Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter, I merely play in the sandbox.

AN - Please enjoy ~ Hannah

Chapter Two

Harry and Anna was still clinging to each other when an uninvited wizard returned to the hospital wing, followed by an irate witch with a monocle. There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes that Harry didn't trust. He should have known that Dumbledore wouldn't walk away quietly. No doubt he'd have been cooking up his next move since he first left the hospital wing. Harry was prepared to knock down anything he said.

"I think it would be wise for us to announce your discovery as an article in the Daily Prophet and I think it would also be prudent to announce who you are to the school at dinner tomorrow. This was people will know who you are and by the following morning will be unable to start up the rumour mill or judge you because they will have all the facts we've given to the Prophet."

Harry was pissed. He looked at those around him. Anna looked shocked, Draco curious and Narcissa furious. Hermione was frowning, Neville was growling, and Luna looked like she could murder someone. Kinsley was straight faced, and Tonks was smirking.

"What is the meaning of this Albus? You have completely ignored protocol and as usual taken matters into your own hands. There will be no article in the Prophet, there will be no lies spun by your hand and if you don't remove yourself from this situation that I will bring the full might of the Auror Division down upon you."

"Madam Bones I fail to see how this situation affects you. I am here as Headmaster and as such I act as parent to all those under my care. I am just trying to get the facts out before the public starts rebelling. They might turn on Anna here and cause her harm."

"You haven't acted as a parent to these children in years. If you had, Mr Potter here wouldn't have had to fight for his live every year in your school!"

"Again, I fail to see why you are here."

"I was called by my Auror's when they felt someone illegally trying to enter their minds. Do you always perform legillimency on unsuspecting people? Just what game are you playing here Dumbledore?"

"I think you'll find Madam that Dumbledore is trying to find his new footing in this world. You see, I didn't die in the battle like he predicted so he can't claim to be the all-powerful leader of the light when I stand in the way as the vanquisher of Voldemort. To be forgotten is Dumbledore's greatest fear. He is currently trying to gain control of myself and Anna in any way he can. I have already told him once to leave me and my family alone, but he seems inclined to ignore that."

"Those are powerful words you speak Mr Potter, are you saying you want to form and official complaint?"

"In the muggle school system, a teacher like Dumbledore, who willingly stood aside and allowed dangerous events to unfold yet also took a personal interest in a single student would have been sacked long ago. The only reason Dumbledore escaped this fate was because the Wizarding world is lazy. I have no wish to drag this through a trial at present, but I also do not wish to have any dealings with Dumbledore. Is there a way that he could be restricted from coming within a certain distance from me and my family?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged Mr Potter."

"Harry, please."

"Harry then. May I ask what you do want to do regarding your sister?"

"I wish to get to know her. I wish to unite my family with the remaining Black and create a new loving family. I wish to live in peace. In regard to my sister, I would never expose her to the lies of the Prophet, but I recognise that this is a big discovery that many will gossip about. I shall give a small interview to Luna's father and the Quibbler and then we shall all move on with our lives."

"That sounds like a very mature idea and something you've put a lot of thought into. I shall work on getting you that restraining order, Albus if you will follow me, I need your presence at the Ministry."

Dumbledore hesitated.

"If you do not go Headmaster, a restraining order will be the least of your worries."

Harry felt no remorse at threatening the Headmaster. He was confident that Dumbledore couldn't do anything in a room full of people. Harry was glad that Madam Bones had arrived at the hospital wing. Whether she had been called or not, it was inspiring to think that he had at least one adult on his side, and a very powerful adult at that.

"Harry, I've been taking notes since Anna woke. I could owl them to Daddy now if you wanted to get the article out by Friday?"

"That's a good idea Luna. That'll give us a day and a half to prepare."

Luna kissed him on the cheek and left to send the owl with the promises of returning after.

"I can modify the head apartments to hold all of us if you want Harry? It might be more private than remaining here where anyone can walk in. It might also be wise to clue Professor McGonagall into this group."

"Can I make a request to include my Gran as well? She has a wealth of knowledge and I think she could be of help to us."

"Sure, I'm happy to include both those people in discussions. Why don't you get things ready and we'll join you when we can?"

Harry watched his two friends leave the hospital wing with a smile on his face. The dream of the future he'd only thought about was slowly becoming more than a dream.

"Do you have a plan Potter or are you just acting on a whim?" asked Draco.

"It may have escaped my knowledge for many years, but it turns out that I am actually quite rich. I have no desire to return to Godric's Hollow or Grimmauld Place. I have other properties I could move into, but none feel like home. I do however, have a large plot of land near the south coast of England. I have been told that it was once the home of a wizarding community though it has since died out. I was thinking of bringing it back to life. There is plenty of room for several large houses and it would be nice to be part of a community that trusts and enjoys the company of others."

"Those are big plans Potter."

"Don't you think you should call me Harry?"

"You've been Potter for seven years, give me some time."

"I think I can manage that."

It had been decided that they walk as a group back to the Head Apartments. Both Harry and Draco took turns in supporting Anna as they walked. Mrs Malfoy hovered behind radiating both concern and worry while Madame Bones took up the rear. Harry wasn't sure what he felt in having Madame Bones as part of the group.

Harry's ideas for his future had tossed and turned for nights after the aftermath of the great battle. His need to unite the remaining blacks to the last of the Potter's came from a desire to destroy any bad blood or differences. He didn't want to become like Sirius and reset that which was different or become a bully. Harry had always longed for a family, and while it had taken time to realise that the Weasley's were too suffocating, Harry's desire to belong never faded. He'd talked at length with Neville about resurrecting the forgotten family village and building homes for the last of the Potter house and the last of the Longbottom house. Hermione and Luna had already started work on what shops they could get into the village and before they'd returned to Hogwarts, they'd started to draw up some plans. Harry just needed to find a respected and competent wizarding contract service to start the job.

It was remarkable to Harry that his friends had left not even half an hour ago and yet when they made it to the Head's Apartment, his friends plus Professor McGonagall and Madame Longbottom were already there. Seven years on and magic still seemed to surprise Harry. He always counted his blessings that he was part of the world of magic.

When everyone was seated awkwardly around a large table, and refreshments had been provided by an invisible house elf, Harry sought to call order to the people around him. He'd never been good at public speaking, but he was going to try here.

"I demand to know what is going on here Mr Potter and why you've demanded our presence, and who that is."

Clearly going through a war hadn't changed Professor McGonagall, she was still as bad tempered as ever at being the last to know things.

"Professor McGonagall, you're here because I trust and value your opinion and welcome any advice you can give of what I'll be talking about. This here is my twin sister Anna, who until recently was believed to be dead. This is another example of Dumbledore hiding things and hoarding knowledge to himself. He did not think to tell me about Anna or the possibility that she could still be alive because it did not fit his plans for the Greater Good. Anna was not mentioned in the Prophesy; therefore, she was an unneeded complication. If it were not for Mrs Malfoy and Draco here, Dumbledore wouldn't have had to act and let me in on the secret."

Harry saw the cogs turning in Professor McGonagall's head and felt rather than heard her take a deep breath and count to ten before responding.

"That man could very well cause the end of the world with the knowledge he deems too important to share."

"That whiskered wanker!"

"Gran!"

"Not content with ruining two prestigious families, he hoards knowledge like a baby hoards a pacifier. That man will be his own undoing. I have put up with him for enough years to know that I could happily live without his presence for many years more. Has anyone actually seen Dumbledore step up and do his duty when the attention wasn't on him? No. Albus Dumbledore prefers to let others fight his battles with half information and truths so he can swoop in at the last minute and claim all the glory. I am sick of it."

"I couldn't agree more Madame Longbottom. Dumbledore has spent far too long sitting on his throne and manipulating the lives of people around him with little care to the lives of the people he manipulates. It pains me greatly to admit that I was one of the people he manipulated. He used my longing to belong and have a family to manipulate the things I did. Dumbledore didn't expect me to survive the killing curse, nor did he expect to find Anna alive. As far as I am concerned, Dumbledore is no longer a factor in my life. He has no legal claim on me and cannot interfere with my life any longer. This meeting is as much an introduction to Anna as it is a chance for me to put some plans into action. I value all opinions given."

Harry looked around the room and was pleased to discover that his words had rang true with those in this room. Nothing he said had been dismissed or ignored and Harry felt, for one of the first times since freedom came knocking on his door, that he stood a good chance in making his hopes a reality.

"Harry is right, Dumbledore isn't someone we want in our lives anymore, but it would be right to be cautious about him. I don't think Dumbledore will take losing his golden boy very well and I doubt that just because Voldemort has been defeated that Dumbledore's greater good plans have come to an end. However, Harry and I have been talking and going through the Potter finances with a fine comb. We discovered the location of an abandoned wizarding village in the hills of Surrey. We both decided we would like to resurrect the village. Harry would like to build a new Potter abode and I would like to build a Longbottom Manor. Finding out about Anna made the idea seems all the more important. I know Malfoy would like to burn his current Manor to the ground and we definitely have space for a new Malfoy home also."

"I have always wanted to see you take up the mantle of the Longbottom Estate but can concede that it doesn't hold many happy memories for you. I can see the passion as both you and Harry talk about this and as a Grandmother I can't help by feel super proud. What you would need is a good wizarding construction service. I still have a lot of friends with sound contractors, I would be happy to put feelers out and find someone worthy of the job," said Madame Longbottom.

Neville blushed bright red at his Grandmother's words and Harry couldn't help by smile at that.

"I think that uniting the families and building new homes would do wonders in showing the wizarding world that the behaviours of the past are no longer tolerated. I am quite adept in interior design and I also know a great deal about public relations and politics. I'd be happy to help in those departments should you wish it," said Mrs Malfoy.

"Professor McGonagall, we want to start a new tradition. We want to unite the houses of Potter, Longbottom and Malfoy and start a new family from the ashes of this war. We are aware that there are those that will dislike our vision or want to give us their unwanted negative opinions. We aren't looking to change people's minds here, we just want to have the future that we deserve. We want any children we have to grow up knowing that they are loved and safe and that won't happen unless we get our butts in gear," added Hermione.

It was, Harry felt, like they were giving a speech or like they were pitching a film idea to a board of directors. Harry could have made his plan a reality on his own, but he hadn't wanted to. The idea of getting other people involved was a warm one for Harry, it reminded him that he wasn't alone in this world and that there was still much to love about it. He supposed that uniting families was a little stereotypical and one extreme that readers of the Daily Prophet would totally see him crazy enough to do. What should it matter what he wanted to achieve with the rest of his life? Harry knew his life would always be public, but he found himself caring less and less for what others thought of him.

The group spoke at large, discussing plans and ways to realise the dream. Harry took a back seat after his initial speech and opted to gaze at his sister instead. Sister. Just the word sent chills of happiness up his spine. Harry sensed a broken soul looming in front of him and it angered him that neither of them had made it through childhood unscarred. Harry saw the Anna had a death grip on Draco's forearm, but it didn't fill him with anger or jealousy, rather he was pleased that Anna had someone he could count on. Pre-war, Harry knew he'd have thrown a fit in having to be civil to Draco, but post-war Harry couldn't be bitter about making a new friend or acquaintance for there was so much to be happy about.

"Do you think we could have something built by Christmas?" asked Anna.

The conversation around Harry stopped, in favour of hearing Anna talk. She was, it seemed, embarrassed by the sudden attention and Harry reached out to hold the hand not attached to Draco, to offer his own comfort.

"I know it's silly, but I've not had a Christmas before. Let along a Christmas with family and friends. It's just something I've really wanted to do."

"It will be difficult but with two and a half months and a lot of teamwork, I'm sure we could pull it off," replied Madame Longbottom.

Harry was content to let the adults organise the wizarding contractors and turn the plans he and Neville had drawn up into a reality. He would of course, oversee all purchases and check in from time to time, as would Neville, to see the progress. Harry didn't want to become too focused on building houses or mapping out future life plans because he planned to enjoy this last year at Hogwarts. His eight year was a chance to be a normal child for once and not have a year fraught with dangers and near-death experiences. He fully intended to experience school life to the fullest.

The meeting came to an end with Neville and Hermione taking up the reigns as leaders, since Harry was occupied with starring at Anna. The next day and a half was spent within the Head's Apartment. Though it was an unorthodox thing to do, Professor McGonagall had granted the request for the Apartment to be expanded to allow room for Anna, Luna and Hermione because it was an arrangement that suited everyone better and they could be trusted not to overstep the boundaries as they were eigth years.

[x]

It was a while after the meeting, and after a well-deserved nap, that Harry walked back into the common area of the newly structured Head's Apartment to find Draco watching over Anna as she slept.

"She looks beautiful and relaxed in sleep."

"She deserves so much peace, and sleep. I hope she isn't plagued by nightmares," replied Draco.

"Hard to believe we're now on first names isn't it?"

"I know what you mean but I wanted to make amends with you regardless. Mother was already excited by the letter you sent wanting to unite the houses of Potter and Black. Anna deserves this new family we're building. I think we all do."

"I'm honestly glad you're so open about this. Even in my mind I catch myself thinking 'what am I doing?' Our actions of this year completely contradict seven years of our life, but it feels right you know? If feels like this is what we should have been life from year one."

"It's strange, I know. I think about how different our lives would have been if we became friends in year one but then I remember that wouldn't have happened unless Voldemort had been completely dead then as well. There was so much I had to hide during my years at Hogwarts and so much of myself I had to sacrifice just to keep living."

"We both know a lot about sacrifice and surviving. I think between the two of us we should be able to guide Anna in this new life of hers."

"Tonight, will be difficult."

"Yes, I am rather dreading it."

"Think the whiskered wanker will make things difficult?"

"I can dream of a world where he doesn't but I'm not sure I'm comfortable taking that bet."