Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it!
Harry watched the train pull away at speed, taking his to eldest children with it. He smiled, he hadn't been this nervous since asking Ginny to marry him.
Among the children at Hogwarts there'd always be sceptics, obstinate relatives of death eaters who couldn't cope with the fact their once flawless bloodlines had been marred by evil and hatred.
Albus wasn't as mature as James had been at his age, and, eager as he was, he didn't know what Hogwarts held in store for him.
Even Harry had been horrified at the back-handed taunting his eldest son had endured from his first day, although James obviously hadn't wanted Harry to know.
It was only over a few butterbeers in the Hogshead that Neville had let slip that some of James' fellow classmates couldn't keep their jealousy and doubt to themselves.
Funnily enough it was Draco's son, Adamus, that kept the taunting at bay. James and Adamus had been steadfast friends since they had been introduced at the annual DA seminar when they were five.
Draco and Harry had decided to put their differences aside and reinstated the DA for the 'greater good'.
Unfortunately, Ron wouldn't befriend Draco if the world depended on it, neither James nor Adamus had anticipated how much they would grow to like each other, and Adamus had spent every summer following at Godric's Hollow.
But Albus had no friends as courageous as Adamus and the last thing Harry wanted was for his son to question his integrity when it had come to dealing with Voldemort.
The teasing would calm down eventually, Harry was, at least glad that Albus would face none of the dangers that had befallen him at eleven.
Lilly tugged at Harry's sleeve jerking him from his uncertain thoughts, "Dad, why can't I go?" she asked. Harry smiled.
"I remember hearing your mother ask Granddad Weasly the very same question when she was your age. Don't worry, the letter will arrive for you, the same as it did for the boys" he replied.
The Potter's home in Godric's Hollow was the very same house Harry had lived in as a child.
After Voldemort's death Harry, Ron and Hermione had set about rebuilding it and all three had moved in to begin with.
Slowly, it had returned to what Harry felt was a home, the memories of his mother and father were still there but there was now a definite Weasly touch about the place!
The Sunday morning following the Christmas holidays Harry received a letter from Draco.
"Harry,"it read "just thought I'd let you know, I've moved the next DA meeting up a month, I just received a tip-off that some of the death eaters that escaped Azkaban have started up a sort of mock version of our council,. It sounds like a joke but I'm afraid it could become something more serious,. Alone they don't cause much trouble but if there's even one hard core Voldemort 'fan' among them, he, or she could start some kind of movement. Our world is still recovering and a blow like that could cause uproar. See you on the 12th of January then,
Regards to Ginny and the children,
Draco.
Harry sighed, carefully folding the letter along it's creases he reached for the "Daily Prophet".
After the Rita Skeeter incident of 2007, when Skeeter had attempted to interpret the 'Potter vs. He Who Must Not Be Named incident' as a "farce of ginormous proportions".
The eclectic journalist, much to Harry's joy, had been asked to leave and had been replaced by none other then Percy Weasly.
Ron had scoffed at the idea but it turned out that Percy was quite the satirical genius and now wrote quite enjoyable columns about the use of magical herbs and fungi in everyday life.
The letter worried Harry, but not for the right reasons. Draco, in moving the date of the DA meeting forward obviously felt he was doing the right thing.
But Harry was worried about the effect this sort of news would have on the other members of the DA. Some of the members, although well-meaning were inclined to gossip and if this news got into the wrong hands, idle-gossip could become something more sinister.
Harry quickly scribbled a quick note, thanking Draco for the letter and asking if he had informed the rest of the DA of the death eater committee in the letters he had sent them.
As if on cue, Moody, Harry's African Scops owl, sent to him by Bill who had taken up a job with Charlie in South Africa, flew in the window and dropped the mouse that had been dangling in her beak in Ginny's porridge.
Harry watched in dismay as she plunged her face into the porridge in search of her catch, although unquestionably beautiful, Moody, named after mad-eye, wasn't the cleverest of creatures and, unlike Mad-eye himself, tended to do, and then think.
He tied the note with much difficulty to Moody's leg and watched her soar out the window.
He stood up and brushed the drying porridge, Moody had scattered, from his trousers, with the DA meeting so close he had a lot to do. Taking a few weeks of from his job as an Auror with the Ministry would be the only way to get anything done!
For the next week Harry went back and forth between Grimmauld Place, the DA meeting house, and Godric's Hollow. Ginny stayed at home, she didn't have a reason to give her muggle boss as to why she needed urgent holidays when she only worked part-time as a nurse to begin with.
There had been a lot of debate about whether Grimmauld Place was the best headquarters, as it was now pretty well known But some of the safety charms that had originally been put on it still remained so it was as safe a place as any.
Kreacher needed a lot of encouragement to give the place a quick sprucing up! But in the rush Harry and Ginny, much to Kreacher's disappointment, simply charmed the house to clean itself .
The biggest problem was enlargement, many of the DA recruits had children that were too young to be left alone, meaning that the house would need to be enlarged to thrice it's original size to fit everyone.
Hermione was only too happy to help and with her and Ron helping the house was ready for guests with enough time to shop for the annual DA party.
The following day everyone was up at the crack of dawn in preparation for the 30 or so guests that would be arriving any time between 10 and 12 a.m.
The house was adorned with streamers, banisters were bewitched to shout welcoming comments and portraits severely warned to be pleasant and welcoming.
With the added threat that if any misbehaved they would be put in the rooms with the Patel children, who had the mischievous habit of annually adorning the portraits with moustaches, glasses and devil horns!
Lilly who was too young to stay at Godric's Hollow by herself was dressed in her best dress and stood at the door behind her Mother greeting guests.
Before long there were gaggles of small children running up and down the stairs, which on every step shouted different greetings, Harry decided against this charm next year.
Bones', Weaslys, Fletchers, Longbottoms, Tonks', Malfoys and Patels among others chatted amicably. Teddy sidled up alongside his godfather.
"Harry," he queried, "I've heard some strange stuff down at the Ministry about Stunning and Rookwood and some of the others setting up a sort of Voldemort 'club' so to speak. Anything we should be worried about?"
"And I've heard some strange stuff about you and Victoire, anything I should be worried about?" Harry teased, a smirk on his face.
The tips of Teddy's ears grew pink and he began to stutter, "well…it's, you know…" suddenly becoming very interested in Mrs Weasly's cabbage tart he wandered off to query some of the ingredients.
Ginny came and rested her head on Harry's shoulder, "well, it was a bit weird having to organise everything in such a hurry but it feels like we did a good job.
It's a bit strange not having Al here though don't you think?" The middle Potter child was a rather hyper kid and generally the cause of most of the mischief!
FLASHBACK
DA meeting 2009:
Harry looked around the room, more had come then he could have ever hoped for. He'd been worried when Ginny had suggested re-forming the DA as an adult order.
Worried that people wouldn't take it seriously, now that Voldemort was gone people had relaxed somewhat with the knowledge that he wouldn't be returning. But, to Harry that wasn't what DA was about.
Voldemort had been a dark wizard, but not the dark wizard. Others remained and others would challenge the wizarding world in the future. But all his peers had come to support him, and some he didn't even know, relatives of children he'd gone to school with had surfaced on his doorstep, people he'd never met before!
But the most surprising had been Draco Malfoy, as if listening to his thoughts Malfoy appeared beside Harry. "Harry, could you spare a moment," he asked tersely, "sure" Harry replied. "There's a garden out back, we could talk there."
Malfoy followed Harry out the door and as soon as they entered the garden burst into conversation. "Harry, I'm here, among other things, to thank you. I moved out of my parents house several months ago and soon after realised that their points of view, well, that they weren't my point of view.
I'd been creating the illusion of a perfect son, pretending what they did was right and that I didn't care.
That's why I hated you so much, you had lived in the same situation I had all your life, you'd been brought up by ignorant, horrible people just like me, and well, I was jealous.
I felt that you were such a good person, the sort of person I aspired to be. But it wasn't easy for me, I wanted to be accepted at home, you, well you didn't care what those muggles thought of you.
It was easier to taunt you then to think about the person I'd become, and soon it was too late to turn back. Or rather I thought it was.
But I was wrong, I was horrible to you, I thought you hated me, but you still saved my life. I don't want to be the kind of person my father is, he's disowned me for coming here today. His own son.
But I think it's worth it. So, do you think you could forgive me. I mean I don't know if we could ever be friends but…"
Harry was horrified to see a tear fall from Draco's bent head onto the cracked cement. With that he made a decision to do all he could to help Draco find the sort of life where he would fit in and be happy with the person he'd become.
(end of flashback)
Harry put his arm around his wife's shoulder and was just about to plant a kiss on her forehead when Malfoy appeared in front of him.
Ignorant to what was going on around him he addressed Harry, "I believe we have some important business to discuss Potter" his eyes twinkling mysteviously.
"I believe we do Malfoy" Harry retorted pulling Draco into a one armed hug. "Long time no see Draco, although, I do have something to discuss with you, come out to the garden with me."
Draco followed Harry out to a small yard, overgrown with dandelions and bindweed. Most people didn't even know it existed, the perfect place to discuss DA business away from listening ears.
"Draco, truly when I heard about these Voldemort supporters I was pretty unperturbed, I mean, I hadn't heard anything in the Daily Prophet or from any of the Ministry workers.
To be honest I thought maybe you'd got you wires crossed.
But now Teddy's just told me that he's heard about it too, I changed the subject got talking about him and Victoire instead, but…" Malfoy's eyes narrowed.
"Well why'd you do that Harry, I think it's important everyone knows…wait Teddy and Victoire, are you serious?" Malfoy stared open-mouthed at Harry. "
Well that's hardly what we're here to discuss" scoffed Harry.
"But…" began Draco.
"I sent you that letter because I'd prefer not to inform the rest of the DA about the Death eaters.
I mean, I know it's important to keep them up to date but think about it, this could send them into a flurry and God knows who'd let what slip, it could be in the Daily Prophet by tomorrow. We'd only be mouthing off ideas," ranted Harry.
"Point well taken," replied Malfoy, "good thing I didn't let slip I was just going to tell Percy right before I saw you.
"But then, well he got talking about blubber puss and it's medicinal qualities, you know how much I hate all that shit, I told him to go talk to Longbottom!"
"Well I think we should tell a select few in the DA, Neville, Mr and Mrs Weasly, the Tonks' and what's left of the order of course." Harry listed off some of the closer members.
"Not Teddy?" Draco queried, he'd taken quite a shine to the boy since he was a small child. "No" replied Harry. "He's still a child, it's too much to burden him with, he's only nineteen and starting a job at the Ministry. We don't want him caught up in all this."
"Seems to me like he knows quite a bit already, funny though, your being a complete hypocrite Harry" retorted Draco.
"What?" Harry replied.
"You spent your teen years whining about how no one ever told you anything and how you were old enough to know everything, and now your depriving Teddy of the very thing you wanted as a child!" Malfoy chuckled.
"Alright, alright, Teddy as well" Harry sighed and looked at his watch, it had belonged to his Father, one of the many things he had found whilst clearing, and rebuilding his old house.
He'd been surprised to find many of his parent's items still intact.
The watch had been one of the only things that had truly meant something to him. He'd found it in his old cot.
Apparently a trick his father used to use to help him sleep as a child was to make him think there was another heartbeat nearby, which had always helped him to sleep at night
"About time we went back inside I suppose, the speeches will be beginning in a moment" Harry absent-mindedly strolled back inside deep in thought.
The first to speak was Aberforth, the eldest of the group and a brother of Dumbledore. He was well respected and even the rowdiest were hushed in anticipation.
"Dear friends," he began, "welcome to the annual DA meeting, and what might be my only chance to say goodbye." Murmurs began and were promptly hushed.
"I'm getting older, too old for talk of battles and the such. I think, and hope I'll be long gone 'afore any more trouble."
"I'd just like to say a few words of thanks and to tell ye all 'bout some decisions I've made. Firstly, I'd like to thank ye all, the night Voldemort returned was a new beginning for me.
Like my old Herbology Proffesor used to say 'somethin' good comes from every bad event."
"Ye all made me a part a' your movement, your family."
"Harry, you and Ginny 'ave done more for me then anyone should 'ave, the two a' yes are like me own kin. I know Albus would be proud of ye both."
Ginny blushed profusely and Harry smiled. " I know it's not much but I'm leaving what's left of me personel effects and a small amount in Gringotts to you and the family Harry.
"But I feel I owe every person in this room summit, I've thought long and hard about what I could give all of ye so as ye won't foget me, and what we're all here for, that's why I'm leaving the Hogshead to the DA."
"That pub is my pride 'n' joy, it can be used as a safe house with passages to Hogwarts and it's big enough for DA bashes with butterbeer on demand. Mind it's kept well though, I won't 'ave my pub going to rack and ruin." He chuckled.
"Anyway, I've gone on far longer then I should 'ave," Aberforth sighed a tear forming before it could be blinked back.
"But I'll finish before the chooks get restless by wishing you all, all the luck in the world, keeping this world safe from dark magic, and Grindylows and the lot." Aberforth's hatred of Grindylows was well-known among the members of the DA.
With a wheeze Aberforth sat back down in his seat to tremulous applause. Next to speak was Minerva McGonagall, then Arthur Weasly, Draco Malfoy and finally Harry.
"Well," he began, "the others seem to have covered almost everything, I'd just like to thank everyone for coming, especially Aberforth, you gifts really are appreciated, well, there doesn't seem to be any out of the ordinary occurrences at the moment."
At this comment some eyebrows were raised, it seemed like more DA members then anticipated had heard about the Voldemort followers.
"Anyway, please enjoy the meal and company," Harry stared around at all his family and friends. It was times like these that he felt the most at home, surrounded by people who he knew would sacrifice their lives for the greater good.
"Wait," he held up a hand to silence the murmurs that had begun, "what I've just told you all isn't truthful, I owe you all the truth."
Draco made to speak but Harry stared him down. "There have been, as I'm sure some of you have heard, rumours that a sort of Voldemort 'club' has formed, as yet no one knows whether it's something we should be worried about.
I wasn't going to tell you all, but as I have I have to stress the importance of keeping this confidential.
If the idea of a rebellion got into the minds of any dark magic followers we could have trouble. If any of you hear anything out of the ordinary an owl would be appreciated, just to be on the safe side.
Any questions?" Harry asked, his eyes roaming for any raised hands. Neville cleared his throat. "Professor?" Harry began, "I just wanted to know if there's anyone we should be suspicious of.
"I think this is something we should be worried about. No one's going to forget what sort of damage these monsters can do" Neville still visited his parents in Mungos monthly never forgetting who was the cause of their insanity.
Murmurs of agreement followed his outburst.
"Well, I have a feeling some members of the Death Eaters that escaped trial could be involved, Stunning and Rookwood could be to blame."
Harry caught Teddy's eye, "but no one knows. It could simply be a power hungry wizard who's realised dark magic is extremely powerful".
Harry glanced down at the wand he'd asked Olivander to make him shortly after leaving Hogwarts. He didn't feel safe using the Elder wand, which still resided at Godric's Hollow, albeit in a box in the basement.
"I think we should have them followed" shouted Cho. "Someone should follow them, keep tabs" agreed George Weasly, smiling at his wife's clever suggestion.
"That's an idea" Draco said thoughtfully, "but I think we're all taking this a bit to far, there mightn't be any real threat from these people. Why not ask the members of the original order, it was them who saved us from the dark wizards last time."
Draco looked around the room as if daring anyone to disagree.
Mr Weasly made a sound rather like a startled rook, "well, um, keeping tabs is an idea."
"We could check out where they're holding meetings, find out who's involved. If the people involved are youngsters most likely they've been confused and enticed with stories of unimaginable power. I think it'd be pretty easy to win them back."
At this many members nodded, some even cheering Arthur on. "So, anyone happy to do this 'tab keeping'" asked Harry staring around the table.
Teddy looked up and Harry's stomach somersaulted, there was no way…"
I'd be happy to…" began Teddy.
"Anyone else, anyone?" slowly Harry nodded, "well, that's one covered, now what about Rookwood, he's sneakier then Stunning, he'll be more likely to suss that he's being followed, someone with experience in spying."
Ron stood up, knocking over a wine glass in the process, "I suppose I could do it, I have extended Christmas holidays, and God knows a few hours out of the day away from my beloved would be appreciated!"
Harry saw Ron's face turn an identical shade to his hair as Hermione kicked him under the table. Her brown eyes narrowing with indignation.
With all their business sorted the DA members settled down to a hearty meal. Their worries forgotten. For the moment, at least.
Hey! Just like to say thanks for reading my first chapter on fan fiction. Reviews are appreciated but no flames please…Hope you enjoyed it, HiMC..p.s thanks to SpicyDragon24 who beta'd this for me!