Disclaimer: No not me. JK owns it all. I just thank her for allowing us into her world.

AN: I meant to give credit at the end of the last chapter and left it off so I'd like to correct that now. The author Poppy read about the peanut butter and the merpeople was our own Clell65619 in Tri-Wizard Tales. A truly good read that will make you laugh.

As always, thank you for the reviews. Your encouragement makes me strive harder to create something you will enjoy. I must apologize as this chapter got away from me and my original intent to lead into the third task has been delayed. It's probably a good idea as I keep bouncing ideas off Aealket to try and come up with a way to work out what I want to do. Thanks Alan.

Another thing I'd like to thank you all for is your suggestions and ideas. They make me do a lot of 'what if' thinking and end up extending the story hopefully making it more fun for us all. I let my imagination run wild in this chapter which allowed me to throw a few twists into the lives of Harry's former friends. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

The Fit Starts Hitting the Shan

After breakfast was done, the students hurriedly moved to their first classes sighing in relief that they had avoided owls carrying bright red envelopes until the next day. It did nothing to relieve their unease though as nothing would stop the outrage that they were sure was heading their way. Megan and Cedric enjoyed their notoriety as most of the students tended to avoid them in fear of what they would do next. The only exceptions to this were Cho and a little blond Ravenclaw that would sometimes follow along behind them at a distance.

Cho was about to send her away before she saw Cedric notice the girl and then hold out his arms to her. When the girl ran at him and they pulled each other into a tight hug, Cedric asked "Hey Luna sweetie, where have you been all year?"

She returned the hug and smiled up at him. "I didn't want to bother you. I didn't think it would do your reputation any good to be seen with me."

"Like I care about that. I've told you that you can come to me anytime. I've always got time for you."

She smiled again. "Can I sit with you at lunch? I want to be somewhere safe when the Great Hall dissolves into chaos."

Megan perked up at that and asked "What did you see?"

Luna gave her a spacey smile and replied "I don't know what you're talking about Mistress Megs."

Megan looked at her in shock before growling out "Who told you about that? It wasn't the nargles again was it?"

"Of course not. They know better than to share your secrets after the last time. This time it was the pink pantied pixies."

Megan growled out "Not a word about this to anyone Luna."

Luna briefly smirked at her before hiding it. "Of course not Mistress Megs. I wouldn't dream of it. So will I be cousins with the green eyed seeker soon?"

Megan blushed but there was a slight smile on her face. Cedric took up the teasing and said "Well she already is Mistress Megs to his house elf so I'd be willing to bet that she'll confine him to a bed real soon."

Luna grinned. "You know you could use your ties if he gets too rough."

By this point, Megan was absolutely glowing from her embarrassment and turned to walk away. Luna hurried over and wrapped her arms around her. She whispered in her ear "I'm happy for you cousin. He will fill your life with love and passion. I'd say he's perfect for you."

Megan turned in the embrace and returned the hug. She whispered back "I think so too."

Luna smiled and whispered "You need to remember that in the next few years. His life will not be easy and he will need you desperately but once the storm fades, your life will be everything you could ever hope for."

"Thanks Luna."

"No thanks are necessary because I will be there right beside you."

Megan smirked "I don't think he could handle the both of us."

"You are probably right. Just one of us should be enough for any man since we take after our mothers. How is Aunt Kathleen?"

Megan laughed "She still has dad wrapped around her finger and misses you and your mum."

Luna nodded "So do I, tell her I will see a lot of her this summer. That should help."

Megan asked with a concerned look "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Luna's face took on a very serious expression. "Yes, I haven't heard from daddy in a while. Would you have Uncle Reggie go by and check on him? I fear what he may get up to when I'm not there to watch after him."

Megan looked at her for a minute and called out "Jiffy"

A minute later, there was a soft pop as a female house elf arrived and bowed to Megan in her cute little summer dress. "Miss Megan calls?"

"Yes Jiffy, thank you for coming so quickly. Would you ask dad to go by and check on Uncle Xeno? Luna is getting worried about him."

"Yes ma'am. Jiffy tells Master and Mistress at once."

"Thank you Jiffy. Remind me when we get home and we'll go out and buy you some new dresses."

"Jiffy would like that Miss Megan. Thank you." 'pop'

Cho was watching the entire exchange and realized if she had said anything to Luna, it wouldn't have gone well for her. As she thought about it, it was just another case of what had been happening to Harry and she resolved to do better in the future. It was then that she decided to do as Cedric had done for Harry and stand up as a protector for Luna. She stepped forward and held out her hand to Luna. "Luna, I'd like it if we could start over."

Luna looked at her warily because while she knew that Cho had not been a bully to her buy she had allowed it to continue. She stood there for a minute just looking at Cho as she held her hand out. Luna was testing her to see if she would act the spoiled little princess as was normal or if she was truly trying to change. She hoped it was the latter as the Asian girl had a lot of potential. After she didn't huff and walk off, Luna took her hand and said "Hello, I'm Luna Lovemgood."

Cho's eyes widened before she let out a giggle. "Cho Chang, nice to meet you Miss Lovemgood."

It was then that the four happy teens walked towards the Great Hall and to the predicted chaos.

**LC**

Albus Dumbledore followed his normal pattern and retreated to his office once the students were on their way to class. By the time lunch time arrived, he was ready for the diversion as his floo had been active all morning with people demanding answers. He had managed to deflect most of their questions but the constant surge or green flames began to tax his patience.

It was right before lunch that the floo flamed once more. The figure that stepped out could have been the poster child for what a homicidal maniac looked liked and by coincidence, he was. Sirius Black stepped in front of Albus' desk and spoke in a low and threatening voice. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but I know what you have done. You set up James and Lily. You sentenced me to twelve years in Azkaban. AND you sentenced Harry to a life of hell with that horse faced bitch. I don't understand how you could then take away any hope the boy had by manipulating me into causing a permanent split between us. I am willing to admit my stupidity by listening to you and do not hold you completely to blame for my current situation with him…. I don't know what you're playing at but you have made an enemy of the House of Black. If you have accomplished anything, it has been to force me into joining forces with the rest of my family if for no other reason than to thwart your plans. If you think you can make me disappear, go ahead and try. My death will only serve to increase the resistance against you and your 'Greater Good.' (He paused for a second without ever taking his eyes off of Albus.) I hope you are proud of the lives you have destroyed Albus. For that alone, I curse you to the lowest depths of hell and I hope you suffer as Harry has for all eternity."

Once he had said his peace, the raggedy man stepped back through the floo and left a very unnerved Albus Dumbledore sitting behind his desk. It caused him once again to doubt his actions towards Harry but as usual, there was no way that he could be wrong. He knew no one else had the vision or the knowledge to see the end of Tom Riddle and only he could guide Harry to his destiny that would be for the betterment of the magical society. Only Albus Dumbledore had the knowledge and power to truly lead magical society. He rose from his chair and made his way out of his office and down to the Great Hall for lunch. He longed to hear the chatter of the students as they enjoyed life and acted in a carefree manner.

**LC**

The Great Hall was a little bit livelier than it had been at breakfast but there was still an air of nervousness running through it as the students took a break from classes and ate their lunch. The loudest by far was Cedric's group of four. Cho was sitting back as the group was laughing at something Luna said and noticed that the tension and nervousness were both gone from her boyfriend and his sister. She finally leaned up and whispered to Megan. "You both are in way too good of moods. You've seen Harry haven't you?"

Megan didn't say anything but her eyes sparkled and it was enough of an answer to cause Cho to reach out and squeeze her hand. The small grin that was on her face was clue enough that something happened that made Megan very happy. Cedric couldn't resist and leaned over to whisper "Megan has a boyfriend."

"That's wonderful! Treat him right or else!"

Megan looked at her funny and said "Or else what?"

Cho looked her in the eye and said "Listen, these last few months have opened my eyes to a lot of things. The main thing was that I was just like everyone else and the only reason I was sheltered from you guys was because I was dating Cedric. I did a lot of soul searching and I don't want to be like them. I like the person you've inspired me to become."

Cedric kissed her cheek. "You were never that bad. If you were, we wouldn't be dating."

"I know but I like it here. Even if the others are ignoring us, I feel like I'm in the right place."

Luna piped up "It's a nice place to be. I can't wait for Mr. Emerald Eyes to join us. It will be even more fun then. Uh Oh, the chaos is about to start."

As Albus was sitting on his throne at the head table, he stiffened as he felt the wards alerting him that some people had just come through the front gates. He was not quite ready for round two after his little meeting with Sirius Black which still had him unnerved as Sirius looked as if he was a man possessed. He remembered what happened to people who pissed off the Marauders but to have made an enemy of the one with Black blood running through his veins was not somewhere he wanted to be. It was a problem he would have to consider and then take care of. If Sirius were to reunite and focus the Black family against him, he would stand an even less chance of weathering the storm that was even now starting to batter him.

The students looked up in horror as the doors to the Great Hall banged open and a group of angry parents were standing there. As some of the students recognized their parents or guardians, they turned pale and began to shake. One student in particular glanced over to the doors and upon seeing a hat with a stuffed vulture mounted to it caused him to faint dead away. Susan saw her aunt glaring at her and turned her eyes down to the now nauseating food that was in front of her.

The Weasley children were even paler than normal when they saw not only their mother and father but an angry Bill and Charlie as well. If that wasn't enough, there was a thoroughly agitated Percy stepping up right behind them looking as if the stick he had up his arse was making him even more uncomfortable than normal. Hermione cast a glance at the Weasley family and then almost did as Neville when she saw her furious father and extremely disappointed mother.

All across the hall, faces paled even more when a flock of red envelope carrying owls swooped into the Great Hall. There were a few who flew down to some of the students but the majority headed straight for Albus and the head table. Never one to shy away from anything, Augusta Longbottom ignored the owls that were circling the head table and were doing their best to avoid the obviously furious witch, and marched straight up to the head table. She cast a scornful look at Minerva who could only lower her eyes in shame and loudly said "Ah Albus, we require the use of some of your unused classrooms for a while. If this is not convenient, we'll just take our heirs home and return them when we are done with them."

Albus' attention was on the circling owls but after it registered what she had said, he cast a quick glance at his students who had a look of hopefulness about them that he would not allow them to be taken home. "No, I mean, yes, that's fine. I'm sure we can accommodate your needs."

Augusta sneered and after a glance at the increasing number of owls, said "Yes, well I'm sure you have other matters that need attending to. I'm sure we can find our own way."

She turned and stormed off up the side of the Gryffindor table where she saw her grandson laid out on the floor. She hit him with an enervate and said "Get up Neville. You don't need to lie there on the floor and embarrass the family even further."

The other parents took their cues from her and began dragging their children out of the Great Hall. The surprising thing was that the students were from every house and quite a few eyebrows rose at the Slytherin table when the Greengrass, Davis, and Moon parents appeared and escorted their children out as well.

As Cedric watched the events unfold, he cast a shield dome around the four of them and they watched as the owls began delivering their letters. The loud bangs and screeching continued for a half an hour before they finally subsided. At the end of the onslaught, there was a pile of confetti at least a foot deep surrounding the head table. The quartet laughed as the much shaken professors left the Great Hall after announcing that classes would resume tomorrow. Most of them retired to their quarters where bottles of Ogden's Finest were pulled from desk drawers and quickly opened. Minerva was the worst as one of the howlers bore her daughter's voice that was lambasting her and asking what in hell she had done to Lily's baby boy.

**LC**

The four Slytherin students were led out onto the grounds by their parents. As they strolled around the lake, Lord Greengrass started the conversation. "We are going to talk with you as a group since we are all family and you were raised that way. (The Ladies of the houses were sisters.) Daphne, I need to know where you and your sister along with your cousins fall in this mess."

Daphne replied "We have stayed out of it father. Thanks to Draco Malfoy, Potter looks on all of Slytherin House with distrust even though most of us have never given him reason to do so."

Lord Moon asked "So none of you have said anything derogatory towards him?"

Lilith Moon answered "No sir, we have tried to remain above it."

Lady Greengrass asked "Please tell me you did not wear those disgusting badges I heard about."

Three of the heads looked down. Lord Davis hissed "I'm so ashamed of you Tracy. Why would you do something like that?"

"I'm sorry father. We didn't do it on purpose. When we put them on, they said 'Support Cedric Diggory'. We didn't know they would change and when they did, we tried to remove them but they had a sticking charm on them that wouldn't allow us to remove them until that night. I don't see what the big deal is though. Potter is too weak to do anything."

Daphne hissed back "Didn't you listen to Professor Snape that night in the common room. Potter may be weak right now but he won't always be. I assume that is what this is about?"

Lord Greengrass said "Yes. But in the future, it would serve you well not to refer to him as Potter. If you can't call him Harry then call him Mr. Potter. There is a lot more going on here than we know and if Jones and Diggory are moving towards him, things in our world could change quickly."

Lilith asked "But aren't the Diggory and the Jones Houses neutral like us?"

Lord Moon said "Yes they are but they are of a lighter persuasion than our families. As you well know, the Potters are a very old family and well connected. There are currently over fifty vacant seats in the Wizengamot and with young Harry being the last of his line, we don't know how many seats he will obtain on his majority. He could very well be a voting block to himself."

Lord Greengrass added "I am almost positive that he will gain at least ten seats. If that wasn't enough, I've heard a rumor that he will lead the Black family as well."

Astoria gasped "Aren't those the seats that Draco says will be his?"

Lord Davis chuckled "I'm sure he thinks that but I'm sure the current head of House Black may have a differing opinion. After all, he is the godfather to young Harry."

Tracy asked "Who?"

"Sirius Black"

Astoria asked "The mass murderer?"

"The one and the same."

Daphne said "Wait a minute, in the article; Megan said that family turned their backs on Harry as well. Do you think he meant Lord Black?"

Lord Greengrass said "We don't know and that has us worried. If it was true, a vengeful Potter and Black family joined together would not be a good thing right now as they have enough power to seriously impact the Wizengamot and the Ministry. Daphne, it is obvious that you have remained completely above this mess so I want you to make overtures to him. We are going to approach Lord Jones and offer our help and support."

As they were coming back around the lake and getting closer to the entrance of the castle, Lords Jones and Diggory along with their wives were coming out of the door with their children in tow as well as a little blond girl. They were about to start their own stroll around the lake when the two groups came face to face. Lord Greengrass stepped forward and shook both of the Lords' hands. Once the greetings between families were done, he said "We have discussed it and would like to offer our support in the matter that faces you."

Lord Jones looked at him warily. He was about to answer when Daphne stepped in front of Megan and said "Megan, I'll swear an oath if you require it but we really want to help."

Megan stared back at her and asked "Why are you saying this to me?"

Daphne snorted "Come on Megan, it's obvious that Granger is out of the picture and you're the top contender. We also know that Harry is going to be a major influence on our world. Even though my family's views are a little darker than yours, we all are neutral and share basically the same goals. I'm not going to deny that we don't want to be left out when things change but if your houses take a protective status over House Potter, your fathers will have a harder time of it than you realize. Between the light houses and the dark houses making a run at it, they will have their hands full so if you add our families to the protection, the work can be shared by five instead of two."

Lord Jones asked "Lord Greengrass, do you normally allow your heiress to speak on behalf of your house?"

He responded "I trust my daughter in all matters. In all honesty, we, and I include all of the adults in this, are just the muscle and advisors. The real solutions will be created by our children as I'm sure Mr. Potter has no trust in anyone our age at this point."

Megan looked up at her father who was watching her intently. She finally said "I'm still confused as to why everyone is looking to me for a decision on this. Cedric started it and our fathers decided it was a worthy cause to take up. I think that the decision should be left to the more experienced and that is obviously not me."

Lord Jones smiled in pride and laid his hand on her shoulder. "We're not asking for a decision. We are asking for your opinion."

"My opinion says yes but I'm biased and only want Harry protected until he can do it himself. Cedric, your input would be good about now."

Cedric added "Our families have always been friendly with each other and are usually on the same side. There are some things going on that I don't agree with and I feel something needs to be done about it which is where our parents come in. I cannot answer for an Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House as that would be above my station. I will however be very grateful to all of you if you were to start blocking any movements towards House Potter and maybe put some plans in place for when he returns."

Megan nodded and then said "Harry has confided in us about his plans for the future. We swore an oath not to reveal anything so it won't do to ask. I will ask that you tie the matter up as long as you can. Once Harry reappears, Cedric and I will begin the education he should have been given starting at age six. If you can give us this time, I promise that we will arrange a meeting between all five families and Harry where you can make your offer."

Lord Greengrass said "That sounds prudent and reasonable. When young Potter first came to Hogwarts, I was concerned that he lacked knowledge of our world. Daphne's observations also showed things that I couldn't comprehend but at this point, it seems as if he was being set up to be thrown amongst the sharks. I would like to avoid that and will swear an oath that we have no ill intentions towards Mr. Potter. He could be a major force in our world for good and we see this as an opportunity to improve things for the better. It is something our family has dreamt about for a long time."

Lord Jones replied "Ours as well. We see Mr. Potter as our best chance to accomplish this."

Cedric took advantage of the silence that followed to say "That is all well and good but in this matter, Megan and I will be Potters to protect Harry."

Daphne stepped forward and said "If you will have me, I too would like to serve in this capacity."

The two groups separated and went on their way feeling like they had made some progress in the fight for Harry. As they walked, Kathleen kept her arm around Luna and would squeeze her every so often. Forgetting that Luna was so much like her mother, it surprised her when Luna said "I'm sure your visit is not a mere coincidence even though it worked out rather well. What has my father done?"

Kathleen stopped and pulled her into a tight hug. "Xeno is not well dear. We found him wandering around the house calling out for you and Selene. He hadn't been taking good care of himself and was quite off balance."

Luna stared right back at her with her large grayish blue eyes. "So he finally cracked. I knew it was only a matter of time without me being there to hold him together."

Megan came over and said "It's not your fault Luna."

Luna's expression changed back to her dreamy mask. They all knew it was her way of hiding her pain but accepted it as just how Luna had dealt with pain ever since the loss of her mother. She finally said "It was going to happen sooner or later. Daddy just wouldn't accept mother's death and was looking for a way to contact her. He kept claiming that she hid the Lovegood fortune from him and he needed to know where it was."

Reginald said "Well that was true in a way. She did transfer the Lovegood fortune to the Gnomes and had them deposit a set amount of money in your father's Gringotts' vault every month. She claimed that the Goblins were not who they claimed to be as well as your father would have spent everything on some crazy idea or another."

Kathleen said "We took him to the mind healers at St. Mungos and they expect he will be there for a while. In the meantime, you will come live with us. We will have a portkey for you so that you can go back and forth between houses but we expect you to be with us for dinner every night as well as sleep there."

Luna's dreamy expression cleared for a minute when she said "Thank you Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Reggie. I have a feeling it will be one of my best summers in a long time."

"We hope so. We will also take you to visit him as often as you like."

Luna nodded and then a smirk formed on her face. She turned to Megan and asked "Will that be okay with you too?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

Luna started skipping off and yelled over her shoulder. "I wouldn't want to interfere with your snog time with Mr. Emerald Eyes."

Megan growled and then took off after Luna while the rest of her family laughed. Reginald asked Cedric "So are they really a couple?"

Cedric looked around and then said "Yeah, he asked her last night."

Kathleen smiled as Amos asked "You've seen him? When can we talk to him?"

"Yes we have and the earliest will be a few weeks. He's being put back together literally and will be under a sleep potion for at least a week if not longer. We'll know more when he wakes up and we have a chance to talk with him." They all smiled as they heard the sound of Luna giggling and Megan yelling while chasing after her. It was an old game they had played for a long time.

**LC**

The unused classrooms were getting quite the workout that afternoon as numerous families were in them behind privacy charms. In most cases, the fathers had already yelled themselves hoarse and it fell upon the mothers to continue the tirades. In two of the rooms, the only parent available was two ladies that were well up to the challenge of tackling the subject on their own.

Augusta Longbottom sat across from her grandson Neville and stared him straight in the eye. She asked "Have you not known about the sworn alliance between Potter and Longbottom since you were old enough to understand?"

"Yes Gran."

"I seem to remember telling you before you got on the Express in first year that you were to find Harry Potter and never leave his side."

"Yes Gran, you did and I tried but Ronald Weasley blocked me at every turn and never gave me the chance to talk with Harry without him being there."

"You are a Longbottom; you should have ordered him out of the way. In second year, you failed to befriend him as well as last year. Have I not been thorough in my instruction? Did you not know that a Longbottom and Potter have always been together in school and were there to support each other? Did you not know that both families planned their children together so that this would always be the case?"

"Yes Gran, you were very thorough in your instruction. It is I who failed to do my duty."

"Failed to do your duty? Is that what you said? How can you call this year failing to do your duty? Do you call completely violating a blood sworn pact between to Ancient Houses just failing to do your duty? Neville, you turned your back on a Potter and the consequences for this will be enormous. I would even dare to say that when the full impact hits, magic will take a payment and as the sitting Lord Longbottom, I doubt your father will survive it in his present state."

Neville sat there with tears running down his cheeks. "I tired Gran. I tried to apologize and make amends but he wouldn't accept it. I'm just glad he knows nothing of his heritage."

"WHAT?"

Neville stumbled backwards and looked up at her in fear. She said "Explain what you just said!"

"Harry doesn't know what it means to be a Potter. When he first arrived, he didn't know anything about magic and still to this day, he's dressed in old hand me down clothes. Even the Weasleys dress better than he does."

Augusta paled "And you are just now telling me this. Do you know what else you have done? Dammit Neville, we are sworn to help a Potter when he is in need and you never thought these were things we needed to help him with? It's quite obvious that this year wasn't the first time you have turned your back on Mr. Potter. But it WILL be the last."

Neville Longbottom was almost catatonic after the arse ripping he just received from his grandmother. She went on to threaten him with living long enough to train his oldest child in the hope that HE would be suitable to take up the mantle of Lord Longbottom as she felt he was incapable of. In the end, she growled out "You'd better find a way to fix this or your life will be a living hell from this point on. I'm almost to the point of disowning you and blood adopting Harry so that HE can continue the line."

**LC**

Susan Bones was not fairing any better than Neville as she sat there while her Aunt Amelia tore strips out of her behind. Most everyone did not know that Susan had a fiery temper and she was bristling at what her aunt was saying.

Amelia said "I taught you this myself. You knew about the family alliances and yet you chose to ignore them. May I ask why?"

"Potter lied to everyone. I know he entered himself in that tournament and it was all so that he could make Cedric and Hufflepuff look bad. I don't have to do anything to help a liar or a cheat."

Amelia gave her a hard stare for a minute. "I find it kind of hard to accept that when Mr. Diggory has made a public statement to the fact that he believes Mr. Potter and is in fact friends with the young man. Hell Susan, he even made it a point of family honor to help Mr. Potter in whatever way he could."

"So Potters got him fooled. It wouldn't be the first time Auntie. Even his best friends don't believe him."

Amelia got quiet for a minute and then said "The Bones family is honor bound to the Potters. If that wasn't enough, we are in the Potter family's debt for many other things one of which is when Charlus Potter paid to have our manor rebuilt after it was burned to the ground so that you and I would have a home of our own."

Amelia knew that she was seeing the beginning of the end for House Bones if Harry pulled out of the alliance as they no longer would be trusted by the majority of wizarding Britain. The Bones family had built their reputation upon their integrity and it was quite possible that a little girl with a crush had ignored the very thing she had been taught since she was six. Susan's anger rose at her Aunt's tirade and she snapped "I suppose you want me to kiss his arse now."

Amelia turned on her and did the one thing she had never done to her niece in their entire time together. She smacked her face. Without saying a word, Amelia walked out of the room and left the castle. It would be weeks later that Susan realized what she had done as she hadn't heard from her Aunt Amelia since that day.

**LC**

All across the castle, similar talks were being held as parents explained the depth of their debts to the Potters. Many got the message that if Harry Potter called in all debts owed to the Potter family, there was a good chance that they would not be returning to Hogwarts and would immediately have to go to work to help pay back what was owed. The only reason they were able to maintain the standard of living they currently held was that the financial contracts were very relaxed and the Potters were in the business of actually trying to help others. It was also pointed out that this was a trait of Harry Potter as well until this year. Many students left their meetings with their parents with a whole now understanding of life and were instructed to fix the damage.

**LC**

Katie Bell sat in a classroom with her parents with tears leaking out of her eyes. Out of most of the students, she was probably the most remorseful of them all as she and Harry were the closest in age on the Quidditch team and had formed a strong friendship. She knew Harry was unbelievably shy and wouldn't catch a troll sized hint if it was sitting on him but she came to school wanting to try dating him. She was well aware of his feelings for Hermione but felt that the bookworm would never act on them.

Katie was crying into her hands as she told her father that she tried to apologize to him but he was so angry at what they had done that he even refused to play on the same team with them anymore.

Her father said "We wanted to check on you to make sure you were alright and maybe see if there was anything we could do to help. She looked up at him confused and asked "Why would you come all the way up here just to help with this?"

Albert Bell shot his wife a quick glance before he spoke. "There are some things you don't know about our family Katie. You never met my father as he was already gone before you came along."

"What does your father have to do with my problems with Harry Potter?"

"My father fought along side Charlus Potter in the battle against Grindelwald. Both men saved each other's lives and from that point on they were inseparable. My father bought a home near Potter manor and Charlus eventually backed my father in a business venture. The business was successful but one day there was an explosion at the business that caused my father to be paralyzed. With the business destroyed, the money he had saved quickly disappeared in medical costs and we were left with some very large debts and no way to pay them off. It was about this time that mum ran off because she didn't want to be poor with a crippled husband. Another problem was that no one would hire dad because of his condition."

Katie just sat there looking at him in astonishment as she had never been told this before. Albert started again. "Charlus found out about our problems and stepped in and bought out all of the Bell family debts only to turn around and claim them settled. He then offered dad a job where he remained until he passed on. The result was that James and I were always together growing up and we knew each other well."

"James and Charlus paid for my Hogwarts education and when I was done with that, James even paid my way through law school only I didn't know it at the time. I only found that out in the papers my father left for me when he died."

"When I returned from law school, James approached me and offered me a deal. The deal was that James would front the money for me to open my own practice on the condition that I remained on retainer for the Potter family. As long as I was on retainer, the money would never have to be repaid but if the contract was ever cancelled, all debts would come due. Under normal circumstances, the contract wouldn't have been a big deal for most barristers but I had taken the example shown to me by the Potters to heart and was generous to others. The money will make things a little tight for a while but we can handle it."

Katie finally said "I'm sorry dad, I've tried to apologize and fix things between us but he won't hear it. I'll work hard and get on a professional Quidditch team. I'll do what I can to make up for my mistake."

"I appreciate that Katie but if the Potters pull out, I'll more than likely have to close my practice since no one else will trust me."

"Surely it won't be that bad. I mean I know he's the boy-who-lived but even the papers think he's crazy most of the time."

That comment was not the right thing to say as he replied "It's that attitude that has placed us in an already worse position than we were already in. I was sworn not only to the Potters but to Harry in particular by James and Dumbledore blocked me from ever doing my duty for Harry. It won't be long before secrets are exposed that will bring a lot of high ranking people down. Once it gets out that I failed to do my job in respect to the Potters, my reputation will be ruined."

"Then shouldn't Dumbledore take the fall?"

"In a perfect world yes but our world is far from perfect. There's also one other thing we need to talk about and it is way worse."

"What can be worse than that?"

"I found some other papers amongst dad's. My father was very grateful to Charlus for what he had done for us and he did the only thing he could think of to pay the Potters back."

"What is it dad?"

"He drew up a marriage contract between our families as a way to repay the debt. The contract states that when there is a son of the Potters and a daughter of the Bells and there is no more than two years difference in their ages, the contract will activate when they both turn sixteen and will be required to be fulfilled when the youngest turns seventeen."

"Ah shit dad, I've got to marry Harry Potter. He hates me right now."

"Well maybe not, you see there is a clause in there that states that if the son of Potter finds the daughter of Bell unworthy, then the contract will be voided but with a penalty."

"What penalty?"

"Well it has degrees, if the son of Potter is already in love with another; it would roll to another generation until the contract is fulfilled."

"Are there other conditions?"

"Yes. If the rejection is due to a betrayal, the entire amount of the family debt that was cancelled would be required to satisfy the contract with interest."

"Just how much are we talking about?"

"A half a million galleons."

Katie's head dropped into her hands. Without looking up, she asked "If the Potters were so damn honorable, why did they write a contract such as this?"

Albert hissed "The Potters are honorable Katherine. My father wrote this contract to ensure that our family remembered what we owed some very good people. They only agreed to it to make dad happy as he was already dying. James told me that it was his father's intention to cancel the contract but he needed my blood to do it. After dad died, I was out of the country for a while and by the time I got back; Uncle Charlus and Aunt Dorea had been murdered. Once they died, the contract could not be voided."

Katie got up from her chair deep in thought; she finally said "I'll fix it somehow." She walked out of the room and down the hall without a clue as to how she would ever get Harry to even speak to her again and even more challenging would be convincing him to do her a favor by not destroying her family when he laughed at her face.

**LC**

Hermione Granger was crying in another room as her father tore into her. He loved her very much but his personal honor was offended by her actions. From his time in the military, he knew what it meant to owe someone your life and to betray that kind of thing was something he could not accept. He also knew that the two kids had been through a lot together and over time, a deep connection had formed. Every time Hermione mentioned Harry to him, he couldn't help but picture the two of them marrying and him eventually chasing after little wild haired children. How things had come to this was beyond his comprehension as he thought he knew the kind of person hi daughter was.

Hermione sat sobbing as her mother approached her. In a quiet voice, she said "I don't understand how you could do that to your first true friend. If that wasn't enough, I saw the signs last summer, you were in love with him and from what I saw, it was something worth fighting for. You could have built a true loving relationship with Harry that would have stood the test of time. Honey, I know you are only fifteen but both of you are more mature than your peers so it was easy for me to accept. You have never bowed to peer pressure in your life so what made you start now?"

Hermione sobbed out "I don't know. I was scared."

"Scared of what? You once said that as long as you had Harry, nothing else mattered."

"I don't know mum, I was stupid and now I've lost my best friend."

Charlie Weasley knocked on the door and when they opened it, he said "I'm sorry to interrupt but Dad asked me to come get you. It seemed important enough to disturb you."

**LC**

While all these other family dramas were going on, the Weasleys were in one of their own. The four youngest knew that if their parents and three older brothers had shown up, it was indeed a very serious matter. It was a rare occasion that Arthur Weasley would convene a family conference and when he did, it meant that he was taking things very seriously.

For the longest time, he just sat there and looked at his four youngest children. They all knew him as a loving father but the expression on his face was anything but. It was a rare occasion for him to get angry but he was in such a state that even their mother knew to keep her mouth shut.

In a very low voice, he finally said "I want to know what has happened for my family to fall so low as to treat someone we considered one of our own in a manner like this."

Percy spoke up and said "I warned you about getting involved with Potter. I told you he was nothing but trouble."

Before Arthur could react, Bill was up and in Percy's face. "Shut the hell up Percy. Your actions lately haven't been any better than these four idiots. If you can't offer anything to help with the situation, then remain silent. Charlie and I had to leave our jobs and come all the way here because of their stupidity."

Arthur started again "I told you before Christmas that you needed to do whatever you must to fix the problem. Harry has been good to this family and if it wasn't for him, we would have lost Ginny. For us to treat him like this is inconceivable."

Ron whined "Dad, I tried to apologize to him after the first task but he just threw it back in my face."

Ginny snorted "Yeah some apology. Hermione told me all about it. He might have even accepted it if you had been even a little bit sincere or if it hadn't been you who started all this in the first place."

Charlie turned to the twins and asked "Where were you when all this started?"

"We were there."

Bill asked "You didn't stop the little idiot?"

George said "We didn't think it was any different than any other argument they've had. We thought it would blow over but then Ronald kept fanning the flames until everyone in the house was against Harry."

Percy asked "And what did you three do while Ronald was instigating his revolt?" He was about to add 'of the great Harry Potter' but remembered Bill's threat and if there was one thing he knew, it was to not cross his oldest brother.

Ginny looked down and they could see tears running down her face. "We didn't do anything. We sat there and watched as Harry was turned into an outcast."

Ron said "I only did what the headmaster told me to. I don't understand why we're the ones in trouble over this."

Before Molly could say anything, Arthur was all over his last comment. "What do you mean?"

Ron said "The headmaster told me and Hermione in first year that we needed to watch after Harry and tell him what Harry was doing. Most of the time, we just gave him information but sometimes he gave us jobs to do."

Bill asked "What kind of jobs?"

Before he could answer, Arthur cut in and said "Wait a minute. Charlie, go next door and bring the Grangers here. This just got even more complicated."

Charlie did as asked and brought three upset Grangers with him. As they took seats, Arthur turned to Hermione and said "Forgive me Martin but there is something going on here far beyond what we knew. Ron was just explaining to us how the both of you have been spying on Harry since first year and reporting back to the Headmaster. Is this true?"

Hermione's eyes shot to the floor as she nodded her head. Ginny shot up and said "He was your best friend. In fact, he was the both of yours only friend. How could you?"

Hermione was openly crying now that her secret was out and the shame was there for everyone to see. George stood and started pacing. "I know we didn't do right but this explains a lot. Harry must have found out and thanks to you two; he's acting as if everyone is doing the same thing to him. Ron, Bill asked you a question. I want the answer now. What kind of jobs did he have you doing?"

Ron said "Well, my main job was to make sure nobody got to close to Harry so that he wouldn't make friends with people who could tell Harry things. I had a hard time keeping Neville and Susan away that year and after the troll thing, it became impossible to keep Hermione away so the Headmaster just included her in his plans. Second year, I was told to help spread the rumors of him being the Heir of Slytherin while Hermione got closer to him. Last year, we were told to watch him closely and look out for Sirius. If we saw them together, we were to get the Headmaster immediately. This year it was to get everyone to turn against him. It was going perfectly until last year when Hermione didn't want to do it anymore. The Headmaster had a talk with her and she did as she was told again. The same thing happened at this year until he talked with her again."

Fred was up pacing along with George when he finally stopped and said "Dobby"

A minute later, Dobby popped into the room and when he saw who was there, he gave a hard glare to everyone in the room. Ginny ran over and dropped to her knees in front of him and asked "Dobby, did you tell Harry that people were spying on him?"

"What Dobby does for Harry Potter Sir is only business of Harry Potter Sir. Dobby does not have to answer Wheezys. Dobby knows Wheezys only want what they can get from Harry Potter Sir. Dobby tells Harry Potter Sir that Wheezys is bad wizards just like old whiskers and Grangy girl who pretended to love Harry Potter Sir."

Ginny cried out "But I didn't do that to him."

"Dobby sorry Miss Ginny but even lowly house elves know not to trust a family when one of that family betrays a friend."

'POP'

Arthur sat there for a few minutes in stunned silence. It was finally Martin Granger who said "I know I'm only a muggle but from the books Hermione left at home I learned something important that you need to consider. The good news is that debts and bonds won't fully take affect until you come of age even though they will draw you towards the holder of the debt. The bad news is that if the debt remains unfulfilled, it will begin to eat away at you and your magic until you either satisfy the debt or lose your magic."

Bill nodded in agreement.

Hermione sobbed harder. Mrs. Granger said "I have no doubt that you have destroyed a very special relationship. It's obvious that you and your friends have pushed Harry past his breaking point and deserve everything you are going through at the moment. It is my hope that you can at least get on speaking terms with him again even if it is only to ask him how you could satisfy the debt. If it was me, I'd hope that he would just ask you to never speak with him again to act as the payment."

Hermione looked up with her mouth hanging open. She finally croaked out "I thought you were on my side."

Mr. Granger answered "This isn't about sides but about right and wrong. I can't help but be disappointed in your actions as honor and loyalty are a very important part of who I am. The fact that you spied on Harry for several years makes me wonder if you ever listened to anything I ever taught you. It would be even worse if you were paid to do it."

Hermione paled even more which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

Mrs. Granger added "You have a lot to think about young lady. Somewhere during your time in this world, you lost who you are and I don't think you can blame Harry for it."

"Yes ma'am. I want you both to know that I'm sorry for letting you down."

As he was walking out of the door without even giving his daughter a hug, Mr. Granger said "We're not who you need to be apologizing to and we will settle on your punishment when you get home. Since you earned money from the Headmaster, I can assume that you no longer need your allowance for books. I hope you're proud of yourself as you not only betrayed a friend but you prostituted yourself in the process."

The harsh words hit Hermione like a freight train and she began sobbing hysterically. Molly looked at Mrs. Granger for a minute before she tried to go comfort the girl. Mrs. Granger said "Leave her. This is evidently a lesson she needs to learn the hard way."

Arthur was still sitting there in silence before he looked up and said "Bill and Charlie, I'm sorry you had to come home for this. Could I impose on you to make sure the Grangers are returned to their home? I really don't know what to say and can only blame myself as a father for not raising better children. Hermione, I'm sure Martin feels the same way."

Mrs. Granger finally asked "What did he threaten you with?"

Ron stupidly said "He was going to take away my spending money."

The rest of his family was shooting him glares as Hermione muttered "He said he would keep me away from Harry. He said he would expel me for cheating and have my wand snapped and would make sure I never saw Harry again."

The whole family watched as Arthur got up from his chair and walked out of the door. They sat there for an hour waiting for Arthur to come back which never happened. Bill stood and said "If Harry returns I expect you all to stay away from him until we can figure something out. If I even hear or any of you antagonizing Mr. Potter again, I will come home and personally raise stripes on your backsides and that includes you Percy. If I can't get here, I'll send Charlie to do it for me."

Ron said "I don't understand why you are all worrying about that git. It's not like he could do anything against us. The way I see it, he owes me money for causing me to not get paid anymore."

Charlie stood and walked over to Ron. Before Ron knew it, he was on the floor with a hand print across his face. "Mr. Potter is the Heir to a Most Ancient and Noble house. Not only does he have that on his side but we have the matter of the life debt that he holds over Ginny as well as Hermione. Everything I've ever been told about him tells me he's an honorable young man and would never do anything to harm either one of them but if this family keeps antagonizing him that could change. I prefer my baby sister as she is."

Arthur found himself walking around Black Lake with Martin Granger keeping step with him. Neither man was talking as they were both lost in their own thoughts of how they had failed as a father. As the fates would sometimes do, they came to a stop as they stood facing the Diggory and Jones families. Arthur looked up and his face flushed. "Hello Amos and Reggie. I hope things are well with you and your families."

Amos replied "As good as can be expected. I hope it is the same with yours."

Arthur sagged a little and said "Please forgive me, this is Martin Granger. He asked to accompany me today so that he could discuss things with his daughter. Much like I have done with my own family. I…I want to thank you both for what you are trying to do for Harry. He's a good boy and doesn't deserve what he has been put through. I…I deeply regret my family's involvement in this whole thing."

Reginald replied "We're only doing what we feel is right. It doesn't hurt that our children are the only friends that he feels he has left in the castle."

Both men winced at that comment. Arthur said "Yes, another regret that I must find a solution to. Amos and Reginald, may I have your permission to ask your heirs a sensitive question?"

Reginald snorted "You may ask. I can't say whether you will like the answer you get as my heiress is very protective of her boyfriend."

Arthur tried to smile but it was a half hearted attempt at best. "I can understand. Harry is a very special young man and I have done my best to help him but evidently that wasn't enough. Cedric and Megan, have you heard anything that would lead you to believe that the Headmaster has done anything to Harry that would push him to the point he is at now? We've just learned that Hermione was coerced into some of the things she has done and we were told it was at the behest of the Headmaster."

Cedric and Megan both looked at each other. "The answer is yes Mr. Weasley but I'm sorry to say that to tell you more would betray confidences that we are not willing to break."

"And I would not ask you to. I love him like he is my own and only want him to be happy. My family has done enough to him and I would not want to visit any more grief upon him. I would like to ask you to do me a favor. Would you ask him if he could set aside differences with my family long enough to meet with me. I feel as the head of my family it is my duty to apologize for the actions of my children. He may not want to take advantage of it but I will always there for him and I will meet him any place he wants. I also offer my help in what you are doing for Harry."

**LC**

It was another week and a half before Madam Pomfrey gave Harry the potion to slowly wake him. As he came around, he felt a weight on his chest and looked around the dark hair only to see it was Megan. She started to stir as he moved a little but when he croaked out "Meg", she realized where she was and jumped straight out of bed. He laughed at her before trying to reach for the glass of water he saw on the table beside his bed. She saw what he was doing and grabbed for it. In her nervousness and embarrassment from him catching her sleeping with him, she managed to dump half of the water down the front of his hospital gown. She blushed furiously before she dried him off with a wave of her wand. "I'm so sorry Harry."

"That's okay Meg. I was having these great dreams that I actually gathered up the courage to ask you out and you said yes. Did I get it confused and really asked you to marry me?"

She warily said "No, you asked and I said yes to be your girlfriend. We are only fifteen Harry. Why would we be married?"

"Well I woke up with you in bed with me and thought I might have missed something."

She blushed bright red and then jumped back on him giving a tight hug. "I'm sorry. While you were asleep, I started studying in here and I guess last night I got sleepy so I crawled up next to you and took a nap. I guess the nap must have lasted all night."

Poppy burst through the door and said "Oh good, you're both finally awake. I was beginning to think I needed to give Megan the potion with you two being in bed together and so soon after you started dating. I think you beat your father and mother on that one Harry. It was a year before I had to give Lily the potion and they were seventeen."

Both kids started blushing as Poppy started laughing at their discomfort. When she settled down, she said "Oh you two are too easy. Megan was exhausted and I let her sleep."

Megan said "But curfew."

"I sent Pomona a message saying you were in my care for the night."

Megan said "Thank you Poppy, you're the best."

"I know but don't think I'm going to let it happen very often. I know you've been working yourself very hard lately."

Harry looked back and forth between them and asked "Um…what's going on?"

Megan smiled at him. "Poppy told me your plan and I've been trying to catch up to where you are in your studies. I thought with us working together and a little help from Cedric, I can join you in taking OWLs during the summer. Dad is already sending us the books and between the efforts of Poppy, Dad, and Uncle Amos, we have an exam date set for early July that no one knows about."

Harry looked at them for a minute before he finally said "Sounds like you've been busy. Anything else I need to know about?"

Since it was still very early, Poppy said "I'll check on you a little later so that you can talk. Miss Jones, I expect you to stay above the blankets."

Harry said "Um….Poppy? Could you do something about my breath? If my incredible girlfriend tries to kiss me, I'd be afraid of the damage it would cause our relationship. My tongue tastes like it has been licking the wrong side of a Hippogriff."

"And how would you know this?"

"I don't. I'm just saying."

Poppy chuckled and then waved her wand over his mouth. After she was done, he smacked his mouth and then said "Hit me again. Those potions must have been especially nasty."

She did it again and he said "Much better. Thanks Poppy."