The Twisted Path

by Xetarma

When Minerva McGonagall discovers that Harry Potter's relatives intend to keep him from attending Hogwarts, she takes matters into her own hands. But when Harry comes to Diagon Alley one day early, it sets events into motion that end with him and his friend, Hermione Granger, sorted into Slytherin. Now the two of them must somehow tame the House of the Snakes.

46. Holiday Complications

Chapter 46: Holiday Complications

November 30th, 1996

Harry put down the mirror on his nightstand, and sank onto his bed. He'd known there would be a counterstroke, but he hadn't thought it would be this personal. He was having a hard time thinking right now.

The door opened. Hermione came in in her bathrobe, having just finished showering. As she closed the door, she saw Harry's face.

"What happened?" asked Hermione, sitting down next to Harry on his bed.

"Remus and Tonks are dead," said Harry, "Death Eaters had come to the Tonks residence. I think they were after Andromeda. Remus and Tonks just happened to be right outside when they arrived."

"No!" said Hermione, her face shocked, "Oh, I'm so sorry Harry." Hermione threw her arms around him, pulling his head onto her shoulder.

"Andromeda and Ted got away," continued Harry, "At least Remus and Tonks bought them that. Sirius was really broken up about it though. Remus was his last friend from the old days, and Tonks was his family." He had to admit, he was pretty comfortable in this position.

Shaking his head, he wrapped his arms around Hermione and clung to her. Right now he just needed to know she was there. He'd figure out what to do later.

XXXXX

December 1st, 1996

He woke the next day with a purpose. He had to stop the Death Eaters from going after Andromeda. It was obvious what was going on. They thought Andromeda had inherited the Black family fortune. Harry had managed to keep his ownership of that money a secret, but that could no longer be allowed. He had to make it clear that going after Andromeda was pointless. But Harry knew that if Riddle knew Harry was in possession of the Horcrux in the Lestrange vault, he would almost immediately try to break into Gringotts and retrieve it. Harry needed to act.

He paused to look at Hermione as he sat up. She'd fallen asleep beside him last night, and wasn't wearing her robe anymore. He actually had a pretty good view of her backside from here. Harry smiled briefly, then covered her up again. No need for her to get up over this. But as Harry stood up, he heard her stirring.

"You know they're after the Black money," said Hermione.

"Yeah," replied Harry as he got dressed. He turned to see Hermione standing up. And not wearing anything. Despite everything, he hadn't really seen her in the altogether like this more than a couple of times. He blushed, which made her laugh.

"Go," she said, "Do what you need to do to fix this."

"It can't be fixed," said Harry, "But I can stop it from continuing."

And Harry headed straight for the Headmistresses office.

When he entered he got straight to the point. "Last night Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were killed," said Harry.

"I heard," said McGonagall.

"I need to make a Floo call on your secure Floo," said Harry, "Andromeda Tonks was the real target. The Death Eaters think she has the Black Family fortune. She doesn't. I do. I need to prepare for the Death Eaters coming after it, then I need to tell them that it is mine so they stop going after Andromeda."

McGonagall had a sharp intake of breath. "So that's what this is about. You may use my Floo," said McGonagall.

Harry quickly floo called Bill at Gringotts. "Bill, have you dealt with the protections on the Lestrange vault?" asked Harry.

"Yes, we finished that on Friday," said Bill, "The item was there."

"Excellent, I don't suppose Brokgut is anywhere nearby?" asked Harry.

"Actually, I am right here," said Brokgut.

"Excellent!" said Harry, "Move everything from the Lestrange vault into the Black vault NOW. And afterwards I want the Black vault sealed. Do you understand? Nothing in or out until I can come and retrieve the item."

"Why not simply move the item into the Black vault?" asked Brokgut.

"I am going to alert Riddle that the Lestrange vaults are in my possession today," said Harry, "He might come poking around looking for the item. If it is the only thing missing, he might get suspicious."

"A reasonable precaution," agreed Brokgut, "We can completely seal your vault by turning the entire thing to stone. If You-Know-Who tries to take ths item, he'll destroy it if he doesn't remove the spell first. But even we won't be able to unseal it for at least two weeks."

"That is more than fine," said Harry, "We can unseal it over the break. Right now it is imperative that everything be moved and sealed before the end of the day."

"We will do it," said Brokgut with a slight nod to Harry.

"Thank you, Brokgut," said Harry, "You have no idea how many lives you are saving today."

As the floo went dark McGonagall gave him a speculative look. "What could be so important that you would take such extraordinary steps to protect it?"

"One of the keys to winning the war, Professor," said Harry, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Professor Dumbledore. I don't want him to know that I know about this item yet. He hasn't seen fit to explain to me that it exists."

"I see," said McGonagall, "Despite the fact that it has fallen into your possession?"

"He doesn't know that," admitted Harry, "Luckily, I do know what to do with it, despite our former Headmaster's best efforts. I have to go now Professor. I need to talk to Malfoy."

"Do I need to accompany you?" asked McGonagall.

"Probably not," said Harry, "I just need to deliver a message."

XXXXX

Harry found Malfoy in the Slytherin common room. "Draco, we need to talk," said Harry as he cast a silencing charm around them.

"About what?" said a very annoyed Malfoy.

"About the war," said Harry, "Specifically about the Death Eaters trying to kill your aunt."

Malfoy's face went dark. "That mudblood lover is no aunt of mine."

"Actually, Sirius has officially reinstated her as a member of the Black Family, so that disowning garbage isn't going to fly," said Harry, "But aside from that, she is your mother's only living relative, aside from Sirius. Surely that means something to you?"

"It does," said Malfoy, "but I won't go up against the will of the Dark Lord."

"I'm not stupid enough to ask you to," said Harry, "I just wanted to tell you that before the Wizengamot activated the Black family will, Sirius did change it, but he didn't make Andromeda his heir. He made me his heir. I have the Black family fortune, and I suppose the Lestrange fortune as well. Killing Andromeda won't get it for your lord."

Malfoy's eyes widened at that news. He clearly wasn't entirely comfortable with his aunt being sentenced to death.

"I think your mother at the least would like to know that," said Harry.

Malfoy nodded. "All right Potter. I'll do as you ask. For my mother's sake. Not for you."

"I wouldn't expect you too," said Harry.

"If you don't mind, who would inherit the Black money if you died?" asked Malfoy.

Harry gave a grim smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself Malfoy. But it would go back to Sirius of course. Now, if only one of your friends can do the job properly. Your boss certainly wasn't able to."

And with that, Harry spun around and walked away.

XXXXX

Narcissa rushed into the sitting room where the Dark Lord was resting. She hoped he was in a good mood. The information she had received from Draco couldn't wait.

"Narcissa," said Rookwood, "Is something the matter?"

"I have received information from my son about the Black fortune," said Narcissa, "Following the deaths of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora, Harry approached Draco and admitted that he controlled the Black fortune."

The Dark Lord's eyes went wide. "So Potter controls the former Lestrange vault?" he demanded.

"It would seem so," said Narcissa, "He had kept this rather quiet, I must say."

The Dark Lord didn't seem to hear her though. "Does he know what she had? Impossible. Yet…" the Dark Lord trailed off.

Suddenly he leapt to his feet. "I must go, I will be back in a day or two at the latest. Rookwood, hold down the fort for me."

And the Dark Lord apparated away.

"Strange," said Rookwood, "Something seems to have spooked him."

"Perhaps Bella had something of the Dark Lord's in her vault," suggested Narcissa, "He once entrusted an important item with Lucius." Narcissa didn't dare say that she knew that the item had been a horcrux. That was not information that the Dark Lord would want getting out. But if Potter now had one of the Dark Lord's soul anchors...

Perhaps the time to escape had finally come, regardless of whether Draco would come with her or not.

XXXXX

Narcissa looked at the small pile of belongings that she had gathered together. It wasn't much. But it might be enough to get her far from this place. She knew her departure would hurt Draco, but she didn't dare warn him. He might not turn her in, but his reaction would draw comment. No, best to make a clean break. Draco would survive best on his own.

"Narcissa," said a soft voice. Narcissa spun around to see Snape standing there. Narcissa almost tried to hide what she'd been doing, but she knew it was pointless. Snape either knew or he didn't, drawing attention to it now would do her no good.

"What are you doing here?" asked Narcissa.

"I came at Rookwood's request," said Snape, "He was concerned about the Dark Lord's sudden departure. I trust that you suspect as I do, that one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes was in the possession of your sister?"

"Why do you say that?" asked Narcissa.

"Because you are preparing to flee," said Snape, "Don't deny it, it is obvious."

"I can't take it anymore," said Narcissa, "The Dark Lord takes and takes, but in truth all he does is destroy. I have to escape before I lose myself."

"What you say of the Dark Lord, it is true," admitted Snape.

"Come with me!" begged Narcissa, suddenly hopeful, "Together, we could stay away from him! We could make a new life! I know you see the madness in what he has become."

"Indeed I do," said Snape, "Which is why I cannot leave."

And in that moment, Narcissa understood. Snape was the Order's spy in the Death Eaters, not just as a ruse, but in truth. He was trying to take down the Dark Lord.

"Run if you want," said Snape, "I won't stop you, or turn you in. But he will catch you. You're in too deep now, even without the mark."

Narcissa settled herself down in a chair. "What else can I do?" she asked.

"Endure," said Snape. He turned towards the door to her chamber.

"Severus," said Narcissa, "Aren't you afraid I'll turn you in?"

Snape smiled grimly. "The Dark Lord will see in my mind what I want him to see, and he will see terrified delusions in yours. Pray he never looks this deep into your mind. If he does, he will see a self serving attempt to deflect away from your crimes."

And with that, Snape swept from the chamber.

Narcissa knew that she did have a chance. The Dark Lord was more vulnerable than even Snape realized. But the moment had passed. Narcissa no longer had the courage to do what she needed to.

Rookwood ran by, stopping to poke his head into Narcissa's chamber. "Our Lord has returned," he said simply before leaving.

Narcissa took to her feet, and ran after him.

The Dark Lord was in his sitting room again. As soon as Narcissa entered, he smiled.

"Good, we are all here. I had thought that Potter might have some dangerous information about me, but from what I can tell he simply moved everything from the Lestrange vault into the Black vault, then locked down the Black vault. He anticipated me going after his money."

The Dark Lord smirked. "Too late for the halfblood and her werewolf friend."

The other Death Eaters chuckled.

"I am satisfied that Potter remains in ignorance of what he has in Bellatrix's vault," said the Dark Lord.

"What is in the vault?" asked Amycus Carrow.

"It is not your concern," said the Dark Lord, "Suffice to say that it is not something I want him to have. But he doesn't seem to know it exists, so it is safe, for the moment. I will have to recover it, eventually."

Narcissa sighed in relief. Retribution was not likely coming for her yet. All thoughts of flying were gone.

For the moment.

XXXXX

December 21st, 1996

The train ride back to London was relatively uneventful. Harry had expected something to happen, but the truth was that his enemies were still reeling. Even minor mischief wasn't something that the Death Eaters were currently contemplating. The deaths of Remus and Tonks had apparently stretched the Death Eaters to the max.

Harry was contemplating a certain form of mischief. That morning he'd received an invitation to meet with Amelia Bones, at a place of his choosing. The problem was, it wasn't addressed to him, but to the Triumvirate. Harry considered his options. He needed to do this, but where would the best place to meet her be? And that is when it hit him: where he could go that no one could ever question him going.

Not that Harry wasn't seeing a mini drama in the making on the train. Luna still seemed to be pining over Neville. Harry didn't get that at all. As far as Harry could see, Neville did like Hannah, but he could barely get up the courage to speak with her. He'd told Luna that if she played her cards right, she still had a shot there. Luna had been noncommittal. She still had an issue working up the confidence to broach the subject with Neville, but thankfully her indecision was growing less and less pronounced all the time.

The other thing to watch was Tracey and Ron. Ron had started finding Tracey at times she wasn't around Daphne. Today, on the train, he'd managed to get all the Quidditch captains together for a little conference about 'player safety.' It had just been a ruse so that he could talk to Tracey after the meeting. Tracey didn't seem to be biting. Normally Harry would have approved of Tracey's loyalty, but given that Daphne had been warned that Tracey liked Ron before she had started dating him, he felt that if Ron was interested in Tracey, she should feel free to be interested back.

Arriving at the train station, Bill and Fleur met them there. Supposedly, they were going to apparate Ron and Ginny to the Burrow. And they were going to apparate Ron there. Ginny would be joining him there… eventually. But they were making a little stop first. Ron was pretty terrible at apparating though, so he really did need their help.

Harry noticed there were aurors at the train station. More than usual. And he found out why when Goyle left the train. The aurors were there to arrest him for authorizing payments to the Death Eaters. Goyle replied to that by pulling his wand and trying to cast fiendfyre at one of the aurors. The spell didn't go off, but Harry figured he'd added about six or seven years to his sentence as he watched Goyle go down under a hail of stunners.

XXXXX

Gringotts was preparing to close down for the day when Harry arrived. That didn't matter, even if the bank had been closed Harry would have been admitted for this task. The goblins weren't really happy that their facility had been used to house a horcrux for all these years. They wanted it gone.

It took several carts to ferry them all to the Black family vault, but they all got there. Brokgut was waiting for them.

"The vault will be coming off lockdown in just a few minutes," said Brokgut, "Will you want to lock it down again afterwards?"

Harry shook his head. "No, we will have all the artifacts removed however. I'm certain that Riddle has already been here, and he is satisfied that I haven't grabbed the horcrux and run with it yet. Might as well keep him in the dark for a while."

"Very good," said Brokgut. Suddenly, the Goblin's ears perked up. He ran his finger across the door to Sirius's vault, and it opened.

Harry walked in. He knew exactly what he was looking for.

"Harry, you want me to deal with it?" asked Ginny.

"No," said Harry, "I have this one."

He stopped in front of the cup. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the cup.

"Legilimens," he said.

And once again he felt the pressure of Tom Riddle's mind on his. He knew how to deal with it now though. Through will he pushed Riddle back into the cup, then drew all the power of the cup out through himself.

A puff of black came off of the cup as it began to scream, before cutting off.

"Five down, two to go," said Hermione.

"We could go to the Riddle Shack right now," said Ginny, "We could kill every horcrux but the snake tonight."

"Mum would have a fit if you don't come straight home," said Bill.

"I actually want to use that horcrux as bait," said Harry, "We might be able to lure out a lot of Death Eaters that way. But we need to set it up properly."

"So not for a while then?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded. "We'll have to construct a perfect lie. But if we do this right, Riddle will expose his weakness for us."

XXXXX

December 22nd, 1996

The next day Harry woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Hermione had already woken up, so he quickly used the facilities and went down to the kitchen. Dobby was cooking, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Harry finally managed to locate her, staring out the window in Harry's upstairs study.

"You all right?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," Hermione said sadly, "I just realized that I won't be seeing my parents for Christmas this year. I'm happy that they are safe, of course, but I do miss them."

"Well, we will be able to see all our friends at least," said Harry, "I heard a rumour that Luna is throwing a New Years party. A small one."

"That will be something," said Hermione, "Luna throwing a party?"

"I'm intrigued," admitted Harry, "And I was hoping to spend some time with Sirius and Andromeda."

Hermione's smile dissipated. "You're right, we should," she said sadly.

"Harry!" shouted Dobby, "We has a floo call down here for you!"

Harry ran downstairs to the floo. He could see Sirius's face in the fire.

"Harry!" said Sirius, "I have a visitor who wishes to speak with you. A very unwelcome visitor. If you could stop by here…"

Harry looked at Dobby. "Breakfast is ready," said the elf simply.

"Dobby just cooked us a meal here," said Harry, "Can it wait?"

"Oh, I suppose," said Sirius unenthusiastically, "My guest is Snape though. I can't guarantee I won't punch him in the face."

"We'll hurry," said Hermione as she entered the room.

XXXXX

"Professor," said Harry as he walked into the sitting room at Grimmauld Place.

"I have to admit Potter, you've been giving Albus conniption fits. He absolutely can't figure out where you are staying," said Snape with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"I'm sure," said Harry, "As you can see, our location is perfectly safe, at least for the time being."

"Good," said Snape, "because I'm glad that Albus doesn't know how to find you."

"Well that's not ominous at all," said Hermione.

"I believe I have made a large error in trusting Albus Dumbledore," said Snape, "and I'm not sure how to rectify it."

"What is the problem?" asked Harry.

"He wants you to act as a counterbalance against the Dark Lord," said Snape.

"That's obvious," said Harry.

"No, I don't mean like that," said Snape, "I mean that he wants you and the Dark Lord to keep each other in check while Dumbledore achieves his goals."

"What goals are you talking about?" asked Harry.

"It isn't common knowledge, but during the war with Grindelwald, Dumbledore took a back seat in things until the end. There have long been rumours that Dumbledore was previously friendly with Grindelwald, but nothing was ever confirmed," began Snape.

"So you think he was holding back because he sympathized with Grindelwald?" asked Hermione.

"I think that Dumbledore was opposed to Grindelwald's methods," said Snape, "but not his ideology. I think that Dumbledore is willing to control anyone if he thinks it will lead to a more stable world, and that certainly includes muggles."

"What does this have to do with me?" asked Harry.

"The rise of the Dark Lord has made anti-muggleborn rhetoric more prominent," said Snape, "But that sort of ideology is antithetical to Grindelwald's brand of magical supremacy. Dumbledore needs someone to keep the Dark Lord in check. A Dark Lord of Light as it were. That is why I believe that he sorted you into Slytherin. So you would do what needed to be done to stop the Dark Lord. As you two held each other in check, Dumbledore would use each of you as an example of why the extreme pro-muggle and extreme anti-muggle positions were bad, and try to usher in a new era of secret magical control over the muggle world."

"Whoa," said Harry, stepping back for a moment.

"That's insane," said Hermione.

"It could work," said Harry, "But only if I was much more dangerous than I am now."

"Exactly," said Snape, "You haven't become his Dark Lord of light yet. You've done some things that he might not approve of I think, but you remain committed to basic rules of engagement that the Dark Lord has forsaken. And that is why I am speaking out. I want you to keep resisting the temptation to give in to vengeance. You are doing well."

"I…" stuttered Harry. He really didn't know what to say here. He didn't even know if he believed it. If Snape was behind Harry's sorting, this is exactly the sort of thing he might say to throw Harry off the scent. What should he do?

"I will keep what you have said in mind," said Harry, "though you'll understand if I don't take what you are saying on faith."

"You would be foolish to do so," said Snape, "I just couldn't sit by and watch Dumbledore try to ruin you. I have long wondered what his game was. Only recently I heard about his connection to Grindelwald, and that set me on the path to discover this."

"Who told you?" asked Harry.

"Aberforth," said Snape.

Harry nodded again. "Well, I can't promise much, but I will be careful."

"That's all I can ask," said Snape.

Harry couldn't even imagine what Ginny's reaction to this would be.

XXXXX

December 23rd, 1996

Amelia walked down the street in Godric's Hollow, wearing a warm muggle coat and hat. She wondered why she had been summoned to this place of all places. Still, she had to admit, it was out of the way.

She made her way into the graveyard. The graves here were very old, and many of them belonged to families of magical lineage. In a way, this was an appropriate place to meet, not far from where Lord Voldemort's first fall had occurred.

Amelia heard voices ahead. Coming around a large monument she saw two people at the grave of Lily and James Potter. She awkwardly realized that it was Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She hadn't counted on this.

Before she could hide herself though, Harry turned to her.

"I've never been here before," he said casually, as if he had expected her to be there, "I don't know what I was expecting. I suppose I wasn't expecting anything, but it is still… I don't really know how to explain. I felt as if something would be different after I came here, but it isn't. Maybe I've come to accept their deaths. Or maybe I'm missing something."

"There is no right way to feel for something like this," said Amelia, "You just handle it as best as you can."

"I've survived my whole life without my parents," said Harry, "I do wish they could meet Hermione. I think they'd like her."

Harry shook his head. "But you didn't come all this way to talk about my parents, did you Amelia?"

Amelia smiled in realization. "You work for the Triumvirate, don't you Harry."

Harry gave a wordless laugh. "I am the Triumvirate, or at least Triumvir #1," he said without any sign of trepidation.

"And I am #2," said Hermione.

"Wait, the Triumvirate is being run by Hogwarts students?" demanded Amelia.

"Yes," said Harry, "though we have had some help from the outside."

"Like Cedric," said Amelia. Harry grinned. Trust Amelia to see through Cedric's ruse.

"Cedric was a member at Hogwarts before he was a member outside it," said Harry, "The Army has been around in some form or another since my second year though. It wasn't an army at first, and we didn't always have a triumvirate, but the old war council did it's job admirably well."

"So, are you plotting to overthrow the Ministry?" asked Amelia, half-joking.

"Not at the present," said Hermione, "Fudge is more or less doing what we want him to do these days. We'd prefer a peaceful transition of power in any case. Gradual reforms."

"You're using the IUC as a political recruitment tool!" said Amelia as she finally realized what was going on, "You've created an entire generation of progressives. But You-Know-Who threatens that."

"He is the single greatest threat to magical Britain," said Harry.

Amelia considered this. "What about those ten dead Death Eaters. Was that deliberate, or an accident?"

"It was… a mistake," said Harry, "But while we wouldn't want to do it again, it has put us in a dominating position."

"According to the law, I should arrest you now," said Amelia.

"That would go very poorly for you," said Hermione, "In any case, we aren't the only ones involved. Would you arrest all of us? Including your niece?"

"Susan is part of your army?" asked Amelia.

"Not only is she a part of the Army, she was at the Department of Mysteries," said Hermione.

Amelia swore softly. "No offense, but I wish she hadn't been."

"I wish I hadn't been there sometimes, so no offense taken," said Harry.

"Why are you coming to me about this?" asked Amelia.

"Fudge is a problem, even if he is more or less doing what he should be doing," said Hermione, "And he will get worse. He is just not a very good leader for this war."

"We have been trying to work around him," said Harry, "But it's becoming cumbersome. For example, our recent series of attacks on the Death Eaters would have worked far better if they had been more precisely coordinated. So, I'm here, talking to you. Because we need to coordinate."

"The Minister…" said Amelia.

"There is no reason he needs to be involved," insisted Harry, "He's already given you the okay to work with us, he just wouldn't be aware that you are actually in contact with us directly."

"How do you know that…" started Amelia before she shook her head in amazement, "Percy Weasley. Of course. He's your man in Fudge's office. Wait, that's why Fudge has been acting almost competently recently. It's because you've been feeding him ideas."

"Some of it is ours and some is Percy's," explained Harry, "Percy has developed a pretty good eye for the sorts of things he needs to do to push things along."

"So you want me to coordinate with you?" asked Amelia, "Keep you up to date about what is going on in the Ministry?"

"And in exchange we would let you know what is going on with the Army," said Hermione.

"And what about the criminal elements you have working for you?" asked Amelia.

Hermione shook her head. "They don't work for us," she said frustratedly, "So we can't control them or give you a full accounting of what is going on with them. We coordinated on the latest attack because we figured it would give us an edge, but ultimately we didn't hurt Clarise Zabini enough for it to have been worth it. They're trying to drive her out of Scotland right now. She's pretty much done in Wales."

"The last thing we need right now is an all out mob war," said Amelia, "Though I understand the temptation to let Danny O'Keefe finish off Clarise Zabini."

"Danny O'Keefe is the leader of the Irish Underworld?" asked Hermione.

"So that's the name of Blaise's boss," said Harry, "He never did tell me that name."

"Wait, Blaise Zabini is working for the Irish magical underworld?" asked Amelia, "No wonder things have been going insane! Clarise must be on the warpath!"

"I don't know what Blaise is up to," said Harry, "And I am intentionally not paying attention. He's my friend, and I don't want to be part of any action taken against him."

"I understand," said Amelia, "So what exactly are you proposing?"

"You're interested?" asked Hermione.

"Let's just say that I have about as much trust in Fudge at this point as you do," said Amelia, "I think his position is a lot shakier than most people think, and I want to have some allies in case things go to hell when his administration collapses."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, "How is it shakier?"

"Umbridge will be coming back in a few months," said Amelia, "and when that happens, one way or another, things are going to be a mess."

"Wait, why would he want to have Umbridge back?" demanded Harry.

"He might not," said Amelia, "But she has just enough dirt on him that if he doesn't bring her back in she can sink his administration in a heartbeat. Why do you think he rescued her when she was accused of using Blood Quills in the Improper Use of Magic office? She was his agent in that office, helping cover up the dirty tricks he pulled on his ascent to power. If Umbridge comes back, it doesn't matter if he brings her back into things or not. One way or another, Fudge is going to be walking on a tightrope if we can't beat You-Know-Who by July or August."

Harry looked at Hermione. She just shook her head.

"No way," said Harry, "By next October or November, maybe we'll be in a position to finish off Voldemort by then, but we aren't even going to be able to finish our current plan until June."

"If he's even mortal by August that would be a big win I think," said Hermione.

"What do you mean, 'mortal?'" demanded Amelia.

"Do you know what a Horcrux is?" asked Harry.

Amelia's heart sank. That was bad. Far worse than anything she had feared.

"Yes," she said after a moment.

"Well, Voldemort created seven of them," said Harry, "and we've destroyed five of them."

And it was in that moment that Amelia knew for a fact that she had to work with Harry Potter.

XXXXX

Harry and Hermione come home later than they had hoped that afternoon. It had been a long day, but they had convinced Amelia to work with them. Relaxing in Harry's living room, by the fire, they both reflected on the day's events.

"That was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be," said Harry.

"Amelia just needed to be sure we weren't a threat to the Ministry," said Hermione, "It's an understandable concern."

"I wonder if we can still get Dobby to serve us tea," started Harry.

At that moment the fire in the fireplace took the form of the head of Justin. "Harry, Hermione, I need to come through, I really fucked up."

"Justin?" asked Hermione, "Where are you?"

"I'm at Luna's," he said, "I, uh, kind of had to run over here after Molly chased me away from the Burrow."

Harry sighed. "Come on through, Justin," he said wearily.

Moments later, Justin was standing in their sitting room.

"So what happened?" asked Harry.

"So I went over to visit Ginny," said Justin.

"We figured that," said Harry.

"We met out in the shed they keep their brooms in," continued Justin, "and we were snogging a bit. So then Ginny decided to uh, grab a bit lower, as it were. She didn't seem all that comfortable doing it, and while I didn't mind it on my end, I told her she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to. But she insisted. And then Molly walked in."

"And she saw what was happening I assume?" asked Harry.

Justin blushed. "It was all pretty visible, if you get my meaning. Molly started screaming at me, and I just ran!"

Harry put his head in his hand.

"Do you want me to handle this?" asked Hermione.

"No, it has to be me," said Harry, "Ginny likes you, but this is something I have to do. I'm the only person she'll listen to."

"Why?" asked Justin.

"Because this is our fault," said Harry, "at least in the sense that she is trying to keep up with us. And I'm closer to Ginny than Hermione is."

"You'll never convince Molly to let you talk to her right now," said Hermione.

Harry shook his head. "I will, and it will be easy. Once you realise Molly Weasley's priorities, it's easy enough to convince her of just about anything, so long as it doesn't hurt her family."

Grabbing his wand, Harry apparated to a spot not far from the Burrow. He quickly made his way towards the door, but he was intercepted by Ron outside.

"Hey Harry," said Ron, "Mum isn't letting Ginny have any visitors right now."

"I just talked to Justin, I am very aware of what happened," said Harry, "I'm here to talk to Molly."

"That might not be a great idea," said Ron.

"Don't worry," said Harry, "believe it or not, your Mum and I are on the same side of this one."

Harry walked into the Burrow.

"Harry!" said Molly from the kitchen, "This is an unexpected surprise. I'm afraid that Ginny…"

"I'm aware of the situation," said Harry as he raised his hand to stop her, "I came to speak with you actually. Well, I need to speak to Ginny, but I need you to understand why it is so important."

"I'm afraid it isn't going to be possible today," said Molly.

"It has to be today," said Harry, "Otherwise one of you will end up saying something that you will both regret. Just hear me out."

"Okay, I'm listening," said Molly, "But I don't think that it is going to change my mind. Ginny is still too young to be doing… certain things."

"I sort of agree with you," said Harry, "but at the same time you have to realize that Justin isn't just some guy to Ginny. They're together, and it is serious. And I know you well enough to know you aren't ready to accept that. But if you go into that room and do something stupid, like demand she stop seeing Justin, it will go very badly for you. But Ginny isn't ready for this, and Justin's account just confirmed it for me."

"What was he thinking?" demanded Molly.

"He was thinking that the girl he likes was doing something very fun, and even then he told her not to do anything she was uncomfortable with," said Harry, "Justin is fine. Ginny is just trying to grow up a bit too fast. And the reason you need to let me in is because she will listen to me about it, but not to you."

Molly seemed to deflate at that. "You're probably right. Ginny has spent most of the last few years trying to avoid my advice in that area. I don't know why."

"Do you not know why, or are you trying to hide from the fact that you do?" asked Harry before shaking his head, "I'm going to go talk to Ginny now."

Molly nodded.

Harry walked upstairs and knocked on the door to Ginny's room. "Hey Ginny, it's me," he said.

"Come in," she replied.

Harry walked into her room. Ginny was lying on her back, on her bed.

"Surprised Mum let you in here," said Ginny.

"I can be very persuasive," said Harry.

Ginny sat up and patted the space on her bed next to her. "Have a seat," she offered.

Harry sat down next to her. "So Justin came over to my place…"

"I know, I know, he didn't want me going so far," said Ginny.

"He didn't mind for his own self," said Harry, "But he was concerned about you. He said you were clearly uncomfortable. He didn't want you to do anything you didn't want to."

"That's just like him," said Ginny, "I… I kind of am going crazy for him. I wanted to be ready. I really did. You and Hermione..."

"What we did, we did because we had to," said Harry, "You don't have to Ginny, you shouldn't use our relationship as a comparison. Also, until I turned 16 we weren't sharing a bed, even after Hermione moved in, and even then we weren't exactly charging full speed ahead. I will admit that this Christmas we've been a bit more… aggressive about things, but we're a whole year older than you, and our relationship is a lot further along than your relationship with Justin in any case."

"It's just frustrating," said Ginny.

Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "Just do things when you are ready. Don't compare yourself to anyone else, just do things when you feel right about it. And it is always fine to not be ready."

"But I've done this before. It's in my head!" snapped Ginny angrily. And there it was.

"That wasn't you," said Harry, "That was him. And what he did wasn't love."

"I fucked this up, didn't I?" asked Ginny as she put her head on Harry's shoulder.

"It's fine," said Harry, "Justin cares about you, and he isn't offended by what you did. He probably would have enjoyed it. But only if you do it for the right reasons. Because, honestly, I think he's kind of crazy for you."

Ginny laughed at that. "Okay. That sounds promising."

"And that doesn't mean there are things you can't do. I mean I'm sure neither of you would mind if you grabbed his bum a bit," suggested Harry.

Ginny giggled, "I've done that a few times. He's been a little reticent to grab me back though."

"Well, you have to take care of that," said Harry, "I know for a fact that he will enjoy fondling your backside."

Ginny blushed, "That's right, you have some experience there, don't you?"

Harry didn't dignify that with a response, though his ears might have been turning red.

"Just do what's right for you Ginny," said Harry.

After a little more small talk, Harry walked back out to talk to Molly.

"The crisis is over," said Harry, "But once she turns 16, all bets are off. At that point I don't really have a lot I can tell her without being a bit of a hypocrite.

"So you basically bought me 8 months?" asked Molly.

"8 months of no sex," said Harry, "No other guarantees. I can't even guarantee they won't eventually get back to what they started today. Honestly, it is a pretty normal thing for people their age to do. My only interest was that Ginny seemed to be uncomfortable doing it. Oh, and Justin did try and stop her for that very reason, so please don't take it out on him."

Molly sighed, "I suppose it would be wrong."

"And try to let them see a little of each other over the break, even if it's chaperoned," said Harry, "They really are in love, or at least as in love as two kids their age get. Don't punish her too hard for just wanting to grow up a bit fast."

Molly smiled wistfully, "You're trying to sound as if you have so much experience with that, hmmm?"

"Hermione and I started going through some of this a couple years back," said Harry, "It's been... interesting. We dealt with it as well as we could."

Harry didn't trust himself to say more.

"Well, I will take your advice under advisement," said Molly. Something suddenly seemed to catch in her throat.

"And thank you for being such a friend to her, Harry," said Molly, "You have been very, very kind, in spite of everything."

Harry grinned. "Ginny is one of my best friends, and she's almost like a sister to me," he said, "No matter what happens, I will stick by her."

Molly nodded, her face twisted with some angst Harry knew to be guilt. He almost decided to end her suffering right there and tell her what he knew had happened.

But she'd find out in 7 months anyway, so he kept silent. Time to head home.

XXXXX

December 28th, 1996

Harry and Hermione had a fairly good Christmas. They visited Sirius, who had his cousin and her husband as permanent guests now. Andromeda had unexpectedly had a gift for Harry. It was a locket. On one side the locket switched between pictures of Harry's father, on the other side of his mother. The pictures were all different of course, some were from his parent's childhoods, others from their teenage years, others from their adulthood. It always seemed to show what he wanted it too though. Andromeda said that the photos were from Remus, who had left them to Sirius.

All in all, it was a sad Christmas, but Harry and Hermione did their best to keep things as cheery as they could. Which was why they were both extremely disappointed to learn that the rumour that Luna was going to throw a party had not come to fruition.

"It's because Neville isn't coming," explained Tracey, who had come over to visit with Harry and Hermione, "Apparently the whole thing was designed so that Luna would have a chance to talk to him. But his Gran is making him go to the high society new years party at the Greengrasses this year."

"The Greengrasses are holding it again?" asked Harry.

"A lot of pureblood families weren't able to this year for some reason," said Tracey with a grin.

"Hmmm," mused Hermione, "You know, I think we should find a way to give Luna some time with Neville."

"You have an idea?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione, "but somehow, I doubt that Daphne is going to approve."

"Ooooooh," said Tracey, "I think I know what you have in mind."

"We're gonna crash the pureblood party," said Hermione, causing Harry's eyes to gleam with mischief.

XXXXX

December 31st, 1996

Bryant Greengrass had to admit that his wife had really outdone herself with this party. It was all very well done, and the way she'd put out tents and made them into an extension of the activity room made the entire scene seem far more elegant than it had any right to be. It was as if their entire property had been transformed into a faerie garden. And the Minister had come! He had already agreed to provide extensive security for the event, but he came himself in an effort to show that it was safe.

The one sour spot was that Narcissa Malfoy and Draco were there, but that was actually good news. It meant that it was very unlikely that the Death Eaters would attack tonight.

So as Bryant greeted Fudge, he was in a good mood. A mood that was interrupted when Daphne ran up to him.

"Father, we have a little problem outside," she said excitedly.

"I'm talking to the Minister, Daphne," said Bryant.

"The, uh, situation is rather urgent," insisted Daphne.

"Then deal with it," said Bryant.

Daphne seemed not to like that answer at all. "Fine," she said, "I'll do that. Just don't complain afterwards."

So when a large number of loud teenagers, led by the Weasley twins, rushed into the room, Bryant had to admit that he had been warned. They were followed by Harry, Hermione, Tracey, Ron, Luna, Angelina, Alicia, Justin and Dean.

"Daphne..." said Bryant, his voice disapproving.

"When I say something is urgent I mean it," said Daphne, "I needed you to be the one that turned them away." She pointed at Harry and Hermione who were having a conversation with Augusta Longbottom.

"I'm not really in a position to turn away Harry and Hermione," said Daphne, "though from what I gather, this is actually more Augusta's fault than anyone else's. She really should have let Neville go to Luna's party."

Bryant sighed. Sometimes he thought having children had been a mistake.

XXXXX

Neville grinned as he saw the havoc that Harry's party crashers were causing among the guests. The Weasley twins were leaving pranks everywhere. The truth was Neville hated these things, and would much rather have gone to Luna's party. But apparently they'd brought it to him.

"Hey Neville," said Luna as she walked up to him. She led him out into the tent. It was all transfigured to look like a faerie garden in a crystal palace of course. Very pretty.

"You do this for me?" asked Neville.

"Yeah," said Luna shyly.

"Thanks," he said.

"How have you been?" asked Luna, "Did you visit your parents over the holidays."

Neville nodded, somewhat sadly. "I did," he said, "It's a lot easier these days. Since Harry and Hermione killed Bellatrix."

Luna hung her head. "Does it really make it easier?" she asked.

"Yeah, it does," said Neville, "I'd rather she spent her whole life in Azkaban, but once she broke out of there someone needed to put her down. She was just that dangerous. Hey, Harry and Hermione don't like to talk about it, but I just realized, you were there. Which one of them killed Bellatrix?"

Luna stood silently for a moment. Finally she took a deep breath. "Neither of them. I killed her."

Neville's eyes went wide. He couldn't imagine this gentle girl killing anyone, much less the terrifying Bellatrix Lestrange.

"She had Hermione's Mum captive," said Luna, "I snuck up behind her and cut her arm off above the elbow. And as Hermione rescued her mother, I had an open shot at Bellatrix's throat. I… I hadn't intended to kill her, but in that moment all I could think about was all the people she had hurt, and all the people she might hurt in the future. And so I just cast, and suddenly her throat was cut."

"I…" said Neville, not knowing what to say.

"I'm not sorry I did it," said Luna, "But I am sad that I had to. I sometimes dream about it. I wouldn't call them nightmares, but they aren't pleasant dreams."

Neville put an arm around Luna, pulling her close to him. "I understand Luna, and I'm sorry you had to do that," he said, "But I'm glad… I'm glad you avenged my parents."

"You know that I like you, right?" said Luna, "I do like you. I know you are into Hannah…"

Neville was stunned. He hadn't realized. And he was into Hannah, but she had made clear that she wasn't interested in a relationship right now.

"Hannah is a very nice girl," said Neville, "But.. well, she hasn't really paid the attention back to me that I was hoping yet."

"And I do kind of like you as well," said Neville, "in fact…"

And that was when he lifted Luna's face up and kissed her.

"Neville!" came the unwelcome voice of his Gran, "what are you doing to poor Miss Lovegood?"

"Exactly what I want him to," said Luna softly, so only Neville could hear.

"Sorry Gran," said Neville, "Luna and I are going to disappear for a bit."

His Gran was going to be livid, but Neville didn't care. He had much more important things on his mind now.

XXXXX

Tracey watched Neville and Luna run off upstairs, probably to go snog somewhere. It was actually adorable.

"Makes you think," said Ron Weasley.

Tracey jumped. She hadn't realized that Ron was there. "About?" she asked.

"Sometimes we care about people without bothering to admit it to ourselves," said Ron.

"Ron..." started Tracey.

"Listen I like you, and I know you like me," said Ron, "I know you're Daphne's best friend, but I look back on things and realize that you were interested in me long before she was."

"Don't be silly," said Tracey.

"I may be a bit thick, but I'm pretty sure that even I can figure something out given enough time," said Ron, "But it doesn't matter. Whether or not you were interested in me, I am interested in you now."

Tracey blushed.

"Listen, you don't have to answer me now," said Ron, "Just think about what you want. Haven't you played the part of Daphne's loyal friend for long enough? Why not do what you want for a change?"

"I don't know…" said Tracey.

Ron grinned, "All I know is that you're beautiful, smart, and good at Quidditch. You're basically the perfect girl. Consider it at least?"

Tracey nodded, her face flaming.

Where had this come from? And what was Tracey going to do about it? Would it be betraying Daphne to agree?

But then Tracey smiled. Ron Weasley liked her. That was reason enough to be happy for the moment.

Author's Note: A bit of a slower chapter, though we get Luna hooking up with Neville. This is sort of the denouement of Luna's plot arc honestly. In my original outline Luna only played a very minor role because she wasn't sorted into Slytherin. Originally her main involvement in the plot was she was supposed to provide an excuse for Ginny to join Harry in his trip to rescue Hermione in Australia. She also would have infiltrated the Granger house in Australia much as I wrote it, but in earlier versions Hermione didn't have her wand, so the shell she gave Hermione was supposed to be some sort of spell focus. Once I decided Luna would be sorted into Slytherin it was suddenly easy to find things for Luna to do. Luna killing Bellatrix was something I came up with late, as it neatly sidestepped some issues I was having with the original ending to that scene.

Ginny's plot in this chapter was just something I wrote on the spot really. I just wanted to remind people that Ginny is still running a little hot and reckless. Honestly, she's going to until she has it out with her mother. Which is coming up in a few chapters.

Next Time: Draco makes a mistake, Dumbledore makes a big mistake, and Snape makes a huge mistake.