Ladies,

Jeeves," asked Harry, curious about that little

detail. "I thought there was no such thing as

Lords in the wizarding world.

"Master Harry is not a Lord," replied Jeeves.

"But, Master Harry is still Lord of the Manor."

"Oh," replied Harry. "I wondered what that

meant. Does that also mean that Daphne and

Hermione are now considered the Ladies of

the Manor?"

"Yes, Master Harry," replied the elf. The little

elf then said, "Please come, Master Harry.

There are a few other jobs that must be seen

to, right away."

Giving another amused shrug to his wives,

Harry rose from behind the desk and walked

over to the opposite wall where the elf was

standing.

"Master Harry must now make an oath to the

family crest," said Jeeves indicating the large

crest sitting on the wall.

The elf then snapped his fingers causing a

small piece of parchment to appear in his

hand. He held it up for Harry to read.

"Hmm," said Harry, reading it. He then

popped his wand into his hand and held it in

the correct position to give the oath. "I,

Harry James Potter, Head of the Most

Ancient House of Potter, lay claim to this

manor, my ancestral home. As I say, so I

swear."

There was a muted flash and pulse of magic

from the tip of Harry's wand to the crest on

the wall and back again.

As soon as the magic pulsed, three more

elves popped in to the office. Two of them

were two Harry saw earlier, who brought

both girls inside.

"Master Harry, you are now Lord of the

Manor," said Jeeves. He then gestured to

each of the elves. "These are Benny, Paddy

and Sally. I am head elf of the Lord of the

Manor. Benny takes care of guests and

gardens, Paddy takes care of gardens and

Sally is personal elf to Lady of the manor."

Hermione was lightly snickering from where

the girls were still sitting.

Looking at them, Harry raised an eyebrow

and smirked.

"Harry," said Hermione. "That's four more

elves you now own."

"Ummm... oh," he replied.

Looking at Jeeves he said, "Jeeves. That's an

unusual name for a house elf."

"Jeeves is my name and title, Master Harry,"

explained the elf. "All head elves to the Lord

of the Manor for the House of Potter are

named Jeeves when they ascend to that

position."

Nodding, he asked, "Do you and they need to

bond to me?"

"It was done when you accepted the Lord of

the Manor position, Master Harry," replied

Jeeves. He then looked to the other three

elves and, without a word, the three

disappeared again.

"Alright, now comes the next problem,"

sighed Harry. "I already have a personal elf

named Dobby. He is very loyal to me,

personally. Plus, we have a second elf named

Winky. She is currently performing duties

relating to Mistress Hermione's extended

family. Will there be a problem bringing

them both here?"

Chapter 276

"No, Master Harry," replied the elf. "In the

past, when an Heir has a personal elf and the

Heir ascends to the Head of House position,

the elf to the Heir sometimes becomes

Jeeves. The current Jeeves then reverts to his

old name and returns to other duties.

"However, sometimes the current Jeeves

stays on as Jeeves and works with the elf of

the new Head of House. Or the elf of the Heir

goes on to other duties."

Harry nodded and said, "Next question. How

is it your diction and manner of speaking is

so refined?"

"All elves in the House of Potter work hard to

ensure their manner of speech does not

embarrass the House. We all learn hard to

speak as wizards do."

"You'll need to teach that to Dobby and

Winky when you get a chance," said Harry.

"Yes, Master Harry," replied the elf, with a

small bow.

"Alright," said Harry, as he rubbed his hands

together. "Is that all the urgent and

important stuff out of the way?"

"Yes, Master Harry."

"Good. What say we now get a tour of this

place?" said Harry. "I know I must've been

here as an infant; but, I don't remember any

of it."

"Of course, Master Harry," replied the elf.

Harry then gestured both girls join him and

they followed the elf back out the door.

Potter Retreat was even larger than the main

house of Greengrass Farm. However, it did

not have the outlier homes. The Manor

stretched up to three floors above ground

with attic, and one below. The floor they

were on, the ground floor, was the public

floor. It contained the Head of House office, a

small ballroom that had a built-in wizarding

space sizing capability, the formal dining

room with the same, the kitchen with one

end of it being the informal dining room, the

bottom floor of the library, the parlour, the

entrance hall and a welcoming hall that

contained the main fireplace and Floo

connection with an attached audience room.

The next floor up contained guest suites, the

lady's parlour, a huge games room, the

second floor of the library with a huge railed

opening in the middle between the two

floors, and the family portrait hall.

And the third floor contained the family

bedrooms, the master bedroom, a second

private office for the Lady of the Manor, an

activity room for children, an accessway out

to the manor owlery, an accessway out to

the manor observatory, and access to a large

outside deck.

Down in the basement they had a decent

sized potions laboratory, a training room, and

general storage.

Out on the grounds they had a set of private

stables, though no horses at present, a

couple of greenhouses, a Quidditch pitch, a

garden shed and - surprise, surprise - a three

car attached garage accessible indoors

through the welcoming room.

During the tour, Jeeves explained how

Harry's parents left in a hurry and the manor

hadn't been put into stasis. As a result, the

elves maintained it in pristine condition by

using the greenhouses to grow vegetables

and drawing as sparingly as possible from the

Potter main vaults for what they needed.

Harry congratulated the little elf for his and

the other elves' dedication to the House of

Potter and assured the elf he was not

unhappy about it all.

Inside the attached garage Harry was

stunned when he saw a top of the line,

though fifteen year old, Jeep Cherokee Chief

four wheel drive; a similarly aged Bentley T2

sedan in 'British racing green'; and a single

1979 Triumph Bonneville in black with gold

trim.

While Harry stood gaping at the garage,

Hermione said, "Don't even think about it

until you've learned to drive."

With a sigh, Harry exited the garage

following the girls and Jeeves, closing the

door behind him.

When they returned to the Welcoming Hall,

the three thanked Jeeves for the tour.

"When may we expect Master and

Mistresses to move in?" asked Jeeves, with

an almost pleading look on his face.

"We do not know," replied Harry with a sigh.

"However, over the coming weeks we intend

to bring family and friends to show them

around. I do not expect we'll make a decision,

one way or another, until then at least."

"Very well," bowed Jeeves, clearly

disappointed.

"Never fear, Jeeves," Hermione gently said.

"We will move in. However, with the dark

one returned, it may be a while."

"As you wish, Mistress," replied the elf.

"Portkeys to Greengrass Farm?" asked Harry

of his ladies.

Both nodded back and reached for their rings.

Each then activated their portkey to the Farm

and were away.

"So, it's still there?" asked Matthias. "We

were told it had burned down."

"It was a lie," said Harry. "The elves weren't

even aware of anything wrong. Apparently,

either a Potter put the word out it had been

burned down, to stop people going to have a

look for it; or Dumbledore put the word out

to stop me thinking of looking for it if I ever

discovered my heritage."

"It's beautiful, Dad," said Hermione. "Three

above ground floors plus the attic, and a

basement that covers the entire floorplan of

the manor. There are extensive gardens,

stables, greenhouses, and even a small

Quidditch pitch."

"There are four house elves," continued

Daphne. "They've been living off the ambient

magic in the area, and the manor appears to

have been built on the convergence of two

minor ley lines, which is how the elves have

managed to live for a decade and a half

without a Potter in residence."

"The manor head elf, Jeeves, stepped me

through everything I needed to do to take

control of the manor," explained Harry. "The

ward book has been updated with us three -

both Daphne and Hermione are listed as the

Ladies of the Manor - you and Deece, Stori,

Sirius, Remus, Ant and Cele all added to the

wards. I've also added Frank, Alice and

Augusta, and Amelia Bones and her niece,

Susan. Plus, a small group of our friends -

Neville, Tracey, and the Weasley twins, Luna

Lovegood and Hannah Abbott.

"Jeeves is eager for us to move in, but I said

it was something we needed to discuss with

family, first. After all, while it's under the

Fidelius, it doesn't have an escape tunnel

yet."

Thinking, Matthias said, "You should think

about spending at least a week there,

anyway. That there's not been a Potter in

residence for fifteen years, at least, means

the magic needs recharging, even with the

ley line convergence."

"What about the tunnel?" asked Hermione.

"Is that team of dwarves you used able to

work with the Fidelius in place?"

"Yes," he immediately replied. "So long as

you tell them the secret, they'll be able to

work."

Chapter 277

"Can the secret be removed from them once

they've done their work?" asked Daphne.

"I don't... yes," he said. "Maybe."

Harry gave a little snort and grinned, "Well,

as long as you're sure."

Matthias smirked back. "It may just be easier

to strip the existing Fidelius away and erect a

new one once the dwarves have finished."

"Or don't bother with the tunnel and trust to

the security through obscurity," said

Hermione.

"Huh?" asked Harry, confused.

"Everyone but a handful of people believes

Potter Retreat to have been destroyed by

fire," she explained. "That means, they won't

be going looking for it."

Surprised, Matthias said, "That's a very valid

point."

"Potter Retreat can be our sanctuary!" said

Daphne a little excitedly. "All the portkeys

used to escape in the escape tunnels can be

pointed to there!"

Surprised, Harry said, "That's actually a very

good idea. However, before we do that, can

the magical trace left be used to track where

the portkey went?"

"Only if they know to look for it," said

Matthias. "And, only if they know the

escapees used a portkey to escape."

"A slight risk, then," said Harry. "Still, it's

better than having the portkey take you to

somewhere where another attack is

occurring."

Nodding, Harry said, "Do it. It's the right

thing to do." Turning to Hermione he smiled

and said, "Good job, love."

"Harry will have to make them," said

Matthias. "He's the only one who can create

a portkey that will take people directly

through the wards."

Nodding, Harry replied, "I'll get started on

them tomorrow. First, though, we need to

purchase a heap more quoits to make them."

Though they had now reached the decision

to move to Potter Retreat for a week - a

week where Harry would be making the

emergency portkeys - they still didn't leave

until they'd gone and spoken to Sirius, Remus,

Ant and Cele about the change of plans.

Harry went on his own to see Sirius.

At the Black House, after his discussion with

Sirius in the kitchen, he found Draco

ensconced in the library.

"How go things, cousin?" he asked with a

smirk, as he stood in the doorway.

Looking up, Draco smiled back and said, "As

well as can be expected."

"Any news on Malfoy Manor?" asked Harry.

"The goblins are still going through the

place," sighed the blonde haired boy.

"They're reluctant to inform us as to when

they're likely to be completed."

"Best they take their time and not rush to try

and meet an arbitrary deadline," said Harry.

"That's mother's opinion, too," said Draco.

"Though, you did express it better than she

did."

Harry walked over and sat in an armchair in

sight of Draco.

Seeing the wistful expression on his

ex-nemesis's face, Harry asked, "Something

else troubling you?"

Draco took a few moments to gather his

thoughts. With a slight shrug he said, "Olaf

Parkinson has cancelled the contract

between Pansy and me."

"Marriage contract?" asked Harry.

"Yes."

"I was reliably informed there was no

marriage contract," said Harry, remembering

Daphne's explanation of soon after they

initiated the bond.

Draco thought for a moment before he said,

"Truly, it was a contract contract in name

only. Either party was able to withdraw

without penalty. It would take a magical

marriage for it to become ironclad. That is

now highly unlikely."

Thinking for a moment, Harry asked, "You

seem to be a little ambivalent to that news."

With a sigh, Draco said, "I am. I've known of

the contract since my father deemed me old

enough to understand what it meant. I was

about... seven, I think... when he told me.

"For me it's been somewhat of an

undeniable fact of life. When I came of age

I'd be marrying Pansy. And the marriage

would strengthen the alliance between our

two Houses. However, I've never felt I loved

her. At least, I don't know if I did or not."

With a small snort and smile, Harry said,

"Trust me, if you loved her you'd know."

When the other boy nodded in

understanding, he said, "Did The Parkinson

give a reason?"

With a sneer, Draco replied, "Apparently I'm

now considered a blood traitor; no better

than a mud... muggleborn. It matters not

that I can trace my lineage back way beyond

even Parkinson in some instances."

"It never did, Draco," said Harry. "This war

has only ever been about one man and his

quest for power. He needed money and

followers, and the place to get both was from

the established and cashed-up ancient

pureblood families. He lied, wheedled and

convinced them that a lie was the truth.

"He's convinced folks that muggleborns get

their magic by stealing it. That is a lie. He's

convinced folks that any pureblood who

doesn't agree is a blood traitor. That, too, is

obviously a lie. He needs to lie to justify his

actions. Think about how many ancient

pureblood families have been wiped out by,

or because of, Riddle and his thugs; and how

many border on extinction. It'll be easier to

see who, then, the real blood traitors are.

"However, now that the betrothal contract

between you and Miss Parkinson has been

cancelled, you now have plenty of options.

You want to bring the House of Malfoy closer

to the light; this is yet another opportunity to

do so.

"Think about how many unattached witches

there are of a suitable age at Hogwarts, who

are either of the grey or could be considered

various shades of that. Look for the future

Lady Malfoy among those. And, for Merlin's

sake, don't restrict yourself to just Slytherin.

"It might interest you to know that, while my

fraternal grandfather was a Gryffindor, my

fraternal grandmother was a Slytherin -

Dorea Black. Another such was Septimus

Weasley and Cedrella Black. There are plenty

of similar happy marriages that occurred

in spite of the rivalry between our two

Hogwarts' Houses."

Chapter 278

While Harry was talking, Draco leaned back

and adopted a pose where he was clearly

deep in thought. A few moments after Harry

finished, he said, "You're right. It is an

opportunity." He looked Harry in the eye and

slightly smirked. "Yet, again, I find myself

having to thank you. It's getting to be a

habit."

Harry chuckled back and said, "As I've told

you previously, the Hat wanted to put me in

Slytherin. I am capable of employing strategy,

cunning and guile."

While the two boys had been talking, Sirius -

who had been silently listening from the

doorway - quietly slipped away. He was

gently smiling to himself as he left.

When Sirius walked into the parlour a few

moments later, where Narcissa was sitting,

she looked up and asked, "And just what

has you grinning like a loon, Sirius?"

With mock-horror he replied, "I'll have you

know my expression was one of dignified

pleasure."

With a soft snort she asked, "Whatever it

was, what brought it on?"

Taking a seat of his own, he replied, "Harry

has just convinced young Draco that the

dissolution of the marriage contract between

he and Heir Parkinson is actually a good

thing."

"Oh?" she asked, quite interested. "And, pray

tell, how did he manage that?"

"By demonstrating to him how, with the

contract out of the way, Draco now has the

opportunity to form an alliance with a House

of the Grey through another contract," he

smugly replied. "And, this way, Draco gets to

choose who that will be."

Smiling back, she said, "Interesting. Even

more so, for the truth of it." Looking

speculatively back at her cousin, she said,

"You and I should have thought of that."

"True," he acceded with a small nod.

"However, this way was better. Draco got to

hear it from a peer."

"Then let us hope we'll now see an

improvement in my son's mood," she said.

A few moments later she asked, "Am I

allowed to know what happened to cause

young cousin Harry to pay a visit?"

"He's not allowed to just turn up out of the

blue to visit his godfather?" he asked with a

smirk.

"Of course he is," she scoffed. "However, you

and he immediately sequestered yourselves

in the kitchen. That implies more than just a

social visit."

"It was," he acknowledged. "Harry is still

coming to terms with the depth of the Potter

family history and finances. He seeks me out,

from time to time, to ask for advice. I'm just

thankful he does. I'd hate to think of the

hash he could make of things if he didn't."

"You're also thankful he wants to spend time

with his godfather," she offered.

He only gave a small nod back in agreement.

"Would you... consider allowing Draco the

same pleasure and letting his godfather

visit?" she carefully asked.

This was an uncomfortable subject for the

both of them. Sirius thought about it for a

few long moments before he said, "I'll allow

it based on certain conditions."

Inwardly pleased, she waited for him to

elaborate trying not to show emotion one

way or the other.

Listing them off, he said, "At all times he is

here, he must remain civil to everyone else

who is here at the time. That includes myself,

Remus and Harry, at an absolute

minimum. No sneering, let alone snide

remarks.

"He cannot have anyone else accompany him.

I will not allow my home to become known

to any Death Eater, or Death Eater

sympathiser. And all such visits must be both

arranged in advance, and approved of by

myself.

"If he is willing to meet those demands

without question, he may visit."

"Thank you, Sirius," she gratefully said.

"That's most agreeable of you. And, for what

little its worth, I agree with your reasoning."

Sirius responded with only a slight nod.

To change the subject before Sirius changed

his mind, Narcissa thought for a moment

before returning to the previous matter. She

opined, "Young Harry shows signs of being

much alike Great Aunt Dorea. I can see her

influence on him. He is much different than

what Draco's letters home purported him to

be."

"He is an enigma at times," admitted Sirius.

"I can see signs of James, Lily, Charlus,

Dorea... even myself... within him. He is both

a Potter and a Black. I'm pleased he seems to

have adopted the best of the personalities of

both Houses."

Narcissa could only nod in response.

When Harry returned to Greengrass Farm,

Hermione immediately asked, "How'd it go?"

"We managed to switch out the portkeys

without either Narcissa or Draco learning of

the tunnel," he replied, relieved. "Sirius and I

locked ourselves in the kitchen. Then I

carried on a one-sided discussion, telling him

all about the so-called difficulties I was

having with the Potter accounts. As planned,

while I was gabbing away at an empty chair,

Sirius bounded down the tunnel as Padfoot

and switched them out.

"I'd almost run out of things to complain

about before he returned. I was even

thinking of whinging about how difficult my

wives have been, of late, when he finally

came back."

From across the room where she was

working on something or other, Daphne

wadded up a ball of parchment and threw it

at him without a word.

"Desperate measures, love," he smiled back.

She just huffed back at him in mild

annoyance.

"How's the ferret and his mother?" grinned

Hermione.

"I don't know about her as I didn't see her.

He, however, is depressed," he replied. "It

seems Olaf Parkinson has cancelled that faux

betrothal contract between Draco and

Pansy."

"Ouch!" winced Daphne. "That's a major, and

very public, slap in the face."

With a shrug as if he didn't care, he said, "I

managed to convince him, I think, that it

gives him an opportunity. He can now use

how he's currently unattached to find

himself a bride from the Grey Houses. That

should work in his favour to help pull House

Malfoy from the Dark and closer to the

Light."

"How'd he take that?" asked Daphne.

"Quite well, I think," he replied. "He

genuinely hadn't seemed to think of the

positives the breaking of the contract

allowed him. But, at least, I've managed to

give him a few things to think about for

now."

"He never loved her," said Daphne.

Chapter 279

"No," he replied. "He admitted as much as

we talked. I have the impression he really

doesn't know what love is; other than what

he feels for and from his mother."

"Is he really thinking of moving towards the

Light," asked Hermione. "Or, is at all an act?"

"I think he's genuine," replied Harry. "But,

I'm still not going to trust him."

"A good stance to take," said Daphne.

After a couple of weeks with the

Greengrasses, Hermione was practically

bouncing in happiness at their move to the

Granger residence - as they'd come to call it.

Harry had spent time learning the ancient

sport of golf from Matthias, and the two

males of the Greengrass household

developed a closer bond than they had

already. While Harry found he could hit the

ball quite firmly, he also found that when he

tried too hard he developed a wicked slice,

causing the ball to arc off to the right.

However, the slice came in handy when the

fairway dog-legged to the right.

By the end of their stay, Harry was able to

'card' fewer than twenty shots over par. He'd

never become a professional golfer, but he

found that some of his worst shots would

occasionally almost reduce his father-in-law

to tears from laughter. And that made things

actually better for Harry.

Moving to the Granger residence, this time

they simply allowed Matthias, Deece and

Sirius to side-along apparate them to the

Granger's garage. As usual, Harry almost

immediately doubled-over and groaned.

"I hate side-along apparating!"

Laughing, as Hermione opened the internal

door into the house, Daphne said, "You've

finally got the hang of Floo and portkey

travel, apparating is the last to get used to."

"We're here!" Hermione practically

sing-songed when she opened the door.

"Really, dear?" called her father. "You're not

pulling my leg, are you?"

While Sirius chuckled Daphne, Harry,

Matthias and Deece all grinned at one

another; Hermione took off down the

internal hallway into the sitting room.

As the others followed, they heard an excited

squeal from Hermione as Ant laughed aloud.

As they expected to see when they walked in,

Hermione was standing in the middle of the

floor wrapped in the arms of her father,

while Cele was calmly sitting in an armchair

watching them with amusement.

"Doesn't that ever get old?" Deece smiled to

Cele.

"Yes," Cele instantly replied. "That was back

in about 1985, if I remember right."

Even while she was sitting down, everyone

could easily see Cele was pregnant. At over

six months along she was now in maternity

wear, and wearing it well.

Harry walked over and gently kissed the

woman on the cheek before he leaned back

and said, "You're looking good, Mum

Granger."

As everyone found or conjured up more seats,

she gave him a dazzling smile right back in

happiness. "It's better now I'm able to keep

down what I eat." With a gesture to her

tummy she continued, "But, this little

football hooligan still manages to wake me

up at night and send me to the toilet."

"Already?" asked Deece. She didn't

understand that much what 'football' was,

but the term hooligan even made it to the

wizarding world. And the nightly trips to the

toilet were the same in either world.

"He or she is a real kicker," grinned Ant.

"You still don't know the sex of the baby?"

asked Deece.

"The doctor knows, but we left specific

instructions not to be told," said Cele.

Deece hesitated a moment before she asked,

"Do you mind if I check to see if the baby is

magical or not?"

Ant and Cele looked at one another for a

moment as everyone else fell silent. The

Grangers stared at one another for a moment

longer before Cele turned to Deece and

asked, "It won't affect anything, will it?"

"No," replied Deece.

Taking a deep breath, Cele said, "Do it,

please."

"It would be best to know as soon as possible

so we can take steps, if necessary," said Ant.

Deece walked across the room and kneeled

before Cele. With her wand she lightly cast

over Cele's tummy. Almost immediately

there was a green glow over Cele's baby

bump for a few moments.

With a firm nod she looked up and smiled at

Cele. "Magical," she said.

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was

holding. He wasn't the only one. He even

heard Hermione sigh in relief from where he

was.

Ant gave her a slightly annoyed look and said,

"It would not have mattered to us if he, or

she, wasn't. We'd love them just the same."

Blushing a little in embarrassment, Hermione

looked down and said, "I know. But, it's going

to be real nice being able to help my little

brother or sister learn magic."

Smiling in acceptance of Hermione's remark,

Ant said, "And I've no doubt you'll do a bang

up job of it, too."

"Bags buying Baby Granger his or her first

broom!" piped up Harry.

"Hey! No fair!" pouted Sirius as Matthias and

Ant grinned back while the ladies generally

rolled their eyes. "I didn't even get a chance

to think of it first."

"You snooze, you lose!" grinned Harry.

"Who bought Harry's?" asked Hermione.

"His Dad," Sirius grinned back in

remembrance. "He bought it the day after it

was confirmed Lily was pregnant. I thought

Lily was going to kill him."

"What's so special about the first broom?"

asked Cele.

"It's like buying a child's first bike, Mum,"

answered Hermione. "Boys seem to think it's

important."

"In that case," said Ant. "Father's

prerogative; I'm buying the first

bike... and first football and football

boots... and first cricket set."

"And if it's a girl?" smirked Cele.

"She'll love football and cricket," Ant

adamantly replied.

Hermione rolled her eyes again and mocked

growled at Harry. "Now, see what you've

done?"

Harry was unrepentant in his grin back.

After a little while, the ladies went to the

kitchen to talk as the men remained in the

sitting room.

"Any news?" Ant immediately asked.

Chapter 280

"Well, Amelia and the Unspeakables are

ready to go with getting rid of all the Death

Eaters and sympathisers out of the Ministry,"

said Sirius. "They're just waiting until the

right time to kick Fudge out of office.

Between when the Minister is sacked and a

new one wins the election, they'll make their

move."

Matthias nodded and said, "With Sirius's and

Harry's help, I've just about convinced Ogden

to step up and run for the post. Once we've

finally convinced him, the plan will go into

action."

"What's the hold up?" asked Ant, clearly just

curious.

"Tiberius... Ogden, that is... is not quite ready

yet to believe Fudge isn't the better person

to lead us through the war," explained

Matthias. "Tiberius still thinks Fudge will

soon come to his senses. We just know he

won't.

"I think it's going to take getting Tiberius to

talk to Fudge directly to push him to the

point he'll take the job. I'm trying to set up a

meeting now."

"Any news about this Riddle character?" Ant

asked next.

"None," said Harry. "He's laying low. I

suspect it's because he doesn't feel as

powerful as he expected to be after the

resurrection ritual, and he's worried

something went terribly wrong. If that's the

case, he's right of course.

"However, we need to keep an eye out for

Death Eater attacks on muggleborn homes,

Diagon Alley and the like. The first one we

can't do much about, because there's too

many of them and not enough of us. But, we

should set up a monitoring system, or

something, for the Alley.

Shaking his head, Matthias said, "I don't

think we'll see any overt attacks until

Riddle's resurrection is publicly

acknowledged."

"I'd have to agree," said Sirius.

"Then, if there are any attacks, they'll be on

the muggleborns," sighed Harry. "We need a

way..."

He suddenly stopped and sat up straighter,

deep in thought. The others gave him a few

moments to think what ever it was he was

thinking about, through.

"Portkeys or alert wards?" he said to himself.

"But, how many are there? And how do I

track them down? For that matter, how do

the Death Eaters track them down?"

"Harry?" asked Sirius, confused. "What're

you talking about?"

Coming back to himself, Harry looked to his

godfather and said, "We know Voldemort

will send his thugs after muggleborns; right?"

Sirius nodded back.

"Right, so how does he find them?" he asked.

"Is there a record of... oh, of course there is."

"A record?" asked Matthias. "Of

muggleborns?"

"Yes; the Ministry has a couple of different

ways to track down muggleborns," explained

Harry. "The first is through accidental magic

in non-magical areas. The second is through

the Hogwarts' register, which would have to

include the home addresses of all students.

The third would include the rare time a

muggleborn used magic outside of school

and received a warning of underage magic

notice.

"We need the information in those records to

immediately become even more tightly

regulated. We need to stop the Death Eaters

getting access to that information."

Nodding, Matthias said, "I'll get Amelia onto

that. The Obliviators work from within her

department, as does the Underage magic

office. I guess the Education examination

authority would also have the records of

muggleborn students."

"Yeah, that information needs to be placed

under better protections," said Sirius.

Looking to Harry he asked, "What made you

think of it?"

"I was trying to determine whether I could

offer an emergency portkey to the families of

the all the muggleborn Hogwarts students,"

explained Harry. "But, I don't know their

addresses to visit them to ask. Then I also

thought of setting up alert wards for each

property keyed to the Dark Mark, or

something; and that had the same problem –

finding them. So, how do Riddle's thugs find

them?

"That's what led me to think about whom at

the Ministry would know. Accidental magic

was the first and most obvious clue. And

things snowballed from there.

"However, if we can get those records better

secured, the chance of muggleborns being

targeted in the first place is greatly reduced.

Riddle's thugs can't do them harm if they

can't be found."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the girls were

sitting around the dining table. As they sat

down, Deece cast a silencing ward around

them so they could speak freely, without the

males overhearing them.

"Everything's on target for the fourteenth of

August for the wedding," said Cele. "Roma

and Della have been helping us co-ordinate."

"They're lovely, aren't they," said Hermione.

"Yes, they've been a real godsend..." realising

what she just said, Cele stopped in a shock

for a moment before suddenly bursting out

laughing in embarrassment as the others

laughed. "I cannot believe I just said that."

Once they'd all calmed down again, Deece

said, "I have no idea how they're doing it -

and I don't know I really want to know - but

close family and friends have already been

notified."

"Because of the dangerous times, the guest

list is being kept small," said Cele. "From my

side, we're inviting Hermione's grandmother,

Elizabeth; her Uncle and Aunt, my brother

and his wife, Robert and Marybeth; her

Uncle, my brother, John and his partner,

Suzette; and her Aunt, my sister, Stacy. All,

with the surname Cummings.

"From Ant's side, we have Hermione's

grandfather, Stephen, and his partner, Clarice

Brennan; and her Aunt, Ant's sister, Gloria

Playwright."

Taking it from there, Deece said, "From ours,

we have kept the list even shorter due to

security. Too much of our extended family

have ties with Riddle for us to be

comfortable. "We'll have Daphne's Aunt and

Uncle, my sister and her husband, Violet and

Amos Diggory; and their son, Cedric,

and his girlfriend, Cho Chang; and Matthias

wants us to invite Tiberius Ogden as a

representative from the Ministry."

"And Harry will want Sirius Black, Remus

Lupin, the Longbottoms and Nymphadora

Tonks to represent family," said Hermione. "I

think he'll also want to invite Arthur Weasley

and the twins.

"For friends, there's Neville to stand with

Harry, Luna to stand with me, and Tracey to

stand with Daphne. Other friends include

Blaise Zabini, Cedric you already have, and if

we can get them there's Victor Krum and

Fleur Delacour."

"That should be about all," said Cele. "As we

said, we want to keep the guest list low."