Disclaimer

I don't own Harry Potter.

In fact, if you get down to it I probably own very little of the ideas being used in this story. But I am not getting paid for them and have hopefully put them together in a new and interesting way.

Enjoy.

Chapter 37

Hannah's prediction of everyone joining Harry proved correct. They had a little trouble focusing on their classes as well; their mission loomed over them.

Tracy had given them a light sleeping potion to ensure they slept properly otherwise nerves would have kept them all awake.

The previous day and that day were spent checking and rechecking their gear to ensure it was all fully functional and they weren't missing anything. They had received a few extra pieces specifically for this mission, trunks to store their captives and any recovered items, their hybrid body armour in desert camouflage complete with face cover and desert gillie suit. The captain of the vessel being used as the staging point had only been given the barest minimum of information and magical team's arrival point was already covered with the Special Forces team so no one on board would see their actual abilities.

Within the school only Tonks and Hestia knew they had a mission, but even they didn't have any details. When the last class ended they performed their final equipment check and geared up, basilisk hide armour, hybrid armour, wands, knives, enchanted firearms and any special equipment they were designated to carry.

"Two minutes." Hermione stated.

"Everyone completed their final checks?" Harry asked.

Everyone nodded as he looked them over and around the common room and workroom to ensure nothing had been left.

"Okay. Portkey ready." Harry held out the large ring that would take them to the base.

"Ten seconds." Hermione added, keeping a close eye on the time.

"Here we go." Ginny muttered.

With a jerk they started on the first leg of their journey.

"Welcome." M was waiting for them. "Your portkey is the yellow rope on that table. The red rope is your return portkey. Shacklebolt personally finalised them less than ten minutes ago and the ship is holding position correctly, the white outline on the floor matches your destination so stay inside it and you'll arrive under cover.. The Special Forces team has arrived and refuelled on schedule. They are keeping your arrival point and transit route secure. This packet contains the most up-to-date intelligence we have. You can use the helicopter ride to Point Delta to complete your final briefing."

"Thank you." Harry nodded. "Tracy, hold the red rope. Hermione grab the packet. I've got the yellow rope."

Tracy and Hermione moved to get their assigned items. Hannah followed and slid the rope into an outer pocket on Tracy's pack so she wouldn't have to take it off. Hermione simply pushed the packet under her hybrid armour with a light sticking charm to ensure it wouldn't be moving until she needed it.

Harry uncoiled the yellow rope and gave an end to Daphne so they could spread it out and let everyone grab hold before moving into the marked transport area.

"Ten seconds." M announced, checking the clock the portkey had been calibrated to. "Good luck and god speed."

Another jerk and they were spinning away on the longest portkey journey of their lives.

"That's way too long." Harry complained as they landed.

"I thought it was fun." Luna chirped. "Like a really fast merry-go-round."

"I'm not looking forward to the return trip." Tracy didn't look to happy.

"Nice timing." Mason greeted them.

"Hey." Harry nodded to the Special Forces team. "Everything ready here?"

"Yes." Mason nodded. "Our helicopters are fuelled and ready to fly and the others are boarding as we speak. Ready to go?"

Harry looked around the faces of the girls; all nervous but all serious and focused. "Yes. Let's go."

"Follow me." Mason led them to the flight deck of a British Naval vessel where a large helicopter was waiting. A similar helicopter sat on a secondary flight deck.

"Split up." Mason stated. "Half ride in this one the other half follow me to the other one."

Harry nodded. "Ginny, Daphne, Hermione, Hannah. Go with Mason. Hermione, give him the briefing packet to review. Captain Mason, you've more experience working off that stuff. I can add my bits when we land."

"Affirmative." Mason nodded. "This way."

The four girls gave Harry strong looks to convey the feelings they couldn't properly express here and headed off, climbing the ladder to the upper flight deck.

Drake waved the remaining five to the wide open sliding door on the side of the helicopter,

"Drop your packs, you'll stow them at your feet. Slide in the rear seat and strap in. It's going to be pretty tight but none of you are that big so you can able to squeeze in." Drake instructed. "You'll find a headset overhead. Put in on so we can communicate in flight. We'll be under radio silence so we have to maintain a visual on other bird at all times. This will be a low level flight and plotted to avoid detection so it's going to get a little rough; make sure you strap in properly and keep a firm hand on your gear at all times."

Harry nodded and followed suit. Motioning for each of the girls to hand him their pack and slide in he handed their pack to them afterwards and was grateful they relied on space enlargement charms. If the packs had been full-sized there was no way they could have fitted everything in the tight compartment.

Drake doubled checked everyone was seated properly and their gear secure before shutting the side door and climbing in the front. The pilot flicked the appropriate switched and the engines whined into live and the blades started winding up to speed. Minutes later the helicopter lifted off the deck, turned and tilted forward to follow the first helicopter towards the next waypoint.

Drake's voice sounded over the helicopter's internal comm. system. "We're currently in Egyptian waters near the Libyan border. Egypt is nominally an ally so we can operate from their territory relatively easily. The only trick is to stay out of the way of both the Egyptian and Libyan coastal patrols but we've been tracking them since we knew of the target location.

"We'll breach Libyan airspace in a few minutes but we'll be under their radar so we should have a quiet trip. M told us before we left that that she's give us the most up to date intelligence of Libyan ground movements she could."

"She did." Harry answered. "Hermione's already handed it over."

"Good. The Captain will be using it to plot our flight path to minimise the risk of being spotted." Drake said. "We may be only a few miles south of the Libyan coastal city of Tusina but there are still some empty spots we can use. Just remember which way the coast is, any emergency extraction is likely to be from the sea. With your special training you can probably rig up a method of sneaking back over the border into Egypt, or you can sneak into the city and acquire what you need to escape. That should be a last resort though because if the local security or military forces catch you then you can expect to be tortured and executed."

"So don't play with the locals." Luna joked.

"Exactly. Most of them may be decent people but they'll be scared of the hardliners and will turn you in to protect themselves."

"Any easy way of telling the hardliners or military from the civilians?" Susan asked.

"The military tend to have uniforms. But the easiest way is whether or not they're carrying a weapon. If they are avoid them without drawing attention to yourselves. Simmons, had over that packet on local dress and customs. They can review it so they know how to blend in if necessary."

Simmons pulled out a set of folded papers from a front pocket and handed it over.

"These are women friendly." Tracy grimaced as she looked through them before passing them on.

"No, but the clothes will work to our advantage to hide our identities." Padma added.

"If it comes down to it, try and stick close to Harry or another male teammate and act as their wife." Drake told them. "Women travelling alone are going to be particularly vulnerable."

"Sounds like a fun country." Harry sarcasm was easily detected, even over the noise of the main rotors and the distortion of the internal comms.

"Not somewhere I'd want to live." Simmons stated firmly.

"We're coming up on the coastline." Drake called out suddenly. "Two minutes to land fall. Hang on because here it starts getting rough."

Conversation halted as the helicopter banked, the pair aiming for a dip in the coastal cliffs. The sea gave way to land the noise of the rotors changed as pilot adjusted their speed and angle to reduce the volume caused by the spinning blades. They were alternately tossed from one side of the helicopter as it followed the terrain until it suddenly pointed its nose in the air to kill its forward motion and came into land next to the first helicopter in a ravine.

"Nice and quiet. Everyone, more out." Drake ordered before turning to the pilot. "Keep the engine hot and the radio on. We should be back in three hours. Otherwise follow your mission instructions."

"Yes sir." The pilot responded.

Everyone slid out and hefted their packs to their shoulders. Harry have the helicopter compartment a final check to ensure nothing was left behind and headed over to the lead helicopter to do the same.

"Everyone set?" Mason asked.

"Yes sir." The Special Forces team barked in unison.

"Ladies?" Harry glanced between his girls.

"Yes sir." There were a few grins that were momentarily visible before their face covers were lifted to protect them from the shifting desert dust and sand.

"Guard team to your positions, capture team move out." Mason gave to 'Go' command.

"Move out." Harry grinned to Mason before heading up the ravine side and stopping below the edge to wait for the others.

Mason checked his map and pointed out the direction to their destination. They started marching until well clear of the helicopters and confident they were not being watched before pulling out their brooms and mounting up, each taking one Special Forces team members. They rapidly crossed the desert, using what cover was available and the darkening sky to avoid being spotted.

They landed a mile from their target as planned and began marching the last bit, using the most subtle magic available to them to check for anyone who might be lying in wait, guarding the meeting site.

They detected no one and Harry didn't even get the faintest hint of any wards as they crouched at the top of a hill overlooking the location of the meeting.

"Okay." Harry looked at Mason. "We split up and surround the target?"

"Affirmative." Mason nodded. "Set up guard points on these three hills. This hill and the one opposite will be sniper nests. When you engage stay to the sides so that the snipers have clear shots."

Harry nodded. "Combat team with me. We sweep the target and set up the trap."

"Go something special planned?" Mason asked.

"Yup. Just a little something I tried in training. It worked but was too slow." Harry's voice filled with pride. "With everything else I've learnt, I managed to make it useful. It's perfect for this sort of mission."

"Go then. You have an hour and a half until the meeting time. But we don't know when the advanced guard, if any, will arrive." Mason glanced around as if expecting them any second.

"Should only take a few minutes." Harry assured him. "You know the drill, let's go."

Harry and the four girls that made the combat team pulled their brooms and floated down the hillside to prevent their being any traces of movement. A careful scan revealed no waiting traps of detectors so they could operate with impunity as they pulled back to a few meters above the base of the hills and began laying out small, flat ward-stones and covering them with sand to hide them from view.

These ward-stones were something Harry could rightly be proud of. Ever since he used a stun ward in a training dual he had wondered if it had any real combat potential. The answer, after combining that with everything he had learnt since was 'Yes'.

These ward-stones only had five wards attached to them, four of which were inactive. The fifth was a masking ward so carefully applied that even Harry couldn't detected them when actively looking from more than foot away. Hermione and Padma had tried and had to be within six inches; specifically, their wand tips had to be within six inches. Anyone looking for them would be more likely to trip over them than detect them magically.

When they were at rest the only the masking ward was active. When they were triggered two specific things would happen; the masking wards would flare and link, masking the entire area between the stones. This would be joined by anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards preventing easy escape. In their flared state the wards would only last about fifteen minutes. The last two wards would also flare, but these would last for less than a second. They were a stunning ward and a confusion ward. Anyone within the confines of the wards would be stunned or confused. Even a shielded person would likely to be affected in some small way leaving them open to attack in that instant. The hope was that most of those trapped would be unconscious leaving only a small number, if any, to be dealt with.

Harry had wanted to include a paralysis ward as well but the extra ward array would increase the stone's presence too much. Maybe a future version would include it, and maybe others...

Harry and the girls placed the last of the stones and hurried back to their assigned locations. While the meeting wasn't scheduled for another hour, the last thing they needed was for an advanced scout to arrive early and see them while they were still setting up.

Lying down in the sand they ensured their sand camouflage gillie suit was coving them completely and settled in to wait. The gillie suit relied primarily on non-magical camouflage to hide the wearer but had been modified to hide the wear from any spells detecting people. Like the ward stones, the more magic they used to hide the person, the more chance they had of being picked up by any generic magic detection. As such they had gone for the most minimal approach possible an relying on Harry to mask any residual traces. Against magical opponents this tactic was the best option, they had such a high focus on their magic that non-magical methods were either unknown or looked down on.

The wait was both agonisingly painful and mind-numbingly boring. They were hyper aware of the slightest movement but the shadows seemed to barely shift even as night was falling and the desert cooled. Conversation was restricted, even though they were on a secure non-magical system they were still in an enemy country and had to hide from their military as well. They were too close to the city to risk anyone detecting their transmissions, even if the contents were encrypted.

"Contact." Luna's whispered voice sounded over their headsets suddenly.

Everyone was suddenly fully alert. It didn't take long before the noises of the cart being pulled by a donkey were heard as they followed the line of the hill's hardened ridges on the sand dunes.

"They look like civilians." Mason stated.

"No." Luna countered. "They're magical."

"Looks like there're the ones we're after then." Harry said to kill any doubt, he trusted Luna's abilities. "How close will they pass?"

"A little too close." Susan's worried was audible even with her hushed tones. "A few feet maybe. They shouldn't find us though, they're sticking to the harder sands and we're clear of those."

"Good." Harry took a second to breathe a sigh of relief. "One they are clear let us know any extra details you notice."

"Affirmative." Susan forced her worry down.

It was long minutes before the first of the travellers leading the procession appeared over the ridge and descended into the meeting site. They were looking around very carefully. Too carefully. Several hands tightened on their rifle's grips but no one moved.

A figure jumped down off the cart and began speaking rapidly in Arabic. Another figure clearly pulled a wand and cast a number of spells and shook his head. The first figure nodded back and began gesticulating wildly to the others who began unloading the cart of several crates. Four of the men began running up the hillsides in different direction and hid over the crests.

They proved to be rather awkward. Harry turned his head slightly and could see the robed man holding his wand only three feet to the side of him.

Mason was clear of anyone and whispered quietly into the microphone. "Mark their locations and take them out as soon as the wards are triggered. One of them is too close to Potter so I'll give the signal. Call your targets."

Harry relaxed a little. He could now focus most of his attention on the man next to him. As the closest to him, Harry would be responsible for taking him out. He slowly began inching his arm round to point a finger at the man. Thank goodness for wandless magic, he could trigger the ward-stones and stun this nuisance at the same time.

Still, having his target so close was nerve-wracking. Harry's attention was so closely focused on this one person he nearly gave everything way by jumping as Mason's voice sounded across their radio.

"New targets. Anyone recognise them?"

"Yes." Daphne replied. "From Shacklebolt's briefings the lead two are the Carrow's. And the third on the left is Marcus Flint."

"Confirmed death Eaters?"

"The Carrow's, yes. Flint, well, I'm not surprised."

"Flint's father is currently in Ministry custody as a marked Death Eater." Susan added quietly.

"What are they saying?" Ginny asked.

"The locals aren't too happy the Death Eater's portkeyed directly here." Drake, listening in via a directional microphone and recording everything, told them. "But the trade is going ahead. They're just about to check the money and product."

"Once they confirm then we have a go. No point putting ourselves at risk over nothing." Mason stated. "If we don't then try and tag as many of them with trackers as possible. We can at least find out some of their movements."

"Pick your targets for tracking." Hermione called out her target and waited while the others stated their own.

"Looks like they are happy with the goods and money." Drake said.

"Then we have a go. Try and take the Carrow's and the local leader alive, drop the others hard and fast." Mason commanded. "Harry, trigger the wards and Daphne, throw a flash-bang in three, two one, go."

In an instant they had gone from total inactivity to too much activity. Harry triggered the ward-stones on queue and hit his target with a stunner a fraction of a second later. The man didn't have a chance to even move in response to the flare of the wards.

Harry covered his ears and kept his head down until the blinding flare of light and intense wall of sound had passed before hitting his target with several more spells to ensure he stayed down. Coming up into a crouch he began adding his own spells into the mix striking into the kill-zone from all directions.

Several of them were already down, the blood sprayed across the sand showing the lethal accuracy of the various special force's training. Right there though was the one minor flaw in their planning.

Best laid plans and all that.

The three targets for capture were only slightly affected by the wards. They had obviously earned their positions and had made, bought, or been given certain protections. Their magical protections had little effect in blocking the totally physical effects of the flash-bang grenade though and they were staggered and struggling to regain their equilibrium. The Carrow twins were well practised at working together and began covering each other in short order. The man in charge of the locals was on his own but showed he had his own skills when he began to return fire.

Magic may make a wider range of lethal options open to a single person more easily than a non-magical person but spells were slower than bullets. A mage also had a wide variety of non-lethal options that were not easily available to someone without magic. Because of this the lethal work would initially fall to the Special Forces group and the capture tasks would be handled by Harry and his witches.

This tactic, plus the general difference in experience and willingness to kill, were now clearly visible. The witches had all waited for the flash-bang before that started casting at the main group. Harry and Ginny hadn't, but they were assigned targets who had hidden in the hills around the meeting site. The rest didn't get their first spells off until after the grenade had detonated. Their pick of spells were all stunners, acceptable for capture work, and if the stun burst from the wards had overloaded and defences then they would have proven effective.

In this case their targets defences were still active and held for the first couple of rounds of spells, long enough for them to regain their bearings and take an active role in their own defence.

Harry was closer to the local group than the Death Eaters and began to assist Luna and Susan in focusing on the leader with Hannah supporting from the other side. The Carrows were pinned down by Ginny and Daphne, supported by Hermione and Padma. While sticking to stunners and binding spells they couldn't make any headway; the distance nullifying their advantage of spell speed.

Not that they were in any real danger. The flash-bang had kicked up a big puff of sand that was providing a slight haze over the meeting site. Not enough to really block anyone's view but the well concealed witches were not easy to pinpoint and the range was beyond any normal wizards duel. Any return spells were more likely to hit someone by sheer random chance than any real intent.

By stark contrast each of the Special Forces troop had gotten a shot off at their assigned targets before the grenade had detonated. The two other locals in the hills were now dead and so were several of their associates and lower level Death Eaters. None of the minor targets were standing after the grenade went off and they focused in on the remaining targets to ensure they didn't escape before they were caught or covering the downed targets to ensure they didn't re-join the fight.

The local leader fell a few spells later; while Luna and Susan kept him pinned Harry send a series of overpowered stunners that managed to breach his defences and drop him hard. Susan send a group of additional spells to ensure he stayed down while Harry turned his attention to the Carrows.

They were further away from him, reducing his advantages further, and were proving how they avoided prison, beyond just being able to hide.

"This is taking too long." Harry called into his radio. "I'm moving in."

"Stay out of the assigned firing lines." Mason reminded him.

"Okay." Harry confirmed as he sent a blasting curse short of them to cover them in a wave of sand. "Jumping now."

With the sand spray as cover Harry pushed his magic through his muscles and jumped the gap, summoning his katana as he went and drawing the blade for the first time in combat. Landing next to the pair, one of the siblings of the hard wooden scabbard in the back of their head while the other got the blunt back of the blade in the face.

Both fell and didn't move as Harry dropped the sheath and hit them both with over-powered stunners and binding spells.

"Any movement?" Harry asked as he scanned the rest of the field.

"Negative." "No." The answers flooded in each providing confirmation that the fight had reached its final conclusion.

"Good, begin next phase." Harry ordered as he picked up the sheath and slid his sword back into it.

This part of the operation was totally up to the magical group. The Special Forces were purely providing cover, both over the battle site and the surrounding area.

The girls all join Harry in the middle, four of them levitating a body as they moved. Once they converged they quickly began scanning everyone and stripping them of all their gear. Their gear went on one of the four trunks they had brought. The second truck, got the money. The third got the goods being bought. The last was a prison. Each of the bodies was checked by Tracy for life signs. Any that showed even the faintest signs was put into medical stasis, before being dropped into the prison truck. The trucks were then shrunk and stowed back in their packs and they mounted their brooms to clean the battle field, removing any traces of themselves, their target and their mission. They picked up the Special Forces, performed a final sweep and headed back to the helicopters with all possible speed.

With night having fully fallen, they didn't have to work so hard to remain hidden and were making much better time as Mason's guided them back using his GPS. They made much better time but it was still a long trip until the SAS captain signalled them to dismount and they hurried across the dunes to the hiding place of the helicopters.

At the top of the ravine Mason signalled them to stop and changed his radio frequency to one monitored by the helicopter crew. "Amber."

"Solaris." The correct code can back in reply.

"We're clear, let's go." Mason stated and led the way into the ravine.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked quietly.

"It's a simple trick." Mason explained. "You give a predetermined code word or phrase and if you don't get the right response you know something is wrong. Normally it's something that won't draw attention but that's unnecessary here."

"What if someone else got that code?" Ginny asked.

"We have an alarm code word as well." Mason's voice turned grim. "Something that can be revealed under... duress that would warn us. The code is only valid for tonight anyway."

"Duress?" Ginny caught his meaning. "Unpleasant thought."

"It's a dangerous line of work." Mason shrugged. "If you can't handle the risk, you quit. Harry, can you hide the noise of the choppers winding up?"

"Sure, a temporary silencing charm should do the job nicely." Harry nodded.

"Add a larger area one on each rotor tip." Hermione added. "I was thinking about it in the way in. The beating noise is from the tip breaking the sound barrier right?"

"Yes." Keller answered, interested.

"You should be able to mask it if you do it right." Hermione posed her idea.

"Given that magic and tech don't always mix, not right now." Mason countered. "But we can look into it. It'll be helpful if we have to do this again. Light up the birds, it's time to go home."

Harry laid down a light silencing charm over the ravine. It would fade in only a few minutes and all traces would be gone in a day, but it was more than enough to cover the whine of the helicopter's turbines winding up, spinning the rotors until they were nothing more than a blur.

Everyone boarded and packed their gear away, checking their surroundings for the last time before shutting the doors and lifting off on their return trip.

The pilots knew the route this time and made slightly better speed to the coast and made their way across the wide expanse of the Mediterranean sea and back to the naval vessel they had departed from only a few hours ago.

"We have just exited Libyan air space." Drake informed them. "Not much further now."

"Any problems?" Harry asked.

"Not yet, just a little tricky to maintain position with the lead chopper while running dark." Drake replied. "We should be getting a visual on the ship shortly."

BLARH BLARH BLARH BLARH BLARH BALRH BLARH

The helicopter was filled with alarms.

"Missile lock." The pilot shouted. "Someone has missile lock on us."

"We must have been spotted." Drake shouted back as he reached for the radio transmit button. "Mayday! Mayday! We are under missile lock!"

"Take evasive action." Mason's voice came back. "Home base respond. We are under attack."

The alarm sound changed.

"Incoming missile, repeat incoming missile. We are under fire. We are under fire." The pilot called into the radio. "Taking evasive action."

"Time to impact..." Drake studied the instruments. "Twenty seconds. It's using thermal, deploying flares. It's coming in on our 7 o'clock. It's from Libyan airspace."

Harry gritted his teeth. He had to protect everyone but he was trapped in a metal cage staring out at the darkened sea hunting for any clue as to where the treat was.

"Damn it." Harry swore as he loosened the reins on his magic.

"Calm down Harry." Susan gripped his arm. "You're magic is going wild."

"No it isn't." Harry's voice was almost unnaturally calm and focused.

His belt undid itself and his pack was stuck to the floor as Harry tore off the head-set. The side door opened and Harry, pulling his katana, stepped out.

"HAAAAARRRRYYYYY!" Susan's scream followed him until it was torn away in the rushing air.

Air is an interesting thing. For the most part we never think about it. We spend more time worrying about what we will eat or drink next. We can survive without water for days and without food for weeks.

But we stop breathing for but a few short minutes and it's all over for us.

We barely notice air. We don't really think much about wind either, unless it's heading towards gale force or beyond. Making the conscious connection that wind is just rapidly moving air is not something most people do. We know that simple fact, we just don't think about it.

Harry's ability to control the air around him and force it into speeds and densities that it gained such levels of solidity as to became a weapon was something he had been developing since the beginning of the summer. He had even adapted it to protect him as a shield against the dragon or to cushion him when falling. Now it used it a new way; his magic gathering and guiding the air, directed by his subconscious will, it gathered around and below him to support him in staying airborne.

Harry saw the helicopter rapidly receding as he hunted for the rocket plume of the missile. There it was, coming in from above. Harry cast a shield spell into its path and watched as it detonated well clear of the helicopter he was protecting.

Higher and further away, though closing at incredible speed, was the jet that had fired on them. A flare from its wing heralded the launch of a second missile.

Harry glared. He would protect his family.

He disillusioned himself and apparated into the missile's path. Wind wrapped around his sword blade and a single swing sliced off one of the guiding fins, sending it careening off course to explode in the sea.

A second apparation and a second swing saw one of the jet's wings suffering the same fate.

The jet tumbled through the air before the cockpit canopy blew off and the pilot ejected, leaving the stricken jet to meet the same fate as the second missile.

The roar of a second jet surprised Harry, from his previous position it had been hidden behind the first jet. It shot off a small distance before banking hard to circle the ejected pilot. The pilot was now suspended by his parachute and drifting slowing towards the water.

The second jet made a second pass before levelling off and continuing its pursuit of the helicopters. Harry frowned. He was glad he hadn't killed the first pilot but now he had another to pursue and hoped nothing went wrong.

Another apparation and Harry was in position to strike again but the jet veered away. Harry's heightened magical state meant he could feel the girls' presence, even at these distances, and knew the jet had turned to continue targeting their still evasive helicopter.

Harry's anger spiked again and he apparated much closer and his blade spun. This time his wind wrapped blade bit deep into the fuselage and he was jerked as the tail wing passed close enough to clip the storm of wind supporting and protecting him.

Flames burst from the side of the jet and the pilot was forced to eject. Just in time as the jet exploded in mid-air seconds later.

Harry watched as the second pilot's chute opened safely and relaxed a little. Light flooded from a ship distant behind him as it turned on its search light to find the downed pilots. With a nod Harry turned his attention to his own destination and apparated away.

He "reappeared" on the lower helipad of their ship, remaining disillusioned while he waited for the helicopters to catch up to him. It was only a few minutes but they were long tense ones before he could hear the beating of the main rotor blade coming closer.

Harry could only just make out their shadows in the night sky until he got blinded as their and the ships lights turned on for their landing.

Harry moved to the interior door so he'd be well clear of the landing helicopter. The large machine had barely settled on the deck before the door was flung open and the girls piled out.

"Harry?" Susan shouted. "Harry? Are you here?"

"Over here." Harry dropped the disillusionment charm and waved to them,

A second later he was buried in the arms and breasts of the four girls.

"Damn it Harry." Hannah grabbed him and glared into his eyes from an inch away. "Don't you dare scare us like that again! Watching you just step out like that was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen."

"I just about had a heart attack when you vanished." Tracy hauled him around to face her. "Now hold still while I make sure you didn't hurt yourself in you sheer idiocy."

"I'm fine." Harry tried to assure you but she refused to listen and carefully checked him over.

"Well, nothing immediately wrong, but as soon as we get back to school I'm stripping you naked and performing a more though examination."

"Damn, I'm getting really naughty thoughts now." Drake commented with a grin. "But you really need to be heading back now so flirt on your own time. Here's your gear, we just need to wait for the others."

A trio of thumps on the deck behind them got their attention in time to see Ginny, Daphne and Padma in their animagus forms briefly before they shifted back.

"Did you seriously jump out of you helicopter while it was in mid-flight?" Daphne snapped angrily.

"Uh. Umm. Sorry?" Harry glanced between the fiery anger of Ginny and Daphne.

But it was Padma who really shocked him. The shy girl had been holding back initially but now she summoned her courage and began to express her feelings. She punched him in the chest as hard as she could.

It didn't actually hurt, he was still in full body armour, but the act shocked him more. Tears were falling and she was too upset to even articulate her words.

"I'm sorry I scared you." Harry drew the girl into his arms to comfort her. "I just could risk any of you getting hurt. I didn't really know what I was going to do but I knew I had to do something. I knew I could do it as well. And I did, and I'm fine, so please relax. I'm truly sorry I scared you but I am always going to do everything I can to protect you. All of you. I'm never going to apologise or stop trying to protect you so don't bother asking."

"I know." Hermione made her presence known. "You've been like this since first year when you jumped on a troll to save me. At least you didn't get injured. But seriously? Taking on a jet fighter with what? Your bare hands?"

"Umm, my katana actually." Harry replied. "And there were two of them."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Voldemort, basilisks, dementors, dragons, Voldemort, and now a pair of fighter jets? Seriously, what's next? I'm mean how did you even hit them?"

"It was just a combination of apparation and lucky timing, but yeah, I'm a little worried about that myself." Harry admitted. "Riddle can probably find something pretty nasty to throw at me. And probably will if he doesn't think he can beat me personally."

"There is a fun thought." Susan shuddered.

"Discuss it later and we can come up with some contingency plans." Mason interrupted. "Right now you have a portkey to take. Get moving, we've got your gear."

"Sorry." Harry led the way to the room they arrived in and they gathered their gear together.

"Portkey, Tracy?" Harry looked over.

"Right here." Tracy pulled it out.

"Good. Everyone got your gear together?"

"Yes, Harry." The girls chorused.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alright then class, put your packs on and hold the portkey so we can start heading home."

That got the girls laughing, the tension broken. A minute later they were whisked away back to England.

!HPEaSE!

"YOU DID WHAT?" Amelia Bones bellowed.

Both M and Amelia were waiting for them when they returned to receive the goods, money and people they captured.

"You downed two Libyan fighters?" M was staring at him. "You 'got out' of a helicopter, mid-flight, and downed two fighter s. With a sword. How is that even possible?"

Harry shrugged. "I had to do something, they were firing missiles at us. I didn't really think about it, I just wrapped the wind around me and did it."

"Being detected by an aerial patrol was known risk." M stated. "That doesn't give you permission to try fencing with them. I trust they won't be able to prove who downed them?"

"I was disillusioned so they would have had no way of really seeing me." Harry answered.

"And any magical traces?"

"Well, they might fine some if they fly out there and look but otherwise it should be fine."

"Well, hearing what the Libyans say about this mess will be interesting." M sighed. "They'll probably blame it on the Americans. The report on the wreckage would be interesting to read though. Still, engaging a fighter jet in mid-flight with a sword shouldn't be possible, even for one as prone to breaking the rules as you are. Their speeds along should have made them impossible to hit and even if you did your sword should have torn from your hand at the very least."

"I've been practicing using the wind I can control as a weapon almost from the beginning." Harry explained. "I just made it much stronger than I do while training. The sword barely jerked as I hit those jets. As for hitting them in the first place, well, as fast as they are Apparation is faster; after that it's just timing."

"Your impressive feat aside, your mission was successful. You girls need a little more experience but you did passably well; none of you froze which is the most important thing. You're using your abilities to your best advantage and will continue to improve. Now, you all head back and get some rest. I'll let you know when you results of our interrogation are in. Good night to you all."

!HPEaSE!

Harry's bed was full again that night. Tracy had stripped everyone naked, including herself, to make sure there were no injuries. Padma was having a rough time of it until Harry held up the bed covers as a screen for her to hide behind. They were too tired for more than cleaning charms and now Padma was in some sleep wear and bundled up between Hermione and Tracy and six other naked bodies in the bed.

They didn't get as much sleep as they really needed and had to use pepper up potions to get through the following day but there were no awkward questions, no one seemed to have even noticed their International excursion.

The only public indication that they had done anything that night came in the form of a newspaper clipping Amelia had sent to Harry about the Libyan government complaining about the Americans shooting down two Mig-25 jet fighters. The Americans responded saying they didn't do it and the Egyptian government was complaining about the Libyans breaching their airspace.

Harry felt Luna summed it up the best. "Oops."

!HPEaSE!

Tracy was pondering something and needed some advice. Given the topic the advice she needed was probably more adult than the girls could probably provide and there was no way she could have this talk with her own parents.

"Harry, can I borrow the portkey to Hermione's house?"

"Sure Tracy. You know where it is." Harry glanced up from his work and smiled at her. "Anything wrong?"

"Nope." Tracy smiled back. "I just need to talk to Hermione's mother about something. I'll talk to you about it later."

"Okay."

One portkey ride later and Tracy tapped on the front door of the Granger's.

"Hello Tracy." Dan greeted her. "What's up?"

Tracy looked up, confused.

"What's going on?" Dan clarified. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Tracy blushed slightly. "I wanted to talk to Emily."

"Girl stuff?" Dan guessed as he moved aside to let her in. "She's in the lounge."

"Thanks." Tracy smiled brightly and bounced in. "Umm, is she alone there?"

Dan chuckled. "Yes, I'll be in the study."

Tracy vanished into the lounge.

"Hello Tracy." Emily looked up from her magazine. "Why are you here?"

"To talk to you actually. I need some advice and you're the best person to talk to. What are you reading?"

"Dental journal." Emily showed her the cover. "Just keeping up on things. What did you want to talk about?"

"This." Tracy pulled out the book she was hiding.

"The karma sutra. It's 'that' sort of discussion." Emily nodded. "What did you want to try?"

"Ummm..." Tracy opened the book to a page nearing the end. "This."

"Oh." Emily only needed to glance at the page. "I suppose that won't trigger the permanent part of your oath."

"I'm pretty sure it won't, though it wouldn't really bother me if it did." Tracy nodded. "I want to do something really special with Harry that none of the others have done and Hermione suggested we explore or own bodies to better understand what we like and I found I like this and I've been hanging around Hermione too long if I'm saying all this in one breath."

Emily smiled and hid a laugh. "Slow down and breathe. As it happens I do know what you'll need. I should be about to get it in the next couple of days."

"You've tried this?" Tracy was a little surprised.

"Occasionally. Not really my sort of thing but I can enjoy it if I'm in the right mood." Emily pointed to the closest seat. "Now, what you'll need to do..."

Tracy sat and listened intently. She really wanted both herself and Harry to enjoy this as much as possible and this was advice she could never ask her own parents.

!HPEaSE!

Tracy made one more trip to Hermione's to get the items Emily had bought for her and a quick discussion on using them.

The next step was to ensure her private evening with Harry and prepare the room. While she had been a little disappointed that her first time showing her naked body to Harry had been for medical reasons after their Libyan mission as she checked herself with the same level of detail as the others, it made the next step easier; she started her evening with Harry in the shower. From there she found out first hand just how good he was with his hands and tongue as he first washed her gently then knelt before her and pleasured her.

Now it was his turn to be pleasured. Hopefully.

"You want to do what?" Harry looked at the indicated page.

"You don't mind to you?" Tracy forgot this bit. Harry was still Harry; unsure and nervous when it came to new levels of intimacy. "I really want to try this and I think you'll enjoy it too."

Harry eyed the book cautiously. "Umm."

Tracy held her breath.

"Okay. If you're sure. It won't hurt you right?"

"Not if we do it right. I came fully prepared." Tracy relaxed and added coyly. "I'd like your help though, if you want to."

Harry's eyes shot wide. "You want me to touch you 'there'? I haven't touched anyone there."

"I know. That's one of the reasons why I picked this." Tracy pointed out. "The other reasons are that I wanted a first time we can both share; I really think I'll enjoy it and I hope you do too."

"Okay." Harry relented. "What do I do?"

"We start with your fingers. You need to relax me and then loosen me up. We have condoms so you don't need to worry about that and I have a special lubricate to help things along."

"Anything else?"

"You can kiss me lots while you do so..." Tracy tempted him. "You need to get me nice and relaxed and that's a good way to do it."

"I think I can help you there." Harry leant in and captured her lips with his own.

Tracy always enjoyed Harry's kisses and as he moved his attention to her breasts as well she found her entire body relaxing to his gentle ministrations.

It didn't take long for her to be ready but she kept that to herself for a while, she was enjoying his touch and kisses too much to just stop.

"Okay Harry, time to shift." Tracy pulled back.

Harry nodded and shifted. Tracy pushed him flat and straddled him. A minute later Harry's member was hard, encased in a condom, lubricated and poised at Tracy's entrance.

"You don't have to do this." Harry told her.

"I know. I want to do this." Tracy replied and lowered herself on to him.

She gently began applying pressure and felt him gently stretching her rear pleasurably. She squeaked a little in surprise as the head of his shaft suddenly popped inside but the lusty grin that followed assured Harry she was okay.

Tracy moaned in pleasure as she slowly slid down his length. "Oh wow, this is better than I could have hoped for. How's it for you?"

"You feel really tight, but in a good way." Harry paused as his breathing hitched at the sensations he was feeling. "You're incredibly hot too."

"Good." Tracy began wriggling slightly to increase their enjoyment and help him reach deeper penetration.

It seemed to take ages until her weight was resting fully on his thighs.

"Oh, this is wonderful." Tracy pulled him up into her arms to kiss him hard.

"Yeah. I can't believe you wanted to do this." Harry replied.

"Complaining?"

"Not on your life."

Tracy laughed as the intensity of his denial.

"Oh. That works."

"Huh?" Tracy pulled back a little.

"When you laugh, your muscles down there contract." Harry explained. "It's kind of nice."

"So you want me to laugh more? How are you going to manage that?"

"Well..." Harry began tickling her sides.

"Nonono, stop stop stop." She dissolved into shrieks of laughter.

Harry stopped after a minute and buried his face between her breasts playfully as he held her close. Tracy wrapped her arms around him and sighed as she calmed down.

"I love you Harry. You are every bit as wonderful as I could have wished my husband to be and more." Tracy cradled his head. "Let me stay with you always."

"Even though I can't give you all the attention you deserve?" Harry whispered. "Even though you'll be sharing me with the others."

"Even with all that." Tracy pushed him back enough to kiss him passionately. "Even with so many others to care for I never feel left out or lacking in attention. And Hermione's birthday proved that having everyone around can be fun too. I want you Harry. I want to be with you."

"Then welcome to the family, I guess." Harry smiled up at her tentatively.

"Thank you." Tracy smiled back. "It feels good to be home. Now, let's see if we can feel better together."

With that Tracy began moving, gently experimenting to find the best rhythm and angle to maximise their joint pleasure.

Their lovemaking came to an abrupt end as Harry's hard presence vanished and Tracy, in mid movement, fell onto Harry due to lack of resistance.

"Huh? What happened?" Tracy looked him over, saw he was back in his female form and pouted. "Where'd it go?"

"Sorry. It was feeling so good and then I lost control of my transformation." Harry slumped.

"Oh well. You'll need to work on that." Tracy grinned lustily. "And I think we are both going to enjoy it a lot. Now, just let me clean us up. I think you left something behind when you came out."

Harry turned bright red. "Sorry."

Tracy shrugged. "It's no big deal. Just let me get my wand and it'll all be sorted in a second."

A few waves of her wand and she was settling back into his arms. "All done. Now, you've left me feeling rather... unfinished..."

Harry pushed her on to her back and rolled next to her, sliding his hand across her breasts, down her stomach and between her thighs.

"Oh, yes. That'll work." Tracy sighed as she unconsciously spread her legs for him. "I'll have to learn how to do this for you too."

"I'd like that."

"Good. I'll get Hermione to show me after this."

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, I saw her teaching Susan and Ginny on her birthday and it looked fun. Now, less talk more action." Tracy let Harry's fingers work their magic.

!HPEaSE!

Hermione was reading in Harry's common room with Ginny when Tracy poked her head out of Harry's bedroom.

"Oh, hi Tracy. Everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I just need you to show me how to pleasure Harry. Do you mind?"

"Not as long as I get some fun too." Hermione replied.

"Sure. Harry's already worked his magic on me a few times." Tracy grinned.

Hermione set her book down and bounced up.

"Coming Ginny?" Tracy asked as she opened the door wider to let the Gryffindor in.

"You don't mind?" Ginny perked up.

"Of course not. We have to be fair about this if we are all going to share him."

Ginny beamed and ran over. "Thanks."

"Besides, I think you'll be the one teaching Daphne. She's a bit of a perfectionist at times so you'd better practise now while you can."

Ginny giggled. "Yeah."

Tracy caught her arm and pulled the younger girl into a strong hug. "Thanks for being such a good friend to her and seeing how great she is. Not many people can see past her icy exterior or large boobs."

"Thank Harry. He's the one who helped her open up." Ginny told her. "But it's not hard being her friend. She is great to be around."

Tracy nodded happily and pulled Ginny inside the bedroom and shut the door.

"Anal?" Hermione had noticed the still open, and totally forgotten, book on the edge of the bed. "Thinking of being adventurous?"

"No, we've done that already, really enjoyable too." Tracy replied happily. "We really need to work on Harry's ability to hold his male form under extreme pleasure though; he lost control of his transformation early."

Hermione blinked in shock, speechless.

"Come on." Tracy teased, happy to have shocked her. "You're wearing too many clothes."

Ginny picked up the book to figure out what they were talking about. She blinked a few times as her brain struggled to comprehend the concept before the book fell from her fingers and she stared at the Slytherin girl. "Seriously? You did this? And enjoyed it?"

"Very much so." Tracy gushed. "I think I'll be doing this a lot with Harry."

Ginny looked at her dubiously.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Tracy told her. "But don't look down on it because you're not sure. I really liked doing that with Harry."

"It's a good idea, beyond pleasure." Hermione commented. "Harry does need more practise holding his male form during sex. I know that from giving him oral sex a few times. Anal would be another good way for him to practise. That you enjoy it doesn't hurt either."

"Nope." Tracy smiled. "Those will be some very enjoyable practise sessions. But now show me what to do."

Hermione nodded and quickly stripped down. "Cat got your tongue Harry? You've been very quiet beyond greeting us."

"I wasn't sure about getting in the middle of your girl talk." Harry admitted. "But I enjoy both methods of practise and would like to work on them more."

Hermione laughed. "Good, but not tonight. I'll give Tracy oral lessons in the morning, for now its touch. Ginny, you can jump him first if you want while I help Tracy."

Ginny had stripped as well and bounced onto Harry. "Thank you. I'll try and leave something for you."

"You'd better or I'll jump you." Hermione gave the younger girl a playful swat on her butt.

Ginny laughed before capturing Harry's lips with her own.

!HPEaSE!

The girls seemed to be finding a routine. Hermione and Ginny were pretty much a permanent fixture in his bed but he had plenty of visitors. Susan, Hannah and Tracy took turns having time alone with him. Love making was definitely on the menu for all of the girls but they also took the time to just be with him, talking, snuggling and generally having fun. Only Daphne and Padma hadn't taken that step to greater intimacy.

As such it was these two girls that got to share what little free time he had during the day, taking turns to walk the grounds or along the lakeshore. The arrangement worked our surprisingly well and Harry enjoyed his time walking with either the shy Ravenclaw or the strong Slytherin.

It was Padma who was holding his hand as they looked out over the lake today. She had become much more relaxed around him and more animated for it. She had even stared broaching more intimate topics since Hermione's birthday. She had made it very clear that she would only indulge in such things with her husband, and equally clear that she wanted it to be Harry who filled that roll.

"We have until after we graduate, there is no rush." Harry reminded her.

"I know, and not having a close deadline has taken the pressure off and allowed me to progress at a pace I've been comfortable with." Padma answered. "The problem was that the more I got to know you the more I liked you and wanted to be closer to you. Love was never something I expected, but I always hoped for it. I've found it with you and I want to keep it. I could marry you tomorrow and not have any doubts or regrets, our time together merely reinforces that."

"Wow." Harry fell silent for a minute.

"You still doubt your own worth, don't you?" Padma stepped around in front of him.

"Seven girls." Harry sighed. "Seven. I wondered if I would get one girl. My only date before this summer was a disaster and I don't need to tell you how bad the Yule Ball was."

Padma giggled. "No, you don't. The problem there was that you didn't want to be there and didn't know how to dance, and therefore couldn't enjoy it. And you took Ron Weasley's lead far too much instead of making and owning your own decisions. If Ron had been a proper date to me then you would have done better with my sister, although I think we would have done better to have swapped dates."

"Not that we knew that then."

"True, but if you had been more independent from Ron then you would probably have ended up dancing with the both of us and we would have learnt that sooner." Padma shrugged. "But hindsight is a wonderful thing."

"Have I taken my own path, or am I following you girls instead of Ron?"

Padma stopped to formulate her answer properly. "Yes you have. You started your martial arts training on your own. We had no input into that. Your training with The Assessor is yours alone as well. Your study over the summer was guided by us but in response to your needs and abilities. We didn't push you into doing what we wanted, we just supported you in trying to better yourself. As you did for us."

Harry nodded. "You're right. Following Ron was the path of least resistance, whereas with you I'm challenged and encouraged to excel on my chosen path. Thank you, I see the difference now."

"Good." Padma beamed and gently tugged him to start them walking again.

"Can I ask an odd question without panicking you?" Harry spoke tentatively.

"You can try." Padma paused. "Should I sit down first?"

"That might be for the best." Harry admitted. "I know this should be put to everyone but I think I want your impression first."

"Okay." Padma smoothed her skirt and robes as she sat. "I'm ready."

"When should we get married?"

Padma blinked. "Um... a proposal might be nice first."

"I know that much." Harry grumped. "It's just, this bond we had. It's proven useful on occasion so far and my understanding is that it'll be much stronger after we... you know... complete the bond."

Padma nodded, blushing slightly.

"I just had the thought that we might need it." Harry paused. "I know that isn't the most romantic reason, but if it keep us safer then I'm going to consider it."

"And fair enough." Padma now understood Harry's thought pattern, though she should have realised it sooner. "I suppose it is something to consider. I have already chosen to remain with you and have had no reason to doubt my decision. Whatever happens I believe my best, and happiest, path in life will be by your side. With that in mind then I have no real reason to wait. We are old enough to marry, there is little chance of my father going back on the deal but the less opportunity we give him the better. Getting married now is a viable option. What sort of ceremony would you like?"

"I honestly have no idea." Harry admitted. "I think about us as a family rather than the actual ceremony. I think it might be best if you each choose a ceremony that will make you happy. But please nothing too big, seven giant weddings would be just too much for me."

Padma giggled. "Yes. One wedding could be big but seven of them would just spoil everything. I like the idea of personal intimate weddings for each of us, with a day or two just to ourselves as a honeymoon. Once the war is over you can take all of us on one giant honeymoon for a few months."

"When the war is over I'd love to take a really long holiday and see the world." Harry looked far into the distance. "I've seen so much and yet so little at the same time. I'd like to see the good things in the world, instead of just the darkness and dangers."

"I think that would be a wonderful thing." Padma hugged him gently. "I could show you places from my ancestral country."

"That'd be nice." Harry gave her a hug back.

"New topic." Padma pulled back and got them walking again. "We'll need everyone to discuss this, and I've a few things I need to research too."

"Oh?"

"Well, if we want to maximise the effect of the bond then we need to know if there is anything special, beyond the potion, that we should consider about the... consummation."

"Right." Harry frowned. "Why do I have the feeling that conversation is going to get very unusual."

"Probably because it's likely to involve us losing our virginity in front of each other."

"Yep, that would do it."

!HPEaSE!

"Oh good, you're all here." Padma nodded as she saw the other girls in Harry's common room.

"Did you want to discuss something?" Hermione looked up from her books.

"Yes, our weddings to Harry."

That had everyone's full attentions.

"Harry proposed?" Ginny was rapidly looking between the pair.

"Not exactly." Harry flushed in embarrassment at all the attention.

"No." Padma went on to explain Harry's thought and reasoning.

"He definitely makes a valid point." Daphne admitted. "It's saved me once already."

"Yes." Hermione agreed. "We are noticing the effects of the bond now, mostly unconsciously but consciously on occasion as well. A strengthened and completed bond could be the edge we need to get through this war."

"Not very romantic though." Susan sighed. "But you are right. We've all basically decided to stay with Harry right? If that's the case then why delay the inevitable when we could gain so much."

"Are there any laws we need to consider?" Hermione asked. "I know I'd need parental consent in the non-magical world. What do the magical laws say?"

"We have a magical bond already and agreements from our parents to see what comes." Daphne said after minute of thought. "I can't think of any. Susan?"

"No, neither can I." Susan paused. "But we do need to plan this out, and can we please try to make this special. We can't let this Morgana damned war ruin all of our dreams of romance."

"I agree." Hannah stated. "Harry, you are going to have to try and make this special for us."

"Yes, nice proposals, nice weddings." Tracy nodded. "If this is the plan you are proposing, then you need to step up for our sake."

"Okay." Harry nodded. "We have to work out our timeframes though. If we plan on ending this war I want it to be on our terms not Riddle's."

"Well, if Padma isn't going to take any additional steps in intimacy until after her wedding then you are only waiting on me to take that step." Daphne mused. "I was going to wait until Christmas but I can do what I want earlier and it will still be just as special."

"I'm glad to hear it." Harry smiled at her. "Padma also said she needs to make sure of a few things first as well."

"The potion and the consummation." Padma elucidated.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "What she said. With the weddings, well, to be honest I wouldn't have a clue. I sort of thought that if you each planned a small wedding, as close to how you would want it as you can while still keeping it discrete, then you can each have your own day. And I think after seven weddings we are going to be done for a while."

"True." Ginny shuddered. "Imagine seven large weddings? That would be way too much."

"Fair point." Daphne nodded. "Smaller weddings won't overload us too much and we can make it very personal."

"And if we want a big wedding we can do a joint one after the war." Hannah suggested. "Score some political points while we're at it."

"Good idea." Susan nodded. "That will cover things nicely."

"I'll let you put some thought into what you'd want." Harry smiled. "As for the proposals, I will do my very best to make them special for each of you."

"I'm sure you will do fine." Tracy smiled at him warmly. "What about the potion, Padma?"

"I'll just do a final double check, but it shouldn't take too long to make. The only challenge will be to get our virginal blood for it." Padma looked hesitant at the last.

"I've a plan for that." Hermione spoke up. "I just need to talk to my mother. And I think we can get Harry to do it for you without him seeing anything you don't want him too."

"Thanks." Padma looked relieved. "I know it's odd, planning on marrying him and not being willing to let he see me."

"Padma, it's fine." Harry gave her a hug. "I'm sure Hermione has found us the best compromise possible."

Padma nodded and relaxed.

"So, we have a consensus?" Harry looked around at their faces.

"I think we do." Hermione replied after her own look. "But what about Ginny? She's not going to be sixteen until August next year."

"I suppose I can go last." Ginny slumped.

"We'll make sure it's still very special for you Ginny." Daphne gave the younger girl a hug to cheer her up.

"Umm, we never did tell Mr and Mrs Weasley about the Oath and our bond, did we?" Harry pondered.

There was a stunned silence.

"No." Ginny realised. "When we found out I was angry with Mum, and then when we got on better terms I forgot to mention it. Mum is really going to yell at me."

"We'll deal with it. It might be for the best to talk to Mr Weasley first and get him on our side first though." Harry suggested.

"Nice plan Harry, I'll go with you." Ginny smiled. "Just let me know when."

"Thanks. I will." Harry smiled back.

"So that just leaves Daphne's night with Harry." Tracy gave her friend a lusty look.

"I'll let you know when I plan on taking that step. Afterwards." Daphne added. "We can plan on taking the potion just after that."

"Good." Luna finally spoke up. "Congratulations to you all on your forthcoming weddings."

Luna bounced out of her seat and hugged Harry hard. "Congrats on getting married sis."

"Thanks, Luna." Harry hugged her back.

"And if anyone needs a bridesmaid..." Luna left the statement hanging as the others laughed.