DISCLAIMER – Harry Potter and its affiliates are the sole property of JK Rowling. I don't own anything except the plot.

DISCLAIMER – This story will be written a little at a time as I have many projects being worked on both in real life and in the fan fiction universe. Thank you in advance for your patience and dedication to my work.

NOTE – This story is dedicated to each of you that have supported me thus far in all my adventures.

Chapter 1 – Enough is Enough

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office and waited for the four Heads of House to join him. The house rivalries were getting completely out of hand, and the four heads were not much better than the students when it came to dealing with it. Though Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff normally stayed out of the fights, they didn't help the matter either. Albus decided that it was time to deal with this situation once and for all.

As he watched, the four heads entered and sat down. When they were arranged, he pulled out four sheets of parchment and handed one to each head.

"In your hands is a list of names," he said waving his wand. "You will find that they are NOT of your house alone. By each name, you will notice that I have placed your names near the student's. You will sponsor one child from each house. The remaining four students will be sponsored by me."

"What is the purpose of all of this?" asked Severus with his trademark sneer on his face. "To what horror did I earn, that would get me to sponsor the Potter brat? You know I dislike him more than any other student due to his arrogance and disrespect."

"Enough is enough," said Albus angrily pointing at him causing everyone to look at him in surprise and concern. "You have held on to the grudge against James Potter long enough Severus. I am furious with your treatment of Harry. NONE of the other professors state that Harry is arrogant or disrespectful. In fact, they have all stated that he is studious as well as quiet. You CLAIM that he is constantly breaking the rules and is slacking. He is in the top ten of the students in the entire school. Obviously he would be doing better if you were to STOP failing him all the time. I'm sure there are students that are worse than he is in potions and you are passing them. I happen to know that Messer's Crabb and Goyle are worse than Harry and you give them better grades."

"Favoring your own house I see," said Minerva with a vicious smirk on her face. "I may like my Gryffindors better, but I at least give them the grades they deserve. I don't fail a student unless they actually deserve to fail."

"That's enough Minerva," snapped Albus sharply. "The professors are sometimes as bad as the children when it comes to egging on the house rivalries, if not worse in some cases. Therefore, I have devised a plan that will assist in eliminating those rivalries."

"What if I refuse to cooperate?" asked Severus with anger on his face. "I refuse to bow to Potter like everyone else does. There is no way that one person can have that much and not be a problem. I refuse to bow to Harry Potter and I refuse to sponsor him."

"Then you will be out of a job faster than you can say Potion," snapped Albus clearly out of patience. "I'm not playing a game here with any of you any longer. I have already contacted Amelia Bones, Cornelius Fudge, and Tiberius Ogden. I have laid out my plan, and all three are in TOTAL agreement with the idea."

"What is the plan?" asked Filius as the rest recovered from the shock of the threat of unemployment from Albus. "What are we doing with these students that warrant our attention and sponsorship? It must be important for you to be acting as you are. You have never lost your patience with any of your professors before."

"We are sending them to a ghost town duplicated from one in the Western United States," said Albus calmly. "There, they will all learn how to trust and work with one another. As sponsors, you will make a list of what you think they need to learn OUTSIDE of magic. They will have to learn to work together in the mundane world while they are learning what to do with their magic. In this way, the muggleborns learn how to depend on the purebloods. On the flip side, the purebloods have to depend on the muggleborns if they wish to endure."

"Are you telling me that you are placing twenty students with no adult supervision into a situation that requires them to trust each other and learn how to get along?" asked Pomona. "There will be a blood bath daily. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter alone would kill each other within a matter of hours. Their dislike for one another, rivals that of Severus and James Potter. I happen to know that Mr. Malfoy goes out of his way to try and harm Mr. Potter."

"I DIDN'T say they would be unsupervised," said Albus with a sigh rubbing the temples of his head in weariness. "They will have a trainer that will work with them for a few hours each day in their magical studies and they will have someone work with them in the mundane areas as well. I have it all sorted out. All we need now is for you to talk with the guardians of each of the students on the lists and ensure that they allow their child to participate."

"How long will they be gone?" asked Minerva thoughtfully while she read the list of names given to her. "We need to know what to tell the parents. The more information that we have the better it will be, for both parent and child."

Albus handed them a second sheet of parchment. On it, was the details of what was happening and why. Each of the four heads sat for a moment reading the instructions and details of the experiment. When they were done, they looked back at the aging Headmaster.

"My biggest concern is the parents of Draco Malfoy and the guardians of Harry Potter," said Albus cautiously. "The Malfoys may not want young Draco to go due to the old pureblood dogma. Harry's relatives are cruel and wouldn't want him to be able to improve upon his education and outcome in life. Therefore, I am determined to get both young men into this program so that their lives will be better."

"What do you mean?" asked Severus sharply looking at the older wizard. "Why would Petunia want Potter to have a poor education? I know from experience that she is unpleasant, but she was always one for learning new things. That was about the only thing she had in common with Lily."

"I have reason to believe that Harry is being abused by the Dursleys," said Albus to the shock of the others. "I should have listened to Minerva when she stated to not place him there. Unfortunately, with Sirius in prison, I had no other alternative. Arabella has stated that Harry is often seen in the yard toiling away in the hot sun for hours at a time while the cousin sits and laughs at him. Severus, you may have to go in person to speak with the Dursleys about this. You are better equipped at handling the parents of abused children than the others."

"When is this project due to begin?" asked Pomona regaining her composure. "How much time do we have to get the students here before this soiree is due to start? The more time we have, the easier it will be for all of us to prepare the students and their guardians."

"You are to begin immediately," said Albus with his voice echoing with exhaustion. "The project won't actually start until all students are here. The exercise itself will last the entire school year. I also have another reason for wanting these students out of the castle. This is especially so of Harry and Draco."

"What would that reason be?" asked Severus with his mind whirling about the implications of what was happening to Harry. "Why is it just Potter and Draco? Some of the other students on this list would be in equal amount of need as well."

"Dolores Umbridge is being sent to teach DADA this year," said Albus looking slightly ill. "She has made it known that she dislikes Harry and will do her best to harm him. It is also being said that there will ONLY be theory taught. We know that Harry needs to have more than theory in his training if he is to beat the Dark Lord. All students will not be able to contact their guardians due to the sensitivity of the situation. We want the students to remain safe the entire time. When you have permission for each student, kindly have them pack and bring them here to the castle. Once we have all twenty students, we will have them arrive at their destination via portkey."

Albus waited while each Professor gathered their thoughts and watched as one by one, they left the office.

"Severus," called Albus as the Potions Master made to leave. "Remember my warning. You are to start treating Harry fairly. The consequences should you insist on taking revenge out on the son of James Potter will be dire should you continue. I also need you to take Harry to see the goblins of Gringotts. He is coming upon his fifteenth birthday. I think it's time that he hears what he is inheriting. I have been lax in my duty to teach him. It is my hope that Mr. Malfoy will be able to teach him how to be the Head of a prominent family."

"I'll see what I can do," said Severus with a sigh. "Perhaps you are right and I need to look past the image and more into the soul. I will garner the will to give the boy a chance. Now that I know some of what his home life is about, I may be able to help him as well. Just don't expect me to go public with this. I need to work in the shadows for the best possible outcome in all of this. You know what a dangerous game I'm playing for you and the Order."

"Thank you," said Albus simply. "That is all that I ask of you. He is just as much Lily's son as he is James'. You should be grateful that he didn't pick up the pranking or bullying gene. I also want to see what Harry would do without the influence of Mr. Weasley. I think that a year away from Ronald will do Harry some good. Before you leave, I need a VERY special favor from you. I need you to examine Harry for signs of malnutrition and other illnesses if you would."

"That is something that I will do gladly," said Severus with a thoughtful look on his face. "I can heal some of the damage with potions and some with spells. I just need the boy to trust me a little to allow me to do so."

Albus pulled a scroll out of his pocket and handed it to Severus.

"Give him this," he said. "I have written him a small letter explaining things to him. It may help. I know things are bad between the two of you, but we need him to be healthy and something tells me he isn't. I need him to be as healthy as possible and with at least a smile on his face. I know that if anyone can help with this particular part of this you can."

With that, Severus bowed shortly and left the office. He knew he had much to do and little time to do it with. If half of what the Headmaster suspected was true, he would be brewing potions for days to help fix all of the problems that years of mistreatment caused. As he made his way out, he was thinking about some of the things he should have noticed long ago. Harry was smaller than many. He always showed up dressed in rags. If it weren't for his uniforms, the child wouldn't have any good clothes at all. With a sigh, Severus set out to try and help as best he could.

One by one, the professor made their way to the homes of the students. It wasn't long before Hannah, Susan, Justin, Ernie, and Cedric were in the castle. The Hufflepuffs all greeted each other warmly. All remembered the harrowing event the previous year when Cedric almost died that night. The timely actions of Harry Potter saved his life. This was something that Cedric would always be thankful for.

It wasn't long before Luna, Cho, Marietta, Padma, and Anthony of Ravenclaw joined the Hufflepuffs. Each was looking around curiously and wanted to ask questions regarding the situation, but Minerva stopped them before they could vocalize their thoughts.

"Everything will be explained to you when we have the rest of the students here," said Minerva quelling their questions before they could start. "We still have to get ten more students between the four of us. Professor Dumbledore is here in the castle if you need anything. For now, you will all stay here in the Great Hall. Boys will sleep in classroom eleven, and girls will sleep in classroom twelve. Both have been set up for your comfort. I suggest you take this time and get to know your new bunk mates."

With that, the professors were off again. Hermione, Neville, Parvati, and Seamus joined the rest of the students in the Great Hall. Blaise, Millicent, Daphne, and Theo joined them shortly after. This left the last two students.

"We have two more students joining us and then all will be explained," said Albus to the students as Pomona and Filius waited. "We are just awaiting the arrival of Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy before we tell you what's going on. Professors McGonagall and Snape are going to both houses to collect these two students."

"This isn't going to be good for Harry," said Hermione looking pale. "The Dursleys hate magic and they will treat Harry and the Professors badly for this. He told me that his Aunt and Uncle hate magic and everything associated with it. I hope that he comes here without too many problems with his health this year."

"I know," said Albus to the shock of the students. "This is why I sent both Professor Snape AND Professor McGonagall to his house. We want to ensure his safety as much as anything else. If anyone can get him safely, it will be those two professors. Professor Snape has no time for child abusers and Professor McGonagall will not allow anyone to harm Mr. Potter."

Chatter broke out as the students of the four houses started conversing with one another. The Slytherins were cautious around the others, but they were all under the watchful eyes of the Headmaster, so they were polite to the others.

Severus and Minerva went to Malfoy Manor and spoke with Lucius and Narcissa. They were surprised when the Malfoy parents gave their consent with little fuss. Both parents felt like it was a good idea for the students to get to know each other a little less horribly and a little more companionable.

"We have hopes that Draco will be able to assist Mr. Potter in learning how to become an effective Head of House," explained Severus. "We also want Draco to learn that not everything revolves around the pureblood dogma and that sometimes you have to allow those of a lesser station assist you in life. We want each student to learn to depend on other students for things that each type can offer to the world."

"If it will help my son, then I'm all for it," said Lucius smoothly. "Despite public appearances, I don't have a problem with the Potter family. Narcissa is Mr. Potter's godmother after all. I will work with you all to make sure that the students get what they need for this. If this time is successful, I will help to ensure that other teams are sent and the ways are worked for all to learn. It's time for our world to improve instead of stagnate."

"From what the Headmaster has told us, one Head of House will be making an appearance daily to check on the students," said Minerva looking at her list of details. "This will not only give them the opportunity to talk to us if they need it, but will give them a taste of what it's like to live on their own. From what Dumbledore has told me, they are being supervised by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks. This way, there is adult supervision should it be needed to keep the arguments from getting out of control."

"Dolores Umbridge is going to be at Hogwarts this year," confided Severus to Lucius who hissed in anger. "Albus wants Harry and Draco away from her. I know you dislike her. Dumbledore wants more of the key students away from her. In fact, Minerva and I have to visit Potter's house after this to collect him. Dumbledore told us that the boy is being abused by them. We are to do what we can to get him safely out of that house and to fix any problems that his body and health have suffered."

"Do you want some help?" asked Narcissa softly. "I can't believe that those filthy muggles are abusing a child as prominent as Harry Potter. I know he and Draco don't get on very well, but to hear that he is being abused is horrific. Did you know that he was being abused Severus?"

"No," said Severus shaking his head. "I should have known though considering my own dark past. I just didn't see the signs. He is quite skilled at hiding it. However that is no excuse on my part for not knowing. I was in his shoes and should have realized. All of the signs were there and I just didn't look for them."

"Are you going to continue to be so hard on him all the time?" asked Lucius smoothly. "If what you say is true, then it's no wonder he and you butt heads. He feels like you are treating him like his relatives do. Even I wouldn't want to be respectful to you if you were doing the same to me that I got every day from my flesh and blood."

"I will have to alter the way I deal with him," admitted Severus slowly. "As far as the assistance goes, I think yes would be a good answer. We don't know what to expect when we get to his house. If the two of you would be so kind as to collect your son and meet us outside, we can get Potter before it gets too much later."

Narcissa and Lucius nodded in agreement and then made their way to gather Draco and his belongings. The younger Malfoy wasn't too happy about going, but after a sharp command from his father, he quietly gathered his stuff and went down to stand with Severus and Minerva. From there, Minerva took Draco to Hogwarts and Severus headed off with Narcissa and Lucius to Privet Drive.

"There is something wrong here," said Lucius when they arrived. "I can feel the charms on this place. It screams darkness. There must be something wrong here. We better hurry Severus. Something is seriously not right with this whole situation."

"Dumbledore said that there were blood wards on the place due to Potter's affiliation with these disgusting people," explained Severus. "Is that what you feel?"

"Those wards have been warped," said Lucius. "While Potter is at this gathering, we will have to get someone who is skilled in wards to come out and take them down. You had better inform Dumbledore that the wards have turned against the boy rather than helping him."

At that moment, the trio could hear Vernon screaming obscenities at someone. After a few moments, they could hear a denial and then the sound of flesh striking flesh and a yell of pain. That was all it took for Severus to remove his wand and blast the door open, making it hit the wall with enough force to do damage. When they entered the house, they could see Vernon leaning over Harry hitting him with closed fists with enough force to bruise and damage the boy's already fragile body or worse. There was already blood all over the floor where the cuts on his small frame were bleeding.

"Unhand him muggle," yelled Narcissa as she hit him with a hex. "How dare you beat on someone who can't defend himself? If you lay one more hand on his, I will make sure that it's the last thing that you ever do."

Vernon had released Harry as soon as the stinging hex hit his obese body. Harry took one look at the Malfoys and Severus before his eyes rolled up into his head and he hit the floor. Severus raced to his side using his wand to start a diagnostics charm on him. Lucius and Narcissa advanced on the Dursleys with extreme looks of fury on their faces. Vernon was trying to shield his wife and son from the witch and wizard with little success.

"What are you freaks doing in my house?" yelled Vernon. "I insist that you leave immediately. You are trespassing and I won't tolerate any of your unnaturalness in my house. We are protected from your lot and we know that you shouldn't be here. I will be informing that white haired old man about this nonsense."

"Two cracked ribs and a broken arm," reported Severus ignoring Vernon. "He is severely dehydrated and malnourished. We need to get him to Poppy immediately. We were too late to stop any more damage than what is already here. There are scars littering his back and torso. He is bleeding from multiple wounds. All of them are fresh. There even may be internal damage."

"Can you stop the bleeding?" asked Narcissa running a few healing charms on Harry. "We need to get him stabilized for transport. I can only do so much as I never finished my Healer classes. I don't think you brought any potions with you as we didn't think it would be this bad, but he needs at least a blood replenishing potion."

"I have him sedated and stabilized," said Severus. "Find his belongings and let's get him out of here. He won't be coming back to this hell hole and these people are going to pay for what they are doing to him. Make sure you find his owl. That's his familiar and she means the world to him. He also has his father's cloak and a few other personal things that mean everything to him."

"Just go," said Narcissa twirling her wand and gathering Harry's belongings. "We will meet you at Hogwarts. Lucius and I will make a report with the Ministry of Magic about this and provide the memories of what we saw. There is no way this child will be coming back to these animals. He should have never come here in the first place."

Severus nodded his head as he saw Lucius nod in agreement with his wife's statement. He held Harry close and concentrated hard. Turning on the spot, he apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. After opening them, he rushed as fast as he could to the castle itself. He knew that time was of the essence. Narcissa followed him within moments.

As he got to the doors of the castle, they opened and Albus and Minerva met him. Poppy was there as well. The other students were shocked to see a bloody Harry Potter being rushed past the entrance of the Great Hall to the infirmary.

"Severus," said Albus as he felt Narcissa enter the grounds. "What has happened here? Who did this to Harry?"

"His relatives were beating him as we entered the house," said Narcissa to the astonishment of the group. "His uncle did this to him. Some of his wounds I have been able to close, but others are too much for my meager training to fix. We felt it was best to get him to Madam Pomfrey so that she could fix everything else that is wrong with him."

"Potter is being abused by his muggle relatives?" asked Daphne in shock. "How could this happen and we not know about it? Why is he even with muggles to begin with? He should have gone to one of his magical relatives instead. His father is of an old pureblood line. He has Black blood in him. He should have gone to a Black family member at the very least."

"He is really good at hiding the abuse," said Hermione quietly and watched as all the students turned to her. "Ron and I knew he was being hurt, but we couldn't do anything about it. Every time we went to tell someone, he would stop us. He didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him and he was convinced that it was his fault."

"How pathetic can one person get?" Draco exclaimed, with glee evident on his face. "The Golden Boy of Gryffindor is being used as a muggle punching bag. I guess he won't be sitting on his throne for a while. In fact, once the school learns of this, he won't even want to show his face around here anymore."

Hermione walked over to Draco and raised her fist and punched Draco right in the mouth. She was going to hit him again before Neville pulled her off of him with the assistance of Seamus and Parvati. Daphne looked at Draco and slapped him hard across the face. She raised her hand and stuck him a second time just to prove a point to him.

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy," hissed Narcissa in rigid fury when the girls were restrained. "How dare you speak that way about him? It's one thing to have a grudge against someone that you argue with over petty stuff. It is completely different when that person is lying in a bed due to people who are supposed to be taking care of him, have been hurting him since the night he was left with them. You and I will be having a LONG talk when you return from this sojourn. It's time that you learn some manners young man. As of this moment, you can consider yourself cut off from your allowance and your trust fund until I say otherwise."

"You are going to let the mudblood hit me like that?" asked an astonished Draco. "How dare she put her hands on me? When father hears about this, she will wish she had never heard of the magical world. In this instance, I have the power over her. How dare she soil my flesh by touching me?"

Narcissa walked up to Draco and slapped him herself. She was showing everyone standing there just what it meant to be the Ice Queen of Slytherin House. Her regal bearing and attitude stopped any and all attempts to go against her wishes. Even Draco paled when he saw the fury etched on her face. This was no longer his mother. This was a seriously pissed off adult and he knew it. Her next words came out like an arctic blast.

"You will shut up this instant or I will make it so that you can't speak for the rest of the year," hissed Narcissa angrily. "You are lucky she only hit you once. You are to NEVER use that word again in my presence. Need I remind you that this muggleborn young lady is better than you in each and every class in this school? Need I also remind you that she just beat you in a muggle style fighting? I'm going check on my godson. When I come back, you had better be singing a different tune young man."

"Were this school hours, I would dock you fifty points for that remark," said Filius as Narcissa stalked out of the hall. "I suggest that all of you sit quietly while we find out if Mr. Potter is alright or not. When we know what's going on with him, we will be back to inform you of what's going on and why you are all here. Dinner will be served shortly. I suggest that you attempt to get along for now."

With that, he followed Narcissa out of the hall and to the infirmary. The adults knew that things would go from bad to worse if Harry didn't pull through this. Pomona sat at the staff table and watched out over the teens as they all conversed quietly with one another. Draco sat quietly by himself as the others didn't want him near them. He had overstepped his bounds, and even the other Slytherin students didn't want to speak with him. Even they felt that he overstepped his boundaries with his garbage mouth. They too were worried about the health of a prominent member of their society.

"I hope that Harry is alright," said Cedric softly to the group. "No one deserves to go through what he went through. He deserves to be treated better. I'm going to talk to my father and see about getting him someplace new to live as soon as we are done with this project. If I can get away with it, I'll see about us adopting him if we can. He needs to be with people that will love him and not beat on him."

"For what it's worth," said Millicent looking at Hermione and Neville. "I'm sorry that Potter had to go through that. We may have different viewpoints on how we live, but even we agree that no one should be hurt like that by people that are supposed to be taking care of him. Do you know how long this has been going on?"

"As far as I know, it has been going on his whole life," said Hermione with tears in her eyes. "Harry has been trying to figure out a way to not have to go back to that house. After what happened at the end of the school year, he was all but begging us to try and help him find a way out. He really doesn't want to go back there. They hurt him even worse every year."

"He won't be going back," said Severus walking in with Minerva. "You can all relax. He will be just fine. Madam Pomfrey has cleared up all of his wounds and has him sleeping comfortably for the moment. He should be back on his feet by tomorrow. I have a small favor to ask you all."

"If it helps Harry, then you can count on us," said Luna with a determination in her eyes that wasn't seen before by the professors. "He's like my big brother and I won't allow anyone to hurt him anymore. He has stood up for me and it's time that I stand up for him. He is too nice to allow things like this to happen to him."

"Before we get into how you can assist Mr. Potter, I think that you all are curious as to why you are here," stated Albus walking in next. "The twenty of you will be journeying to the equivalent of a ghost town. There, you will all have to learn to work together in both magical and non-magical ways as a team to survive."

The other adults all walked in and sat with the teens as the Headmaster explained what was going to happen.

"It is my hope that the twenty of you can pave the way for all of the houses to come together and work as a team rather than each house doing what they do for themselves alone," continued Albus as the teens all looked at one another in shock. "Those of you that are muggleborn will teach those that aren't how to live without magic while those that are pureblood will teach the others what it means to hold status and prestige in the magical world."

"This doesn't mean that you will be allowed to lord over your cohabitants," explained Filius. "You are to learn how to work together. You are the next generation of leaders and it's time that you all learned how to work with one another. Your blood status doesn't count for anything."

"I refuse to have anything to do with those that are not purebloods," hissed Draco in fury. "They are beneath us in status. We are their superiors and I will not cooperate with them on this. I don't need to learn how to do muggle things as I have house elves that will do what I tell them too."

"You will if you want to inherit the Malfoy fortune when I pass on," snapped Lucius clearly out of patience with his son. "You may be the Ice Prince of Slytherin and you also may represent what it means to be a true Slytherin, but you will NOT treat people like they are your stepping stones. In all reality, you are no better than anyone else here. In some ways, you are worse as you run to me anytime someone hurts your feelings. It's time for you to GROW UP. I'll have you know that some of the people you are putting down have more prestige and money than we do and you would do well to remember that just because you are a Malfoy doesn't make you a king. Now sit down, shut up, and do as you are told or I will make you sorry you were born."

"When do we leave?" asked Hermione nervously. "I am scared, but I'm sure you have a reason for this. I'm also sure you will have the rules and guidelines for us when it comes time for us to get started."

"You will not be unsupervised," assured Albus. "There will be two Aurors with you to keep you all from harming one another, while at the same time one of the four Heads of House will make an appearance at least once a day to check on your status. You will all continue with your magical studies as there will be classes held daily. However, your grades will count just as much as for what you do away from those classes. You will be graded on how well you cooperate with one another just as much as for your work."

"When do we leave?" asked Justin. "Also what are we to do about food and things like that?"

"You are to work together," said Albus. "You will leave as soon as Madam Pomfrey releases Harry from the medical ward. You will all have to learn to cook and clean. Those you will not be able to use your magical abilities with, you will have to learn how to do things the muggle way. You will do your own cooking and cleaning as well as other things without a wand. Rest assured that if you don't pull your weight, then you will miss out on some of the benefits and rewards that go with it."

The teens all started talking about how they were going to do some of the jobs. Some of the purebloods didn't know how to do certain things while the muggleborns and half-bloods were determined to not have to do the work alone.

"The other reason for the two Aurors is that they will help enforce the rules and keep the balance," stated Dumbledore interrupting them. "Those that do not pull their weight will get penalized and punished while those that go beyond the call of duty will be rewarded. A list of jobs, chores, and other tasks will be provided for you daily. You will be scored on how well you do the tasks set."

"Let's make one thing perfectly clear," said Albus when the teens started to over talk him again. "NONE of the Heads of House will favor you just because you are in their house. The five of us have already spoken and all will be fair in the rewards or penalties."

"Right," muttered Draco. "Like St. Potter won't get special treatment due to being the boy who won't die! He gets special treatment with everything else, why wouldn't this be any different. He gets away with everything while the rest of us get point loss and detention."

Severus and Albus turned to the blond and before either Malfoy parent could say a word, Severus dragged Draco out of the hall by his ear. The others could hear Severus giving a severe tongue lashing to the blonde for his audacity. When they returned, everyone shot a glare at the offender. Narcissa and Lucius even shot venom at their son.

"There is one last thing I want to mention," said Albus when he calmed down. "The twenty of you have been chosen for a reason. Much of it is due to who you are and who you are related too. Dolores Umbridge will be working here this year and she will not be kind to the twenty of you that are in front of me. Had we not done this, she would have figured out how to get to each and every one of you to punish you for who you are or related to or your blood status. Though Mr. Diggory is recently graduated, he is a target due to his association with Mr. Potter and for getting away from the cemetery that night."

"Well," said Seamus speaking for the first time. "This ought to be interesting. I'm willing to do anything that I have to in order to escape some crazed woman who wants to punish us for being us. If it means that we have to work together to stay healthy, then I'm all for it. My mum wanted me to do something to help out and this seems like a good way of doing it."

"Succinctly," said Albus. "The Minister of Magic knows what we are doing. He will be keeping in contact to me to hear updates about how well this works. If it DOES work, then we may start doing this once a year and see if other countries are willing to do the same."

"Let's just cross our fingers that WE survive all of this," said Neville looking at Draco with suspicion. "Some of us are willing to try while others don't look like they are ready to give up without a serious fight."

"You no longer have a choice in this," stated Albus. "You all leave in the morning. I suggest that you all learn how to get along. You will need one another. Times are changing and you must change with them. The option is no longer yours to make. I'm tired of the constant bickering between the houses. The phrase for this year is Enough is Enough."

AUTHOR'S NOTE – This is as good a place as any to stop. I hope that you like the concept so far.