Chapter Ten

"Hurry up, or I swear I'm leaving without you," Harry shouted up the stairs at his godfather.

"Relax Harry," Sirius said a moment later as he sauntered down the stairs with a grin on his face. "We have plenty of time. It's not even ten yet."

"I know, but Hermione and I agreed to meet up early to go over everything we need to in regards to our Head Boy and Girl duties," said Harry.

"I still can't believe it," said Sirius. "Head Boy… Just like James… Where did I go wrong with you?"

"Ha, ha," Harry said sarcastically while Sirius barked with laughter.

Harry had worked hard during his last two years of school, going from just a mediocre student, to third in his year. Hermione was first and Daphne Greengrass from Slytherin was second. It would seem that without constant threats on his life, poor teachers with grudges against his father and taken out on him, and ferrets walking around like the world owed them just for being alive, he did better in school.

"Okay Harry, in all seriousness now," Sirius said, trying not to smile and make the obvious joke. "With you being Head Boy this year, you will have your own room. And since you will have the privacy that isn't a broom cupboard, and now that you two are officially engaged, you two might be tempted to take your relationship further."

"Oh, please no," said Harry as he blushed. "We don't need to have this talk. Hannah and I both talked about it and we're waiting till we get married."

"I understand that," said Sirius as he sat down on the stairs and patted the spot next to him, where Harry sat. "But things happen that you don't plan on. Your hormones get going when you start snogging and the next thing you know, she's ripping your robes off and calling you 'daddy' while you spank her."

Harry looked at his godfather and arched his eyebrow. "Have some experience with that?" asked Harry.

"Well, there was a Ravenclaw," said Sirius. "That smart ones tend to be a little kinky."

Harry couldn't help it as his imagination took off on its own and he pictured Hermione in a skintight black leather suit and a whip while Neville was tied to a bed with a gag in his mouth. All the color drained from his face and he felt himself feel a little ill.

"Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that things happen," said Sirius. "So here."

Sirius pulled out a vial full of a puke green looking liquid.

"What is it?" asked Harry as he took it and held it up to look at it more closely.

"Contraceptive potion for wizards," said Sirius. "It basically makes it so your little swimmers can't fertilize a witches egg. That should last till you come home for the Christmas holidays, so if something does happen between you two, you can go at it like bunnies and not have to worry about her getting pregnant."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Sirius?" Harry finally said.

"Yeah pup?" asked Sirius.

"Thanks," said Harry.

"Don't mention it,' said Sirius. "While I look forward to seeing your offspring one day, I don't fancy the idea of being a grand-godfather anytime soon."

"No, not just for this," said Harry, indicating the vial in his hand. "For, you know, everything over the last couple of years. I'd hate to think how my life would have turned out if you hadn't been around."

"Probably boring," said Sirius. "I just wish I could have been a part of your life sooner."

"You're here now," said Harry. "That's all that matters."

They sat in silence for a few seconds and then Sirius let out a deep breath and said, "Alright, enough of this emotional mushy crap. Let's get you to train station."

Harry smiled as he stood up and grabbed his trunk. He then looked at the vial in his hand and shrugged before uncorking it and gulping it down, thinking that it was better to be safe than sorry.

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Molly Weasley picked up a basket and headed out to the apple orchard after she had said goodbye to Ginny when she had left with Arthur, who was taking her to King's Cross.

Molly had become less tightly wound over the past two years, feeling that it might have been her overbearing nature that had driven Ron to lash out like he had done. It still saddened her to think that her youngest son was out there somewhere, hiding and on the run while all alone. He was probably all skin and bones without her to feed him.

Things could have been much worse for her family after what Ron had done. Ginny had almost been attacked and might have even been killed if not for Hannah Abbott saving her. If not for Harry publicly showing that he was still friends with the rest of the Weasley family, they might have been forced to leave the country just to escape the persecution that they would have received.

As for Hannah Abbott, Molly had at first disliked the young witch for being with Harry. At the time, it didn't matter to her that their parents had written a marriage contract for them when they were only babies. Ever since the incident in the Chamber of Secrets, Molly had hoped that Harry and her daughter would end up together. She had even started filling a notebook with ideas for their wedding. However, her feelings towards Hannah changed when she had saved Ginny. It's hard to hold ill feelings towards someone that saves a member of your family.

As Molly reached one of the trees with the most apples on it, she began picking them and inspecting them while her mouth watered thinking about all of the apple pies she could make with them. She would more than likely end up sending some of the pies to Ginny, Harry, Hannah, Hermione, and Neville. Just because they were at Hogwarts didn't mean that she couldn't ensure that they received something homemade with love.

Just as her basket was starting to become half filled with the apples, Molly started to smell smoke. Turning and looking around, she could see a huge cloud of black smoke coming from the direction of the Burrow.

"Oh no," she said as she started running towards her house, and when it came into view, she found it engulfed in flames. She tried to put the fire out, but it still continued to rage and grow fiercer by the second as it destroyed all of their belongings.

She needed to inform Arthur, and hopped that he was at the Ministry already as she apparated away, not noticing the tall figure in black robes standing by the garage with a twisted smile adorning his face.

Before the figure left, he flicked his wand, causing a jet of fire to erupt from the house and burn the grass near by.

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Harry and Sirius arrived at Platform 9 ¾'s, and after saying their goodbyes, Harry boarded the train and made his way to the compartment reserved for the Head Boy and Girl.

"Holy crap," Harry said when he slid the door open and saw the inside.

The compartment was easily twice the size of a normal compartment. The seats were much comfier looking and there was a small buffet bar with bottles of water, pumpkin juice, and butterbeer, along with various sweets that they would normally have to buy from the old witch that pushed the trolley around.

After Harry stored his trunk in the overhead rack, he sat down on one of the seats and sighed. It must have been charmed with every sort of cushioning charm possible because it felt as though he was currently sitting on a cloud.

Harry was glad that Hermione had arrived a few minutes later, because any longer and he might have fallen asleep and cursed anyone that tried to wake him up before they got to Hogwarts.

After a quick hug hello, they sat down and Harry noticed the slight sigh of content that escaped from Hermione as she sat before she pulled out the list she had made of all the things they would need to talk to the other Prefects about during their meeting once the train left the station.

"Obviously, we'll need to give out the new passwords," said Hermione. "Which should be… Ah-ha." She found a sheet of parchment sitting on the table with a list of the passwords for each house. "Of course, as Head Boy and Girl, we'll have to set our own passwords to our private rooms. Thankfully, the process on how to do so is also written on here."

"Well, mine's going to be banana," said Harry.

"Banana? Really?" asked Hermione.

"Yep," said Harry with a grin. "It's easy to remember, and honestly, would you ever think to guess that would be my password if you didn't already know?"

"No, I guess not," said Hermione. "It just seems so… Odd. I would have thought you would have picked something that reminds you of Hannah."

Harry just sat there and smiled at her.

Realization suddenly hit Hermione and she said, "Tell me that you do not call her Hannah Banana?"

"Only when we're alone," said Harry. "She'd kill me if I called her that around other people."

"And with good reason," said Hermione.

"So what about you?" asked Harry. "What's your password going to be?"

A blush crept up Hermione's cheeks and she said, "Actually, I'm going to set the portrait guarding my room to announce visitors."

"Oh," said Harry, feeling slightly hurt.

"It's not that I don't trust you Harry," Hermione said, trying to reassure him, as she knew he was probably feeling like he had done something wrong. "It's just… Well, you see… Neville is kind of going to be staying in my room instead of the boy's dorm."

"Oh," said Harry, feeling a little better. Then he realized why she was not giving out the password. "Wait, you mean… You and Neville…"

"Yes, Harry," Hermione said, blushing again. "Neville and I have… Been intimate together."

"Wow," said Harry, surprised by this news.

"I swear Harry, if you start making jokes about this, I'll hex your bits off," said Hermione.

Harry held his hands up to ward her off and said, "No, no. I wouldn't dream of it… But still… Wow… When?"

Hermione sighed and said, "It was the night of his birthday. Neville and I really do care for each other and love each other, so I decided that I would give him the most precious gift a girl can give someone."

"Wow," Harry said again.

"Is that all you can say?" asked Hermione, a slight edge to her tone.

"I'm sorry, this is just a huge surprise," said Harry. "I would have thought you would be waiting till you got married, or at least engaged. I mean… Hannah and I are waiting till we get married next summer."

"I used to think the same thing as well," said Hermione. "But things change. And like I said, Neville and I care about each other a lot. In fact, if he were to walk in here right now with a ring and ask me to marry him, I would say yes in a heartbeat."

"I had no idea things were that serious between you two," said Harry.

"They are," admitted Hermione. "Before last year, I never really thought of Neville as someone I would end up with. Part of me thought that I might end up with Ron of all people."

Harry arched an eyebrow at that.

"I know, sounds crazy, right?" said Hermione. "I mean, he and I had nothing in common. We argued all the time. Not to mention I was almost killed by that troll in first year because I was hiding in the loo after those hurtful things he said about me… Still, I thought that maybe he just had trouble showing his feelings or something. And that when he grew up and matured a bit more, things would work out… Obviously, I was wrong and Ron showed his true colors that day."

"A part of me still feels bad that it happened," said Harry. "That it was partially my fault. I mean, I know that it wasn't. But that still doesn't keep me from wondering that maybe if I was a better friend to him, or talked to him more, or even played just one more game of chess with him one day that it would have prevented what had happened."

"I've wondered the same thing from time to time," admitted Hermione. "Maybe if I didn't nag at him so much, he might have come and talked to me instead of bottling up his anger until he exploded… But then I remember that what has happened has happened and cannot be undone. We can't change the past. Only learn from it and hope not to repeat it."

"I know," said Harry. However, he still carried a small feeling of guilt over what happened between him and Ron. And nothing anyone said or tried to convince him would ever change that. It was something that would remain with him for the rest of his life.

It wasn't long after that before students started to arrive with their families. It was a surprise to them when Ginny arrived with a little over half an hour to spare since for as long as he had known the Weasley's, they always seemed to arrive just minutes before the train left.

"Holy shite," said Ginny as she walked into the compartment. "So this is what you get when you become Head Boy or Girl?"

"Wicked, isn't it?" asked Harry and Ginny nodded.

"If this is the reward for being a good student, I am so going to work my ass off this year so I can be Head Girl next year," said Ginny.

"Just wait till you see the private quarters," said Hermione. "Headmistress McGonagall told me that they're as big as the common room."

"All that space just for one person?" asked Ginny.

"It's a reward for years of hard work," said Hermione. "Plus, they do understand we'll want friends to come over to hang out or study together."

"Spend the night," Harry mumbled quietly.

Unfortunately, not quiet enough since Hermione had heard him and punched him on the shoulder.

"OW!" Harry cried as he rubbed the spot she had punched. "When did you get so violent?"

"I warned you," said Hermione. "Remember? Next time, I'll hex you with my wand."

"Wait, what did he say?" asked a confused and curious Ginny.

"Nothing," said Hermione. "Harry was just being immature is all. Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry noticed that Hermione's hand was very close to where she kept her wand inside her robes and quickly nodded his head.

"Yeah, that's right," he said. "Just a stupid joke. It really wasn't even funny."

"Oh," said Ginny, a little disappointed. She knew whatever Harry had said must have been interesting to cause Hermione to punch him. She wasn't the violent type. In fact, from what she knew, the only time she had ever hit anyone was Draco during their third year.

Soon, Neville showed up and after sharing a quick kiss with Hermione, the two of them sat particularly close together as they talked.

Ginny left when Colin showed up so they could sit and talk with their friends during the train ride.

Looking out the window of the train, Harry noticed Susan arrive with an auror escort. This didn't surprise Harry or anyone else really since during that summer, Amelia had been elected as the new Minister for Magic. And since Susan was the niece of the Minister, Amelia had set up aurors to escort her around just in case some shady character got it in their head that they could try and kidnap her in exchange for galleons or to force Amelia to release someone from Azkaban.

"Hey guys," Susan said as she entered the compartment. "Wow… They don't spare any expense for the Head Boy and Girl, do they?… Oooo, butterbeer."

Susan helped herself to a bottle before she sat down.

"Hey Susan, have you seen Hannah?" asked Harry, wondering where his soon to be wife was.

"Sorry, no," said Susan. "I didn't see her on the way in. Then again, I really didn't get much of a chance. I know the aurors are there to protect me and everything, but they can be a serious pain. When auntie and I were shopping for my books for this year, Ernie came over to say hi and they tackled him to the ground and almost broke his arm. I swear, I can't wait till I get to the castle and be able to walk around without being followed by them."

It was now getting close to eleven, and time for the train to leave. Harry was really starting to worry because he knew Hannah was never this late before.

Then, with only two minutes to spare, Hannah and her parents came running through the portal. She hugged and kissed them goodbye before running and getting on to the train just as the whistle blew.

"Sorry I'm late," Hannah said, slightly out of breath as she walked into the compartment and plopped down onto the seat next to Harry, and then gave him a quick kiss hello. "I woke up this morning and discovered that our dog had ripped up my book for Herbology. So, we had to go all the way down to Diagon Alley to get a new one, which took forever. And the line to use the apparation point was longer than I've ever seen it before, so we had to take the Knight Bus."

"I hate the Knight Bus," said Harry, remembering the time he had taken it during the summer between his second and third year when he had run away from the Dursley's after blowing up his aunt Marge.

"I read about the Knight Bus," said Hermione. "It sounds exciting."

"It's not," said Harry. "Imagine a roller coaster without anything to hold you down. Even the seats move and bounce around. Not to mention the sudden stops. I lost count of the times I was thrown face first into a window."

"Come on," said Hermione. "It can't be that bad."

"No, it's pretty much that bad," said Hannah. "Since they don't have to follow the rules of the road, they drive like psychopaths. We almost hit a group of kids on the way here."

"That's horrible," said Hermione. "But we'll have to talk about this later. We have our meeting now."

Harry, Hannah, Hermione, and Neville all stood up and told Susan that they would see her soon since she was staying behind because she was the only one in their group that wasn't a Prefect or Head Boy or Girl.

The meeting when as well as expected. Hermione had the new fifth year Prefects introduce themselves to everyone else, followed by her telling them where the Head Girl and Boy's rooms where, in case they needed them for anything. She then handed out slips of parchment with the password for their houses that year, and then assigned them times to patrol the train.

Harry just sat back and let Hermione run the show, knowing she was in her element and loving every minute of it. And when he looked over at Hannah, the smile she gave him told him she was thinking the same thing.

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Amelia Bones arrived at the Burrow and saw the aurors processing the scene. It made her proud to see that they were still working just as hard as when she had been in charge of them before she became Minister. However, it saddened her when she saw the remains of what was left of the Burrow.

Looking around, she found the person she was looking for.

"Tonks," Amelia said as she approached the slightly pregnant metamorphmagus, who she had selected as her replacement to run the DLME.

"Minister," Tonks said.

"Do we know what happened?" asked Amelia.

"Fiendfyre," said Tonks. "And expertly cast as well. It was pretty much contained to the house. Thankfully, no one was inside when it happened."

"So no one was hurt?" asked Amelia.

"Nope," said Tonks. "Arthur had taken Ginny to King's Cross and Molly was out picking apples."

"Is it possible they made any enemies recently?" asked Amelia. "I know some of Arthur's new laws that he has petitioned for protecting muggles isn't liked by everyone."

"I thought of that," said Tonks. "But based on something I saw, I doubt it."

"What do you mean?" asked Amelia.

"Here," said Tonks, as she picked up two brooms and handed one to the Minister. "You get see it better from above."

The two of them mounted their brooms and flew up, circling the area a few times before hovering in place.

"That's what I'm talking about," said Tonks, pointing at the ground below.

Amelia couldn't help but gasp when she saw the scorched ground. There, as clear as day, was the dark mark.

"He's back," Amelia breathed.

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A/N: I hope you all didn't think that the bad guys were gone for good.

Some people have been asking about what Dumbledore is up to. You'll find out in the next chapter.