This is it ... the last chapter of Book Four. I'm sad to see this ending, but so excited for the new one that I'm working on. It's taking a little longer to write, due to my working schedule, but check in on my group for updates. I'll let everyone there know first when Book Five will be ready for posting. Bubbleybear and Pienuniek's Story Nook on Facebook.

I owe a massive thank you to Sally and Pienuniek for all their hard work on this story. It's a labor of love from all of us, but it wouldn't be anywhere near the quality it is without either of them. So THANK YOU, both of you.

Twilight and Harry Potter belong to Stephanie Meyer and JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

See you at the bottom ...

Chapter Twenty-Three ~ Defending Our Love

Harry and I were released from the hospital wing the following morning. Bella had stayed with me all night and was now accompanying us to breakfast. Thanks to the potion of the dreamless sleep, Harry had slept with no nightmares, but he still wasn't happy, to say the least.

And for as much as Bella and I had apologized that morning, he wasn't talking to either of us. He had stormed on ahead of us as we made our way through the corridors and down the stairs to the Great Hall.

"Do you think he'll ever talk to us again?" Bella asked quietly as we stepped through the doors.

I could see that Harry had already made it to the Gryffindor table, but the problem was that he was holding himself apart. Hermione, Neville, and Ginny were trying to talk to him but he just wasn't having it. I sighed, guiding Bella over. "I hope so, Bella. But he's angry, and he has a right to be. I hope the others won't be as mad. We just have to be patient."

"Okay." She sighed, taking a seat next to Hermione.

"What happened?" Neville, Ginny, and Hermione asked at the same time. "I mean, we heard Harry say that Voldemort was back, but we were brought back to the castle before we heard anything else," Hermione continued.

"So, is it true?" Ginny asked.

Neville followed that one up quickly with another question. "What are we going to do?"

"First of all, let me answer your questions." I laughed while Bella giggled. Then the mirth dropped off and I sighed. "To answer your question, Ginny, yes, Voldemort is back. But as for the rest, where do you want me to start?"

"How about from the beginning?" Hermione said while the others nodded.

"In that case, it will take more time than what we have here. Spread the word around to the twins, Luna, Fleur, Viktor, and the others to meet in the Room of Requirement. You all should know."

"That's fair," Hermione murmured. "Harry, will you be joining us?"

Hermione got a short, sharp nod. "What time?" he asked gruffly.

"In about an hour?" Bella asked rather than stated. "I would like to shower and change beforehand."

"Good. You have a lot to share." With that, Harry stood and stormed off without so much as a word to anyone.

"What's wrong with him?" Neville asked, throwing his thumb over his shoulder toward the door.

I sighed. "That's a long tale and part of the story we have to tell."

Bella looked at the others guiltily. "And we haven't been entirely honest with all of you."

Ginny reached forward and held Bella's hand. "We'll get over it. Although, to be completely honest with you, this year was hard enough on all of us. If you kept it to yourselves, then it was probably worth it. I won't hold it against you."

"Me either, Bella, Edward." Neville shook his head. "You two seem to get relied on more than we do, so if you keep things to yourself for a while, then that's okay."

Hermione just nodded before she stood. "Harry will come around, I'm sure. C'mon, Neville, Ginny, let's go round up everyone else."

I still feel bad, Bella thought as the others walked away. We really need to do better.

"We do, and we will. Try not to feel too badly." I kissed her softly. "Let's go get ready."

~*~UHS~*~

"So, yes, what I said yesterday stands true. Voldemort is back, and things are going to get much, much worse before they get better." I looked up from where my hands were linked with Bella's to see that all of our friends had been shocked into silence. Bella and I had just spent the last few hours giving them all a rundown on everything that had happened this year, as well as what happened in the maze yesterday. Sure, they had asked a few questions when we first began, but as the nitty gritty was detailed, they fell silent and asked less.

To say they were shocked would be an understatement.

Harry snorted and shook his head. "Wow, you really kept us in the dark this year, didn't you? What happened to being open, and honest, and sharing what you know?"

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed. "They went to a lot of trouble this year to keep you safe. To help you through the tournament. To help all of us."

Draco, who was sitting as close to Ginny as he could get, without being obvious, was nodding along with her.

"And what good did it do us? Voldemort still came back. He can now kill everyone we love!" Harry argued.

"Yes, but now we have the chance to stop him for good." George spoke up from the other side of Fred, who was sitting next to Viktor.

Fred nodded. "I think that Moody—the real one—was right. It had to happen as it did to give us the opportunity in the future."

Harry's mouth was hanging open in shock. "Aren't you mad they kept all this from us? That we had no choice in the matter?"

"No." Fleur shook her head. "Zey were acting on ze word of a well-known auror. And weren't you listening? Zey did want to tell us. What could we have done, zough? Really? What could you have done?"

"Wasn't it bad enough that not only did they have to make the tough decisions on their own with little input from any adult figure? But they had to defend their love, and relationship, from the people who made this tournament as well?" Viktor asked.

Bella and I were stunned. We hadn't expected this reaction from the others. Shock, yes. Outrage, yes. But understanding … not on your life.

"Well," Harry mumbled. "I never thought about it."

"Of course, you didn't. All you saw was how it affected you," Hermione snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "And, yes, Harry, it did affect you the most because you had to face Voldemort by yourself. But did you think about what it did to Edward? He had to 'die' and lie there, letting you face that monster all on your own. He couldn't help as much as he wanted to. And what about what it did to Bella?"

"Bella! She wasn't there!" Harry argued.

"She may not have been, but she knew her mate had to take a killing curse to help this vision, this future, come to fruition," Luna said in her soft, lilting way. "She's been dealing with this aspect for far longer than this tournament. Didn't Alice see that vision last summer? That had to have been hard to reconcile. To know that the one person she couldn't live without was going to have to be hit with the one curse that has not been stopped, until you. Twice."

Bella sobbed in reaction to Luna's words and reached out to hug her. Luna had sat down next to Bella and, when the story had started, reached out for her hand. Now they clung to each other. Bella crying while Luna murmured reassurances in her ear.

I reached out to grab one of Bella's hands when she released Luna, leaning over to kiss her head. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't think of it that way either."

Bella shook her head and cuddled into my chest. I know. I know you didn't, and it didn't bother me, much. I promise.

"But she made the vest. He was protected!" Harry was still arguing. He didn't want to give up his anger without a fight because it was the only thing holding him together after finding out his mother could never come back to him. He had started to hope when he saw her come out of Voldemort's wand.

Neville sighed this time. "And she had to put everything she had into that. It took her all year to make it. If I'm not mistaken, that was the gift she gave him only two days before the third task. Which means Bella has lived with the fact that her mate, not her boyfriend, not her friend, but the one person she was destined to be with forever, was going to be hit with a killing curse. And the only reassurance was from Professor Dumbledore, who said that it shouldn't—not wouldn't—but shouldn't harm him. That couldn't have been easy, especially after what happened first year."

I squeezed Bella closer. She had hidden it so well. I had never picked up on it. "I should have never entered the damn tournament to begin with."

Bella sat up, angrily, but gently reached for my face and rested her forehead against mine. "No, Edward, no. I loved that you were in the tournament. I loved that you dedicated all your winning to me. I loved being able to support you. I never once doubted it, you, or the fact that you'd survive. I love you, just as you are."

"I love you, too." I kissed her then. Square on the mouth, hard, trying to put everything in that I could.

"So, you see, mate," Draco drawled even though I hadn't let up kissing Bella. "While they kept it a secret, they did so at their own peril. Their relationship was altered thanks to this tournament. Do you think you would have been better off if he hadn't entered?"

I pulled back from Bella's mouth but left my forehead on hers. I could see Harry in my peripheral vision, so I knew his shoulders had slumped as his anger had petered out. But looking at him just wasn't important. The big, wet, chocolate eyes staring up are me with total love and dedication were. I couldn't look away if I'd tried.

"No," Harry murmured in answer to Draco's question. "I don't think any of us would have been better off. That tournament was … I have no words; it just was. I just …" Harry released a sniffle. "I just wanted my mum. I miss her, even though I don't remember, and I was hoping after … well after …"

Hermione stood and went to Harry. "Oh, Harry. Of course, you were. How could anyone not hope for it after what you experienced? Should Edward and Bella have told us? Probably, but only for us to support them, to help them. But taking out your anger, your disappointment, and your grief on them … that's not right either."

Harry nodded. "I know. And I am sorry. But I think for now, I just need to grieve on my own. Grieve for what I've lost for a second time."

We all nodded and silently watched as Harry walked out of the door to head back down to his dormitory.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We continue on. This time being a bit more open," Bella answered, her stomach grumbling, loudly, as she did so. Bella flushed as it broke the tension, causing us all to laugh, including her. "And maybe get some lunch from the Great Hall."

We all stood together and headed for the door. Draco disguising himself and hiding in the middle of the group as we left.

Things weren't perfect, and we would talk about everything some more, of that I had no doubt. But it was all out in the open, and we could move forward with plans for the summer.

After the others had sat for their finals over the coming weeks. Guess they had some studying to do.

~*~UHS~*~

It didn't take long for Minister Fudge to get the Daily Prophet on board with his version of events. In fact, the school was abuzz with it by the time we made it down for breakfast the following day.

"Have you read zis nonsense?" Fleur demanded, sitting next to Bella and throwing the Prophet on the table.

"Nope," Bella replied popping the P. "What does the Truth say though?"

I laughed. "Hang on, Bella. I want to see what he's saying."

"Fine, fine." Bella slid the paper along the table to me, not even taking a peek.

Big Tie Wins the Triwizard Tournament! Was the headline on the front page.

"Oh, dear Lord," I whispered.

"Told you!" Bella sang as she reached for some pancakes.

It was a spectacular ending to the revival of what some call the greatest tournament to come to Hogwarts in far too long.

It had been many a century since the last Triwizard Tournament had been held. And this one had started off with a bang because we had four, not three, but four champions. Two humans, one Veela, and a vampire. One of those humans being the one and only Harry Potter.

The scores remained close through the first and second tasks with Edward Masen, the vampire, tying for first place with Harry Potter. So, it was with tied scores of eighty-five points that Edward and Harry entered the maze—the third task—first.

Thanks to some very clever spell work by Professor Minerva McGonagall, we were able to witness all that happened in the maze, so we watched as they progressed through. Harry had a fairly easy go of it, unlike his vampire counterpart.

As I continued to read down the page, it was more of the same. A recount of the third task, focusing more on Harry and me than on Viktor and Fleur. But it was the end of the recount that I was interested in reading, so I skipped ahead to the end.

We were all on the edge of our seats after Viktor and Fleur were eliminated to see who was going to get to the cup first—Harry or Edward. We watched with bated breath as Harry was able to pull ahead of Edward, thanks to the help of the sphinx guarding the final hurdle. But once Edward was through, we were able to see how fast, how superior, vampires are to the normal wizarding population. He maneuvered his way through the corridors so fast that the spell we were witnessing him with struggled to keep up.

I snorted at that. It wasn't like it was a camera. But then I didn't see it happen. I might have to watch Bella's memories to experience it for myself.

It wasn't long before Edward was able to catch up with Harry. While we couldn't hear what was being said, it seemed that the pair began to argue. They fought, they ran, they raced to the Triwizard Cup. At the last moment, with another discussion between them, they both reached for a handle, gripping it together. With a swish and a swirl, that we're all familiar with, both disappeared into the vortex of a portkey. It wasn't but a few minutes later that the winners graced us with their presence to a large round of fanfare and congratulations.

That's right. You heard it here first. We have not one, but two, Triwizard Winners. Well done Edward Masen and Harry Potter for winning the first Triwizard Tournament since 1792.

And that was where the recount ended. There was absolutely no mention of anything that happened afterward, not of the long gap between when we left the maze to when we returned. Not of Barty Junior, or of Barty himself. And there was absolutely nothing of Voldemort's return.

I dropped the paper in front of me and looked up. "You're right, Fleur, this is absolute garbage."

"How iz ze world to prepare if zey are not told the truth?" she asked.

Bella growled. "Fudge doesn't want the world to know the truth. He's hoping it will all go away, so he buries his head in the sand and denies that anything is happening. Good thing we have The Truth on our side." Bella slid another paper toward me, this one smaller but much more familiar. "It's amazing what can be written while on the road."

"Indeed." I pulled the page to me and started to read. I noticed the difference in style almost immediately. Sirius wrote with more attention to detail than flair for the obvious. His detail was also far more interesting. He kept it short and factual, even at the end.

Edward and Harry reached for the cup at the same time, both disappearing from sight almost instantly. We expected an immediate reappearance back where we were located at the beginning of the maze, but unfortunately, that was not the case.

It wasn't until almost an hour and a half later that the pair of them arrived, disheveled, panting, and barely alive.

The stadium was cleared out quickly by Minister Fudge and other teachers until just a few of Edward's and Harry's families were left. It was here that we were told a different harrowing tale. One where the run through the maze was child's play when compared to the life or death scenario that Harry and Edward had to face.

A tale where Voldemort returned from the grave and attempted to kill Edward Masen and Harry Potter.

Sirius didn't hold anything back. He told everything that we had told, including a short blurb with Barty Junior. He wanted it clear that he was telling everything, that he was telling the truth. Something he was really good at. And when you added Colin Creevy's pictures, it made you feel like you were there in the moment.

I know that wasn't all that happened that night. There was nothing of what happened in the hospital wing afterward, and I wondered if he was holding onto that for later, for when the Daily Prophet would fire back. Because with Fudge pushing his version of the truth, it was inevitable that they would.

I sighed, dropping the paper and discussing the different articles. "Things are going to get ugly. This is going to become a war of words."

Bella nodded. "It was always going to come to that. You knew that or you wouldn't have started The Truth. This way we are able to tell them what is really happening. Besides there will be ones who don't want to accept what the Truth is telling them. There will be ones who take the Prophet's words to heart because that's all they've ever read …"

"That'll be the parents and grandparents," I interrupted.

"Yeah, exactly. And then there will be the ones who, unequivocally, understand that what you and Harry went through, that what the Truth reported is exactly that. The Truth. And those will be the ones who witnessed it all first hand. So, it's going to be an argument, a war, between the younger generation …" Bella waved her hands at the students again. "And their parents and grandparents." Bella shook her head. "The next few years are going to be difficult. Interesting, but difficult."

Fleur and I nodded to Bella's words but said nothing. What was there left to say?

~*~UHS~*~

The next few weeks preparing for finals were as tension-filled as any others at Hogwarts. The whole school was cramming for their exams, including the remaining Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, except for the four champions. I still thought it was ridiculous.

So instead of just sitting idle, I was helping Bella and the others prepare for theirs while simultaneously teaching Fleur some of the things she'd need to know when she started at Hogwarts next year. She had spoken to Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall, and decided she was going to repeat her final year while Gabrielle did her first because after this tournament, she realized there was so much more that she didn't know.

But preparing for finals and helping Fleur get up to speed wasn't the only stress-filled things happening. I had been right. The war of words between the Daily Prophet and The Truth had been ramped up. For every scathing, untruthful article that the Minister for Magic and the Prophet pushed out, The Truth was there to counter it.

For every article that was written, for every lie told, for every truth told, the students at Hogwarts continued to talk about what happened. For the first week or so, the students would come and ask us questions. Some tried to trip us up, tried to see if we were lying. Others wanted us to confirm, or deny, the information they were receiving. But when Harry's and my stories continued to stay the same, they stopped asking and started leaving us alone. For that, I was grateful.

I knew going into this tournament that I would draw attention; I just didn't know it would be this much. I had a feeling, though, that the attention would come back twice as bad when signs of Voldemort returning began to surface.

"Ugh, I'll be so glad when finals are over," Bella groaned dropping into my lap in the Room of Requirement where I had been with Viktor, Fleur, Gabrielle, and Harry. We still hid here even though Viktor was free of Karkaroff. It seemed the appearance of Karkaroff's master scared him so badly that he fled from Hogwarts and hadn't been heard from since.

I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her head. "I know, baby. Only a couple more days."

"I want to go home," she whined.

The others chuckled, although Harry just cracked a smile. "Soon, Bella. You don't have many more to go, and Friday we have the feast. We'll be home by Saturday lunch time."

"Hmph, not soon enough." Bella crossed her arms and huffed. I could see from her mind that she was only partly frustrated with school. She was ready for the year to be over but would miss it just as much.

I tickled her side, causing her to giggle. "How about a distraction, hmm?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"I think we need to visit Hagrid for one more afternoon tea." Bella squealed at my suggestion, climbing off my lap instantly. I laughed at her excitement; I couldn't help it. "I take it you would like that?"

"Yes! Yes! Hurry!" Bella squealed again as she pulled on my arm, trying to get me to stand.

I looked at the others. "Want to come?"

Fleur, Viktor, and Harry shook their heads, but Gabrielle looked at her sister pleadingly. Gabrielle had grown close to the lovable giant this year. Much like Bella, she had an affinity for animals, and he had fostered that love. "May I go, Fleur, please?"

"Of course," Fleur answered simply. With a kiss to Gabrielle's head, Fleur gestured to us.

Gabrielle sprung up from her seat and grabbed a hold of Bella's hand with as much excitement as Bella had shown. The three of us waved as we headed for the door of the Room of Requirement and started down the moving staircase.

"What animals do you have at home, Bella? I can't believe I've never asked before." Gabrielle mused.

And the conversation was off. I paid just enough attention to them as they talked about the small collection of animals we had procured, including one Kneazle named Salem, who had recently joined our brood. I had to snicker at that thought. Apparently, he hadn't been happy to leave Hogwarts without me. He had wanted to stay, much like Kreacher does with Bella, but Dumbledore put his foot down. He said that one familiar was enough. If I wanted Salem, I had to leave Athan at home. The only time he would be allowed too would be if Hagrid wanted to borrow him for a lesson, then that was going to be okay, but until then, he had to stay at home.

I snorted quietly at that. If I was in trouble, much like in the maze, then there would be nothing Dumbledore could do to keep Salem away.

"C'mon, Edward. I want to spend as much time as I can with Hagrid before dinner!" Bella called from in front of me. I hadn't realized how far behind I had fallen.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," I called, racing up to them. I swept them both under my arms, one on either side, and raced on out of the door and down the hill toward Hagrid's hut, the girls laughing and squealing as I did so.

"What's all this 'ere racket?" Hagrid chortled, stepping out of his hut. "Edward, what're yeh doin' to the girls?"

"They didn't think I was being fast enough." I smirked. "So, I decided to prove them wrong."

Bella and Gabrielle wobbled a little as I set them down, causing them to giggle.

"Well, let's not stand 'round all day. Come inside." Hagrid laughed, opening the door for us.

We followed him in and took seats on his oversized furniture. Bella and Gabrielle on one huge chair, and I took a seat at the table.

"What're yeh 'ere for?" Hagrid asked as he hung the kettle in the fireplace.

"We wanted to have one last tea with you before the school year finished," Bella blurted out while Gabrielle said, "I wanted to see if you had any animals I could play with before we leave!"

Hagrid and I laughed at the pair of them. Gabrielle was a lot like Bella. She exhibited the same love of life, the same love of animals, the way Bella had—and still did—the day that I met her. It was gratifying to know that Fleur had recognized that she needed a different education than the one offered at Beauxbatons.

For the next few hours, I followed the three of them around in mate bliss as my girl, her cousin, and Hagrid had tea and checked out the animals that were still on the grounds. There were laughs, there were giggles, and they even had a ride on a couple of the bigger animals Hagrid was looking after.

It was nice to see them both relaxing, but especially Bella. She was handling the exams like a champ, but it was still stressful. We knew things were going to be harder over the next few years, but we could handle it as long as we took the time to relax in between.

~*~UHS~*~

The final exams were done. All of our bags were packed, and my trunk had been settled and locked, ready to make the long journey back to London via the Hogwarts Express. I was seated on the recliner in my little part of Gryffindor tower, waiting for Bella to come to me. It was our last night at Hogwarts, and we were all just a little bit crazy excited to be getting out of here for the summer. Tomorrow we would be heading home to Swan Manor.

"Edward?" Bella asked softly, touching the side of my face. I must have closed my eyes.

"Hmm?" I hummed as my eyes opened and looked at my beautiful girl. I reached out and ran my finger along the side of her face. "You're so beautiful."

Bella blushed lightly. "Thank you. You're pretty good looking too. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go eat so we can go home."

I stood and reached for her hand. Bella slipped her hand into mine. As we walked toward the portrait, we were joined by Hermione, Fred and George, Neville, and a quiet Harry. We reminisced about the good things—not that there were many—about what we had gone through this year. But we talked more about what we planned to do over the summer. From resting, to travelling, to preparing for the future.

The mood in the Great Hall was somber. Instead of being decorated in the Hogwarts colors, before being changed to the house cup winners, the dark-colored banners were a stark reminder of what had happened at the end of the third task.

While nobody died, per se, the loss of the innocence of most children was going to be spread far and wide. Not just their innocence but freedom as they knew it. For those parents who were pragmatic, and didn't take the Daily Prophet's word as gospel, they would take the appropriate steps to make sure their children were safe. At home or at school. Others would be lost within the tug of war between what the parents believed, what the Prophet was saying, and what The Truth was trying to tell them. There would be arguments, there would be falling outs, and nobody would be spared.

Then there would be those who buried their heads in the sand. It was those people I felt for the most because their children would be left to flounder. With no clear guidance, what would happen to them?

Our laughter and chatter cut off as we crossed the threshold and walked to our places at the Gryffindor table. Bella waved quietly at Fleur and Gabrielle at the Hufflepuff table and Viktor sitting with the Slytherins, more specifically Draco. Quiet conversations were being held around the room as we waited for the rest of the students to filter in.

I've never seen a sadder sight, Bella thought as she looked around. I fear for us, Edward. Well, them. All of our friends and family who aren't immortal.

I pulled Bella into my arms and leaned down so my lips were at her ear. "You should be, Bella." She froze in my arms. "I don't mean to scare you, sweetheart, but we all need to face the reality that if a war is on our horizon, which I believe it is …"

Bella sniffled. Not everyone we love is going to come home safely.

"Exactly. I'm sorry, but that is the stark truth of war. You've already lost so much. I wonder how you'll handle more."

Bella looked up at me. Her eyes bright with tears. "As long as it isn't you, I'll survive."

I kissed her softly because that's how I felt. "As will I, my girl. As will I."

I held her gently for the last few moments before Professor Dumbledore stood to make his way to the podium. As he walked, the hushed conversations started to dwindle, so by the time he made it to the center of the stage, the entirety of the Great Hall had fallen silent.

"This year …" he began "… was not what we had envisioned when we fought to have the Triwizard Tournament returned to our schools."

It seemed that while Karkaroff had left the grounds, Madame Maxime was still here to take the Beauxbatons back to their school. During the last few weeks, another Headmaster for Durmstrang had been appointed and arrived to captain the ship to take the boys home.

Dumbledore sighed. "You students weren't the only ones to learn something this year. Through a series of very bad decisions, the other judges and I caused some nearly irreversible harm to one of our champions and his mate. Edward, Bella, for that we are truly sorry." Dumbledore looked at us to see that he was sincere in his apology, so we nodded to show that we accepted. We did accept; it would just take time to trust him again.

"On one hand, the tournament was a success. On the other, not so much. I am aware of the words being thrown around by the Ministry and the Daily Prophet—they have not gone unnoticed." He sighed again. "Obviously, the Ministry does not want me to tell you this … but I fear if I do not, many of you will be blindsided by what's coming … and what two of our champions suffered through would have been in vain. Voldemort has returned," he nearly shouted. "Hard times are coming. Maybe not straight away. Maybe not tomorrow, next week, or even next year, but the world will get smaller, darker … all before the light will return. We might lose people—people we love, people we care for."

I followed Dumbledore's gaze as he looked around at the gathering of students in the Great Hall. Many had their eyes lowered to the ground or the table in front of them. Some were disbelieving of what they were hearing. But many of them were listening with rapt attention. They believed what had happened at the end of the tournament. They were prepared to endure, to help, to survive what was coming. And I believed we would need as much help as physically possible. The stories I'd heard, ones I'd read, all led me to believe that Voldemort was as dark as they come. And he was willing to do anything to gain what he wanted.

Immortality and total control of the world as we knew it.

Dumbledore's gaze landed back on our table. Specifically, Harry. "But good triumphed over evil once before. Many times, in fact. I believe it will again. I hope it will, and I need you all to hope for the same thing. Please try to enjoy your summer. I look forward to seeing you all next year. I leave you with these words that I hope you take to heart. All that's needed for evil to triumph over good is for good men, or women, to do nothing."

~*~UHS~*~

I stared out of the window of the train as it made its way back to Kings Cross Station where someone would be picking us up. The words of Dumbledore still ringing in my ears. Harry had taken some of his speech to heart, thinking that he might have to take Voldemort down on his own. I wasn't so sure that line of thinking was wrong. Something had been niggling at my mind for a little while.

For now, I stopped that line of thinking. I went back to that last feast. After Dumbledore's words, the food was shared, and the whole hall started to eat in relative silence. I say relative because it seemed that some of the Slytherins didn't care, or didn't believe, that the situation warranted it. It took some time, but eventually, we all broke out into conversations with our tablemates.

After dinner, we made our way out of the large castle doors to say our goodbyes to the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. Hugs, tears, and laughter were shared. I could see that Viktor wasn't at all sure about returning to the lonely bleak roster that he had between school, his family, and the Bulgarian Quidditch team. He was lonely.

And I believed Bella could see it, which is why I was not surprise by … "Hey, Viktor, why don't you come visit us some over the summer? We're going to miss you!" … the fact that she did that.

"I would like that." Viktor granted us with one of his rare smiles. We saw a lot of them when we were in private, but he didn't share them much when we were around everyone else. He gave us a wave as he trotted toward the Flying Dutchman. "See you soon!"

Bella snickered at the swooning girls who had caught Viktor's smile before they shook themselves and wandered off to say goodbye to someone else.

"Ve shall be zere before zummer's end. Iz zat okay?" Fleur asked, wrapping her arms around Bella while Gabrielle looked pleadingly up at her.

I laughed. "Whenever you're ready. At the beginning, the middle, or the end of summer is fine. And if you need a hand, let us know. We're old hats at moving by now."

The pair of them looked at me and tilted their heads in confusion. "Say what?" Gabrielle asked.

I couldn't help but laugh harder. "It just means that we're really good at packing and moving. So, if you need help, ask."

"And you are sure your family doez not mind?" Fleur asked, hugging me.

"No." I shook my head for emphasis. "Esme always wanted a big family. She has that with all of us. Plus, we have room now that Rose and Emmett have moved out. Besides," I hooked my arm around Hermione's shoulders, "we like to take in the strays. Right?"

"Right!" Hermione smiled. "First, it was me … then Neville, who is with Rose and Emmett."

"Uh, that's not right!" Bella argued. "First, it was Harry and his family, then me …"

"You weren't going to go anywhere else once I'd found you …" It was my turn to argue.

Bella continued as if I hadn't spoken, other than to poke her tongue out at me. "… then you, Hermione, then Neville."

Jasper—who had been standing nearby—slung his arm around Bella. "If you want to be accurate, little lady, all of us came before all of you."

"All right, all right," Fleur and Gabrielle stopped the arguments, which had us all bursting out into laughter. "Ve get it. You don't mind."

"Not at all."

With more hugs, Fleur and Gabrielle promised they'd be through our fireplace as soon as they possibly could. They also promised if they had any trouble leaving Beauxbatons, they'd ask for Esme to come and handle everything.

As a school, we all stood on the grass, waving, as the Flying Dutchman and the house-sized horses and carriage left our sight. Summer was going to be interesting this year, that was for sure.

You okay, Edward? You've been kinda quiet, Bella thought, pulling me from my memories.

I kissed Bella's mouth softly when she looked up. "I'm fine. Just remembering saying goodbye to family and friends. And thinking that summer was going to be interesting."

Bella smiled. "Yeah. I miss them already."

"Me too," Hermione piped up from my other side. She was sitting there with Ginny, and they were playing exploding snap. We had managed to commandeer our extendable carriage again. "So, Edward, Harry … what are you planning to do with your winnings? I've been dying to ask, but it didn't seem like the right time."

I looked over at Harry as I kissed Bella again. This was his idea, and I was going to give him the spotlight—as much as he'd hate it—to let him explain. "Harry had a wonderful idea when we were lying in the hospital wing. I totally agreed with him."

Bella snuggled into me as Fred, George, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny all turned to face Harry. I was hoping we could figure out a way to get Draco around us more often, but that would take some careful figuring.

"Uh … well … thanks a lot, Edward." Harry grimaced, looking at me. I just smirked in response. He shook his head at me in mock annoyance before he faced Fred and George. "Look, we know it's your dream, both of you, to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley. We also know that your mother would never, ever agree to it, not in a million years. We've heard how she wants you all to go work for the Ministry."

"Somewhere they'd suffocate," Ginny agreed.

Harry nodded. "Exactly. So, we know she'd never help you get the money together to finance it yourselves."

Fred and George had frozen still, not believing their ears. While the others all smiled happily.

I pulled out my bag of galleons at the same time Harry did. He handed his to Fred, and I handed mine to George. "We decided that we're going to give you your start up. As long as you never tell Molly where you got the money from."

Snickers were heard from Ginny, Neville, Hermione, and Bella, while Fred and George remained frozen.

"Guys?" I prodded when they didn't move.

"Really?" they both asked at the same time. Fred looking at Harry, George at me. "Are you sure?"

Harry nodded while I answered. "This is going to sound conceited and completely arrogant, but yes. I don't need the money. I will never need the money. In my one hundred plus years on earth, I have amassed a fortune. I still have the muggle banks building on it. Money is something Bella and I will never need, so yes, take it. Have your dream. And please, do not tell Molly."

"We won't," they breathed together before Fred spoke again. "Two thousand galleons, Fred …"

"We can sign the contract on that shop …"

"Start production on that thing …" And that was all it took for their planning to take off. We lost them for the remainder of the ride home as they took out the hundreds of notes, lists, and plans they had made so they could figure out where they were going to start.

With smiles on our faces, we went back to occupying our time until we made it back to London. We started to pack our things away when I began to hear the thoughts of the many parents waiting on Platform 9¾ for their children to arrive. I couldn't pick out any of my family's thoughts at first because it was so loud. Eventually though, I found Alice and Jasper's.

"Who's come to get us?" Hermione asked as we filed out of the carriage.

"Jasper and Alice." I listened in on Alice's thoughts because I thought she would be at the store.

"Really?" Bella looked up at me in surprise because she thought the same thing I had.

"Yeah." I could see that they were curious, so I explained Alice's thoughts. "Alice loves owning her own shop, but she's gotten busy enough she needed to hire some help if she wanted to continue designing all of the clothes that are in it. Not only that, she wants to spend more time with Jasper over the summer, so she hired two sales assistants—a boy and a girl—and another girl to man the till and answer the phone. That has freed up a lot of her time. When Jasper volunteered to pick us up from the station, she wanted to come with him. Jasper wasn't the only one she missed apparently."

I haven't missed you, know it all! She smirked at me when I stepped off the train and into her line of sight.

"I haven't missed you either!" I called over the heads of the students, leaning down to give her a hug when we reached them. "I know we only saw you a few weeks ago, but it's good to see you."

"You too. And all of you!" Alice squealed, pulling each one of us into her arms. I could see the same thoughts run through her mind about Draco as I'd had earlier. I'll keep an eye out. Maybe something will come to me.

I nodded as I led the way down the platform to where all the luggage was being unloaded. We stood, waiting and chatting, as others grabbed their luggage and hurried off. We were in no hurry, so we waited patiently.

I was just reaching for Bella's trunk when a vision of Alice's slammed into my mind so hard that I missed the handle. The vision was so strong that I had to close my eyes to focus on it.

The station disappeared, and all I could see was the choppy, violent waves of the ocean slamming into a large, triangle-shaped building in the middle of nowhere. This building had to be at least a hundred stories tall and stood out of the ocean like a beacon. It seemed to be made entirely of concrete and had a chunk missing out of one of the top sides. There were no windows, nothing to give any clues as to what we were looking at.

But I knew. I could tell. The only thing a building like this would be used for would be a prison. Alice was having a vision of Azkaban.

Her vision changed from the outside of the prison to the inside where we could see hundreds of prisoners holding out their left arms. On their arms, tattoos were forming, filling in, and becoming black once more. Men and women, all of them smiling at the fact that their master had returned.

All of a sudden, the prison was rocked with what felt like an explosion. Alice's vision changed again to show that a top portion of it had blown apart, leaving cells open to the elements. We could hear a maniacal cackling going on in the background as hundreds of dark wizards left the confines of the prison itself.

The last thing her vision showed us was an image of the Daily Prophet side-by-side with The Truth. One paper was reporting a break out; the other was reporting a mass breakout and a list of escaped prisoners. You could tell which one was which.

Holy shit, Alice thought as her eyes cleared and she looked at me.

Holy shit indeed.

~*~UHS~*~

So ... that's where we leave this story. Hit me up one last time with a review.

See you all in the Story Nook ... And for the posting of Book Five.