OK yes i am back and it's almost 1 am here and i made it to finish the chapter, i know it's been weeks upon weeks and i am so sorry for the delay AGAIN but i had to go to Ireland and then i returned and got sick and only now i feel well enough to come around, my daily life is crazy and the muse completely distracted by my daily banes that it's hard for her to get inspired and give me something but i'll do my best to have more updates

Enjoy and thank you for your patience...


Chapter Seven – Home Bloody Home

A big Mess

A huge Mess

That was the best description Hermione could give to her situation with Harry and everything that included them as she got dressed in the bedroom she occupied in Grimmauld Place. A place so different from the one she had lived in during the war.

Mostly because of her, the mansion now was a beautifully decorated place with Victorian touches and some modern parts to remind the rhythms the Muggles live in, since both Harry and herself had grown up in the Muggle World. The house had a beautiful feeling although the old furniture had remained because of their good quality, the ugly heads of dead house elves, Mrs. Black's portrait and the dark curtains were gone and after the best cleaning team of the ministry had been hired by the authorities to help renovating the house of the Savor, Grimmauld looked perfect.

She had done it all for Harry, her best friend, she never imagined she would share this house as his wife, even if for only seventy six more days. She glanced at herself in the mirror she had painted herself and sighed at her reflection. She insisted on dressing like a muggle in her bookstore but this was an official call from the ministry so she had decided to wear her robes, simple dark blue color and a necklace were enough, she never liked dressing up with hats and too many layers of fabric like Minerva McGonagall. It'd be enough noise with everyone knowing by now about her marriage to the Man Who Conquered thanks to the Prophet, she'd spare herself from having her name in the "best or worst dressed column" at the last pages of the news paper as well.

She opened the door of her bedroom and moved down the stairs in the illuminated hall, the light coming by the unusually bright sun through the windows. She could hear commission in the kitchen and she entered the room to find Harry talking animatedly with James while Lily watched the wary Kreatcher making breakfast. It still felt weird to have the Potters around, it also brought back the very important matter of who is using the stone to have Harry's dead parents by his side.

No matter who was doing it for whatever reasons, Hermione couldn't stop herself from thanking them just a bit, as she watched Harry laughing with something James had said, she always wished Harry would have a chance to spend time with his parents and now he was having it, Hermione had to admit that even though the Stone endangered a lot of things for a person, right now Harry was happy and she would love to meet the Potters more as well.

'Good morning, dear,' Lily's gentle voice broke her train of thought and Hermione smiled, Lily had this quality of calming everyone down even with a greeting, making your feel it'd be alright after all. Harry and James looked at her with smiles, Hermione almost blushed for interrupting the family moment.

'Good morning, Mrs. Potter,' James said wickedly as if he had read her mind and was making her feel comfortable with a joke, it worked as Harry rolled his eyes good naturally at his dad and Lily chuckled while Hermione smiled and finally reached them at the table.

Hermione sat down next to Lily who smiled at her and Kreacher approached with a bowl full of cereal and milk.

'Thank you, Kreacher,' Hermione offered kindly to the elf that only nodded and moved away, looking warily at the ghosts of the Potters, some things hadn't changed in Grimmauld but at least Kreacher had stopped insulting everyone.

'How did you sleep, dear?' Lily asked and Hermione smiled and nodded before she could take a bite.

'I slept well, thank you,' Hermione said and took her bite as she looked at Lily's smiling semi-transparent face, she felt like she had known the woman and her presence for a long time, maybe she did indeed, as Lily and James had been always around to watch over them.

'We should eat and go to the Ministry, Kingsley sent an owl this morning, he has gathered all the paperwork for both cases in his office and it'll be a private hearing just us and him, I guess it helps that it's about the Potter name and we have the Cup, lets hope they will all be gossipy and not mental with the marriage, after we're done with both cases, we should talk to him about the Stone.' Harry said and Hermione nodded and kept eating, she didn't have to add anything. After the hearing with Kingsley she'd go straight to her bookstore and she had to face the community face to face there.

'If you wish, I can come to the bookstore with you after we're done. I'm sure Wood is still drunk somewhere with a harem so he won't need anytime soon and the fiesta is planned for tomorrow night.' Harry added as if he could read her mind. She sighed, not sure if having Harry with her in the middle of Diagon Alley would be a good idea, on the other hand, she couldn't imagine all those customers and curious people facing her on her own.

'Yeah, maybe you should come with me, after all I need to clean the upper sleeves and you were always better with heights than me.' Hermione added with an attempt for humor that worked as the three Potters around her chuckled.

'I never liked the heights either, I always had James to do the shelves.' Lily said and turned at the sound of a loud purring that entered the kitchen as Crookshanks had been left at Grimmauld before the cup for Kreacher to feed him and keep him company even though both creatures didn't like each other very much. Lily's eyes widened and her ghost stood up and looked at the cat, possibly appearing herself to him as he noticed her presence and rushed close to her immaterial form.

'Spooky! At last! James, look at him, he's in great shape!' Lily exclaimed happily as she stood close to the cat that watched her with knowing eyes and even tried to lick her hand. Both Harry and Hermione had been left speechless to watch the scene.

'His name is Crookshanks…' Hermione tried as the cat at last left Lily and moved close to the brunette. Lily smiled and nodded her head.

'When we had him, we had called him spooky because he scared Harry sometimes as a toddler, he couldn't expect Harry to scare him back when he learnt to walk at eleven months…' Lily explained and Harry spoke still in shock.

'With a broom for babies?' he asked and Hermione looked at him, a flash of memory that included one of Lily's letters to Sirius in that very same house right before the Horcrux Hunt. She couldn't believe Crookshanks was the same cat, however that explained how Crookshanks always preferred Harry right after Hermione herself, he knew him since he was a baby.

'Wow… ok, that explains a lot,' Hermione said and Lily smiled knowingly.

'Kneazles have many powers, even if he's half-half, he is very clever, when Voldemort was after us, I had tried to make him understand that he should protect Harry. I suppose he was lost after the day Voldemort found us but he never stopped trying. He found you first and in this way he kept an eye on Harry, that's why he also recognized Sirius, I guess Padfoot never told you about him but the two of them knew each other, it was actually Sirius who brought him to us in the first place.' Lily said and Hermione and Harry watched her in greater shock. 'You really think we'd left you just like that even if the Marauders were all gone? We had only hoped Harry wouldn't end up with my sister but that was out of our power after a point…' Lily said and the guilt in her voice was evident. 'That's one of the things I can't forgive Albus for…' she added in a whisper and Harry felt like hugging his mother. James had been silent but reached his wife in their airy forms and took her hand, effectively touching her in their shape. Harry sighed, they had many wounds to heal in their possibly limited time as reunited family but for now that had to deal with everything else.

'I think we should be going to the ministry for now and then talk about Spooky or Crookshanks' true talents, I always thought he looked at me judgingly like Hermione would do when I didn't something wrong but I suppose he had taken from the both of you.' Harry said, attempting humor as he addressed both his mother and wife slash best friend slash the woman he needed slash many things more…

'He's right, Kingley will be waiting.' Hermione said after a moment and nodded her head as they stood up and Crookshanks meowed at her lovingly. 'I'm sure you'll have great company here, I'll be back soon.' She told her cat and felt a wave of possessive love for him, she had him for years, no matter why he had chosen her, she had chosen him as well and loved her cat dearly.

The couples moved close to the kitchen's massive fireplace while Crookshanks watched and Hermione threw the floo powder in the fire that turned emerald green. Harry and Hermione held hands while James and Lily watched them.

'We'll be right beside you and we'll show ourselves when we'll be alone with Kingsley. Good luck.' James said and Hermione and Harry nodded as Harry was already throwing the powder in the flames and they called clearly their destination.

'Ministry of Magic Atrium!'

They reappeared in a burst of flames that followed more bursts of flashes and an onslaught of reporters calling to each other "they're here" "a comment about the marriage" and many more questions and statements while simple civilians were also watching and gathering with the Morning Prophet in their hands. Harry and Hermione shielded their eyes from the flashes of the photographers and started moving through the crowd to reach the elevators with the ghosts of the Potters by their side staying silent and glaring daggers at the reporters who followed like vultures and blocked their way.

'Maybe we should just appear to them and have a true spectacle to gossip about.' James said exasperated as the elevator door at last closed behind them, they were alone in the elevator as no other employee or citizen had made it to reach the elevator because of the crowd around the four Potters.

'Maybe we should have asked Kingsley to floo right in his office.' Hermione offered more logically and sighed as she wondered what would be happening outside her bookstore.

They were soon in the floor of the minister's office and the couples moved outside the elevator suffering more stares and looks of employees around them who whispered, nudged each other and even snickered as the one visible couple moved towards the minister's office. Hermione and Harry didn't pay attention, they were used to people talking behind their back, for the years before, it was without reason mostly, now they had verified everyone's suspicion about the two of them but what mattered was the meeting with Kingsley and nothing else… absolutely nothing else.

They reached the secretary of the minister who only nodded her good morning and gestured for them to enter the minister's office. They did so and found Kingsley's massive form crouched above a stack of papers. The man with the dark skin and radiant smile looked up at them and clapped his hands with an amused look on his face that reminded them very much of a late friend of his who happened to be the head of the Order of the Phoenix…

'The new generation of the Potters, how good is to see you, guys!' Kingsley said and Harry and Hermione for the first time in two days felt like this wasn't the end of the world, their friends had been judging, the whole world was looking at them like the new zoo number but one of their oldest friend and guardian during the war was all smiles and grins at their petrified expressions.

'Hello Kingsley,' Hermione said first and the man smiled and gestured for them to sit before his desk as he sat back down on his chair and looked at both of them.

'I would start with the things you caused by the misused magic but since you're war heroes and I'm the minister I just need you signatures on a dozen of paper about how much you regret your decision to do so, a simple statement to the public and a sincere apology to the council and we're good. All I want to know about is the Elvis Wedding, what songs did he play?' Kingsley asked happily and actually made Harry and Hermione chuckle.

'About the wedding, we want to cancel it.' Harry said with a smile and Hermione nodded but Kingsley looked at them in shock, suddenly sobering.

'You didn't want to get married?' he asked and the two felt like falling back to the pool of awkwardness they've been swimming in the past days…

'We did by accident, we were drunk and now we want to have the seventy seven days pass and then cancel it.' Hermione said while blushing and Kingsley frowned and let his body touch on the back of the chair, looking at them and pondering.

'I had thought that even drunk you two…' he tried but then shook his head quickly as if he had remembered something and then nodded. 'Never mind, whatever you think is better for you, after all sometimes we must choose ourselves between what is right… over what is easy… alas, it's good you have about seventy five days to decide, no matter what I'll have your cancelation of the marriage ready for you to sign in seventy four days and you'll be good as single again.' Kingsley said and left the two young people looking at him almost with shame in their eyes over their decision to cancel their marriage while Lily and James looked knowingly at each other.

'Can I help you with anything else?' Kingsley asked warmly as to fill the awkward silence that followed his words. Harry snapped out of it first and spoke, this time in an almost pained tone in his voice.

'Someone is using the Resurrection Stone again. I had given my statements but what I did with the Hallows before the ministry after the war and I guessed the area I had thrown the stone would have been searched but someone has obviously taken it.' Harry said and Kingsley this time looked at them with shock.

'Who have they summoned?' he asked and Harry looked at the spot the Potters were standing, deciding it was time, both James and Lily appeared themselves to the ministry who looked at them with wide eyes.

'Good Lord, James, Lily, it's been so long!' he whispered in shock and the couple nodded their heads.

'As you understand, we need the minister's help with this as we have nothing to do with the aurors or the Order anymore and we only know it must be someone who knows Harry's sensitivity with his family but that's about everyone who knows the Boy Who Lived and his story…' Hermione said and Kingsley nodded his head with his eyes still glued on the couple of ghosts before him.

'Of course, I will have everyone helping with this. The ministry had searched about the stone and indeed hadn't found it in an entire forest, we had hoped it was lost forever, but this is clear evidence. Keep a low profile, as much as this is possible and I'll do my best with every department and office of the ministry to have this solved.' Kingsley said and both Harry and Hermione could see why the man before them had been twice re-elected as Minister after the war in the voting for the position of the most important man in the Wizarding Community, he gave an air of authority and confidence only Dumbledore had been able to inspire in the past.

'Thank you, Kingsley,' Harry said honestly and the man before him smiled at him like a father would do for his son.

'Just sign up these parchments and you're good to go back to your business from the fireplace here, don't give those predators the satisfaction of a second spectacle, as for you, Jamie and Lil, keep quiet and around only these two young beautiful people and I'll find a way.' Kingsley said over Harry and Hermione's shoulders who were already signing up the papers of all the legal issues they had created with their marriage and drunken night. 'Give my regards to Albus and Sirius.' He added and James winked as Lily smiled at the older man. 'And something more,' Kingsley said now addressing Harry and Hermione, 'since all this was accidental,' he said and with his wand conjured a roll of parchment. 'All the things the official letter from the ministry is not telling you about a magical marriage in the first seventy seven days of it. You better read it.' Kingsley added and Hermione took the parchment in her hands.

'Thank you…' she said and put the parchment in her robes' pocket. 'For everything,' Harry added as the two young people shook hands with the older man who smiled and gestured for them to reach the floo.

'Contact me with whatever you need and I'll do the same the moment I have news over the case, I'll have the best team of aurors in this.' he reassured them and Harry and Hermione nodded their heads as they turned the fireplace in to a floo station with the powder and then said their goodbye and flood themselves away and into Hermione's bookstore.

The curtains were blocking the light everyone looking from outside but the buzzing of people gossiping outside the shop were evident, it seemed like too many people were in the mood for a new book that day…

'It'll be alright,' Harry reassured her as he hadn't left her hand from his grasp. He actually raised their joined hands close to his lips and kissed her knuckles while the sound from outside and the smell of books and parchment filled their senses. Hermione looked at the man before him, her best friend, her husband, Kingsley's words and face of shock were now a memory but a striking one. She finally smiled and nodded her head.

'Come on, show me those shelves you want me to clean. Lets keep the bookstore closed for today but stay here and have it cleaned, none can get in without our permission and none will disturb us. In the afternoon we can go to your parents.' He offered and Hermione nodded and sighed at the thought of Jane and Edward Granger encountering their daughter's newest adventures…

'Alright, first things first then, the shelf up there with the history books.' She said and smiled at Harry who nodded and winked at her as he reached for the ladder.


I'm sure there were errors but it's 1 am and i need to go to bed since i'm working tomorrow, i hope you liked it, what you think? Kingsley was a figure of authority and humor, just as i imagined him during the series, he and McGonagall have seriously been under-developed and i want more of them in every story, i hope you liked the chapter, i did my best to have the hhr dynamics and lime enough in it, crookshanks is spooky, not that impossible huh? the cat always liked harry and helped sirius... he could be the potters' cat, opinions? thoughts? ideas?

i'm all ears, please review :)