Chapter 14 – Reliving the Pain

By Friday afternoon the entire castle was abuzz with the news about Harry and Ginny's engagement. They accepted the congratulations of everyone gracefully, asking them to please not write news of it outside the castle until after the Hogsmeade visit on Saturday so Ginny's parents could celebrate with them without press hounds everywhere. As the couple were well-liked, everyone agreed to their request.

On Friday night, Mary arranged for a private celebration in their quarters with their little family, this time including Ginny and Draco as well. The seven of them toasted Harry and Ginny's long life and happiness and started to tentatively discuss some of the details. Like Harry, Ginny did not want to get married until she had finished school. She had hopes of playing Quidditch professionally after she graduated and was happy that Harry also wanted to wait to have a family.

Saturday morning brought the first twinges of nervousness to Ginny's demeanour. Despite Hermione and Luna's best attempts at breakfast, by the time they were ready to walk down to Hogsmeade, Ginny had worked herself into quite a state, worrying about the reactions of her parents to the news of her wanting to marry so young.

"Wasn't Mrs Weasley very young too when she married Mr Weasley?" whispered Luna.

"That's what I was led to believe," replied Hermione, matching Luna's conspiratorial tone. Harry managed to succeed a bit where the girls failed, Ginny at last calming down slightly.

Mary and Severus were walking behind the large group of students. Minerva had asked Mary to chaperone the Hogsmeade visit for March, so Severus had volunteered to 'walk her through' the visit today so she would know what to expect. He also remembered his promise to Harry, one that Harry had been at pains to remind him of the night before, that he would have Harry's back with the Weasleys in case anything went wrong. He had no intention of failing the young man in the first overt display of safeguarding his charge that he was involved in.

While Professor Flitwick discharged the students along with their instructions, Severus instructed Mary in his usual habits for chaperoning a Hogsmeade visit. He would always patrol the square, occasionally walking into the various shops to keep the students on their toes, paying particular attention to Honeydukes, Zonko's and The Three Broomsticks. Mary nodded as they traversed the path to The Three Broomsticks behind several groups of students. The couple noticed Harry and Ginny stopped outside the establishment, peering through one of the windows.

As they approached, Mary was able to hear her son as he spoke. "But it's not just your parents. It's Bill, Percy, George and Fleur as well. I'm lucky Charlie isn't there, too," he said frantically. He knew Ron would have no business being there, and even if the Weasleys were angry beyond belief, they would not go against Ginny's wishes to have nothing to do with him.

Ginny was now looking in the window at the stern countenances of her family. 'Oh no, they are pissed that they weren't consulted,' she thought. She had thought they would be a bit upset maybe, her parents were fairly old-fashioned sometimes, but she never thought they would be angry. The expressions on their faces told otherwise.

With a stoicness that belied her earlier nervous ravings, she resolutely took Harry's hand and led him into the pub. Severus and Mary followed closely behind. They took a table near the Weasleys that was close enough to show their support and jump in if necessary but far enough away to respect the privacy of this discussion.

Harry approached the table, mentally preparing himself to battle to the end if necessary to prove to the Weasley family that he loved their daughter and sister and wanted to marry her more than anything. He hoped they would not be too hard on him. Harry advanced directly toward Arthur, his hand outstretched in greeting. Arthur simply looked down his nose at this young man who wished to take his daughter away without asking permission first. Her brothers all had the same expression on their faces. Harry dropped his hand to his side and took refuge next to his fiancée.

Severus watched perplexed. Arthur Weasley was one of the most polite, friendly, easy-going men he had ever met. What on earth would possess him to act in this manner towards Harry now? A young man who had been welcomed into their home with open arms at the age of twelve. A young man who had in fact directly saved the man's life, and that of his daughter's, and his youngest son's. Severus made ready to step in earlier than expected.

Ginny meanwhile was looking around at her entire family, getting angrier by the second. Harry's reasoning for proposing to her without seeking permission was sound, and she was not going to let hurt pride get in the way of what should be the happiest time of her life. She was gearing up for an epic shouting rant when her father quietly asked "So, Mr Potter, you believe you can propose to my daughter without asking first if you may have her?" Harry visibly gulped, his eyes glued to Mr Weasley as Ginny stared at her father in disbelief. She turned slightly as she noticed her eldest brother move his head. When she focused on him, he gave her a small wink. 'They're having him on,' she thought in relief. 'Ok, this is more like it. Just settle back and watch the show.'

Severus had been about to intervene when he also noticed Bill's wink. He returned to his seat and silently reassured Mary that all was well. He too decided to just sit back and watch the sure-to-be-entertaining display.

Harry was in a vulnerable position. He was standing with his back to the door behind the only two vacant chairs at the table which had obviously been left for Ginny and him. Facing him from left to right were Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley, Percy, George, Fleur and Bill on the other end. He looked into their faces one by one and for the first time since meeting them, did not encounter one friendly countenance.

"I, umm, I apologise, sir, but I thought it was something Ginny and I should decide together. I didn't realise it would mean so much to you to be asked beforehand," Harry gave his explanation bravely.

"What about your future, Harry? Have you given any thought to how the two of you will support yourselves? You are both still students at school. A wife at least requires you to have a job," stated Mrs Weasley.

"Oh, that's okay. I have money from my parents and Sirius. I am well set up to take care of Ginny financially."

"Yes, Harry, but that is money that was left to you. To support a wife properly you should work for your money, and prove that you can keep our sister in a manner fitting to her station in life. What about your living situation? Are you going to board in the dormitory together?" asked Percy snidely.

'When did he revert to being "Percy the Prat"?' thought Harry. Out loud he said, "I have Grimmauld Place for us to live in. We wouldn't be getting married until next year anyway, after Ginny graduates." What had happened to the Weasley Family he knew? And when was Severus going to step in? Harry was too afraid to turn around and expose his back, especially to George, to check on the location of the man who had promised—promised—to have his back.

"Again though, that is a house that was left to you. We want to be assured that the man who wants to marry our sister is a man of such calibre that he would build a house with his own two hands for our Princess to dwell in," stated Bill. Ginny raised an eyebrow at this.

"And what have you done to prove yourself worthy of such a treasure as this, Young Potter?" asked George. "To what length would you go to prove your love? History shows us many deeds performed in the name of love. There was Hendell the Harried who slew a dragon to prove his love. There was Parkdell the Pious who drove the last giant from Prussia to prove his. I think you need to at least match these feats of daring. I know! You could throw yourself from the White Cliffs of Dover. If you survive, we will admit you may be worthy to enter the House of Weasley, and claim its only daughter," George finished dramatically.

Arthur could help himself no longer. He immediately cracked up laughing at George's words. One by one the other Weasley's joined in, Ginny included. Harry could even hear Mary and Severus expressing their mirth behind him. He blinked as he realised they set him up. Arthur stood from his chair, arms outstretched. "Harry Potter, welcome to the family." Cheers erupted as Arthur embraced Harry and the others all jumped from their chairs to congratulate the happy couple.

As the excitement died down, Harry pulled Ginny's chair out for her before seating himself next to Mary who, along with Severus, had been prevailed upon to join them amongst the hubbub of good wishes, hugs and back slaps. "Just for that, none of you are invited to the wedding," he quipped. His heart was still beating a little fast from the worry he was about to have to apparate out of there in a hurry.

"Oh, Harry, what would you do without us there to provide the love and support we are so famous for?" questioned George jovially.

"I will buy Ginny a new family, one that appreciates me," he deadpanned, but with a twinkle in his eye. Laughter met his words and soon everyone was embroiled in discussion about the proposal and how long Harry had been planning to pop the question. The seating at the table was rearranged a bit as the women gravitated to each other, gushing about the beauty of the ring and swooning at the romanticism Harry had displayed with the setting and the proposal. Harry found himself next to Mr Weasley after swapping his seat.

Mr Weasley leaned into Harry conspiratorially. "In all seriousness, Harry, I could not be happier about this. I am truly honoured to have you as a member of our family."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley," Harry was interrupted with an instruction to 'call me Arthur'. "Thank you, Arthur. I am honoured you would have me, and I am truly honoured and humbled that Ginny accepted me as well. I love her very much and I want to make her as happy as she makes me," Harry said feelingly.

Arthur beamed at him. What more could any father ask for in the man who wished to marry his daughter? "I do want to make sure though, that you are ready for life after the wedding. I saw Grimmauld Place at Christmas so I know you have the house side of things well in hand." Harry nodded his agreement. "What about the finances though, do you know what you want to do for a job when you finish school?"

"Yes, Arthur, the Auror Corps is already actively recruiting me. Barely a week goes by without an owl from either the Head of the DMLE, the Head Auror or even Kingsley asking me to seriously consider their training programme. Plus it was true what I said before; I have a lot of money that was left to me by my parents and Sirius. Ginny and our children, if we are lucky enough to have them, will never want for anything," Harry assured Arthur.

Arthur nodded, relieved. He thought that was the case, but the father in him wanted to be sure. It was none of his business what Harry had, just as long as his baby girl was taken care of. The group settled in for lunch. There was a brief moment of awkwardness when Mary and Severus's close relationship was revealed, but a curt admonishment from Ginny that it was no one's business but their own moved them past the discomfort.

Once the bill was settled, most of the Weasleys and Mary and Severus departed. Molly asked them to make sure they informed Charlie of the good news as well. She stopped herself just in time before she added the 'and Ron' to her instruction momentarily forgetting the circumstances. It was a difficult pill for her to swallow that two of her children were so estranged. She hoped that one day, the situation would be resolved, but she knew the stubborn natures of her children. In the meantime, she would just have to respect her daughter's position on the matter.

Harry and Ginny assured her they would contact Charlie that very day. George decided to stay and spend some time with the couple. He was at the bar getting Butterbeers, when a cavalcade of sixth and seventh years arrived. Seeing Ginny and Harry seated at the large table alone, the group made a beeline toward them, gathering unused chairs from other tables and seating themselves comfortably. Laps were being used liberally in place of chairs as well. Counting the people at the table George goggled for a few seconds before shrugging resignedly and requesting of the barman, "Twenty Butterbeers, please."

He passed the drinks around once he returned, waving off the offers of payment. He figured it was a fair way of repaying Harry for scaring him earlier. George chuckled again as he thought of the joke they played on him and was prevailed upon by Hermione, seated next to him on Draco's lap, to recount the prank. The entire group enjoyed a laugh at Harry's expense but he took it in the spirit intended.

The students were soon talking together in small groups, about five different conversations being carried on around the table. George looked to his left and introduced himself to the young lady seated there. She returned his introduction with a blinding smile "Daphne Greengrass," she replied offering her hand. George shook it and Daphne in turn introduced him to Pansy Parkinson and Gregory Goyle who were seated on her other side. The four struck up a conversation, George flummoxed every once in a while as he realised he was conversing politely—and enjoyably—with a group of Slytherins. War really had changed them all.

Hermione was embroiled in a conversation with Blaise Zabini who was seated on the other side of her and Draco. He had started out by asking her seriously if everything was going alright for her given all the changes in her life since the end of October. She assured him everything was fine and thanked him for his concern. Their chat soon turned light hearted. "There is no one aside from his mother that knows more embarrassing stories about Draco than me," Blaise stated categorically.

"Oh really? Tell me one!" Hermione demanded an excited gleam entering her emerald green eyes. Blaise allowed himself a moment of admiration.

"No, don't tell her one," argued Draco. He gave Hermione's waist a slight squeeze. "There are no embarrassing stories about me, he's lying."

Blaise gave him an evil smirk. "No? What about the tattoo?"

Draco paled. "She doesn't need to know about the tattoo!" he hissed.

"Oh, yes, she does," argued Hermione referring to herself in the third person. "She really, really needs to know about the tattoo. What about it?"

Blaise took a swig of his butterbeer. "Well, it was over the summer holiday, about two weeks before we came back to school. Draco and I had been in our cups all afternoon and we were pleasantly sloshed by about six o'clock. So Draco decides he should get a tattoo. And because now we should be embracing all things Muggle, it would be a good show if we went into Muggle London and got one in a Muggle tattoo parlour.

"So, we floo to The Leaky Cauldron and wander out into London. We have absolutely no idea where we are, we're just ambling around and finally Draco sees a flashing sign down an alley advertising a place. We go in there and it's a hole! The guy is tattooed all over and has piercings in every available place. I'm all for getting out of there in a hurry but this one," he gestured with his bottle to Draco who was currently a pale shade of red and burying his face in Hermione's hair, "insists that we were there now, he was going through with it.

"Now, Hermione, I must ask you. Do you know the process for getting a Muggle tattoo?"

"Yes, we were on holiday in Bali and I went with my Papa when he got one. He had 'M' and 'H' tattooed on his shoulder blade."

"Do you know the process for a magical tattoo?"

"No, I never had the need to know that."

"Let's just say it's different. So Draco spends about an hour trying to decide what he wants inked onto his skin. He finally decides on the Elder Futhark runes that would represent 'Dragon', which we had to sketch for the guy. Now by this stage he's thinking we're pretty weird because we had to whisper a lot – can't talk about runes and such in front of a Muggle you know." Hermione nodded, intrigued by what Blaise was saying. By now several people around the table were listening in.

"So Draco's on the table ready to go when the guy fires up his little machine and it starts emitting this high-pitched noise. It's like nothing we've ever heard! So both of us start getting a bit nervous, then I see the needle, and before I can even warn Draco the guy starts the tattoo. Well this one jumps about a mile in the air, his accidental magic kicks in for the first time since he was about nine, and the next thing you know the guy has antlers poking out of his head and is going crazy." The people listening broke out into laughter at this, getting the attention of the entire table.

Blaise was in his element as he continued. "The ministry shows up at this point because it was magic performed in the vicinity of a Muggle, Draco had just enough time to make himself decent before they burst through the door. And of course because he's an adult, it's not the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad—it's the Aurors. I'm thinking, holy shit we're dead—they're going to think we were Muggle baiting or something," he took a sip of his butterbeer before continuing, everyone at the table had riveted their attention on him.

"For the rest of my life, I will be grateful that it was the night that one of the Aurors was getting married and so Kingsley Shacklebolt was in the team that came. He was on duty that night so more Aurors could have the night off to go to the wedding, yeah? He was pretty pissed off when he came in, but at least he listened to us, especially when we were both screaming at him to question us under veritaserum to prove it was just a misunderstanding. Of course, protocol has to be observed and there are rules that have to be followed which included interring us in the Ministry Holding Cells until such time as they can question us and determine that everything's above board.

"So, we were sent off with a couple of the Aurors, by the time Shacklebolt got back there after cleaning up at the tattoo place, he had gotten the general idea of what happened from the guy before they modified his memory. Basically that he touched Draco with the needle and Draco went a bit nuts. We corroborated that under veritaserum, which we insisted on in case anything was brought up later, and Shacklebolt puts us back in the holding cells while he 'processes the paperwork'.

"So we're sitting in there for about two hours when who shows up in all his rich, superior, pure-blood glory? Lucius. Little do we know he and Shacklebolt have been out the front for about an hour trying to calm down from the laughter. So he bails us out and we're thinking any second now we're going to get hexed or something, we go back out the front and post bail. Then Shacklebolt tells us he's off for the night and the two of them take us down Knockturn and make Draco get the tattoo he was going to get but magically."

Hermione was laughing so hard she had tears rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't the only one. Even Draco was seeing the funny side of this. Blaise was a born story teller it seemed. Draco insisted that Blaise had to get the next round in return for embarrassing him. Neville and Dean accompanied him to the bar. The rest of the group settled back into their smaller conversations.

Hermione rubbed her nose against Draco's. "So, you really are a bad boy having a tattoo," Draco involuntarily stiffened as Hermione realised how insensitive her question was. She stroked the side of Draco's face as she apologised.

"It's alright, my Love. Life is hard enough without trying to censor everything that comes out of our mouths. Getting the Dark Mark is nothing like getting a tattoo because of the dark magic involved. They are two totally different things," he reassured her. "I thought getting a 'normal' tattoo would be alright because it is just the ink, not the mark with an inbuilt calling card.

"Now, here is something I can teach you," he smiled as he playfully touched the end of Hermione's nose. "A magical tattoo is done by drawing the design on the skin with a specially charmed quill and a special permanent ink then a charm performed to preserve it on the skin. There are no needles involved and I have since found out it would have take at least a couple of hours doing it the Muggle way."

"Oh, Papa would have wished I knew that! So, can I see it?" Hermione asked with a grin.

Draco reached up to whisper in her ear. "When you are ready for us to be intimate, you will see it. It's right here," he pressed his thumb into Hermione's hip and began to rub in small circles. He kissed her earlobe as he withdrew.

The three young men returned to the table and started to disburse the drinks. As George grabbed his, he focused on Harry. "Hey, there's a way for you to prove your love Harry. Get a Muggle tattoo of Ginny's choosing," he dared with a cheeky grin.

Harry chuckled as he brought his drink to his mouth, shaking his head. Ginny, from her perch atop his lap, regarded him thoughtfully. "Actually that would be a good test. I think a tattoo would be a wonderful gesture on your part."

Harry paled slightly, but the sorting hat put him in Gryffindor all those years ago for a reason. He gulped as he acquiesced to Ginny's request. The rest of the table cheered and toasted his decision.

"I know a great place," Draco quipped with a wink.

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"And so by dicing the rat spleen, more of the bile is extracted which you can bottle and use for another potion," Severus explained to Emily as she took notes. She was seated in their quarters on the floor in front of the fire using the coffee table as an impromptu desk. Mary smiled as she watched the two of them discussing different potions ingredients and the best ways to prepare them.

Mary had been very busy in her new job the last several weeks. The weekend following the Hogsmeade visit saw the opening of the common rooms that she and Professor Sprout had been working so hard on. There were twenty in all. Four were exact replicas of the house common rooms so students could feel like they were entertaining their friends from other houses in familiar surroundings. One was an outpost of the library. It was the largest of all the new rooms and designed for independent group studies that required discussion. While respect of other groups was encouraged, there was not the total silence which was required in the library, so a free exchange of ideas could be had.

The rest of the rooms were nondescript comfortable areas. Each evening two subjects were offered in study groups. The professors from those two subjects were on duty those nights in the area so they were available for consultation and to ensure order was kept in all the rooms. Rooms were used for gobstones tournaments, wizard's chess matches and even Muggle board games. The common rooms concept had been embraced by the whole student population and almost the entire school could be found on the fourth floor of an evening or weekend partaking in the activities available.

Mary was ecstatic that her first project had been such a success. In addition to the common rooms venture she had also started to undertake her other duties. She had met with all the Muggleborn students from years one through seven and was now making her way through meeting with the other students who had been brought up in the wizarding world. She was slowly making contact with the Muggle parents as well. Winky had proved invaluable in getting her around the country, being able to turn invisible at will was a great bonus so Mary was able to travel from town to town easily via side-along apparition and through the floo with her little elf.

One of the things that came up most often in her discussions with the first-year students and the parents she had met with so far was the suffering the long separation from each other was causing. Mary could certainly sympathise. When Hermione came home for her first Christmas from Hogwarts she had been hard pressed to let her daughter out of her arms for the first few hours, let alone her sight. Her baby seemed to have grown into a teenager in the few short months she had been away. To see the changes wrought each holiday was heartbreaking to her. She had missed so much of Hermione's teenage years.

When she had attended boarding school in the sixties, she went home once a month. Her mother would drive to her school and after classes on a Friday, she would drive home with her mother and spend the weekend with her parents. It was a welcome break from the institutionalised life she led, as well as helping alleviate her homesickness. On occasion her parents would both travel to the school, either through the week or on a weekend, and take her to dinner or on an outing. She had naturally thought Hogwarts was unable to do this with their family due to her and Michael being Muggles. To learn it was not an option for any of the students had been surprising, especially when magical travel was factored in.

Mary met with Minerva and Severus to address this issue. The other heads of house quickly became involved as well and once the common rooms project had been completed, Mary devoted her efforts towards 'home weekends', the first of which was being trialled this weekend in early March. The first years had all been sent home for the weekend, where able. There were only two technical exceptions to this where one student had gone to his grandparents as his parents were out of the country and Emily, whose guardian lived in the castle. Emily was brought to Mary and Severus's quarters for the time instead of being made to stay on her own in the dormitory, though.

It brought an interesting point up in Mary and Severus's relationship as well. In the few weeks since they had consummated their relationship, Mary had not slept in her room once. Even during her cycle, she had slept in Severus's bed as he rubbed soothing circles across her back and did not once act like a typical man in the beginning stages of a relationship when confronted with the realities of being involved with a woman.

Severus proposed that Mary should move her things into his bedroom which would now become theirs, and set up the guest room as a permanent room for Emily. It would help with her feeling accepted as part of the family as well. Down the corridor from Severus's rooms were technically rooms for any apprentices he might have. In recent years, due to budget constraints, Dumbledore's policies and, oh yes, moonlighting as a Death Eater, he had not had any apprentices. These rooms were joined to his quarters by a door for emergencies but Severus thought Minerva might be amenable to him adapting one of these small suites into two bedrooms for Hermione and Harry.

Mary readily agreed, as did Minerva, so all three of their children (yes, Severus had finally acknowledged all of them in his head as 'theirs'), spent one Saturday decorating their new bedrooms and moving some of their personal belongings in. Hermione had been a little upset as she no longer had many of her personal items, they had burned in the fire, but a quick trip to Hogsmeade to choose some picture frames, paintings, trinkets and other personal items helped to alleviate some of her sorrow.

In the week following Michael's death and the fire, several of their friends and colleagues had turned up to Mary's friend Diane's house where they were staying, bearing photographs and other mementos they had commemorating the Granger's family life. Photos of Hermione as a baby that had been sent to old university friends, photos from Mary and Michael's wedding, the bonbonnieres from the same event, even the ribbons from her bouquet held for all those years by one of her bridesmaids who had caught it.

There were photos and souvenirs from holidays they had sent or given to various friends and Hermione's old primary school went through their archives and produced some of the work Hermione had done that they had held onto as part of their history. They also graciously presented Hermione with copies of her class photos for each year she had attended. They had been overwhelmed with the generosity shown at the time and Mary dug a few of these out now to put up around their quarters and in Hermione's new bedroom to make it feel more like home. Severus insisted that a picture of Mary and Michael's wedding be placed discreetly in their sitting room, as did Mary a picture of Severus and Lily that had resided for the last twenty years on his bedside table.

Emily had been allowed to gather a few of her family's things from storage as well. Her entire bedroom suite was retrieved along with her mother's jewellery box, several photographs and Great Aunt Elki's best linens. The portrait of Joyce Baxter was also retrieved and hung in the small hallway that led to the bedrooms of what was fast becoming their home.

Joyce Baxter had been the third daughter of Sarah and Thomas McDruble. She had attended Hogwarts where she met William Baxter, later marrying him and bearing him a son, William Jr. She had died young while giving birth to her second child (who was Emily's maternal Grandmother – a squib) and was preserved in her portrait where she had hung in the main reception room of her son and his wife's Cambridge home. Until his death, she had conveyed stories of the wizarding world and young Billy's life to his lovely wife, Billy's magic keeping her portrait alive. She had frozen once he died but had enjoyed a brief resurgence when her young great-granddaughter had come to live in the house.

She had not quite reached the stage of full animation when her portrait had been removed from the wall and placed in storage. She woke with a gasp as soon as she was hung on the wall in the Snape-Granger-Potter-Warren household. The amount of magic that coursed through the painting in one hit could be likened to a hallucinogenic drug! To then find out she was hung on the walls of Hogwarts! Well, the smile could not be wiped from the face of this portrait for weeks due to the honour she felt.

Mrs Baxter enjoyed traversing about the castle visiting the other portraits and was fiercely protective of her own realm. Her great-granddaughter had explained the Potions Master's reticence to portraits within his quarters and she would not make the master of her new domain uncomfortable for anything.

Hermione found a painting close by of a pretty sitting room with a tea table all set which was where Joyce entertained her new portrait friends. She was especially enjoying a spirited battle with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore who kept trying to access her portrait frame. She remembered him from her school days as a brash Gryffindor that even then had trouble keeping his nose out of other people's business.

Mary's thoughts were drawn away from these recent events and her attention focused back on her partner and her youngest daughter as Emily whined slightly when informed it was time to stop studying and to get ready for bed. "We cannot have you turning out like your sister, now can we, Button?" asked Severus as he raised an eyebrow.

The week before, Hermione had worked herself into such a state over the upcoming NEWT exams, that Harry had actually stunned her before calling on Professor Miller to take Hermione to the hospital wing. She had been heading for a full blown panic attack and was having great difficulty breathing which had scared the first years present in the Gryffindor common room, especially Emily. Hermione had been ordered to bed rest and no studying for a full weekend by Madam Pomfrey and had been sequestered in her parents' quarters for the duration.

Severus placed wards around his books and the only ones Hermione could access where the trashy romance novels her mother usually hid around the place. They knew she would require something to read to help her relax, at least these books did not require the reader to think too hard. Hermione also tried not to think too hard that her mother enjoyed reading these books. They were really quite risqué.

She had promised everyone she would not descend to that level of stress again based on the comments and arguments presented to her by the ones she loved most. "I just got you, I can't lose you too," was the tearful begging from Emily.

"Your papa wants you here on earth passing your exams, not sitting up there next to him watching the others take them," from her mother.

"You are not the first and you will not be the last student to panic over these examinations. You are however one of the most intelligent students ever to take these tests, and panicking like this is beneath you. You could have taken them and passed two years ago," was accompanied by a tight hug from her father underlining his worry even though his words were a bit gruff.

"I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded from the amount of knowledge you have stuffed in there, Granger. Never scare me like that again! You will pass these exams with no problems, I love you so much and I don't want to hear of you worrying," Draco had sat with her the entire time Madam Pomfrey had her in the hospital wing. He only left her side once she was in her parent's quarters to attend meals and when curfew approached.

"I thought we might actually manage to go a whole year without having to visit the hospital wing, my little sister. Way to make it seven for seven," Harry admonished good-naturedly.

Ginny sat down with her and together they worked out a study schedule to follow for the rest of the school year. Ginny also wished to review for her sixth year exams and get ready for her own NEWTS the following year. The schedule they drew up had specific periods for down time and socialising and limited their study to two hours per night not including homework and three hours total on the weekend.

It was tough for her, but Hermione managed to make the new schedule work for the week so far. The experience was still very fresh in Emily's mind and so she immediately acquiesced to Severus about her bedtime. She quickly attended to changing and brushing her teeth. She came back into the sitting room with her hairbrush so Mary could braid her hair. Severus sat back and contemplated the scene. It was a more domesticated picture than he had ever hoped he would be privy to. It was also oddly relaxing to watch. Emily came to him for a kiss goodnight before retreating to her room. He and Mary curled into his chair once she returned from tucking in their daughter and the two rested in front of the fire until their bed called them.

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Easter was fast approaching and along with it a discussion about where they should spend the two-week holiday. Harry once again extended the hospitality of Grimmauld Place, if that was where everyone wished to go, but in a hopeful voice he asked if it was possible for them to stay in their new home in Hogwarts. Hermione and Emily both also wanted to stay in the place their parents lived most of the time. Severus was inclined to agree to their request, he felt more comfortable here than at Grimmauld Place which really was Harry's home. Mary was happy to fall in with the majority so it was decided that they would all stay in their new home.

Once again the entirety of the student population was going home for the holidays. Minerva felt perhaps this was a policy the school should make as a permanent rule. As Mary had pointed out the students spent enough time away from home during the year, they should take the opportunity to spend time with their families when they could. The professors should also get the break the holidays afforded rather than having to stay behind to watch over the students. Exceptions would always arise, however there was always the option of staying with friends or extended family and they could deal with those on a case by case basis.

She did not count Severus's extended family as 'staying' as they would reside in family quarters as was their right year-round. Minerva was happy for her old friend, family and love was something he had lacked almost his entire life. To see these four people devoted to him now was heart warming to her. She had been surprised when she discovered the extent of his relationship to Mary; the woman was so recently widowed. But it appeared she was able to love Severus while still honouring the memory of her late husband and as long as they were happy who was she to deny them that right? Minerva departed the castle for her own holiday on March 26th, the Friday before Easter, leaving Hogwarts in the care of her Deputy Headmaster.

The first morning of the holiday brought an owl inviting the family to stay at Malfoy Manor for the Easter weekend. Amid the exclamations of delight from Mary and Emily, Harry focused his attention on Hermione who had suddenly gone very quiet. She abruptly excused herself, running from the dining nook towards her bedroom. Harry signalled the others to stay. "It's to do with the war," he explained gently. "I was there; I should go and talk to her." Harry quickly made his way to Hermione's bedroom. He knocked lightly at the door and entered when bade to do so.

Hermione was sitting on her bed, her chin resting on a stuffed dragon she was clutching to her chest. She was very pale and shaking slightly. Harry walked to the other side of her bed and climbed on, leaning back against the headrest, his legs stretched out in front of him. They sat in silence for several minutes while Hermione worked through her demons. She finally turned her head, now resting her cheek on top of the dragon as she looked at Harry.

"I think the fact you're taking comfort from holding a toy given to you by one who watched you suffer like that means you're at least halfway to being able to visit that house again."

"It smells like him."

"You know they have completely remodelled that section of the house. Draco told me that walls have been ripped out and windows moved. They even extended one part of it out into the garden. We won't recognise it."

"It's not about recognising it; it's about knowing what happened there."

"You knew this was going to come up sooner or later."

"I know, this is the first time I've been confronted with the reality of it, though."

"Well, this time you're an honoured guest. As am I. Who'd have thunk it, huh?" Harry attempted to lighten the mood, reaching out to rub reassuring circles on his sister's back.

Hermione let a breath of laughter out through her nose. She placed the dragon on the floor. She knew she was overreacting. She had forgiven the entire Malfoy family for what had happened and it certainly was not the fault of the building that she had suffered torture there. Sometimes though, her brain moved into an irrational place and all she could think about was the pain she endured at the hands of that mad-woman. She started to shake again as tears rolled down her face.

Harry once again reached out to comfort her when all of a sudden she started screaming. Terrible, blood curdling screams as she started to thrash about the bed. Severus came bolting through the door, his wand raised. "What happened?" he yelled over the screams ripping from his daughter's mouth. Harry was trying unsuccessfully to stop Hermione's erratic movements. At this point he was just making sure she did not hit her head against anything. "We found it, we found it," chanted Hermione before screaming again.

"I think she's having a flashback," he shouted back. Severus jumped up onto the bed to assist Harry in his endeavour. Both men were whispering comforting words to her, trying to reach the part of her brain she had sequestered herself in. Mary and Emily were both in the doorway, Emily in hysterics at watching her sister suffer like this. Mary was torn, wanting to comfort both her daughters but unable to be in two places at once. The screams issuing from her oldest daughter were too much for her to handle though so she pulled Emily back into the sitting room to await calm and soothe her youngest.

Back in Hermione's bedroom, Severus and Harry were not having much luck. She had calmed slightly on hearing Severus's voice but it was short lived. Harry suddenly had a flash of an idea and threw himself across the other side of the bed, retrieving the stuffed dragon from where Hermione had dropped it and shoving it back into her arms. Her screams finally quieted as Draco's scent broke through her senses. She seemed to come back to herself and finding herself in her father's arms, she remembered what happened. She started sobbing uncontrollably; hugging the dragon tightly and burying herself further into Severus's embrace.

The man had never felt so helpless in his life. He felt like resurrecting Bellatrix Lestrange just so he could have the pleasure of torturing and killing her once again. Harry retrieved Mary from the sitting room and took over comforting Emily. Mary climbed onto the bed with Severus and Hermione, Severus drawing his arm around her as well as their daughter continued to sob. Hermione finally felt safe in the arms of both her parents and her sobs became crying which slowly became quiet tears and hiccups.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Severus and Mary both tightened their embrace around her, kissing the top of her head where they could reach.

"There is no need to feel sorry, Angel. We can decline the invitation if it makes you this uncomfortable. I am sure the Malfoys will understand and give you all the time you need," assured Severus. Mary nodded her agreement as she stroked Hermione's hair. Harry and Emily were watching from inside the door now, Emily still with silent tears rolling down her face.

"No, I don't want to do that. I want to go there and face it. Only from confronting my fear will I get over it," Hermione stated.

"That is true, Darling, but it's not something you need to do immediately. Perhaps during the summer would be a better time, you're only recently over the near-panic attack you had in the common room. I think after you take your exams is a better time for you to visit the manor," Mary suggested.

"But you and Button were so excited to go," Hermione argued.

"I don't want to go there now," Emily said, her voice trembling. Harry bent down and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face into his shoulder. Harry carried her across to the bed and sat down. Mary reached out for her and Emily burrowed her body between Mary and Hermione. Harry lay down behind Mary, his chin resting on her upper arm so he could see everyone.

"We will go there one day as a family," stated Severus. "All of us. It will not be this holiday though. I will send a letter to Lucius explaining and we will invite the Malfoys to come here on Easter Sunday for lunch. They will understand and they will not hold it against any of us. We all know we are welcome there anytime and when you are ready, Angel, that is when we will go."

The five of them untangled themselves and rose from Hermione's bed. She was feeling a little weak still and sat back down. Mary stroked her hair from her standing position. "Harry, will you please make Hermione a cup of strong tea?" she asked. Harry nodded and quickly went to the kitchenette. "You should have something to eat as well, Darling. I think you only had half a piece of toast before the mail came."

Hermione nodded, still shaken up. Tears came and went and she took some deep breaths to try and calm herself. "May I please have some strawberries?" she asked. Mary nodded and Emily quickly scampered off, declaring she would get them. Severus and Mary both sat either side of their daughter, offering their comfort for as long as she needed it.

"It just kept going and going. I thought she was never going to stop. She just kept demanding over and over 'where did you get the sword, where did you get the sword'. I was trying to tell her it was a copy, but she just kept Crucioing me over and over until I thought I would die. I remember screaming; screaming so much I thought my voice would be damaged permanently. And the pain, pain that just kept going and going," Hermione broke down into tears once more. The hysteria had left her; she was only left with the memory of what had happened to her. Her parents drew her into their embrace once again, waiting for her to calm.

"It just got to a point where all I knew was her voice and the unrelenting pain through my whole body. Harry told me later that she started to cut my throat and the chandelier dropped right on top of me, but all I can remember is her voice and that constant, never-ending pain." There was a choked sound from the doorway. Severus looked up to see Draco standing there, Harry beside him with his hand on his shoulder.

"I called him, the dragon he gave her is what finally calmed her down," Harry explained. Mary stood and drew Draco into the room. Part of her was reluctant to let this boy in, this boy in whose house her daughter had suffered so severely. But she knew that even though it was something they all had to live with, Draco was not at fault for what happened. He tentatively sat at Hermione's side, scared she would reject him but she took his hand and held it up against her cheek. She was still leaning against Severus, staring straight in front of her, tears making steady tracks down her face. Draco reached into his pocket and withdrew a handkerchief, gently dabbing at the tears on her cheeks. This small action brought a smile to Hermione's face to the relief of her family.

Winky entered the room then, bearing the tea tray. There was no way she was going to let Mistress Emm-lee carry the hot tea in her state. Emily followed and cuddled into Mary's side again. "I brought you my bunny, Hermione," she said softly, holding it out to her. Hermione's tears started fresh as she took Emily's plushie from her.

"Thank you, Button, I'm sure he will help me like he helps you."

"Come, Darling, have some tea. It will help you feel better and there are some strawberries here like you asked for." At Mary's words, Severus and Draco helped Hermione stand and walk over to the small sofa she had in her bedroom. Draco sat Hermione down before taking the seat next to her. For the first time she noted his attire. She let out a wet chuckle as she took in his blue and white striped flannel sleep pants and white t-shirt under his black silk dressing gown. He was simply wearing white socks on his feet. It appeared Harry had roused him from his bed. His hair was tousled and his eyes showed the haunted emotions all of them were currently feeling as well as a slight puffiness left over from sleep.

"It's good to know you look as bad as the rest of us normal people first thing in the morning," she said, wiping the last of her tears from her face with his handkerchief. Her hands were still shaking slightly as she lifted her tea cup. Draco took it from her gently and lifted it for her to take a sip. Her mother was right; the tea did make her feel better. "I'm keeping this handkerchief too, by the way. I'll add it to my collection."

"There's plenty more where that came from," he said, resting his forehead against hers. They were the exact words he had said to her the morning after her Papa had died. Draco continued to feed Hermione strawberries and helped her drink her tea. Severus and Mary were sitting on Hermione's bed, Emily on Severus's lap as they continued to watch over her, Harry remained leaning in the doorway. After several minutes, Hermione was completely calm and able to move again without shaking or crying. Mary suggested she should lie down for a while to recover more of her strength. Emily volunteered to stay with her. The two sisters curled up on the bed the dragon and the bunny between them. Hermione dropped off to sleep quite easily, her ordeal had sapped her energy.

Severus, Mary, Harry and Draco all returned to the sitting room. Severus offered Draco some tea and toast which he gratefully partook of. "Thank you for calling me," Draco said softly to Harry.

"You're welcome," he replied with a nod.

"I'm sorry; I never would have let my mother send that invitation if I thought this would be how she would react. I should have known it was too soon, I mean it's not even been a year yet. So much has happened though, it seems like it was all so long ago."

"It does," agreed Harry. "And it's easy to forget that this time last year we were all in danger of losing our lives. Hermione has been through so much more though. I had really hoped for a quiet year this year, the first one I have I'm going to commemorate in some way. I haven't had one since I was eleven and Hagrid blew the door in." Harry rubbed his hands over his face briskly. It had not been a good morning. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. If you don't mind I'm going to go over to the Burrow for a few hours and spend some time with Ginny."

Mary agreed this was sensible. Harry left in the direction of his room. Draco finished his tea and stood. "Please accept my apologies again. I'll let Mother and Father know what happened. I'm sure you can expect Mother later with more apologies." He shook Severus's hand and kissed Mary gently on the cheek. Both thanked Draco for his intervention and assured him they would call him again when Hermione awoke. Harry left a few minutes later, only after receiving assurances that Severus would send a Patronus if Hermione relapsed in any way.

Severus and Mary looked in on their daughters, both sleeping peacefully. Severus accio'd several vials to his hand. He went and lined them up on Hermione's bedside table with the labels clearly showing. Mary recognised them from watching Severus brew so often. He left a dreamless sleep potion, a calming draught and a headache reliever. He knew after Hermione had cried for so long she could wake with a severe headache. Mary bent over the two girls, softly kissing their heads before she rose. Severus followed suit.

Mary softly closed the door behind them and they returned to their bedroom. As Mary gathered clothes for the two of them, Severus sat heavily on the bed. He buried his face in his hands as he said "It is my fault, it is my fault she was tortured like that. I knew she had suffered torture but I did not know to what extent and why. I gave them that bloody sword, she never would have been tortur—" Severus choked up as for the first time in a long time, tears threatened. He took several ragged breaths as he attempted to calm himself. Mary dropped the clothes she was holding and rushed to comfort her lover.

He leaned his forehead against her sternum as he tightly held her around her waist. She held him firmly as she bent to place a kiss on top of his head. "Severus, it is not your fault. They would have been captured either way and that sorry excuse for a human being would have tortured our daughter regardless, even just as a way of getting to Harry." Mary continued to hold him until he regained his usual control. She was grateful he could open up to her like this. When she felt his hold on her loosen, she pulled back and bent to kiss him on the lips. He pulled her to lie next to him, gathering her against the side of his body.

"Please, can we just lay here until the girls wake up?" he asked.

"Of course we can."

.