Chapter Four:
Planning For The Future
"Impervious!"
The Slytherin prefects gave the password to the door, and it promptly opened into the common room.
The returning pupils stopped and stared at what lay before them. There was a varying range of responses from "What the-?", and Astoria-as-Ernie's "Wow!" to audible gasps.
Harry and Daphne took in the changes with a shared smile, pleased by what they were seeing. They had learned from Professor Slughorn that there would be some interior changes to the Slytherin common room. The décor of the wall and furniture was generally still green – but some white and yellow had been added, to add some light and warmth to the colour scheme. The fires and gas lamps too now burned with naturally-coloured flames. Meanwhile, the sofas and chairs looked, and - upon examination – felt more cosy and comfortable. There was still no natural light in the main part of the common room – but now, to one side, a window had somehow been created in the wall so that anyone sitting on the sofa placed before it could look straight into an underwater portion of the Black Lake. Right now, brightly-coloured creatures, resembling sea-urchins, were drifting by, glowing with a magic of their own.
The ceiling was higher than Harry remembered it from his visit here during his second year, in Ron's company. The room was more airy. More homely too. The semi-gloom that he remembered had now gone.
If someone had told the twelve year old Harry then that he would go on to make friends in Slytherin, and be re-sorted here, he would have scoffed with disbelief.
But now he was here because he had a mission to fulfill. A role to play. And because he wanted to be here. There would still be barriers to overcome, of course…
"It's…better. It's wonderful!" Daphne beamed, taking Harry's hand, as she admired the altered common room.
"Yes, it is," Harry agreed. "I think there's a touch of the other Houses in the mix now. Without Snape being around to resist any changes, the other teachers have acted on…certain feedback…, this summer."
"If I can have your attention…," the male prefect called out loudly, as he and his female colleague faced the rest of the Slytherin pupils, to give their introductory speeches to the small crowd. From Daphne's whispers whilst their party had descended the stairs to the dungeons, Harry had learned that the boy prefect was Malcolm Baddock. Whilst the sulky-looking Asian girl was Anya Lo.
When the curious and less-nervous of the first year pupils had finished asking questions, Anya called out. "Anyone else who has something to ask? No… Good! Now – the entrance to the girl's dormitories is through this door behind me, and…"
"Wait! I've got some questions…." A spiky-haired sixty former raised an accusing finger towards Harry. "Let's start with… What the hell are you doing here, Potter?"
There were a few nods and grunts from other unfriendly faces, around the speaker, agreeing with his stance.
"Well… I'm just standing here, being introduced into Slytherin House – like the first years and a few older pupils, like Luna here," Harry nonchalantly replied. He smiled his thanks to Luna, who had already stepped forward to place her hand on his left shoulder, knowing that her touch would help to calm Harry down.
Seeing this, Daphne slipped her left hand into Harry's right. Now the trio who had faced Voldemort – who had been prepared to die together if they had to – were united again. This time once more before a Slytherin crowd. But after the three of them had comforted Voldemort… Daphne smirked. By comparison, this current challenge wasn't as scary now as it once would have been. But neither she nor Luna would let Harry be goaded into losing his temper.
Anya's nostrils flared. "Don't be coy with us, Potter! You and Loo-… I mean, Lovegood… You're both still wearing your original House ties and robes – as is Macmillan…"
"That's not a problem," Luna spoke up, smiling serenely. "The house-elves will change the colours of our ties and robe lapels whilst we're asleep overnight. In the morning, us older, new Slytherins, will be proudly wearing silver and green. Please make sure that this is a warm and welcoming House to us and the first years, though, won't you? Regardless of their blood-status. After all, you'll want them to felt happy and proud to be here too, surely? So that they can give their best."
The girl prefect's mouth hung open. "You mean… We now have Mudbl- Um, I mean…"
"Muggle-borns, Anya. Yes, I know for a fact that we do. And you heard the headmistress. There will be no bullying, or any discrimination, or any social isolation, of any kind in this House from now on! And no initiation rites anymore, either." Daphne glared at the other girl. "You are a prefect – but I'm Head Girl now, and I expect both you and Malcolm here to carry out your duties both professionally and fairly. If Harry and I learn of any problems that you pair knew about and failed to resolve to the best of your ability, we will step in and take action. Otherwise, we'll get on just fine – and we hope to earn your trust and friendship. Got it?"
Anya gave a stiff nod, not wanting to provoke any further anger from the Woman-That-Won.
"Got it," Malcolm Baddock replied, gulping, as Daphne turned to face him.
"Good," Daphne replied. She smiled broadly again.
"That's not good enough for me!" the spiky-haired boy bristled, stepping forward with an angry-looking girl with dark ginger hair. The similarity between their faces gave away the fact that they were siblings. "Our uncle was killed by Aurors, and mum's in jail because of…the D-Dark Lord's death! Thanks to you pair, and the wretched rabble who fought with you…"
"Pipe down, Pritchard!" Tracey snapped at him.
"Not a chance, Davis!" the ginger-haired girl snapped back with her shrill voice. "Uncle Ulric despised the incompetent Ministry of Magic and knew HE – our fallen Lord - would provide strong leadership for our kind. He would care for and protect us in his vision for a new world, and make our bloodlines pure. Like his was pure!"
"First of all, the 'rabble' who fought with me have proven their bravery and their worth! Dead or alive, they all wanted to free this world from the regime of deceit, death and darkness that had been forced upon us all – and we should be honoring the good people who died in the struggle." Harry eyes flashed with anger. "Second, I'm sorry that the war has cost you a relative – but the Death Eaters who died in the war are dead because of the mad dreams of a tyrant! And, thirdly, let's call your Dark Lord for who he actually was! Voldemort was a half-blood by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle – or Tom Riddle Junior!" he barked back.
"What!? You lie!" Miss Pritchard clenched her fists as she recovered from the use of the V-name.
"No lie! I've learnt about his past. Your glorious 'Dark Lord' was no saviour – he was a blinkered fascist and a mass-murderer, who charmed, lied to, and manipulated and sacrificed, countless others in his pursuit of power and immortality. He didn't care for anyone else! Let's give you some examples. He murdered his own Muggle father and Muggle grandparents – and had his wizarding uncle, Morfin Gaunt, framed for the murders! Here's another. He ordered his pet snake to kill Snape – so that he thought he could gain control over the Elder Wand, in order to win the war and rule over the witches and wizards of these islands forever! He would not have shared his power."
"HE really ordered…Professor's Snape's death?" asked Anya. "I'd heard that, despite the Professor actually dying later in battle. But I…thought he couldn't have possibly have turned against…"
Harry gave a grim nod. "It's true."
"Rule…forever?" Graeme Pritchard's face blanched.
"That's right. That was Voldemort's plan," Daphne confirmed. "And who knows what other goals he would have turned his mind to, once he had crushed anyone opposing him? He and the Death Eaters could have exposed our kind in their mad crusade for their brave 'new world'…"
"…then the Muggles would've started fighting back against us – with their guns and their technology! It would've been a chaotic war, with millions dying," Harry added.
"And even if Voldemort and the Death Eaters had their way with only having 'pureblood' families interbreeding… Eventually, the bloodlines would mess up. There would be more squibs being born," Luna sagely observed. "Apart from the fact that we need Muggles to run and maintain the wider world around us, we need them to help diversify and continue our bloodlines!"
"So forget about the myths – and the lies - you've been taught by your parents, or whoever it was," Harry spoke again, his tone now calmer. "There is no such thing as 'dirty blood'. There are no 'blood traitors'. And to answer your question, Pritchard, I'm here to help you all redeem Slytherin House! By next June, my friends and I want to see progress being made so that the Slytherins are no longer pariahs within Hogwarts, and that as many of you as possible have turned your back on the Death Eater cause!"
"That's…ambitious," Baddock considered.
Harry smiled at him, nodding. "Let me tell all of you something else. During my first sorting, the hat wanted to place me in Slytherin."
The older pupils gaped at him in disbelief. Some of them now also looked at him with interest.
"It wasn't the right move then – but it is now. I've made a choice. This House prides ambition. Here is my ambition, my plan – I want Slytherin House to redeem itself from being the House where almost all the Death Eaters were schooled, and for it to no longer be a pariah House, where some pupils have to endure bullying, manipulation, and being forced to hold their tongues from speaking out against the bad apples."
Miss Pritchard gave a short bark of a humourless laugh. "And how do you think you are going to change the attitudes and ways of Slytherin, when we have been a long-standing House of tradition?"
"It won't be easy, I'm sure. And the process to change things for the better will take years," Harry admitted. "But apart from me and my friends standing up to any bullies, there's going to be more inter-house liaison from now on. My friends and I met with the teachers over the summer, and between ourselves we've come with up some ideas. When it come Quidditch teaching, pupils will be in practice groups made up from all four Houses, to reduce the simmering rivalry. The Houses will still have their separate team training sessions, though. Inter-house study groups will soon be formed. And Muggle studies will now be compulsory for non Muggle-born pupils here! Amongst other subjects in those lessons, the headmistress wants young witches and wizards to understand what sacrifices Muggles have made over time to help keep this world free from their tyrants. How they have helped to preserve the freedoms we also take for granted!"
There were a few protests. The crowd muttered between themselves.
"We've got to learn Muggle studies!?"
"What do you mean…? What sacrifices have Muggles made for us…?"
Harry pressed on, his heart pounding as he held his nerve to complete his laying of the gauntlet - the challenge – to his new fellow housemates. "By the end of this academic year, I want to see everyone in this House start to feel proud, to feel happy, that it was a Slytherin headmaster who helped me to bring down Voldemort. That it was a Slytherin head of House who led the charge of reinforcements that helped to bring down the worst of the Death Eaters. That there were, unknown to some people here, Slytherin pupils who trained in Dumbledore's Army alongside pupils from the other Houses, and who later all stood in the battle alongside me, to fight for freedom against a dictatorship, against a madman, and against an army of evil. The future for Slytherin and the other Houses, for Hogwarts, for the wizarding community, and the human race in general, is what we all contribute in making it. So let's work together for a better world – and make the future brighter than the past has been. For everyone!"
He fell silent, and took a deep breath to calm himself after the speech that he had tried to practice in his head on the Hogwarts Express – after having dealt with Ginny. Harry's heart pounded as he awaited the reactions of his audience.
"Well said!" Astoria-as-Ernie called out, smirking.
Harry grinned back, remembering when the real Ernie had first said those same words to him, during their fifth year. Evidently, Astoria had acquired that memory…
"Our place is with you, Harry. Always," Luna declared, exchanging a meaningful look with Daphne, who nodded back as she gently squeezed Harry's hand in affirmation.
"After experiencing the horrors of last year, with the Carrows and Malfoy calling the hexes… I'm in with you, Harry," said Malcolm Baddock.
Anya Lo gave a solemn nod. "Alright… Let's give it a try. I too would like to see our House being on friendlier terms with the others."
"I had no ambition to follow in father's dodgy footsteps, anyway…," muttered someone else.
One by one, the Slytherin pupils piped up to pledge their agreement and support. The murmuring gradually turned into a round of clapping, as Tracey, Luna, and Astoria-as-Ernie urged the other boys and girls to applaud The-Man-Who-Won and The-Woman-Who-Won.
The Pritchards hissed their frustration. They glanced at each other, and nodded.
They quickly whipped out their wands, and aimed at Harry and Daphne. "Incar-"
Two red bolts collectively shot out from the wands of Tracey and Astoria-as-Ernie. They struck the Pritchards in the chest. Brother and sister had just time to register their shock at the speed of the silent counter-attacks, before they crumpled and fell to the floor.
"Thanks, guys!" Harry nodded to his friends. The five of them turned to appraise the reactions of the other Slytherins. There were facial twitches and the bobbing of throats from several of the older ones, whilst the younger pupils generally had their jaws dropping open. 'Wow…!' was even whispered by a few.
"That was non-verbal spell casting! I've never seen a pupil do that before…"
"How come you were so quick…?" another girl spoke up.
"We were trained in the DA. By a good teacher!" Tracey smirked, her brown eyes flitting across to Harry.
Astoria-as-Ernie stepped forward with his raised wand. "Does anyone else want to challenge the new direction of this House?" he snapped.
There was a collective shake of heads.
"Good… Oh, one more thing before you see to the Pritchards, Malcolm and Anya. A suggestion…" Harry met their startled gazes. "The password to this Common Room. Which you've decided upon between yourselves…"
"Impervious… I guess it smacks too much of the old Slytherin style, doesn't it?" Malcolm muttered.
Daphne nodded in agreement. "When you can, change it to something…friendlier."
"We'll have a re-think," Anya conceded.
With that done, the crowd broke up and headed to the seats in the common room, to talk and to relax after their long day.
"You can't win them all," Harry muttered, watching as the grim-looking Malcolm and Anya levitated the Pritchards into their respective dormitories. Graeme and his sister would both be tongue-lashed when they came to, Harry knew.
"True – but that went better than I'd hoped! You were magnificent, Harry." Daphne slipped her arms around his neck and drew him in as she kissed him on the lips. He held her in turn as he returned his affection for her.
Tracey whistled her approval.
"Keep your approval more dignified, if you would, Trace," Daphne grumbled, as she took in Tracey's sniggering.
Astoria-as-Ernie slided up to them. "I know what the Pritchards are like. They respect strength – and we've demonstrated that strength to them! They might be a problem for you Harry, but they are grass snakes – not poisonous adders!"
"Thanks guys!" Harry took in his Slytherin band of friends – Daphne, Luna, Tracey, and Astoria-as-Ernie. "Are you all ready for the challenge we've all agreed on?"
"Too right we are," Tracey's brown eyes flashed with determination. "But let's have some fun tonight – just the five of us. Is that okay?"
"Daphne and I had better check out our rooms," Harry pointed out.
"Then let's get to them now, Mr Potter," Daphne declared, tugging on his arms. She faced their friends. "Come round to our quarters in half-an-hour's time, guys! I'm understand the house-elves will still supply a few Butterbeers to the Head Boy and Head Girl after curfew."
"Oh! Will they supply crisps and Muggle party poppers, too?" Luna's face lit up.
Daphne chuckled. "We can ask them!"
"And, for tonight, you lot can return to your dormitories after curfew. On the orders of your new Head Girl and Head Boy," Harry announced to the grinning faces around him.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
It was during the evening of the third school day that Daphne decided to conduct her Head girl tour of the school, without Harry.
But as she walked along the seventh-floor corridor outside of the Room of Requirement, she failed to react in time to the figure stepping out from behind a door to a storeroom.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Ur-"
Daphne started to fall face-forward towards the floor which was flying into her frozen field of vision. Her split-second of panic about injuring her face was then addressed as her ambusher then cast another spell upon her.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
With her petrified body unable to fight back in any way, Daphne could only silently seethe as she was floated along the twisting corridors of the seventh floor. She was still face-down, and so was able to gauge her position by watching the floor and lower walls pass her by. Her unseen assailant kept behind her, using the well-directed and sustained levitation charm to float Daphne to their destination – which they reached minutes later.
"Acid pops!" the attacker called out.
Nothing happened.
"Fizzing Whizbee!"
The silence fell again.
"Cockroach cluster!"
Well, if you're aiming for consistency…, Daphne thought. Although she was unable to smile with her lips, she was doing so in her head, instead.
"Aagghh! Sherbet lemon! Liquorish allsorts! Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! Aaaggghhh! Move aside, you stupid gargoyle!"
"You forgot Jelly Babies, Ginny…," Luna's Irish-accented voice called out, making Daphne silently sigh with relief.
"Cancel your spells on Daphne. Now!" Tracey growled.
There was a moment of hesitation. Then Daphne felt herself being carefully lowered to the floor.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Daphne groaned and cricked her neck and joints as feeling returned to them. She was relieved to find that her wand was still tucked behind the belt of her dark trousers. Carefully standing up, she turned to see Ginny Weasley standing before the gargoyle that guarded the approach to Headmistress McGonagall's office, her hands raised in surrender. Ginny's wand was now in Luna's hand – whilst Ginny was being prodded in the back by the tip of Tracey's wand. Like Ginny, they were in their casual clothes. Only she, being the Head Girl on patrol, was still in uniform.
"Thanks, guys." Daphne beamed. "The plan worked to perfection."
"The…plan!?" spluttered Ginny.
Daphne gave a hard smile. "How do you think Tracey and Luna managed to catch onto you so quickly? We knew where you were…"
"Daphne was acting as bait, Ginny. Whilst we followed at a discreet distance behind, under Harry's cloak," Tracey explained with a smile in her voice.
"Tracey anticipated your actions tonight," Luna elaborated. She hummed sadly. "We rather hoped that you had learnt your lesson by now…"
Ginny bowed her face, unable to withstand looking back into Luna's perceptive silver-grey eyes. "I'm desperate!" She wailed. "This is my last throw of the dice, to have Harry as my boyfriend…"
"…by hoping to operate the Transference device upon us both for you to become Daphne Greengrass? For the rest of your life?" Daphne challenged Ginny.
Her face twitched for a few moments. "Y-yes!" she admitted.
"And what was to become of the new Ginny Weasley?" Daphne narrowed her eyes, raising her wand to Ginny's throat.
"Sh-she was going to be locked away in a cage or somemutt in the Room of Requirement. I would've left her with food and water! I…I… I would've tried to find a way to copy all of your memories, so that I could become the new D-Daphne Greengrass! Then… Then I would've wiped out your own memory – before pl-planting my selected memories into you, with a com-compulsion not to harass Harry!" Ginny stuttered. "You would've become Ginny, with no memory of what had happened to you for a day or two!"
"And you would have had to do that all by yourself… Impressive. If you could've actually carried it off," Daphne muttered darkly. "Maybe we shouldn't have told you about the Transference device at all." She turned to her fellow Slytherin witches. "Well, I think we need to go inside, and resolve this. What do you say, Tracey? Luna?"
Luna hummed as she stared into Ginny's frightened eyes. "I agree. Ginny needs to be saved from her own obsessions and stupidity."
Tracey gave a toothy grin. "Let's show Ginny what would have happened if she had got inside McGonagall's office. Better make sure that none of us hear the new password, Daffy!"
"Of course. Muffliato!"
And whilst Ginny, Luna, and Tracey's ears were filled with the temporary buzzing, the Head Girl called out the altered password. The gargoyle promptly leapt aside to reveal the staircase, which Ginny was frog marched into taking.
"Oh, by the way, Ginny. Professor McGonagall isn't such as sweet a person as Dumbledore was," Daphne informed her.
Ginny pressed a hand to her reddening face. So calling out a list of different sweets wasn't going to get her into the Head's office anymore…
Inside, the Headmistress looked up from the papers on her desk as she sat. She put down her cup of tea and with a flick of her wand, she silenced the wizard radio relaying the news from its shelf at the side of the office.
"Good evening, ladies. What is the point of this visit?" McGonagall challenged them.
Ginny's heart pounded. Her throat was dry and sore. Her actions to ensnare Harry were now all going to be reported, and she was going to get expelled for attacking Daphne…
"Good evening, Headmistress," Daphne replied with a smile. "As you know, Miss Weasley here is aware of the device that my grandparents owned. She was thinking…of writing a paper about it for her Transfiguration coursework."
Ginny's heart missed a beat. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Really…? Then I'm afraid that you are too late, Miss Weasley." McGonagall turned her scrutinizing gaze towards Ginny. She gestured to the bare floor to one side of the wide office. "The Transference device was here. It was moved, on the advice of Miss Davies, back into the care of the Ministry of Magic during the early hours of yesterday. They'll make sure that not even your father can find it. After all, it had done the work required of it. Just as well. I suspect that its power levels were depleted again…"
"What a shame… That means that you can't write about my grandparents device, Ginny." Daphne gave a false smile. "Well, we are sorry for wasting your time, Professor. Have a good evening."
McGonagall nodded to them, as Daphne, Luna, and Tracey turned around and grabbed hold of the speechless Ginny.
Back in the storeroom where she had hidden during her calculated wait for Daphne to do her round, Ginny was forced to take a seat on a spare desk as the other girls pointed their wands at her.
"I d-don't understand…! Why are y-you being so lenient t-towards me?" Ginny managed to splutter. "You could've told McGonagall the truth, Daphne! You could've had me removed…"
"…from the school? Like you were planning to have me removed from Harry with that potentially-dangerous scheme of yours? Despite your actions, I'm not going to degrade myself to the level of being an 'evil snake'. I'm not even going to deduct House Points from you," Daphne fired back, as she fought to control her ongoing restraint towards Ginny. "The fact is that Harry wants you to find redemption."
"H-he does? After wha…?"
"Even after what you have done – doping Daphne with Amortentia, when you thought your target was Harry," Luna spoke up.
"However, after your attack on Daffy, you won't be getting off entirely scot-free tonight," Tracey added, her eyes glaring at Ginny.
Ginny shook and started to cry. She stared at Luna, who looked sadly back at her.
"The pain won't last long, Ginny," her former friend declared softly.
"You'll find yourself dumped outside the Gryffindor common room, by the time you awaken. As Head girl I have the authority of the Headmistress to do what I'm about to do. And right now, I'm extending the same permission to my friends here," Daphne clarified. "If you try anything else to come between Harry and me again, we won't be so lenient next time! Got that?"
Ginny nodded and hung her head, closing her eyes. "Do it, then."
And with that, Daphne fired the first Bat-Bogey hex – which struck Ginny in the face, stinging her. Tracey and Luna followed suit…
"Splatt!"
"SPLATT!"
Ginny was left sprawled and unconscious on the floor, with her wand tucked back into her trousers pocket.
"Right, then…" Daphne huffed. She turned and left the storeroom with her fellow Slytherin witches. "…I'll return and levitate Weasel here at the stroke of Curfew. But for now, I need to do my Head Girl round. Coming with me, ladies?"
"Sure thing, Daffy," Tracey giggled.
"Me too!" gushed Luna.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
The next evening saw Ginny Weasley rushing into the girl's toilets on the second floor. She had endured the final lesson of the day – which had been a NEWT Potions session. Even though she had partnered with Hermione, and Professor Slughorn had been a much more pleasant teacher than Snape, she had found it hard to focus on Slughorn's teaching or on the instructions on how to brew a healing potion.
Instead, she had felt like salt had been rubbed into the wound of her broken heart, whenever she had glimpsed Harry working with Daphne. Harry's robes – and Luna's robes – were now of course trimmed with green. The blazer badges and ties of her two former friends, had been turned by the magic of the house-elves overnight during their first night back in school, so that they were both bearing the same snake emblems and silver and green stripes as Daphne, Tracey, and the other Slytherins present.
Ginny still couldn't quite accept it.
Harry and Luna are Slytherins! They're snakes!
And they did not look at all unhappy about it. Harry seemed the most content and relaxed that Ginny had seen him in a long while, as he had paid attention to both Slughorn's instructions and to what he was doing, as he and Daphne had talked to each other, co-coordinating themselves efficiently around their cauldron – smiling widely at each other as they did so. Harry had nodded to Ginny at the start of the lesson, whilst she had stared back, rigid and fuming – but had otherwise avoided looking at her. For her part, Luna had given a cheery wave when she entered the potion classroom with the chatty, smiling Tracey – but again, Ginny had failed to return any warmth as she took in the snake emblem on Luna's blazer.
Traitor!
But in the stillness of the girl's toilets, with only the dips of the old taps – and her own sobs – to break the silence, Ginny knew, deep down in her heart that Luna wasn't really a traitor. Neither was Harry – or any of her friends. It was her who had lost their trust by stupidly being so fixated on her goal of ensnaring Harry – the goal that her mother had pushed her towards, via the means of Amortentia…
Ginny vaguely wondered how Luna would cope in Slytherin – after having been bullied by some of the girls within Ravenclaw. No doubt having Tracey in the same dormitory (a detail that she'd overheard Luna tell Harry at breakfast time) helped. Having the two people you had faced Voldemort with – and come back to life with – as the Head Boy and Head Girl would've also put off any budding bullies from harming Luna or her possessions. Especially when the Head Boy was Harry Potter, who would do anything for his loyal and trusted friends. And Luna was now one of his most loyal and most trusted…
However, it had not been the Potions lesson which had driven Ginny to despair, but instead what had happened after the evening meal when she entered the Owlery to post the bad news of her mission failure to ensnare Harry, after writing the hardest letter in her life. In the Owlery, she had caught Harry and Daphne cuddling and smooching. In a fit of temper, Ginny had screamed her frustration at the startled pair and, ignoring their pleas for her to stop, ran back straight to the school – to end up in the toilets that hardly any of the girls used, thanks to Moaning Myrtle's haunting, off-putting presence.
Her undelivered letter was now crumpled in her clenched fist, as she pressed her back to a bare wall, and slid down to rest on the floor, sobbing.
How long she remained in that position, she didn't know. But eventually, she looked up as the sound of footsteps made their presence known. A pair of polished black shoes stopped in front of her bowed head. Then a hand gently reached out and stroked her shoulder.
"Come here, Ginny," a boy's voice instructed her.
"Hurr…?" Ginny sniffled, and then found herself embraced by a pair of warm arms as the owner knelt down on the floor next to her. The voice wasn't Harry's. The tie in the vision of her watering eyes was yellow – but the voice was not Ron's either…
She looked up.
"Nev-Neville?" she whispered.
The shy-looking boy of previous years had turned rather handsome over the last year. He smiled, nodded, and offered her a tissue.
"You-you're not asking why…"
"I knew what this is all about, Ginny. Harry, Daphne, and the others have filled me in on your scheme. Harry was worried about you, after you ran out on him and Daphne at the Owlery – so he consulted the Marauder's Map and decided now was the right time to send me in, if I wanted to. I agreed. So here I am."
"Send you in…?"
"This is the final part of Harry's plan for you, Ginny. The re-sorting was agreed between our gang and the teachers to help heal the divisions between the Houses – as well as to place Harry where he could do the most good, without you distracting him," Neville explained.
"Your g-gang? The N-New Marauders?" Ginny stammered.
"That's right. And now, along with Ron and Hannah, it's my responsibility to see that Hufflepuff House plays its part in helping to heal and unite Hogwarts – after the long, dark days of the last year."
"Then…what's your role in th-the scheme of th-things with regard to me, Neville?" Ginny blew her nose. "Are you going to pull out the knife that was stabbed and t-twisted in my heart? Are you going to m-make me bleed, by telling me you're no longer a friend, because of what I did?"
Neville shook his head. "I'm here because Harry knows how I feel about you, despite being told what you've done. Harry and the others are angry with you – but they don't hate you, Ginny. Harry wants you to find redemption. And I'm going to help you find it… That's if you will let me."
Ginny's eyes widened, as Neville's words sunk in. "But…, but…I don't deserve kindness! You're going to become a l-lord after leaving school, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"But… But I tried to ensnare Harry! To become Lady Potter-Black! To have enough money for me and my family, after all the years of near-poverty – and…"
"I know. You can't become Lady Potter-Black, Ginny. But maybe…maybe you could become…Lady Longbottom. If you want to take our friendship to a higher level." Neville grinned.
"Lady…Longbottom!" Ginny snorted with laughter and she hugged Neville fiercely. She shared a wide smile with him. "Th-that still sounds a b-better alternative than me dying without anyone to love!"
Neville laughed back. "I guess so. So… Do you think that you…?"
"…can love you? I already admire you, Neville for casting Levicorpus on Bellatrix Lestrange whilst she was distracted by fighting mum. Then you had got that screaming harpy dangling as high as possible in the Great Hall…"
"…I cancelled the jinx, before she could use the wand that was still in her hand. I won't forget her look of horror – or her final scream – just before her head smacked into the floor…" Neville looked down. His satisfaction at bringing justice upon the woman who had tortured his parents into madness was tempered by his memory of Bellatrix's grisly end. Still, that evil woman had deserved her fate.
"You avenged Fred… Wait… I never did thank you properly for that…" Ginny's brown eyes looked meaningfully into Neville's as he slowly raised his face again. With trembling hands, she carefully cupped his jaw and slowly drew her face closer, even as she tilted it to one side. Her heart pounded with a new excitement. So too did Neville's as he met her halfway for their first, gentle kiss.
Moments later they gradually broke away.
"That…really felt good," Ginny admitted.
"Yeah…," Neville agreed. "So… A new beginning, Ginny? For us both? See how far the road will take us?" He held out his hand to help her up.
Ginny did not hesitate to offer him her hand in return. The clouds that had hovered on her head, in her despair, had started to part a little. If Neville was really prepared to trust her, after all she had done, then she needed to redeem herself. The letter to her mum would wait for now…
"I can't guarantee that I can give you the love that you want, right now," Ginny confessed. "But yeah… We can try. I've already promised Harry there'll be no more love potions made or sent by me – and I meant it." Now back on her feet, Ginny leaned her forehead against Neville's. "Thank you, Neville. For giving me this chance."
"You're welcome, Gin," he replied, stroking her red hair.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
On the first Sunday after their return to Hogwarts, Harry and most of his expanded circle of friends prepared for their agreed rendezvous.
After dinner in the Great Hall, they had all changed into their casual clothes. Between them, Harry and Daphne had ensured that the permissions from the heads of the Houses had been granted, so that Ron, Hermione, Luna, Tracey, and Theodore weren't subject to curfew that night.
Being the Head boy and Head girl, Harry and Daphne were allowed to go where they were heading – as were those who were walking with them.
"Don't worry, Ron," Harry declared, lightly slapping Ron's shoulder as their party met up with those who were waiting for them at their destination - the Forbidden Forest. "I'll make notes for you, in case you don't get to our Runes class tomorrow morning. After all, the teachers know why you might be late!"
Ron gave a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Harry."
"And Hermione and I will do the same for you at our Potions class, Tracey," Daphne added, as she hugged her anxious-looking bespectacled friend. When they had parted, Tracey received a second squeeze from Hermione. Then Luna moved in to provide a third.
"You guys are the best! I'm…, I'm still scared – even after that calming draught you brewed for me, Luna…," Tracey confessed.
"You will be fine, Tracey. You'll have a good, experienced teacher to look after you all tonight," Luna reassured her, in her dreamy manner. "Think of it as starting a new adventure – one that you are sharing with Theodore and the others! Yes, it will hurt – but I understand, from what Professor Lupin has told us, that it's actually very liberating, once you have the right partner to encourage you to accept the new 'you'!"
"That's exactly right, Luna," Remus Lupin spoke up, as he stepped forward with Dora – his arm around her shoulder. "It took a special lady to persuade me to stop fighting a part of myself, and instead embrace the other side of me. When I did that, I found myself able to control my transformations when the full moon wasn't around. That in time allowed me to…."
"…surprise Fenrir Greyback and tear out his throat, when he was about to kill me on the ledge above the Black Lake," Dora Lupin completed her husband's narrative, as she lovingly entwined her hand with his and smiled. "I won't after forget the look of shock on his face, just before he tumbled down into the water."
"And thanks to you two, I have a new family!" Lavender Brown gushed as she stepped into the clearing with Hagrid. She beamed and waved at everyone – and then she shyly faced Ron. He walked over to Lavender and held her close. She embraced him, rubbing her nose against his as they laughed.
"I'm glad to see you're getting into the spirit of things already, Ron!" Lavender's expression suddenly turned sombre. "I apologise for the pain you're going to experience. It won't last forever," she whispered. "Even though you're a Hufflepuff now, you've still got the heart of a Gryffindor…"
"He's braver than me…," Hermione admitted.
"Thanks." Ron smiled back at Hermione, and then he faced Lavender again. "Don't apologise, Lav. We've gone over all of this before I committed myself," he replied. "Even if I could back out, I won't. My place is with you, now. And with everyone else here in the same boat. For better or for worse. For good."
Lavender's eyes were moist. But she nodded solemnly. "Understood. Welcome…on board our boat, Ron," she declared.
Hermione gave her an encouraging smile. "Take good care of him, Lavender. Ron's changed for the better in recent months. You've been a good influence on him."
Lavender momentarily dipped her gaze downwards. "By being injured and lying in hospital for weeks?"
"But it was seeing how injured you were, after the battle, that helped to make me grow up," Ron answered, his hand brushing her blonde-brown hair. "I couldn't save Fred. But even though you and me had never really developed a proper boyfriend-girlfriend relationship… Well, I realised that you needed someone to help pull you through, besides the Patils. After your mother learnt of your condition and rejected you…" He tensed. "You deserve a lot better than that, Lav."
"And now we have each other…" Lavender's eyes flicked to Hermione, Harry, Daphne, and Luna. "I will take good care of Ron, guys. I promise."
"We know you will," Harry answered with a smile, happy for them both. He looked across to Remus. "My godson's being looked after by the Patil twins?" he asked.
"That's right, Harry. The headmistress has allowed them to use our quarters for each time this evening comes around." Remus chuckled. "I think Filius deserves a break, after the last two occasions over the summer. Teddy's rather prone to pulling on his beard…"
"Wait! Theo! Where's Theo?" Tracey looked terror-stricken as she realised that they were missing one of their number. "He told us he had to finish off an essay before getting here…"
"Theodore's not 'ere yet, Tracey," Hagrid huffed, looking worried. "Hope he arrives soon, 'cos it'll soon be mo-"
"Wait…" Dora tipped her face to one side whilst staring back into the gloomy depths of the forest. "I can hear someone approaching!"
The party of friends stayed silent for several moments, and then Theodore Nott, still dressed in his Ravenclaw robes, tie, and school uniform, panted as he came into view from the direction of Hogwarts. He slowed down to a stop after his sprint. "So-sorry, everyone… Got lost…on the way!"
"You idiot… I'm relying on you to lead the way tonight!" Tracey giggled as she rushed over to embrace him.
He smirked. "Once I've changed, I'll be in my element," he told her.
"I miss you, now that you're not in Slytherin anymore!"
Theodore shrugged. "It's just as well that the only pupils in Slytherin who know what really happened to me during the battle here in May, are my friends. And I feel that I'm gaining confidence in Ravenclaw. Besides, I'm helping Harry's grand plan to unite the Houses…"
Harry nodded back at him. "…by acting as our liaison link between Ravenclaw and Slytherin Houses. Just as Hermione here is our Gryffindor link, and Ron, Neville, and Hannah are our Hufflepuff links. And each link counts! Never doubt that."
"And there's something that I've realised, Harry," Lupin put to him. "Tonight, Dora and I will leading not just a past Gryffindor and a newly-sorted Ravenclaw, we will have a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin joining in." He chuckled. "A full set!"
Harry grinned. "Yes, it is. Another way to get someone from all of the Houses together, Remus!"
Lupin nodded. "Like you've now got a gang of friends from all four Houses, Harry. I approve of the name you've all taken up, by the way."
Luna and Harry shared a glance. "We felt it was just right, Professor." Luna smiled serenely. "Harry and all of us are honoring Sirius and James – and some of us are following in your footsteps. Literally."
Daphne beamed. "The Marauders were all Gryffindors – but we New Marauders represent all of Hogwarts. It's only fitting, if we're to truly heal the divisions within this school," she declared.
Remus Lupin nodded again, and wiped away a tear at the memory of James Potter and Sirius Black. Then he clapped his hands, gaining the attention of everyone present.
"Time to crack on! The circle of protection is nearly complete. Once those using it have stepped inside, Hagrid and Hermione will complete it from my instructions, so everyone will be safe. Tracey – as we've previously agreed, you will have your own circle of protection. Everything that you need will be waiting for you inside it. Now, please take up your positions!"
Harry, Hermione, Daphne, and Luna accompanied Hagrid to the larger chalk-drawn circle marked out on the bare stretch of ground in the clearing. Passing into it where the circle was incomplete, they sat down whilst Hagrid squatted and completed the circle from inside – with Hermione casting the final incantations, whilst reading out from the open book with instructions that Lupin had left for her. Her lit wand acted as her torch to read by in the darkening gloom.
Meanwhile, Tracey had walked into the smaller, incomplete chalk circle with Dora Lupin. Harry, Hermione, Daphne, and Luna all looked up as Tracey gasped. She was now holding a grey and white wolf skin with its hollowed-out head, and a jar containing a salve.
"B-but… That's your wolf skin, Dora!" Tracey exclaimed. "The one that the Ministry provided you, as part of your reward for your 'war services' – so that…so that you and Remus could run together! How are you going to…"
"I don't need it now, kid." Dora beamed. "I transformed of my own accord for the first time, along with Remus, a month ago."
"You mean… You got him to…bite you!?" Tracey exclaimed, her mouth dropping open with wonder. "That's so…romantic!"
Harry had to cover up his mouth, to prevent himself from snorting with laughter at Tracey's interpretation of that event.
"Well, the bite stung a bit. I bled a little… And, later on, the first change hurt like hell. But compared to giving birth to Teddy, it wasn't much worse." Dora winked.
"She persuaded me after the last full moon, yes," Remus answered, smiling at the awestruck Tracey. "She hasn't given me reason to regret it, yet."
Dora smirked back at him. "And you won't regret it, ever, dear husband. I told you, I don't want you to feel bad again about being a werewolf…"
"…which means that this skin – and the salve – are now yours for keeps, Tracey," Remus filled Tracey in.
"Unless you decide that you've enjoyed yourself so much tonight, that you want to join us permanently, Trace." Theodore grinned at her as he passed by. "Anyway, I'll see you soon!"
Still holding the wolf skin in her arms, Tracey watched her boyfriend disappear into the tree line. Close by, Lavender giggled as she led Ron by the hand in another direction. There was a wave from both of them to those staying behind, before the couple disappeared into the gathering shadows behind a ridge. Then, standing on the outside, Dora used the available chalk to complete the circle of protection around Tracey.
"This circle is a safety measure for you. In case you have any second thoughts, kid!" Dora told her.
Tracey smirked and shook her head. "I came here to experience what it is like. And to share the night with Theo…"
"I admire your pluck, Tracey," Remus praised her. "You know what to do, then. Get changed whilst we do so ourselves! We'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, the Lupins joined hands and jogged into the forest – heading in a different direction from those taken by Theodore, Ron and Lavender.
"I've spoken with the centaurs. They're keepin' well away from this part o' the forest for tonight," Hagrid announced to Harry and the three girls with them. He then patted the wicker hampers next to him within their circle of protection. "We're all ready! The night's goin' to be dry and mild. Perfect for the new ones." Hagrid beamed.
"That's good…" Harry trailed off as he spied the nervous-looking Tracey Davis begin to undress – starting with her shoes and jacket, then unbuttoning her dark trousers. He blushed and looked away before Tracey could expose her underwear.
Daphne chuckled and rubbed Harry's flushed cheek. She, Luna, and Hermione watched on as Tracey removed everything – whilst Hagrid followed Harry's example in watching the trees wavering slightly in the light wind coming from the direction of the sea, not far away to the west. The full moon was beginning to show itself in the twilight sky, rising from the swathes of forest to the east of them.
Daphne, Luna, and Hermione watched in fascination as Tracey – now having coated herself with the magical salve, removed her glasses and placed them inside their case in her jacket pocket. Then she draped the wolf skin across her back before placing the hollowed-out head over her own.
Harry felt a nudge in his ribs from Hermione.
"It's okay to look at Tracey now, Harry," she whispered.
Harry and Hagrid turned back around, and saw that Tracey was now crouched on the ground in such a way that the large wolf skin covered almost everything of her – leaving only her lower legs as exposed flesh. Daphne clung to Harry – and he felt her pounding heartbeat, her anxiety and tension. And yet saw too the fascination in her face – the same fascination that was reflected in the wide eyes of Hermione, Luna, and the alert, paternal expression of Hagrid.
For several, heart-thumping moments, Harry could not see anything happening. Then Tracey crawled out of the circle of protection, as she felt a rush of heat through her animal skin-clad body. She gave a cry and fell to one side. Harry held Daphne and himself back, as the sound of bones crunching and stretching filled the air. Harry saw Tracey's form change. Girl and fur skin fused together, and then the pelt seemed to expand to cover all of Tracey's body. Moments later, their Slytherin friend collapsed and fell silent and still, lying prone across the clearing. She lay there, panting; recovering her strength – then Tracey rose upon her four paws as a proud, newborn she-wolf…
The transformed witch threw back her head, cocked her pointed ears, and howled. Her song conveyed a note of pure joy.
Daphne gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, whilst Harry saw Hermione nervously chew on her finger as Luna held her.
One by one, Tracey's cry was echoed back by other lupine howls. Then shapes emerged from the trees surrounding the clearing – the shapes of other wolves, whose eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight that pierced the gloom. The largest of them bounded over to the Tracey-wolf. In the light cast from Hagrid's lantern, the larger wolf was revealed to be a brown-furred male. And now drawing up besides him was a brown-furred female, whose cranial hair was now turning a shade of pink…
Harry smiled. Still, his heart thumped madly. He and his human friends had to stay within their circle for their own safety.
The new grey and white wolf was sniffed at by the two larger wolves. Tucking her tail in between her rear legs and keeping her head low, Tracey sniffed back at them. Then she rolled onto her back, exposing her throat and underbelly to them as a sign of submission. Satisfied, the Lupins nudged their latest brethren back onto her feet, and then backed away as they howled again.
The rest of the pack emerged from the forest. A slender pale brown-furred female was now accompanied by a ginger-furred male, who looked a little uncertain with his legs as he slowly strode forward – making Hermione laugh with relief. Then a dark brown-furred male jogged over to join Tracey and the rest of the gathered wolves. Tracey again exposed her underside to the three latest arrivals. Growling, they all then nipped at her – before licking her face and nudging Tracey back upon her paws. Rising up, she lolled out her long tongue and licked her new lupine brothers and sister back.
"She's done it! Tracey's been accepted as part o' the pack!" Hagrid clapped. He opened up the hamper next to him and began to pass round the wrapped clunks of deer meat to Harry and the girls, ready to throw onto the ground.
"I can't believe I'm feeding Tracey…," Daphne muttered as the grey and white wolf bounded over to halt just outside the circle of protection and clamp her new fangs into the blood-streaked offering with relish. Next to her, the dark-brown dog-wolf smiled as he tore into the meat that Harry had just tossed over to him. Harry thought back to the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts. Lavender hadn't been the only pupil to have been bitten by Fenrir, before the transformed Remus had killed him. Theodore had been found with wounds and bite marks, alongside a Death Eater he had killed – whilst Ron's feelings for Lavender, whilst sitting besides her bedside at St. Mungo's, had eventually led him to asking her to pass on her curse to him, so that it would no longer be a curse for her, but a shared journey between two budding lovers. Just as it had been for Remus and Dora Lupin.
Harry was happy for his friends. Ron had really grown up and he had committed himself to a cause – to help Lavender and his new kind develop self-control, to gain acceptance in the wizarding world, and to help fight for their rights.
"I can't believe I'm feeding Lavender and Ron!" Hermione retorted as she reached into the hamper and threw over another half-unwrapped clunk of deer meat to the pair of wolves on the other side of the chalk barrier from her.
Harry chuckled. True to form, the ginger-furred wolf was scoffing down anything that the Lavender-wolf was unable to get to before him. In the meantime, Luna and Hagrid were proving the food for the Lupins.
Minutes later, as the werewolf pack finished off the last of their meal, Lavender and Ron licked each other's mouths, as did Tracey and Theodore. Then, at a growl from Remus and Dora Lupin, the four junior wolves got back up and followed their alphas by jogging back into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, to begin their run and find their first live quarry of the night.
The Ron-wolf and the Tracey-wolf glanced back once at their human friends, before turning and bounding onwards to take up their places alongside their partners as the pack made its way.
"I'm glad Tracey's plan has worked out! She and the others… They were beautiful…," Luna gushed.
"Yes, they were. I'm glad we came. Thank you, Hagrid," Hermione added.
"My pleasure." Hagrid puffed out his chest, smiling.
Harry patted the shoulders of both Hermione and Daphne. "Don't worry, girls. Ron and Tracey are in capable hands…er, paws. They'll be fine."
"I know." Daphne relaxed and entwined her hand and forearm with Harry's. "Still… I'm looking forward to the tale Tracey's going to tell us about her little adventure, tomorrow!"
Harry grinned. "She told me that she was going to play tag with Theo, after their hunt, by nipping on his tail and running off. Not that he knows this. Yet."
Daphne shook her head, smiling. "I wouldn't put it pass Tracey to do anything, when she's in a mischievous mood…"
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Early October 1998
"Molly, I'm home!"
Arthur Weasley entered the Burrow, straightening up as he emerged from the floo-connection into the lounge and used his wand to flick off the ash. Another day of work at the Ministry of Magic had just ended, and he was looking forward to unwinding over the evening meal and a cup of strong tea.
Still, although he was certainly glad that the war was over – and that none of them were living in a climate of fear anymore, compared to just a few months earlier – Mr Weasley's smile was subdued. His cluttered house was now just a home to himself and his wife. The loss of Fred aside, the time was coming when none of their many children would be around to fill the yawning emptiness of the place. Bill had been living away before he married Fleur. Charlie, Percy, and George had their own homes. Ron had moved out during the summer into 12 Grimmald Place (rumour had reached him that he was about to live with that Brown girl who had been injured in that last battle of the war). And of course, Ron and Ginny were both spending their last year at Hogwarts.
Mr Weasley suddenly froze, turning his head to one side and listening to read into the unexpected silence. The only answer to his call was a sobbing from the kitchen…
He soon rushed onto the scene, to find Molly sat at the kitchen table, with the opened letter lying before her. Her clenched fingers were pulling at her hair, as the tears ran from her red eyes and poured down her flushed face.
"Molly! What's wrong?" Arthur walked over to her. As he drew level, his wife twisted round in her seat and grabbed him, as if she was drowning at sea and he was her lifejacket…
"Th-the plan! It's all gone wrong!" she wailed. "We're going to be poor again!"
"Poor!?" Arthur's eyes widened behind his spectacles. "I've had a promotion this summer, and we've got plenty of money in our vault. But you keep spending it on too many clothes, and records, and chocolates…"
"Read the letter, Arthur! We've lost control of Harry…"
With his free hand, Mr Weasley grabbed hold of the owl-delivered letter. His throat turned dry and he took a deep breath to steady his frayed nerves as he took in the contents. The handwriting was undoubtedly Ginny's, and it read:
'Mum…(NOT 'Dear Mum', Arthur observed)
There was a resorting for the 7th and honorary 7th years here at Hogwarts – and although I'm still a Gryff, Harry isn't. There is no chance of me becoming Lady Potter-Black anymore. Instead, I'm now falling for Neville. He has learnt of what I was trying to achieve with Harry – but he has been good enough to give me a clean break and a chance to find happiness with him, instead. I intend to take it. Maybe I will become Lady Longbottom, and maybe not. But I will no longer be a part of your scheming, mum. Ron found out about the plan. That's why he left home.
Harry is now spoken for – and I just want him to be happy. After all he's been through, he sure deserves it.
Give my love to Dad.
Your daughter, Ginny.'
"So it's come to this…," Arthur Weasley sighed. Prising himself apart from Molly, he sat down in the chair next to her and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. He stared back at his wife as she pulled out a handkerchief, dried her eyes and loudly blew her nose. Then, as she regained a bit of her composure, Arthur summoned up his courage, and addressed her.
"Look at me, Molly."
She trembled a little as she did so. "What House has Harry gone into? Not Slytherin I hope!" she whispered with horror. "Which girl has stolen his heart? He can't be gay! The love portions I got Ginny to use wouldn't have worked if Harry wasn't attracted to girls… Which witch has taken Ginny's place? I'm going to throttle her, and…"
"Stop right there!" Arthur snapped, making Mrs Weasley suddenly fall silent, as if she had been stunned. He took a deep breath, and ploughed on.
"I warned you about this being the wrong thing to do, Molly! I wanted to warn Harry – but you and Dumbledore swore me to secrecy on my magic. Well, I dare say Harry won't want to visit us anymore! Maybe it's just as well Dumbledore isn't around any longer… Harry would've gone after him, and there would've been hell to pay!"
"I'm sorry, Arthur… I just wanted our family to be provided for. I wanted Ginny to be happy," Molly whimpered.
"Whilst trapping Harry into a marriage based on having Ginny still doping him with the occasional love potion… No, Molly, the scheming ends now! Do you hear me? No one is going to kill, injure, or hex whoever Harry's in love with! Let him and them be. Harry's suffered long enough as it is," Arthur Weasley ordered.
"We're going to be poor…!"
Arthur snorted. "No, we are not! Our daughter has been made an offer of a relationship by Neville Longbottom! And whilst the Longbottoms are not as rich or as prominent as the Potter family name, one thing is clear to me. Provided we are sensible about how the money coming into this house is used, we are not going to be poor! But more importantly… If Ginny is going to find real love with Neville, let it come naturally from their own hearts… We are not going to do anything underhand again. Got it?"
Molly managed to raise her wide, frightened eyes from the table to look at him. Her normal anger at being challenged by anyone had gone - and she was just as shattered now as her years-long scheme for Harry was.
She gave a quick nod. "Arthur… You're… You're not going to…divorce me, are you?"
His heart hammered. Releasing the breath he had been holding back, Mr Weasley replied.
"No."
Molly Weasley gave a sigh of relief. Then she broke down into another round of crying.
"I'm sorry, Ar-Arthur. You're…you're right. Please for-forgive me…!"
Arthur got up from his seat and hugged Molly tight as she wept. In that moment he knew that they would have a long way to go to repair the damage that Albus Dumbledore, Molly, and Ginny had done to Harry. But Ginny had started on her journey of redemption, it seemed. So too would his wife. He would see to it.
Above anything else, Arthur still loved his Molly. He wasn't going to leave her. Now or ever.