It was the height of a very hot summer, but in the dark cave there was a bitterly cold dampness in the air. Looking out across the valley she could see the lights twinkling in the half rebuilt castle, and for a moment the cold left her as she burned with fury.

'Get back in here' a rough voice echoed from further inside the cave 'you won't destroy it by staring at it.'

'How dare they?' Her voice was shaking with the anger that was boiling through her 'How dare they defile the place of his murder with their filthy muggle feet?' The witch span around and stalked back into the darkness.

'Make yourself useful and light this fire. Have you cast the charms?' her companion demanded.

'Of course I have, do you think I am some sort of fool?! And light your own damn fire.' she snarled back at him, hunching down on the floor, pulling a threadbare blanket around her.

He said nothing, he knew that if he tried and failed it would inspire yet more fury in her, and he would suffer. But when his wand hand had healed, he would pay her back. Enjoy the power while you have it, because it will cost you dear he thought to himself.

Eventually she shot out her wand and the fire burst into life. Thankful that there was at last some warmth, he made himself more comfortable knowing that another long night was ahead of him. She rarely slept at night, whether out or fear or habit he did not know, but she would lie on the rocky floor, tossing and turning until she started pacing like a caged animal. He had expected that after nearly 2 months of hiding up here, she would have learned some patience and forbearance, but he saw that it had been a vain hope. She had a shorter temper now than ever before, something he would not have believed possible. But she at least had not lost her hatred for the mudbloods and blood traitors.

She was quiet now, perhaps she had actually fallen asleep. If she had, he knew that she would wake again very soon, so he struggled to his feet while he had the chance. He kept up the act that he wounds, inflicted on his already broken body during the last battle, caused agony to surge through him with every movement. He was healing far faster than she knew, so the pretence was important and even though she appeared to be asleep, he walked as if each step caused him almost unbearable pain. Eventually he managed to stand in the same spot that she had occupied and looked, as she had, at the castle. He took his bearings and shifted his eyeline across, past the village to the key to his plans, only 2 days ago there had been movement. He would be there, the blood traitor. He trailed in the wake of the Potter boy like some pathetic lapdog, oh yes, he would be there.

He mused for a moment on Harry Potter, but quickly dismissed these thoughts. Potter was no longer important, the Dark Lord was dead so killing Potter would achieve nothing. No, his desire for revenge was entirely personal, but it would have to wait until his hand had fully healed. It should only be another week or so and he would be ready, she had almost served her purpose.

She shifted slightly and he knew it wouldn't be long before she woke so made his way back to his spot on the floor. Before he closed his eyes, he looked at his damaged hand for a long time. The blood traitor would pay for what he had done.

'What can I do for you?' asked Minerva McGonagall smiling at Hagrid 'Potter wouldn't tell me what you wanted to talk about'. Hagrid twisted his hands nervously. As much as he liked the Headmistress he still found her a little intimidating.

'Well Professor, it's like this...Olympe and me, well we've been talking and...well...you see.. erm..'

'Hagrid, just tell me please, we'll be here all day at this rate' He took a deep breath.

'Well its like this. Me and Olympe having been talking about kids, our own kids that is, and we decided, yer know...what with one thing and another, that it wouldn't be a good idea if we was to 'ave any' He blushed as he spoke, clearly embarrassed to discuss such personal things with the Headmistress.

McGonagall nodded, she understood what Hagrid was saying. There was still a lot of prejudice against half giants such as Hagrid and his new wife Madame Olympe Maxime.

'We just don't know what'll 'appen. I don't think that people like us has ever 'ad babies before and well...no one knows how it will all turn out. We don't want any child to suffer like we have because people jus' don't understand' Hagrid finally looked up and caught the her eye 'But we do want to 'ave a family, an' Harry said that I should talk to you about this idea we 'ad.'

'Well as I said, Potter did mention to me that you had been talking to him and that he thought I might able to help you, so what is this idea of yours?'

Hagrid took another deep breath.

'Harry was helping me rebuild my hut afore the wedding, with a few improvements to make it fit for my Olympe o' course, and we got to talking about summer holidays at Hogwarts, what with all the students and their families being here helping with the renovations since the Battle. Harry was saying how much fun it was for the kids, especially for the ones who had no real home to go back to. We was both thinking how different things might be for some of them students, how it might have been for Harry, and Tom Riddle too come to that, if they'd been able to stay at school during the summer.' He looked nervously at McGonagall, as if he were expecting a rebuke for mention Lord Voldemort, but she merely nodded and smiled ruefully.

'I have wondered that myself Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore often spoke of how things might have been had Riddle felt that he had a family he could trust and rely on, rather than being sent back to that orphanage every year. It was a great regret of Albus's that he hadn't seen sooner what damage having no real roots to cling to can do to a person. We can't be sure that Riddle wouldn't have turned out the way he did of course, but you're right that we could do more for those students who need a little extra support'

'It was Harry that got me thinking on it properly to be honest, Professor. Oh I know that he had to go to the Dursleys for a little while every year to keep 'im safe and Mr and Mrs Weasley took him in, but what if they 'adnt? And he would 'ave been much happier here at Hogwarts in the summer than being picked on and beaten up by that Dudley' Hagrid pulled a face that made it quite clear what he thought about Harry's cousin. 'So me and Olympe had a chat and thought that we could have them as want to, to stay for the summer holidays'

McGonagall looked a little surprised but pleased, she had had thoughts along a similar line herself but the events of the previous year and the rebuilding of the damaged castle had left her with little time to give them serious consideration. She knew that Hagrid would make a fun and loving surrogate Uncle to those children who had no family to speak of and Madame Maxime, while outwardly haughty and bossy, had cared very much about her students at Beauxbatons Academy. She would be a steady hand to calm some of Hagrid's more outlandish ideas. By marrying Hagrid, Mme Maxime had had to resign as Headmistress of her old school and Professor McGonagall knew what a sacrifice that had been for the half giantess, but each magical school guarded its secrets so jealously that the board of governors at Beauxbatons had forced her hand. Mme Maxime was already missing her students, and McGonagall knew very well how hard the decision to not have children with her new husband had been, as the two teachers had talked briefly about it before the wedding had taken place.

'Well Hagrid, as you know we have several students at the school who would benefit very much from a stable home during the holidays, rather than the less than ideal situations that they have with their families, and in a couple of cases they don't have family to go back to at all. But I doubt that your hut would be able to accommodate them, even with your improvements. Do you propose that they stay in the castle?'

Pleased that she was interested in what he had to say, Hagrid plunged on

'Well Professor, we was thinking that the old Shrieking Shack is stood there empty when it would make a perfect holiday house. We could do it up, make it a bit bigger mebbe, let the kids decorate the bedrooms as they like, and them as want to, can stay there with me and Olympe. It would be all kids together, no houses or separate tables n' stuff, just like a proper family. We can take 'em on days trips, and camp out and have games. We could have visitors coming to see 'em and … and all sorts!' he finished, beaming and slightly out of breath.

The headmistress sat in silence for a moment, which made Hagrid even more nervous. Didn't she like his idea? He began to fumble in his pocket for the list of arguments for the scheme that he had written the night before, but before he could retrieve it she looked up, smiling and said 'I think that it's an absolutely marvellous idea Hagrid, and while I will need to put it to the Governors for confirmation, I do not foresee that there will be any problems there. You have my full permission to begin work on the Shrieking Shack, it would be nice to have it ready for the official start of the Summer holidays if possible.' She laughed at Hagrid's shocked face 'Did you expect me to say no?'

'Well no Professor but...well, I didn't expect you to just say "yes" straight away, I thought that p'raps I would have to persuade you a bit...' he had found the list and held it up to show Professor McGonagall.

'There is no need for any persuasion, you have my full support. And talking of support, may I suggest that you round up the members of Dumbledore's Army to assist you? Some of them would have benefited from a holiday home like this, and I am sure that they will have a great many ideas of how you can set the house up. There are plenty of helpers for the repair work on the school so they can be spared to help you.'

'Right you are then Professor. Er..' Hagrid seemed a little at a loss what to say now that his carefully prepared "persuasions" were not needed 'I'll just get off then and go and find Harry and the others shall I?'

'The sooner you get started the better' she smiled and added 'At some point I will need to go down to the kitchens so I will have a word with the house elves about extending their duties to include the shack...'

'No!' Hagrid interrupted 'Sorry Professor but part of what we was planning to teach them is how to look after the'selves. Well, because once the kids who ain't got no family leave school, they'll need to do all their housework 'n stuff. They'll be no good at it if the house elves have always done everything for them will they?' he asked earnestly.

'No they won't, you are right of course and perhaps that is something that our other students could do with learning too' she said thoughtfully 'I shall leave it all in your capable hands then Hagrid, but should you need any help or advice, don't hesitate to ask'

…...

'It feels strange to be back here after everything that's happened' said Ron 'Weird to think that the last time we were here was with Snape'

'Yeah, I was just thinking about that' replied Harry looking around at the room where the snake Nagini had, on Voldemort's orders, killed Severus Snape. 'Still, it's nice to know that the shack will be used for something fun, it's just a shame that Hagrid didn't have this idea seven years ago'

'Not really mate, you wouldn't have had all those weeks at my place, and Mum would have had to miss out on feeding you up and fussing over you' Ron grinned. Harry nodded his assent, it was true that Harry wouldn't change the times he had spent with the Weasleys for the world, even if Hagrid had been offering a summer camp.

'So, where are we supposed to start?' wondered Ron looking at the dilapidated room, knowing that there were another 4 rooms on the ground floor alone, looking just as bad if not worse than this one 'did Hagrid say anything to you?'

'No, he just said to get over here and make a start while he had a chat with that ministry bloke about supplies and stuff. The others should be here soon though so maybe we should wait until they get here and make a plan' said Harry 'One of the first things that needs to be done is a couple of toilets and bathrooms, there are no loos here at all and I don't fancy trekking back to Hogwarts anytime any I need to, you know... go'

'Well, there's always the trees out the bac...'

'Don't be disgusting Ronald! And where are the girls meant to go?' demanded a voice from the door. Ron spun around to see the smiling suntanned face of his girlfriend Hermione Granger.

'Hermione! I thought you weren't coming back for another week!' He took her in his arms and spun her around, squeezing her tight.

'I wasn't!' she laughed, hanging on around Ron's neck 'but once mum and dad had recovered from being under a memory charm for so long, they wanted to get home as soon as possible.' They stopped spinning and she continued 'The healers over there were great and Mum and Dad got over it really quickly, so it seemed silly to hang around longer than we needed to. Because of the war over here the Australian Ministry were understanding about why I had smuggled Mum and Dad into the country and helped us get back to the UK without too much trouble. We've had a few days at home and I thought that I would surprise you. Ron! Let go!' she was struggling to put down her bag as Ron still had his arms tightly around her, then said 'I've missed you too' giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

'It's good to see you Hermione' smiled Harry 'and not a moment too soon, we have this place to turn into a holiday house for...'

'I know' she cut in, breaking away from Ron and adopting a businesslike manner, 'Professor McGonagall explained it all to me up at the castle. Mum and Dad are up there now with your Dad, Ron. He is going to give them the grand tour he said. So, what was that I heard about bathrooms?'

'Well I think that it needs to be a priority, because the DA will be working here for at least the next three weeks …'

'...and don't want to be weeing in the trees' finished Hermione 'I agree. After I spoke to Professor McGonagall I had a quick word with Hagrid and then I went to the library. I found these books that should help us. You might want to avoid the library by the way. After the damage from the battle ,Madam Pince is even worse about the books than normal. She only let me take some because she knows how I feel about books.'

'Oh no, that's my evening plans ruined' said Ron 'after all these years I had decided to finally read Hogwarts: A History in the library tonight'

'Oh har har' said Hermione smiling.

As she unpacked the books, she started explaining to Ron that they could do most of the work themselves for the bathrooms and just have one of the Ministry workers, currently helping with the rebuilding of the castle, come down to do the actual plumbing. Harry was taken back to one of the many other conversations they had had like this. Whatever problem cropped up, Ron would suggest something outrageous and Hermione would head to the library. It was almost as if they were back in lessons and the previous year had never happened. He basked in the feeling of normality, it was such a change after the constant fear and pain they had suffered in their pursuit of Voldemort and his horcruxes.

'What do you think Harry?'

'Eh? Oh sorry, I was miles away. '

'I was just saying to Hermione that there aren't enough rooms to have dormitories, bathrooms and somewhere for Hagrid and Madame Maxime to live as well as a kitchen, and living room and everything. I suggested that she do the same magic that she performed on that bag when we were travelling but she says no'

'Yes Ron' said Hermione, sounding exasperated 'because as I said, spells only last as long as the wizard who performed them, so at some point the spell will end when whoever cast it, dies. Can you imagine what would happen if the house suddenly shrank while it was full of people? What would be better is to physically build an extension to the main house to be the living quarters for Hagrid and Madame Maxime, they would never be comfortable living in the house anyway and then we could use the 5 rooms upstairs as bedroom space for the kids. Hagrid said that they don't want dormitories, he wants this place to be like a proper home. I thought that the attic could be converted into a library and study space. '

'They'll be on their holidays Hermione! We should turn it into a games room with Table Quidditch and Gobstones and...' Ron interjected, but Hermione ignored him.

'Its all in these books, it explains how to build and attach new buildings onto old ones. It seems fairly straight forward, we could ask your Dad to help Ron, he's added lots of extensions to the Burrow hasn't he?'

'Yeah he has and I am sure he would give us a hand' said Ron 'but you had probably better ask one of the Ministry builders to help with that too, our house has always been a bit...' he paused, starting to blush.

'Unique.' said Harry firmly, knowing what Ron meant. Harry loved the higgledy piggledy ramshackle look of the Burrow, but it could never be described as smart.

'Yeah, unique' agreed Ron, catching Harry's eye and grinning.

'Well that's settled then. You two can start by cleaning up the mess in here and I'll draw up a jobs list, I should be done by the time the others arrive' Hermione started taking quills and parchment from her bag and thumbing through the library books.

Grabbing a threadbare yard brush that was leaning up against the wall, Ron winked at Harry

'Its like we've never been away isn't it?'

…...

As always, term at Hogwarts was due to start on the first of September and the fact that the building had been decimated in the battle that had destroyed Lord Voldemort and his forces was not going to stop the school from taking in its students. Professor McGonagall, the rest of the teaching staff and of course the irascible caretaker Argus Filch, had been assisted by teams of specialist workers from the Ministry of Magic to ensure that the school would be ready. Students, former students, their families, residents of Hogsmeade and anyone who had been present at the Battle of Hogwarts had also willingly worked to restore every classroom, every dormitory, every greenhouse to its former glory. To Neville Longbottom it felt that the repair of this magnificent building was the true last battle in a hard fought war. To remove all traces of the Death Eater attacks would mean that Voldemort really had been beaten.

He was musing on this as he took a break from tending to the handful of Mandrakes that had survived the fighting. As much as he loved Herbology, Neville really didn't like these particularly noisy difficult plants, and he was glad to step outside the baking hot greenhouse and remove the earmuffs that made the heat even more unbearable.

'Alright Neville?' Hagrid's large shadow provided a welcome shade from the sun as he came around the corner.

Hagrid was sporting an even darker tan than he normally did, working outside he often had a healthy glow about him but today he was a deep rich golden brown.

'I'm great Hagrid, it's good to see you back! How was the honeymoon? I see you caught the sun'

'It were a treat, a real treat. Apart from the odd trip for Dumbledore, I haven't really travelled see, so to be able to go to all them foreign places was grand. We was treated like royalty everywhere we went "Hero of Hogwarts" they called me! And o' course, it was nice to have some time just me an' Olympe' he finished, beginning to blush. 'Fancy gettin' married at my time o' life...' he seemed shocked at the thought, as if he still hadn't quite got used to it.

'It was a lovely ceremony, and the party was great, ….err... well...from what I can remember' said Neville also blushing.

'Don't think on it Neville, we all needed a bit of a knees up to get it out of our systems. A good laugh can be as healin' as a good cry my Dad used to say. I'm right glad that everyone enjoyed the'selves so much' With a twinkle in his eye he went on 'although its probably just as well that Rita Skeeter weren't here, cos I bet there'd be a few pictures that no one wants to see in the Prophet!' Laughing Neville replied

'You're right there! Right, I'd better get back to this lot if I want to get any dinner tonight'

'The others 'ave just headed up to Great Hall, so don't be too long'

'I won't be cos I'm starving, just got to settle that lot and I'll be up' and, grimacing slightly, Neville replaced his earmuffs and went back into the oven heat of Greenhouse Three.

Hagrid smiled to himself as he walked on past the greenhouses towards the castle. The change that had come over Neville in the last year or so was startling. Having the leadership of Dumbledore's Army thrust upon him had shown Neville just what he was capable of. He seemed to have grown physically as well as mentally since the war had begun. No longer a shrinking nervous boy, he was a tall, handsome, confident young man and a natural leader. His mum and dad would be right proud of 'im thought Hagrid, hoping that in some way his parents, damaged as they were by their torture at the hands of Death Eaters, would know what a credit their son was to them.

'Well dinner's great, so they can't be that angry' said Harry, adding butter to his baked potato 'What happened?'

'I'm not exactly sure' Ginny replied 'but from what Ron said, Hermione went down to discuss a change in employment status for the house elves. She suggested that now would be a good time for them to embrace the freedom of clothes, and be paid for their work. I think she thought that after they helped at the Battle they might have had a change of heart'. Harry remembered the last time Hermione had lectured the house elves about their working conditions,

'I bet that went down well'

Ginny rolled her eyes

'Understatement of the century. According to Ron it was only when McGonagall promised that she would never give them clothes or pay them wages that they calmed down. Hermione was upset and quite angry but hopefully she has finally learned that she cant force them to take freedom if they really don't want it"

'She means well' Harry sighed 'But I hope she drops it now, I bet McGonagall had a word with her about it.' He glanced around the Great Hall as he ate. Although magic had made the renovations much faster than they would have been in the Muggle world, there was still lots of work to be done. The enchantment that made the ceiling look as if the hall was open to the elements, had been broken with all the dark magic in the last battle. It felt strange to look up and see buttresses and vaulting holding up a normal stone roof instead of the glorious summer evening that he would have otherwise seen. It felt quite wrong to not be able to see the sky above, almost claustrophobic, despite the hall's immense size. The house banners had not been replaced and the candles that floated in the air above the tables we no longer there. The hall did not feel like the comfortable and welcoming place it had been and although Harry knew that they would all be back soon enough, he felt almost homesick for the grand room he had eaten and laughed in so often.

The four house tables stood in rows as they had always done, with the teachers table in its customary position on the raised dais. But since that first meal after the fighting had ended, no one bothered to sit according to house any more. Workers would sit with the rest of their team and discuss what they had achieved that day and what was still to be done. Squads of builders sent from the Ministry would sit with Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, recently named as Deputy Headmistress, going over plans. Families such as the Weasleys, the Patils and the Jordans would sit together, as if at home, at whatever table could accommodate them. Harry couldn't help wondering what would happen at the start of term. On the one hand it would be a shame if the houses were forced to sit apart, so many friendships had been struck up between the students that he would hate to see them separated simply because they were in different houses. But then the houses had been such a big part of Hogwarts since it''s inception that he was sure that the teachers and the Ministry would be reluctant to do away with the system altogether. Harry knew from discussions with the new Minister of Magic that Kingsley Shacklebolt was keen to encourage the inter house friendships and unity, and he would be very surprised if Kingsley hadn't been talking about it with Professor McGonagall.

'Harry, how did you get on at the Shack today?' Harry, brought out of his daydream, looked up to see Arthur Weasley, fork in hand, looking kindly at him.

'Oh err...not bad thanks Mr Weas..'

'Harry!' Mr Weasley interrupted him 'I told you. What with one thing and another, we would prefer it if you called us Molly and Arthur now'

' Sorry...Arthur' it felt very odd to call Mr Weasley by his first name '...force of habit. Me and Ron have been cleaning mainly. Hermione is working on a plan of action and she thinks that we should have most of it done by the time the holidays officially start. She said that you were here earlier with Mr and Mrs Granger, are things still quiet at the Ministry?'

'Yes, luckily. With my department being quite small, and tucked away, we didn't really suffer too much damage or interference during the dark days so there hasn't been a lot to do. As you know, Kingsley has given us leave of absence to come here to help if we can be spared and my department hasn't had many incidents. Most of our work is dealing with muggle artefacts that have been tampered with to harm Muggles, and there have been hardly any since the fall of Voldemort. The Death Eaters that escaped are in hiding and anyone who did it just to cause trouble seem to have finally got enough sense to stop in case they get accused of being Voldemort supporters. So...most days I am free to come here and help.' Picking up the gravy Arthur went on 'It was nice to see Hugh and Jean again, and they really enjoyed seeing where Hermione has been at school. Its shame Molly wasn't here to see them'

'How is Mrs W...Molly?' This is going to take some getting used to Harry thought.

'She's …..' Mr Weasley paused looking a his plate for quite some time. Eventually he said 'she's ok. She hasn't felt up to coming back to Hogwarts just yet, she is staying with an old friend of hers and I think that the rest has done her good. This place hasn't been the same for her since...' Mr Weasley broke off again and his eyes rested just briefly on the spot in the Great Hall were Fred's body had lain after he had been murdered during the final battle. For those few seconds Arthur looked much older and somehow smaller, shrunken by his grief at the loss of his son. Shaking himself, as if waking from a dream, Arthur smiled weakly at Harry. 'She's getting better, as I hope are we all...'

…...

'I still think that we should sign it' said Lee Jordan. Ron, Neville and George laughed as they cleared away the last of the dust left by the Ministry worker who had just finished the plumbing work in the new bathroom. He continued 'Or maybe something like... "For your comfort and convenience, this toilet was installed by Dumbledore's Army. Don't forget to wash your hands"!' More laughter filled the room, and with a last wave of George's wand, the dust and rubbish disappeared.

'We've done a good job, it's nearly as nice as the prefects bathroom up at the castle' said Ron.

'Oooh there goes ickle Wonnie pwefect again!' goaded George with a glint in his eye. 'I thought you had finally stopped going on about that!'

'I have' said Ron with fake dignity 'I am now referring to myself as Ronald the Hero of Hogwarts, thank you so very much!'

''Halfwit of Hogwarts more like' snorted George ducking to avoid the wet cloth Ron had thrown at him. This signalled the start of a water fight between all four, only stopping when a voice rang out

'And how are we getting on?' It was Professor McGonagall, standing in the corridor out of range of the water and trying to look stern but with a faint smile on her lips.

'Sorry Professor' said a dripping wet Neville, trying to hide the gushing shower head that he had been pointing at Lee, behind his back 'we were just err... cleaning'

'Indeed, Longbottom. Well, when you have finished perhaps you could join the rest of the DA in the kitchen. I believe that Miss Granger has updated her rota to ensure that all the work will be done in time for the start of the holidays and I would like a word with everyone.'

'Yes Professor, we'll be down when we've finished...' She cast her eyes around the room approvingly

'I must say that you have done very good work here, although I think that Professor Flitwick will be most disappointed to learn that not one of you thought to use a water making charm in your …... cleaning' She closed the door and laughed to herself at the shouts of "Aguamenti!"

Luna Lovegood brushed her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes, and gave the scrubbed oak table one last wipe. The kitchen was just about finished, with 2 large sinks, a huge old fashioned range cooker, the very long refectory table and various dressers and cupboards. Although most of the furniture had been taken from the Room of Requirement, which didn't seem to have suffered any lasting damage despite the Fiend Fyre , it didn't looked scruffy just homely and lived in. She was a little disappointed that Hermione Granger had stopped her decorating the whole room as if it were a fairy glade in the forest, but Luna had at least managed to add butterfly decorations to the dressers.

'Miss Lovegood' Professor McGonagall surveyed the room with satisfaction 'You have done a wonderful job, what a welcoming room!'

'Thank you Professor" Luna replied dreamily "I have hung some windchimes by the windows to increase the energy in the house, they have special powers as you know'

'Well...indeed' replied the older woman sceptically 'The others should be down soon for a brief meeting and then everyone will be going back up to the Great Hall for dinner, will you be joining us?'

'Not today Professor. Daddy needs to get the next issue of the Quibbler to press, and as it is the special memorial issue it really can't be late. I have promised to help him.'

'No, of course it can't. Well give Xenophilius my best wishes, and thank you for your hard work. Ah here they come' Turning, the Headmistress saw the water fighters enter the kitchen, gently steaming as the the heat charm they had clearly used, started to dry out their clothes. Behind them was Hermione, Ginny, Cho Chang, Ernie MacMillan and Seamus Finnegan all looking dusty and pale from cleaning the attics of fallen plaster and cobwebs. Despite the protestations of the other workers, Hermione was determined to do most of the jobs by hand rather than by magic so that the results would be permanent. This meant that they inevitably ended up very dirty and very tired at the end of each day, and the idea of hanging around even longer instead of getting a hot shower and a hot meal was not going down very well with several of the workers.

'What's up Professor?' asked Seamus looking very grumpy 'I'm filthy and I'm starving. If I could eat me dinner in the bath then I would! What's the big emergency?'

'No emergency Mr Finnegan, I would simply like to update you on some information I received today from the Ministry. Also I believe that Miss Granger has updated the work schedule to take into account the marvellous progress that you have all made.' She paused and looked serious 'As you all know, since the battle that destroyed Voldemort, the Ministry of Magic has been working very hard to round up the remaining Death Eaters and other supporters. This has been no easy task, not least because the Aurors cannot be sure who all of Voldemort's supporters where, but they have been working hard to root them out.'

'What's this got to do with us Professor?' asked Cho, looking worried.

'Hogwarts is protected by a great many charms and jinxes, so we are confident that the school will be safe. However, as this house is part of the village of Hogsmeade it is not covered by those defences. The Aurors will be upgrading the security around the Shack as soon as they can but in the meantime you must be vigilant. The Minister does not believe that you are in any particular danger, but asked me to make you aware that you must all keep yourselves and each other safe. Always err on the side of caution. Stay alert. ' Seeing the sad and worried faces around her she said 'After the battle ended and Voldemort was destroyed, we all hoped that it was the end of the war. Sadly, that has not been the case. There were far more supporters of Voldemort that escaped, or fled when it became clear that his cause was lost, than were captured or killed. The Aurors believe that most of those will pretend that they were never on his side and will carry on life as if nothing had ever happened. These are the ones that we have the least to worry about as they will always follow the side that they think has the best chance of winning. In short, they are cowards and will not make trouble for us. However, there are those who will be more angry now than ever before and may want to avenge their masters death. These will be very few in number, but their hatred of those who brought down the Dark Regime is extraordinary.'

'So what should we do Professor? Are we going to have to fight again?' Cho looked positively terrified.

'No Miss Chang, it will not come to that. I am simply passing on the information to you that the Ministry is sharing with the rest of the wizarding community. We need to be vigilant, report anything suspicious and the Aurors will take care of it. As worrying as this news is, you should not allow it to distress you. You are in far less danger now than you have been at any point in the last 17 years, take comfort from that. Now as I would not like to be responsible for Mr Finnegan fainting from hunger, would you please see Miss Granger for your updated work sheets and then make your way up to the castle for dinner.' The headmistress caught George's eye 'Mr Weasley, do you have a moment?'

George and Professor McGonagall walked down the path from the Shrieking Shack towards Hogsmeade.

'We have seen a lot of you at the castle since the Battle, are you not planning on reopening your joke shop?' Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle.

'Well, I do want to and I know its what Fred would have wanted but the idea of going back on my own...' George trailed off, looking at the floor as he walked.

'I understand. Many years ago I lost someone who I could not imagine my life without. I was bereft, I was lost for a very long time. But a good friend of mine told me that the best way I could honour his memory was by living my life to the fullest, and that friend was right. I am sure that Fred would not want you to lose all that you and he built together, in fact I can imagine very well what he would say to you about it if he were here now.'

'So can I' said George with a sad chuckle. 'Its just that we were best friends our whole lives and now he is gone, its like part of me has died too. I keep expecting him to walk into the room and he never does. I suppose I never appreciated what being a twin really meant until he had gone'

'Just remember that Fred would want you to be happy, to be as full of fun and mischief as you always were. It was heartening to see you having such fun earlier'

'That's what I mean though! I was having fun and I realised that Fred wasn't there and then I felt guilty and now I miss him even more'

'You must never feel guilty for being happy, even after the dreadful loss you have suffered. If you live your life with guilt and regret you will be doing Fred as much a disservice as you will be doing to yourself. Now, the others appear to be catching us up, so will you please think about what I have said?'

'Yes of course. Thank you Professor' then George looked at her and said 'You said "a friend"...'

'A friend that I miss almost as much as I miss my late husband, Mr Weasley. Albus was very wise and very kind and his words helped me through that difficult time. I hope that they help you just as much'

'What are you doing?!' she screamed.

He stood in front of her, healthy, whole, healed. Not at all the broken man she had thought him to be, and with his wand in his hand pointing straight at her heart. On the floor at his feet was her wand that he had snapped in two as he'd disarmed her.

'Did you think that I would allow you to betray me as you did the others? To abuse me, use me, harm me? You were useful of course. but now you have served your purpose …... AVADA KEDAVRA!'

She had taken a breath to scream but she was dead before a sound left her lips.

After breakfast in the Hall with his family, Arthur Weasley escorted Hugh and Jean Granger to the Shrieking Shack and left them in the company of their daughter and the other members of the DA. As much as he enjoyed chatting to the Grangers, he was aware that the reason that his absence from the Ministry had been authorised was to help with the repairs to Hogwarts and was keen to do his bit. As he turned to walk back through the village, he was thinking of Molly. He had missed her since she had gone to stay with her friend, but she was due back that evening and he was looking forward to seeing her again. He hoped that she was feeling as well as her letters seemed to indicate. Of course nothing would ever heal the pain that losing Fred had caused them, but he hoped that with time would come acceptance. Lost in his musings, he didn't notice the shabby looking man until the wand was jabbed into his stomach.

'Evening Arthur, long time no see' sneered a voice that sent a shot of ice down Mr Weasley's spine, he hadn't heard that voice in years and had assumed the speaker to be long dead.

"Bernard? But...I don't understand' Mr Weasley started to back away from the wand 'I thought you'd...' he tailed off.

'Dropped dead?! Or perhaps you hoped' the man hissed jabbing his wand towards Mr Weasley again.

'Of course I didn't hope you were dead, I hoped that you would come to your senses and come home! Mum and Dad both died broken hearted that you left and never came back'

'Then they were bloody fools. They knew that I would never come back after they supported you and that blood traitor against the Dark Lord. I am only here now to make you pay for everything that I have lost. EXPELIARMUS!' As quickly as Arthur had drawn his wand, he had been disarmed.

'M..make …. make me pay?' stuttered Mr Weasley 'Pay for what? I've done nothing to you, I haven't seen you for almost thirty years for Merlin's sake!'

'Ha! You're wrong. You saw me on the night you murdered my wife, the night you almost murdered me'

'Murder? What?.. I don't understand!' Arthur was pale and shaking. He had no idea what his older brother was talking about, but he felt the other man's anger pouring off him and with no wand to defend himself he knew that he would have no chance in a duel.

'On the night the Dark Lord fell. She was fighting bravely to defend him when you stunned her, causing her to fall from the battlements to the floor below. She was dead the second she landed. And you turned away, you didn't even stop to see who's life you had taken!' Bernard Weasley was spitting with fury now, his hatred for Arthur an almost physical presence. 'She was my wife and you, my so called brother, murdered her in cold blood'

Something about the way the man spoke caused a surge of anger in Arthur.

'Murder? You want to talk about murder? My son, Bernard, MY SON! He was murdered at the hands of your Death Eater friends! 20 years old, barely a man, his whole life ahead of him and it was taken for no good reason! If your wife is dead then I'm sorry but I did not murder her, I was defending my family!'

'Your family? A brood of blood traitors and muggle lovers? You think that they are worth more to this world than a woman who was passionately defending the rights of true born wizards?!'

Arthur didn't need his wand. That this man, his brother, was describing his family and his dead son in such derogatory terms was enough to bring him the strength he needed. Seemingly out of nowhere, a fist landed heavily on the temple of the older wizard, stunning him slightly. Taking advantage of the moment, Arthur grabbed Bernard and pushed him to the ground, attempting to wrestle his wand out his hand. Suddenly there was a shout

'DAD!' George was running down the path from the Shrieking Shack towards the fighting men, with Ron and Harry on his heels. Ron raised his wand to cast a spell at his father's attacker but Harry dragged it back down again.

'No! You could hit your Dad!'

'I want to help him!' shouted Ron, struggling to raise his wand arm again.

'So do I but...' the rest of his words were lost in a cry so terrifying that for the briefest of moments Harry thought he had been taken back to the Battle of Hogwarts. It was the sound Percy had made when he'd realised that Fred had been killed. But it wasn't Percy this time, it was George, who was now running full pelt at the brawling men, determined not to lose his father as he had lost his brother.

Spells were being cast in random directions by the Death Eater as he tried to free himself from Mr Weasleys grip. Harry cast a shield charm as a spell shot towards himself and Ron. The rest of Dumbledore's Army was now running towards the scene, and Hermione had the presence of mind to cast another shield in case more spells came their way. There was a sudden and very loud bang. The three Weasley men were blown apart from each other by the force. Arthur landed on his back, clearly winded and struggling to move. Bernard Weasley was on his hands and knees, snarling at George, who had jumped up as quickly as the force of the explosion had knocked him down, and was now pointing two wands directly at his Uncle's head.

'DON'T MOVE OR I'LL DO IT AGAIN AND NEXT TIME YOU WONT EVER GET UP!' George screamed. He looked demented, as if he had lost all control of himself.

'George' the voice was gentle but firm 'George, remember what I said to you. Remember what Albus said'

Looking around, Harry could see Minerva McGonagall coming through the crowd of DA members. She passed Harry and Ron and walked over to George. Ignoring the spitting snarling Death Eater she laid a hand on his arm and simply stood with him. Her presence seemed to calm George and bring him back from the brink of whatever madness had overtaken him. Taking a deep breath, he lowered the wands slightly and seeing a chance Bernard Weasley leapt towards him like a lion bringing down its prey.

The briefest flick of her wand was all that betrayed the fact that Professor McGonagall had cast a spell at the man. He froze and crashed to the floor still in mid pounce.

'Incarcerous' she said quietly, ropes coming from the end of her wand and trussing the Death Eater firmly.

Ron ran to his father to help him up as George looked first at the wands in his hand and then at the prisoner lying frozen and tied up on the floor. He had a look of absolute horror on his face as it dawned on him what he had almost done. He turned to the Headmistress and in a hoarse and shaking voice, said

'I was going to kill him. I wanted to kill him. It was as if by killing him it would mean that Fred wasn't dead any more, or something...I don't know...' he began to collapse as the sobs wracked his body. Ron and Mr Weasley ran and caught him and held him as the tears flowed. Professor McGonagall turned to the assembled crowd and said

'I am sure that the house elves will be waiting for us in order to serve dinner, don't you?' and herded them away from the heartbreaking scene. 'Mr Potter, I will leave the prisoner in your custody until I can send Aurors down from the castle'

A week later, as the dawn sunlight began to stream through the window, Harry lay in his four poster and glanced across at Ron's bed. Not surprisingly, Ron had returned to the Burrow with the rest of his family, firstly to welcome Mrs Weasley home, but also to be with George. Professor McGonagall had explained that George had felt so guilty at having survived the Battle of Hogwarts when Fred had died that he hadn't felt able to truly express his grief. The attack on his father, coming just a few short weeks after the death of his twin, had made all those feelings appear very suddenly but that now George should be able to mourn his brother properly.

As she and Harry sat discussing what had happened in the office that had formerly been Dumbledore's, Kingsley Shacklebolt knocked and entered. After greeting the Headmistress and shaking Harry's hand, he got straight to business and told them both what he had learned about Arthur's brother.

Bernard Weasley was believed to have died many years previously. He didn't fake his own death, but he quietly disappeared and allowed the rumours to circulate. He had left his parents house, where he'd lived with Arthur and their younger brother Terence, after Arthur had eloped with Molly Prewett. Bernard had been secretly working for Lord Voldemort and while not yet a Death Eater, he hoped to turn both his brothers to the cause. However Arthur and Molly had eloped, leaving Bernard in no doubt that Arthur's support of muggle borns and the non magical community would not be persuaded out of him, the Prewetts having similar views. Bernard had demanded that he and Arthur's parents disown the newlyweds, and when Mr and Mrs Weasley Senior refused to do so, Bernard left. He was known to have joined the ranks of Voldemort's followers but it was widely believed that he'd suffered the same fate as Regulus Black, being killed after he tried to leave.

'He had in fact changed his name and married a fellow follower.' said Kingsley, 'Together they rose through the ranks of Death Eaters becoming not only some of the most trusted of Voldemort's supporters but also the most secretive. They acted as spies, infiltrating the Ministry and other organisations to gain information. The Auror office knew that there were spies of course but we had no idea who they were.' He went on 'From what we have been able to piece together, during the final Battle, Arthur had cast a shield charm to keep the Acromantulas at bay. This spell was so powerful that a section of the battlements collapsed, killing several Death Eaters who were attempting to enter the building a different way in order to trap and kill the Hogwartians. Bernard saw Arthur cast a spell and then saw his wife die. He assumed that Arthur had killed her directly, his hatred for his brother meaning that he would not accept that her death was not a deliberate act. While he supported Voldemort, the one person he truly loved was his wife Demetzia, and he blamed her death on the brother he hated' Kingsley sat down with a weary sigh 'We have also discovered the body of a woman in the cave in the mountains, she is believed to be Malefica Mortegue, a young witch who last year disappeared from a training post in the Ministry. We thought that she had been kidnapped and murdered but it seems that she left to join Voldemort of her own accord. She was very likely a spy too. Bernard appeared to have been travelling with her while he recovered from injuries sustained during the fighting, and then he murdered her before attacking Arthur.'

'I remember Miss Mortegue' said Professor McGonagall 'As I recall she was quite a troubled student during her time here, accused of bullying other pupils and had rather a worrying temper'

'Indeed. She was on the verge of being sacked due to her outbursts. It appears that the Death Eaters appealed to her' Kingsley replied. 'Bernard is currently being held on suspicion of the murder of Miss Mortegue and the attempted murder of Arthur Weasley'

'How is Mr Weasley? And George?' asked Harry. He had been invited several times to the Burrow, but felt that now was a time just for family. As much as he loved the Weasleys, and he knew they loved him, he felt he would have been intruding to have stayed there. He had been in touch with Ginny of course but didn't like to enquire too closely for fear of upsetting her.

'They're ok, surprisingly.' said Kingsley, smiling 'Arthur is shaken up of course but the Weasleys have great love and strength between them, I am sure that they will all recover as well as can be expected.'

'That's a relief' said Professor McGonagall, she went on 'Thank you for sharing this with us Kingsley.'

'Yeah thanks Kingsley' said Harry 'Are you going back to the Ministry straight away?'

'No, I need to speak to a couple of the Aurors on duty and I thought I would take the opportunity to have a look at how the work is progressing'

'Would you like to come to the opening ceremony we are having at Summer House?' asked Harry and in answer to Kingsleys confused expression said 'Its the new name for the Shrieking Shack'

'Ah, yes I would very much like to see it. I understand that the first residents have been down today to decorate their rooms'

'Yeah, Hermione and Luna took them down and helped them get the bedrooms just as they would like them. And work has finally finished on the Recreational Room'

'Recreational Room?' queried the Headmistress 'Miss Granger seemed determined to make a library out of the attic'

'Well she was but Ron was just as determined to have a games room so they split it up and got half each. Seamus amd Ron have done the games room half with Ernie, although I've had a look and I think that Hermione's half may be bigger this morning than it was last night.' he said with a laugh.

A wobbly and nervous voice rang out in the silence.

'I n..n..now declare Summer House open' said Sam Edwards, a slight sandy haired boy of 12 who would be starting his second year at Hogwarts in September and was also one of the first residents of the holiday home. There was applause from Dumbledore's Army, the teachers of Hogwarts and most of all from Rubeus and Olympe Hagrid. Chatting and laughing with their new charges, 7 students ranging in age from 12 to 16, they entered Summer House. As he watched, Harry's heart sang. A loving home for those without one. Parents for those who had none. A family for 2 people with so much love to give. How different the world would have been if only Tom Riddle could have been given that gift he thought to himself.

'Are you alright Harry?' asked Hermione, looking concerned.

'Yeah, just thinking, you know'

'I think I do' she said with a look that told Harry she had been thinking along the same lines as him. Then with a small sigh she continued 'Shall we go in then? The tea party will be starting soon and we ought to eat before Ron gets here or there'll be nothing left' she smiled. 'What time are they coming?'

'About 6 ish because George is working in the shop again. Ginny told me that they want to wait for him to close up and come together.' Walking up the steps Harry

put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and said ' Come on then, lets celebrate Hagrid's new family'