Terms used: Aniragia, a wizarding area such as Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 21:

January, and Snape's eyebrows rose at the full page paid advertisement in the Daily Prophet. The League of Mothers, which he'd never heard of. There was a brief explanation, that the 'mothers' were from many countries in Europe. They said that they had no intention of directly entering politics, but had influence. And there was the statement, In some respects, wizards are barbaric. Muggles, in comparison, are civilised. It is time that we had a hard look at ourselves, and change those things that need to be changed.

It started with the demand that Azkaban be closed, the Dementors dismissed, and that a humane prison be prepared for those few who deserved incarceration. There was a complaint that the outcomes of trials were too often predetermined. And then there was the part that made the men and boys look apprehensive - where it said plainly that Muggle-born children didn't just happen, but were the result of a wizard having sex with a Muggle woman, usually rape rather than seduction, and followed by the Obliviatus Charm.

Snape shook his head, and said to Tomas, who sat beside him, "They don't seem to realise that we only keep Dementors under control because they're allowed to feed from the criminals."

Tomas said, "The Muggle-born students are going to be horrified. I doubt if many of them realise."

At another breakfast table, Hermione compressed her lips and said nothing. It was a conclusion she'd come to long ago. A second-year, on the other hand, looked at it without comprehension for a bit, and then ran out of the room, sobbing. Hermione said quietly, "It's Cecily Spencer, Muggle-born. No reason she would ever have realised." She nodded in approval as a girlfriend hurried after the girl. There were more distressed students as realization dawned.

Harry asked, "These people, Hermione, this League of Mothers - did they do the wrong thing bringing it into the open?"

"No, they did the right thing. No problem is ever solved by sweeping it under the carpet."

Justine breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been very doubtful about bringing that into the open.

Harry said musingly, "You know how Dumbledore used to say that he felt like a grandfather to me. I hear that he was a prime culprit when he was younger. It's quite possible that he was my grandfather."

Hermione turned on him in shock, "That's a horrible thing to say!"

Harry regarded her, a crooked smile on his face, "Didn't I tell you he gained his reputation for wisdom and benevolence only because he used to use Mind-Magic? There is no need to revere his memory, Hermione."

"He cared about you!"

"He was going to use me as his weapon, and if I became too big for my boots afterwards, he planned to take steps to limit my power, maybe by something like Binding Bracelets, maybe by having me accused of a crime. I could have wound up in Azkaban myself if I'd crossed him too directly. It's a very good thing for me that he died."

Ron laughed, "No wonder you put on that humble act with him, mate."

Hermione said decisively, "You told me your mother was a redhead. It doesn't sound like Dumbledore."

Harry shrugged, "I've only known him with white hair. He could have been." Hermione narrowed her eyes speculatively, and Harry grinned. By the end of the day, she'd probably be able to tell him.

Hermione shrugged and looked back at her paper. "They say that prisons such as Azkaban are more criminal than the ones they house."

"Many prisoners die within months. Remember second year? They put Hagrid in there as a precaution! And Dumbledore allowed it!"

Hermione said quietly, "I guess I tried not to judge. Everything was so different in this world, and I tried not to judge."

"The ones of us who know both worlds - maybe we're the best ones to judge."

Justine asked, "Hermione, if one set out to destroy this prison, this Azkaban, how would you suggest we treat the inmates?"

Hermione looked at her very thoughtfully, and then at Harry, and said, "I might give that some thought. May I come to your apartment after dinner?"

Ron, Neville and Hermione were together when they visited the small sitting room. Justine presented them with coffee and three varieties of biscuits. One of the subjects she'd elected was Household Management.

Harry and Justine were forbidden to disclose the identity of the League of Mothers, but nevertheless, the others apparently suspected. They refrained from asking questions, and Neville said, "You know - the prisoners. I don't think you could just free them. They'll be starved, they'll feel the cold, and some might not be rational. Many would need hospitalisation probably, even aside from the fact that some might be dangerous."

Justine said, "I wonder how many prisoners there actually are in Britain. And why are there no minimum security prisons?"

Ron said, "Father happened to mention that there are only a score or so prisoners left now, and the Dementors are getting restless. He says they can become aggressive if there are too few prisoners."

Hermione was shocked, "So they're like sacrifices, put there to keep the Dementors from becoming restless."

Ron said reasonably, "No-one can kill the Dementors. This solution is better than having them making random attacks."

Harry asked, "Is that the only reason for the inhumanity?"

Ron shrugged, "I guess. Father didn't tell me until recently, and then Mother said he was to remember I was just a child, and should not be told such horrible things." Ron was the tallest boy of the seventh years, closely followed by Neville.

Harry said affectionately, "Molly has to be the best mum in the world."

"Yeah, I guess. But I wish Bill and Charlie would hurry and have some children, and then she might realise the rest of us are grown up."

The talk switched back to the problem of abruptly freed prisoners, unable to look after themselves. Neville had an intuitive understanding of trauma. He was going to be an excellent Healer one day. Hermione was good at the practicalities, while Ron wanted to talk about destroying Dementors, Deruchnia as Justine called them. Deruchnia was the Aniragi word for the creatures.

Justine yawned, and Harry asked, "Do you want to see the latest photographs of our godson?"

Hermione said dryly, "Albus Trevor Harry Lyons. You've shown us several times."

Harry grinned, and Hermione glanced at Justine, and said, "It's late. We'd best go."

Two days later, there was a lengthy article about the League of Mothers' advertisement. It stated that there had been similar articles in several other countries' newspapers the same day. There was no information about who the League of Mothers were, and there was a statement from the Ministry justifying their procedures, and with the bald statement that there was an underlying strain of magic that ran in the veins of Muggles as well as wizards. That it sometimes surfaced. That the Muggle-born were not a result of rape. The Big Lie, it was called, the brazen falsehood in spite of evidence to the contrary. It often worked, but not always. In the Hufflepuff boys' dormitory, a fourth year boy asked, "What do you think, Tony?"

Tony was the son of Vance McKenzie, Chief Auror, the grandson of the notorious Calvin McKenzie. Tony hesitated, looking at his best friend. But what the article had pointed out was true. There were far too many, and the chances of brother marrying sister were too high. He started fussing over the folding of some clothes in his cupboard, but he answered, "Father said it was common, and very hard for them to do anything about. If the woman is obliviated, she may not even know that anything has happened, you see."

Another boy said carelessly, "As long as one does the anti-conception spell, there's no harm done. Doesn't hurt the woman, and it's a lot easier than to persuade one of our own girls." A prefect had to be called to try and reverse the painful Hex put on him by the Winden boy, who was a talented wizard, Muggle-born or not.

There were other fights and a lot of distress. Boys quickly learned to be very careful indeed about what they said to girls, who'd been utterly appalled by the allegations, and were looking at the wizards, young and old, with different eyes. By the end of the week, three quarters of the girls had learned the Impotence Curse, though only one used it. Her boyfriend unwisely told her that the practice was beneficial because it introduced new blood to the gene-pool. He hadn't gone so far as to admit that he'd left a few cuckoos himself, but the girl hexed him anyway. It was easy to lift, luckily for the ex-boyfriend who would think twice the next time he fancied a Muggle girl.

It was a month before there was further word from the League of Mothers. Another paid advertisement, with a bold announcement at the top that it was in no way endorsed by the Daily Prophet or any of its staff. This one implied that there would be repercussions if immediate steps were not taken to make the prison system more humane. It also suggested that an appropriate punishment for rape was castration. No more rape, no more children. There were loud objections to that suggestion, confirming for those still sceptical that rape of Muggle women was indeed common and condoned as normal.

Gerhard Dahl was in his fifties, much older than his Hecatema, Berthe, implying that he may have been Second Order Chosen when he'd won. Harry had a very great respect for Gerhard, who was a formidable man, courageous and clever. He'd resigned as Germany's Chief Auror only five years before after he'd been hurt in a battle. Not that he was afraid of hurt, but Berthe had also been in pain, because he was. Gerhard was head of the Action Committee.

He handed out the plan of action, and said, "Fiona and Justine, you're with Group B, looking after prisoners, but stay in the background and don't speak. Only take action if the men find themselves in trouble. If there are any human staff there, that's the responsibility of Group B as well, but that's unlikely, as no wizard stays a moment longer than required, usually gone by four, straight after the afternoon meal. An hour's time difference, we arrive at six, and straight into action."

They'd already gone over the plan of action several times, and there was no-one in doubt about their role. The only ones not going to the German prison were the two oldest pairs, and they'd be at the reception centre.

Fiona asked, "What if Aurors arrive with an unexpected prisoner?"

"Group C will look after it. They don't get involved in killing Dementors. They stay on guard, and prevent any interference." He raised his voice again, "No-one must be hurt. Only destroy Dementors. No human must see our faces. We are to remain anonymous, and we want witnesses to assume we're all men. So women keep voices down, and conceal your shape. If you need to say anything in front of witnesses, tell your Bond-mate, who will talk for you. And remember, if anyone asks, we deny all involvement."

He glanced at Harry, "No lessons are to be missed, and those with jobs are not to miss a day, and give no indication they've done anything unusual over the weekend." There was a murmur of agreement. Many of the Bond-mates looked eager, though the Hecatemae didn't. They'd accepted the need for action as a regretful necessity, but they didn't have to like it.

Friday evening, Ron remarked, "Harry and Justine must have decided to dine alone tonight."

Hermione laughed, "Or become caught up in lovemaking again. She's a good match for him."

"Hecatema, of course."

"Neville suggested that probably any close Bond where one can feel the other, might make for explosive sex. He says he's going to try for the Vere Ultima when he marries."

"You might be right."

"Yourself?"

"I don't know if I'll marry. How do I know I'm not marrying a brother?" Wizards had no objective way of determining blood relationships, and there had been a new law just proclaimed, that it was illegal to go to a Muggle doctor for a DNA test. The DNA of wizards was different to that of Muggle.

Ron asked, "You don't want me any more, do you?"

"We both know that we're not really suited. It's been dying a long time."

Ron kissed her, "It was good while it lasted though."

Hermione said sadly, "It was good." She didn't know if anyone would want her now. There was good reason for not wanting a Muggle-born.

Harry remarked to Berthe, "It went very well." They were in Group A, the group that destroyed Dementors. There had been no wizard staff at the bleak, German prison, and the pitiful inmates were all now at the Reception Centre, where they were being assessed by three senior Hecatemae. The 'League of Mothers,' men and women, all wore featureless white masks, and were all in full-length, plain white robes. No-one wanted to be mistaken for Dementors.

Several of the Hecatemae swung to the South, almost in unison, and called, "More Dementors!" Three score, approximately, but they were no match for the Hecatemae. Gerhard told them 'Well done,' and said that Trieneke had given the opinion that it was because Dementors had a group intelligence, and that possibly more would come.

Harry said, "There are estimated to be about seven thousand. What if we could render the vermin extinct?" Gerhard looked at him thoughtfully, until there was another warning sounded. More were coming.

After the third wave of attacks by Dementors from afar, Gerhard sent Harry to join Group C. He may have been able to destroy the foul things, the only wizard who could, but he was becoming increasingly tired. He didn't have the power of a Hecatema.

All the long night, the attacks came, mindlessly. Thousands of Dementors fell to the ground in boneless black heaps. After a few hours and a foul smell, they melted into the air, clothing and all, and vanished.

Toward dawn, after two hours without an attack, six of the Elders linked hands and concentrated. The powers of Hecatemae were awesome. When they stated that there didn't appear to be any more Dementors, anywhere, the Bond-mates turned their attention to reducing the tower of stone to dust. Whatever crimes they had committed, humans should be treated with decency.

Monday morning, Harry and Justine were at breakfast at Hogwarts as if nothing had happened. They were thought to have spent the weekend at their home, as they often did. The senior students had far more freedom under Professor McGonnagal. Mail arrived, including the newspapers, and there were loud exclamations from around the room. Justine asked, "What is it?"

Hermione opened her paper, and read, "Prison guards abandon their duty. On Saturday morning, staff arrived at Azkaban to discover the Dementors had abandoned their posts, and left prisoners unguarded. No escapes are reported."

Lavender asked, "Do you think the 'League of Mothers' could have had something to do with it?"

Her current boyfriend, Justin, said scathingly, "They're just a bunch of crackpots. The Minister said."

Hermione said seriously, "I suggest you never tell your parents that your mother may have been molested."

Justin thumped his plate angrily back on the table, and said, "I'm not stupid!"

Lavender said quietly, "I wrote privately to my father. He swears he never sired children on any Muggle, and neither did his brother or his father, or their brothers. He says I can marry whom I please without worrying about a possible relationship."

Justin asked, "He didn't say it didn't happen, then?"

"He didn't say it happened and he didn't say it didn't. Only that I have no relatives I don't know about."

Justine turned the subject, "Harry, has Professor Sprout said anything about how we're to be assessed for gardening?"

"As a group, I believe. In practise, I expect we all get automatic NEWTs."

Justine smiled, "I can't wait for Spring."

Ron asked, "Why don't you make things grow quicker? Mum always does."

"The Professor says we'll do things the natural way to begin with, and work on that in the last few months."

Tomas was sitting next to Severus Snape, and murmured, "Justine's beginning to show."

"So's Camille. She was moaning that she was feeling awkward, but it was only an excuse to be told how beautiful she is."

"She was devastated when her first husband died. It's good to see her happy again."

Snape asked casually, "Did you and Madeline have a good weekend?"

"Helping Justine with her garden. She's very keen."

Snape glanced over at Harry again. He looked so full of vigour. Good to see him like that, and yet he'd lost some of that ethereal beauty he'd had when he was dying. Or was that only in his own perception? It was hard to imagine now, that he'd ever looked at him like that. Was he the reason that the Hecatema Association had suddenly become active? Or maybe Linley Carlyle. He knew the Carlyles well. One had been a Death Eater when he was young. His desertion had never been punished, probably because it was shortly before that failed Death Curse sixteen years ago.

It was better not to say anything of his suspicions. Better that wizards continued to think of Hecatemae only as desirable creatures whose purpose in life was to make the Soul Mate incredibly happy in bed.

It was another two days before the paper had the news that the German wizard prison had been demolished, with stories of mysterious men in white. No-one had witnessed the killing of Dementors, and the prisoners had been abandoned in a sheltered place, well stocked with food and warm clothing, before their Head Auror had been notified that there were ex-prisoners who required looking after. Two had been labelled as innocent, and there was a suggestion that most of them had suffered enough under the Dementors, that consideration should be given to granting them early release.

Graf asked, "What do you think, Dachier? Could the Bijn Yusdu have had anything to do with it?"

"I've heard nothing, Albrecht, and I don't know if the Yusdu are capable of killing Dementors."

"I did threaten that if any more girls were taken below the age of sixteen, a prison term would be considered."

"That won't happen again. Just that Gunther was besotted with the English boy, and it was thought better to have him safely Bonded."

"Whoever it was, they've done us a favour. Presumably allied with the so-called 'League of Mothers' whose recommendations might be best to accept in the main, with two exceptions - MacNair and Colleridge, whose crimes are beyond the pale."

The Dachier nodded, and then chuckled, "That everyone else lost their prison guards…. I suspect that wasn't planned."

"I do hope the Dementors are gone for good. They seem to be gone."

"We counted over three hundred bodies, but they were vanishing as we counted. Who knows how many there were?"

"Parasites. If we're truly rid of them, I'm very grateful to the Mothers and their sons or whoever they were!"

There was a similar discussion in London. Nineteen prisoners, still in the bare cold cells of Azkaban, but now guarded by wizards.

McKenzie concluded, "If the Dementors are truly gone, I would happily recommend that eleven of the prisoners be released, eight direct to their families, three for hospital treatment. A further seven require a secure ward for the insane, though a few might recover. There is left just one, whose name we've never known."

Fudge asked, "The one known as Red?"

"That's him. He's about sixty-five. He seems sane enough, surprisingly, but still never speaks."

"His crimes were proven, weren't they?"

"Circumstantial, but imperatives are changed. I could ask Vivienne Craig to look at him."

"Do that. As for the Dementors, I've been in touch with Ministers of Magic all over Europe, and they all say the prisons were abandoned, and Germany holds that there were definitely dead Dementors and their prison no longer exists. So what we'll do is have the Disciplinary Committee release the ones you recommend, but only on Probation, and with a Tracer Charm on them."

McKenzie smiled, "Very good. After all, with such a small population, there shouldn't be a great deal of need to imprison many. Quite a small, secure prison on the new Aniragia should be perfectly satisfactory."

The new Aniragia had been Voldemort's hideout, a property in Northumberland, not far from Harry's. Its powerful Muggle-repelling magic made it ideal for a wizard area.

***chapter end***