Chapter 4

They walked to Downton. Harry had been taken on side along apparition with the late Professor Dumbledore before he had qualified to apparate himself but he was not entirely sure he trusted himself to get it right taking Anthony with him; Ron and Hermione were not entirely confident they could do it either.

In the past Anthony had almost always been overtaken with nerves whenever he approached Downton but today his confidence increased with every step. On the way he filled them in with biographical details of the household at Downton.

"The trouble is I am certain I will not be welcome and I can hardly walk past Carson with you in tow."

"Don't you worry about that," Harry took out a piece of shimmery material, "This will help."

"What is it?" Anthony asked.

"It's an invisibility cloak," Hermione said, "and it really works. He won't see us; no one will until it's too late."

"Can it cover all of you?" Anthony asked incredulously. It was turning out to be quite a day; what with invisibility cloaks, witches and wizards as well as confidence potions.

"Tried and tested on more than one occasion," Harry said.

"What we suggest you do is get yourself admitted and we will follow you under the cloak. You ask for Lady Edith and we will follow you using whatever magic we need to along the way," Hermione said.

"I can do that," Anthony said actually believing it; this confidence felt good and he wished it occurred in him naturally.

"I will ask for Lord Grantham," Anthony said,

"We will be there," Ron said for he was very keen to get Anthony to the stage where Hermione did not need to be around. She had made him quite jealous.

They put the cloak on and Anthony watched as they disappeared from his view.

Anthony knocked boldly on the door and they heard footsteps. The door creaked open.

"Sir Anthony," Carson said, somewhat taken aback.

"Good morning Carson, I wish to see Lord Grantham at once." Anthony said, noticing he felt no sign of nervousness at all.

"He's with the dowager at the moment, Sir Anthony."

"So much the better since what I come to say is for her ears as well."

"Very well," Carson sighed standing aside to allow Anthony access. The others stepped in after him and they heard a loud clang as Carson shut the great door behind them.

They followed Anthony to the library.

"Sir Anthony Strallan is here to see you and the dowager countess, my lord." Carson announced.

"Show him in," Robert sighed.

"Holy cow!" Ron whispered," she looks like Professor McGonagall."

"I know," Hermione whispered back, "I think it must have been your Professor McGonagall chocolate frog card he retrieved for you, Harry; no wonder he went white."

"Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham," Anthony said, barely breaking a sweat," I did Lady Edith a great disservice. I made a decision for her and you did not help matters. I can manage as well with one hand as most can with two and I know I can look after her and make her happy if she will have me. I will not let you push me around anymore; I won a Victoria Cross and they don't give them to just anyone. I love Lady Edith and no one asked her what she wanted or how she felt about me or the situation. She is of age so does not need your consent. I should like your blessing but I will marry her whether I have that or not. I know she loves me and she wanted to be with me in spite of my age, in spite of everything. I was a fool who did not recognise what he wanted when it was right in front of him for the taking and I have berated myself ever since."

Hermione non verbally put a confusion hex on them both.

Just then the door opened and a slender young woman with coppery hair and intense brown eyes walked in. She stopped short when she saw Anthony.

"She is beautiful," Ron gasped. Hermione shot him a look but said nothing; she didn't really have any moral high ground after the mesmerising effect Anthony had had on her earlier.

"Anthony," she gasped, "I thought I would never see you again."

He pulled her to him with his good arm.

"It seems we were wrong Edith," the dowager said somewhat testily," it would appear that Sir Anthony can more than look after you and nothing can be done about his age."

"Do you still want me, Lady Edith?"

"Oh god yes," she threw her arms around him and held him tightly, "I love you Anthony Strallan and I will find happiness with no one else while you draw breath."

"I was a fool to think I could live without you and for not recognising what I truly wanted when it was right in front of me. Please say you forgive me my darling,"

"I forgave you that day my darling," she whispered.

She held his injured hand and those beneath the invisibility cloak saw tears in both their eyes.

Hermione pointed her wand at Anthony and breathed a spell of confidence that would never be broken while he lived. She then sealed the confusion spell so that the earl and dowager countess would always believe that they had made the right decision.

Edith and Anthony left Downton together closely followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.

He introduced them to Edith who was, to be quite frank, shocked and surprised but really grateful for their help especially when Hermione told them she had fixed the confidence and confusion spells so that they could never be broken.

"Is your grandmother a witch?" Ron asked.

"Well I am sure people have called her that and worse over the years but no she isn't."

Violet's resemblance to Professor McGonagall was to remain forever a mystery since Violet was not a twin and indeed had no siblings.

Anthony took Hermione's hand and kissed it.

"Thank you so much, Miss Granger."

"You are welcome," Hermione said.

"You must come to the wedding," Edith said, "you can be invisible if you want."

"Thank you but no," Hermione said, "We have done our part now so we must move on to something new."

"I understand," Edith said, "but we will never forget you."

"We will do an absent friends toast at the wedding," Anthony said.

They watched while Harry, Ron and Hermione disapparated from view.

Anthony kissed Edith passionately on the lips and she responded, hungrily claiming his mouth for her own and enjoying the hard sensuality of it as it caressed her. They held each other tightly and Anthony breathed deeply and Edith thought she had never known him more at peace with himself than at that moment. A shiver ran through her as she looked into those blue eyes.

"Kiss me again Anthony my love," she whispered, "Make me breathless."

"Gladly my darling," he murmured as his mouth once again descended to hers.

"Well that wasn't too difficult was it?" Harry said, "They were a nice couple. What have we got to do next?"

Hermione glanced at the parchment.

"We have to go and see some modern day chap called Julian Fellowes and tell him he got the story all wrong and convince him that what we have just witnessed is the right thing to happen. I am sure Professor McGonagall will be delighted when we pull that off."

"Well let's get on with it then," Harry said.