Just a few authors' notes before we begin.

This is very AU indeed after the final book. However, this is my baby and we're in the world of fanfiction and we can get away with it, right?

So before we begin reading, there has to be some back story into this, right?

This is set in Present time with the Trio because of references. Told you, it's very AU. They are going into their Seventh year of Hogwarts, Ginny's Sixth. Moldyshorts (Voldemort) had been defeated in Fifth year after the Ministry fiasco. Yes, that means Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred and the many others did not die. There was swift justice towards the convicted Death Eaters—of course, Snape is still good and on the Light side.

Anyway, to prevent from giving too much away, I'll stop there.

And this is my one and only disclaimer and it implies to the whole of this story. Harry Potter and everything that contains inside the Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. This is simply a work of fanfiction in her honor.


I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kind of boring
Need something that I can confess
Till all my sleeves are stained red
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no, I've been on the brink, so
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that'll like those ears
Sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time
Don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics never jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

Secrets – One Republic


A lazy Saturday morning over swept the occupants of The Burrow. Not one person in the unique house dared to move an inch in the scorching heat. The owners of the house, respectfully called Mr. and Mrs Weasley, had entrusted the care of the house towards her children and daughter in law while they attended a meeting at Mr. Weasley's workplace of the Ministry of Magic.

Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's oldest son, had taken his wife of one year—Fleur—on a romantic walk around the orchard behind the house that morning and had yet to return home.

Charlie, the only person in the family that had taken up the most dangerous job of dragon tamer, had been placed on paid leave when a baby Hungarian Horntail had burnt his right arm. His arm still lay in a sling and he is expected to make a full recovery—but with the goading of his mother and father, had started on a new career path. He had been offered the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts after Hagrid had expressed his wish to find his birth mother and spend more time with the love of his life, Olympe, in France. Of course, he had accepted. His eyes were now glued towards his brothers Percy, Fred, and George, an amused expression on his face.

The three in question were now arguing at the kitchen table over decisions made in their recent years. Yes, Percy had been forgiven by his family for choosing his job over them, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still immune to the horrors of the Weasley Twins. He was now subjected to be their new guinea pig for their products in their own store—Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—a very successful joke shop in the middle of Diagon Alley.

And even so, the subject that they were arguing about had nothing to do about the specific three. It had to do with the visitors that were due at The Burrow that night.

"Why couldn't they just bunk in Ron's room again", an exasperated Percy Weasley let out, pushing the bridge of his glasses past his nose.

"Because, dear brother—", George, or Fred depending on the situation, had started to speak with a very knowing grin on his face.

"—we have to protect our sister's virtue."

"How would you feel—"

"—if you were the one responsible—"

"—for our baby sister—"

"—our only sister—"

"—defiled by a horny teenage male—"

"—by the name of Harry Potter?"

A groan escaped Percy while Charlie had let out a hearty laugh. It was typical of Fred and George to annoy their siblings, even to this extent. Everyone had known that Harry did not see Ginny in that light—much to the only Weasley female's chagrin. It seemed that everyone knew of the crush—everyone but Harry that was.

Of course, it had to be the opportune time for one Ginevera Weasley to descend from her room, a scowl upon her face. It would seem that she had heard everything that Fred and George had spoken about her, and it made her very unhappy. Very unhappy, indeed. If there was one thing that every Weasley man knew, it was to never cross a Weasley woman when she's angry.

"Forge", she resorted to calling the both of them the same name at a young age, lest she bear their wrath if she had gotten them mixed up. Plus, it was also easier to lump them as one being for her—they acted the same as it was. Being the youngest that she was, and the only female Weasley born in many years, she would be able to get away with pretty much everything. It was only then she promptly went behind Fred and George to where they were sitting and smacked the back of their heads once before sitting next to Percy. "I would like it if you both wouldn't discuss my love life. And you did leave out the part where Mama wants you both to de-gnome the garden for spreading lies."

The identical scowls upon Fred and George's face elicited a smirk from Ginny, who had decided to snack on an apple that was on the table.

"Fine", Fred began to speak this time around.

"We know when we're not wanted—"

"—and besides, dear sister and brothers of ours—"

"—we do not lie!"

"Oh, well that's a lie", the oldest Weasley in the room started to speak as he made his way to sit next to his only sister, making himself known to the other occupants. Charlie had the best leeway with the twins, of course, being gone for so long at a time—plus, he had been in school when they were in school. He was the one that had shown them the ins and outs of everything.

In fact, Fred and George even looked up to their older brother, even if they had to look down since they had grown taller than he.

"We all know that you two aren't as innocent as you claim yourselves to be."

The twins had then started on their signature prankster grin—something that the other three sitting opposite them very uneasy. Everyone had reason to be scared of this grin, of course. It was the same grin that served Aunt Muriel a canary cream at Bill and Fluer's wedding. Poor woman nearly had a heart attack when she saw that her arms and legs were now birdlike.

"You're right, Charlie", Fred had began to speak, moving to keep his hands folded on top of the kitchen table.

"But you can't deny here—"

"—that our baby sister—"

"—does have a crush on—"

"—the savior of the Wizarding World."

A sigh had escaped Ginny once again, her apple now on the table half finished. "I'm sixteen years old. I can like and not like who I want. If I wanted to go and snog Snape, I could."

"So what you're saying is that you want to snog Snape", Percy had began speaking again, a small laugh escaping him at this point.

"No", Ginny started to whine, her arms moving about her to explain her situation. "I'm just saying that I'm sixteen years old. I don't have to tell everyone my business."

One of the twins started on their new opportunity to tease their younger sister. "So you're saying that you want to snog Snape and Harry at the same time—"

"—and we should butt out of your business?"

Charlie and Percy, this time, had begun to sense their sister's distress and anger, and right smartly decided to stay out of the conversation.

"I don't want to snog Snape—", she started to speak, but was promptly cut off by George.

"So you want to snog Harry?"

Not a single soul in the room had heard the fireplace roar to life, signaling that there were visitors to their home.

"I didn't say that", she started on again, desperation in her voice to plead with the twins to stop. The fireplace roared another time, signaling another person had come into their home. Again, the occupants didn't hear.

"Well, baby sister", Fred spoke, the same amount of teasing in his voice from before. And the fireplace had roared again, a third and final visitor to their home. "If you're trying to say that you like Harry Potter and want to snog his brains out—"

"I DO NOT LIKE HARRY POTTER", Ginny started to yell, as the kitchen doors opened to reveal the missing Weasley, Ron, and his best friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.

"Ginny", the raven-haired, green-eyed boy in question smiled cheekily, moving so to promptly put his figure into her line of vision. "That wounds me. And here I thought we were friends."

And that had been when Ginny threw her hands in the air, her signature blush creeping from her neck to her cheeks, and let out a scream. "I give up."


"Isn't there any other way", the small, timid voice came way through paper. The voice had belonged to Narcissa Malfoy, a blonde bombshell in her heyday. There wasn't any indication that the older woman was still lovely—having only thirty-seven years of living upon her. "Why can't we just let them go at their own pace? I highly doubt that all of them would consent to this, Minister."

A deep sigh came out of the tall man sitting in the highest chair in the room. He was dressed in the finest business robes—even if the small gold hoop earring didn't seem out of place. "Mrs. Malfoy—"

"Don't call me that. I'm not married to that rat bastard anymore—"

"Ho ho, Narcissa", a roguish yell could be heard after. Sirius Black had seemed to make his presence to his cousin known, giving her a power symbol at her words.

The woman had just rolled her eyes at the display and turned back to the Minister, a look of worried expression on her face. "Minister Shacklebolt. These aren't playthings, these are human beings, children even and you're wanting to—"

"—to force them to marry just so the wizarding population can reach a sustainable number again?" The voice in question this time had belonged to a frantic Molly Weasley, her husband patting her hand to calm the woman down. Of course, most would have thought that Molly Weasley would be right on board with this new marriage law; however, this had involved her kids—kids—they shouldn't have to be forced to give up their lives now after they had just fought for them.

"I can assure you, Molly, that it's not just for that reason", the Minister spoke again. His calm voice had soothed most of everyone's worry now—something that he learned to control to speak towards a rowdy room such as now. "There needs to be some uniformity, some moving on if you will after the war. Things have to return to normal—our population numbers are way down. We need them up again lest we lose our craft."

The room started to erupt with murmurs and random heads nodded in agreement with the Minister himself. He cracked a small half smile at their cooperation. "Which is why the law is already passed and everyone from the ages of sixteen and fifty who is not married—"

"50? That's absurd, man!" Sirius Black himself now stood up—a furious expression spread across his face. Even if his anger was more for his own benefit—he was only thirty-seven years old. Why did he have to get married? His best friend, Remus Lupin, sat beside him, a bemused expression on his face. Of course, with the werewolf laws repealed the month prior, he was going to have to be married as well—however, he wasn't going to be the one crying over any of it.

"I can also assure you, Black, that all pairs have been chosen by connection. An ancient spell that had been researched by Albus Dumbledore", the Minister had indicated to his right, showing everyone the olden wizard who had the same bemused expression on his face. "Himself. There is absolutely no repeal of this law. The Wizengamot had passed it last week."

At the mention of Albus Dumbledore's name, everyone in the room sighed relief. If the great wizard who had defeated Grindewald and helped Harry Potter destroy Voldemort found the spell and approved of this new law, shouldn't they?

"Then tell me, Minister Shacklebolt, what is in this new marriage law?" Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, had now stood up from her seat once again, crossing her arms over her chest in the most lady-like fashion. Beside her ws Hogwart's Potions Master—Severus Snape—and one of her oldest friends.

"Yes, please", the snake-like drawl came out of the male. "Some of us would like to know what we're forced into."

The minister let out a sigh. He had to appease his people if he wanted everyone to accept this new law. Even so, it was his own idea—the law was like his child. Equality for all and all of that jazz.

"I can assure you, that your intended would be your soul mate—the person you were meant to be with. The law would apply to persons the ages of sixteen to fifty that aren't married—who has citizenship with the Greater Western European Magical Cooperation—yes, that means Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Denmark."

Mostly everyone had seemed pleased at the wide range of selection.

"We, as in the Ministry, are working with the ministries in the cooperation to assure everyone is involved. The letters of notification about the laws would be sent out by ministry owl in a matter of three days—so you all have time to fill your children in to prepare them, and yourselves, time to get used to the idea before the news hits the daily prophet."

"And what about the young widows?" The question had come from Narcissa Malfoy, of course. It was no surprise since Lucius Malfoy had received the Dementor's Kiss not last year for being in league with Voldemort. The joyous reactions of Draco Malfoy and his mother on the day of his death had all but steeled the Malfoy name even more. In fact, the Malfoy name was just a strong, if not stronger, influence in the wizarding world.

"They would indeed be paired off as well if they are in the age range for the marriage law to take precedence."

A hand shot up from the right hand side of the room, belonging to a young woman with purple hair. The Auror badge pinned on her robes glistened in the little light that the room had offered. The scribble of her name underneath the badge only proved to be just as elegant as the badge itself. "There aren't going to be any creepy pairings are there? Like old men and young women?"

"Nymphadora—", the minister started to speak before he was corrected. He knew the girl hated the use of her full name. "Tonks", he began again. "The spell is the spell—and if the pairing is a soul mate pairing, there's nothing that I can do about it. But I do have a feeling that there would be a respectable and appropriate age range."

And just like that, it seemed that the atmosphere in the room had seemed lighter, less tense than what had been minutes before. It would seem that Tonks's question had eased most of the parents' minds in the room—Minister Shacklebolt was greatly appreciative about that question.

"There are only two other stipulations. Upon opening the letter of notification, there would only be a two year deadline for a wizarding marriage ceremony. After the ceremony, there would be a two year deadline for an offspring to be produced."

A resounding "WHAT" could be heard in the room at this point, only filling the empty space with more murmurs.

The Minister let out a groan and turned to his right, facing the one man who had been quiet throughout this whole ordeal.

"Albus", the minister started to speak. "What am I to do?"

"Whatever you think is best, Kingsley. Whatever you think is best."


"I can't believe they're late", a platinum blond haired male could be heard as he started pacing about in his pajama sweats—right in the middle of his best friend's Italian villa.

Of course, all of his friends were watching him with amused expressions on their faces.

On one chair sat Pansy Parkinson, engrossed in a Witch Weekly magazine. The cover had said something ridiculous about glamour charms and young teens.

Beside her on each side, Blaise Zabini—to whom this villa belonged to his family—and Theodore Nott shook their heads at the pacing male.

Draco Malfoy had always had the shortest patience of anyone that he had ever had the pleasure to encounter, and he himself knew it as well. He had tried countless of times to try to change this undesirable trait of his; but of course, no counseling session worked. Not even the ones with his godfather, Severus Snape.

"Drake", the only other blonde in the room started to speak. Draco stopped his pacing and stared directly at Theo, waiting for the boy to continue. "They're only five minutes late and you know Viola, she likes to make an entrance."

"Including Bennett and Travis", the sole female in the room spoke up from her fashion magazine, a teasing tone started to elicit from her voice. "You know the triplets are always late—two out of the three of them are Gryffindors."

A joined light laughter filled the villa's den—the only room that had been connected to the floo network—at the suggestion of Pansy's words, and that had only seemed to calm Draco Malfoy down.

"Suppose you're right, Pans", the boy in question spoke, an exasperating tone to his voice. He only managed to sit down next to Blaise afterwards.

"Damn right, Draco", the contrasting male said as he clapped his best friend's shoulder. Most would think this pair couldn't be friends with how much they contrast each other. Draco Malfoy was as pale as Blaise Zabini was dark, but it suited them well. "You don't see me worrying about this shit. I'm sure their muggle plane just left later than usual."

"Oh yeah?" Draco asked and raised an eyebrow at Blaise. "Sure you're not anxious as I am, if not to see a small glimpse of a twenty-one year old named Vega?"

It was only then that two audible moans escaped the other two males in the room and an excited squeal from the female filled the air.

"Vega's coming with them? Shit, well don't I feel under dressed?"

Draco Malfoy merely waved his hand at Theo. He never had the fascination that his best friends had with the girl in question. Of course, there was something in the back of his mind that said the girl was off limits as a sexual object.

He merely thought of the older girl as a mentor—an older sister.

"Like she'll look at you", Draco merely teased his friend, his mother's smirk upon his lips. "She's the new Ancient Runes professor, you know? She's definitely off limits now."

A groan escaped Blaise at this point, a huff from Theodore came soon afterwards, and a squeal from Pansy—mostly from the distraction from her magazine. There had been an article that intrigued her and she wondered if it was true indeed.

"Is it too late to transfer to Ancient Runes?"

The question had earned Blaise a pillow to the face by Draco. The boy was very overprotective of people he was close with—especially those he considered family, and he considered everyone in this room family. Call it his inner Hufflepuff at work.

"I can't wait though. You think school is going to be different? You know, since our names were cleared and the last death—"

"I think it will", Draco interrupted Pansy, but said no more on the subject she had begun talking about. "School would be great if the only Gryffindors we had class with were Bennett and Travis Cavendish."

"Too bad they're only Sixth years."

It would seem as though the house rivalries hadn't disappeared, even if it was companied by light laughter afterwards.

Sometimes, some things just never change.

"I'm still glad that I don't have to go to school with a glamour charm on. I think this is the first year I've able to do it", Theodore said to the room, absentmindedly going to rub his eye. Mostly everyone knew that a child of a Death Eater never had as much of a glamorous life as they put on for show. There had to be something behind the scenes that everyone wanted to hide.

"Indeed", Pansy said quietly, still reading the article in the magazine. She never looked up as she spoke about their issues. "But our bastard fathers are dead or locked up. We have a clean start and that's all that matters."

A huff escaped Draco Malfoy at this point, his arms in the air at the subject. "Moving on", he said abruptly, quickly changing the subject of talk at this point. "I just want Quidditch to start up again."

"Tell me, oh wise Captain", Theodore started to stand, giving Draco a mock bow as he did so. "Are we going to have the greatest team in the history of Slytherin quidditch teams?"

Draco extended his arm in Julius Caesar's fashion and cleared his throat. "Rise, Nott. And if Viola would say yes to being a beater, then maybe. I know she has an arm", he said, absentmindedly rubbing his left shoulder in remembrance of a small memory.

"As much of an arm as Granger?"

That questioned earned Blaise another pillow from Draco, a growl escaping the blonde's lips.

"She caught me off guard, man. And it hurt."

"Poor Draco", Pansy said before looking up from her magazine and giving her friend a small smile.

"Yes, poor Draco. Getting his nose broken by a forty-five kilogram female—"

"Shut the fuck up, Zabini", Draco growled out before rolling his eyes and stood up, moving about the room to pace again. "They're still late."

Blaise, taking pity on his best friend, let out a sigh. "Drake, my tiles are going to be less shiny if you keep pacing. Next time, I'll have you buff them with wax rather than the house elves. How would you like that?"

That earned Blaise the two-finger salute from Draco and a laugh from Theo.

"Seriously. What could be taking them so long? Did you hear about the muggle planes crashing into buildings? You don't think they got hi-hacked, did you?"

"I doubt they got hi-hacked", Theo said just as an owl had flown in from the open window. He extended his hand to the owl, watching the letter drop into his hand before opening it quickly. "'Guys, landed in Greece to pick up Vega and Mum from their own mini vacation. It's so amazing that all of us decided to stay the day. Be there tomorrow. You know you love me. XOXO, V.' See? They're fine; they're just in Greece, lucky sons of bitches."

Blaise let out a laugh at the end of the letter. "Why does she always end her letters in that ridiculous saying?"

Pansy, at this point, had given up on reading after she finished a particular article in the magazine, giving it a scoff and throwing the issue into the fireplace. "Honestly. The lies these magazines post nowadays are beginning to sound so farfetched. Marriage Law, indeed. I bet their 'source' is made up as well."


A Mediterranean climate during the summer could be considered very hot and very dry. The beaches are overrun with tourists, but it comes with the price of being in such a diverse and enriching area as the Mediterranean Sea. The area is a birthplace of mathematics, democracy—civilization, even. It's the magic in the history that draws people to the area.

There had been absolutely no rain for at least the two weeks that the current inhabitants of a very refined villa in the island of Crete in Greece could own. It was minutes away from the large city of Chania, on Crete's northern coast.

The only inhabitants of the beach house were a mother-daughter duo who was currently sunbathing on their own strip of beach.

"Mama", the younger woman, looking about twenty-one years of age spoke quietly; her eyes behind a large pair of sunglasses as her head tilted up towards the sun. "When are they getting here? I'm supposed to take them to Italy before I have to be their teacher, you know."

"Last hurrah before you're responsible for people, Procyon", the older woman asked, a teasing tone to her voice. Mira Cavendish held the philosophy of becoming friends with her children—even if it took a little while longer for her to round them up. There were always up and downs to being a single mother of a twenty-one year old and triplet sixteen year olds.

The younger woman had let out a scoff at this point, turning to sit with her legs crossed over each other on her beach towel rather than lay on it. "It's Vega, Mother. You know I hate my first name", she let out as well, the same tone of teasing to her voice. "Not all of us can get pregnant at fifteen and be saddled with responsibility so well."

It would seem at the end of Vega's comment that the older woman's face fell, a look of worry spread across her face. The woman herself let out a sigh and turned her attention fully to her daughter, sitting rightly and copying the position Vega was in now. In her life, she had many skeletons in her closet—secrets that she held deep within her. She waited for the right time to explain, wanting not to hurt her children, but shield them through dangers.

But right now, as her daughter started to embark on her new job, she felt as though Vega needed to know a secret that plagued her since the begging of Vega's birth. "There's something else I have to tell you, baby girl. Something about your father—"

The older woman had been cut off by a hand by her daughter, the younger one shaking her head. There were plenty of times that she herself had asked her mother about her father, always coming up with empty answers. It was only when she went into Hogwarts herself that she decided to take matters into her own hands. She knew who her father was, and she didn't need him.

"I know about him, Ma. You don't have to keep it a secret anymore", Vega explained to the quizzical expression of her mother. "I did my research. I looked at old pictures that the librarian had on record. I look like him, don't I?"

Her mother only let out a smirk and nodded; the older woman shrugged her shoulders. "Did you get sorted right? You sound like you should have been in Ravenclaw."

"Oy", Vega huffed, her hands now on her hips with a smirk—the same one that was plastered over her mother's lips. "I had to use Slytherin sneakiness to get in, thank you", a laugh rang out of the younger woman, causing the older one to join in.

"But you do know, Vega, he's going to be there", the older woman said again, letting her words trail off. "Don't let Viola, Bennett, and Travis know. Their own father was very important to me—"

"Mama, I know they like to think that no man could replace Uncle Whitfield, but don't you think it's time to date anyway and not meddle in our lives?"

The older woman huffed. "You know Uncle Whitfield was gay."

Vega smirked and shrugged her shoulders, knowing the whole of the back story. Uncle Whitfield Greengrass had gone to school with her mother and had always known that he was attracted to his own gender. He wanted to be a father and her mother agreed—after his family disowned him—that she would carry and be considered mother. She didn't count on Uncle Whitfield dying during the first war to a Death Eater attack.

Vega found it ironic that none of her siblings also knew of their father—but had seen pictures of him and knew of the whole story. All four of them had called it the Cavendish curse.

"I know", Vega said quietly before shaking her head, wanting to change the subject. "And I also know he's going to be there as well. Let's just say I won't talk to him until I'm approached. He has to see me in you—even if his reputation was fucked up as it is."

Just then, a small limo pulled up to the front of the driveway, a honk telling the residents that it had arrived.

"Siblings are here", Vega said before standing up and moving towards the front of the house, leaving her mother alone on the beach at this point.

The older woman now mainly stared towards the water, biting her lips at the anticipation of the calm before the storm.


A roar in the burrow's fireplace signaled that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had just arrived home. The chatter in the kitchen had proved to grow with the addition of Bill and his wife, Harry, and Hermione.

A sigh escaped Mr. Weasley's lips at this point, the burden of telling his children—yes, he considered Hermione and Harry as part of his brood—about the new law weighed heavily on his shoulders. He decided himself that he shouldn't prolong it as long as Molly would have liked it. The Minister had only given them three days before the letters would arrive.

"Alright right you kids", he yelled out as he came into the kitchen, taking his position at the head of the table. "There's something that you all need to know, and it's very important that you save all of your questions to the end."

Every single head turned to his direction, he letting out a gulp. This was going to be harder than he thought.

August had proven time and time again to be an inhibitor towards anything fun.


I know this chapter is pretty long. I can assure that most of the following would be just a bit shorter than this.

I felt like this ended abruptly as well, but I needed to hurry it along.

Please read and review.