Chapter 22
Harry sat at his 'birthday breakfast' and thought this was easily the best birthday he'd ever had, celebrations were very informal with the marriage blessing arranged for this afternoon containing quite enough formality for everyone involved.
His presents were mostly in the form of novelty gifts though pride of place went to a beautiful hand made chess set where he and Hermione were the King and Queen, Luna and Neville the bishops, who else but Sirius and Remus as the Hippogriff riding knights with mum and dad as the rooks. The white pawns were uniformed Dobby's with the addition of a WWII GI helmet and machine gun but the poor blacks had to settle for a row of Cornelius Fudges as their first line of defence. The black's had Dumbledore as King, Voldemort as his 'Queen' Lucius Malfoy and Snape were the bishops, Vernon and Marge Dursley were the ostrich riding knights while the rooks were represented by a couple of dementors.
Mum and dad had crafted the pieces while Remus and Sirius handled all the charm work, as a gift it was beautiful, thoughtful and priceless but as a chess set it was a dead loss.
This was for two reasons; the battle animations between the pieces had everyone in stitches of laughter – watching Snape's arms fall off while Dumbledore rushed to pick them up for his friend had Harry struggling for breath he was laughing so much. Malfoy would sneer at the opposing piece then wet himself and walk off embarrassed while the Dursleys caused their ostrich legs to buckle under the weigh of their obese passengers and had to be carried off the board by the cursing siblings. Dumbledore would offer a lemon drop while using his other hand to try and sneak curses in while Voldemort seemed to have been based on every bad drag queen cliché imaginable, right down to his snake – a feather boa. Cornelius tried to bullshit every piece he came up against whereas Dobby was deadly with his machine gun, Emma's piece was equipped with her pump action but her aim seemed off with every shot catching the black character in the groin.
The main reason it was useless as a serious chess set is that the whole thing was charmed so black could never win, if Luna was in trouble Neville would appear and rip the black piece in two while none could get within three squares of Hermione.
Harry was touched by the thought and skill that had went into the creation of the gift but it was the idea behind it that he treasured most; the dark side couldn't harm any of them.
Hermione's present had confused him, it was apparently the latest product in the illegal Harry Potter gift range, an 'I've slept with Harry Potter' t-shirt. All became clear when he saw his wife's apparel, she had the same colour t-shirt with 'so have I' emblazed across it's chest while the back bore the legend 'there can be only ONE'.
Dad was howling with laughter when he saw it as this was supposedly from his favourite movie though Harry wasn't sure how 'Dirty Harry' featured in it. His mug from Joan bearing the message 'Worlds Best Dad' almost had him in tears, as did receiving cards from every orphan old enough to hold a crayon.
He and Hermione had spoken quietly to Gillian about their concern that some of the children might be jealous over their adoption of Joan, she was able to dispel most of their worries with the fact that all of the children were now staying here and their futures had never been so bright thanks to them. She was quite sure some of the children wished it was he or she that had been adopted but they were mostly used to the process by now and their quality of life had improved beyond recognition, Jillian joked that things were now so good ordinary kids would be starting to disown their parents to become orphans and be placed here.
Neville watched his best friend baulk at all the attention and had a smile on his lips from knowing exactly how he felt; his birthday dinner last night had put him in the spotlight. Neville's smile had been a permanent fixture since that dinner when he had diverted the attention away from himself towards the beautiful angel by his side. Luna had stayed with him the night they discovered Bellatrix had escaped and he'd returned the favour after their fight with the bitch, they had done nothing more than cling to each other and taking comfort from the fact they weren't alone anymore.
He had approached his grandmother and Luna's father before his birthday, both of whom had been delighted and had beaming smiles as he knelt in front of the girl he loved more than life itself and asked her to be his betrothed in the middle of dinner. Neville had heard all the quips in the boy's dorms about 'playing the field' and having 'practice girlfriends' but that wasn't for him, he knew exactly what he wanted and his blond angel sitting next to him was it. When she had very quickly said 'yes' the cheering around the table was almost loud enough to be heard in Hogwarts and it was followed by much hugging and kissing with even Minerva having unshed tears in her eyes.
An observer could be forgiven for thinking that the old loony Luna Lovegood had made a return from the spaced-out demeanour she was currently projecting but nothing could be further from the truth, her gaze continually shifted from the ring she was wearing on her finger, to the powerful young wizard beside her who put it there then across to her friends who helped make it all possible.
Hermione had started a chain of events in a certain Hogwarts corridor that even now the young blond had trouble believing, though having them vouch for Neville's character had helped her trust the instant feelings she had for him. Hearing they were together in the other timeline had also helped remove any doubts there might have been, she was positive that she wanted to be Mrs Neville Longbottom and the ring on her finger shouted to the world that Neville wanted this as well.
Luna's journey from friendless, bullied, loony Lovegood to betrothed with a brother and sister who all had so much belief in her they literally put their lives in her hands astonished even her. She had felt terrible as the reality of that responsibility was brought crashing home in the fight at Grimmauld Place, Neville had held her close all night after it and explained that there was no one they trusted more to keep them safe than her. The rest of the team had played it's part as after her first salvo they never had another curse fired at them as the bitch was too busy trying to save her death eater arse. Only Dan's bullet had accidentally saved her from the reductors that Harry and Hermione had fired and Neville's clipped her as she ran away through the 'hole' she created.
Luna was jolted out of her daydreaming when she saw Harry tearing up at receiving his mug from Joan, her new niece, and remembered Hermione's whispered remark from last night. They had agreed with dad and gran to wait until they graduated before marrying but Hermione had whispered that at the Institute they would be presenting students for their exams when they were ready for them, not when age decided they should. If ever there was an incentive to study for exams then Neville and Luna had just been handed it. She was aware her betrothed would never claim his head of house status as long as his father drew breath, what Luna was unaware of was the fact that Harry had Poppy searching the magical world while Dan and Emma 'browsed the web' for any muggle treatments or doctors who could help the Longbottoms.
Luna watched as Harry went round every child who had made him a card and thanked them, ensuring that everyone of them knew they were invited this afternoon – her brother really was something else she thought proudly.
-oOoOo-
Harry couldn't remember a time in his life when he had predicted something so accurately, he and Neville could be standing there starkers and no one would even notice unless it was Luna or Hermione. They were standing on a deck that had been built on the beach with chairs containing the guests spread out in formation but leaving an aisle down the middle, Neville and he were waiting at the front but since the main attraction appeared at the back all eyes were facing that direction.
Harry couldn't fault them as he was doing the exact same thing himself, staring at the most beautiful sight he had ever seen and thanking Merlin she was his wife. Dad led her down towards them, followed by Luna, Ginny and Joan. Harry's mind was racing away with the emotion of the occasion and thinking about just how much she meant to him when he felt the calming hand of his brother squeeze his shoulder. "Easy there Harry, she's here and everyone's safe."
He realised his magic was flaring and could only nod his thanks to Neville, the symbolism of his wife walking towards him in her wedding dress smacked Harry like a bludger to the head. They were soul bound, loved each other more than words could say but the muggle raised part of him suddenly woke up to the fact that he and this wonderful young woman would be together for the rest of their lives.
Hermione was talking to him over their bond but she was trying very hard not to burst out laughing, her heroic husband who had fought Basilisk and dragon was falling to pieces at the sight of her in a white dress.
She was glad that their bond existed or the whole ceremony would have been a shambles, her husband was almost catatonic and she was quite literally putting words in his mouth. Hermione was battling to hold it together as the waves of love were being broadcast over their bond so it was a relieved Lady Potter when the clergy informed Harry he could kiss his bride, the real Harry Potter emerged as the man of action swept Hermione off her feet and proceeded to administer the kiss of their lives.
The glow that surrounded the kissing couple was so powerful the guests were having to shade their eyes as Harry poured his love for Hermione into the kiss, when they eventually finished he found his voice again, "I wanted to do that from the instant I laid eyes on you, holding off until given permission was extremely difficult."
He picked up Joan and turned to face everyone with his daughter in one arm and wife on the other, Neville beside him while Luna and Ginny were alongside Hermione. Harry looked to the crowd where mum and dad wore huge grins while the marauders were being given hankies from their girlfriends to dry their eyes, he couldn't help but wonder how he got so lucky.
-oOoOo-
Harry alertly glanced round the room making sure they hadn't missed anyone amongst the gun smoke, blood and gore while he wondered just how things could turn pear shape so quickly.
Their holiday had started off in Australia where their visit to the Sydney Opera House didn't go quite the way they planed, they loved the performance of 'The Pirates of Penzance' but Joan wanted to march right up to them and in her own style inform the cast that pretending to be an orphan was wrong. Harry had to explain to her that they said the same words every night and only acted as pirates while Hermione tried not to chuckle at the thought she had created a monster, Joan had wanted to kick their ankles since her mum told her that's what you do to bad people. They had to constantly remind themselves that their daughter had no concept of muggle culture and that her gran and granddad were probably the first she'd ever met.
There week in New Zealand led to their daughter discovering and falling totally in love with horse riding and wanting to take the pony home with her, Dan and Emma were confident that before too long there would be stables built at the institute.
In each of these countries they had spent time discovering as much information about the native magic lore as possible and visiting each magical village or street they could. Thus when they arrived in Argentina it was only natural that they would visit the magical section of Buenos Aires, as they passed through the bar that guarded the entrance Harry heard his name called and turned to be confronted by three of Voldemort's inner circle.
-oOoOo-
Lucius Malfoy was angry, not the anger of someone being in your parking space or eating the last piece of cake you wanted, this was an all-consuming disease that spread through every part of the death eater's body like a cancer. He had escaped to Argentina and bought himself a ten bedroom 'ranch' so wasn't exactly roughing it, the problems began after he had settled in and started to let his mind ponder just how he got into this position.
A chance meeting with Greg Goyle in Buenos Aires had Lucius reaching for his wand but Greg held his hands well away from his wand and said, "we need to talk."
Sitting with a bottle of firewhisky Greg then explained how he had met Antonin Dolohov who had the exact same problem as him, empty vault and a letter from the dark lord expressing his disappointment and promising retribution. Both death eaters had figured they'd been scammed and reckoned there were very few people who could pull it off, Lucius took some perverse pleasure when Greg told him that his name was top of the list of suspects but since he was here then Greg assumed that something similar had happened to him.
Lucius hated to confirm this but couldn't come up with another reason for being there, this also left the problem of just who did pull it off and, more importantly, what were they going to do about it. They're problem was lack of information and they agreed to meet the following week and invite Dolohov along, meanwhile they needed to learn as much as possible.
At the meeting the following week all their hopes and dreams of regaining their wealth, power and influence lay in tatters as the old newspaper in front of them had a picture of a dead George Grafton with the explanation of how the back of his head came to be missing. The changes in British law effectively handed each of them a death sentence should they ever return and without any gold to spread around the Wizengamot to fund a reversal they were basically exiled.
The three continued their weekly meetings and as time marched on only one name kept being associated with the changes happening in their homeland, Potter.
Lucius was at first so pleased he'd escaped with his life but was only now beginning to realise just how effectively they'd been duped, even Dumbledore couldn't have pulled this off so how could a teenage boy? His anger fuelled the hatred he felt for the brat until it became all consuming and the focus of all his endeavours, the fact that he was helpless to do anything about it only exacerbated the problem. The blond death eater was beginning to think it was effecting his mind as he could have swore Harry Potter just walked into the bar but that just couldn't be, as he recognised the mudblood he knew it had to be the brat and had shouted 'Potter!' before his brain had time to engage.
Harry and Hermione had researched Voldemort's memories to gain information on how the death eaters fought, their tactics of attacking the weakest member to force the others to try and shield them would certainly be used here. There problem was that they were in the middle of a bar, in a foreign country and had no idea how the locals would react, there were soon going to be bodies on the floor and how many was dependant on factors outside their control.
Harry started to speak as he felt mum and dad take up positions either side of him, there was no chance this situation would be resolved by talking but he was just trying to buy a few seconds for Joan to get behind him and Hermione's confirmation she had their backs.
"That's Lord Potter to you Lucius, so this is where you and you're murdering friends are hiding out from justice, Dolohov and Goyle have both been sentenced to death as have you Malfoy."
Dan's gun was in his hand as soon as he heard the name Dolohov, kind of hard to forget the name of the bastard who 'killed' your daughter, Emma also had her shotgun in hand but her target was the creep who set that monster on Hermione though she could now see how Draco became such a tosser.
The 'all set' from his wife over their bond told him their daughter was safe and she was guarding their backs, both Potters would have to protect the other three from curses and could already feel their magic coursing through their bodies getting ready to respond.
Lucius was beyond talking, his hatred combined with the firewhisky he'd consumed saw him stand straight up and fire the death curse at Harry's chest, when the green beam of light hit the young wizard and had no effect other than he now seemed to be glowing the whole bar held it's breath. A second later Lucius Malfoy was no more; the muggle hating death eater met his end through contamination of his blood. His blood was contaminated with whatever Remus put in those shells Emma was firing because the blond death eater's now not so pure blood was splattered everywhere as mum's torso shot had almost cut him in two.
Dolohov had the muggle bitch lined up with his favourite curse about to pass his lips when he suddenly didn't have any, he wasn't aware of this though as Dan's bullet hit him in the mouth and he was dead before he crumpled to the ground.
Goyle aimed the cruciatus curse at the little girl peering out from behind Potter, his only thought was her screams would hopefully distract them long enough for him to escape. Harry's seeker reflexes paid dividends though as his hand shot out in front of his daughter and caught the curse, that the bastard would try and hurt her ignited Harry's fury. Instead of draining the magic out of him Harry used the energy from the death curse to pour magic into the death eater and overloaded his magical core, Gregory Goyle Sr. exploded and covered everything in gore.
Goyle had actually hired two local wizards from the city's criminal elements as bodyguards but they were made sit at the other end of the bar so they couldn't overhear any conversations, they came at the group from behind but had totally dismissed Hermione as any threat. Both soon found themselves on the floor missing a limb each as the young Lady Potter let loose with two wandless reductors.
Harry was quite a sight, having survived two unforgivables and being splattered with bits of Goyle, he stood there with the power radiating off him and demanded, "Are we all finished yet? Anyone who waits till I clean myself off then comes forward to challenge us will seriously piss me off."
The thought of a seriously pissed off Potter was way too much for the clientele to deal with as they very carefully made their way out the bar.
A few personal cleaning charms later and Harry walked towards who he assumed was the bar owner, the man stood with both hands placed firmly palm down on the bar and didn't move a muscle as he attempted to be as unthreatening as possible.
Harry dropped a bag of gold on the counter, "sorry about the disturbance and mess, this will hopefully compensate you for any loss of business and pay for the cleaning. My family and I are here on holiday and our only objective was to see some sights, not look for trouble."
"Do not worry Lord Potter, the minister is my cousin and I will swear the truth that those men attacked you without provocation. If I could my lord, instead of the gold may I request a slight favour?"
That same night the sign outside had already been changed to 'Harry's Bar' with the picture of the owner standing with his arm around the young lord taking pride of place behind the counter. It was standing room only as news had spread of the 'battle of the bar' and the story was getting more outlandish with every telling, which wasn't hurting business in the slightest. Another chapter had been added to the boy who lived legend and the bar must have been the size of Hampden Park to accommodate all the witches and wizards who claimed to have witnessed the event.
-oOoOo-
It was a tired Ginny who made her way down to breakfast; she'd had the nightmare again last night. She never gets to see his face just the wrinkled old hands undressing her as she stands there helpless and alone, every night the hands get a bit further before she wakes up screaming. The dreams had been every night now for over two weeks and it wasn't coincidence that this coincided with Harry being away from the institute, Ginny had them before but never this frequent or severe. She was sure it was exactly like Hermione claims; she believed wholeheartedly that nothing bad could happen to her when Harry was here but the problem being he wasn't here.
Her friendship with the four was better than at any time but Harry would always be special in her eyes, he had saved her life twice now and she knew he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. She'd got over her fixation with the boy who lived only to find that the real Harry Potter was so much better and a bigger hero than ever. She felt her friendship with Harry pushed her to be so much more than Ginny Weasley ever could be, that he and Poppy were offering her a life she could only have dreamed of, instead of old men abusing her body.
She thought she must be still sleeping as the small missile that was Joan Potter targeted her, as they weren't due back for days yet.
"Aunt Ginny! Sorry we missed your birthday but I've got your present in my trunk and we had a great time up until the end."
Ginny now had the young witch in her arms and looked around for her parents but only Dan and Emma were there.
"Mum and Dad have gone to get your birthday present and I'm not supposed to tell you that."
Ginny couldn't help but laugh as she hugged her 'niece' "well I wont tell them if you don't." she spun round as a very familiar voice was heard behind her.
"Your aunt Ginny is very good at keeping secrets little one."
"BILL!"
Joan found herself still in her aunt Ginny's arms but now wrapped up with this stranger's as well and the little girl wasn't sure how to react, then she saw her mum and dad smiling and knew it was ok. She had stood and watched as that bad wizard had fired a curse at her only to see her daddy catch it in his bare hand and throw it straight back at him, Joan now believed her mother that nothing bad could happen to her when her daddy was there and he was here. She hadn't even been scared as she was in her protected bubble, surrounded by her family and nothing could hurt her there.
"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked.
Bill just smiled, "the official reason is that I'm spending the next week checking the Institute wards for Gringotts best customer, unofficially I'm here as a late birthday present to you from your friends over here."
Ginny put Joan down and rushed over to hug the Potters, "thanks you two, I really missed you."
Harry kissed her cheek, "happy birthday Gin and we're hoping talking to Bill can help you with these nightmares."
Ginny looked shocked that they would know about them but Hermione gave her a hug, "you're becoming a good friend Gin, and we do anything to help our friends."
Poppy was watching worriedly, she hoped her daughter understood why she had phoned Harry about the nightmares and it didn't hurt the mother / daughter trust they'd slowly been building. It was obvious to the healer that her dreams were getting stronger due to her saviour being on the other side of the world, her rational side was telling her she was perfectly safe but in her sleep that was no help. Speaking with her favourite brother should help her to see that treating children the way she had been was not normal behaviour nor something Bill approved of.
Poppy was sure it was her other brothers casual acceptance of the situation that compounded the trauma for her adopted daughter, Bill telling her they were wrong would hopefully break the cycle as she couldn't live with the Potters for the rest of her life – much as she'd like to. The healer was relived when her daughter glanced over and mouthed 'thanks mum,' this parent lark wasn't as easy as it looked but Poppy was loving every minute of it and taking the good with the bad.
Ginny whirled on the Potters, "please tell me you didn't cut your holiday short because of me?"
"No," answered Harry "we had a run in with some death eaters and it kind of spoiled the holiday mood so we came home. Lucius Malfoy finally paid for what he did to you last year."
Ginny couldn't help but throw her arms around him, "thank you Harry."
"It's actually mum you should be thanking, she was quick as lightning with that shotgun of hers."
She did as Harry suggested and hugged Emma Granger, "it's ok Ginny I've seen the Basilisk and remember Hermione was petrified too, he finally paid for his crimes against our family."
The breakfast table all wanted to here the details but Joan's, "my dad caught a curse aimed at me with his hand and threw it back at the bad wizard," had folk humouring her until Dan confirmed it.
The rest of the day was spent catching up with events though a phone call to a very pleased Amelia Bones confirmed the Argentinean ministry weren't even considering any charges and delighted to get rid of some vermin, they had enough criminals of their own to deal with without importing any from Britain.
The Potters were pooped and after a lazy day headed off to bed after dinner, it was Harry's turn to tuck Joan in and he could see his daughter had something on her mind. Joan was small for her age with long dark hair but it was her brilliant blue eyes that Harry thought were her best feature, like Hermione you could see the intelligence and thirst for knowledge behind them but what told him she was troubled was her nose. She had a beautiful button nose but when she was concentrating really hard or troubled about something Joan's nose would 'twitch', Harry and Hermione thought it was adorable and the cutest thing they'd ever seen and the fact that it gave him prior warning she was troubled about something didn't hurt either.
"What's bothering you love, you know we can talk about anything to us."
In one long burst Joan got it off her chest, "I'm sorry daddy, I know I was supposed to make myself small and not be peaking to see what was going on. I just knew I was safe but you had to do that to the nasty wizard and for that I'm sorry, I promise the next time I will curl into the smallest ball I can."
Harry hugged is daughter and kissed her forehead, "oh darling, I just hope there never is a next time but if he hadn't seen you he would have aimed at gran or granddad because they think they're helpless muggles."
Joan was chuckling, "they sure showed those bad wizards they're not helpless."
Her laugh was contagious and Harry joined her, "they sure did love, are you ok now?"
She hugged and kissed him as an affirmative before lying sleepily down, "goodnight dad, love you."
Harry tucked the covers round her neck before kissing his almost sleeping daughter, "we love you to, goodnight Joan."
Out on the terrace Dan and Emma were sitting with brandies in their hands as a nightcap when they were joined by Remus and Pomona, "are you two all right?" their werewolf friend asked.
It was Emma who answered, "actually Remus I'm fine which has got me slightly worried, I nearly cut a man in half with a shotgun and was sighted on the other when I saw Harry had it covered yet I feel no remorse at all. If you'd seen that bloody great snake beast Remus perhaps you would understand, it almost killed Hermione, Harry and Ginny and today the bastard who engineered the whole thing got better than he deserved. If I could have made it slow and painful I would have, does this make me a bad person Remus because I would do it again without a second's hesitation."
"If you're a bad person then there's no hope for any of us Emma, think back to that first night when the kids told you this was a war and you ended up in the thick of it just because your daughter loves Harry. You swore you didn't want to be helpless again and you have achieved that and more, the man you killed would have killed Harry and Dan, then taken his time over you, Hermione and Joan. I am classed by the British ministry as a dark creature but that bastard just wasn't human and didn't deserve to live, you have done a great service to the world in general today and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't an award coming your way for this."
"The only reward we want Remus is to see our family being able to live in relative peace, being in the thick of it was so much better than sitting waiting on a phone call to see if everyone's ok, I couldn't go back to doing that."
Pomona was listening to the conversation but thinking back on the last few weeks and the effect they could have on the rest of her life. When they had returned from London and the fight with that evil bitch she had been so relieved and, after dragging Remus to her room to tear a strip off him she ended up ripping his clothes off instead. Remus was still on an adrenalin high and his usual voice of reason was bludgeoned into silence by another emotion that took over as Pomona threw off her robes.
It was hours later when the doubt began to set in for both of them, Pomona was forty five to Remus's thirty six and although this was not a great difference especially in the magical world she hadn't exactly been fighting suitors of with a sharp stick. Pomona had resigned herself to a life similar to Poppy or Minerva and had thought she would be quite happy with that, now this gentle powerhouse of a man had changed her whole outlook on life and she knew her old one held no appeal now.
Remus on the other hand felt he had taken advantage of the situation having expected it to take months to reach this point, if at all. He planned on letting Pomona view his transformation next week before they even thought about taking this relationship any further, now it would kill him if she couldn't accept what he was.
Pomona happily said she wouldn't miss the event and hadn't treated her wizard any different before or since, she was far more worried about the event she missed the following week. Pomona hadn't been a virgin but could hardly be called experienced either and it had been years since she had been intimate with someone, Remus wasn't exactly thinking with his big head and the thought of contraception didn't even enter their minds. It was not what entered Pomona's mind that had her in such a tizzy, she was going to have a quiet word with Poppy tonight and didn't know what she was going to say to Remus if the quiet word gave the result she expected.
Therefore it was an emotional Pomona who answered Emma, "I couldn't agree more, sitting here knowing that you lot were going up against Bellatrix Lestrange was some of the worst time of my life and I'm not stupid, I know it's going to be Voldemort soon. I just wished I'd trained with you because being left behind is soul destroying. They say your mind thinks the worse case scenario but I can't think of anything worse than going against those two."
It was Dan who answered this time, "not going against them."
-oOoOo-
Ron Weasley was in the shower trying to remove grass stains from his butt cheeks and thinking to himself that he was finally getting a handle on this betrothal business. Millie's dad had promised him a new broom if he made his house Quidditch team and with Potter, Woods, Fred and George all leaving he thought he had a chance at it. He'd been flying for a few hours when Millie had appeared and was not pleased.
"Ronald, you have been ignoring me just so you can fly that stupid broom."
"Millie I want to become a professional Quidditch player and need to practice, this is for our future together."
This was also exactly the right thing to say as Millie's mood changed in a microsecond and she showed her betrothed how much she appreciated his efforts the only way she knew how, she pounced on her betrothed there and then.
Ron knew the Bulstrode's weren't Malfoy rich but they certainly weren't Weasley poor and he would be going to Hogwarts tomorrow as the first Weasley ever to attend with new robes and books. Since that day in the courtroom and his acceptance of his situation things had been looking up for Ron Weasley, he felt another hand begin helping to remove the grass stains which only confirmed his hypothesis that things were certainly looking up.
Chapter 23
Remus John Lupin sat drinking coffee on his balcony as the rising sun not only reflected off the gold band that adorned the ring finger of his left hand but the tears running down his cheeks as well. Remus had lived a hard life and, after many years of practice building his defences the werewolf practically never shed a tear. The difference here was that he had no defence whatsoever against tears of joy having only witnessed the phenomenon on others before now.
He had awoke this morning wrapped in his wife's arms with memories of their lovemaking still in the air, he gently left their bed and stood gazing in awe at this woman who was not only his wife but carrying their unborn son in her womb.
His tears had started then and now halfway through his coffee they still hadn't abated, it was then he felt her arms slip around his neck as she gently kissed his cheek while asking him if he was all right. Remus didn't know how to answer and found himself taking marriage advice from his fourteen-year-old married honouree nephew.
Harry had told him that no marriage could survive if based on lies as the four of them had sat down to a dinner, prepared by Dobby and Winky in this very house two days before their wedding. They had proceeded to tell Pomona everything that they had told Remus as he held his wife to be while she cried at what the fates held in store for people she loved.
Pomona had been hoping she could convince Remus that since he was going to be a married man and an expectant father he could be dissuaded from going along on any more 'missions'. Knowing the truth and the type of man her future husband was she realised it was impossible for him to abandon his post.
As Harry and Hermione were preparing to leave that night they hit the couple with one last shock by handing them the keys to the house as a wedding present. The house had five bedrooms and was one of six in a secluded cove overlooking the Mediterranean about fifty kilometres south of the Institute.
What Remus and Pomona didn't know was that the Potters owned all the houses in the cove and over the next few years their neighbours would include the Blacks, Longbottoms, Grangers and Potters.
The Italian ministry had a whole different attitude to the werewolf problem and treated the condition as an illness, marriage was actually encouraged as it meant that the sufferer would have support during their transformation. They had also looked extensively into children born to people carrying the disease and had yet to find a case of an affected child. It would seem the only way to propagate the species was by the transformed werewolf biting someone who wasn't one which explained why the compulsion to do so was so strong. The Italian ministry was trying to eradicate the disease with the use of wolfsbane to prevent any new sufferers being created, a decision that the werewolf population of the country gave it's wholehearted backing to.
It was an accumulation of these things that led to Pomona finding her husband of four days sitting with tears running down his cheeks.
He led his wife onto his knee and held her tight as he spoke, "I am so far beyond all right that it's scaring the living daylights out of me. What we have here is most peoples' dream but with my condition I couldn't even allow myself that luxury, the pain of knowing it could never be a reality was just too much to bear. Yet now we're married, sitting in our own home with our son growing happily inside you and today we go back to jobs we both love. I've had so little happiness in my life that it's all just a bit overwhelming sometimes."
Pomona kissed her husband, she had truthfully been worried about telling him she was pregnant but those concerns proved groundless, he had spun her through the air before stopping suddenly and sitting her on a chair. She was about to protest that she wasn't that fragile when Remus dropped to one knee and took out a ring, he'd apparently bought it days ago and was waiting on the right moment to pop the question. Their wedding had quickly followed and been a quiet affair at the institute before coming here for their work-shortened honeymoon.
She held her husband's face and stared directly into his eyes, "Remus you are a good man, a great husband and you'll be a wonderful father. I will do my best to let you know that you are loved every single day of our lives together, you also have an extended family that loves you very much and I'm delighted to be part of it."
Harry had welcomed her to the 'family' after their disclosures that night, finding out that the three of them choose her former house was probably the only good part of the full back story for the pregnant witch. Pomona thought this version of time was so much better and had received no arguments from the others at the table. She knew how close the eight were and now understood the reason why, they all shared a common goal that centred round Harry Potter and the demise of Voldemort.
She joked to Remus that maybe it was her hormones changing that were messing up his emotions, she was only half joking when she said he was welcome to the labour pains as well.
This cheered Remus up and he kissed her before suggesting breakfast, after all it wouldn't do for the headmistress to be late on the first day of school.
-oOoOo-
Draco was kissing his tearful girlfriend goodbye and promising to call her on his newly acquired mobile phone, he was a little taken aback that he could talk to Trish from hundreds of miles away with the muggle device. He had meet her parents who had taken an immediate liking to him and asked if he wanted to spend Christmas holidays with their family, Trish had explained he was an orphan who was attending a boarding school in Massachusetts on full scholarship.
Draco's original intention of using Trish as something to help the summer pass so he could get back to his own kind had quickly fallen apart with the realisation that she cared for him more than any of his friends or even his parents did. This muggle girl had been his constant companion all through the best summer of his life and he had no hesitation of accepting their offer for the Christmas holidays.
Draco didn't know if Trish was the one for him and quite frankly at the moment he didn't care, he was just going to take things as they come and enjoy his life as much as possible. He was certain of one thing though, if he and Trish did eventually split up it wouldn't be because she was a muggle. Draco had come to realize that it wasn't blood, birth or breeding but the person who counted.
With that Harry would consider the small fortune he had spent on the former Slytherin good value for money.
-oOoOo-
Ron Weasley marched onto the platform with Millie on his arm but more intent on displaying his new robes than his betrothed. Ron thought this could be a stellar year for him, no twins to prank him, no Potter or Granger to lead him into danger and he could almost feel his new broom under him when he took his rightful place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was prepared to be magnanimous and wait to next year before becoming team captain along with prefect.
The food at the feast had hardly time to give the red head indigestion before Dumbledore destroyed his dreams, it was bad enough Percy the prat was his head of house but no Quidditch – that was illegal surely.
Dumbles was giving this competition the hard sell and Ron's interest peaked at the phrase 'eternal glory' but it was the thousand-galleon prize that finally made him sit up and take notice, only to have it snatched away by an age limit that he couldn't meet. The explanation for this that the competition was extremely dangerous ended any and all interest Ron had of being a competitor, he slunk off to his dorm knowing he would be alone this year but hadn't reckoned on finding Millie waiting on him.
Albus was trying to present a calm exterior as he sat through the feast looking down on his domain but inside he was seething with anger at the very noticeable gaps in the house tables. That little bastard Potter, just who does the little shit think he is? He had tried to give the Tri-Wizard tournament a big build up but since most of the hall were ineligible and of those who were only one could take part in the minds of almost every student this in no way made up for the loss of a year's Quidditch.
He also had to try and placate Horace who was looking over the students like the head judge at a dog show and coming back with the result that there was little of pedigree here. Horace didn't give a shit about blood purity, influence and how he could get his hands on it was the potions professors stock in trade. He collected people like others acquired chocolate frog cards and set himself up as a self-styled favour broker with his 'commission' helping to fill his years with life's little luxuries.
Wood's gasp of horror at the no Quidditch announcement hadn't escaped the old wizard's notice either meaning another compulsion charm for the former team captain tonight, he would soon be up to a charm a day to keep the impetuous boy under his control.
It was a very disgruntled Hogwarts as the staff and students making their way to have a night's sleep before classes started in the morning, Millicent Bulstrode could probably lay claim to being the only happy person in the castle.
-oOoOo-
The contrast at the Potter Institute couldn't have been more pronounced with an almost party atmosphere prevailing between the students, staff and occupants of the orphanage. The only announcement that drew any dissent was when Pomona declared she was unable to teach potions, this was instantly forgotten as the deafening cheers greeted the news that the new Mrs Lupin was pregnant.
Sirius had been in a bit of a funk at dinner last night when Luna of all people pointed out the blindingly obvious, "Sirius we've only ever had Snape teach us potions so you don't exactly have a lot to live up to. I'm quite sure Joan would make a better teacher than the greasy git."
The small witch in question currently had Crookshanks on her knee with Hedwig perched on the back of her chair as both familiars vied for Joan's attention. "Who's the greasy git Snape?" she innocently asked.
"He was a teacher at Hogwarts who was also a bad wizard but your mother kicked his arse," Sirius replied jovially "I just wish I had been there to see it."
Joan seemed to think for a minute while making sure to stroke owl and Kneazle equally before asking, "why would they let a bad wizard teach at a school full of children?"
This earned her a kiss on the cheek from her dad, "told you she was smart, only eight and already she has a better grasp of the situation than Albus bloody Dumbledore."
It was finally Amber who got through to Sirius, "it's my first day teaching to, would you like to come up and we can compare lesson plans?"
Sirius almost choked gulping down coffee in his haste to assist his girlfriend while the rest of the company struggled to contain their laughter.
At the feast Seamus thought that all the coaching on girls from his big cousin over the summer was already paying dividends. He was sitting with his arm around an unprotesting Ginny, which, according to his cousin was the sign a girl wanted you to go a little further. He was keeping up his banal banter as his hand slowly made it's way down her shoulder before being attacked by a pitbull that was trying to pull his arm out it's socket. The Irish lad looked up into the very angry eyes of one Neville Longbottom, but this was not the Neville that he had shared a dorm with for three years. This was a Neville that had easily whipped Malfoy's arse and looked ready to do the same to him.
Neville didn't shout but there was no doubting the menace in his words, "move it or loose it, your choice but make it fast."
Seamus didn't like the second option so moved it as far away from Ginny as Neville's vice-like grip allowed, he was extremely relieved when Neville released his arm and gently led Ginny away.
The whole table had watched the byplay, which wasn't over as Luna took the now vacant seat, "you all heard what happened to Ginny at the end of last term?" nods of agreement allowed Luna to continue, "then you are all aware of what fate awaited her if Harry hadn't acted?" Visible tremors came from every female at the table.
"Ginny is having a hard time understanding how her former family could have done that to her and, even though she escaped her fate she still has nightmares over it."
"That's perfectly understandable," answered Daphne who'd spoken to Ginny at the open weekend and was appalled at the story.
"What Ginny needs now are friends, not morons trying to paw her." Her eyes were boring into Seamus who was defensively rubbing his arm.
"She should have said something then, and just what gives your boyfriend the right to grab me like that?"
"Ginny only trusts two boys, Harry and my Neville and they're both very protective of her. Neville showed great restraint with you, the auror that knocked me over had to spend two days in St Mungo's"
"What spell did he use?" A curious Daphne asked.
It was actually Susan who couldn't wait to answer after having the event described to her in great detail by her aunt, "Neville didn't use any spells, he took that auror apart with his bare hands before they got ready to take on the full department, the four of them put down ten aurors in six seconds."
There was silence at the table as they all looked towards Neville who had his arm round Ginny and was speaking to her.
Hannah just had to ask, "Em Luna, are you ok with your boyfriend having his arm around another girl like that?"
"Oh Neville's not my boyfriend," Luna exclaimed, deliberately drawing out the painful silence before putting them out of their misery, "Neville is my betrothed and Ginny is one of our best friends."
There were squeals from the girls present as demands were made to see the ring while all the boys silently and independently came to the decision that they wouldn't be laying a finger on Ginny Pomfrey.
Ginny was slowly calming down in the safety of Neville's embrace, she knew she should have told Seamus to piss off and that would have been the end of the matter but she had froze at his first touch. He had taken her silence as a green light to proceed to the next stage and only Neville's intervention had saved the situation from going any further, Seamus Finnigan feeling her up is not something she considered as desirable. It all came back to the two boys she trusted, Neville and Harry were men amongst boys who treated her as well as Bill and Charlie. She had come to the decision that any boy interested in her was going to have to match up to those standards, she couldn't see herself dating any time soon and that was just fine with Ginny Heather Pomfrey.
-oOoOo-
Bellatrix Lestrange found herself caring for her lord while the rat was away establishing if the Weasley boy had returned to Hogwarts, she also found herself questioning her life choices. Before the Potter brat her lord was handsome and charismatic but with powerful, influential and utterly ruthless added to the mix. His death eaters were the badest people on the planet and kicked arse almost unopposed.
She couldn't help but compare that to there current situation where this creature, a one-armed one-eared witch and a wizard whose greatest talent was turning into a rat was all they had. They had no money, power or influence and were reduced to robbing muggle stores at night for food and necessities.
What really worried her was this creature thought that as soon as he returned to a body people would once more be flocking to worship at his feet, from Wormtail's experience and her own encounter in the Black family manor she seriously doubted that was going to happen. Bella was often accused of not playing with a full deck and this was an image she cultivated because she was a very smart lady, her name struck terror into her opponents, which always gave her an edge in a fight.
The fight at Grimmauld Place had greatly affected the witch, she wasn't sure if it was being seriously outmatched for the first time ever or the fact that she lost her dark mark along with her arm but Bella was now looking at things differently and not liking what she was seeing.
Her time in Azkaban was bad but she suspected her master's ordeal was a lot worse and that great intellect was now the wrong side of insane, with the current political atmosphere sweeping the country they had nothing to offer potential new recruits.
Bones had made it crystal clear, possessing a dark mark was a death sentence and would also see your possessions seized, a high price to pay for being encouraged to rape and torture a few muggles. Her master was certain all he had to do was kill Harry Potter and the world would shudder at his name before paying homage to the greatest wizard who ever lived, Bella suspected that even if he managed the task Potter would become a martyr that would unite everyone against her master.
She was between the proverbial rock and a hard place but her options were severely limited, there was no place in Britain that was safe for Bella and she had no funds to go anywhere else. She was tied to this creature that used to be her master by the simple fact that she had no other options open to her, she just wished Wormtail would hurry up as the creature really freaked the pureblood out and it was becoming harder to hide these feelings.
-oOoOo-
Life at the Institute settled down and although everyone was working hard they were enjoying it, Sirius always had a flair for being the centre of attention and now he got to be that in front of his classes every day. He originally followed Pomona's lesson plans to the letter but as his confidence grew the new potions professor was starting to adapt them to suite his own inimitable style of teaching.
Sirius thought back to the conversation with his mother's portrait and how he had decided to get some direction into his life, well he now had a job he was growing to love, an extended family he really loved and a woman he absolutely adored. The only cloud on the horizon was their approaching clash with Voldemort, Sirius swore that when they defeated him and if he survived then he was definitely going to do a Moony and ask a Sprout to marry him.
A weekend in New York for Hermione's birthday was the highlight of September, with Joan, Neville, Luna, Ginny, mum and dad there as well they had a ball. A night out on Broadway to see "The Wizard of Oz" left Dan and Emma answering questions all evening and they thought this could be a great teaching exercise, to let the magically raised children see where most muggles perceptions of witches and wizards originated.
Everyone knew this was the calm before the storm but the first storm cloud was unexpected when it arrived. The last signature on the plea for help ensured Harry and Hermione couldn't ignore it; they arranged to meet with Pomona and Minerva to see what was possible.
The headmistress could sense something was troubling the young couple so asked right out what the problem was, the answer from Harry was totally unexpected but she also couldn't help but wince at the last name and vowed to help any way she could.
"I've received a plea for help from some students at Hogwarts, all have a Quidditch connection with me but claim the standards of teaching at Hogwarts have slipped so badly that they now fear for their exam results and are beseeching us to allow them to transfer here. Apparently potions is the only subject that has improved while Defence, Transfiguration, Charms and Herbology are all being taught by eighteen year olds who don't seem to be receiving any help from the headmaster. Oliver Wood's teaching is so erratic that they think he is under a spell and since I know he would never turn his back on a career in Quidditch to teach I have to agree with them. The problems are that they are all older than our current students and could we accept these six without opening floodgates that would see others applying as well. The names are Katie Bell, who's sitting her OWL's, sixth year's Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and Roger Davies with NEWT student Cedric Diggory."
Pomona knew the fate of Cedric in the last time line and, even though they had made many changes, the thought of getting one of her favourite students out of the tournament altogether was a powerful incentive.
Hermione had felt how much Cedric's death affected Harry and this was a golden opportunity to insure that couldn't happen again, it would also really piss Albus Dumbledore off to not only lose his best contestant but Angelina would have been a strong contender as well.
"I think we could quite easily handle the timetable aspect of it, with only six students having three different levels in one class wouldn't matter. They would still be taught their subjects better than Percy Weasley could manage; Albus has made these appointments with no regard to the education the students would receive. I really don't think Hogwarts is going to survive this," said Minerva.
Pomona had a worried expression on her face before Harry reassured her, "the Potter Institute will remain open and in Italy for many, many years, we are gradually moving out of Britain all together and would only ever consider returning if their laws fell into line with those we live under here. As it will probably take decades for that to happen we will only be visitors in our own country and are actually considering taking out Italian Citizenship."
This came as a great relief to Pomona as her husband and son would be sneered at in the current British wizarding society but she was still headmistress and had to make decisions based on that. "The biggest problem I can see is our library is currently only stocked with books up to OWL level, I know that was Hermione and Emma's priority but we could have a student taking his NEWT's this year."
"Mum and I are sorting through the other books and will have the library up to NEWT level by Christmas, Cedric could have a reusable portkey to Potter Manor Library which rivals Hogwarts and should contain anything he's looking for."
The nodding heads seemed to signal that everyone was happy with that idea so Harry pushed for a decision, "I think we really need to move quickly because if the old goat gets wind of this then his wand will be firing out obliviate spells quicker than mum's automatic pistol."
They all agreed to go for it but this brought out the other problem, the rest of Hogwarts wanting to transfer here. Again Harry solved the problem, "students wanting to leave Hogwarts for a better education is not our fault and with the orphanage based here we will be at full capacity. I agree with Minerva though, this could spell the beginning of the end for Hogwarts. They will have to fire Dumbledore, completely revamp the staff and syllabus then spend lots of gold on the castle improving facilities. Whether there is the political and financial backing to do that is again not our problem, I am hardly likely to donate gold to an institution that we are in direct competition with."
It hurt everyone in the room that the situation at Hogwarts had got so dire that closure seemed a real danger but they had responsibilities to the students who had signed up to attend the Institute and that had to take priority over sentimentality.
Harry phoned Amelia to do something he hated, asking for a favour. As he was also reporting a suspected crime and the favour was more administrative than anything else he was confident she would say yes.
-oOoOo-
The atmosphere inside Hogwarts was that of a wet weekend in Scunthorpe, there was no Quidditch, no house cup and the only thing worth commenting on was when Romilda Vane thought she would make a play for the new Ron Weasley in the great hall. Even that was over in seconds as Millicent Bulstrode snatched the girl up by her long dark hair and tossed the screaming witch the full length of the Gryffindor table. Professor prat aka Percy rushed over to officiate when Millicent just pointed at her betrothal ring and stared at her future brother-in-law daring the professor to try and punish her. A situation that McGonagall would have dealt with in seconds saw the new head of house back down from a fourteen-year-old witch, changed days in Hogwarts.
Therefore the arrival of the minister and head of the DMLE with the accompanying aurors made everyone sit up and take notice, a sense of anticipation swept through the hall as the five walked towards the head table.
It wasn't strictly necessary for Amelia to be here but she had invited herself along as any opportunity to stick it to Dumbledore was not to be missed in her book. Her years of being an auror meant it was second nature for her to automatically scan any room she entered and the great hall of Hogwarts was sending her signals that she didn't like.
The atmosphere seemed to be one mostly of depression and when she glanced at the top table it was immediately obvious where one of the problems lay, the kids were being taught by kids. She would have to talk to Harry about their agreement to take on Voldemort first as Albus was doing untold damage to their society with his blatant disregard to the educational needs of Hogwarts students.
She also couldn't help but notice Percy Weasley looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks and was beginning to lose his hair while Oliver Wood actually had a nervous tick at his left eye as the old fool sat on that ridiculous golden throne and ignored the fact that his world was collapsing down around his ears.
"Good afternoon minister, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Dumbledore barely kept the sarcasm out his voice.
Amelia on the other hand was all sweetness and light as she slipped the knife between Dumbledore's ribs, "oh we just popped in to let you know that your petition to have Igor Karkaroff, the Durmstrang headmaster given diplomatic immunity was unanimously rejected. Any death eater entering our country will face the same fate as the rest of their brethren – no exceptions."
Albus tried to bluster, "but surely as a visiting headmaster he should be shown the reverence that position deserves?"
Again Amelia kept her voice light as she twisted the knife, "the only head I know that deserves reverence is Headmistress Lupin who's doing a wonderful job and loved by her students, I know Susan thinks the world of her. The days of people carrying a dark mark being given respect are gone forever, they don't deserve anything but the veil of death which is exactly what awaits them should they set foot in Britain."
Amelia was delighted by the old goat's reaction as not only did her barb strike home but the news of a Mrs Lupin being Headmistress had shocked him to his core, now for phase two while he was off balance.
"We have received a worrying report from a concerned parent about a professor teaching here, Oliver Woods could you come down here a second please?" Amelia was still smiling and she hadn't even needed to lie, Harry was concerned and a parent as she watched the young man walk round the table towards them as Albus only now realised he should have protested.
The fifth member of their team was a healer from St Mungo's in auror robes who took less than thirty seconds to confirm that the young man was the victim of multiple compulsion charms, it was a wonder he was still functioning. A nod to Amelia and the healer used an St Mungo's emergency portkey to get them both to the wizarding hospital, these portkeys went out through all wards, as it wouldn't do to be injured and be unable to get to hospital until you were dragged outside your own protection wards.
Before Albus could say anything about the abduction of his defence professor Amelia delivered the final blow with a sickly sweet smile on her face, "just one final small point, the following students have asked for a transfer to the Potter Institute for Sorcery and Spells and have been accepted. Here are their forms signed by their parents and since I'm visiting Lord Potter this afternoon they can leave with us to save you any trouble with arrangements."
Shacklebolt had just stood back and admired his mentor's handling of the whole situation and she had impressed the hell out of him, her sweet smile hiding the vicious bitch underneath as she had just well and truly shafted the self styled 'leader of the light'. He knew that his own style would have ended in a confrontation while Amelia had even managed to insult the bastard and still remain smiling.
Albus looked like a volcano ready to blow it's top, he couldn't see a way around this and the bitch had even taken away his option to play for time. "I was unaware that Potter's school had the capability to put students through their exams."
"Oh you don't need to worry about that, Lord Potter provides the best facilities I've ever seen to his students and has some of the smartest and most experienced professors in Europe teaching there. Its only problem is size but when you aim to be the best there's nothing wrong with a bit of exclusivity, is there?"
Shack was having trouble holding his laughter in, not satisfied with shafting the old bugger, Amelia had just dropped his britches and spanked his arse in front of the whole school. This was absolutely priceless.
Dumbledore practically threw the forms at Percy before storming out the hall leaving the head of Gryffindor to read out the student's names.
The jubilation expressed by those leaving seemed to make the students left behind feel even worse, Cho Chang was in tears as her new boyfriend tried to console the beautiful witch.
"I'll talk to Harry for you, he's a really nice bloke" Cedric said as he held her in his arms.
She shook her head, "if I had been mean to him then he probably would have accepted an apology but I was terrible to someone he now apparently thinks of as his sister, he will never forgive that. I've made my bed and now need to lie in it but I'll miss you terribly."
He kissed her before saying, "I'll still talk to Harry, even if it's only a visit I'll get to see you somehow. We both know this place is going downhill fast and I've worked too hard to let my future be affected by professors who can't answer your questions because their knowledge is barely beyond mine."
"Father's already trying to get me into another school for next year but we'll manage to stay together somehow," she kissed the Hufflepuff before he had to leave.
-oOoOo-
Emma was alerted that something was going on by the decidedly female squeals of delight emanating from the terrace, she turned the corner to see her son being set upon by three beautiful witches. The only thing that kept her from interfering was the sight of Hermione standing laughing though she did notice her daughter had rather a tight hold on Joan who seemed ready to kick some ankles.
"Its ok, these are Harry's team mates and this happens after every game, usually because he's just caught the snitch and won it."
The three girls then descended on Hermione and were soon all fawning over the adorable Joan.
Harry then approached the three guys and shook their hands though Cedric asked him or a quick word, "Harry, I've just left a very emotional girlfriend behind…"
Harry cut him off before he could mention Cho by name, "I'm sorry Cedric but we had to make some serious adjustments just to let you six attend, we are at full capacity now and can't squeeze anyone else in. We currently have one wing set up for use as an orphanage until their new building is ready and just can't push the boat out any further no matter who it is."
Cedric had to accept that but asked if he could portkey into Hogsmead when the Hogwarts students were visiting, Harry didn't have a problem with that and even suggested his girlfriend might like to portkey to Italy for a visit. Naples had Hogsmead whipped from every conceivable angle.
While Brutus got the new students settled into rooms Amelia asked for a word with the Potters.
Shack, Tonks and Connie joined them as Dobby served refreshments while Amelia aired her concerns, "Harry I know we agreed to go after Voldemort first but Dumbledore is doing untold damage to the students and even staff at Hogwarts, I don't know how much longer I can continue to take no action."
Harry deliberated over his answer as he discussed the best way to handle this over the bond with his wife, head-on seemed to be the only option, "Amelia, can I ask what plans you have in place for Hogwarts once you remove it's headmaster?"
Amelia seemed taken aback by the question and glanced at Shack who just shrugged, "I had assumed that you and your staff would move back to Hogwarts, taking over the running of the castle." Even as the words left her mouth she realised the absurdity of that statement and was not in the least surprised by Hermione's answer.
"Amelia our intention was always to remain at the Institute, we agreed to take care of the Voldemort problem and think that is quite sufficient. Hogwarts has been discussed amongst the staff and us but you have to look at it from our point of view. Even with Voldemort and his followers gone the opinions that matter in magical Britain are almost exclusively purebloods. To them I'm a mudblood, Remus is a dark creature, and Pomona will be vilified for marrying him then don't even mention what their unborn son's treatment will be. My parent's could have ended up in Azkaban for protecting me while our wonderful daughter was continually overlooked because of her unknown blood status; Amber is a squib while Filius is of mixed race. Look at what we're creating here then ask yourselves why we would want to give this up to return to the pureblood bigotry of Britain."
The minister was beginning to realise the enormity of the problem in front of her, she was at heart an auror and had been concentrating on what she saw as the biggest threat to their society. It was just beginning to sink in that even total success in her objective would still leave their world in dire straights.
"Amelia I like you as a friend and even minister but please don't ask me to support something that actively encourages bigotry, every student at the Institute pays the same fees and every single item in the building was purchased locally with the same price being charged for everyone."
A bemused Tonks had no idea what Harry was alluding to and asked him to explain, when he did it made her blood boil.
"At our best guess the Grangers were being charged twelve times the fees of someone like Malfoy, they were also being charged extra for every item they bought in the alley as the pureblood families all get discounts. We are currently withholding printing this news as our priority has always been to take down Voldemort and we don't need this distracting us from that goal."
Amelia had become aware of this since becoming minister and Susan attending the Institute but the other three were furious.
"Does that mean my father would have been overcharged for me attending Hogwarts?" Tonks asked.
It was Hermione who answered, "As he is a muggle born the answer would almost certainly be yes but that's not even the worst of it, the curriculum at Hogwarts has been 'dumbed down' because the purebloods were struggling with the harder aspects and being continually out performed by people beneath their station. The OWL's and NEWT's sat here will be the more difficult European version."
This was news to Amelia who could only shake her head at the disaster waiting to happen she'd inherited from Fudge.
Harry summed their problem up nicely, "to get the best teachers and facilities costs a fair bit of gold, the purebloods wont pay the price as their children usually just trade on the family name for positions or to set up a suitable marriage. Without the rest of us in Britain to subsidise their lifestyle I don't see how it can continue, it won't happen overnight but if businesses continue to offer subsidies without the other customers there to offset losses then they won't be in business for long. We suspect Hogwarts may be amongst the first casualties and take no pleasure from that fact, the Institute is bursting at the seams and our only required entry qualification is that they don't support bigotry."
The four people who left the Institute to return to the British ministry all had a lot on their minds, none of them could fault the Potters for what they were doing. The purebloods had looked after their own interests for centuries so how could they complain when someone started taking care of the rest of the wizarding world? Each of them was also certain that there would be uproar when they found out what was happening, fair play was a fine ideal as long as you were the one that was winning and the purebloods wouldn't take this lying down.
-oOoOo-
Cho Chang was sitting in the Ravenclaw common room writing a letter to Cedric, the headmaster seemed to be trying to cheer them up by announcing a visit to Hogsmead on Halloween. The other schools would be arriving in two days and a feast was planned for that night, now the following day had a trip to Hogsmead and their traditional Halloween feast would be the precursor for choosing the champions. Cho couldn't care less; it was the thought of seeing Cedric in three days that had her smiling. All she could hope for was that Harry would allow him to come; spending Halloween in Hogsmead with Cedric would be so romantic.
-oOoOo-
Wormtail was for once a happy rat, as he made his way across the grounds heading for the forest to apparate back with the good news. The old fool had played right into their hands, it would be a much easier task to take the Weasley boy from Hogsmead than trying to spirit him out the castle. He was also happy that Granger's ugly Kneazle was no longer about, that beast nearly had him on more than one occasion. His master would have his new body on Halloween and Peter would love to see someone ask the Dark Lord to raise his sleeve, now that would be something worth watching and a change from him being on the receiving end of his masters wand.