Chapter 53 Aftermath and the Summers End

A/N, ok, so I am soooo sorry it took me so long to write this. Two years. Yeah, I know, i'm really really sorry, but its been a long hard two years. However, I did say that I wont give up on this story, and, unless I die, I won't.

Also, this is unbeta'd cause I figured you guys would want this asap. I had to reread the whole story to get my groove back, and hopefully I really do have it back. I highly recommend rereading it all, if its been two years since you've done so. I can't really do a recap with all the little important things without giving away my plans for this story.

also, I'm having a little trouble with the whole Sirius=father thing, so if June keeps slipping, that's why. We're BOTH getting used to it. . it was a spur of the moment idea, even though I've got a written plan for this book… kinda... ^-^' hard to teach an old dog new tricks, eh?

~*~JP~*~

The first thing June did when she woke on August 1st, was wash her hair. It was stiff, sticky and heavy. Her face felt like lead from having magical make-up on all night, and her feet hurt despite wearing comfort spelled shoes.

Finally feeling clean, June did a few morning stretches on her purple and yellow striped rug, trying to get the stiffness out of her legs and body.

Feeling a hundred times better, June finally gave her attention to the small pile in the corner of her room. Presents.

She was surprised to get so many real presents, it was supposed to be insulting, but apparently a few people knew her better then that.

She picked up the first box, which was a square about the size of her Godfathers- oops, father's fist.

The tag said it was from Millie, and when she opened the silver and purple box, she saw a pristine black crystal swan that looked like it was about to land in a lake. A little note in the bottom informed her that it would float on its own in the light of a full moon. June smiled and set the precious gift on her book shelf next to her still Hungarian Horntail figurine and her charm bracelet, which she'd decided to display in her room instead of wear.

She returned to the stack of gifts, and pulled another off the top. It was a brown box with an orange ribbon keeping it closed, about 6" by 4" and almost flat. Written right on top of the box was "To: June, From: Ron", so she assumed it was from him.

She pulled the ribbon off and lifted the lid. It was a pair of Quiddich gloves. They were green with the Kenmare Kestrels dancing leprechaun on the back, with the yellow double K's below it on the wrist. She loved them. June stood and placed them in her trunk next to her Quiddich robes. Now she really hoped she'd get to use them this year.

June picked up one of the larger gifts, and opened the top. It was a little plant, barely sprouting. She knew who it was from without seeing the card, but she read it anyway, since she knew she'd never guess what kind of plant it was. It was from Neville, as she'd guessed, and it was a charmed fire lily stalk. It would bloom next year if she planted it right away. June set it aside, she was supposed to honor each gift specially, but she wasn't up for a trip outside to play in the dirt right after she was finally clean.

Another small box wrapped in muggle paper with Happy Birthday and multicolored balloons all over it, was chosen from the pile. She'd guessed this gift giver right too. Hermione gave her a diary. It was beautiful, a black leather cover with her name stamped in silver on the spine, and an owl that looked just like Gaia flying across the cover and settling to preen on the front. June placed the gift on her bedside table, promising herself that she would write in it faithfully.

A box covered in a textured paper that seemed to change to every color in the rainbow all at the same time, was chosen next. She had a feeling she knew who gave this as well. Luna had given her a small bag made of gauze that was filled with ingredients that represented her birth sign, Leo. Leo is a masculine sun sign that is grouped with the other fire signs in the heavens. It was an old fashioned good luck charm, she recognized it from a book on the history of wizards she'd read awhile back. June untied the red ribbon holding the gold colored bag shut to take a peek at the ingredients. The gold bag represented that she was a July Leo, as apposed to an August Leo, with a red ribbon symbolizing her birth stone, a ruby. The bottom of the bag was lines with bay leaves, for visions, clairvoyance and wisdom. Cinnamon sticks were broken up and placed on top of the leaves, mixed with dried Juniper berries. The cinnamon was for Spirituality, success, healing, protection, and love. The berries not only represented June personally, they also brought strong protection to the mix. Near the top sat Carnelians, a bright orange stone, which brought protection, courage, focus, motivation and creativity. To top it off, there was a layer of pressed and dried buttercup petals, representing childhood friendship. June placed the little bundle under her pillow. This particular combination was personalized and powerful because it was given during a time when every ingredient was at its most potent, and under a pillow was the recommended location for it to remain.

A tiny little box caught her attention next, it was the size of a ring box. Opening it, there sat a pair of emerald teardrop earrings. Inside the top of the box, said, "To June with all the best wishes, Love George." June smiled and placed them in her ears. She stepped into the bathroom to take a look, and thought they would look very lovely with her emerald necklace that had been passed on to her the night before. June carefully placed them in her jewelry box.

Another large box revealed an incredible supply of chocolate frogs, and when the note said they were from Fred, she decided to have them checked before eating any. She placed the box near her bed.

Colin had given her another book full of photos. She spent a good twenty minutes flipping through it before setting it aside to continue. At this rate, it'd be dinner time before she finished.

Another present turned out to be a book, a really old, worn book from Snape. Advanced Potions graced the front cover, the inside had 'Property of the Half-Blood Prince' and flipping through June noticed that almost every free space inside the book was written in tiny cramped handwriting that looked incredibly familiar.

June, this was my book when I was your age, I hope it comes in handy in the next few years. Do Not try any spells without speaking to me first. S. Snape.

June placed the note back inside the pages of the book, where it had fallen out, and set the book on her bedside table for further perusal. She was insanely curious about that book.

With three boxes left, two that seemed to be competing for the largest box, June picked up a slim box wrapped in silver and black. Only Draco wrapped his presents this way. She was very surprised he'd stepped out of his traditional mind to give her something personal, it meant a lot to her. Lifting the lid revealed a stunning string of almost perfect pearls. The colors and sizes matched as close as could be wished for with real pearls, and June was absolutely speechless. It was a very formal gift, and a bit old fashioned, but for some reason June found them absolutely amazingly beautiful.

June admired them in their box for a while, then around her neck in her bathroom for another few minutes, before placing them back in their box and putting them with her other jewelry.

Picking the second largest box first, wrapped in silver paper with multicolored fireworks exploding all over it, she opened it to find a stuffed black swan and a note from Ginny. The swan had movable wings and feet, and green eyes. June loved it instantly.

June, its not much, but I thought it would look cute on your bed. Hope you like it! Love Ginny.

June smiled and placed it on her bed, it did look good there. She'd have to send Ginny a special thank you. She didn't have many stuffed animals, and she really did like them, even if she was getting a little old for them.

June reached for the last box, this one stood to just above her knee and was bigger then her arms could reach around. It was a bright green box with a huge gold bow, and she'd been driving herself crazy with curiosity since she'd seen it. She pulled off the lid and looked in side.

It was empty… except for an envelope at the bottom. Severely disappointed, June grabbed the envelope off the bottom and opened it. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, and three tickets fell to the floor. She left them where they were, a little mad at the little bits of parchment, and read the letter.

June,

Gotcha! Sorry, couldn't resist. I hope you like them! See you, Sirius and Remus in two weeks!

Love Daphne

Curiosity re-piqued, June picked up the tickets and read them.

They were tickets to a Quiddich game. In the top box. In Moscow. Russia. It was the playoffs before the World Cup that year, one of the teams would be either the Russian team, Ivanovo Indriks or Puddlemere United. The other was going to be decided this coming up weekend, either the Japanese team, Toyohashi Tengu, or the American team Sweetwater All-Stars. The Cup would be held in either Japan or the States this year, so it was the last game she could reasonably go to.

And she had three tickets. One for her, one for her father, and one for Remus. She was going to Russia.

June fainted.

~*~SB~*~

Sirius was downstairs in the library, waving his wand to control the magical quill that wrote in June's handwriting. He had taken up the laborious task of writing the thank you cards for every guest who had shown up and given money. June would be handling the actual gift givers personally. Next he'd be attaching each letter, wax seal stamped with June's new Signet ring, to an owl, and sending them off. He'd rented a large flock of tawny owls from the post office for the day, to get the whole arduous process over and done with.

Remus was next to him, flipping through the pile of envelopes they'd be shipping to Gringotts, making sure they thanked everyone properly.

Just before lunch, June came running down stairs, waving strips of paper at them and talking a mile a minute.

Sirius stood up and placed his hand over her mouth, he couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"take a deep breath, then speak slowly and clearly." Sirius said, smiling at how she shook with pent up excitement.

June took a deep breath and said "I just opened my gifts, Daphne has given us three top box tickets to the playoffs between Puddlemere United and Ivanovo IndriksIvanovo Indriks in Moscow Russia in two weeks." She said it as slow as she could, and she watched as her guardians blinked.

Sirius grinned.

Remus frowned, "wouldn't you rather take a few friends?"

Sirius shot him a glare, "are you trying to talk her out of taking us?"

June laughed, "I want to take you two! Hermione and Millie have no interest in Quiddich, and Daphne and her family will be at the game, so there's not even the slightest bit of confusion or conflict!"

Sirius whooped. He hadn't been to a Quiddich game in forever, Remus never let him go while June was in school or at the Dursleys, and he understood that, and then when she was with them they always had other things to do. And two years ago when June got to go to the World Cup, Sirius had been left behind, sulking. Happy for her, but still bummed. Now, he'd be going with June to Russia! And he didn't even have to feel guilty, because she'd not only have a friend at the game, but she'd spent a week with her other friends so she wasn't even sick of hanging around him yet!

Sirius pulled out a piece of paper and started making a list. He'd need to get out the old tent and fill it up with supplies, find out about transportation out of the country, and take more leave from work.

Ever since they'd retrieved the box, he'd felt no real need to push the Unspeakable program like he had, hell he didn't even see the point of joining. Especially with the new Minister aware that he housed June.

That man was getting annoying.

~*~JP~*~

June sent out her 'thank you's before doing anything else.

She gushed about how pretty and delicate the crystal swan was to Millie, she thanked Ron for giving her an even better edge over Ginny for the upcoming year, and Neville received a very enthusiastic thank you with a desire for instructions on the best possible care for the Fire Lily. Hermione was sent a heartfelt thanks for the beautiful diary, with a note about where she'd found such a elegant book, Luna's thank you note came with a promise to keep it near her always, as good luck wishes that are sincere gifts are much more powerful then the kind you make yourself.

George got a polite and heartfelt thank you for the beautiful earrings, June rewrote it about ten times before she was finally pleased with it. Fred got a thank you and a barely veiled threat about what would befall him if the chocolate was charmed or booby trapped in any way.

Colin's thank you note gushed about as much as Millie's did. June really did appreciate the more thoughtful gifts over the more expensive gifts, even if she really did love all the expensive ones too. Gifts can be thoughtful and expensive…

Snape's thank you note held a promise not to try any spells in the book without his say so and supervision, even though the last wasn't part of his requirements. She felt it was necessary, only a fool would try a hand written spell without someone near by in case something went wrong.

Draco got a very nice note thanking him for the beautiful pearls and admiring how much trouble he must have gone too to find pearls so similar and perfect. Ginny received a gushing note, she wrote it while snuggling with her new stuffed animal. It smelled like the Burrow, and she hoped the smell lasted a little while.

She had an unusually good time stamping each wax seal with her new ring, admiring the imprint left on the letters.

After sending out a few of the owls Sirius had rented for the day, June set to work on a more exciting letter.

June had a blast writing a letter to Daphne, letting her know that she and her guardians would be joining her in Russia, and if she could send any idea on how they would be getting there, so her father didn't find them a flying carpet or some equally ridiculous form of transportation.

Once June sent off her last letter with Sirius' falcon, which he got for long distance or speedy letters, she picked up the plant Neville sent her and headed out back.

~*~JP~*~

June stepped out the back door, the potted plant in one hand, a sandwich in the other. To get out back, you could climb through bushes that lined the walk out front and cut through either the mini forest, or stomp on all the pretty flowers. Or you could go through the kitchen, and one couldn't go through the kitchen without Wendi fetching you something to eat. So, June finished her sandwich as quickly as she could, and walked down the path.

Right outside the back door June could see the half sized Quiddich Pitch, with only one ring on each side and used mostly when June had friends over, marking the right-hand edge of the property. Off to the left she could see the swimming pool area, pool house, 100 foot swimming pool, and hot tub, sparkling in the summer sun at the other edge of the property. Between the pool and the miniature forest that Sirius and Remus spent the full moons in, was a mini farm. There were eight fruit trees at the back, two each of pears, peaches, cherries and one each of red and green apples. In front of the trees was a line of white corn, then rows of various fruits and vegetables that the three residents enjoy. June's section had a few berry bushes and squash vines, Sirius' overflowed with root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, and Remus' area, by far the largest, held things like broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, onions and anything else that caught his fancy. Remus was the gardener in the home, and he took care of the entire farm alone, including spelling the air and soil around the different plants for their optimum growing conditions.

To the right, set just below the Pitch was a stable/owlery. It contained two winged horses, Granians which are known for their speed, that Sirius flew every once in awhile. They weren't mistreated or neglected however, since Sirius never locked their stables, so they came and went as desired. And since they lived so close to low populated areas, as long as they kept up with their disillusionment charms, the horses were practically free. The farm and flowers had charms protecting them from all animals, but especially the horses.

On the other side of the stables was an owlery set up for Gaia, Sirius' falcon, Bianca, and great grey owl, Iago, and Remus' spotted owl, Iris. It could also house several other owls, and wild owls often slept in there, especially since Gaia preferred sticking to June's room, Iago and Iris staying in Sirius' and Remus' room, and Bianca preferred actual trees.

Just past the owlery/stables, was a place that was designed just for June. The floor was covered in wild flowers of all kinds and colors, except a small path made of smooth grey stones that led around, then under, the Weeping Willow and to the pretty white gazebo that had vines of morning glories climbing up the posts. June came out here to read, think or just watch the clouds pass overhead. And in this, her little corner of the world, she decided to plant the Lily that Neville had given her. She dug a deep hole right next to the path at the entrance to the gazebo, and replanted her little gift, sprinkling a little water from a nearby water jug that she had Wendi put out there for her.

The little plant looked happy. June smiled and headed back to the Manor. She had a few things she still needed to do today, and it was rapidly ending.

~*~JP~*~

The next morning, August 2nd.

June wandered downstairs in her PJs. It was 6am, Sirius and Remus wouldn't be up for at least a few hours. June liked this time of day, she liked to stretch and go for a walk, go for an early morning fly around the Quiddich Pitch or the whole property, or even watch one of the aerobics tapes she bought a few years back. Then again, sometimes she just liked eating breakfast and reading the paper in quiet. Like this morning.

June sat Indian style at the table in the kitchen, Wendi bringing her a plate of French toast, with sliced strawberries and bananas and powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. She picked up the Daily Prophet that sat on the table, waiting to be read, and shook it open.

Exclusive look into the Electus' Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party!

By Rita Skeeter

June smiled. She'd been waiting for this. She thought she'd get a letter from Colin first, but apparently Rita had dug her claws into him first. There was a picture of her entering the Party Hall with Dumbledore on the front page. She thought she looked really pretty, if a little embarrassed.

June glanced away from the paper for a moment to take a drink of milk, and Wendi caught her attention.

"Miss, you have mail!" Wendi held out a very large, thick envelope with her name scrawled across the front in very familiar handwriting. Colin Creevey. Go figure.

"Thank you Wendi." June smiled, setting the package to the side.

Wendi bowed and got back to work.

June turned her attention back to the paper.

This reporter got a special invitation to attend Juniper Potter's sixteenth birthday this past Tuesday, and what an event it was!

June scanned through the article as Rita went on to describe in great detail the party and she even managed to get a few quotes from the guests. She continued to scan as the article continued on page three, with a picture of her dancing with her father, and then on page four, with a very nice picture of her laughing with Hermione, Daphne, Millie, Luna and Ginny towards the end of the party.

At the very end of the exclusive, there was an interview. With Cressida Rosalind.

June groaned. She hoped most people wouldn't make it that far, but that was just wishful thinking.

The interview went on to describe how outraged the event planner was at the lack of control Mr. Black had over his Goddaughter, now daughter but she didn't know that, and how deplorable it was that they deviated from Tradition so much.

June almost laughed as she read it, since in the entire article before the interview, Rita commended June and Sirius on their ability to turn what was usually impersonal and stuffy into something that really represented the birthday girl.

At the end of the interview, Rita went on to say that Juniper Potter might be setting a new trend in traditional sweet sixteens, and how "tradition is really just guidelines for the newer generations, anyway."

June laughed. She set the paper down on the table, drank the last of her milk and got up. She grabbed her envelope of pictures and made her way to her room. She had favors to finish.

~*~DM~*~

Draco sat at the breakfast table with his mother, his father having left for work early. He was fully dressed, he even had his boots on, as was the Malfoy way.

#5; Malfoys always look their best

Draco sighed and pushed his eggs around his plate. His parents had received a thank you note yesterday afternoon, and Draco had got nothing. Not even a mention in the obligatory thank you note. It almost seemed like they left him out on purpose.

Maybe he was too possessive at the end of the party. Maybe June's boyfriend, supposedly ex-boyfriend, who didn't dance with her more then twice, was jealous of him and forbid her from talking to him. Maybe he was forgettable.

#111; Malfoys are never forgotten

"There's an article on June's party in the Daily Prophet." Draco's mother said, dragging him out of his misery. "Would you like to read it?" Narcissa asked, seeing her son glare at her in a very mild, and miserable, impression of his father.

Draco sighed dramatically. "Why would I want to read about it? I was there."

Narcissa smiled slightly, "oh, I guess you're right. And since you saw everything, you won't be needing these pictures either, will you?" she held back a grin as Draco jerked up and sent a glass of orange juice flying off the table.

He coughed to hide his embarrassment as the House-elves did their job, and held out his hand for the paper.

#30; Malfoys are always dignified

Draco looked at the pictures, smiling as June laughed and danced across the page. Just because his curiosity got the better of him, Draco started reading the article.

Halfway through the description of the shoe ceremony, he decided to skip and skim. There was the odd quote here and there, mostly from the adults attending, most likely acquired while the teens were dancing. One caught his eye.

"Juniper just went through a really difficult break-up, so it's nice to see her having so much fun." Fleur Delacour, fellow Triwizard Champion two years prior said, when asked her opinion on the birthday girl. She declined to answer, when asked who the mysterious boyfriend was that broke our dear girls heart.

Draco froze, his eyes glued to that one line.

"Juniper just went through a difficult break-up"

The Weasel only danced with her once or twice.

The Weasel lit a candle because he 'keeps her laughing'

The Weasel didn't sit at her table with her.

June wasn't with the Weasel. She really was single that night. He should have made a move! Offered a comforting shoulder, danced with her more, or something!

Draco excused himself and retreated to his bedroom. He had pictures to cut out, a letter to write and a plan to make.

Draco was halfway up the stairs before it hit him. She hadn't sent a thank you note to him. She'd purposely left him out, even when he gave her the most beautiful pearls ever! Draco leaned his head against the hand rail of the staircase.

Narcissa looked around the corner of the doorway she was standing in. Her son, so proud and strong, a Malfoy, bent double, looking pathetic, lightly banging his head against hand rails. She smiled. Her son was too passionate for the rules Lucius set for him, he was too wild and free, like their cousin, Sirius Black.

Her son was slowly breaking out of the mold Lucius had crammed him into so many years ago.

She glanced again and he was gone. He's probably off cutting the pictures out of that newspaper.

~*~JP

Draco was indeed carefully removing the pictures from the newspaper, to add to his collection. He had just cut out the last picture, when an owl flew through his window.

It was a little tawny owl, like the kind that had delivered the thank you note to his parents. He quickly took the note from the little thing, gave it an owl treat, and broke June's seal.

He grinned as her words washed over him, letting him know how much she appreciated his gift. Draco sat for a moment, basking in the glow of her letter.

Then he placed it near the empty picture frame that had been the favor at June's party. Only it wasn't empty anymore. He picked up the frame carefully and examined the picture. It was one of he and June dancing, both of them were smiling. They twirled over and over again, in the repetitious movement of a Wizarding photo.

Draco smiled. What a wonderful gift.

Maybe he should give his mothers advice a try...

~*~JP~*~

June pulled out her numbered chart that had come with the picture frames. She'd finished looking at the thousands of photos Colin had taken, and managed to find one, and make a copy, to match to each of her guests. Very carefully, with Sirius' wand that she'd borrowed from her now awake father, June tapped the first box. A name appeared, Hermione Granger, as it grew to cover the whole page. June placed the picture she'd chosen, of her and Hermione dancing to Waterfalls by TLC, laughing as June dipped Hermione, and then Hermione twirled June, on top of the chart. The picture faded into the chart, and the square returned to its original size, now glowing blue.

One down, sixty-nine to go.

~*~JP~*~

The rest of summer passed quickly for the young woman and her friends. The two weeks prior to the Quiddich match were spent mostly at Grimmauld Place or Black Manor. June would sometimes join Sirius and Remus for meetings, she would talk to Kreacher or Mrs Black while they discussed what the new Minister was doing, or not doing, and guessing about what Voldemort was doing, and not doing.

One night, eating dinner after a meeting, Sirius was complaining about Remus going on another mission. It hadn't been decided if it was worth him going or not, but Sirius was definitely against it.

"Its not safe, hes a psychopath and dangerous." Sirius said slamming his fist on the table.

Remus sighed, "If I can keep him out of You-Know-Who's grasp, whats a little danger?"

"a little danger!?" Sirius scoffed, "buddying up to Fenrir Greyback is not a 'little danger'!"

"whats he going to do, bite me?" Remus asked sarcastically.

"What makes you think you can do any good?" Sirius asked, "why would a werewolf who purposely goes out to infect as many people as possible side with us over a thing that would give him free rein over muggles?"

Remus sighed, "Maybe Greyback is a hopeless case, but the colony of wolves hes made may think differently, they may be able to be reasoned with."

Sirius shook his head, "I don't want you near him, this is a bad idea."

June poked her food, watching Sirius fret over Remus, and Remus just shake his head and sigh.

"if this guy is so bad and so evil, why doesn't someone kill him?" June asked quietly.

Sirius looked shocked, Remus gave a slight smile.

"If we just went out and killed him, his pack would go straight to You-Know-Who, in need of a new leader." Remus explained while Sirius gaped like a fish. "Greyback bit all of these people, and took them in and kept them safe from werewolf hunters. Even the ones who might have wanted to retain real lives, went out into the world and received so much prejudice and hate thrown at them that they ran back to him."

"even their families rejected them." Sirius muttered, playing with his barely eaten food.

June nodded, frowning. "why couldn't they make Remus their new leader? He leads a pretty normal life, right?"

Remus smiled indulgently, Sirius his face in his hand.

"Honey, the only reason I live like I do is because I was able to go to school and make friends who have taken care of me." Remus explained. "I've never been able to retain a job for very long, even with the wolfsbane potion. And most of the werewolves don't have magic, so its even harder for them. They didn't even know it was possible, its harder on their bodies, and it shortens their life span dramatically."

"but, yes," Sirius muttered darkly, "I think thats what people are hoping for."

June nodded. It was amazing how much about the world that she didn't learn about in school. The meeting prior to that one was followed by a similarly tense meal, but it hit a lot less close to home for them.

Apparently, the Death Eaters who'd gotten caught last spring, and broke out soon after, were in constant trouble. The ones who had been prominent members of Wizarding society and were now in hiding and on the run in particular. The most notable being Nott senior. Snape had learned of a plot that the Dark Lord was going to use his son, Teddy, her housemate, to cause trouble at Hogwarts. Any more details then that were kept between Snape and Dumbledore, but many of the parents were worried.

June wasnt particularly fond of Teddy, but she didn't think he was capable of causing too much damage, he'd always been more of a joker with a mean streak then Death Eater material.

But you never could tell. War changed people.

~*~JP

The trip to Russia was much more relaxing. They 'camped' for the three day long Quiddich match, just having fun and being silly. June got to know Daphne's little sister, Astoria, possibly more then she'd have liked to. The 14 year old spent most of the first day asking questions about Draco, and even when she ran out of inquiries she rarely stopped talking. She thought a lot of herself for a tiny brainless little thing.

"Da's always favored her." Daphne explained while Astoria was bugging someone else for a moment. "she's never had to really do anything. Even at school most people cater to her, just because of Da's standing here."

June raised an eyebrow, "what is she going to do at Hogwarts, when the teachers expect her to learn and work?"

Daphne smiled a little, "I'm looking forward to learning."

June shook her head, "what house is she in?"

Daphne shrugged, "Same as I was in, all of our family's been the same. So I don't know if they'll put her in Slytherin automatically, or sort her officially."

"they didn't tell you?" June asked, surprised.

Daphne shrugged, "nope."

the girls giggled, "this should be an interesting year." June said with a sigh, leaning into her friend as they watched a very tired pair of seekers fly lazily overhead.

Half way through the third day, while the Puddlemere United Seeker was resting and her second was covering, the Ivanovo Indriks seeker caught the snitch. It was 6340/5520 Ivanovo. About half of the audience was asleep, but June and Daphne had been on watch, and got to see the catch. The cheering and booing of the conscious fans woke the ones trying to sleep, at 2:26am.

Puddlemere wouldn't be in the running for the Cup, again, but it was a good game and a well deserved break.

June said good bye to Daphne for a few more weeks, looking forward to the time when they would again be living in the same room.

~*~JP

After resting up from their vacation, Sirius and Remus took June school shopping, her friends having gone while she was in Russia.

The guys left June at the Robe shop to run some errands, they'd meet her in the book store next door if they didn't return before she was done ordering clothes.

June stepped out of the robe shop, earlier then even they might have thought. She had rushed through her clothes for the chance to enjoy some time in the book store without Sirius whining in her ear the whole time.

She didn't even make it halfway across the street when a large hand on her shoulder stopped her. Fear instantly ran through her as a voice she didn't recognize spoke.

"Miss Potter, should you be wandering around in these dangerous times alone?"

she turned to look at her potential attacker, well aware that there were plenty of witnesses and many specifically looking at her with wide eyes.

It took her a moment to realize who she was looking at, the first thought being a tall lion was a big hint.

"Minister." June acknowledged with a nod. "My Father assumed I would be safe walking from the robe shop to the book store." she shrugged, "obviously I need to be more observant when alone."

Scrigmore grunted and gestured to the ice cream parlor a few shops away, "Mind if I speak to you for a moment?"

June sighed, "As long as you keep it quick, I really do need to get my books."

His mouth twitched, in amusement or annoyance she couldn't tell, "I will personally escort you back."

with his hand still resting on her shoulder, they walked to Florean Fortescue's, the manager giving them a table slightly apart from any other, though it didn't really matter as the Minister put up privacy spells as soon as she had ordered, and received, a white chocolate raspberry milkshake.

"Miss Potter, I don't know if you know this," Scrigmore started, "but I have been trying to speak with you most of the summer."

June tilted her head to the side as she ate a spoonful of her milkshake, "I guessed when you showed up uninvited at my birthday party."

yep, that time was definitely annoyance.

He cleared his throat and leaned in, "This is a difficult time for our world, right now what the people need is hope."

June's eyes narrowed, "What they need is someone in power who will help them. Who will do more then pass out useless pamphlets."

his mouth tightened, "they need to trust their Ministry."

June leaned back, "Then I guess the Ministry should do something to earn their trust."

"Like give them a symbol to follow." Scrigmore said, with a little too much smugness.

June glared, "no, the last thing people need is a false idol. They need protection spells and a way to defend themselves."

"if you join with me, you can make your opinions heard on a national level, be able to really help people."

"Finishing school will do that much better then being a pawn and face for the Ministry." June said, sipping her drink calmly.

The Minister sighed, "you've spent to much time with that band of rebels. I had hoped that with Sirius being an Auror and almost an unspeakable that you'd have more political aspirations. Your association with the Malfoys and your interest in Magical Law also lead me to believe you'd be more open minded to helping people now, to making a difference. Perhaps I was wrong."

June shook her head. "i have every interest in helping people, I just have a different idea of how to do that then you do." she stood up and smiled, "now if you don't mind, I would like to return to my day's activities."

she stepped out of the privacy bubble and walked on her own to the book store. She wasn't really afraid of being attacked, since everyone on the street had been watching them and still was.

~*~JP

by the time Sirius and Remus returned, they had heard about the Electus and the Ministers very public private meeting. Everyone in Diagon Ally was talking about it. June gave them a summary when they got home, but not until she spent a good hour in the book store and a bit of time wandering around Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Overall, it was an interesting end to an exciting summer. June was glad to be returning to school in the next few days.

~*~JB~*~

A/N ok, the pouch that Luna gave June, I got all that information on Google Wiccan sites. Several of them. Like, ten. So I'm not going to put each site. If you find contradicting information, well, that's the internet for you. And I did cut a few of the properties, because almost all of them has a sexuality element that I didn't feel necessary in my story. So, if you have a complaint about this tiny insignificant piece of this chapter, I'm claiming artistic license.

Quiddich! All the teams are found in Quiddich Through The Ages, except the Russian team Ivanovo Indriks, because JK didn't have a Russian team, and I wanted June to go to Russia. Cause that's where I have always imagined my Daphne to be from. And going up against Puddlemere United is just icing on the cake, personally. So, with a little help from a friend, 3RodaRiddle3, I chose Ivanovo as the city to represent, after going through a few legendary beasts in Russian culture and finding the Indrik. I thought the two names sounded cool together, and Ivanovo is only ABOUT 180 kilos from Moscow, I don't know for sure, cause I was measuring with my finger, since google maps couldn't give me a number. So, an Indrik is described as a gigantic bull with the head of a horse and an enormous horn in its snout, making it vaguely similar to a rhinoceros, and supposed to be the biggest land mammal to ever have lived. So I thought it would be cool to have real ones. ^_^ yes, that's very Hagrid of me.

The names for the owls are borrowed from the Disney Movie Aladdin, the GooGooDolls song Iris, and the Shakespeare play Taming the Shrew.

Again, sorry this chapter took so long, hopefully a new one will be up sooner then two years from now.

reviews help :) its because of you guys that this is written.