I don't understand," Hermione called, as she and Harry chased after their surprisingly fleet-footed, and apprehensive looking host. "It's just a hedge maze isn't it? They won't get lost or anything if that's what you're worried about."

Neville was far too 'worried' about reaching the maze as quickly as possible to hear her, and despite her words to the contrary, Harry could tell Hermione was worried as well.

"I'm sure you're right Hermione." Harry offered, wanting to reinforce Hermione's belief that everything would be fine.

"Of course I am!" came her reply…and in a tone that said she was as much trying to convince herself of her words as Harry. "Dad was a Queen Scout, he's got an excellent sense of direction."

Harry's heart sank as he thought back to what Neville had said upon his arrival "I'm not sure that's going to help much Hermione."

"Why not?" The rather frazzled looking brunette queried.

Harry could see Hermione was growing rather anxious. For a moment he considered with holding what little he knew, the information was sure to only further distress his brown eyed girl, and Harry had done quite enough of that today already. Still Hermione had never liked being left in the dark either. Being out of the loop was ought to distress her just as badly if not worse than knowing, and of course Neville was not about to slow his pace to explain.

"Ah well," Harry began, as he scratched the back of his head, "apparently the hedges like to move, but don't worry we've dealt with worse."

"Move?!" Hermione exclaimed just as she and Harry finally caught up to Neville who was stopped at the entrance to the Living Labyrinth.

"Yeah, sort of like the stairs at school..." The long faced future lord of LongLeaf commented. "Uncle Algie set it up for me years ago, used to say I could either magic or 'member my way out, either way it'd make a proper Longbottom of me."

Normally a tale like that would have elicited a great deal of empathy from Harry, but right now the only thing he could feel was the ever growing level of distress radiating off his beloved girl, and a desperate need to relieve the ever increasing strain filling her face.

"It's not the walls that worry me though," Neville went on, "It's what's between them."

Hermione looked about on her own last nerve as she questioned the nervous looking Neville "Wait, What's between them?"

Neville began stammering "Ah… Well… you see…Professor Sprout thinks I have a real aptitude for Herbology. She's been giving me advanced lessons for a while now. She says I'm well beyond what the rest of our year are ready for yet.""

This was not at all helpful. "Nevvvvilllllle…." Harry prodded

Neville stammered, "Oh! Present company accepted I'd assume…"

"Neville!" Harry said firmly, "We need to know what we're up against now could you stop rambling and explain please."

"Ah right," Neville answered, "Well you see the Professor gave me some samples of different plants. You know, so I could continue my studies over breaks and the like… of course when Uncle Algie found out he umm… shall we say encouraged things a little."

This was all fascinating Harry was sure, but right now he had the feeling the Grangers were in a great deal of trouble. "What do you mean by encouraged things Neville?" Harry asked

"Ah you know…" It seemed Neville's stammering could not be curtailed, "he… enhanced the difficulty a bit… added a few more challenging…"

Hermione grabbed Neville by the collar pulling him down, so they were eye to eye. "Neville Longbottom you tell me exactly what is in there with my parents, this instant!"

"Ummm, let me think… there's some Mimbulus mimbletonia," Neville began listing off, "a few Mandrakes…"

"Mandrakes!" Hermione exclaimed "How old?"

"I'm not rightly sure, "Neville continued hesitantly, "but that's not the worst of it, there's also Henbane, Belladonna…"

Hermione slunk back, "Henbane, Belladonna…" she repeated as her eyes darted back and forth piecing together what Harry was sure was the worst possible scenarios in her head. Neville meanwhile had paused, clearly hesitant to continue further down the list, and with good reason. Mimbulus mimbletonia wasn't all that bad, no worse than a nasty run in with a skunk, but a fully-grown Mandrake's cry could kill, and Henbane and Belladonna were known to cause hallucinations and delirium before they killed.

"Hermione," Harry said placing a hand on each of her shoulders, "it'll be alright," he turned to look at Neville, "the Mandrakes are potted right?"

"Most are planted actually, there a few in pots though yeah." Neville replied.

"Well then there's nothing to worry about" Harry assure Hermione. "Mandrakes only cry if they are pulled out of their soil, right? And Henbane and Belladonna are only poisonous if you swallow them? You said your Dad was a Queen Scout didn't you?" Hermione's head began to shake in the affirmative. "Well then he'll know better than to go touching any plants he doesn't recognize… much less eat them." Hermione continued to nod her agreement. "It might take us a bit with the shifting hedges, but we'll find them. Everything will be fine Hermione… won't it Neville?"

"Oh, ah yeah," Neville replied, "Your parents will be fine. I'm sure we'll find them before they get too far towards the middle where all the really dangerous stuff is."

Dam it Neville! Harry thought to himself, can't you see Hermione's worried enough already.

"What do you mean the really dangerous stuff?" Hermione asked, any reassurance Harry had managed to provide thrown right out the window by this latest revelation.

Neville explained, "Well Professor Sprout let me take a cutting from the Whomping Willow a couple years back. Didn't take it long to grow full size after I planted it in the centre of the maze either. It's not quite as big as the one at school but it still manages to block out most of the sunlight to the paths near the middle of the maze." Harry did not like where this was going, the only reason he could think of to mention the lack of sunlight would be if… "Of course Uncle Algie didn't let the lack of light keep him from filling up all the paths with plants that like that sort of thing. Closer you get to the tree you start to find stuff like Devil Snare, Venomous Tentacula …"

Hermione's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Harry reached down and took her hand and said, "Everything is going to be alright!"

Hermione pulled away shaking her head franticly "You don't need to patronize me Harry!" she exclaimed "We both know full well; No Muggle stands a chance at dealing with the likes of Venomous Tentacula, or Devil's Snare. Not when they are completely unaware of what they are walking into, they…"

"Hermione look at me." Harry said firmly as he lifted her chin to make her look him in the eye. "Everything IS going to be fine. I Promise!" Harry's words seemed to have finally succeeded calming if not relaxing the normally level-headed brunette. "Hermione have I ever let you down before, broken my promise, when it really counted?"

Hermione shook her head again, but there was nothing frantic about it now, the worry in her eyes seemed to have melted away as she looked into Harry's and she replied "No, of course you haven't."

"Well I'm not about to start now, am I?" Harry said flashing her a reassuring grin, "We are going to head in there, find your Mum and Dad, and bring them back up to the house before Augusta's tea gets cold. Now come on let's get moving."

Harry took the lead as the three Gryffindors entered the living labyrinth. It really ought to be Neville guiding them rather than himself, Harry lamented. After all of the three of them, Neville was the expert on everything and anything they were walking into, not Harry. Unfortunately Neville was looking even unsure of himself than usual. Of course, just having come face to face with 5'6 of furious brunette probably hadn't helped much. Ron had always been right about one thing; Hermione could be scary when she was angry, especially when the anger stemmed from a place of worry over those she loved.

It wasn't long before Harry's assertion about who should have been leading them rang true. The trio couldn't have gone more than 50 meters before they came to a cross road in the path. "Right then, which way Neville" Harry heard Hermione ask.

"Don't look at me," Neville replied, "The walls change remember?"

Hermione replied indignantly, "Well of course I remember! You only said it five minutes ago. But you also said all the really dangerous stuff is near the centre, right?"

Neville looked confused "Yeah but I don't see what…"

Hermione asked, "Well then shouldn't our goal be to get there as quickly as possible?"

Seeing his friend was still confused Harry added "Before the Grangers run into something they aren't prepared for?"

"I suppose," Neville replied, "But there's no reason to think they headed along the North path towards the centre. For that matter, there's no reason to think there even was a path heading north when your parents passed through here."

Harry could nearly feel Hermione's eyes rolling as she replied; "Yes… but if they are somewhere around the outer edge they'll be fine till we get to them. If Mum and Dad make it to the centre before we do though…." Hermione trailed off.

"You're both right" Harry said taking charge of the situation. "That's why we are going to split up."

Hermione protested "What good will that do? You both still have the trace on you. I'm the only one of us who can use magic outside of School. We split up and we might as well just have two more muggles wandering around the maze."

Harry shook his head, "Hermione, Neville is right. There is nothing to suggest your parents are headed towards the centre of the maze, in fact I rather doubt they are." Hermione looked both surprised and relieved as Harry continued, "The house is to the west, your Dad would know that, and so I'd be willing to bet he'd try to keep headed that way. Which is why that's the direction you'll head Hermione."

It did make the most logical sense that a Queen Scout, such as Mr. Granger, would do as Harry had suggested. It also happened to be the safest of the three directions Hermione's parents could have been headed in. Despite his words of assurance to the contrary however, something in Harry's gut told him it couldn't be that easy, and the Granger's were in a lot more danger than the westward path would present.

"Still we can't be sure they went down the west path." Harry continued so Neville you head down the eastern path and I'll take the Northern one."

Again, Hermione protested "And how exactly do you plan on dealing with what's down that Northern path without using magic and getting you're self-arrested for underage sorcery, or performing magic in front of muggles Harry?"

Neville began to answer, "Well that's not really…"

"I don't care!" Harry stated firmly. "Look the west passage makes the most sense that's why you're going that way, but we really have no way of knowing if there even was a west path when your mum and dad came through here. The outer paths are less dangerous to be sure, but we still can't risk your parents running into a fully-grown Mandrake out of its soil or something before one of us finds them."

"But Harry…" Hermione's eyes had welled up, "What if something happens to you? What if you use your magic and Scrimgeour decides to do to you what he plans to do to Ginny?"

Again Neville tried to interject, "Why would Scrimgeour…"

"I don't care" Harry stated again placing a hand on each of Hermione's shoulders, "I promised you your Mum and Dad would be okay, and that's a promise I intend to keep, whatever the consequences."

"Ah guys, we're allowed to…" Neville tried once more but was again cut off

"Besides, we're allowed to use magic for defense right, even if it is in front of muggles." Harry added, "Even if we weren't, if it's a choice between protecting your family and facing the Ministry."

"Would the Two of you let me get a word in edge wise!?" Neville interrupted. Both Harry and Hermione had stunned looks on their faces at Neville's sudden assertive attitude. It quickly faded as he began to speak though. "Sorry…, it's just you're both worrying over nothing." It was Harry and Hermione's turns to look confused. "Well how exactly do you imagine I manage my studies in here if not with magic?"

Hermione asked, "You mean the trace doesn't work here?"

"Ha, no of course it does," Neville replied, "But with Milly, and Gran, and Uncle Algie, when he's around that is, all on the grounds…"

Hermione let out a groan, one Harry knew from experience signaled her complete irritation with herself. "Ugh of course, how could I be so stupid, the trace can't tell the difference between an underage wizard and a House Elf," That was certainly true Harry admitted to himself, thinking back to a particular pudding Dobby had floated through Aunt Pentiua's Kitchen for which he had been blamed. "Much less," Hermione continued on, "which underage wizard cast the spell, only the general area in which it was cast."

"Right then it's settled." Harry said taking charge once more, "Hermione will head west, Neville you go east, and I'll head north. Try to keep going in the same general direction as much as you can, that'll let us cover the most ground." Harry wasn't really sure if that last bit was true or not, but it felt so, and it would make the next part of his plan much simpler. "We'll use the same signaling system from the third task of the Triward. Whoever finds the Grangers first, shoot up blue sparks and start heading south towards the exit. If you get into trouble throw up red ones." Hermione and Neville both nodded their agreement.

"Any one gets turned around, a quick four point's spell should straighten them out. Everyone's familiar with that one right?" Harry asked looking specifically at Neville. Harry knew full well Hermione was familiar with it, she'd been the one to teach Harry how to use it but Neville…

"Like this," Hermione instructed. Pulling out her wand and laying it flat upon her palm she whispered, "Point Me!" The Wand spun around before pointing directly up the path Harry was set to follow. "It's like a Compass." Hermione explained, however seeing the confused look at the term on Neville's face she added, "It's a muggle tool for telling direction, simple but effective. Just like the needle on a Compass the Four Points spell makes the tip of the user's wand point directly north. Thus, South would be in the direction of the handle and East and West, on the right and left sides of the wand respectively."

"That's brilliant!" Neville exclaimed, "I can't believe Professor Flitwick has never covered something so useful."

Harry smirked, "Yeah well I doubt the Professor is aware of it, seeing as Hermione discovered it herself."

Neville was amazed, "You created your own spell!?"

Hermione blushed, "Oh it was rather simple, really. I needed something to help Harry keep his bearings during the third task, the Library was proving fruitless, and I sort of just wished that something would point me in the right direction for once, and that's when my wand started spinning. Once I realized what it was doing all it took was a bit of effort and practice before I managed this." Hermione nodded at her wand.

"As interesting as it is hearing you describe what I know was hours of your painstaking work, as A Bit of Effort," Harry interjected, "We really should get moving, every second we delay is another second closer to the center your parents could be."

"Right" Hermione replied, nodding her head in agreement and heading hurriedly down the westward path. Just before he lost sight of her, Hermione turned back and called "It wasn't work Harry." Harry's expression became slightly puzzled, and so with a smirk and a roll of her eyes, Hermione added "developing the spell to help you through the third task… or any other time for that matter. Helping you has never been work." Before Harry could reply, the hedges on either side of the entrance to the path she was on grew in towards each other sealing off access to both it, and her.

Harry turned around to find Neville had vanished as well, along with Eastern path. What have YOU ever done to deserve a girl like that Potter? The little voice in his asked. "I don't know" Harry said to himself, "but I had better get moving if I'm going to get a chance to find out."

The Labyrinth certainly lived up to its name. Harry couldn't seem to go more than a dozen meters without another twist or turn. Several times he came to forks in the road though he never had much trouble keeping his bearings. Only once, when he'd happened upon an opening with several paths leading out from a center points like spokes on a wagon wheel, had Harry had to resort to Hermione's four point's spell to determine the Northern most path,.

All in all his trek had proven fairly uneventful. So much so that Harry had to stop to wonder whether Neville's assertions about the center of the maze had really been correct… or if perhaps Harry had gotten himself lost. He somehow doubted the latter though as, although it could not yet be more than mid-day, the paths before him where becoming ever darker. It wasn't long before the branches stretching over the maze had all but blotted out the sunlight.

Still Harry took this as an encouraging sight. He had to be getting fairly close to the centre for it to be so dark here, and the fact he had yet to run across either of the Grangers meant they were likely down one of the safer paths.

That's when Harry heard it. The same sort of frenzied feminine shriek which had escaped Aunt Petunia as she leapt up onto the sofa last summer. The day Dudley had attracted a field mouse into the parlour by failing to put away his sweet cakes from the previous evening. From both the tone and general direction Harry knew it couldn't be Hermione.

"Not unless she's really lost anyway." Harry said to himself thinking back to their third year and the only time he could ever recall Hermione 'Shrieking like a scared little Girl' as she herself had later put it. He remembered how embarrassed Hermione had seemed afterward at having lost her composure, even with such good reason. Clinging onto a Whomping willow branch while it swung you uncontrollably around the Hogwarts grounds was reason enough for anyone to let out a yelp or two.

Again the Shriek echoed through the maze, louder and to Harry's ear more desperate this time. Harry raced as quickly as he dared toward the end of his passage. There was little snow which had managed to make its way through the overhanging branches of the willow, but that did not a clear path make. The ground was strewn with all manner of roots, vines and half embedded stones. The last thing Harry needed to do now, was trip and injure himself before even reaching what he knew must be a very frightened Mrs. Granger.

The current path lead Harry to yet another wagon wheel. "Great! Now what?" Harry exclaimed. Another shriek and the raven hair wizard's question was answered. The sound was coming from the western most spoke in the wheel. There was only one problem. Judging by what now stood between Harry and the source of the commotion, he most certainly had found the maze's center. The path from which the noise was emanating could not have been more the forty feet away, but nearly every square inch of those forty feet was filled by a single Whomping Willow, one which dwarfed even that on the grounds of Hogwarts for sheer size. "So much for not quite as big! What have you been feeding this thing Neville?" Harry pondered, "And more importantly how do am I going to get past it without being turned into paste?"

He'd have to make for the sleeping knot near the base of its trunk if he could manage to tap it, then the tree should go docile, at least long enough for Harry to pass.

WHAM!

Harry jumped back just in time. An extremely large branch had crashed down leaving a hole the size of a Buick where Harry's foot had just been. "Okay so a little more aggressive than your pop. Guess I'll have to make a run for it. Ready Harry? 3… 2… 1… Go...OUFF"

Harry had set off at a sprint but was almost immediately sent flying by a wack from, thankfully, a rather smaller one of the tree's many branches. He'd landed about 3 feet further away from the Granger's path then he'd started. "Ugh... Okay so running's out of the…"

SMASH!

Harry's senses had returned just in time to roll out of the way as another limb came crashing down on the spot where he had lain not a second before. Scrambling to his feet, he duck and wove toward the great shrub's centre, leaping over one branch only to be knocked off his feet by another, but all the while making it ever closer towards the base of the trunk.

"Almost there I just need to… oh spoke to soon!" Harry exclaimed as two large branches swung in from either side. There was no room to jump back, and if those two limbs hit him he'd be pumpkin paste for sure. At the last possible second Harry leapt into the air. The two limbs crashed into each other at breakneck speed.

CRACK!

A deafening wail filled the central ring, if Harry didn't know better he'd have sworn the tree was crying out in pain. Whatever it was doing every one of its branches had flown up into the air creating just the opening the raven-haired wizard needed.

Harry raced to the base of the trunk. "Where is it?" he asked as he searched for the sleeper knot. The overgrown Willow did not seem to like its trunk being touched. Its branches began flailing around wildly, though thankfully it appeared, long as they were, none could quite bend far enough inward to reach Harry. So long as he kept himself hugged snugly to the trunk of the tree he was safe.

He'd searched nearly every inch of the trunk, everyone Harry could reach anyway before realizing, "It doesn't have one!" He'd just assumed all Whomping Willows must have a similar sleeper knot as the one that guarded the passage to the Shrieking Shack. That one must have had its knot placed there to give the Marauders easier access to the tunnel, either by themselves or perhaps Dumbledore… regardless it left Harry with little choice. "Well, looks like it's time to start Shrieking like a little Girl!"

Harry grabbed hold of the closest limb, wrapping both his arms and legs as tightly as he could around the branch. The tree's flailing became frantic, desperate to dislodge its ridder. Harry couldn't help but think Hermione had had every reason to scream all those years ago. She hated flying after all, and despite all his years as Seeker he'd never felt so completely out of control on a limb in his life, not even when his Nimbus had been hexed mid match by a certain dark wizard.

It took twice round the ring for Harry to finally get his bearings. On the third pass he timed it just right. "Ready Harry, One… Two…, Oh this is going to hurt, Three!" Harry let go just as the branch he was riding passed over the westward path. He did his best to try and land in a roll, but he still hit the frozen ground at a dangerous pace.

"Yep… definitely going to feel that tomorrow." Harry groaned as he struggled to his feet, there was a sharp pain in his left foot as he made to step forward into the darkness. His ankle was certainly sprained, or worse. He didn't have long to lick his wounds though before his ears where once more meet with the sound he had been following, and he did not like what he heard. The noise had escalated from a mere shriek to screams and was now followed by a much deeper and more desperate sounding reply. Ignoring the pain radiating from every inch of his body, Harry raced down the path towards the source of the sound.

This particular path was among the darkest Harry had traveled along thus far. Still he could just barely make out the form of man. It seemed to be struggling with something, as though it were trying to rip some branch or a twig out of the wall of the maze. "Mr. Granger!" Harry called

"Who's there?" the figure replied, though it was too preoccupied by whatever it was struggling with to turn round and face him.

A second feminine and much more frightened sounding voice yelled, "Help Me!"

Harry's pace quickened. The scene soon becoming clear. It was indeed Mr. Granger, but it was not some branch he was yanking on it was an arm, his wife's arm to be exact. She was wrapped in dozens of black tendril like vines, which were both constricting and pulling her deeper and deeper into the wall.

Harry yelled, "Let Her GO!"

Mr. Granger scoffed through gritted teeth as he continued to struggle at pulling his wife free, " Oh yes I'm sure yelling at it will definitely do the trick, any other bright idea's boy!?"

"I wasn't talking to the plant!" Harry shot back "NOW, LET! HER! GO!"

"Are you insane?" Mr. Granger replied, "The only reason it hasn't swallowed her whole already is because I was able to pull her forward a bit not a few moments ago."

Harry tried to explain "That wasn't from your tugging, if I'm right it…"

Mr. Granger shot back, "IF! You expect me to bet my wife's life on IF?"

"UGH!" Harry groaned, "Tell me did it happen to get a lot brighter right about when you managed to pull her forward?"

Daniel continued to ignore him, but Shannon's gaze switched from her husband to Harry. "Yes…" Shannon managed trembling, "yes it did!"

Harry locked eyes with the woman, they were the same, and the same big golden eyes Harry had melted into so often, Hermione's eyes… and they were terrified. Speaking as confident, and reassuringly as he could he said, "Mrs. Granger, I need you to trust me okay?" Shannon nodded her agreement. "The reason those vines you're wrapped in loosened their grip a few moments ago is because the branches above us blocking out the sunlight moved. Devil's Snare recoils from sunlight." Shannon's eyes grew wider at the name. "I know, it sounds scary, but I promise it'll be fine if you just trust me and do exactly as I say okay?" again the woman nodded.

While Shannon had been listening, Daniel had been tuning Harry out. He was tugging on what little of his wife's arm was still visible with both hands now. It was so dark, and both Daniel and Harry had been so focused, each on their own attempt to free Mrs. Granger, that neither of them had noticed the tendril creeping along the ground from the opposite wall. That is at least not until it had wrapped itself around Daniels foot, yanked him to the ground, across the path, and begun swallowing him into the wall directly opposite his wife.

Shannon yelled to him "Daniel!" but a vine had worked its way around his mouth such that Mr. Granger could not reply. Only struggle franticly against his own bindings as he had hers not a moment ago.

"Mrs. Granger" Harry said firmly, but she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from what was happening right across from her to her husband. "Mrs. Granger please," Harry said stepping directly in front of her blocking her view of Mr. Granger, "I know you're frightened. I was too the first time we encountered this stuff. I know it sounds crazy, but I need you to relax."

Those golden eyes… between the vines and the darkness which surrounded them, there was so little left Harry could see of the woman… except those eyes, and for a moment, that's exactly what he saw there, Hermione's eyes pleading with him as they shot him a questioning look. The same look those eyes had shot him the day he'd first told Hermione how he really felt in the Great hall. They were filled with panic, bewilderment and disbelief, everything but the one thing Harry needed to see there; Calm.

"Mrs. Granger… I know you really don't know me that well, I know you have no reason to simply take me at my word and what I'm asking you to do sounds insane but…" Harry struggled to find the right way to explain, to reassure her. "The first time we encountered this stuff I was as scared as you are now, and I'm not too proud to admit at first, I lost my head, but you know who didn't, you know who got me through? You're Daughter." The brown eyes seemed to brighten...if only a little.

"It was Hermione and that beautifully, brilliant, level head of hers. I looked into her eyes, just like I'm looking into yours now and I knew. As crazy as what Hermione was asking me to do sounded; to just relax, stop struggling and the vines that were crushing me would just let go, as crazy as I'm sure it sounds to you now, I knew it would work, that we'd be alright." It was working, Mrs. Granger must be relaxing, the vines were beginning to slink away, just a little more Harry thought as he continued his tale. "Something in your daughter's eyes that day told me it would be alright. Please Mrs. Granger I'm asking you to trust my eyes now, like I trusted your daughter's then."

That was it, the fear Harry had witnessed in Mrs. Granger's eyes had completely melted away. A moment later and Harry found himself holding the shivering woman who had fallen out of the bush and onto his shoulder.

"There you go, see, just like I said, little leap of faith trusting me and you're alright now Mrs. Granger." Harry said as he slipped off his outer robe and wrapped it around her.

To Harry's surprise the first words out of the woman's mouth were "its Shannon" Harry's brow couldn't help but furrow. "You just saved my life Harry, I think you can skip the formalities, though it was hardly the leap of faith you think Mr. Potter." His stunned expression turned to one of bewilderment. "Well you are the boy my little Otter calls her white knight, aren't you?" Then meeting his eyes again corrected herself with a smile "Or no not white… Emerald."

Harry's face flushed, "I.., I don't, I mean I'm not all that…" Harry's embarrassed rambling's at being called Hermione's Knight were quickly interrupted by the muffled struggles of her father.

Shannon looked to Harry as she asked, "I don't understand why it didn't let him go like it did with me?"

"Ah well..." Harry knew exactly why but he still was not so comfortable speaking ill in front of Hermione's parents.

"He's not relaxing is he?" Shannon replied. "Daniel, Harry said to just relax! Look it worked for me."

"Maybe he can't hear us," Harry offered, "It must be muffling being wrapped in the bush like that."

"Oh he can hear just fine, listening is another question entirely though." Shannon quipped back, "Especially to you."

Harry exclaimed, " To Me!?"

The situation really didn't call for it, but Shannon couldn't help giggling at Harry's reaction. "No sisters then I take it?"

"Sis…, ah no, but I don't see how given the situation that's really relevant I mean I…" Harry started

"You're right Harry it's not… or at least it shouldn't be," Shannon replied with a knowing smile, "But a lack of sisters would explain why you look so very confused by my Husband's actions." This statement only served to increase the sloop of Harry's confused brow. "Every girl's a princess to their father's eye, and every boy an ogre ready to steal her away."

Harry replied, "Steal her away… no, no I left this morning because I didn't want to come between…"

"And that," Shannon replied, "Is what makes you my little Otter's Prince, even if her father won't admit it yet. Still it does present a problem for My Daniel trusting you." The pair stood silent for a moment watching as Mr. Granger, apparently refusing to heed Harry's word and just relax, continued to struggle. "Oh come now Daniel for once in your life, could you just listen to something other than your own thick head!"

It wasn't working the vines were continuing to pull Mr. Granger deeper into the wall. "There is a spell I could try." Harry mumbled

To both their surprises it was Mr. Granger who replied having wrestled his mouth free, "And you've been saving this till now because?!"

Shannon shot at her Husband, "Oh! So you can hear us then hmm?"

"Of course, I can hear you, I'm not deaf, am I?" Mr. Granger shot back. "Emerald knight indeed!" the man huffed, "holding out so you can play the last-minute hero are you? Exemplary knightly behaviour! Oh yes for certain."

Shannon was having none of her husband's snark, "Yes… and I suppose ignoring the literal wizard's advice while you struggle with magical vines is a brilliant idea. If you would just relax like Harry said…"

Mr. Granger snapped back "And how exactly am I supposed to do that while being eaten by a Shrub?!"

"Enough!" Harry said rather louder than he had intended, "Ah… sorry, look just… Mrs. Granger you should probably cover your eyes, it's going to get very bright and probably very hot around here in a moment. Try to keep your eyes closed as tight as possible" Shannon pulled the cloak Harry had given her up to shield her eyes and Mr. Granger, however reluctantly, closed his own eyes to match. "Ready? Harry asked, " 3… 2… Lumos Solem!" Harry Shouted.

The path was filled with a blinding wave of light and heat. The frozen ground beneath their feet was quickly melted away, such that as their sight returned, Harry and Shannon, found a freed and quite muddy looking Daniel slumped before them. A sight made all the clearer by the soft, yellowish green glowing which now filled the path. It seemed the Sopophorous plants, which could now clearly be seen to be lining the walls of the maze, had absorbed the light from Harry's wand.

Harry extended a hand to help Mr. Granger up. "Are you alright Daniel I know it can be a bit disorienting the first time your eyes are…"

"That will be Mr. Granger Thank you very much!" Daniel replied.

Harry began mumbling, "Oh umm sorry I didn't mean any disrespect I…"

"And you haven't shown any Harry" Shannon finished "Daniel just isn't good at saying thank you… or admitting when he's wrong!"

Daniel huffed, "and what exactly was I wrong about, he could have freed you before I ever got tangled up in the first place. Bit of a messiah complex I'd say. You were holding out the whole time, just to play the hero, just like I…"

"Quiet!" Harry interrupted, a rumbling sound was emitting from the other end of the path.

Daniel shot back "Excuse me! Did you just tell me to be…"?

"Quiet, yes he did!" Mrs. Granger replied "I hear it too Harry, what do you think it..."

There was no need for Harry to reply. At the far end of the path on which they now stood, near the opening which Harry knew lead to the Whomping Willow, a long brown limb, covered in tiny red spikes, shot out of left wall and pierced one of the glowing beans on the right wall. The limb ripped the bean from its plant, and back into the darkness of the shrub from which it had come.

"What was…?" But before she could even ask the question another limb shot out. It had come from the opposite wall this time, though the result was the same. One of the glowing beans on the left wall was pierced then disappeared through the right hand shrub.

"Is… is that some sort of big… bug." Shannon gulped. One not in the know could be forgiven for thinking so, the limbs did remind one of something belonging to one of Aragog's children. But Neville's recent tutelage in Herbology meant that Harry knew better.

"No… something far worse!" Harry replied as he turned, grabbed Shannon's hand, and yelled "RUN!" They sped off, Harry dragging Mrs. Granger along as fast has his twisted ankle would allow, Mr. Granger following in tow.

Shannon made the mistake of looking back and shrieked "Harry! They're getting closer."

"I know," Harry replied, "Just keep moving, as fast as you can we've got to get off this path and away from these glowing plants on the walls." He could hear the limbs getting closer and closer, the end of the path was drawing ever nearer but not quickly enough. Harry felt the ground rumble, he looked back just time to see one of the spike filled appendages come rocketing out of the right wall. "Diffindo!" Harry yelled. The ridged vine snapped sliced in twain, moments before its tip was to reach Mr. Grangers head. There was a wrenching screech as the head of the great plant burst from the ground about 12 meters behind them .

Shannon cried, "What is that thing?"

"Looks like Audrey," Mr. Granger replied, "and I think Seymour here just made her angry!"

Harry might have laughed at the Little Shop reference in another place and time but not here, not now. "JUST KEEP MOIVNG BEFORE IT…"But it was too late, the head began to spit a hail of walnut sized seeds, covered in red thorns." Don't let them touch you!" Harry exclaimed. The trio began to run again Harry staying in the rear deflecting as many of the seeds as he could. They were almost there, almost to the end of the path and then… it happened. Shannon fell with an ear splitting crack, tripped up by one of the tendril like limbs which were still chasing them.

Mr. Granger meanwhile had made it. He was there, standing next to the opening which lead down the southern path. When he heard his wife fall however, he turned back to help her. "GO!" Harry yelled

Daniel shot back furiously, "You expect me to leave her behind."

"I'll get her," Harry replied "But I can't keep deflecting these spores from both of you and reach her now please just get out of the way!"

"I'll not leave my wife to be…" Daniel began, but Harry did not have time for another debate. With a quick swish and flick of his wand he sent Daniel flying, swiftly but gently, down the clear path.

Harry rushed to Shannon's side still deflecting the spores with his wand in one hand as he offered her his other. "Come on now Mrs. Granger take my hand, were almost there."

"I can't Harry, I think... I think my leg is broken..." the woman's eyes were filled with pain, such that Harry knew she must be correct. As quick as he could Harry threw Mrs. Grangers arm over his shoulder and made to carry her weight himself even with his twisted ankle. "Don't worry it'll be alright we're almost there…awk!" One of the spores had nailed harry in the back of his neck. With what was left of his strength Harry pulled Mrs. Granger around the corner then pointed his wand at the opening and muttered, "Mobi…Mobili… Mobiliarbus. "The hedges on side of the opening to their new path got up on their roots and walked across the opening sealing them off from both the former path and the danger in contained.

Harry slumped down on to the cold hard ground, his head was swimming.

Mr. Granger was furious, "What in god's name did think you were doing boy?"

"Saving your life" Harry heard himself mumble in reply.

"Saving my …! I'm surprised you didn't break my neck flinging me around like that." Mr. Granger fumed.

Again Harry heard his voice reply though it did not feel as though he were really speaking the words. "Not possible, used Leviosa, floats you gently, your feet should have just kissed the ground."

A moan from Mrs. Granger drew the attention of her husband away from Harry for a moment. "Shannon, are you alright love?"

"Of course she isn't," Harry heard himself say, "Weren't you listening? Her leg is broken."

Mr. Granger's reply was sharp "Oh and whose fault is that?'

"Yours actually" Harry replied with just as fine a cut.

Mr. Granger seemed shocked at the gaul of this boy's replies, which only a night ago had been so meek. Frankly so was Harry. "Excuse me!" Daniel exclaimed.

Harry didn't seem to be able to control the words pouring out of his mouth, "Well if you had just listened to me in the first place and relaxed!"

"My wife was tripped up by those brown limb like things with the red thorns, not those black tendril things in the walls, for which you offered the magnificent advice of do nothing, just relax and they'll let you go… all while holding out on that lumosity thing you could have done to free us all along!"

"I wasn't using Lumos Solem for a very good reason sir!" Harry wasn't quite sure what was happening, it was like his mouth was replying without instruction from his brain…. and in what Harry could only describe as the kind of airy, matter of fact tone of Luna Lovegood. At this point he felt more like a silent observer than a participant in the current discourse.

Mr. Granger clearly had a temper which Hermione had failed to mention, "If you had just used it from the beginning we could have been out of there before those thorny things every attacked!"

"They never would have attacked if you had just listened to me." Harry retorted. It was as if he were a passenger in the car that was his body while something else drove, something that was making him reply in earnest without any regard for the consequence.

Before her husband could escalate things any further a whimper from Mrs. Granger broke the tension. "Oh Mrs. Granger, here let me help you with that." Harry said pointing his wand towards her injured leg.

"They'll be no need for any more of that, think you've done quite enough damage thank you." Mr. Granger said hurrying to her side. "Here dear, let me make you a splint from a few of these branches"

"No!" Mrs. Granger replied, "haven't you learned anything, all we need is for something else to reach out and grab you while you're fumbling threw those bushes! Harry dear go ahead."

Harry smiled at the show of trust from the woman. He tapped his wand gently upon her injured leg and said "Ferula" full two wooden boards, one on each side of Mrs. Grangers leg appeared just as bandages spun up the length of it, strapping it tightly to the splints. Then Harry added "Episkey" before taping his own ankle and speaking the same. "Sorry I can't do more, but that should numb the pain and keep it stable till we can get you back up the house."

Mr. Granger mocked, "What don't have a spell to clean up your mess properly by actually mending her bone?"

"That will be quite enough out of you Daniel!" Shannon said shooting her husband a warning look "Thank you Harry, it really does feel much better." She said giving the boy a smile in thanks, though seeing the disappointed look on his face added "something wrong?"

"Well it's just he's right," Harry replied, "there is a spell which could fix your leg properly, thing is I've only seen it done once… and that time sort of resulted in all the bones disappearing from my arm so…"

"Harry, you've done more than enough," Mrs. Granger replied, "believe it or not bones will heal even without magic."

"Still, if I were good enough I could fix it for you right now."

Shannon shook her head "Now Harry stop that. No one can be expected to know everything, despite how talented they are."

"Hermione would." Harry countered

Shannon raised an interested brow "Oh what makes you say that?"

Still unable to speak anything but the exact truth as he saw it Harry replied, "She's Hermione… she always knows what to… for that matter can do… anything. She's…" even under the influence of whatever it was that was effecting him he still felt awkward saying the next bit allowed and so only mumbled the word "… perfect."

Shannon giggled, "Harry, as talented, intelligent, and compassionate as my little Otter may be, trust me my daughter isn't perfect, no one is." Harry began to shake his head in disagreement but Mrs. Ganger continued undeterred without giving the raven haired boy the chance. "Despite all those wonderful qualities she inherited from me, my daughter has unfortunately inherited a few of her fathers as well. Such as a certain stubbornness I believe you've seen on full display today, no?"

"From Hermione?" Harry replied coly, avoiding one question with another, "I wouldn't call it stubbornness, more like determination, resilience."

Shannon laughed, "You really do see even her flaws as strengths, don't you Harry?" Well no I wasn't referring to My Little Otter's stubborn streak this time. Though you must admit chasing you across half the country this morning did take a certain stubbornness. No I was referring to what you said just a moment ago, about if my Daniel had just listened to you," Mrs. Granger glanced over at her husband, "instead of being so thick headed. What exactly did you mean by that Harry?"

Harry's reply was rather flat, "Only that I'd really rather have not had to have use the Lumos Solem charm back there. If Mr. Granger had managed to relax like you did, he could have slipped out of the vines without need for it."

Mr. Granger could stay quiet no longer, "Oh and I suppose there's some reason you were holding out on us then other than your own ego?"

"Well of course there is." Harry said getting to his feet.

"Oh really," Mr. Granger replied sarcastically, "and what would that be?"

Once more, Harry answered a question with a question "You saw what happened didn't you?" Though this only seemed to confuse both Grangers further.

"You'll have to forgive him Harry," Mrs. Granger said kindly reaching out a hand which Harry gladly took, helping her to her feet, "Daniel has never had my, or my daughters, quick wit… though I must admit I don't quite follow myself."

Feeling slightly ashamed of himself Harry replied, "Sorry Mrs. Granger I didn't mean too…"

"It's quite alright Harry, you've been remarkably kind given how determined my husband seems to be to push your buttons." Shannon answered. Mr. Granger looked truly flustered but did not dare interrupt Harry's explanation again after another stern look from his wife.

Harry began, "That black stuff you were both stuck in,"

Shannon replied, "What did you call it, Devil's Snare?"

"Exactly!" Harry answered, "Hermione and I , as well as … well another boy, we ran into a huge growth of the stuff near the end of our first year. That's how I knew how to handle it, she told us then that if we could just relax it would let us go… so you see it wasn't really my advice I was asking you to follow tonight, it was your daughters." Mr. Granger's face sank, though not nearly so far as it would by the time Harry had finished explaining. "Anyhow she and I managed to get free of the stuff that way, but Ron of course…"

Shannon queried, "The other boy from Hermione's letters?"

"Yes, well I suppose so," Harry replied, "It's not like Hermione ever let me read any of them," Harry answered blushing at the thought of what might have happened had his younger self read the description of this Harry from his best friends notes home. Noticing the looks he was drawing from her parents Harry added, "up till a few weeks ago it would have made sense Ron would be in her letters though. Anyway… ah what was I saying?"

Shannon smiled comfortingly at the frazzled boy, "you were telling us how you and my daughter managed to free yourselves from the black vines but your friend..."

"Oh a right," Harry replied thankful for the save, "Well Ron of course didn't listen about relaxing. He never listens, especially to Hermione. But Hermione, brilliant as always pulled out that spell, and it worked like… well like a charm." Harry chuckled awkwardly.

"Devil snare hates sun light, so it shrivels away from Lumos Solem, which is literally a spell to cast light of the sun."

"But still," Mr. Granger asked in a much more humble manor," there must be some reason you didn't use the spell off the bat, what if Shannon hadn't managed to calm herself and slip out?"

"Well I had always been prepared to use it," Harry admitted, "I simply preferred not to. Its true devil Snare hates sunlight but… Neville told us all, or at least most, of the magical plants that are in this maze. See Devil Snare hates heat and light, but Venomous Tentacula is attracted right to it."

Mr. Granger asked in a tone filled with shame, "So that thing that attacked us, it was…"

"Because I used the spell, yeah, "Harry replied," The Sopophorous, the plants that were lining the walls, they absorbed the light from my spell and drew the Tentacula right to us."

That seemed to be the last nudge the old Scouter needed. Harry was shocked to find the next sound to meet his ears were " I'm sorry Harry, you're right I should have trusted you."

Harry really did not know how to respond, thankfully Mrs. Granger spoke first. "Well now Harry, a rare sight indeed, an apology and admission My Daniel was wrong all in one day.

"I understand sir," Harry replied, "after this morning I know you don't really have reason to think very highly of me, I should be used to it I suppose, most Muggles I've met don't but …"

"You're wrong Harry," Shannon pipped in "despite whatever impression you may think you left on us last night, I'd say you've more than made up for today already."

Harry smiled at the middle-aged woman, "Well I'm just glad Audrey didn't catch us." Mr. Granger gave him a surprised grin. "Your Little Shop quip back there really was quite apt. Though I didn't think they could get quite that large. I really do need to ask Neville what he's been feeding his plants. If it…" Harry was becoming dizzier with each step, If it had …" he couldn't understand it, he'd thought at first he had simply been dazed, but his head was becoming heavier by the minute, and he couldn't seem to keep his footing. "If it had managed…"

"Easy son." Harry heard a voice say. It was Mr. Granger as next thing he knew Harry found Daniel under his left arm steadying him. "You alright there Harry?"

Harry wanted to say yes, to reassure them he was simply a bit dazed, but those were not the words which escaped the boy's lips "No, actually I don't think I am, I don't understand why but my head is swimming."

"Here," Mr. Granger said, "have a seat, and let me take a look at you."

"No," Harry replied determined to get the Grangers out of the maze and harm's way as quickly as possible, "No we've got to keep moving…"

"Now who's the one being stubborn?" Mr. Granger asked, "Come on Harry, we seem to be safe for the moment, you can take a minute to rest."

As much as Harry, may want to protest further, his body didn't seem to want to let him. "Alright," Harry muttered, "but just for a moment."

"Good," Mr. Granger replied, "now let's have a look at you.

" Alright but first," Harry said pointing his wand into the air, he let out blue flash of sparks high into the air which plumed into a great ball of fireworks, followed by a second red set of sparks, and a red plume in the sky above. "There, now the others will know where we are, and that we could probably use some help."

"I don't mean any disrespect," Harry stated as Mr. Granger began to give him a once over, "but I really don't think there's much you can do."

Mr. Granger rolled his eyes in a very familiar manor, "I may not be able to flick a stick and bind a wound, but first aid is more or less the same either way. Besides I can at least get these burs off you."

Harry question, "Burs?"

"Well one large bur I suppose is more accurate." Mr. Granger replied "Looks like one of those things Audrey was spiting at us got stuck to the back of your neck."

That's right it had Harry thought to himself. It had hit him as he bent down to help Mrs. Granger up after she'd fallen. Somehow he had completely forgotten about that… how could he have forgotten about that? "Can you pull it off?" Harry asked.

Mr. Granger reached immediately for the spore. "Daniel!" Mrs. Granger berated her husband "You can't just go ripping at it! You'll hurt the boy."

"It's alright." Harry assured her, "Believe me I've had worse."

"I don't know," Mr. Granger replied, "one of the thorns looks like it's punctured the skin. It'll likely hurt like a bugger.

"Yeah well… I had a Basilisk fang go nearly straight through my arm once, can't be worse than that." Harry offered. The Grangers looked confused, "Oh a Basilisk? It's a sort of a really nasty, giant venomous snake thing with fangs about the length of my arm and nearly as thick. Think like a Boa Constrictor if it were bred by John Hammond?" the looks of confusion on the Granger's faces turned to complete disbelief at Harry's explanation. Though whether it had been at the idea such a creature could really exist or the reference, Harry couldn't say. Deciding it must be the latter after what they had all just experienced, Harry added "You know John Hammond… Jurassic Park? My cousin Dudley loves that movie. Anyway it's sort of like that."

Actually, now that he thought about it, this whatever it was felt a lot like that. Like what it felt like to have venom spreading through his veins…. Well aside from the lack of nausea. Where was Fawlks when you needed him Harry thought?

"You have a cousin?" Mrs. Granger asked adding "Hermione never mentioned your family much."

Harry replied dismissively "Oh ah yeah… if you can call him that. AHHH!" Harry yelped, while he'd been distracted answering Shannon, Mr. Granger had yanked out the spore.

"That's bleeding pretty good," Mr. Granger commented, "looks like the thorn that stuck you was quite a bit longer than the others. Shannon dear, do you have a handkerchief or tissue on you? I'll need to pack it before I can wrap it."

Harry made to protest, "But!"

"No Buts!" Mr. Granger replied handing Harry the spore he had pulled from the boy's neck.

"He's right you know Harry." Mrs. Granger said softly as she tore off the hem of her dress in a long strip and handed it to her husband. "We wouldn't want my little Otter's favourite boy getting an infection the first time she'd left him in our care."

Something about the fact this had somehow become the case, that he had entered the maze to rescue the Grangers and now found himself being tended to by them, tickled Harry's funny bone.

It was all down to this odd-looking spore. Even by magical plant standards it was an odd one. The spore was completely white, aside from the blood red thorns covering it. There was something off about that, from what Harry could remember from Herbology Venomous Tentacula spit green spores, not white. Of course, they weren't normally the size of a walnut either, at least none that he had seen.

"So Harry," Mrs. Granger asked kneeling down in front of him, "tell me more about this cousin of yours, is he a Gryffindor too?"

Harry chuckled, "Dudley? No he goes to Smelting's. He's a Muggle, my Aunt and Uncle too."

The tone in Mr. Granger's reply reminded Harry of one who had just bit down on a particularly unlucky pull from a bag of Berttie Botts Beans. "Smelting's?"

"Yes My uncle Vernon too…" Harry mumbled, his attention once more on the spore.

Mrs. Granger seemed to have taken Harry's mumbling as embarrassment rather than the distraction it was, as she attempted to clean up her husband's clear distaste by saying "Don't mind Daniel, Harry. I'm sure Smelting's is a fine institution."

Mr. Granger however did not seem to share his wife's concern for decorum as he in turn mumbled, "Fine at producing a bunch of brutes and dimwits maybe."

"Daniel!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed

Harry couldn't help but let out a not so muffled, snort at Mr. Granger's remark.

"Were just a bit surprised." Mrs. Granger went on, "One of the few things Hermione did mention about your family was that your mother and father were each a head girl and boy respectively, we just assumed she had meant of Hogwarts and so your cousin might also be…"

"What are you rambling about Shannon? Hermione told us Harry's family are like us remember…. sorry what did you call them again Harry?"

"Muggles," Harry replied "but they are not my family, and they most certainly are nothing like you."

"I really must give those letters another read." Shannon pondered, "I can't believe my daughter could have gotten something like that so wrong… I do apologize Harry, it seems my rather terrible remembrance of my daughter's musings is causing all sorts of unnecessary confusions ever since you arrived."

Suddenly Harry felt a wave of queasiness which had nothing to do with bur. "Oh no, don't worry I suspect your remembering quite correctly. Hermione wouldn't have been wrong to tell you my Mum and Dad where each a Head Girl, and Head Boy at Hogwarts, and the Dursleys are muggles it's just… Look would you mind if we talked about literally anything else?"

The unease of Harry's face eliciting a sympathetic smiley from Mrs. Granger she replied, "Oh, of course dear."

"Let's not be so hasty dear." Mr. Granger interjected "After all ones family can have a great deal of influence on the character of a man."

Harry inhaled deeply, and sighed. Best to just get this over with he told himself. "Well both my parents were murdered when I was an infant. So not sure their being the type of people to be Head Boy and Girl had much of a chance to influence me really." Mr. Granger's eyes hit the ground. "As for the Dursleys… I'm not sure people who starved and bolt locked you in broom cupboard under the stairs for 10 years,… who only let you out to do chorus, go to school or when they felt like giving you another beating… not sure they really meet the family requirement."

The mood amongst the three fell silent. Harry's eyes drifted back to the bur in his hand. The raven haired boy found himself fiddling with it out of pure nerves until… it cracked! Perhaps it wasn't a bur at all Harry thought, but a seed, or a nut? Whatever you wanted to call it Harry's fiddling had split it in twain revealing; "A Sopophorous bean? That explains a few things."

Daniel asked, "More like those things on the hedges back there, does that mean Audrey was eating herself?"

"No, I don't think so," Harry replied "Sopophorous and Tenticula are definitely different species it's just… well Venonmus Tenticula isn't supposed to consume other plants at all, It's carnivorous by nature. I think consuming the Sopohorous plants has mutated it somehow… that's why Audrey was the size of a truck back there! Normally Venonmus Tenticula wouldn't be much larger than maybe a Great Dain."

Mr. Granger prodded, "And…?"

"Sorry, and what exactly?" Harry asked

Shannon clarified her husbands statement, "You said it explained a few things. Audrey is one and the other…"

"Ah… Well…" Harry stalled awkwardly. He'd rather hoped not to have been asked that so directly, after all, if his supposition was correct, the answer was ought to leave him in rather vulnerable position ; alone and surrounded by his teenage girlfriend's parents while they had full knowledge that he couldn't…

" … I suppose you might have noticed how much more… open my responses have been compared to supper last night?"

Shannon smiled at him "Yes dear, I'm rather glad you seem to be opening up a little more, after all that was the reason you came home with my little Otter for the holiday isn't it? So we could all get to know one another better?"

Harry hoped the woman wouldn't be too disappointed to hear, "Yes… though I think I may have had a little help with that form this little guy." Harry replied holding up the spore. Seeing the look of confusion on the Granger's faces Harry explained "Sopohorous beans have an odd effect on the mind, that's why they are used in practically every potion dealing with memory or the mind. Add in the venom of a tenticula plant and well, you have the main two ingredients for Veritaserum."

Shannon quarried " Veritaserum? What's that?"

"More or less…" Harry answered, "what you'd call sodium pentothal, though much more powerful."

"Truth Serum?!" Mr. Granger exclaimed, "Well that is quite interesting. You know there are a few things I should like to ask if you don't mind Harry. I…"

"DANIEL!" Shannon exclaimed "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! You want to interrogate the poor boy in his condition?!"

"Why not?" Daniel replied, "If he can't lie then he should have nothing to fear should he? Unless he's done something with our daughter a boy might need to lie about to her parents… in which case, I think I'd like to know...wouldn't you?"

Shannon's protest was louder than before, "DANIEL!"

"No, No it's fine." Harry heard himself say. He had to admit this would be an excellent way to finally win Mr. Granger over… provided of course Harry's completely unfiltered answers met with the man's approval " We have some time to kill while we wait for the others to find us still, how about 20 Questions? You each take turns asking and well we all know I'll answer honestly." Harry chuckled.

Shannon's glare was reminiscent of her Daughters. "Oh alright, but nothing to intimate Daniel or I'm stopping it right there. The point is to get to know the boy, not interrogate and embarrass him"

With a bit of a grumble and, Harry suspected, trying for a question to which his wife couldn't possible object to start things off, Mr. Granger asked " Are you a Manchester or Liverpool man?"

Manchester or Liverpool? Harry pondered, "Football?" Harry questioned.

"Well of course football! You are supposed to be an athlete according to my daughter after all. You must have a preference."

"Oh yes I am," Harry replied happily. Sport was one area he could really speak confidently on. "Though my games Quidditch. Think like Football, but on flying broomsticks. As for favourite teams… Do school teams count? I've been the Captain and Seeker, that's sort of like the mid center in football, for a while now. Though if I had to pick a professional team… Maybe the Harpies, or the Bulgarian National team. There seeker is brilliant! And a good friend of ours actually. Definitely not Puddlemere though they just…"

"Okay, Okay, enough sports talk boys, it's my turn I believe." Shannon interjected "You mentioned The Bulgarian seeker was a friend of yours, well it just sort of occurred to me but other than you and that other boy Ron, I don't really recall Hermione ever really mentioning who your friends at school really are."

"Well we're sitting in the garden of my best mate Neville right now, and I suspect by the time we get back up to the house our other close friend Luna will have arrived with her Father. You can all get acquainted over dinner."

"What are your plans son?" Mr. Granger asked, eager to take his next turn, "After school I mean. Are there higher studies in your world? What Career do you plan to Pursue, where do you plan to live?"

"Excuse me," Shannon interjected, "we are supposed to take turns asking one question each, and that was at least three."

"It's alright," Harry replied, "though I'm not sure I have the answers for you." Mr. Granger didn't seem at all pleased with this. "I'd sort of thought I might become an Auror… Magical law enforcement."

Mr. Granger didn't seem thrilled at this either, "Like a bobbie?"

Shannon quipped, "That's 5 you've had now!"

Harry chuckled lightly, Mrs. Granger was so like her daughter. "No sir, it would be more like a cross between Scotland Yard, and MI5 than a local policeman. And yes there is an extensive post education, even being accepted to the training program requires top marks in things like Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts. Frankly till a few months ago I'd figured that alone would have me licked for admission."

Shannon Granger's Brow furled, "Do you struggle in those subjects Harry? Didn't my taught mention you'd taught the defense class last year?"

"Hermione exaggerates a bit I think. The DA, that's the defense study group we set up last year, it was all her idea. But yeah I did lead the sessions, and coach most of our year through their O.W.L exams last year. No the trouble was potions. See you have to take the N.E.W.T.S level potion courses to even have a shot at Auror training and try as I might I could never manage anything more than an Acceptable in Professor Snape's potions classes. I thought I was licked as he only accepted Exception, and Outstanding graded students into his Newt levels …thankfully Professor Slughorn is more lenient and was willing to take Acceptable as well, not that I plan to stay there, I've managed to pull down a solid E-O average this year so far"

"Now who is doubling up?" Daniel snipped, besides he hasn't finished answering mine yet, "where do you plan to live?"

"Oh right well, I hate to keep saying this, but I just don't know honestly." Harry laughed, "There are several options of course; we could rebuild my Parents old cottage in Godric's Hollow, or set up in the house on Grimauld place my Godfather left me I suppose, but it sort of depends on what we end up doing after school doesn't it? Where we end up working, etc.… and besides I think I'd rather we have a place we can each make our own you know?"

"That's an awful lot of WE Mr. Potter." Daniel shot back, " Just what exactly are your intentions regarding my little girl?"

"SIX!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed, "Though I must admit I'm curious myself"

"Intentions? " Harry stumbled "Umm... well I… I only ever have really had one thing I've always known for sure… wherever we end up, or whatever we end up doing, I want Hermione there with me. I guess if I'm honest I intend for her to be Lady Potter someday."

"Lady Pott…" the Grangers mouthed stunned

"It doesn't have to be Lady Potter, I could take Granger if she wanted…" Harry hurriedly offered, "and if you approved of course…though it might be a little difficult to shake the Potter name in Wizarding Society."

"I could see that being an issue," Shannon said "After all Hermione says, you're famous in your world. If she were to become Lady Potter…What exactly do you think people are going to expect out of our Hermione?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh, "Oh all kinds of crazy things I'd imagine, but nothing Hermione can't handle, a lot better than I, I'd wager. But Frankly I don't care. I don't expect anything, except for her to pursue whatever ambitious new goal she comes up with next... and maybe to be allowed along for the ride, and help her get there."

"Oh Really?!" Mr. Granger shot back, "You don't even have a set plan for your own career. How exactly are you going to be able to support my Hermione's goals hmm? I don't want her ambitions being put on hold, and I know she is real serious minded about continuing he schooling, and her future career."

"One thing I can promise you," Harry started, "I will always do whatever it takes for her. But honestly if by support, you mean money that is not even close to a problem for us. I doubt we could spend the all the gold in my vault at Gringotts in 100 lifetimes, now that the Potter and Black estates have been combined."

The Grangers seemed quite taken aback, the looks on their faces said they weren't quite sure whether this weren't just some exaggerated boast on the part of the green eye boy, but the presence of the make shift veritaserum seemed to slowly sway this to acceptance.

Finally Shannon spoke "I just have one last question for you Harry. From what you've said, you're Athletic, a gifted student, Famous, and wealthy so… Why my little Otter? Why would someone who has so much choose our Hermione, and not some other girl? If she's just another…"

Harry was completely perplexed by this, hadn't Mrs. Granger herself listed a half dozen of the things that made Hermione wonderful not 10 minutes ago? "Because… She's not some other girl." Harry replied "She's Hermione. She's brilliant and loving. Loyal and caring. Beautiful, ambitious…. But most of all… I know she's the one person who has always just seen me, for me, for Harry. Not the famous guy or the Heir to two houses, or the Quidditch star or School Hero…" Harry's eyes were shimmering as he spoke. "When that fame turned against me and everyone else turned their backs… she was there. When I lost my first match and let down the whole house, she brought me biscuits and sat up all night reading over Divination homework to take my mind off it. Divination, Hermione can't stand Divination… but she was there all the same. She comes to ever match even though she could care less about Quidditch then Divination.

She is Hermione Granger, it's not her that needs to live up to Harry Potter, It's Harry Potter that needs to live up to her."

Shannon's Eyes were watering as she flung her arms around the boy before her. "My word you know we did make a mistake after all, the Boy in those letters certainly couldn't be you Harry." Harry looked up concern stricken across his face. "You Harry Potter are a far greater than that Emerald Knight!"

Mr. Granger still seemed suspicious. "Yes... a little too good if you ask me. No boy is that devoted to a girl after just a couple weeks, at least not unless he's…" The man said as he raised a questioning Eye brow. "Tell me Boy, Have you slept with my daughter?!"

AN: Hello Everyone! I Know it's been ages since I updated this story. Life got in the way, and frankly I lost my motivation. BUT all along while I was gone, I've continued to receive messages letting me know people Never stopped reading, and adding it to their watched and favourites list. That support has inspired me so I guess what I'm trying to say is: I'M BACK! and THANK YOU!