July 7th 1994

1:45pm

Dear Merlin, Marina was tired.

She'd been out of it for two weeks now, Bellatrix' curse having affected her more than she'd expected. Everybody was fussing and hovering – it totally freaked her out.

Apparently, the House Cup had been awarded at breakfast this time, while she'd been knocked out in the Hospital Wing – Gryffindor had won, of course.

And as one might have expected, owls had started arriving from enraged parents, demanding that Remus be sacked. He'd made it easy on Dumbledore and resigned instead.

The ride home had been a welcome relief since Angelina, Alicia and Katie had barely mentioned the fact that she'd looked like hell. Neither had Carmen, Patricia and Samantha – the second Ravenclaw Beater.

Harry and his friends had, not very subtly, taken the compartment right next to them and checked in on her every once in a while.

Back home at Liberty House, as it had been christened for a floo adress, Remus and her father had continued the fussing and she hadn't been allowed to so much as make her bed with magic, let alone practice for next year's Duelling League Cup qualifying – she'd ascended to the adult league.

And everybody knew now that she still needed pactice. Her cheeks burned in shame, everytime she remembered that curse hitting her, all because she'd let herself be relieved that her Dad had woken up.

That was the reason why Teresa had stopped by four times in two weeks. But talking about it only served as a reminder just how close that bloody dementor had been to Kissing her father.

Of course, those talks ultimately came around to Harry and his Patronus. He'd singlehandedly gotten rid of a hundred dementors at once. Therefore, it was the consensus that Harry would get extra tutoring from Remus – and maybe Mad-Eye if he agreed.

Ron, to everyone's surprise, had talked to his parents who had then proceeded to owl McGonagall: the young Weasley had decided to ditch Divination – big surprise – and take up Muggle Studies instead. Since just about everyone in his family had at least received an O.W.L. in the subject, the tutoring to catch up an entire year wouldn't be too hard.

And after lying in bed practically all the bloody time, it had been Marina's birthday yesterday.

In the morning, they'd had a huge breakfast (lots of bacon), then they'd taken her shopping – Marina noted the sacrifice from three males. At noon, her Dad had taken her to the Duelling Finals and she'd even gotten a chance to talk to the winner, Ian Beckett, afterwards.

For dinner her Dad had gone all out and invited everyone: the Tonks, the Weasley twins, the Gryffindor Chasers, the Notts (all of them), Elias, Kingsley and Mad-Eye – the latter had of course declined; he just didn't do parties. Marina herself had gone and invited Hestia after Remus had mentioned her Dad hadn't thought it appropriate – it had been her brithday after all.

They'd had a huge party in the backyard, and since she'd insisted that no one buy her any presents because they always spent so much on Christmas, it had been perfect.

After everyone had gone home, Marina had gone up to her room – and found a present on her bedside table.

She would have known who it was from even without the card. David had been very nervous all evening – and Marina just couldn't figure out why.

She'd felt inexplicably giddy when she'd opened the small package. When a jewellery box had fallen out, it hadn't helped matters.

David had gotten her a beautiful necklace with a pendant that looked uncannily like her lynx form. It was all white-gold.

Marina had spent at least an hour staring at it, an ache in her chest. Carmen had been right: she was so doomed on that front.

2:00pm

Either way, she'd promised Hermione that they'd start animagus lessons today, so that's where she was headed.

At breakfast, some Ministry wizard had shown and collected some of her blood and hair. She'd been utterly confused but her Dad had explained that it was for the Maturity Exception so she'd obliged. Apparently, she'd have to drink the potion at midnight to make it work: it would quite literally 'age' her magic so it would register as adult. The Trace would dissipate immediately.

Marina couldn't apparate yet and there had been no way she'd take a broomstick halfway across the country, so the Ministry had agreed to connect the Grangers to the Floo Network on the days of the lessons.

The others had been right: there wasn't anything, it seemed, the Ministry wouldn't grant her father.

She stumbled out in the Grangers' living room, coughing up soot. There just was no winning with floo powder.

2:15pm

"So am I understanding this right?" Katherine asked, stirring her tea. "Hermione will become a cat and you'll teach her how?"

"Well, I'll teach her how to be a cat," Marina corrected calmly. "She already knows how to turn into one."

"I explained, Mum," the girl in question chimed in. "Before you and Dad signed the permission."

"Yes, honey," Richard agreed. "But I think your mother and I didn't quite understand..."

"That your daughter would actually become an animal?" Marina finished.

"It just sounds so... fictional," Katherine said, obviously not knowing how else to put it.

"You have met my family, right?" she countered dryly. "But I know what you mean. My father turns into a big dog on a regular basis – it took some getting used to."

"I played with a black dog," Richard said, startled. "At New Year's."

"That would have been Dad," Marina replied evenly, trying hard not to roll her eyes. It was typical for her father. "As you know, he's been falsely imprisoned for over a decade – he turns when it all gets too much."

Though he was barely doing it anymore, at least not out of pressure or stress.

"Look-," Marina said gently, "-not to be rude or anything but... second thoughts are kind of mute by now. Hermione has already finished the process. Now she just needs to learn how to control it, so she doesn't accidentally turn in the middle of class. Or worse – in front of other muggles."

Parents of muggle-borns were let in on the big secret, obviously, but the Statute remained otherwise.

"Are you tutoring the other kids as well?" Katherine questioned, ignoring her daughters huff at the term kids.

"No. They have tutors that are better suited for their animals."

"Hermione mentioned you wouldn't tell us what they are," Richard commented drolly.

"I'm sorry about that," Marina apologised. "But the animagus form makes an exellent ace up the kids' sleeves – but for that it needs to stay a secret. And please don't take it personally, but you're muggles so you don't have our mental defences. Many of us don't either."

Not that Marina expected that Death Eaters would actually try and come after the Grangers, but better safe than sorry. That's why their house was heavily warded.

"Does Hermione?"

Marina raised her eyebrows at that question – Hermione would be taking occlumency lessons every Friday this summer, together with Harry, Ron and Susan. Amelia Bones had insisted on it after the attack on the castle. She'd assumed she'd told her parents what she would be doing.

Hermione blushed bright red when she looked at her and looked at her parents nervously.

"That's what the extra lessons at Harry's house are for," she explained in such a rush Marina had trouble understanding her.

Richard and Katherine didn't.

Familiar parental outrage filled them both, and Marina cut in before it could turn into an argument.

"It's just a precaution," Marina assured them. "No one at Hogwarts actually presents any danger."

Except maybe for Snape. She hadn't forgotten that he had happily tried to feed her father to a dementor – or at least left him to them.

"Alright then," Richard conceded and put an arm around his wife. "Then you'd best get to it."

11:57pm

"She's good at it, actually," Marina told the men that night. Harry had insisted on staying awake for the big aging up. "Just very... impatient." The girl would be very sore in the morning because she'd overdone it.

"Sounds like Hermione," Harry nodded with a yawn. Marina snorted.

"Look who's talking. Carmen said you flew too much today – you'll feel that in the morning, trust me."

A rebellious look crossed his face that had Remus and her father chuckling. They'd had that argument before after all.

"So they're on board with the occlumency?" her Dad asked then, sipping his hot chocolate.

"Yes. They're just not too happy with Hermione lying about it."

The Ministry wizard cleared his throat in the corner and Marina looked at the clock. Seven seconds.

She picked up the potion the Ministry had brewed, under Elias' watchful eye she'd been told, and figured she'd best hold her breath if it tasted as awful as it looked.

Then she chucked it down in one go, dimly hearing the wizard speak the incantation needed.

A wave of her magic burst out of her, rattling the windows and appliances, and then nothing.

"Welcome to adulthood," the wizard intoned, like he'd said it one time too often before, and waved his wand to sign the Exception. One copy went to the Ministry, the other into her Gringotts vault and the last to Hogwarts.

"That's it?" Harry asked, clearly underwhelmed.

"Told you," she replied, yawning herself now. "It's no big deal, other than the Ministry staying off my back now."

July 14th 1994

1:45pm

"Only you, sis," Carmen shook her head while hurrying about the room. "Only you could get away with sprining an impromptu wedding on Mum and Dad."

Marina thought it was ingenious. Laura was a lot like Molly Weasley when it came to fussing about her children.

Bianca had never been much for fuss, and while she did want her wedding day, she hadn't wanted Laura driving everyone crazy for months on end. So Talib and she had sent out invitations at the end of the school year and made everyone promise to keep it from her family.

Last night then she'd presented Jupiter and Laura with a fully planned wedding, complete with a seating chart and menu, and told them all they had to do was show up.

For a moment Marina had been worried Laura would faint – she'd opted for berating Bianca instead. But she'd caught Jupiter congratulating his eldest for outsmarting them later on.

So now here they were, gathered at the Nott's house, and getting ready for a wedding half the guests hadn't known about until yesterday.

"I let the auror office know in advance, so you could have your dream escort," Bianca replied slyly.

Carmen almost dropped her indigo dress and glared at her sister. It was a bit of a running joke by now, since even blind people would have noticed Elias and her feelings for each other.

Subtle, they were not. Still single – that they were.

Marina closed her eyes, knowing what would come next.

"Same goes for you, by the way," Bianca told her with a grin.

It had been like waking up in Twilight Zone after the ride home. Everybody suddenly seemed to know that she had feelings for David – even though she'd only recently accepted it – and was acting weird about it. Matchmaking was not their strong suit.

Didn't mean Marina was immune to it, though. She couldn't remember a single time she'd been so nervous about how she looked. She'd actually floo-called Dromeda for help this morning.

She was turning into one of those women, and not quite sure how she felt about that.

Not about to make every female freak out on her wedding, Bianca – more like Talib – had hired Madame Malkins to tailor the dresses the night before and this morning (it must have cost a fortune, what with the house calls).

So now Marina was wearing an absolutely gorgeous, emerald gown, complete with silver embroidery matching her necklace – yes, the lynx necklace. Not even her father was protesting the Slytherin-y colours, so she couldn't look all that bad.

Carmen was wearing indigo blue with golden embroidery – to match the golden kite necklace Elias had given her for her birthday.

The girls supposed the two aurors had come up with the idea together and, knowing there was just about nothing Carmen and she didn't share, had gone for it.

Bianca though was the biggest surprise. Her wedding gown was a mix of lavender – her favourite colour – and dark yellow – Talib's African robes were the same shade. It looked remarkably beautiful, despite the odd mix. Or maybe because of it.

After the ceremony, which had been shortened, the reception was one big party.

Between the African and Irish folk music, it was a miracle anyone understood what anyone was saying at all.

The kids had long retreated into a corner and fled the adults.

Marina had never danced so much in her life. Apparently, as one of the bridesmaids she couldn't exactly turn anyone down.

Though she did owe Bianca for inviting Hestia. If her father actually still believed he was over the witch... well, he'd catch on sometime. Marina, anyway, had talked him out of any guilt should he ever be interested in anyone. He shouldn't stay alone just because he'd never loved her mother.

"May I cut in?" David asked behind her as she was dancing with one of Talib's groomsmen.

"Of course," he replied and stepped back with a half-bow to her.

"You looked like you needed a break," David mused as he took her hand – and pulled her out of the tent and behind the house. She sighed in relief.

"Duelling isn't as exhausting as dancing with thirty wizards in a row," she agreed. "All the while trying not to get high on the overall happiness."

"High?" he asked, amused.

"There is about seventy people in there, all very happy for your sister right now. Never mind her and Talib. I felt like I was floating the whole time. So yes, high."

They sat down next to each other on the backdoor stairs and Marina leaned her head on his shoulder. The silence was a welcome break.

David slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You look stunning, by the way," he told her quietly, sounding oddly... nervous.

"Thank you," she replied, well aware that Bianca had set it up. David's tie was the same colour as her gown.

Marina had given up by now. Avoiding situations like these was all but impossible, especially when she didn't really want to.

The only time she felt as safe, and at peace, as she did with her Dad and Remus, was when she was with David. There was no point in deluding herself.

"So are you going to put Elias out of his misery and tell him that you're okay with him and Carmen anytime soon?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Who says I am?" he countered grumpily – but she could feel his lips twitch against her hair.

"Well, you haven't jinxed or hexed him yet," she drawled. "And they have kind of given up on being subtle."

"He ask her yet?"

"As if he would without talking to you first," she snorted. David sighed rather dramatically.

"What makes him think he needs my permission?" he wondered, probably to himself.

"You're his best friend and she's your little sister," she answered anyway. "You tell me."

"You don't think he's too old for her?" David questioned – but something was off. He was not even half as noncholant about it as he pretended to be. He really should know better.

"Yes, because six years is an eternity," she said sarcastically. "Besides, who cares? She l... likes him, so it doesn't matter." Marina would so not announce her friend's feelings before Carmen did herself.

"And since she conveniently got the Exception, it's not even against the law," she added, wondering for a moment if that was why Carmen had asked to get it. She hadn't been as concerned about the Trace as Marina.

"She's still in school, people will talk," David mumbled – again with that off tone that she couldn't explain.

"Well, that clearly wouldn't bother them, so why should it bother you?"

"If you were her, would it bother you?" he countered – his pulse jumping for a second. He was getting very good at controlling his emotions. She couldn't get a clear read.

But it was David, so she answered honestly.

"Yes, but only because it would be nobody's business. I'd probably blow the caskett about people sticking their noses where it doesn't belong.

And gossip is a small price to pay for the things you want."

There hadn't been a day that went by at Hogwarts when she hadn't heard rumours about her Dad and Remus living under the same roof. Two grown men just didn't do that.

People were prats.

David felt a whole lot happier all of a sudden and Marina was about to ask when Laura called them back to the celebration. Apparently the bride wanted a dance with her brother.

It was only much later that night, when Marina was lying in bed, that she started to think that David hadn't been talking about Carmen and Elias at all.

August 1st1994

10:25am

"Harry still sleeping?" Remus asked, joining them for breakfast and looking better for the first time in over a week. The last moon had been the worst Marina had seen so far.

"Well, yes," she deadpanned. "The four of them stayed up all night."

Harry's fourteenth birthday had been a feat. Ron, Hermione and Susan – who, at this point, had been all but adopted into the inner circle – had come over for breakfast already. They'd spent the morning in Harry's room, gossiping about their animagus lessons.

After lunch, the rest of the Weasleys had come over and the boys had immediately had a Quidditch match in the forest. The girls had gone along to cheer.

Shockingly, the four had then spent almost an hour animatedly chatting about Runes (Harry and Hermione) and Muggle Studies (Ron and Susan) before Remus and her father had taken the lot of them to the Irish Beast Reservoir – basically the wizarding equivalent of a zoo, only much more attuned to the creatures' needs.

Then, while Remus and Marina had cooked dinner, the kids had played chase with a very happy Padfoot. Sometimes she thought that James had been right and her Dad should just stay a dog.

After dinner, Harry had gotten his presents:

Hermione had given him Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland, apparently aware that he still hadn't chosen one to support.

Ron and Susan had gotten him a years' supply in candy – lots of it chocolate, which told Marina that the dementors had freaked them out more than they were willing to admit.

The twins had handed him some of their self-made products, careful to hide that from Molly.

He'd refused to let any of them buy him something, and Remus, Dad and she had agreed under the condition that they would get to give him Christmas presents. So that was that.

And after another hour of celebrating, Molly had mentioned that it was time to go home.

To which the kids had replied with puppy-dog eyes, begging to be allowed to stay the night.

Hermione had cleared it with her parents beforehand and Susan had floo-called her aunt sometime before the Reservoir, presenting the adults with the accomplishment after the fact. So, of course, Molly had given in and only dragged the twins home.

Her father had transfigured Harry's bed into bunkbeds and left the kids to their own devices.

"It was his first birthday with us," her Dad said almost defensively. Marina smiled sadly.

"It was his first birthday party, period," she corrected quietly.

"So you'll be talking to him today, Padfoot?" Remus asked and she couldn't help the broad grin. The two of them had fallen back into the habit of mostly using their Marauder names.

"Moony..." Her father sounded almost warningly.

"Relax, Dad. He'll say Yes," she told him confidently and swallowed another bite.

"You know?" he asked her, shocked.

"Oh please. If you don't want people overhearing you, don't talk about stuff with your office door open. Seriously."

Her father had petitioned to legally adopt Harry. Marina didn't think her brother realised that the Ministry witch hadn't just checked on him because of occurances at Hogwarts – though that had been the cover story – but to see if Dad was taking good care of him.

Since Harry's face lit up whenever he mentioned his godfather, she'd say it was a safe bet.

12:15pm

Finally, the kids had dragged themselves out of bed and downstairs. And because the adults in the house couldn't help but spoil them, Remus had promptly conjured them a late brunch.

Marina had just shook her head on her way out to practice with her Dad. He'd promised to teach her some tricks.

No one had so much as mentioned Bellatrix and Crouch all summer, and she had no problem with that. The lunatic would make herself known again soon enough.

August 15th 1994

9:55am

Nobody had really moved all that much since the school owl had dropped off her package into the pancakes. Half of it were just Harry and her book lists.

But the other half was Marina's O.W.L. results. For some very weird reason, she was suddenly very nervous.

Harry was the one who finally grabbed the parchments and tore it open, silently mouthing the introduction to her results.

"... Marina Callisto Black has achieved...," he trailed off, his eyes widening comically.

Then her little brother (soon to be for real since he'd hugged the daylights out of her father about the adoption) looked up at her, mocking disgust all over his face.

"Why in Merlin's name were you worried anyway?" he asked and tossed her the results.

She looked:

Astronomy: → (E)

Care of Magical Creatures: → (O)

Charms: → (E)

Defence Against the Dark Arts: → (O)

Divination: → (E)

Herbology: → (E)

History of Magic: → (A)

Muggle Studies: → (O)

Potions: → (O)

Study of Ancient Runes: → (O)

Transfiguration: → (O)

Marina heard Remus and her Dad asking but was too stunned. She'd actually done it and gotten an Outstanding in Potions. Not even Snape could stop her from becoming an auror now (unless she failed miserably at her N.E.W.T.s)... he'd be even more insufferable.

Her father impatiently snatched the results out of her hand, holding them for him and Remus to read.

"I'll floo Dromeda," Remus announced with the broadest grin she'd ever seen him wear.

"I'll take the Notts," her Dad agreed, bursting with pride.

They both came around the table to hug the breath out of her.

Harry just grinned at her helpless expression.

What the bloody hell just happened?

Okay, so I needed to give them all a break.

For all those interested, the next 'chapter' will be a list of OWLs they all got (even the older ones)... I won't list them all during the story. Those not interested, just ignore it.

Thx