Author's Note: The song is by Howard Jones, and the strangeness continues. Harry really steps up to the plate here, as does the Weasley family. Thanks to all of you who are reading, especially those who take the time to review. It means so much to me. I have no news to report on the health front, except that my doctor keeps removing possible diagnoses and leaving my coming out of remission on the table. In a lesson in patience, we won't know if it is cancer until early May. Your thoughts and prayers definitely help. Thanks so much for reading my stories. MNF

Chapter 6:

Things Can Only Get Better

December 6, 1999

Harry POV:

North London Brewing Company

"Wouldn't it just be easier to have the Muggles leave, and then clean this up ourselves?" I asked Seph. She was sitting on a chair we'd dragged into the brewery floor when she looked like she'd pass out while surveying the damage the room had sustained. It wasn't just in here, the cooler had been broken into as well. All of the Mighty Mouthful of Mistletoe which hadn't gone out to pubs and retail outlets, as well as about six weeks of the other brews, had been destroyed. The damage had been found by Walter and Kate when they'd opened for the day. Kate was so distraught Walter had called an ambulance to take her to the Trauma department at hospital. She was having chest pains. Walter went with her, having the presence of mind to call MMB before leaving.

We left a skeleton crew at the magical brewery, Audrey and Alvin Abercrombie were in charge. Percy was headed over there, taking a personal day from the Ministry to help where needed, either at MMB or here.

Ginny had discretely transfigured a cool cloth for Seph's head, and had gotten a bottle of apple juice to get some quick sugar into her. It wouldn't have surprised me if she'd fainted. I had my hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing them. Her skin was a grey colour, and the baby seemed to be moving all over if the rippling of her shirt, stretched taut over her huge belly, was any indication.

"The whole staff here is Muggle," Seph reminded me. "Walter's the exception, but he's a Squib. No, we're going to need to repair all this the old fashioned way. That also means we'll be shutting down production while we wait for replacements. Couldn't have come at a worse time." She started to cry, so I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her upper chest from behind and held her to me, whispering words to calm her and reminded her she wasn't alone in all this. I was here, and so was the whole family. The Weasleys, save Percy, were on their way over. Molly was taking Connor to stay with Fleur and George got the shop opened, but was then headed over with Ron. Arthur and Hermione were leaving the Ministry as soon as they could, and Bill was on his way from Gringotts.

"Holy Shite," Charlie exclaimed upon entering. He paused for a moment just inside the doorway, surveying the devastation. "Oh, love, I'm so sorry," he called even as he made his way to us. I stood and backed away from Seph, going to where Ginny was pulling a mop from the cleaning cabinet to begin wicking the brown, frothy, wet mess up from the floor.

Seph and Charlie started talking in a hushed tone, he kneeling in front of her. I'd seen him cast a charm on his legs, probably to keep the swill from soiling his trousers. I wasn't going to yell at him for doing magic, it was only our family in here, and the staff were all in the cooler, salvaging what they could. I really thought Seph had this wrong. We needed to get the Muggles out of here and then deal with the remains of the brewery with magic.

"Ginny, I need to run something by you before I discuss it with Charlie and Seph."

"Of course, sweetheart," she replied while threading her fingers through mine. Her supportive attitude and faith in me were keeping me focused. A thought popped into my mind, and I wondered what the Horcrux hunt would have been like had I brought her with me. Her love always made me feel more assured, and her presence bolstered my confidence.

"Harry, where did you go there?" she asked, but I shook her off. No point dwelling on something I couldn't change. "What did you want to talk with me about?"

"Right, sorry. Seph doesn't want to use magic to clean this place up, but she's in no shape to be bending and cleaning. I think we should send the Muggle staff home. Give them the time until Twelfth Night off so we can rebuild. We can continue their pay and forward their holiday bonuses as well. What we can't magically repair, we'll need to order. That takes time. It will be so much easier if we have them all safe and away from this place. This all is giving me a bad feeling."

"Are you worried about their safety?" she asked and I reluctantly nodded.

"The first break in was just stupid vandalism, and there was a window which had been broken with a brick, explaining how someone got in. This time, all the doors were locked, the alarm system wasn't tripped and the damage was much more extensive. If I had to guess, it looks to me like someone by-passed all of it. I'd like to have an Auror come over and give the place a good checking," I explained. I hadn't said any of this to Seph, she was too close to fainting as it was, plus stress isn't good for her or the baby.

"Walter said as much when he called me earlier," Ginny confessed. "I didn't want to say it in front of Seph."

"Then it sounds like we need to gather the staff, give them the news and send them home. Kate does the books here, so I don't know who has their money directly sent and who picks up their cheque on pay days," I confessed. I'd also just shared everything I understood about Muggle banking to Ginny.

"If Percy has gotten over to MMB, I'll ask if Audrey can come over here. She'll be able to go through Kate's files and make sure we have correct instructions for each employee before they leave. Why don't you talk with Charlie and Seph while I call over to the other building," she suggested and I agreed. Molly and Arthur were entering and quickly hugged Ginny as they passed.

I walked back over to where Seph and Charlie were. I didn't like how she was looking at all. He needed to get her out of here. The events of the last few weeks, and being nearly eight months pregnant seemed to be exacting a horrible toll on her. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her or the baby. Molly nearly squeezed Seph to their point of pain, and Arthur had to tell her, gently, to back off.

"Seph, I'm going to tell you my plan, and while I'd like to hear any suggestions you have about it, I believe this will be the best way to handle this situation. Okay?"

"Harry, I've been at this longer than you -" she said on the defence, but I cut her off.

"I know you have and I am not negating your skill. However, you look like a flock of hippogriffs ran over you and you're growing my Bumpy in there. Let me take this situation on," I told her with a direct and authoritative tone.

"Careful there, Harry. Someone might mistake you for an adult," she dryly said back. This was an ongoing joke between us. The changes in my hair and clothes, my learning about different brewing techniques and ingredients; I was slowly becoming a man, whether I really wanted to or not. Alluding to this alerted me that she would honestly listen now.

"I'm having Ginny gather the staff in the lobby. I think we should send them all home, and explain their getting an extended paid holiday, not needing to return until after Twelfth Night. Once they're all gone, we can charm the windows and then clean up using magic." Seph looked at me, her face rifling through anger, frustration, sadness and resignation quickly.

"I think it makes sense," her entire body seemed to deflate as she said it. The sadness in her face, however, nearly broke my heart. "We should have enough money in the Muggle bank accounts, although I can have some transferred if necessary," she quietly responded. "We might need to dip into our savings." Seph looked up at Charlie as she apologetically said it.

"Love, this is your life. You've put your heart and soul into it, and we are going to take care of making it better than it was before. Remember, it's just money," Charlie replied.

"I've got money too," I reminded her. "Between the two of us, everyone will get paid. I'll speak with the goblins. I don't want you worrying about it."

"Fine. The plan is sound, and it keeps the staff here safe. They aren't prepared to deal with …" she trailed off. Seph was worried about this being a magical attack as well. She needed to get away from here, and get her mind off all of this.

"Now, since you agree, I want Charlie to take you somewhere. It's not like you can help with the clean up, and even if you begged, none of us would let you. We can meet here tomorrow morning and determine what can be repaired and what needs to be replaced. Then, we'll make a plan of action for the restorations."

"I don't get a say in this?"

"No. Charlie, take your wife somewhere relaxing," I directed and Charlie jokingly saluted me.

"I'll have everyone over to the Burrow for supper. See you at six. Fleur can bring Connor back to you then," Molly interjected.

"Fleur has Connor?" Seph said, sounding somewhat frightened. "Maybe we should go pick him up. He's so much louder than their daughter," she said, looking up at Charlie. I stifled my laugh at Seph being suspicious of leaving their son with Charlie's sister-in-law.

"I'll have Hermione go get him and bring him over to the Burrow before lunch," Arthur suggest. "She was leaving the Ministry as soon as her replacement arrived. Molly will need to get home to make dinner anyway. It'll do Fleur good to have Connor for a few hours." There was a twinkle in Arthur's eye as he said this. Molly playfully shoved his shoulder and we all laughed. Fleur had the baby on a tight schedule, and kept her house so clean and organized it felt like a museum. A nearly three-year-old boy wasn't going to fit into her life very well.

"Charlie," Seph said as she was attempting to stand. "I think we need to go and rescue Connor. I don't want Fleur -"

"Seph, she wouldn't ever do anything to hurt Connor," Charlie assured her.

"He's right, Seph," Bill said as he entered. "I think the challenge is something Fleur needs to experience. Please, for me, leave him there for a while." Seph protested a little more, but Bill was finally able to convince her it was a good thing for Connor to be left where he was. Molly promised to make sure he took his nap in his Daddy-Charlie's bed, and his Mum relented.

When Charlie finally coaxed Seph out of the building — it took five tries as she kept thinking of things I might not remember — we began the clean-up. It took us about two hours to come to a place where I could really assess what had happened.

Molly and Hermione left just before noon, and I ordered a pizza lunch for everyone. Hermione returned, and as we were finishing, I sat down with the Weasleys and the staff members from MMB. I used the Floo network to patch Alvin, Percy and Hannah in from the other building.

"The brew floor and cooler rooms are the worst," I explained. "The equipment has been badly damaged, although I think we might be able to charm the damage out of some of it.

"The refrigeration unit for the cooler had something poured into it, and it's gummed up the engine. The Muggle staff was able to save a few cases of bottled beer, but it's all in need of a good bottle cleaning, and some labels will need to be repaired. I think we should just consider it lost and drink it ourselves."

"I'm all for that plan," Ron piped up, summoning a bottle to have while noshing. Several of the others, including Arthur, followed his lead. Seeing as everyone else had a beer, Hermione summoned one as well. Ginny was laughing at her friend, not hiding the fact she adored beer. It would seem my business venture had turned our family into beer lovers.

"Anyway," I loudly said, hoping to gather everyone back together. "We got the nasty froth up from off the floor and fixtures. We will need to take the rest of the equipment out of the building and then wash everything. However, I'm not worried about the clean up; I'm more concerned with how this happened. Ron, Hermione, what did Auror Proudfoot say when you followed him around?"

"About what you'd suspected," Hermione answered. "There was magical trace on the back door, although it was too degraded to determine who it was. He took a reading and sample, and should there ever be a suspect the magic can be compared."

"Magic was used inside as well," Ron added. "Proudfoot thought it was only one or maybe two people. With magic, they wouldn't have needed a very large group. I showed him the destroyed artwork from before, but it's been too long to say for sure if magic was used or not."

"I thought that was just some delinquent youths?" Audrey said.

"I suspect it's the same person or persons," I confessed, "although I don't have a clue who it might be." Ginny lifted my hand and kissed it. I didn't need to tell her how frightening it was to contemplate who might be behind this.

My cell phone rang, and it pulled me out of my thoughts. Taking it from my pocket, I hastily answered it. "Hello, Harry speaking." I listened as Walter announced himself, and then gave me a hasty report on Kate. "Sure Walter. We've given the rest of the staff the month off so we can make repairs. Tell her she's off as well, with full pay, and we're covering any expenses the medical insurance doesn't." I listened for a moment again, Ginny was nearly having an aneurism waiting for information, but she'd need to wait a minute longer. "If you don't mind, I've got most of the staff from MMB here to help, can you stop by?" I paused for his answer. "Okay, we'll see you within the hour. Bye."

"What's the word on Kate?" Ginny was asking even before I'd turned the phone off.

"It was just a panic attack," I relayed the message and there was an audible sigh from the group. "She's going to be fine, although they're keeping her overnight, just to make sure. Her husband and two of her kids are there with her. Love, can you make sure we send her some flowers, and then arrange for some meals to be delivered so she doesn't need to cook?"

"I'd be happy to help with the food," Hermione piped up.

"So would I," Audrey piped in.

"Me too," Hannah said and within a few minutes a paper was being sent around and the staff was arranging to take care of meals for an entire week. Half of them didn't even know Kate, but she was part of the brewing family, so they were chipping in. I was glad we'd have this arranged before Seph would even know. I was truly worried about her health now.

"Harry, if it's magical attacks this place is under, isn't there a way we can enchant it so they can't get in?" Bill asked and I simply sighed.

"We've only got one magical staff member here, and he's a Squib. Unless you can simply tie the spell to his fingerprint or something …" I explained, not even finishing the sentence.

"Harry, what if you moved some of us over, at least until these attacks have stopped," Dean Thomas suggested. "I know you employ only Muggles here, but I grew up as one, I know how to act around them."

"I'd be willing to come over too, Harry," Justin Fitch-Fletchley chimed in. Harry remembered he had also been Muggle-born. "You could put us on the floor, or have us do security or something."

"It's a good plan," Bill added. "If they were the ones to open and close the place, then we could use magical charms as well as the Muggle locks and alarms."

"You guys sure?' Harry asked. "It's going to be rather dull, you'll just be walking around this place for hours."

"Harry, it's not forever," Dean replied. "We don't want the brewery destroyed. You and Seph gave us jobs when there weren't many to come by, and you pay us right well. Maybe we'll even catch whoever is doing this."

"Don't go getting ahead of yourselves there, boys," Arthur warned and Dean and Justin nodded.

"Probably good career training, too. We've both talked about the Magical Law Enforcement Department, right, Justin?" Dean added, hoping it was a more mature response.

"We have. I think it would give us a leg up on the competition," Justin replied and Harry agreed. With one problem solved, and about three-hundred more to deal with, he rested his head in his hands and thought about where to go next.