Chapter the Twelfth

"You know, Sirius, your godson is nothing at all like I expected." Narcissa commented softly, watching as Harry and Susan wandered out of James' office. "Especially given how Draco had described him to me."

The Marauder chuckled at her observation, "Yeah, I kind of noticed that when we first met. In my mind's eye, during my time in Azkaban, I guess I kind of built up an image on how I thought Harry would be when I finally got to meet him. You know...a little Lily...a whole lot of James...maybe even a little Padfoot and Moony thrown into the mix..."

"But?" she asked curiously.

"He's not any of that. Oh sure, he's got some of their traits and personality quirks, how could he not? But, it's almost as if he's taken in the best part of his parents and melded them together into something that is solely Harry. Occasionally I'll see him do something that is very James, at other time he'll do something totally Lily, but mostly he's just uniquely Harry." he explained.

"You were also correct about young Lady Bones as well, cousin. I was surprised at their...how should I put this...familiarity?" Cissy said with long look at Sirius.

Sirius eyed her curiously, "Just ask what I know you want to ask, Narcissa? You always were far more clever than people gave you credit for."

"They've bonded in some fashion, haven't they?"

"Do I have to order you to keep that a secret, Cissy?" Sirius asked intently.

"No, cousin, you do not. I know full well how news of such an occurrence would be thought of in our society. They'd be incessantly hounded by everyone." she replied. "And, well, I think you and Amelia made a smart decision in betrothing them and making that public, hopefully very soon. I know Lucius was keen on getting Draco out of his betrothal to the Parkinson girl and had eyes on Susan as a replacement. I can imagine that losing half of his wealth will see him get a bit desperate. Arranging a satisfactory contract with some wealthy pureblood will be one of the things he'll be contemplating for the near future."

"That, my dear, is something we've already had to deal with, unfortunately. Your ex made a move to make a contract between Susan and Draco. It was obviously rejected, not that it would have mattered anyway, as those two have been betrothed since they were babies, Cissy. Lucius will just have to get over it." Sirius laughed. "Oh, and by the way, Ami and I had nothing to do with it."

"Surely James and Lily would never have..." Narcissa narrowed her eyes and gazed intently into the eyes of her cousin. "Babies, you say? They bonded that young?"

"Aye, they did. Remind me to show you the memory of that night, it was quite the show, let me tell you!"

"I look forward to it." she said sincerely.

They both sat in silence for a while, sipping their tea, when Narcissa softly spoke, "Sirius?"

"Yes, cousin?" Sirius said, frowning at the change in his cousins' demeanor.

"I don't know what to do with myself." Narcissa said with trembling lip and watery eyes. "I feel so lost."

Sirius stood from his seat and walked over to his cousin, kneeling in front of her and grabbing her hands in his. "Hey now, none of that, Cissy; you are free, that is all that matters."

"But I don't know..."

"You live the life you were meant to live and live it the way you want to!" he told her firmly. "Your father was a right bastard and should never have done what he did to you three girls. Andi was lucky she was able to escape. But you and Bella never got the chance to find love or happiness."

"Not to hear Bellatrix talk about it." Cissy blubbered through her tears. "Before she got locked up in Azkaban she was already crazy and making her way steadily toward stark raving mad. She kept going on and on about how lucky we were to have married two purebloods who were prime examples of good breeding, class, and wealth. We would have all of Britain at our fingertips when the Dark Lord triumphed and we would then rid ourselves of all the scum that were threatening our traditions with their foul muggle ways. I never got to hear what she had to say after baby Potter kicked that bastard's ass, though."

"We know Trixie was never working with a full deck, Cissy. I imagine she became even more unhinged after that night. Every once in a while I could hear her screaming her head off, and that from several floors away from my cell. Thankfully, she wasn't too close to mine!"

"What she said though did have kind of an impact on me. I will freely admit that I thought we wizards are better than muggleborn and half-bloods." she held up a hand to forestall the anger coming from her cousin. "But that changed once I began to live the life of a pureblood wife."

She began to explain, "Sirius, I was more a prisoner than anything else. I know I could never understand your time in Azkaban and how it affected you, but I can empathize. It was like I was living in a cage, gilded though it may have been. All those dreams I had about becoming a potion mistress were ignored by my husband. He actually laughed at me for such thoughts. He thought that as a woman, and a pureblooded one at that, it was my duty to stay at home, bear him an heir, and entertain company. And you know, for a long time I thought he was right."

"It was a little over a year after Draco's birth that my mind began to change with regards to our great pure blood. Your godson had defeated the Dark Lord, something that left all his followers hopeless. How did a half-blood manage to defeat the invincible Voldemort?" she gave a great sigh and shook her head. "Draco was taken away from me then, raised solely by his father and his comrades. The only times I was allowed near him was during dinner, where he sat at his father's right side while Lucius prattled on incessantly about how amazing he and those like him were. And my son ate it up! It's sad to think that Draco has probably had more interaction with your godson in the two years at Hogwarts than he's had with me his entire life."

She sat back in her chair and sighed. "Soon thereafter is when the beatings upon my person started. Lucius would come in and beat me, use me sometimes, and leave me a bloodied mess. On occasion he even let his son watch as he knocked me senseless. Can you imagine what that does to a child?"

"Oh, Cissy..." Sirius said consolingly.

"I won't deny leaving that Draco behind was difficult, and yet, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. My son has a streak of viciousness running through him that makes me tremble in fear. He started in on the house-elves at an early age, and as he grew, his cruelty seemed to grow right along with him. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure that he and his father have been 'muggle hunting'."

"Sounds like the boy is just like his father." Sirius commented.

"That's the truth, isn't it? You know, it was something I've observed, this...cruelty...it seems to exist in some of the family's that hold with the Dark Lord."

"What do you mean?"

"Nott, Goyle, Crabbe, Bulstrode, Parkinson, Flint, and all the rest of them, they all have this rather bent streak running through them." Cissy tried to explain. "They think nothing of killing, or raping, or torture. To them it's a bit of fun, you know? And their children are all exactly like them, unfortunately."

"I think that some of us purebloods were very lucky that we didn't end up like that, Cissy."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It has come to a point in time where being a pureblood will not save them from the problems that their centuries of inbreeding have created. We might have once been all-powerful or whatever, but year by year, that power is slowly fading away. Lily explained it like this: 'life needs to change, expand, and grow; it cannot and will not be held back, what these purebloods are doing is going against Nature and She will never stand for that'. Despite what they may think, they need the new blood if they hope to survive beyond another generation or two. Those of us that won't change will simply die out. And as for the cruelty you've noticed, I think it stems from the same inbreeding problems. Marrying your cousin can't be a good thing, and with less purebloods, it won't be long until they start marrying their own brothers and sisters." he cringed.

"I see...so, because we've been so fixated on keeping the bloodlines pure, we have in effect killed ourselves?"

"Killed might be a bit extreme, but we have almost effectively killed any magic that passes from one family to the next. All the children of those Death Eaters are pretty weak when compared to their parents. Lucius is pretty strong magically, a bit less than me, but he is nowhere near as strong as someone like Harry's mother. How much magic can Draco command as compared to his father?" Sirius asked.

"I honestly don't know." she replied.

"Well, if our Miss Abbott wasn't being overly disparaging of Draco's abilities when she dueled him a while back, then he's not really all that powerful magically. Any children he has, if he get married to a pureblood like Miss Parkinson, will probably be even weaker than either of them." Sirius explained.

"It's funny to think that all this vaunted superiority of ours is what's going to be our undoing."Narcissa said with a shake of her head.

"You know, I've often wondered if we shouldn't..." Sirius stopped abruptly when he heard loud yelling coming from the entrance to the manor.

"WHERE IS SHE?" a woman's voice yelled.

Sirius looked to Narcissa with a raised eyebrow. "Andi?"

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SKINNY BLONDE BITCH?"

"You'd think she'd learn to watch her mouth now that she has a child." Cissy observed casually. "Isn't she supposedly an adult?"

"Oh please, Andi would probably die if she couldn't use bad language." Sirius replied.

"Lord Black, sir," Dobby said after he popped in, "Miss Andi is looking for you and Miss Black."

Sirius laughed, "You think?"

ooOooOOooOOoo

Hand in hand, Susan and Harry followed the two teenage boys who'd sped away, deeper into the forest. "Sal and Ric? You don't think they're Godric and Salazar, do you?" Susan asked.

"Professor Flitwick did say that this memory took place in the early 11th century, which would've been around when they would have been this young. They also mentioned a Ro and a Hel...Rowena and Helga, you suppose?"

"How exciting!" nodded Susan excitedly, catching the look of tenderness Harry was directing at her. "What?"

"Just happy to see you this full of life is all." he grinned and added, "You don't think those four will be our teachers do you?"

"No, Sal mentioned a 'master'; I would suspect that he will be our teacher." Susan guessed. "If we ever find him!"

The nervousness of the Potter's seemed to increase the closer they got to what they thought was their destination. When they'd finally made the clearing, it was two-wide eyed teens that looked on in wonder. They stood at the edge of the clearing, well away from the group and simply watched.

"They're not using wands." Harry commented. Susan nodded, having noticed as well.

Harry watched with interest when the young men in the clearing broke away from the larger group and made their way to the far side of the clearing where large racks of swords and other assorted weaponry were displayed. Susan rolled her eyes when she saw how Harry had become completely engrossed by the display of military hardware. "Boys!" she muttered to herself. She in turn saw something that caught her eye. A group of four young women were sat in a circle, waving their hands in intricate patterns. Curious, she let go of Harry's hand and walked over to get a better look. She frowned in puzzlement, not knowing exactly what the girls were doing.

"Open your eyes." a man's voice whispered from behind her. She almost fainted when she saw the man. 'Sweet Merlin, its Merlin!' she thought. The countless portraits that decorated Hogwarts and the Ministry didn't quite do justice to the man before her. He looked much younger than the portraits, and not at all like she thought he would...or should. Close cropped hair and short beard that were more salt than pepper, his body a bit stocky without being chubby, and he was wearing simple home-spun garments and not like she'd pictured, garish robes of multi-hued colors and a beard that reached his bellybutton.

Composing herself as best she could she asked, "I don't understand, sir? Open my eyes?"

"Draw in your magic, child, and look through your magic, use it to see what is before you." he said by way of clarification.

Susan remembered vividly how a few days ago she and Harry had spent an afternoon at their meadow, experimenting with their magic. Susan had been truly amazed at the control of magic that her Harry had, it seemed to come so naturally to him. Since the events down in the Chamber, and with some pointers from her husband that fine afternoon, Susan had been able to 'embrace' her magic too. The memory filled her with warmth. A moment of concentration saw her see the world through new eyes.

"What am I looking at?" the redhead asked in amazement. The girls seemed to be doing...she didn't even know what to call it, their actions were so peculiar.

"No, I don't suppose you'd be familiar with this form of magic, would you, child? Just watch and learn."

She wished that Hermione had been here with them, thinking that her brilliant sister would probably know immediately what it was that Susan was looking at. She turned to the old man, a question in her features.

"It's called weaving." the old man supplied, in answer to Susan's unasked question. "Watch as each girl conjures up a thread of magical energy and 'weaves' into the thread of the girl next to her."

Susan saw that now, the weaving effect, as each girl in turn took a thread before passing it to another girl, each time interlacing the strands until it looked as if they'd woven a large tapestry that glowed with power. "What is this used for, sir?"

"Primarily, it is intended for warding, but it usually take a dozen witches and wizards working together to cover an area as large as a house. At Camelot, it took almost two hundred of us working together to protect the castle." Merlin explained. "But, they can also be used for healing, as well as binding and incarcerating."

"Amazing..." Susan whispered. And it truly was amazing.

"Where is the young man?" Merlin asked.

"Over by the boys." she answered distractedly, waving her arm in the general direction that she sensed Harry, her eyes never wavering from the sight before her.

"Come, child," the old man instructed. He chuckled when he saw the look of regret that she wore. "We'll come back again in time, once you have learned more."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Harry stood watching in fascination as the assembly of young men went about their weapons training. The young man that he and Sue believed was Godric Gryffindor seemed the best of the bunch, wielding his wooden sword expertly against a duo of opponents. He'd stop occasionally to instruct when he'd gotten the better of one of his friends.

"Don't parry so high, Robert, you lose the ability to counter-attack if your weapon is out of position, well done though! Nice move there, Owain, keep it up and you'll be able to defeat your little sister in a couple of years!" Godric reminded him of his Uncle Moony, using not only humor to encourage his pupils, but also calmly instructing, correcting, and encouraging them when they needed as well.

The loud clomp of heavy feet drew his attention away from the sword fight, his head rose and his eyes widened as he focused on the giant that walked toward a copse of trees. The giant sat himself, cross-legged, and closed his eyes. Harry watched him intently, never having seen a real giant before; it seemed to him as though the large being was simply meditating. When he lifted his right hand, Harry was surprised to see a flame materialize in the giant's palm.

Harry sat before the giant, emulating the crossed legs, and watched intently as the flame grew in size before shrinking. The flame jumped to his left palm when he raised that hand. Back and forth the flame leapt. Waving his arms about, the flame took on a life of its own, extending into a ribbon that danced before him. Excited, Harry attempted to conjure up a flame as well. The tiny flame that appeared, sputtering like a candle in a stiff breeze, gave him confidence that with practice he could accomplish this feat as well, and perhaps do what the giant had made look so easy. He concentrated harder and smiled when the small flame in his palm stopped flickering. He sensed Susan approaching and was just about to extinguish the flame when she placed a hand on his shoulder.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The old man watched the energetic girl run toward her companion, her eagerness to learn new things would stand her in good stead. When she reached her friend and placed her outstretched hand on his shoulder, the old man's eyebrows rose in surprise at the twenty foot tall roaring inferno of fire, a flame that just moments ago would have been jealous of a lit match. The diminutive professor that had begged his help had informed him that his students were more powerful than he'd ever seen, but he'd doubted the man's words: not any more.

Harry stood next to Susan, looking stunned. She too had the same perplexed look in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Sir?" the teens asked, perplexed.

"Who are you two, to be standing there, with such power?" the old man asked.

Susan and Harry looked at each other uncomfortably, wondering if in their eagerness at seeing such wondrous magic they'd somehow insulted the man before them. Seeking the comfort of their mate, they reached for each other's hands; the resulting glow caused the old man to take a step back.

"The legends...of course...you are the bright ones..." Merlin mumbled.

ooOooOOooOOoo

"You ready?"

"I've been ready since back in our third year, Moony." Sirius replied while looking himself over in the mirror. "Meeting you and James, holding Harry for the first time, and when Amelia said yes...three best days of my life. Now, today, I'll be able to add a fourth to my list."

"Yeah, two of those days are the same for me and meeting your cousin is also on my list."

"Andromeda is such a nice lady, isn't she?" Sirius grinned. "But you must have forgotten that she's a married woman, my friend."

"Not her, you dolt, I meant Dora!"

Sirius chuckled; he really liked working the old wolf into a snit. "You're just too easy sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I know..." Remus shrugged, looking slightly abashed. "You'll be okay for a bit? Susan was going crazy with all the final touches, which is making the rest of the girls go crazy too, which is making Michael and Dobby crazy...so I thought I'd go see if I can't calm her a bit without them disturbing Amelia."

"Tell her I said everything is perfect, Moony. Oh, and by the way, where's Harry? I haven't seen him for a couple of hours." Sirius wondered.

"Don't worry, he's fine; Neville and he have...uhm... escaped, I guess you'd call it, into the greenhouse trying to avoid the ladies and are trying to not get roped into any of the shenanigans they'd be subjected to. I'll get Dobby to make sure he's on time for his duties." Remus shook his head and chuckled.

"What?"

"It's just when I saw the two I followed to make sure they were alright. Wouldn't you know it, Dan, Xeno, Teddy, Arthur, and Corwin were all in there too...sharing a bottle of your finest firewhiskey! They made me promise I wouldn't give up their hiding place."

Sirius barked a laugh. "I'll be fine, Remus, go and get on with it. I'm to be married in...sweet Godric, thirty minutes." Sirius said with a glance at his pocket watch.

"You sure? Because I'll stick around if you need me to." Remus chuckled at the annoyed look that his friend gave him. "Alright, alright, keep your knickers on. I'll be back to fetch you in a few minutes." Sirius waved him out with a smile.

"I'm not wearing any knickers today, Moony!" Sirius called out to the retreating form of Remus.

Sirius Black looked into the mirror and gazed upon his reflection in wonder. He'd come out of Azkaban resembling a skeleton in a skin suit: he'd been sickly, sported a raggedy beard, had long shaggy hair and feral eyes...not the image he had of himself as a teenager or the young Auror trainee he'd been after graduating from Hogwarts. But now, now he could see a hint of the boy and the young man that he'd been in the somewhat older version of himself he saw before him. His hair and beard had been trimmed stylishly; the hollow look in his eyes, that cold, empty look that he thought he'd never be rid of had actually warmed. He could still call it up if needed, though. Seeing the look of anxiety on Dumbledore and Fudge's face when he'd directed the 'Azkaban Stare' at them made him chuckle every time he thought about it.

"Prongsy, you would be shitting yourself with laughter seeing me in this get-up." Sirius mused. Amelia and Susan had both been very insistent, demanding even, that he, Moony, and Harry dress up in kilts like they had for the engagement party. Susan thought it made Harry look adorable and wanted a repeat of that wonderful night, a night they'd spent dancing and enjoying time with their friends. Amelia had looked at him and licked her lips; the look she gave him made him feel like a goat being eyed up by a mountain lion, and that was before she jumped him in full view of everyone in Madam Malkin's shop at the time. He laughed loudly, remembering the look of shock and embarrassment on Harry and Susan. When Dobby had appeared and popped the blushing teens away, he'd laughed even harder.

Remus hadn't escaped unscathed, either. The ravenous look Nym had directed toward his best friend had surpassed even that of Amelia; they'd disappeared for the rest of the day after the fittings and weren't seen until dinner that night. Remus had flushed red the entire meal, all while Tonks looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself." he said to his reflection. He smoothed the front of his kilt and adjusted the sporran, buttoned up his Prince Charlie jacket, and fidgeted with his bow-tie. He had thought about doing the full Scottish, but with the twins in attendance and too much mischief to be had, Sirius selected a pair of pure white silk boxers. He wasn't at all surprised when they changed from white to incandescent pink. Sirius sniggered, "Thanks pup...I needed that."

He walked back to the mirror, thinking that triple checking couldn't hurt. He was pleased at how he looked and thought that his wife-to-be would also appreciate it as well. His thoughts turned to his bride to be and he frowned.

Amelia.

Amelia Bones.

How hurt he'd been when she'd not stood up for him.

On some of those lonely and miserable nights in Azkaban, Sirius had often thought of retribution. Against Albus. Against Crouch and Bagnold. Against Peter. Even against Amelia...the one person in the world that should have helped him, that should have believed in him and that should have known that he could never hurt James, Lily, or Harry.

When she'd walked into his cell, nearly a decade after he'd been tossed in there and forgotten, his first instinct after his years being in hell had been to tear out her throat. How could she? How could she betray him so? Did she really think that he'd just laugh it off as a joke and that they could continue their life like they had until that night? To Amelia though, it hadn't been a joke, she knew in her heart that they'd get back to being the loving couple they'd always been, given time, forgiveness, and healing. She'd explained herself as best she could, confessed her sins against him, admitted to the disloyalty, and begged for forgiveness on bended knees. He'd almost, almost, refused her. But he stopped when in her eyes he saw something he'd not seen in years: love. It was there in her eyes, those hazel orbs that held as much sorrow, pain, and guilt as he was sure his own expressed. In them he'd found a reason to give them both a chance at some real happiness. There would be rough patches, to be sure, but they would survive them, and flourish, together. The twinkly-eyed old goat had once said that love was a magic all on its own; even Albus had to be right once in a while.

It had taken time. Of course it had. His body and mind had been battered and subjected to inhumane treatment for years; was it any wonder that his mind was a little addled or that he couldn't walk for more than five minutes at a time without needing to sit? A course of potions along with a regimen of physical activity had seen his body quickly repaired. The mind-healer Amelia had been insistent he see worked wonders for the wounded Marauder. She was an old-battleaxe of a witch, one who could see right through him and one who wouldn't allow him to hide behind his humor, or his flirting, or his adolescent behavior. He been forced to deal with the death of James and Lily head-on and had, albeit begrudgingly, gotten over what he saw as his responsibility for their deaths.

His need for vengeance against Peter had been...refined...such that now, the need to go after the man with wand blazing had been replaced with a need to see justice done. Seeing that rat-faced bastard spend the rest of his miserable life in his old jail cell was enough for him now.

His actions that fateful Halloween night had put one of the two people he'd loved the most in this world into a situation that saw Sirius weeping himself to sleeps most nights. Harry was such a good boy; he'd soon be a fine young man, and he'd grow up to be an outstanding man after that. It was seeing that, the potential in his boy, which had triggered the release of all the pent up guilt. His guilt for the sadistic conditions that his godson had been raised in still tore at him on some occasions, but with the Healer and Harry's help he was dealing with that.

Dealing with Amelia had been the hardest, though. It hurt, plain and simple. What was odd about the whole situation though was how easily he'd forgiven her, something his younger self would never have done. The 'new' him though wanted nothing more than to live his life, to find happiness, and to share both those things with Amelia for the rest of their lives. The kiss in the courtroom during his trial had re-lit in him the fading embers that were his love for the beautiful woman he was about to tie the knot with. They'd yelled and screamed at each other a lot during the session where she'd join him with the Mind Healer. But through it all, she'd persevered, won back his love and affection, but most importantly at least in her eyes, she'd won back his trust.

"You ready for this, mutt?" he asked his mirror image. He took in a deep sigh, put on a smile, and gave himself a wink. "Damn, I'm hot!" he said with a laugh and made his way to the door.

"You ready for this, mutt?" Remus asked when he caught Padfoot leaving and on his way down to the wedding arch. Sirius looked at him oddly for a second before bursting out in laughter. Moony shook his head, wondering what he'd said that had been so funny.

It was many years later that Amelia remarked that he'd changed that day. Something about him had been fundamentally altered on that wonderful summer's afternoon. Gone was Sirius Black, Mass Murder, Betrayer, and Dark Wizard. In his place, Lord Sirius Orion Black had stepped in. Here was a man who would love fiercely, protect ferociously, and have fun doing it. Godfather of the boy-who-lived, beloved of Amelia Bones, surrogate father to the lovely Susan, adopted uncle to some wonderful witches and wizards; these were the things that mattered the most to him now. His family.

Harry was his son, and he'd kill anyone who dared threaten him.

Susan was now his daughter and he'd kill anyone who endangered her... if Harry didn't eviscerate them first.

Seeing the two of them grow up in a world where they could live happily ever after, a peaceful world where those two could provide him and Amelia with a dozen grandchildren was the future he wished for most fervently.

It had been a long time coming, but Sirius Black had finally grown up that day.

ooOooOOooOOoo

"...and lest we forget to thank them, I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to the Welsh Sheep Association for having the wisdom, and the prudence, to hide the entire herd of sheep in the country on the night of Sirius' stag party." Remus said. "To Amelia , I'm sorry the boys of 'Chippendales: A Wizard's Review' had to cancel their show that night, which was unfortunate, but we all know how the shrinking charm affects..."

"It was you, you bastard!" an incensed Andi yelled out, before realizing what she'd blurted, she plopped back into her seat with a red face. Ted smiled widely and gave Remus two thumbs up, to the amusement of the gathered crowd.

"MOM!" Tonks admonished loudly.

Chuckling, Remus raised his champagne glass, "And so, finally, after many years of waiting, and as one of the happiest duties of my life thus far, I'd like you all to raise your glasses: to Sirius and Amelia, may your lives together be filled with joy and lots of little Marauders. In addition, and paraphrasing something James wrote in my yearbook our seventh year, I leave you with these, his wise words: 'may your lives together be as long and as useful as a roll of toilet paper!'" The laughter of the revelers was deafening, everyone yelling out their congratulations with raised glass.

"It's your turn, sweetie." Susan whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek in an effort to coax him out of his seat. With a resigned sigh, Harry stood and made his way toward the head table, he clinked his fork against the goblet he was holding to draw everyone's attention.

"You'll forgive me if I'm a little shy, this being my first time speaking in front of a crowd." the tittering of said crowd actually helped calm him down a bit. "I was a new student at Hogwarts when I first met my godfather. Well, more accurately it would have been my second time I guess, but as I would have been a baby the first time we met, I actually don't remember that bit. Although, that's not entirely true either, as I do have this vague memory of smelling wet dog..."

"Oi!" came from the wedding party's table. "It was raining that night!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

"It's a good thing for you that I have a boyfriend already or I'd be all over Harry like white on rice." Hannah whispered to Susan. The auburn-haired witch turned and glared at her, which made Hannah laugh. "Easy, sweetie, I'm just teasing. Look at him; he looks gorgeous, doesn't he?" She laughed heartily at Susan's pink cheeks.

"When he gets all dressed up like that it makes my stomach flip-flop." Susan whispered back.

"I know what you mean girl; Neville does the same to me when I see get into his gardening overalls." she held up a hand when Susan looked at her incredulously, "Yeah, I don't get it either. He just makes me melt, though."

"Would you two tarts shut it?" Hermione hissed. "I'm trying to listen to Harry, and I really don't want to hear about how hot my brother is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hermione, he's my brother too and I think he looks scrumptious!" Luna giggled.

"Tell me about it! And I thought he was hot even before I met him!" Ginny added with giggle.

"My ears! My ears! Please make them stop burning!" Neville moaned dramatically while Fred and George held their ribs from laughing so hard.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Remus was chuckling quietly to himself after leading a more than slightly tipsy Lady Augusta back to her bedroom. Between him and Tonks, they'd managed to just place the old gal in her bed and cover her with a warm comforter.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought Gran would out-drink everyone at the party!"

"She's a formidable woman, that's for sure." Remus agreed. "She certainly out-danced everyone as well. I don't think there was a man under eighty that she didn't dance with at least once.

"Oh, have I something to be jealous about then, Mr. Lupin?" she asked with a grin.

"You, my lovely Miss Tonks, have absolutely nothing to be worried about." he said kissing her hand. She leaned into him and gave him a hard kiss, but just as it was getting interesting, the loud popping sound drew them apart.

"Mr. Lupin, sir..." Michael whispered.

"Michael? Is everything alright?" Moony asked with concern, seeing the agitated state of the Potter head-elf.

"The elves guarding the forest have seen Dark Ones gathering. They fear an attack is imminent."

"Dark Ones...Michael, do you mean Death Eaters?"

"No, sir," Michael replied worriedly. "Dementors!"

"Where are the kids?" a now alert Remus questioned intently.

"My Lord and Lady are just now bidding the final guests goodnight. Mr. Neville, Miss Luna, and Miss Hannah are still with them."

Remus looked at Tonks, a question in his eyes. She gave him a nod, "The Aurors the boss placed for security should be able to handle it, love, but let's go make sure the kids are alright."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The group of friends had gathered at the exit of the grand marquee that had served as the reception area after the wedding had taken place to wish everyone a good night. Arrangements had been made that saw all the guests' portkeyed in and out of the Glen from designated areas outside the boundaries of the Fidelius. It was a thankful Susan and Harry that bade a goodnight to all those that had joined them to celebrate the nuptials of their aunt to their godfather. Harry was reminded of the welcoming line during the engagement party, although it differed in that the people were leaving and that not a few of them were a bit fermented as well.

Finally, as the last guest had left, Susan turned to Harry with a smile, "Dance with me?"

He gave her a big grin and took her in his arms. It didn't matter to either of them that the band had already packed up and left, leaving the young couple dancing to music that only they could hear. Susan giggled at the sight of Neville snoring lightly at one of the tables, Hannah sleeping on one shoulder and Luna occupying the other.

"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted!" Harry whispered to Sue. "Seems Nev has the right idea, though; where are Hermione and our redheads?" Harry asked.

"They left ages ago, sweetie. Dan and Emma took Hermione up to their rooms' right after Auntie and Sirius left for their honeymoon. Fred and George did the same with Ginny, although I'm pretty sure she's going to hex them for doing that to her, she looked furious." Susan said, looking at him with a bright smile. It was a fun night, yeah?"

"Getting to dance with you all night long is always going to be a perfect night." he told her sincerely. Susan kissed him tenderly, sending a shiver up his spine. "But, we should soon head to bed before Trixie comes to yell at us."

"I'll go wake Nev and the girls... sweetie...Harry, what is it?" Susan asked, seeing the far off look on Harry's face. His eyes had narrowed and he was looking intently out across the darkened field. But then she felt it too, the very noticeable drop in temperature, she started to make her way to her sleeping friends.

"Get them awake, right now." Harry requested. Susan didn't have to be told twice. She ran to her friends and shook them all awake.

"Sue, trying to sleep here..." Hannah managed to mumble, though she did manage to open her eyes and take her head off her boyfriends shoulder. Neville's eyes though came open right away, and seeing the look of worry on Susan's face he turned and shook Luna awake.

"Is it time for more fireworks, Sue?" a groggy-eyed Luna asked. "Those were fun."

"Get up, guys! Something is out in the fields. Whatever is out there is making Harry nervous." Susan said anxiously.

Knowing full well what that could portend, the three stood quickly and headed to Harry, who was still looking out into the darkened horizon.

"Harry, Susan, what are you kids still doing out here? You should all start heading back to the manor." Shacklebot chided firmly when he'd spotted the kids and walked over to them.

"There's something out there, Auror Shacklebot." Harry said.

Kingsley turned and stared out towards where Harry was looking, trying to see what the boy was seeing, but couldn't make out anything through the deep darkness. The slight tremble of a chill that passed through his body alerted him instantly to the problem, though.

"Dementors!" he yelled while pulling his wand. "Out of here, now, get back to the house! Any Aurors you pass, send them to me!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Remus ran as fast as he could toward the large tent, intent on finding the kids. Tonks had already drawn her wand and matched his speed. He couldn't see the look of worry in her eyes, but he was certain it was there.

"They'll be okay, Dora." he assured her. This did nothing to calm her down as they ran into the tent. She was more relieved than she could explain when she saw Sue and Harry were alright and leading Neville and the girls back toward the house.

"Take them back to the house, love, I'll stay and give Kingsley a hand until his backup arrives." Remus told her.

She gave him a quick peck before turning to the kids, "Come on guys, no one in their right minds wants to be anywhere near those creatures!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Hannah exclaimed. She grabbed Neville and Luna's hands and dragged them away as quickly as she could.

"Harry!" Tonks yelled. "You're coming with me now! Susan, get that stubborn husband of yours to get a move on!"

"Come on, Harry, they'll be okay. The Dementors have to follow orders from any Ministry Auror or Wizengamot member." Susan had to literally drag Harry away by pulling on his arm. By the time Sue had started to drag Harry away, Neville and the girls had already ran far ahead of them and were nearing the outer reaches of the wards.

Harry and Susan both suddenly stopped when they were confronted by one of the cloaked creatures who'd glided into a position in front of them. An immense sense of dread came over the pair. Tonks, still looking over her shoulder hadn't seen the kids stop and bowled into them knocking all three of them down to the ground.

She struggled to stand, her breath having been knocked out by the collision. She reached out to Susan and shook her. "Go!" she managed the squeak out.

Susan was staring at the grim apparition that hovered in front of her and froze. In her mind she heard Harry yell in pain while she pounded her small fists against the metal doors that were preventing her from being with him. The memory kept playing over and over again, each time she felt herself weaken and lose hope just a tiny bit more. It wouldn't be much longer before she gave herself fully to the dark creature, who was even now removing the hood from its skull.

Harry was still trying to catch his breath when he heard a woman scream, 'No, not my Harry! Take me instead!' the voice pleaded. It took him a moment to realize that the voice was that of his own mother. Instead of succumbing to the fear though, Harry got angry. Somewhere to his right he sensed Susan, who he could tell was struggling with the emotions and memories she was being forced to endure. He looked up into the face of Death and reached out for her hand...

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Susan began to feel a fury come over her, righteous anger at the predicament she and Harry were in. With what force of will she possessed, she reached for his hand...

Tonks rose slowly, trying in vain to dismiss the Dementor borne memories she was being forced to relive. She'd just managed to raise her wand, the words for the Patronus incantation on the tip of her tongue when suddenly the impossible happened.

When Susan and Harry's hands met and entwined, it was as if though all the dark that seemed to be coursing through their bodies was burned away, only to be replaced by the power of their love. In a burst of light, the Dementor shrieked in agony, its body momentarily frozen before it burst from the rays of bright lights that radiated from within its own body. Susan and Harry both fell to their knees in exhaustion.

"C'mon, move it before we have to face more than just one!" Tonks roared, having found her voice after seeing the Dementor explode.

Harry helped a dazed Susan to her feet, "Okay there, love?"

"Yeah, sweetie, let's just get home." she replied softly.

Tonks was eternally grateful when she felt the boundary of the Fidelius wash over her, knowing that the shielding it provided would keep the Dementors at bay. She and the five she was looking out for burst through the doors of the manor house and skidded to a halt on the marble floors. The popping sound announced the arrival of the Potter elves. "My Lord, please have some hot chocolate, it will help with the effect from those demons." Michael entreated and smiled broadly when they all partook of the delightful beverage.

"Wow, Michael, you weren't kidding!" smiled Luna with her cocoa covered upper lip; the tear tracks that had stained her cheeks had vanished with a quick snap of Dobby's fingers.

"You okay there, sweetie?" Susan asked of the petite blonde with some concern. Luna set her cup down and hugged her tightly.

"I'm okay, Sue, it's just that those things were making me relive the day my mom died." Luna whimpered.

"I kept reliving the walk to my parent's hospital room," Neville added. "It was like the memory was being forced to the front of my mind, making me relive it."

"Is it weird that I was having the same memory as you, Nev?" Hannah wondered, relaxing into his warm embrace. "How 'bout you Sue?"

"I was walking into that stupid chamber again and pounding on that blasted door, over and over again, trying to get to Harry who I could hear screaming in pain." Susan ambled over with Luna still in her arms and wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. She gave him a small smile and relaxed into his arms. "And you, love..."

"I don't really know. I'm going to have to think about that memory again when I have some time to consider it." he told her softly.

"You want to talk about it?" Susan whispered. Harry gave her a short nod and a look that told her that would be a conversation for later. It had upset him somehow, those memories that had been evoked by that evil creature, she could feel the melancholy emanating from him but she was much relieved that her touch seemed to be having a positive effect on him, just as his was having on her. Even Luna seemed to brighten in their embrace.

"Can those things come through the wards, Nym?" Harry asked, directing a look at t he worried ex-Auror. She was pacing by the front door and he could tell she was seconds away from going for Remus.

"No, Harry, they can't." she said with a shake of her head. "What's keeping Remus? He and Shack should have been able to order those things away by now."

Harry closed his eyes and reached out with his magic taking in the information that was being provided to him by the wards that surrounded his ancestral home. The wedding and the reception had taken place in the meadow that he and Neville had found, that special place he'd seen in that magical mirror. It was just on the outside of the ward boundaries, something that allowed their many guests to portkey or apparate in without knowing where they were and be protecting the secrecy of their home.

"Dobby! Michael! Please go and grab Remus and Auror Shacklebot, they're about to be overrun by those Dementors!"

"Yes, Master!" said the two elves before popping away.

"Remus...!" Tonks gasped and sprung towards the door.

"NO!" Susan yelled. "You will stay here, Nymphadora! Dobby and Michael will have them back here in seconds."

It wasn't a moment later that saw the two men dropped on the floor, both blue-lipped and shivering.

"Where was my bloody backup?" Shacklebot asked through chattering teeth. "There had to have been almost twenty of those damned things there, Tonks!"

"What are you talking about, Shack? The boss had a whole platoon of Aurors to provide security for the night. Are you telling me there weren't any there to help?" an angry Tonks asked.

Remus grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "They were all gone, Dora."

Tonks actually growled, pulling her hand away from his and stalking toward the floo to inform her now former boss and her cousin.

"Hang on, Dora; don't go ruining Amelia and Sirius' honeymoon on account of us. We're okay, no harm was done." Remus pleaded.

"How can you say that? Harry and Susan almost got kissed! You and Shack almost got kissed, too!" Tonks roared. "And when the hell did all the Aurors leave? I sure as shit didn't see any when we went to grab the kids!"

"Peace, love. Yes, true, we almost got kissed. However, Amelia left Shack here in charge of security for the ceremony and the reception. Let him deal with it before we call on Amelia. You know she'd feel duty bound to cancel her honeymoon and head back here as quickly as possible. We can't do that to her, or to Sirius." Remus pleaded.

"Tonks, you know he's right." Shack said. "Let me investigate this and then when we're sure what happened we can inform the boss, okay?" Nym looked between the two, finally nodding her head in agreement, although she was definitely upset about the whole thing. She swiveled her head toward Harry and Susan and frowned.

"Either of you two fancy telling me how you managed to destroy a Dementor?" Tonks asked. Remus and Shack swung their heads toward the young couple, looking at them both in wonder.

"They killed a Dementor?" Remus croaked.

Tonks gave him a nod, "Craziest thing I ever saw. It looked like it just exploded in a burst of light...from the inside."

Tonks, Shack, and Remus all turned their heads to the couple and looked upon them. They were holding each other tightly, with Luna sandwiched between them. It amazed the three adults, the soft golden glow that seemed to envelop the pair. Luna had a look of contentment and serenity on her face that made them want to join in the hug too.

ooOooOOooOOoo

BOY-WHO-LIVED-BETROTHED! BONES HEIRESS VICTORIOUS!

Susan looked stunned, gawking in wide-eyed shock at the copy of the Daily Prophet that Dobby had just deposited on the breakfast table. She of course knew that that harpy of a reporter had been circulating amongst the guests of the wedding reception and had been present when Uncle Sirius had made the announcement about the betrothal just after dinner, but she didn't really want to believe that it was going to be as big deal as he and Auntie had made it out to be. The fact that it was front page news quickly changed her perspective, especially since the wedding had been relegated to page two!

"How...why...how?" a tongue-tied Susan tried.

Hannah took the paper from her friend and started laughing loudly when she'd read the headline. "Oh look, Sue, you made the front page."

"This isn't funny, Hannah!" she chastised. "They make it sound like I won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize galleon Draw!"

"You're right, this is not at all funny, it's frickin' hilarious!" Hannah laughed. "Sweetie, you've known that this was coming for a while now, why are you even surprised? Uncle Sirius told you that this would happen."

"Seriously, Hannah? Look at this; we are on the front page news of this silly paper! Auntie and Sirius' wedding barely rates a mention and she's like the most powerful woman in the government!" Susan whined and then paled. "Harry is going to absolutely freak out!"

Hannah giggled, "Maybe he will, although I would remember that calling it 'freaking out' is a bad idea, okay? You remember how well he took it the last time you said that."

"Please, don't remind me! It took us both a while to get over that particular incident." Susan huffed. "Hey, Luna, you're finally awake, I see? It's almost after breakfast, love!"

"Susan, it's the hols, if I wanna sleep in I'm gonna sleep in!" she said with a yawn before noticing the displayed newspaper. "Oh my, don't you and Harry look stunning in that picture."

"Ginny snapped it...the picture that is." Hannah noted as an aside, which caused Luna to look at Hannah curiously. "Apparently Miss Skeeter's photographer got a little too drunk last night and was unable to do his job and since Ginny had her camera, Skeeter offered her a chance to be the Prophet's photographer for the night. She's good, huh?" Hannah praised admiring the photograph. "Who knew there was a little artiste in that girl?"

"What's the article say, Susan?" Luna inquired.

"I haven't had the courage to read it yet." Susan mumbled.

"Oh, here, give me that!" Hannah pried the paper from the redhead's clenched hands. "Let's see here, 'A truly unbelievable occasion took place last evening and we're not talking about the Bones/Black wedding either! It was an event that will come to be known as a dream-killer to many young witches of Britain. And what, you may ask, is this momentous bit of news? It is our sad duty to report the betrothal of our very own boy-who-lived to the heiress of the Bones family, a homely auburn haired girl that has somehow managed to get her hooks into"...you know what, let's not read this. Let's just enjoy the beautiful picture of you two dancing. Isn't it nice out this morning? Doesn't the lake look beautiful at this time of the day? We should all go have a picnic down by the lake, don't you think?"

The loud banging of a crashing door startled the three witches, especially when they saw that it was Hermione. The girl came at them at full speed and ripped the paper out of Hannah's hands. "What the hell, Hermione?"

"Do not read that paper!" she said breathlessly. She pulled her wand from its holster and quickly incinerated the offending tabloid. "Where's Harry?

"He's down with Uncle Remus and Neville; they're trying to figure out how he and I destroyed that Dementor last night." Susan replied. "Hermione, what's going on?"

Hermione ignored Susan and looked to Hannah, "Did you read it?"

"No, not all of it anyways; I'd just actually had just started when I got to the part about..." Hannah said, tilting her head and motioning it toward Susan. "Is it bad?" she whispered. Hermione looked at her and nodded. The bushy-haired witch looked furious.

"Aunt Amelia is going to murder someone!" Hermione groaned, plopping in to a seat next to Hannah. "Uncle Sirius is going to fly into a rage!"

"Hermione!" Susan growled. "What's going on?"

Her friend looked at her sheepishly, "Uhm, you see...the Prophet sort of...well, they were kind of not very nice."

"What do you mean not very nice?" Susan's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Dobby!"

"Yes, Mistress?" Dobby asked with a bow, appearing moments after he'd been called.

"Bring me a copy of the Daily Prophet, please?"

"Right away, Mistress!"

Moments later, the redhead was poring over the rag that was the Prophet, her anger growing after each sentence she read. Hannah, Hermione, and Luna, looked on in a panic, seeing with their own eyes the magic rolling in waves from their usually composed friend. The three almost panicked when the dishware started to rattle. Luckily, before Susan had a chance to destructively unleash her anger, the tinkle of laughter from the youngest Weasley came to ease the mounting tension, the ginger headed girl came bounding out onto the patio and slammed into Susan, hugging her tightly. "Did you see your picture in the paper, Susan?" she squealed excitedly. "I can't believe that I got a picture published in the Prophet! Miss Skeeter even said that I'd probably be able to sell some of the pictures I took to Witch Weekly! Can you imagine?"

Susan looked down affectionately at Ginny, forgetting momentarily why she'd been so upset, "That's wonderful, Gin. Maybe you should be thinking of photography as a career?"

"There are lots of arts programs at muggle universities, you know?" Hermione offered. "Some of the best photographers in the world can command an obscene amount of money for their pictures."

"Yeah, can you just see me trying to explain that to my mom, going to muggle university for a degree? In art?" Ginny scoffed. She became aware of what looked like the tail end of the anger that Susan had recently displayed in her friends softening features. "What's wrong, Sue?"

"Did you read the article, Gin?" Luna asked.

"Of course I did, why? It was just some stupid gossip, no one that knows Susan will believe anything that stupid woman says. I mean come on, 'homely auburn haired girl', really? You're like the prettiest girl at school!" the coughing behind her made Ginny giggle, "Sorry, second prettiest girl at school. Obviously Hannah is the hottest witch that ever lived."

"And don't you ever forget it, Miss Weasley! Hey, stop that! Oi! Would you lot stop pelting me with the croissants, you wenches!" Hannah huffed indignantly.

Susan looked across at her friends and gave them a teary smile. It had been quite some time since Susan had felt this vulnerable. It helped to have her girls with her, though. "How upset do you think Harry is going to be?" she wondered aloud.

"It will depend entirely on you, Susan." Luna replied. "If you're hurt by this, he will be really angry and probably blow up the offices of the Prophet and put that Skeeter woman into orbit. If, however, you are simply annoyed by the article he will more than likely let Sirius and Aunt Ami deal with it."

"She's right, you know?" Hermione interjected. "If you're upset, he'll be upset. If you just laugh it off as silly, he will too."

Hannah turned her head toward the doors, "He's not going to come bursting out here all angry, is he?"

"No, I told him I was okay." Susan said. The four girls looked at her strangely. "What?"

"You told him you were okay...when?" Hermione squeaked out.

"Just now, he knew something made me upset...why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked in aggravation.

Hannah squeezed the bridge of her nose and groaned. "So I take I you two are now talking to each other...like in your heads?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. It's mostly him, though; I'm still learning how he does it." Susan frowned.

"That is just so unfair!" Hannah railed. "Do you know the pranks I could pull off if Neville and I could speak to each other like that?"

"Well, I think it's very sweet." Ginny said. "But the prank thing could be epic!"

"What she said! On both counts!" Luna giggled.

"Guys, I know I'm changing the subject here, but...?" Hermione started to say. Susan, somehow, knew almost right away what Hermione was trying to ask.

"You want to know about why Harry and I go to Gringotts for a few hours every day, don't you?" Susan asked knowingly. The looks that the other girls were giving her also left no doubt in her mind that they wished to know as well.

Susan grabbed her teacup and smashed it on the floor, drawing gasps from her friends, along with looks of curiosity. She drew her wand from the pocket of her dressing gown, aimed it at the broken cup, an incanted her spell, "Reparo."

Hermione was frowning at her friend in confusion once the now mended cup had settled before her. "We can all do that, Susan, and it doesn't explain the extra lessons you say you're getting." Susan smiled at her friend and passed her wand to the bushy haired witch, she then smashed the cup once again.

"You try it." Susan told her.

"There's something wrong with your wand, Sue." Hermione said after her attempt had failed. "I know that our wands probably wouldn't match very well, but this is just ridiculous. I'm not getting anything from yours."

"Girls, would you mind giving it a try as well? Use my wand though, please?" Hermione passed the wand to Ginny, who after giving it a try passed it to Hannah.

Luna, trying it last, was the one who understood. "Oh, I see..."

"See what, Luna?" Hannah wondered.

"This isn't a wand." Luna answered. "It looks like your wand, but it isn't."

"But then how did Sue...how did you...?" Hermione sputtered.

Susan snapped her fingers and watched as the cup repaired itself. Another hand motion and the cup gently landed on the table. "Thank you, Dobby." she said when the elf had poured her a refill. Dobby grinned and popped away. "Harry and I decided yesterday to fill you guys in on what the two of us were doing."

"See, I told you they'd tell us when they were ready!" Hannah said with a smug look to Hermione.

"Fine, you told me, happy?" Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"Ecstatic! It's not often I get to tell you 'I told you so', I'm just going to sit here and enjoy this moment." Luna and Ginny were laughing at the two bickering girls.

"It all started a few months ago when Uncle Sirius asked Professor Flitwick to give us some advanced instruction. It was suggested to Sirius by someone he trusts to make that arrangement." she said, giving Hermione a meaningful look. Hermione's eyes widened in understanding and nodded imperceptibly.

"You've noticed that the two of us where having problems with our magic? Well, not understanding what the problem was, the professor went to his cousin, Griphook..."

"Wait, isn't he...?" Hannah began.

"Yup, he manages both the Potter and Bones estates now. In any case, Griphook and the professor went to their king to ask for permission to use the Goblin Library to..."

"Hang on a second; you've been to the Goblin Library?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yup." she answered succinctly. "So, Harry and I went and made use of one of the memories stored in the memory vault."

"Isn't the Library supposed to be like a myth or something?" Ginny wondered.

"You've been to the Goblin Library?" Hermione asked again, loudly. "And you didn't tell me? Are you kidding me?"

"Focus, Hermione, I'm sure we can talk about that later." Luna said, giving the annoyed witch a pat on the shoulder.

"Annoy me at your peril, sweetie," Susan said, giving Hermione an evil grin, "Or I'll tell Ragnok to rescind the invitation to visit that he's extended to all of you."

"Sorry!" Hermione said in a very placating manner. "It's just that..."

"Yeah, we know, someone says the word 'library' and you lose your mind." Ginny teased. Hermione huffed and crossed her arms before her sporting a pout and mumbling 'I do not' to herself.

"Susan?"

"Yes, Hannah, what is it?"

"Did you just say that Ragnok invited us? You mean to tell me that King Ragnok, Overlord of the Goblin Nation, and supposedly the most intimidating individual in the world, that Ragnok, invited us all to Gringotts for a cuppa and a visit?" a wide-eyed Hannah asked.

Susan frowned, confused by the question, "Well, yeah, we had to get his permission the first time we went to the Library. He's a nice guy, but like you said, a bit intimidating until you get to know him."

Ginny snorted, "Yeah, right! My brother Bill has been at Gringotts for years and has never even seen Ragnok and you're telling me that you guys are like friends now?"

"Sort of, I guess. Like I said, he's a nice guy."

"We get to go to the Library?!" Hermione asked in a wonder filled voice when she'd come out of her funk.

"Well, we've lost the braniac for the day, girls. Our Hermione here is going to be useless in Master Bode's class later on." Hannah said with a chuckle. "You know, I should've thought to ask Uncle Sirius to have basilisk knickers made for us from the hide of that stupid thing, save us from having our butts bruised by that old hexer."

"Susan, that still doesn't explain your wand or how you are able to do magic without it." Luna pointed out.

"It was explained to us that our magic is naturally different than the average witch or wizard. That's the reason Harry and I were having a hard time in class. Casting spells the normal way just doesn't work for us, so we had to learn a new way to do it." Susan explained.

"Can you teach us?" Hermione obviously asked.

"We think so. Harry thinks, and don't get upset by this sweetie, that Luna would have an easier time of it than you Hermione."

"Why would he say that...oh, I get it."

"Get what, Hermione." Hannah asked.

"My mind is ordered, logical, so it might make it more difficult for me to let go of my wand as I see it as being essential to magic. Luna, on the other hand, is very open minded and that's why she'd have less trouble than I would."

"Just admit it Hermione, I'm brilliant!" Luna cooed before she laughed at the croissant flying in her direction, a croissant which she plucked from the air and took a bite of.

"Girls?" Susan said softly, shyly even.

"What is it, sweetie?" Hannah asked.

"Well...you see, Harry...he kind of...I kind of need a favor from you all."

"What did Harry do now, Sue?" Luna asked.

"Nothing! He just...well, he asked me to go out on a date with him tonight."

"A DATE?" Hermione squealed when she'd finally come out of her library induced stupor. "He's going to take you on a date?"

"Yeah, I guess...it will sort of be our first, you know? Tonks and Remus are going to chaperone. I'm a little nervous though."

"You're going on a date...with your husband...sweetie, what could you possibly be nervous about? You two are already married! Hell, you're even sleeping with him already!" Hannah asked with some confusion.

Susan shook her head, "I envy you and Neville sometimes, Hannah. You two get to learn about each other over time..."

"...and I get to worry about him falling for someone else, or that some stupid bint will try to sink her claws into him when I'm not there, or how jealous I feel every time some pretty girl chats him up..." Hannah enumerated.

"She's right, Susan. I truly believe that Hannah and Neville are in it, together, until 'death do you part', you know?" Luna interjected. "But they lack the sense of certainty that you and Harry have."

"Huh?"

"What she means is that you and Harry were literally made for each other. Do you have any doubts, whatsoever, that Harry loves you?" Hermione inquired.

"What? No! Of course he loves me!" Susan said defensively. She reached out through her bond and felt the warm and gentle presence of Harry, something that filled her with joy.

"Seem that's what I'm talking about!" Hannah said. "You just felt him up in your head, didn't you?"

"Hannah!" Susan screeched.

"Susan, we see that love he has for you every day," Ginny added. "For me, I see it in the way he looks at you. His eyes actually sparkle when he sees you."

"Or remember last night when that asshole McLaggen tried to chat you up and was being rude to you." Hannah mentioned.

"Harry was there?"

"Yes, love, he was standing with Neville and I just a few feet away. Neville saw that Harry didn't look like he was going to intervene and got angry at him. Harry smiled at Neville and told him you could take care of yourself, but that if shithead tried anything it would be him that kicked his ass." Hannah answered. "He looked so proud of you when you told McLaggen to go away and play with his tiny wand."

"Oi! Ladies! We're straying from the subject here! Sue, do you want to explain to us why you're so nervous about going on a date?" Hermione said, trying to get everyone back on track.

"He's taking me into the muggle world." she said nervously.

"You've been there before, Susan." Luna said. "What's really bugging you?"

"Will you girls help me get ready? I haven't a clue what to wear!"

"Finally!" Hannah screamed at the top of her lungs. Susan was looking at her strangely while the other girls were laughing at their blonde friend.

"Finally what?" an annoyed Susan asked.

"You've finally gotten all girly on us! I think you are finally ready for the makeover the girls and I had planned for you. Harry is going to faint when he sees you, sweetie!"

ooOooOOooOOoo

"You did what?"

"You heard me perfectly well, Cornelius." the toad woman simpered.

"You actually sent Dementors to Harry Potter's home? You actually sent Dementors to Amelia Black's reception? Are you out of your ever loving mind?" the man screeched.

"Yes." she replied simply. "Lucius and I thought it a good idea. We scare Potter and his gang a bit and maybe they'll remember who actually rules this country. Or are you saying that you no longer wish to remain in power, Minister? Because if you don't, I'm certain that Lucius and I can help you make that a reality."

The Minister narrowed his eyes dangerously, which was something that Umbridge thought looked ridiculous on him. "And who will protect you from them if they discover that it was you who ordered the Dementors to attack them and their guests, huh? Because I certainly won't risk my neck on such a stupidly idiotic idea!"

"They'll never know it was us, Minister. And yes, I did mean us. Why, I still have the document you signed giving me permission to do so."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?" she asked in a sugary sweet voice. "Potter and his betrothed take their seats in the Wizengamot in a couple of days, Cornelius, his name alone will garner him much favor in that body. Why, you might even lose even more support than you have already. Knowing that you did absolutely nothing to help free his innocent godfather, that you did in fact you try to derail the man's hearing, will not see Potter ever being on your side. And Lucius has told me that Black blames you for putting his godson and niece in danger at Hogwarts thanks to the basilisk fiasco."

"What are you suggestion we do then, Dolores?" the main said worriedly.

"They are children, treat them as such. Show them for the immature brats that they are and all their sycophants will once more flock to your banner."

"You think so?"

"Well, it's either that or we start being more proactive." Umbridge replied.

"What do you mean proactive?"

"Poison, magical accident, explosion, another visit from the Dementors, maybe even asking some of our like-minded friends for assistance in solving this problem for us. If they're stupid enough to believe that the Dark Lord will rise again, then I'm sure they'd be stupid enough to try to eliminate our Potter problem for us."

"You'd actually condone Death Eaters murdering a child? Not just any child, but the boy-who-lived? There would be blood on the streets, Dolores! Revolution! The people would never..."

"The 'people' would do nothing, Cornelius, as they always have. A few well chosen words printed in the Prophet and we could make it seem as though Potter was going dark or being influenced by His followers."

"That...that could actually work." Fudge said contemplatively. "No, murdering him would be a step too far. We'll have to find another way, discredit him somehow."

"As you wish, Cornelius." Dolores said placatingly before she took her leave from his office. She hummed a tune to herself as she made her way to her section of the Ministry, where an anxious Lucius Malfoy was waiting for her.

"The man is a coward." Dolores proclaimed, answering Malfoy's unasked question. "Your plan to eliminate the problem should go ahead. We'll have to pass some laws that would strip Black and Potter of their fortunes when they are dead and see those fortunes turned over to the appropriate people...or person, in this case."

Lucius gave her a beaming smile, "I can think of a couple of people off the top of my head who wouldn't mind helping us, Dolores."

"Good. Any assistance you require, please inform me. I will always do what I can for you." Lucius cringed internally at the horribly terrifying smile the toad was directing at him.

ooOooOOooOOoo

"I swear, if he starts calling me grasshopper, I'm gonna..."

"He's been calling us 'child' for ages now! Why do you think he would ever call you grasshopper, sweetie?" Susan asked. "And quit mumbling, I can't understand what you're saying. What does fung ku mean, anyways?"

"It's not fung ku, Sue, its kung fu." Harry said with a defeated sigh. "It's nothing, just a television show that used to play really late at night. Uncle Vernon would fall asleep in front of the television most nights and that show would be on. One of the few times I actually saw anything through the grate on my door."

"Oh, okay...you'll explain it to me later then please. It looks like he wants us back." she said, motioning toward Merlin.

"Sit you two." Merlin said, pointing to a space in front of him. "Now, I understand from Master Flitwick that you two had an encounter with a Dementor a few nights ago?"

"Yes, Master, we did. It was horrifying." Susan said with a shiver.

"And I am also led to believe that you were able to destroy one of those creatures?"

"I don't know if it was us, Master, the thing just exploded in front of us. It could have been Nym for all we know." Harry explained.

"You two really need some self-confidence, you know?" Merlin protested. "Of course it was you two. No one else would have been capable of performing such a feat. The power requirement alone...no, it was both of you, of that I am certain."

"How?" Susan asked curiously.

"Well, normally, wizards are only able to repel the Dementors. The spell, as I am sure you know by now, is called the Patronus. It is primarily a shield but, with the correct emotions powering the spell, the shield can become a weapon of sorts. Not a killing weapon, mind you, but a weapon of defense and protection. The silvery cat you mentioned your professor cast, that is what a Patronus looks like when it takes form. Each person able to cast that spell will have a unique animal. I understand that your Uncle Remus and his fiancée are represented by wolf forms? Your godfather by a grim, your aunt by a bear..."

"So, the forms represent something important to us?" Harry asked.

"Not only something important to us, but something we think of as protective as well? So my Patronus is going to be a silver Harry cloud?" Susan asked with a smile toward Harry.

Harry grinned back at her and gave her a peck on the cheek, "Thanks love, knowing you think that means a lot to me."

"Now, now, children, pay attention!"

"So, if we didn't cast the Patronus charm at that Dementor, what did we do?" Harry wondered after he replayed the scene in his mind.

"Actually, child, I think you both actually did cast a Patronus." Merlin replied.

"Huh?" the two kids asked in concert.

"The spell was cast so close to you that I don't think it had the space to manifest properly. Instead, it was produced within the creature. That is why it looked to you as though the creature exploded from a light from inside it." a proud Merlin explained.

"Hang on, I thought you said that Dementors couldn't be destroyed, Master?"

"Again, normally they can't be. But such is your power that when used against something as foul as Dementor, it could only be destroyed."

"Power, Master?" Harry inquired.

"Stand!" the old man ordered before conjuring a large mirror in front of them. "Look at yourselves in the mirror and then hold hands."

Susan gladly did this, she always felt a bit drained if she hadn't touched Harry in a while, and it had been quite a while since they'd been near enough to have any form of contact. She smiled at her husband and entwined her fingers in his. When she broke eye contact with him and looked into the mirror, the surprise was plainly visible on her face from the reflection before her. Harry and she were surrounded by a golden nimbus that seemed to pulse in synchronization with their heartbeats.

"Holy crap..." Harry mumbled. "Are we like this all the time? People must think we're weird or something?"

"No, I don't think anyone other than the Family has noticed, Harry, they've been the only ones to mention it. Even Aunt Emma and Uncle Dan can see it." she told him.

"I take it that Emma and Dan are non-magical? Interesting..." Merlin commented. "You will both need to practice suppressing this, children. Master Flitwick has informed me of the possible consequences that could arise should your status become general knowledge before you are ready."

"Consequences?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

"Sweetie, bonded couples like us are really, really, rare. Ragnok tried to explain this to us, remember. So too did Auntie and Sirius. Mom and Dad too! Auntie said the Unspeakables would probably try to kidnap us to perform experiments on us or something!"

"Oh, right, those consequences..." Harry muttered.

"I will show Filius how to conjure this mirror, as it is attuned to reflect the bonding. I will also walk you through a few exercises to help you control this. Now, it looks like our time this afternoon is up as your professor seems to be making his way here." Merlin said with a look behind the couple.

"Lord Merlin," Filius said with a deep bow, "Forgive the interruption but their escort has arrived to ferry them home."

"No interruption at all, Master Filius. Go on you two; I need to have a word with your professor. We will see you both here again tomorrow." Harry and Susan both bowed to him and turned, walking into the forest.

"Oh, and grasshopper, just because I'm old doesn't mean my hearing is gone!" he called out the retreating pair.

Filius wondered what that was all about when he heard Harry groan. But, since Merlin was laughing, he didn't think too much of it.

"I think you were right Filius. They did indeed cast a Patronus."

"I knew it!" the half-goblin exclaimed. "It was the only possible explanation! I wonder if it will take a form? Will it combine if they both cast it at the same time? If it does the bloody thing would probably be immense!"

"Easy there, Filius, no need to work yourself into a strop. It was something I wanted them work on tomorrow, seeing if they could do it without the specter of death literally hanging over them. Care to join us?"

"Really?"

"Of course I mean really, Filius. I may come across as stern..."

"I think crotchety would be a better descriptor, Lord Merlin." a grinning Filius interjected.

"Crotchety? Are you calling me old?"

"Well, you're dead, so I think age really has nothing to do with it. Sir, why are you raising your staff at me?"

ooOooOOooOOoo

"Again!"

"Master, please..."

"Silence, Wormtail! Again, Ronald, mean it this time!" the baby sized Dark Lord commanded. "Feel the hatred coursing through your veins!

"Crucio!" Ron actually smiled at the pain he was causing the small man that was rolling around in agony.

"It still needs work, young Weasley, but you are making some progress. Maybe soon you'll be able to cast the curse without waving your wand around like a baboon! Now, give me your wand."

"Master?" Ron asked worriedly.

"You need to feel the pain as well, Ronald. I do this not to cause you pain, but rather to educate you. Think of this not as punishment, but as reward. Crucio!"

Ron's world exploded in pain.

A/N

Yeah, yeah...I know, I take forever to write.

I'm actually posting this a couple of days early so I can read it myself on my tablet. Reading in front of this too large screen of mine is making my eyes wonky. I somehow find it easier to correct some of the sillier mistakes from the fanfic app than on Word.