Here's another update for your reading pleasure. Hope you all enjoy it. If you feel inclined, I always love to hear from you :~)

Much love to my amazing and beautiful friend Violet Behaviour who has been a constant support pretty much from day one. You're such an incredible friend and I value our friendship so much. Thank you!

xxxxxxxxxxx

Christmas morning Hermione found herself in bed, burrowed warmly in her blankets with a large, unopened ancient tome waiting to be read. Gently, she ran her fingers over the parchment containing a note that accompanied the book, feeling the right corner of her lips curve into a soft smile as she studied the newly familiar spiky yet elegant script etched into it. His penmanship had somehow matched his personality, and she found she couldn't help but find it endearing.

Hermione couldn't deny her opinion of him was softening, the gentle ways he chose to slowly open up to her, revealing more of himself. It came as quite the surprise to her when she discovered just how much she liked the man she was beginning to know. She directed her gaze back at the old book, intrigued with the prospect of learning about the ancient rituals of Slavic magical culture and discovering how it all would give her insight into Antonin's world. While she wanted to be open minded and was pleased Antonin was growing comfortable enough with her to ask something so obviously important to him, she wasn't certain she wanted to commit herself to Antonin Dolohov in such an irrevocable way.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at her bedroom door. Hermione looked up to see Rosalie in her pajamas with two steaming cups of coffee.

"Penny for your thoughts? You've been in here almost all morning going back and forth between the book and the letter. It looks like you have a lot going on in that head of yours." Curling one leg under her, Rosalie made herself comfortable at the end of the bed and handed Hermione a mug as she sipped her own.

Sighing Hermione leaned back against the headboard and gathered her thoughts. "I'm beginning to see he isn't the man I initially thought him to be."

"And that scares you."

Taking a tentative sip of her coffee, Hermione met her friend's gaze. "I told him about my parents."

Rosalie's eyes widened at the confession. "I know when I walked in things seemed pretty intimate the other night. I've been waiting for you to mention something, but I figured you just needed time to process. Is that what you were talking about? How did the subject even come up? I thought you weren't ready to share that with him yet."

Looking down at the ancient book on the bed between them, Hermione sighed, her shoulders slumped and her coffee now rested in her palm on her lap. "Oddly enough, it came up because of something he asked me to consider."

Rosalie gestured towards the book with a slight incline of her head, her gaze falling upon the leather briefly before meeting Hermione's eyes again. "May I?"

Nodding in response, Hermione watched as Rosalie gently turned the ancient manuscript towards her and ran her fingers over the ornate cover. "I can feel the old magic all over it. What is this?" She reverently opened to the first page.

"It's the reason we talked about my parents. He asked me to consider the prospect of agreeing to an ancient magical wedding ceremony. Then he mentioned the guest list would no doubt include muggles, and ultimately be a contributing factor in my decision either for or against. That's when I told him there wouldn't be any muggles to consider."

Pursing her lips Rosalie huffed, "And let me guess, he didn't just let it rest. He pushed you for a reason? What a.."

"No, Rosalie." Hermione cut her off. "I honestly don't think he did it to be nosy, or pushy, or anything else. I truly think he did it because he cared." Looking down, Hermione's index finger circled the rim of her mug, focusing on the way her nail glided along the porcelain. "He actually said he might be able to help my parents." She only looked up when she heard the gasp.

Rosalie's eyes went wide. "I swear to all that is sacred, Hermione, if he's playing games with you I will kill that bastard myself without the use of any magic."

Hermione couldn't help the fit of laughter that bubbled up at her friend's outburst. "Rosalie, I love you for your tenacious defence of me, and I've seen you angry, that's actually a valid threat. You know I would do the same for you." When her laughter faded, Hermione's face rested into a serious expression, sharing a final smile with Rosalie once more. "But I truly don't believe he is. You should've seen the look in his eyes when we talked about everything. It was as if he wanted to protect me from it all, if that makes any sense."

"It does." Hesitating, Rosalie struggled to find the right words for what she wanted to say next. "Hermione, do you think perhaps Antonin is starting to feel for you the way you're starting to feel for him?"

"I don't necessarily feel anything for him, Rosalie. Not in the romantic sense anyway. I just notice certain things the more I get to know him."

"Don't you though? You may not realize it yet, but I see the look in your eyes when you talk about him. Just something to think about." Shrugging her shoulders, Rosalie brought the mug to her lips, but halted before taking a sip. "How do you feel about him helping with your parents? I thought you said both you and Harry did everything you could."

"Well that's the thing. Antonin said we may have tried everything we knew, but there were other methods we didn't think to search for. But I'll be completely honest, Rosalie, I'm afraid of getting my hopes up only to have them crushed again. I spent almost a whole year being let down at every turn. I don't know if I can handle that again. He mentioned a friend of his is skilled in charms, and perhaps he might be able to assist in helping. I'm supposed to visit Antonin after Christmas to see if he has the book I took the original charm from."

"Well, I guess all we can do at this point is hold our breath and see if you find that book again. Have you met this friend of his? Would you trust him with this information?"

"That's a whole other topic." Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, her fingers catching on unruly curls. Frustrated, she dropped her hand again and met Rosalie's eyes. " I've never met him but Antonin claims they're like brothers and have known each other since childhood. They've been through everything together and Antonin trusts him with his life."

"Are you willing to trust Antonin's word about him?"

"I'd rather meet him myself first and make my own judgements on the matter."

"Then we'll need to make that happen." Rosalie's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.

Grinning knowingly, Hermione finished her coffee then stood. "As much as I love your scheming ways, let's go make breakfast."

"Already on it, I made banana pancakes and bacon. I put a stasis charm on it until you were ready to eat."

"How come I didn't smell any of this? I love the aromas of coffee and bacon in the morning."

"Hermione, when you get lost in your thoughts you become completely oblivious to everything around you. Haven't I ever mentioned this before?" She was laughing between words, teasing her friend as they walked through the living area into the kitchen.

"You're such a smartass." Hermione chuckled as they both fixed themselves a plate.

Rosalie took a large bite of bacon, her chipmunk cheeks stretched as she pulled them into smirk. "Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact you just used ass instead of arse. Hermione, I am so proud of you. You've come so far." She cheekily wiped a faux tear from her eye.

"I would tell you to shut-it but you did make breakfast and it's incredibly delicious, so I'll let you have your moment. What do you say we top this meal off with a couple mimosas?"

"That sounds positively splendid. And what better way to spend the day than a movie marathon. You have yet to show me how this TV actually works in a magical world. I'm both equal parts impressed and intrigued." Rosalie had replaced the bacon in her hand with two crystal glasses as Hermione removed the orange juice and champagne from the icebox.

"Ah, yes! Dean, a muggleborn in my year, missed having movies so much he found a way to make the vintage television models work, then used magic to make the models appear less imposing. I was utterly impressed by the structure in his ideas. He's made quite the name for himself for blending certain muggle inventions within the magical community. It's positively brilliant."

Hermione followed Rosalie into the living space to choose a movie, both witches immediately reaching for their favorite movies.

Crossing her arms, Hermione huffed at her friend. "Oh, absolutely not! I am not subjecting myself to another day of a Dirty Dancing marathon, only to wake up every morning for the next two weeks to you belting out Hungry Eyes in the shower. You can't carry a tune for the life of you."

"Well then we're definitely not watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. I don't think I can tolerate you humming Moon River every time you open a bottle of wine for the next month and a half!"

"This is my favorite movie, though! I love that song."

"I hate that song."

"It's poetic!"

"It's depressing."

For a brief moment, both friends stared the other down with challenging glares, neither refusing to back down from their decisions. Finally, after both stubborn witches snickered at their own revelation to the ultimate showdown of wills, Rosalie finally spoke.

"Since we can't agree, we should come to a compromise. We are drinking mimosas and eating a plate full of banana pancakes." Raising her eyebrows, she tilted her head towards Hermione, setting her up for her response.

Smiling knowingly, Hermione pulled another movie from the shelf and held the cover face up towards Rosalie, "Breakfast Club it is then."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Early morning on Boxing Day, Antonin stood at his window sipping on a steaming cup of black coffee. The fiery orange of the sunrise struggled for dominance against the fading dark blue creating shadows to creep over the rooftops of Diagon Alley. The cobblestone streets were a snowy ghost town as he stared and watched the sky slowly begin to fill with what could only be Ministry owls. He watched as the first pair of dozen wings took off with a bundle of letters attached, only to be followed minutes later by another dozen, then another until owls were the only traffic cluttering the morning sky.

In the midst of the events outside, he heard the floo roar to life behind him. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

Without a single word between them, both Antonin and AJ stood, watching as the few already opened shops began to close their doors for the day one by one. They watched as three potential patrons were turned away from the only opened restaurant with no explanation. They waited for their reaction, as the same three wizards were delivered their letters on the street where they stood. They observed intently as the three men exchanged a similar confused expression before simultaneously opening their letters, their faces fading to a pale and hollow shock before dispersing one by one in different directions, leaving the street vacant once more.

The sun, now fully dominating the morning sky, shined its glory, glistening like diamonds off the fresh snow. The last of the Ministry owls soared across the sky back to their stationed homes at the Ministry.

Antonin turned to AJ for the first time since he arrived.

"So it begins."

They turned back to the snow covered desolate street on, what was usually, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The room was cramped and full of bodies, the volume of their voices creeping out the door every time it swung open for another witch or wizard to enter. Molly maneuvered her way through the crowd towards the front of the room. She made herself comfortable in one of the last remaining available chairs and waited patiently for the meeting to begin. The conversations emitting throughout the entire room was, of course, pertaining to the marriage law - it's all anyone would talk about for quite some time to come. She couldn't help but listen in on one particular conversation between two witches standing closeby.

"Did you hear the reformed Death Eaters are included in this law as well?"

"What? No! What poor unsuspecting women would be willing to face that without a fight?"

"I don't know. But I'll tell you what I heard, Audrey recently saw the war heroine, Hermione Granger, going into the book shop that's on the list of Death Eater businesses more than once within the past week."

"Well that shouldn't come as any surprise. She is the one we have to blame for them roaming the streets, after all"

"Well it could be nothing, but with this new marriage law there might be something more to it."

"I suppose we'll just have to find out when everything goes public. You know as well as I do everyone will be dying to know who they were officially matched with."

"No doubt, but as for Ms Granger, I have my suspicions already, and I know for a fact I'm not the only one."

Molly's gaze focused on a tall man with silver hair and a charming smile approach the podium. The witches' gossip session was cut short by the voice of their charismatic leader, Finnigus Zenphry, as it echoed off the walls of the packed room. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for joining our Magical Coalition for Peace this morning. I do apologize for the size of the accommodations. It was the best we could do on such short notice due to the many unexpected closings today. I wasn't anticipating such a large turn out." He took a moment to survey the crowd with a pleased expression before frowning and furrowing his brows in a somber address. "I'm sure you have no doubts of the reason for this impromptu gathering. Either our loved ones or ourselves received the official letters today announcing this egregious new law."

The crowd began to nod and give low grumbles of discontent as Finnigus continued. "This atrocity must not withstand, and regardless of the consequences WE MUST FIGHT! The Ministry has once again proven it cannot be trusted. I, for one, will not stand by and allow my children to be turned into pawns for some ridiculous ideology they want to force upon the people of this great community. Regardless of their arrogance, they do not know what is best for our families and loved ones."

Molly nodded her head, joining in with the crowd as they clapped and cheered in agreement. It wasn't until a voice from the crowd spoke up that the applause die down into curious silence.

"That talk is all well and good, Finnigus, but a large majority of us don't have the money to pay twenty-five thousand galleons, and we certainly do not want our children in Azkaban for a decade."

Molly couldn't deny she agreed with his sentiment. Additional nods and mumbled agreements washed like a wave over the crowd.

"There are other ways to express our discontentment, Mr Welch. It is true we may have to go through the motions to avoid the steep consequences. However, we can still protest. We can still let our voices be heard to the point where they can't avoid or ignore us any longer. It's time they know we will not tolerate such intrusive laws."

The voice of a witch came from the crowd. "Has there been any word on what our beloved war hero's have to say about all this?" She inquired in a sardonic tone.

A murmur of questioning swept over the crowd when Finnigus directed his gaze at Molly, who decidedly remained silent the whole time. "Being the mother of one of them, Molly, is this information you're able to share with us?"

Hesitating for a moment, Molly slowly stood and turned to address the anticipating crowd. "While it is not my place to reveal who Ron, Harry, and Hermione are paired with, it is my understanding they have spoken with Minister Shacklebolt and have agreed to support him."

The crowd immediately began shouting their discontent.

"Cowards!"

"How could they betray us like this?!"

"This is absolute rubbish!"

"Traitors!"

Getting her wand out and shooting off harmless sparks to get attention, her voice cracked at the sudden raise in her pitch. "Excuse me!" The crowd immediately looked at Finnigus, assuming it was he who had attempted to gain their attentions. But they soon realized it was Molly, her expression ablaze.

"I beg your pardon? No son of mine is a traitor or a coward! Need I remind you they're the ones who faced and defeated Voldemort!" At the mention of the deceased Dark Lords name the crowd visibly recoiled.

"Now, I've spoken with each of them, and while they are agreeing to support the Minister, I happen to know they are not at all in support of the law. But they know they need to do what's asked of them in order to ultimately work the system in their favor."

"So you do know who they've all been matched with?" Molly's eyes scanned the crowd to see the source of the voice, realizing it had come from one of the witches she was listening in on before the start of the meeting.

Before Molly could respond, Finnigus stepped in to take control of the meeting once more. "Now, Donelle, Molly has just said she's not at liberty to discuss such things. But the information she's given is pertinent none-the-less. We now know the trio will possibly be working behind the scenes to combat this law. So we must do our part as well. Which is why I am asking for your help in planning an official protest. In three weeks time, I want all of Diagon Alley to shut down at an agreed upon time and begin walking through Diagon Alley's streets. I want the businesses to be prepared to shut down for days if need be. And while this may seem controversial, I also want Knockturn Alley to protest with us as well."

Gasps were heard from the crowd and Finnigus raised his hands as if to calm them. "You must understand, this law affects the magical community of Britain as a whole, not just Diagon Alley. If we are meant to be heard, we need as many voices rising up as possible. We need to open our arms to everyone in the community to make a significant statement. A united voice is a powerful force."

A voice from a wizard in the crowd cut through the silence "Finnigus, while there are a lot of citizens who do support the coalition, not all do. How are we going to accomplish this?"

"That's where I need you all to work your damndest. Merlin knows we've only got one shot at this, so we need to go from person to person, family to family, and business to business, in search of more support for the protest itself. They don't need to be part of the coalition to stand with us on this one issue."

Molly chose that moment to bring up something she couldn't let go. "Finnigus, what about the recent attacks that have been perpetrated against the Death Eater establishments? Has anyone made any connection to us? I'm concerned that any act of violence will discredit us in the eyes of skeptics and the Wizengamot alike."

Nodding his head in agreement his eyes scanned the crowd. "If any of you have information regarding these attacks, I need you to come forward now. Molly is right, this needs to be a peaceful protest if we have any hope of the Wizengamot even hearing us."

When the audiences remained silent Finnigus inclined his head in a silent nod, assessing the crowd. "We need volunteers for the recruitment of the support from businesses, families and individual citizens, this will include going into Knockturn Alley. Please see Mrs Weasley to volunteer for families, Mr Welch for businesses, and Ms Succhi for individual citizens. They are the heads of recruitment for each section of the community. Now, if there are no further matters to discuss, let's officially adjourn this meeting and get back home to our families." Without any further objections Finnigus dismissed everyone and slowly people began filing out.

Mr Welch and a few others lingered behind to complete sign ups, but Molly had enough politics for one morning. She needed to get home and start preparing for the day. Making a last minute decision to walk through Diagon Alley for some fresh air, she allowed herself to get lost in her own thoughts. Stepping through a relatively desolate street on Boxing Day was almost eerie, as it should be bustling with shoppers.

She rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks when she came face to face with the very man she vowed long ago to loath for all eternity. The dark eyes of Antonin Dolohov pierced her gaze like daggers, and she stiffened, feeling her face contort into a scowl. His expression mirrored hers in return. Without a word between them, the tense interaction was cut short by a male voice with an American accent coaxing Antonin away.

"Come on, Toni, we still have work to do at the shop." Antonin looked at the man beside him, following suit behind him without a word.

The blood within Molly's veins boiled to new levels, spitting at the ground as she watched the man saunter off. She loathed his very existence with ever fiber of her being, and her vision flashed with a hue of red. He was a cretin, one who didn't deserve to breathe the same air of her or anyone in the community; a vile, detestable excuse of a man - a mindless murderer. With narrowed eyes, her steps quickened, and she couldn't get to the Leaky Cauldron fast enough. She just needed to be home.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The early afternoon sun dazzled the winter sky as Hermione made her way through the awkwardly quiet streets of Diagon Alley. Approaching Antonin's bookshop, she opened the familiar wooden door as the bell jingled its musical tune announcing her arrival. She shrugged off her coat and placed it on a hook by the entrance before turning to make her way through the store. Before she took a step further than the front counter, however, she was met with Antonin's welcoming smile.

"How are you this morning, moya malen'kaya l'vitsa?"

"As well as can be expected, under the circumstances. You?" She followed him through the rows of wooden shelves to the back of the shop.

With a chuckle he held open the door to a narrow stairway. "I suppose the same. Please, after you. The door at the top is unlocked."

Walking past him up the stairs, Hermione stepped into a humble flat consisting of a sitting room with a fireplace, a kitchen and a short hallway with two doors leading to what she assumed to be the bedroom and bath. But the living space was filled with books. Almost three out of four walls were covered with built in shelves that were packed with all sorts of literature.

"I would say I'll show you around but, what you see is what you get. Other than the bedroom and bath, there's not much else. Except this."

Unconsciously taking her hand, he laced their fingers as he led her to a specific section of books next to the fireplace. He tugged his wand from his back pocket with his free hand, murmured a spell and waved his wand in an intricate pattern. When he did, a door opened to reveal a hidden room. He led her inside and Hermione was immediately greeted with the smell of parchment, leather, and earthy wood that reminded her so much of Antonin. She couldn't believe her eyes. The room had a high vaulted ceiling, spiral staircase, and two levels of shelves packed with books that went all the way around the secret space. There wasn't a vacant space on any shelf.

Hermione's eyes were wide with wonder. "Antonin, what is this place?"

"This, myshka, is why my flat is so small." He said with a chuckle. "Welcome to the Dolohov family library. In order to house it, I had to magically alter the layout of the whole flat."

Hermione watched as his eyes scanned the rows upon seemingly endless rows of magical literature. His face displayed a sense of genuine satisfaction and pride. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her face at the sight of him in that moment.

He turned his head and caught her gaze which made Hermione quickly look away. "So why is this hidden?"

"Well, you see, part of our probation is that we renounce all Dark Arts. As we've discussed, the Slavic cultures have differing views on exactly what defines Dark Arts. I was forced to hide it so they wouldn't take it away. This is all I have left of my family. These books are my only legacy. I can't let anyone take them from me."

Realizing her hand was still laced with his, she gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Your secret is safe with me, Antonin."

"Thank you, moya malen'kaya l'vitsa." Bringing her fingers to his lips, he gently gave them a barely there kiss. But it was enough to make the heat flood her cheeks. She couldn't believe the effect he was having on her. She shook off the childish thoughts of a first year in Hogwarts. This was Antonin Dolohov for Merlin's sake, not Viktor Krum.

Clearing her throat and pulling her hand away, she failed to hide her evident nervousness "Well, do you have any idea where we should begin?"

Leading her to the ornate wooden desk in the center of the room his hands gestured to a pile of neatly stacked books. "I took the liberty of searching over the past couple of days. I figured if I have the book, it may possibly be one of these."

Hermione walked around the desk as her fingers grazed the covers of a few books Antonin had laid out. "Would the covers be different? Because I remember this particular book had a deep purple cover with green vines and a black cauldron on it. But I don't recall the name of it. I would definitely remember the spell if I were to see it again."

"I may have a different edition coming from Russia. I don't want to disregard anything so I think our safest bet is to open each one and start looking.

They both picked up a book from the stack and began sifting through the pages. Neither got through a single book before floo roared to life and Kingsley's voice was heard echoing throughout the modest flat.

"Mr Dolohov, it's Kingsley Shacklebolt, are you in?"

Hermione and Antonin locked eyes with questioning expressions before they both rushed over to the floo. As soon as they were both in view Kingsley let out a sigh of relief.

"Hermione, good. I was hoping I would find you two together. I need you both in my office as soon as possible. I'm opening up my office floo for twenty minutes. I'm still waiting on the others. I have to attend to something and I'll be back. Just come through as soon as you can."

Without another word his face vanished from the fireplace.

"I wonder what's going on. He seems truly distressed."

"Best not keep him waiting then, myshka. After you." Antonin poured floo powder into her small hand and watched as she stepped inside the fireplace. Throwing the powder into the floo himself, he followed suit behind her. When he emerged, he found Hermione standing alone.

Kingsley's office was empty when they made their way across the room and settled next to each other on the couch. Within moments, however, the floo roared to life and a tall fair skinned witch with bright blue eyes and pin straight strawberry blonde hair looked up and smiled shyly at them both. Right behind her was Ron who immediately took her hand and led her to the set of chairs next to Hermione and Antonin.

Before anyone could even say hello, Kingsley walked in with a stack of papers and his secretary following behind him quickly taking notes. "See to it that while I'm in this meeting all Ministry approved press contacts are summoned. Make sure everything we just discussed is kept confidential until I give the go ahead."

"Of course, Minister Shacklebolt. If there's no further business, I should get started on this list."

"Thank you, Nadina."

Kingsley directed his attention to the two couples in the room giving a slight nod. "We'll wait for Harry and get started."

They didn't have to wait long as a few moments later Pansy stepped through followed by Harry. Pansy's eyes fell on Antonin first then moved to Hermione, then back to Antonin. She couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled up, locking eyes with Antonin, "Seriously? You're marrying the bookworm?" Then moving her gaze to Hermione. "Almost poetic after how much you fought for their freedom."

"That will be quite enough, Ms Parkinson. Take a seat." Kingsley pointed to the empty chair next to Harry.

Taking a deep breath, Kingsley paced the floor before finally turning to address the three couples in his office. "I've received word from a trusted source that the Magical Coalition for Peace met in a secret town hall meeting shortly after the owls were delivered."

"My mum's a member of that group. What's the problem?" Ron questioned, uncertain as to why Kingsley was so flustered by the news.

"Finnigus Zenphry is a radical. He's been trying and failing to obtain a position here at the Ministry since before the war. His ideas are outlandish and his ideals are a threat to maintaining the secrecy and safety of the magical community." Pausing and meeting Antonin's gaze he continued. "We think he's one of the masterminds behind the recent string of attacks on the businesses of our rehabilitated citizens. We haven't made any moves because we haven't been able to obtain any solid evidence proving it. They're diligent at covering their tracks."

"So what are we here for?" Harry inquired, his eyes shifting between similar expressions.

"I need to call a press conference to do damage control. Whatever was discussed in that meeting today was no doubt a plan to revolt."

"Kingsley, are you sure you're not reacting prematurely?" Hermione asked.

Resting his palms on his desk and leaning forward, Kingsley sighed. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Now you three promised me your support. I need you to step up."

"What about us? You didn't consider to ask us before making whatever little deal happened between the four of you?" Pansy said crossing her arms.

Ron turned to her in annoyance. "Because he didn't have to. Quite frankly, Pansy, the public doesn't care what you think. Are you really going to defy the Minister and this law?"

Pansy huffed as Harry shook his head and turned to her. "Are you quite finished? We need to hear what Kingsley has to say."

"Thank you, Harry. I have Nadina gathering a few trusted Order Members to act as security during the press conference. I want the Aurors ready at a moment's notice for any attack that might transpire over the next few weeks. I'm calling for this conference in three hours. I need you all there. Can I count on you?"

Antonin took Hermione's hand and made eye contact, as if to ask her permission to respond for them. She nodded slightly and they both turned to Kingsley. "You have our full support. We will both be there."

"You can count on all of us." Harry responded.

"You don't speak for me, Potter." Pansy spat.

Harry's nostrils flared as he turned in his seat to address Pansy. "Witch, none of us want to be here, most of all me. We are here because it's either follow this law or Azkaban. If you refuse to comply it will be your decision. But make no mistake, I will be the one to arrest you and throw your sorry arse into Azkaban. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Pansy huffed as her gaze bore into Harry's. "No one talks to me that way Potter."

"Well I just did! Now, I'm going to ask you again. Do you understand your options?"

"I understand fully."

Jerking his head, Harry turned to Kingsley. "We will all be here."

"Thank you, all of you, for the support." Directing his gaze at Pansy, then Sophie, and finally Antonin.

"Now, all of you go have lunch in the cafeteria. I can't have you seen by the public yet. I have no doubt we have a long day ahead of us today. Meet me back here in two hours. I'll need to brief you all before meeting with the press."