Harry woke to bright light streaming in through the window. He assumed it was sometime after noon. The other side of the bed was empty and cold, and Harry tried to hunch down under the blankets more. He was happy to just let himself lay there and avoid whatever responsibilities were waiting for him. A chair in the corner of the room held clothes Harry recognized as his own, probably left there for him by Hermione. At least someone thought to bring our stuff Harry thought to himself. It was amazing that Hermione must have still managed to hold on to the small spelled bag that housed every essential item they owned through everything, even the final battle.

Harry got up slowly, his body still aching and sore. He grabbed the clothes and left the room, hoping a hot shower would ease his muscles and finally make him feel clean. He couldn't actually remember the last time he had bathed. Doing so for relaxation as well as wash up was nearly a foreign thought to him now. Hermione walked out of the bathroom as he was walking towards it, her wet hair wrapped in a towel but otherwise clothed.

"Sleep well?" Hermione asked kindly.

"Er yeah thanks." Harry had slept well. Probably the most restful slumber he'd had in years. "Any hot water left for me?"

Hermione stuck her tongue out as she passed him, continuing down the hall. "More than enough. McGonagall owled, she'll be over in a few hours. I'm going to make us some breakfast so take your time."

"Thanks, 'Mione." Harry replied, entering the bathroom and closing the door. He avoided his gaze in the mirror this time, not wanting to look himself in the eyes. He'd woken up feeling rested but now the guilt and shame were settling in, weighing him down like lead chains.

He started the shower, turning it as hot as he could bear before getting in. Standing under the stream of water, he imagined himself as someone out of a sad film with rain pouring down on them. With that pathetic image in mind he sat down on the floor of the shower, leaning back against the wall and letting his head loll back. He stayed there long after his body had gone numb, staring at the drain, and thinking of nothing. It was easier to pretend he didn't exist and lose himself in the steady rhythm of the water than to let himself think. Finally, he got up, not knowing how long he'd stayed in that position for, only that it hurt to move and stand. He went through the motions of washing and finally got out, thankful for the magic that had kept the water on the edge of painfully hot for so long.

The mirror was fogged up so he didn't have to actively avoid looking at himself. His body felt better, muscles more relaxed and the constant headache had receded to an almost nonexistent buzz of pressure. He towel dried, using the now clean towels Hermione must have left in there, and dressed quickly. He'd had enough time to let himself be miserable for now and had to pull himself together and get downstairs for breakfast before Hermione started to worry about him.

Once dressed, he made his way down to the first floor and went looking for Hermione in the dining room. Not finding her he went down to the basement, where the kitchen was to find her sitting at a small table reading the Daily Prophet.

"Your piece is in here." She said, and sipped her tea. Harry sat across from her and helped himself to the toast and bacon that was set out. He didn't know where she had gotten the food but it didn't matter, he was ravenous. "Kreacher stopped by with some food from the kitchens at school. I think Professor McGonagall sent him. We should probably go grocery shopping later today."

"What time is it?" Harry asked, chewing the toast and putting an egg on his plate. Hermione slid a cup of fruit towards him.

"Half past 2. The others should be here soon."

"Others?" Harry swallowed and asked. He wasn't expecting other people to be here too.

"Yes. McGonagall is bringing some aurors with her and there's going to be an Order meeting tonight."

"Right. To talk about rounding up the remaining Death Eaters."

"Er yes. You should know…" Hermione trailed off and glanced at him over the paper she was still reading. "I think they might be bring Lucius Malfoy along."

Harry went cold. "And why, exactly, would they be doing that?"

"You should read this." She replied and handed over the paper.

MALFOY CHANGE OF HEART

Lucius Malfoy turned himself into aurors after the Battle of Hogwarts. An admitted Death Eater, he has come forward to supply names of comrades who escaped before the final battle ended (see page 2 for current list of names). The Malfoy family sided with "Dumbledore's Army" and other participants of the Battle of Hogwarts at some point after the battle began, being seen sitting with survivors shortly after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was vanquished by Harry Potter (See page 1 for more information from Harry Potter himself). Malfoy maintains that his family had nothing to do with his actions as a Death Eater and were held captive by the Dark Lord when he took over Malfoy Manor. While his wife, Naricissa Malfoy nee Black, was held captive physically, his son, Draco Malfoy, was held under constant threat at Hogwarts castle, under the eyes of Alecto and Amycus Carrow. The Carrows are both in ministry custody.

Lucius Malfoy maintains that his wife and son were never directly involved with the Dark Lord and are not death eaters, as has been rumored. Officials in the ministry were not available to confirm this, however the family is no longer under question at this time. Malfoy will be assisting ministry officials and aurors in finding the escaped Death Eaters in return for a more lenient sentence and protection for his family (See page five for possible new laws, policies, and proceedings in face of the imminent shut down of Azkaban).

Harry finished reading and looked at Hermione. "I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to believe from this. They're just letting him go?"

"I don't think we have the full story yet. I just wanted you to know in case he does end up being brought to the meeting tonight." Harry didn't know how she could be staying calm at this news. He didn't know how to feel. Angry, perhaps, that Lucius would be getting off lightly. Dumbfounded that the ministry was going along with this story. He was most confused over what he should feel about Draco and his mother, though. A small part of him was glad they were being spared. Narcissa Malfoy had saved his life after all, even if it had been in the interest of protecting her son however she could. And as much as he couldn't stand Draco, he was glad that he would get the chance to turn his life around. No one deserved to have their whole life doomed from the time they were a child.

"Thank you, then." Harry replied after dragging himself away from his thoughts.

"So we have probably another few hours or so before anyone starts arriving, do you want to start cleaning? Maybe at least the dining room and front hall anyway so it doesn't look so bad for our guests?" Hermione asked lightly with fake cheer. Harry knew she just wanted to keep him busy and he appreciated it.

They spent the next two hours cleaning. Whatever Death eaters had set up camp in the house had trashed the place. They broke furniture, ripped open cabinets and thrown the contents in every direction. There were scuffs marks on the floors that suggested a few small fires may have occurred. At some point, it looked like Walburga Black's painting in the front hallway had also been set on fire, explaining why the woman hadn't started her unearthly shrieking when Hermione and Harry first walked in. The frame was scorched, the canvas hanging down in one corner and looking as though someone had tried shredding it as well. Miraculously, when Harry tried taking the picture down it detached from the wall without protest. He set it aside to be dealt with later.

In a stroke of luck, no other creatures had moved into the house in their absence. Hermione set to work repairing furniture while Harry took care of the dust and other disrepair. In less than an hour they managed to have the front of the house looking clean and habitable, like nothing had ever happened in the first place.

"We should redecorate." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Bring some more light into the house, paint, that sort of thing. Maybe replace some of the older furniture."

Harry laughed in response and tilted his head back against the wall they were sitting against, now thoroughly exhausted. Harry extended his legs in front of them, marveling at how spotless the floor was. For a short time he'd been completely distracted from the whirlwind going on inside his head. It had felt great.

"You don't like the antiques?" He replied

"Maybe not the antiques per say but they just give off a bad energy. I want to make this place feel more like ours. Or yours, I mean." Hermione leaned against him with her head on his shoulder.

"You hated divination with a passion, but you believe in 'bad energy' now?" Harry teased with a smirk. His head was resting gently against hers, her hair tickling his nose and slightly muffling his words.

"Diviniation is pomp and nonsense." Hermione replied hotly. "Energy is like magic, existence. The bad energy is probably repressing our own magic right now."

"You sound a bit like Luna, don't you?" Harry laughed. "But no, I agree. Lets redecorate and make the house our own." Hermione smiled against his shoulder and hummed in agreement. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes more, happy to take the time to relax. Hermione was probably already drawing up plans for Grimmauld place in her mind, ready to jump into the new adventure as soon as possible. Harry was simply thinking that it might be nice to have a house with his best friend where they could be safe and have people over, and never worry about having to run or fight for their lives again.

"I'm going to get a drink and maybe start cooking for the meeting. Can you ask Kreacher to bring over more food if he can?" She sat up and braced herself on his shoulder to get up.

"Willing to assign a task to a house elf?" Harry asked, still in a teasing mood. "What would your fellow SPEW members think?"

"Honestly Harry, I think you and Ron would be fine with it. Don't make me send you out instead," Hermione walked out of the room, calling behind her as she went "And it's S.P.E.W."

Harry called Kreacher, arranging for him to bring over groceries as well as something to serve as dinner to feed the Order. He didn't really know how many people would be arriving or what to feed them so he just left it up to Kreacher and Hermione to figure out. And if there were any leftovers then he and Hermione wouldn't have to worry about food for a while.

The doorbell rang just as Harry heard Kreacher's parting crack from the kitchen. Harry answered it and found Professor McGonagall on the door step and ushered her in, moving to close the door behind her. He was stopped by two aurors and Kingsley Shacklebolt apparating onto the doorstep, accompanied by their own slightly quieter cracks compared to Kreacher's, each a few seconds after the other.

"Professor. Minister. Er, aurors." Harry said, letting them into the house. He paused, waiting, for a few seconds before closing the door again. McGonagall took off her hat and coat and walked into the dining room, followed by the other guests. Hermione came up the stairs as they were settling in, carrying a tray with a pitcher and water glasses on it.

"We don't have any food to offer you quite yet." She said. "But soon. Probably by the time everyone else gets here." She offered the tray to the guests and Harry before setting it down on the dining room table.

"Don't worry, Miss Granger. Sit please, the both of you. We have much to discuss and little time to do so."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other quickly and sat down across from Professor McGonagall and the Minister.