Disclaimer, If I was J.K. Rowling then I would have Dropped Ron from the story, in the real world jealous, angry, greedy, people like Ron don't do well finding and becoming friends of people like Harry and Hermione.

---

Marriage Contract.

---

Part 11

.

As the volunteers began arriving Harry was taking a slow walk around the garden. Occasionally he pointed his finger at the ground and absentmindedly sent small lightening bolts into the grass. He was joined by Hermione's dad as he walked past the back door. Their greeting was casual as they fell in side by side, walking in a comfortable silence. Their relationship had moved from father in law and son in law to what was more like a father son relationship. As Harry let loose another tiny bolt of lightening at the grass dad's eyes lit up.

"Harry, you know how you started using that spell to save lives thanks to some muggle technology?" he asked as they continued the walk.

"Mmmmm, came in really useful. I don't think I ever saw Neville so happy in all the time I've known him," Harry replied wondering where the conversation was leading them.

"Yes well, how far do you think a spell cast at force can travel before it either fades or just goes off target?" Richard wanted to know.

"I'm not sure dad, maybe twenty or twenty five metre's why?" Harry replied getting interested in where Richard was leading with this line of questioning.

"You suppose you could find out. Get an average, I don't mean you or Hermione, maybe not even Remy or Tonks, all too powerful, but if we were to get one or two of the slightly above average and one or two below average wizards or witches from the volunteers to find out. See how their accuracy is over a distance. See if the power drops, that sort of thing." Richard said still being a tiny bit vague about what he had in mind.

"Dad come on out with it, what are you plotting, what's going on in that amazing brain of yours," Harry said with a slight chuckle.

"Well I want to get in on this fight properly, me and Helen both. It really gets to me you know when my daughter and son go off to fight the bad guys, and Helen and me have to sit praying for you all to return, or stand back and keep out of trouble while you protect us. I thought if maybe I took the muggle borns that arrive and teach them how to use a rifle of some sort. Well we might be effective in stopping more of the bad guys getting to their targets in the first place. We know that muggle electrical stuff won't work where there is magic, but rifles are just mechanical, there's no reason they should not work. We know for a fact that none of the magical shields could stop a bullet. Come to think of it I don't think any of those ward things could either. You know the Prime minister; have a word with him Harry. See if he can supply us with some guns and ammo, then I can take the muggle borns and we could form some sort of squad or something." Dad said watching for Harry's reaction rather closely.

Harry and Hermione with help from Tonks and Remus and the others had spent a month teaching the fifteen mainly sixth and seventh year students out of the twenty five who had turned up at the castle. They placed a lot of emphasis on getting physically fit whilst teaching them all up to roughly just above NEWT level standards. As the month ended and the fifteen students all returned home, a few of them to spend a little time with their families before the new term at Hogwarts started, others went back to job hunting. While with Harry's suggestion in their minds just a handful started up establishments like the muggles had for teaching martial arts, only they taught DADA.

Harry, Hermione and the Grangers wished the departing students all good luck as they flooed from the castle. Some went to Diagon Alley others flooed directly to their homes, Seamus Finnegan and Susan Bones were the last to leave and promised Harry that they would teach what they had learned to anyone at Hogwarts who wanted to help protect the school if the death eaters ever attacked. With a final hug to their new friends the family were once again left in peace.

Ten volunteers remained. Dad named them the Grangers rangers, much to the laughter of the magical people in the tower. Richard and Helen had trained the ten people and them selves with the aid of a government issue hand book how to use a rifle and care for it correctly. There were five muggle borns including Mandy Brocklehurst and Colin Creevey, and five purebloods and half bloods. Neville Longbottom, Alicia Spinet, Katie Bell, and Luna Lovegood were among the ten volunteers. All ten of them had chosen to remain at the towers and to fight with the Potters if they went into battle.

That evening as the two Potters sat alone in the library Hermione sat on Harry's lap and after settling her self nice and comfortable, she pulled his head to hers and kissed him rather passionately for quite a while before she spoke "I have a little bit of news for daddy Potter," she whispered in his ear as she snuggled even closer to him than she already was.

It took Harry several seconds to work out just who daddy Potter was, and what Hermione had just said, he then leapt up nearly tipping Hermione from his lap and onto the floor, he managed to catch her before she actually fell, and then having steadied her on her feet, he promptly fainted landing ungracefully on his back.

Helen Granger walked into the library and looked on in horror as she found Hermione knelt on the floor holding the unconscious Harry's head in her lap. Rushing forward and kneeling next to her daughter she asked "What happened, was it a curse, a spell what?"

"No mum. This, is the reaction of my wonderful, brave, death defying husband to being told he's going to be a dad," Hermione said chuckling as she looked down on Harry's sleep like state, "mind you perhaps I should not have just snuck it up on him like that."

Before Hermione knew what was happening Helen had dragged her into a tight hug and was congratulating her. It was the quiet thud of Harry's head hitting the floor again as his head slipped from her lap that made both women turn to look at him. He was once more lying flat out on the floor, his head having hit hard when it dropped from Hermione's lap as Helen hugged her. Both women suddenly began to laugh and seemed unable to stop. The laughter brought more people into the library. They in turn joined in the laughter when told why Harry was lying on the floor completely out to the world.

Harry came too to find himself lying on the library floor, he wondered for several seconds how he had got there and then he remembered. He was going to be a dad. Listening at the laughter surrounding him he wondered if he would ever get to live this humiliation down. Taking a breath he started to sit up to find his grinning wife and the rest of the assorted guests looking down at him.

"So daddy Potter are you fit to face the world again?" she asked with a loud chuckle.

"Aw, c'mon Hermione you shocked me, whispering it in my ear like that without warning," he was saying as he got up. Then a look of realisation seemed to come into his eyes "We're having a baby?" he asked seemingly amazed.

"Yes Harry love, that's what usually makes a mummy and daddy," Hermione said still chuckling at Harry's look of sheer amazement as though this were the first ever baby in the history of the world.

The spontaneous party that developed that evening brightened everyone's day making even the ten volunteers feel like a part of the family of Potter. The party stretched on until eleven thirty when Hermione decided it was time to retire for the night and she was taking her husband with her, "I need to remind him how mummy's and daddy's are made," she chuckled as they left the rest to continue with out them.

At around eleven the following morning Hermione and Tonks finally Traced Voldemort's hiding place. It seemed he was holed up on a disused army training camp. A rather small one according to the map. Their biggest problem with planning an attack on the location was the fact that the camp was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees on all sides, there was just one road that led in and out of the west side.

From among the volunteers to check the site out, and to work out a battle plan Remus and Dobby were chosen. Remus because of his retained abilities from his werewolf time and Dobby as a means of instant extraction should it be needed.

The two days Remus and Dobby were gone seemed to be like several life times for Tonks who had wanted to go with her man. Harry and Hermione were not faring much better and nor were the two Grangers. The relief that flooded through the castle living quarters with the safe return of the two well liked and respected fighters could almost be tasted it was so strong. No one had any doubts about their skills but they were paying a visit to what could well be one of the most well protected death eaters places in Britain.

With their information passed on all they needed to do now was prepare and wait for the right time. A time when they knew for sure Riddle would be at the camp.