AN: *Insert huffy disclaimer here*

AN2: Yaaaaaaay. It's here

-:-

Chapter One: Cold Zero

Tracey was really beginning to loath the cold. Normally she wasn't so opposed to it but after staying nearly motionless for over twelve hours in the freezing cold and wet she felt entitled to a personal grudge against the elements. She and Susan had made the journey northeast from Wales several days ago, travelling overland by foot to minimize their magical signature. The Regiment had gotten Intel that there was a gathering of the Knights Walpurgis happening near the border between England and Scotland.

It was a rare opportunity to gather Intel and potentially strike at the leadership of their enemies, and after losing Daphne to Valmortis' minions the two girls had wanted some payback. So it had fallen to them to trudge the nearly three hundred kilometres cross country to the meeting point, leaving barely an hour after the memorial for the fallen from the ministry battle. They had both gained a new appreciation for magic and as they travelled, only being able to use portable rune powered stoves to cook food and with only their enchanted clothes for warmth they had both gained a new respect for the dedication Muggles took to travel when they did so in such a manner.

When at last they had reached their designated overlook a day before the meet was to take place they had felt some small measure of relief at the hardest leg of their journey's end. Approaching the site magically would have tipped their targets off to what was happening, but regardless of the outcome of their operation they would have to make a swift exfiltration and would be port-keying directly back to the Manor and safety.

After sleeping for nearly half their remaining time and making a point of eating a filling meal they had both settled in for the long wait on magically camouflaged tarpaulins that would be impossible to spot from above; Susan with her spotting scope trained on the magical rune circle where the Knights would be meeting and Tracey laying prone behind her rifle.

The first few hours had been fine, chatting between themselves and genially passing the time. But the inevitable Scottish rain had swept in and despite the warm waterproof clothes both girls were wearing and the tarpaulins they were laying on both had been soaked to the bone within minutes. Only their magic was keeping them from hypothermia at this point, but they couldn't do anything about the chill without creating a magical flare that might alert any scouts to their presence. The point of arriving so far in advance of their marks was that their magic would attune itself with the land and allow them to blend in seamlessly from a magical surveillance point of view. It was still cramp inducing though.

So here was Tracey, lying on her stomach in the mud and water that had pooled in the natural depression her body had created on the tarp and she was not a happy girl. There was muddy water in her cleavage and her knickers were soaked, but she had a job to do.

The two girls were on the edge of a copse of beech trees that had provided some fallen limbs to cover themselves with for added camouflage in addition to the ghillie suits both girls were wearing. The suits were an ingenious invention of the twins that mimicked the muggle creation of the same name, but instead of using fabric and fibre to simulate vegetation tiny runic clusters were sewn throughout the garments that weaved a complex camouflaging illusion around them. The result of this being two extremely well hidden, if saturated and grumpy, girls.

Lying in such a position for such a long time had created a deep stiffness in Tracey's muscles that no amount of careful wiggling would abate, and she hated to wiggle harder or even stretch for fear of disturbing her hard won harmony with the magic of the land. She would have to stay put, although not for much longer.

All of their preparations had come to a head suddenly as figures in the ubiquitous uniform of the Knights Walpurgis began to apparate into the glade where the runic circle was marked. Snapping out of her light stupor Tracey scoped in on the gathering and inserted the end of the extendable ear attached to her scope into her ear just as Susan did the same beside her. The modification to the already massively successful snooping device allowed Tracey to pick up the audio coming from whatever she trained her scope on. It was a fantastic piece of magic and it allowed her now to listen in from an incredible distance on what the Knights were saying.

Unfortunately they were all speaking in German.

Cursing softly under her breath she stared through her scope searching for targets of interest. Susan's job was slightly more diverse, not only was she searching for a target but also was she trying to record as much of the Knight's meeting as possible for the Regimental advisors to decipher once they got back to the Manor. Tracey smiled at the grunt of displeasure from her friend.

"Rat crawl up your trousers?"

"No, just these bloody Germans. Can't understand a word."

"Anyone interesting?"

"Can't see Valmortis amongst them if that's what you're asking. Although the speaker does seem to carry weight; perhaps him?"

"No, he'll have wards about him to prevent something like that. We aim a couple of rungs lower down the ladder, and pick off more of them before we have to go. Like us there aren't really enough of them that they can afford to suffer casualties. Taking out even one of the grunts will wipe out dozens of demons from the ranks too."

Susan's grunt this time was in the affirmative and she started marking targets with the magical function in her sighting scope. It was linked to Tracey's rifle scope so that the targets Susan marked would show up as a vibrant offensive orange colour in her view. She took a long slow breath before clicking the safety off her weapon and carefully adjusting her scope for distance and wind, not to mention the rain.

The rain was actually in their favour here, it would muffle her shots far more efficiently than any silencer and she'd be able to get off multiple rounds before they had to leave. They waited for another half hour before Tracey spoke again.

"Wherever you're ready Suze, got what you need?"

"I have no idea, but they could break up and leave at any time. We should get to work."

Taking another long slow breath Tracey scoped in on her first target. She was about to fire what the Captain called a cold bore. The first shot of her weapon in the engagement that would be working on the weapon's baseline characteristics, no weapon heat or mechanical fatigue. Just engineering and skill pitted against the wind, distance and rain.

The point where her bullet's path would intersect with the target was called the zero. When the conditions of the cold bore were balanced perfectly and she placed a shot directly on the zero it was called a cold zero, that first (and sometimes only) vital chance at completing her task, today though it would be the first of many shots.

She double checked her aim as Susan kept an eye on the target, Tracey wouldn't be able to confirm the kill immediately with the weapon's recoil, and gave Tracey the go ahead.

One more deep breath, carefully pull the bolt of her weapon back to arm it. Triple check the aim. Squeeze the trigger.

Rinse and repeat.

-:-

"Alastor Moody, Age; unknown, estimated to be over five hundred, Master Auror, Order of Merlin; second class, possessor of an official cross of the round table, rare these days, murderer; of over two hundred and fifty witches and wizards bearing the Dark Mark or the Pentacle of Walpurgis. You are a very hard man to catch."

The speaker has a rough voice, with a thick eastern European accent that makes his English nearly indecipherable. A long thin rod of wrought iron is held in one hand, a thick bible in the other.

"You're a heretic, a witch."

"A wizard"

"Use what word you will, you practise magic. You're a murderer, but to be fair that is your only sin. You do not steal, or cheat, or lie. You don't cavort with demons, and you're loyal to a fault."

"How do you know all this about me?"

"I said you're a hard man to catch, not a hard man to find. The woman you've been chasing for the last couple of months is a double agent, working for us as well as Albus Dumbledore."

"Black?"

"Black"

Moody snorted, his eye (the magical one) rolling obscenely in its socket.

"Otherwise known as 'Mad-Eye', adorable"

"No need to be sarcastic boy."

"Wouldn't dream of it"

"You gonna let me down? I can feel my stump starting to get pins 'n needles."

"Hmmm, no, I think I'll leave you there a while longer. Let you ruminate on your sins."

Another exasperated snort from Moody from where he was rotating slowly, hanging from the ceiling by iron chains under his armpits.

"You know who I am, who we are."

"Yes"

"Good, just wanted to make sure. Sorry to leave you hanging 'Mad-eye', but I have other things to attend to."

"Oh sod off then"

"Yes sir"

-:-

"Harry, there're something like thirty members of the Regiment from the reserves who want to join active service"

The young man known as Harry Potter growled under his breath from the antique leather swivel chair where he was elegantly sprawled. Over the last couple of years he'd grown to a commanding height of five foot ten inches and with the careful diet, exercise and general love he was surrounded with the previously scrawny boy had filled out and gained a lean but elegant appearance, slender and willowy like his mother.

"Don't growl at me Harry, you know full well they deserve to fight."

He growled again, just to be stubborn, before spinning around slowly and fixing his bond mate with a frustrated glare.

"I just don't want to put more of them in danger, you know that."

Hermione Grange: brightest witch of her age, budding sorceress, and one of only three people on the planet Earth who felt confident talking Harry down from one of his 'growly' moods.

"And they know that, which is why the Regiment is strictly volunteers only. They want this Harry, they're going to fight either way, if we take them into the active roster and train them we can help them live through this, instead of letting them spend their lives needlessly, or worse be slaughtered like lambs."

He couldn't argue with that, not without sounding insane. He spun his wand between the fingers of one hand like a drumstick while he ruminated on what to do with nearly forty new recruits.

"We need to reform the Regiment, add fire teams and move the support and auxiliary units to dedicated groups."

Nothing from Hermione, not even thoughts across their bond, she was shielding to let him think.

"Busybody, Thinktank and Medic squad can form a support division, Susan and Tracey want to be dedicated bodyguards, escorts, whatever, so we'll need a separate sniper squad to fill the role they used to."

He paused, both the spinning and the talking as a thought struck him.

"We don't have the weapons to arm them."

Hermione finally spoke up.

"Madame Bones owled us a message the other day, the muggle prime minister didn't play ball so she's got people searching for an arms dealer we can purchase ordnance from."

He closed his eyes and groaned under his breath

"Please tell me the people she has searching are well... Not wizardly?"

He could practically feel her wry grin from across the room.

"Of course not, likely enough it'll be a Muggleborn wizard or wizards she has employed, either way we should be able to arm anyone we can train."

With that problem solved his fingers started twirling his holly and phoenix feather wand again with absentminded skill that spoke of a deeply ingrained habit.

"How many total are we going to end up with?"

"Fifty nine, us included."

"Damn shame that, a round number would have been nice. Let's see, there's us and Parvati, Susan and Tracey, there's the command unit. Tyrant squad have their tank, three for a sniper squad, that's eleven, busybody, medic, Thinktank, twenty full told; leaves us with thirty nine, enough for thirteen squads exactly, four fire teams and one to spare. Don't know what to do with them yet: Another sniper squad? Sappers? We'll see."

"Another medic squad maybe? We might need them dealing with the Knights."

Harry hemmed and hawed for a few moments before shrugging.

"We can get to it when we get to it. A specialist role we haven't even considered might pop up down the road that we need them for. In the meanwhile we need to get them trained…"

"Harry?"

He'd trailed off, obviously in thought, the wand had stopped twirling.

"Susan and Tracey, they don't want to add a third to Seraphim squad do they?"

Hermione grimaced and he couldn't help but look askance at her. She grimaced some more before answering him blithely

"Well, I don't think they'd mind a third person, it just… they want someone who has the same… qualifications as them."

He raised an eyebrow and asked dryly.

"Harry Potter fan girls?"

She shot him a withering glare.

"Crude but… accurate"

He grunted in assent before moving smoothly to his feet and crossing the room in a couple of quick strides to stand before his lover.

"Walk with me?"

"Always"

-:-

It was surreal, Hermione thought, walking around the gardens of the grounds barely five days after the battle at the ministry. They had held the service for the five squad mates they lost in the battle the day afterwards; they were now entombed in the crypt alongside Daphne. Their families had attended the ceremony and had given their heartfelt commendations to the rest of the Regiment, reinforcing their belief that they were doing the right thing.

The Regimentals had fallen back into their habits after the day of peace and the rattle and snap of rifle fire echoed up and down the grounds from the firing range. Her mum, Emma, was days away from giving birth to little John. Hermione could still only scarcely believe that she was going to be a sister soon; she knew that Harry was equally befuddled at the idea of having an adopted brother.

Harry had all but ordered Dan to be with Emma, Victoria knew enough about the training to keep the Regiment in line while the Grangers and Harry were out of action for the next week or so. The elder Grangers because of the baby, Harry and Her because of Fleur… Epine…

Wasn't that just the thorniest of issues? The nosferatu was still chained up in the basement and they hadn't yet had the time to prepare the ritual that would banish Voldemort's influence from her forever. Hermione frowned, if Voldemort was dead, his soul sent on, why was Fleur's… Epine's body still such a horrific resemblance to that monster? It was a conundrum she would have to research later, for now they had arrived at the destination Harry had been subtly steering them to.

Hermione looked up at the rustic building that was the barracks and couldn't help but draw a deep breath to steady her suddenly jangling nerves. This was a conversation she really, really, did not want to have.

Ever the anchor of calm and strength that she needed him to be Harry's mind swept through hers like it had done hundreds of times before and calmed her racing thoughts, bringing her back to an even keel. She leaned close and kissed the underside of his jaw (the highest place she could reach without him leaning down to her) softly in thanks.

He led her calmly to the dining hall in the barracks where the Squads could eat on their days off without having to troop up to the main manor building for food. Waiting for them were the eight remaining squad leaders as well as Pavarti. Harry handed her to her seat before he sat down next to her and cleared his throat.

"We've got some news, but it can wait until after what this meeting was called to sort out, so let's get to it. In the last couple of weeks we've lost four members of the Regiment to enemy fire. Daphne first, then the entirety of Bitesize squad was wiped out in the last engagement. It's grim to be sure, and we asked you last night to sound out the members of your squads, and think yourselves, about whether any of you wanted out of the Regiment.

This is a volunteer unit, if any of you feel you're not able to continue fighting then you can leave without stigma from the rest of us, you know that, your squads know that. That being said and understood is there anyone here, or absent, who wants out?"

The silence from the surrounding members of the Regiment made Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She'd come to know and, in her own way, love each and every one of these young men and women who fought alongside them. She didn't want to see any of them go. The relaxation of Harry's tense muscles told her volumes about how her mate felt about the situation, and how similar his thoughts were to hers. Never mind that she already knew exactly how he felt because of the emotions rushing through his mind.

"Thank you, all of you, for your continued support and service. Make sure you tell your squads we appreciate it."

He took a breath and Hermione took over to give him a moment to catch his breath and calm himself back down.

"We got news today that thirty three regimentals from the reserves want to join active service and, considering what we're up against, we've agreed. This means there's going to be a bit of a reshuffle insofar as how the squads and fire teams are organized: Purepower, Aegis, Vixens, you'll be forming fire team one. Squads Eight Nine and Twelve will be forming fire team two. Busybody, Thinktank and Medic squads will be forming a support fire team with Busybody squad handling in-theatre sapping and support, Thinktank being a general relief squad that can redeploy if another fire team is beleaguered and Medic squad will be setting up an in-theatre triage for injured Regimentals for rapid medical aid, one of the house elves has volunteered to keep an eye on the vitals of the Regiment and evacuate any squad member who is rendered incapable of fighting.

Tyrant squad will be dedicating themselves to the Tyranny and will be an auxiliary unit with thirteen elves assisting including Cranky and twelve others to transport the Tyranny to and from the site of battle in groups of four. If the Tyranny is too large for the engagement Tyrant Squad will operate in the same function as Thinktank squad and will deploy to any fire team that needs assistance."

Hermione took a chance to catch her breath and have a sip of water as Harry took over.

"Susan and Tracey will be acting as escorts for Parvati, Hermione and I as well as any VIP's on the battlefield such as hostages or specialists like Umbridge. Three of the incoming Regimental recruits will be cherry picked to be a dedicated sniper squad to fill the role Seraphim squad is leaving, twenty seven of the remainder will be split into three fire teams of three squads each to fill out the front line units and the remaining three will be a specialist squad that we haven't determined the exact role of as of yet, might be more snipers depending on the number of marksmen, might be another medic squad, could be something completely different we haven't thought of yet, either way that will bring the battle order to: Sixty eight active infantry three of them in-tank, with fourteen elf auxiliaries… Questions?"

Neville spoke up in his cultured tones.

"Do we have the armament to equip all these new recruits? I was under the impression that we were only just getting by as is."

Harry nodded acknowledging the point

"We are, but Madam Bones is in the process of sourcing more arms so that we can equip these new Regimentals as well as any others that join active service over time."

The thirteen young adults all sat back in their seats and contemplated the change the Regiment was about to undergo.

"There are more people joining than we had to begin with, we've had losses, there's going to be so many more recruits than veterans."

It was a slightly empty statement from Parvati; it didn't really lead them anywhere that they didn't already know, it was more of an admission of shock than anything else.

"It's not just firearms training that they need either, they all missed out on a lot of the training we did for the battle of Hogwarts. At least we'll have something to train them in before their weapons get here."

Harry nodded slowly at Parvati's thoughts

"True, we have a lot more people who know what they're doing to train them now though. It'll be much easier to get them in to shape now that we know what needs to be done."

They all looked at each other across the table for a few moments longer before Fred voiced the thought they all had.

"We're the old guard now… The veterans, it's damned strange that."

The stereo answer from fourteen other mouths came rapidly.

"Aye"

-:-

"Some food, I imagine you haven't eaten in some time."

"My thanks, untie me so I can eat it?"

"Not a chance."

The thickly accented man had returned bearing a plate of bread and cheese. It was very cliché for a prisoner's meal but Alastor didn't complain; food was food. Some magic in the plate levitated the food to mouth height, it was degrading but the master Auror didn't rightly care; food was food.

As he ate the man had some more questions for him, or more accurately began asking some, his previous vocalisations had been more statement than question.

"What tipped you off to our agent's duplicity?"

"You speak English very well for a Pole."

Silence, looked like he wasn't going to play Alastor's game.

"I was pretty close behind Valmortis and his ilk but she was getting information home faster than even I could. Clearly she had a deeper intelligence network or was a part of the group I was chasing. Either way I wanted to find her and get answers."

"Arrogant of you, to believe no one else could get information back to your superiors before you could."

"I'm the best."

"Clearly"

The dry wit in the man's tone did not escape the chained Englishman: The best indeed, the best at being a captive perhaps.

"Moving on… You were found in possession of six wands. Are they all yours?"

"No, two are, the rest are trophies or keepsakes."

"Could you identify them from memory?"

"Two thirteen inch wands, one of dragon heartstring and willow, the other oak, are mine. The willow wand came to me at eleven, the other when I was three hundred and ten. Two are trophies I keep with me, one twelve inches, yew, unicorn tail hair, the other ten inches, birch, manticore spine, and remarkably unyielding if I may say so. The first was the wand of a rather ugly fellow I killed in Belgium, my first human kill, one of Grindlewald's fellows. The other was the wand of Aloysius Nott, the death eater who claimed my leg."

He took a moment to chew some more of the bread before continuing, it wasn't half bad.

"The final two wands are those of my wife Evelyn and daughter Lena; the first thirteen inches, maple with a unicorn tail hair, the other eleven inches, rowan, with a dragon heartstring core."

"Thank you for that… you're being remarkably forthcoming with this information."

"I've told you no secrets. And I figure we're mostly on the same side or you'd have killed me already. You do have something of a reputation."

"Quite, enjoy your meal Master Auror Moody. I will return."

"Don't mind if I do."

-:-

"Are you okay love?"

It was approaching evening and the two teen lovers were in their apartments, Hermione curled up on the window seat, Harry bent over some contraption or other on his workstation. It was Hermione who'd spoken upon feeling the roiling emotions coming from her soulmate. Harry shrugged once before leaning back at his chair and looking at the ceiling.

"Seeing Fleur again, it brought everything back."

Hermione had an idea of what he meant but she wanted to be sure.

"The third task?"

"Yeah"

It was strange; he very rarely hid his thoughts from her, but something like this she could understand: part of him still saw Fleur's forced rape of him as him cheating on her. It wasn't particularly logical but she could forgive him for that, it was a traumatic event and she really couldn't expect him to have all his doxies in a row about it.

"You want to talk about it?"

He shrugged again and she frowned, he wasn't usually this reticent, even with situations like this. She rephrased her question

"You need to talk about it?"

This time his head and shoulders slumped and the full impact of how much this was affecting him slammed home. Smoothly she rose from the window seat and made the short journey to his chair where she knelt down next to him and took his hands in her own.

"I love you, always."

"And I you, always."

One of his hands slipped from her gentle grasp to caress her cheek with tender affection.

"There aren't going to be memories that accompany this change, it'll be the same creature, just Veela again, instead of nosferatu. Can we reconcile the fact that it's probably killed hundreds of people? I don't know if I can."

"But we need to do this"

"Yes, we do."

She smiled softly and leaned into his hand as it cupped her cheek, basking in the warmth of his affection.

"She loved you."

His tight nod told her more than his previous monologue

"She did once, stands to reason she could again. You're worried about me, how I feel about you having all these women around you who love you when you've committed yourself to me."

It was a shrewd statement and his wry smile gave her all the answer she needed. Carefully she brushed his hands aside and rose, only to sink down into his lap with her head nestled under his chin.

"You can't help their affection, especially when it's because you're such a good man that these women love you at all. You love me; that's all I need. I'm here for you, always. Now tell me what the real problem is."

His rueful chuckle made her smile softly, that smile widened as his arms came up to wrap around her waist.

"I'm worried that seeing her again, talking to her again, that it'll break me, again. I barely held on earlier, and you were the one who did the talking. I don't know how I'll manage further"

She mulled that over for a moment, he wasn't just worried about it affecting him, but how it would affect them.

"Did I leave you then? No. Did it damage our relationship then? No. Will it do so if it happens again? No, never. I love you, and I meant always when I said always. If you need another few months to heal that's fine, if you need years and decades to heal that's fine. I'm here, I have all I need in your love and regard for me."

She felt dampness on her crown and twisted in his arms to see tears flowing down his cheeks. Touched indescribably by the emotion roiling through him she closed the short distance between them and pressed a tender kiss to his lips, reaffirming their bond for the umpteenth time.

"Thank you"

The soft words whispered against their lips as they parted set a warmth deep in her bones that saw heat prickle in her own eyes.

"Always my love, nothing shall part us."

"Shall we try again?"

"We shall."

-:-

"Hello Fleur"

It was Hermione who had spoken, her voice warm but stiff. Memories of the last time either had seen her were roiling through their minds. The creature they once knew as their friend had a mad glint in its hollow eyes and its arms and legs were straining uselessly against the thick magic restricting chains.

She couldn't look at Harry right now; she knew the look of remembered pain in his eyes would undo her. He had never let her see those memories and for good reason, she knew it would drive her mad to feel that kind of emotional pain in the man she loved. This… thing was not Fleur. So much had happened since their fourth year at Hogwarts that Hermione barely remembered the witch she had come to call friend. But she knew this was not her.

Truthfully she was certain that there had been a portion of the end of that year where her friend had no longer existed. A portion where she had been replaced by a magically and hormonally controlled drone designed to break Harry and bring him to his grave.

Hermione delved through her own mind, dragging the half-forgotten memories of their friend to the surface, Fleur Delacour was a genuine and emotional woman with an independent streak a mile wide but also a great deal of trust in, and need for protection from, Hermione's mate. That all of that trust and closeness had been perverted for the sick dreams of a psychopathic murderer was something that turned Hermione's stomach.

A shaking hand moved past her vision and she turned to see Harry's body moving forward, his approaching the now trembling nosferatu. She flicked a measure of concern at his actions over their bond but all she got back was a desperate need to know that they could get Fleur back, their friend. Or at least break Voldemort's hold over her. Even from the grave he was still taunting them.

The creature that was once Fleur was watching Harry's hand with something approaching awe and shied away slightly from it as it approached. The moment that hand touched the creature's cheek however it nuzzled into it, clearly basking in something Harry was giving off. Repulsed Harry withdrew his hand as if burned and, after turning sharply, strode from the room.

Hermione yearned to follow him but knew he needed her to succeed here more than he needed her to provide useless platitudes. All the comfort she could give him was already flowing across their bond. Rolling her neck and feeling a satisfying pop the smartest witch of the age drew her wand and started weaving the most complex spell she had ever heard of: The 'Animus Divisora' The soul dividing spell.

-:-

Harry was hugging his mother, not Lily Potter, but Emma Granger. They held separate places in his heart, distinct ones, and important ones. But he would never dream of replacing his birth mother with another woman. Emma just helped fill the blanks. While she couldn't understand the pain Harry was going through with the potential return of the young woman who had once been his friend, before her betrayal, she could absolutely give him the comfort only a mother could.

The heavily pregnant mother could only cling to her adopted son as he was to her, his normally stoic demeanour broken as he sobbed bitterly into her shoulder. She understood why Hermione wasn't here, she was doing what she could for their one time friend, but Emma wasn't certain she approved of her daughter being away from Harry physically at this time, even if she knew Hermione was probably lending all the mental and emotional support she could through the teens' mystical bond.

"I've got you Harry, I'm here."

The words seemed minute in effect compared to the hurricane of his emotion but she felt the uncommonly strong arms around her back tighten as he acknowledged her support.

"Talk to me Harry, let me help."

His arms merely tightened again, if only slightly, before they slackened and he leaned against her, still somehow considerate of her gravid state.

"I feel like I'm betraying Hermione by wanting Fleur back. I mean… we… she…"

Emma was at a loss at how to deal with this situation, the mixed nature of Harry's upbringing had bred in him a powerful selflessness that even now, when he was the last person anyone would consider at fault, he was still worried about others, and about how he might be affecting them. She felt tears prickle in her own eyes at the position her adopted son's emotions had thrust him into.

The biggest trouble Emma had with this was how to address the trouble without referencing the core event that was causing so much stress. She didn't know if she could.

"I love you mum"

The soft spoken, heartfelt words made her heart ache with happiness and longing. Here was her son, adopted to be sure, but her son nevertheless. He was clinging to her and taking from her the comfort he needed, and she was happy to provide it as only a mother could. She held him close and nuzzled her face into his hair.

"I love you too Harry, my boy."

He sobbed slightly against her shoulder and she felt rather than heard the timber of his breathing become more ragged, emotion teasing at his vocal chords as he spoke with deep emotion.

"Thank you, so much, for everything."

"Anytime honey, anytime."

She felt a deep ache from her womb and a tear sprang to her eye, something about Harry always made her baby active, in this case it seemed he was anxious to meet his brother. She clung to him tightly as the contraction passed and wondered if she should ask him to get Dan.

As it turned out it didn't matter much as Harry's outpouring of emotion began to rapidly peter off as his energy, still low from the battle in the ministry, ran out. Two of the Potter elves helped her move him back to his bed and she sat with him a while, gently tousling his hair as she wrapped an arm protectively around her belly, hoping beyond hope that her eldest son could make the world safe for her youngest.

-:-

It had been months and months since Harry had suffered any kind of series nightmares, or the affliction of his body. But after the battle of the ministry and with Fleur now a focus of his time both had returned with a fiery vengeance.

Whenever he closed his eyes Harry would see burning lines superimposed over the comforting blackness. They were the lines he saw every morning in the duelling ring, blurred flames surrounding pulses of sorcery streaking back and forth between two people locked in violent struggle.

They symbolized something desperate and feral in Harry's mind, the epitome of the toil of war. In some way or other Harry had been in war his entire life. Only the brief months after his birth, and the slim moments of peace with Hermione, lent any kind of respite to his existence.

His childhood; defined by pain, loneliness and neglect, was the very start of Harry's war. The night of his parent's deaths could hardly be counted; tragedy was not war, rather the opposite. Once he got to Hogwarts of course his time was split between classes and struggling for his life against Voldemort himself. Ron was little comfort from it, he was just a boy after all, and honestly in the first couple years Hermione wasn't much help either. They were friends, for sure, but only just barely. And she was absent for the ending third of Harry's second year due to that damnable serpent.

Then of course Hermione became part of Harry's private war. The fire bolt sent by Sirius was a foil to their friendship and for several months Harry thought he was going to lose one of his friends. They made up of course, and in that moment, with Hermione's arms wrapped around him so securely he thought they might fuse together he realized he never wanted to be apart from her again. Her friendship was far too precious to him to squander on such pettiness.

Sirius and the time turner happened; they flew to the tower on Buckbeak with Hermione's arms again wrapped around him and her head buried in his back with her shrieks of fear on the wind. She never had been great with heights.

After that of course things went 'round the twist: being adopted, becoming Hermione's boyfriend, soul mate and lover, training, the Tri wizard tournament, Fleur. Harry's personal war had become sharply defined and his struggle even more so. As of late, that struggle had been defined by those streaks of sorcery across his darkened vision: Those iridescent brands of violence.

His recurring nightmare flooded in soon after the beginning of sleep; the ministry, locked in mortal combat with an implacable foe, holding his own only through desperation, skill and the grace of God. Voldemort's nightmarish visage haunted his mind in waking as well as sleep, torturing him from the grave.

Abruptly he snapped awake as Hermione's hand caressed his brow. No one else's touch was quite as tender or loving as hers. He opened his eyes sharply to see her there above him like his own personal angel; her eyes gazing down at his own with love and affection that saw his heart fit to bursting.

"I'm sorry I was gone quite so long Harry."

The softly spoken words were a balm to his aching mind and he reached up to cup her cheek tenderly.

"I understand but thank you for persevering regardless."

She bowed her head, soft brown locks falling in front of her face as shame flooded their bond.

"I was unsuccessful."

"This time"

"This time" she agreed softly at his firm command. After a small pause she spoke softly once more.

"Tracey and Susan should be coming home soon."

"Let's go meet them"

-:-

The two girls were saturated and shivering with cold when they port-keyed onto the transport arms in the Manor's foyer but were instantly surrounded by medic squad who got them into warm clothes on the spot and dried them off magically. There was little body shame in the Regiment and as the girls had been in the cold and without the use of magic for a little over four days it was imperative they were warmed up quickly to give their magic a break. It would have been compensating for their drop in core body temperature for long enough for them to begin to show signs of magical exhaustion.

It was no coincidence that Harry and Hermione arrived just as the two girls did and were among the first to get to them with Medic squad. They helped the two girls into warm clothes and conjured seats and blankets for them as Elves popped in with hot drinks; tea for Susan, coco for Tracey. Fred and George swooped in to get the recordings from Susan's equipment and Dan arrived on scene moments later for the debriefing. All in all it was a picture of Regimental efficiency and in no time at all the two girls were swaddled up in warm clothes and blankets with their friends and colleagues around them as they sipped at warm drinks. A far cry from where they had been barely a minute ago.

"Report"

Dan's firm tones were nothing but expected and the Tracey led the report, knowing Susan's would take longer.

"We hiked cross country over the planned route for three days and made excellent time, sleeping for six hours each day from ten am, to four pm, dodging the hottest part of the day. We met no incident and set up camp at the designated overlook and settled in to wait. Precisely at seven pm the following night what appeared to me to be the entirety of the Knights Walpurgis met for the gathering we were advised of. Valmortis was not present but an unidentified leader spoke for a little over thirty minutes in German to the assembled Knights. I then interrupted the meeting with thirteen shots scoring eleven direct hits one glancing hit and one miss as the Knights dissaparated, pervasive rain allowed me to fire an unexpected number of rounds, ten, before they even realized they were being fired upon. After they dissaparated we quickly exfiltrated the site in fear of discovery from demonic servants of the Knights Walpurgis"

Her duty done she zoned out slightly as Susan started giving her (much more in-depth) report and met Harry's eyes. They were cold and hard with only a hint of their normal warmth. But upon meeting hers a flicker of concern shot through them and she saw his hand tighten around Hermione's almost imperceptibly. She only noticed it because of her vast experience in his mannerisms.

She gave a careful nod, indicating her wellbeing and her visibly relaxed and allowed a small smile to twitch at the corner of his lips before he focused on Susan, repeating his actions with her upon the conclusion of her report. Tracey didn't delude herself into thinking she was any more than a close friend to him, but his regard and concern still meant the world to her. That, and his approval, made what she'd just done worth it. She sent a silent prayer to her fallen friend, offering the dead Knights as succour to their mutual goal.

She'd helped him again, killed for him, again, for the right reasons. It was worth it.

-:-

"Feel like answering some more questions for me?"

Moody shrugged and gestured at the manacles with his chin.

"Let me down and I'll see what I can do. Keep me handcuffed if you must but I'm approaching the point of no return for my lower limbs. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Almost immediately the chains slackened significantly and he touched down ungainly before slumping to his side. After a few moments pulling himself together he nodded his head.

"Go on then, ask away."

The Witch hunter drew up a stool in front of him and sat quietly, as if in contemplation, for several long moments before he deigned to speak.

"Tell me about Harry Potter."

The electric blue eye in Moody's left socket fixated upon the younger man and he growled out a short question of his own.

"Why?"

"We might be able to help."

-:-

Sirius Black was pissed, Moody was missing, presumed captured or worse, 'Black' was definitely a traitor, or at least a double agent. Despite those issues though, the thing that pissed him off the most was that Amelia was being downright evasive.

"Damnit Amelia, Susan just returned from a four day mission, she needs you."

"Sirius I… I can't I need to stay here for the moment."

"Why? What the hell is more important than your niece right now?"

The minister for magic slapped her hand down on her desk angrily and let out a frustrated sob.

"She died Sirius, Daphne died in that militant order Potter's created and I'm scared Susan will die too."

Now he was simply baffled

"Why on earth does that stop you seeing her?"

"Because she wants to be there Sirius… And if I went there I don't know if I'd be able to leave without her. And I don't think our relationship would survive me taking her away from that. Especially when I know they're doing the right thing."

He growled softly under his breath

"Amelia"

"No Sirius damnit I can't"

He sat in the chair opposite her and took her hand in his, stroking it softly with the pad of his thumb.

"Talk to me"

She looked up at him and he was startled to see tear tracks down her chiselled face

"Siri…"

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. It had been a long time since she'd called him that, many, many years. He watched as she closed her eyes, scrunching them against the sting of tears, her monocle threatened to drop from its perch.

"He's brought them together, all of them, and made real changes for good. He more or less put me in office; he's safeguarded this country far more effectively than anything else we could have hoped for. How can I go to his home and demand that Susan returns with me? I can't and I don't think I'll be able to go and not demand she come with me."

"They're great kids Amelia, and they're growing together, I've been there, seen them train, socialise, live. They all have a place for him in their hearts there but you're her auntie, the woman she looks up to above all others. She'll listen to you."

"That's what I'm afraid of. If she listens to me, leaves with me, and something happens to them… to him because she left, or even in such a way that she might think it was because she left… She'd hate me Siri."

He sighed heavily, understanding her plight. When he learned what Harry was cooking up in the Potter seat he'd nearly thrown a fit. Alastor of all people had been the one to point out that this was exactly the kind of boy… man, Harry was. The kind to stand up and organise a resistance rather than hide in the shadows, now it was time for him to teach Amelia that same lesson, and maybe kick some sense into her.

That's who Susan is Amelia; she's fierce and brave, loyal to the end. She'll fight tooth and nail for all her friends and loved ones, especially you. I've not known her long, really only a very short time, but even I can see that she loves Harry very deeply, maybe even as much as Hermione does… I couldn't say. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that that's where she wants to be, but what she needs is for her auntie to go over there and give her the support she needs from her family to carry on."

That caught her attention

"It sounds harsh, but you need to shelve your own wants and needs for her, you need to give her the support she needs to get through this, to stay the course. Because she'll hate herself for the rest of her life if she turns from it now."

He took a long slow breath and looked down at their entwined hands, the pang of lost love flooding his chest for a moment as he considered his next words.

"The ministry… the losses they had here… it hit them hard; the Regiment I mean. When I was there last I could see a lot of them were considering leaving, throwing in the towel and going into hiding with their families. Some are scared they won't see them again before they… or their families, die in this miserable war: Especially now that the Knights Walpurgis have entered the game."

He let a hint of steel enter his voice.

"Harry needs them, every single one of them, to win this war. Honestly what he really needs is Aurors and hit wizards; he needs the MANZACS and the American Mage Corps, but he doesn't have them, he has his Regiment, and that's it.

They're getting reinforcements from Hogwarts soon from what I've heard, but that'll set them back weeks of training time to get them up to speed, and that's with all the Regiment who're there, staying there. If you can give Susan the support she needs to stay the course then that's one more Regimental Harry has at his back.

He needs them Amelia…"

"Shh, I heard you the first time."

He looked up at her, not ashamed by the prickling in his eyes, and entreated her softly.

"Please Amelia, I can't lose him. I can't lose you either, not again."

Her hand disentangled from his and moved up to stroke his bearded cheek with a hint of the tenderness they'd once shared, her prematurely iron grey hair a testament to the stress she'd endured since it had been a vibrant fiery red, since they'd last been together.

"I'll go, but you have to come with me. Give me the strength I need… to give her the strength she needs. Go with me Siri."

A hint of the old dog sprang up into his features once more as he pushed his luck

"Then we'll retire home for drinks and dinner… right?"

Her hand cuffed him firmly and her soft smile became more of a smirk

"We'll see you old reprobate, we'll see."

-:-

"Harry"

The tentative request for attention reached him just as he fired a viciously overpowered jab at the training dummy that was refusing to go down. The resulting 'crump' of magical energy punched a hole in its chest large enough that the dummy's arms were tossed to either side of it, completely severed, they were soon followed by its now smoking head as it bounced across the floor.

"Yes Pavarti?"

He turned to her and saw that she appeared both strained and emotional, close to tears in fact. Immediately concerned he strode across the room and wrapped her in a friendly hug.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you going to leave me behind when Fleur comes back?"

The question stunned him slightly. He hadn't even considered how Fleur would fit into the Regimental dynamic, but thinking about it now he had to admit that Pavarti's worries were valid in the sense that Fleur had once been very close to both Hermione and him. Now though…

"No, of course not. You've become an invaluable member of the command unit, and one of my closest and dearest friends. Both Hermione and I have appreciated your unique tactical and strategic sense on multiple occasions and it would be foolish for us to discount that. Moreover the command unit wouldn't feel the same without you. That said if Fleur regains even a fraction of her memories, or the bond that caused all the trouble in the first place, she'll probably join Seraphim squad."

He took a breath, before adding in an undertone

"If she wants to fight at all."

He felt tears soak the shoulder of his training shirt and couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly at how, even a year previously, he'd have never believed the chatty Gryffindor could feel such deep emotion.

"You're my friend Pavarti. Never mind anything else that means a lot to me."

She tugged back from his embrace slightly before darting up on tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks Harry… I was being silly."

He grinned wryly

"Yes, you were. Now go talk to Hermione about it, she'll say the same things I did and you can put this entire thing out of your head."

She grinned at him cheekily, and replied in such tones, before darting off back to the main manor building.

"Yes sir!"

He watched her go with no small amount of amusement before he turned his mind back to the issue she'd brought up: Fleur's place in the Regiment. If he was honest with himself he'd admit that had Pavarti not been such an integral part of the command squad he'd have wanted Fleur to fill that position. But with the potential memory issues and personality changes he was quietly certain that he'd prefer her in Seraphim squad, where she'd be close, but not so close that the same issues could occur again… Or that he might become uncomfortable with her presence.

Even thinking about that brought up memories he really wish he could remove. He and Hermione had both considered obliviating the memories from his mind but in the end they'd agreed that they were a part of him now, not an integral part certainly but they made up a portion of his character. Removing them might irrevocably change his person, or worse turn him into someone completely different. The mind was a fantastically strange construct and they didn't feel confident in fiddling with it.

Growling angrily at the direction his thoughts had taken he almost subconsciously flicked another vicious sorcel at the downed dummy and head another satisfying 'crump' as it was neatly pummelled into the hard packed earth.

Turning back to the manor he noted another figure dashing towards him, this one male. As they approached he realized it was Neville.

"Harry! Madam Bones is on the way, you need to alter the wards for her arrival."

Cursing in shock Harry sprung into a sprint, meeting Neville halfway and the boy turned swiftly to keep up. He'd have to make quick time to the ward ledger so that he could add Madam Bones to the list of accepted persons. Otherwise her significant magical aura could activate a defensive response from the Manor's defences.

"Sirius is on the way too. Aside from that the twins want a word with you."

Nodding his acknowledgement as the pair rapidly approached the manor building he spoke in a harried undertone.

"Go get Susan."

-:-

Watching Susan reunite with her Auntie was a bittersweet experience for Tracey. Here was a family member who had their priorities straight. Unlike Daphne's parents who still refused to even acknowledge the Regiment's communications, despite the Regiment's knowledge of their continued survival. Never mind the fact that as far as anyone knew Tracey's family had disappeared off the face of the planet.

Resolving to be strong for her squad mate she moved forwards only to have a heavy hand close on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Harry's lean form beside her. He looked down at her with suspiciously bright eyes and shook his head just as Hermione approached from her other side and wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"This is for them, they'll need you soon. But let them be for now."

Harry's soft entreaty was reasonable, but it still stung slightly, where was her family when she needed them? He seemed to have understood her unspoken plea and easily folded her into a hug just as Hermione did from her other side. The implication was clear; regardless of anything else she had a family here: Even if they weren't blood.

It helped; to know that they were so determined to look after her, especially when her parents were missing. After a few moments of comfort from her two friends she noticed Susan turn to look for her. She disconnected gently from Harry and Hermione to dash across the foyer of the manor and join her squad mate. The warm three way embrace she was immediately folded into made her heart soar. Here was acceptance, love, from someone who might very well have reason to distrust, or even despise her for encouraging Susan to remain with the Regiment.

Madam Bones' soft words to them let Tracey know that this was as hard for her as it was for them.

"You're doing the right thing girls, I'm so proud of you both, and Daphne."

They had grown up together, not closely, but together. Both Susan and Tracey had known Daphne as a child but had only met each other in Hogwarts. Amelia had always been somewhat distant, especially with her job at the ministry, but she was a female figure Tracey had always looked up to, here was the vindication for that idolatry.

-:-

Hermione watched the three women reunite with a pang of regret. Daphne should be there.

It was amazing how even after she had left them Daphne was still such a big part of their lives. For Hermione she was a reminder of exactly how much they had all lost, especially Harry, for Harry she knew Daphne was a symbol of exactly what this war would cost in the end, and for the Regiment as a whole she was a representation of the risk they all took every day: The first of them to fall.

Sometimes, in the very back of her mind, hidden away from Harry's gentle meanderings through her mind, she wished that Daphne had not died. Had not been so foolishly brave as to attract the attention of that thrice cursed Litch. She had cost them so much that day, even through her sacrifice and gift… the cost had been too high.

Hermione knew Harry was aware of these thoughts, no matter how much she tried to hide them away. She'd never been all that successful with sectioning off parts of her mind from him like he was so able to do: Hiding away his worst memories from her so that she couldn't be hurt by them. Even when they merged completely there was always some part of the gestalt that ignored those recollections, as if Harry still had the dominant control over their union and prevented her from hurting herself with his recollections.

She watched sadly as Tracey and the Bones women headed out into the grounds to reconnect. From somewhere behind them Sirius strode into the manor and directly towards him, signs of grief in his mien easy to spot by someone who cared for the marauder.

Harry took half a step from her side to meet his godfather in an emotional embrace that she joined but a moment later. He really was dear to them both.

"I've missed you pup, and you too Hermione."

"Thanks Sirius, for convincing her."

The words had barely left Harry's mouth when she cottoned on to exactly what his thoughts were telling her. The grief on Sirius' face, the loss, the pain; he'd been close to Amelia before his incarceration, maybe still was. Manipulating that closeness for their cause had cost him dearly.

Hermione understood academically why they needed the Regiment at full strength; losing even a single member severely disrupted the structure of their fighting force. But she also privately disagreed with the lengths they had to go to maintain the unit; using Sirius' affection for Amelia as a tool to manipulate her into giving Susan the strength to remain with them? It was convoluted and harsh… cold even, calculating. It smacked of bureaucracy and (conversely) dictatorship.

Sighing softly into the older man's chest she hoped fervently that they wouldn't have to exploit people's feelings like that again. Even if she knew, rationally, that that was impossible.

Abruptly she was wrenched out of her thoughts at the sound of her father's excited shouts.

"Emma's gone into labour!"

-:-

AN3: Here it is! Sorry it took so damn long but getting back into the flow of writing was a major challenge that I hadn't anticipated.

AN4: Lots happening here, I shouldn't need to really comment on much except to say… yayyyyyy the baby's coming.

AN5: Review Responses:

Jkarr: We'll have to wait and see won't we?

Lupinesence: If only it was for good ;.;

Pairingmatters: Thanks for the reminder.

: Thanks!

Beyondthesea: Thanks! I was tossing up leaving Voldemort's second vanquishing till this book but it made more sense to slot it in at the battle of the ministry. Initially I'd only planned for Fleur's capture.

Issis: I wish I had the ability to translate it to Spanish. Maybe I'll try sometime but it would be a mammoth undertaking as I barely understand a word of that language, I'll think about it. As for the rest…. It's Parvati not Padma, I constantly screw that up and I'll do my best to stop.

Bakuragrey: Yes, sorry it took so long, here it is, well part one at any rate ;.; enjoy

The Viking Stranger: Thanks for your review, and for your rather flattering one at that. I hope you enjoy this instalment as much as the previous two.

Firewolfe: I had always intended for this story to be focused on the real love and affection Harry and Hermione have for one another and how, between them, they can overcome almost anything. And yes, It's Parvati, gods above that is getting annoying to answer, I need to go back and fix it.

Right well moving on, this chapter feels somewhat less polished than previous ones, probably because I wrote it in 500 word chunks over the course of the last month or two. Hopefully that doesn't negatively affect it too horrendously. Tune in next time for Chapter two: John, in which the latest Granger joins the world, we hear a little more about what's happened to Alastor, the Knights react to the killing of a dozen of their brothers and Sirius gets his game on… sort of.

As always thanks for Reading and other Shenanigans. See you next time!

LGreymark