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

Chapter 33 :

For the End of Year feast, the students were back at their House tables, although it was to the displeasure of many of them, who had grown accustomed to sitting with their particular friends from other houses. The House system with its rivalries and enmities, was beginning to die. And a good thing, too, Perenelle Flamel felt, sitting at the Head Table in her role as Professor Prewitt, Potions. Her husband had done a very good thing when he'd stuffed that old hat in his pocket that day.

Her gaze wandered over the students. There was Harry in the middle of a group of friends, looking happy and carefree. His hair was beginning to be quite long, she noticed, and yet not quite long enough that it didn't routinely escape from the pony tail he wore it in. It would be another few months before it would stay as neat as it should be. There were others of the boys who seemed to be intent on growing their hair long, especially the Weasley twins. Someone should tell them that it was not appropriate for them. They were not Head of House, not even heirs. And while adult wizards mostly allowed their hair to grow long, they usually waited for some achievement before doing so, an achievement such as becoming proficient in a profession, though sometimes it was merely marrying and siring a son. In days gone by, a victory in a battle would be the signal. But teenagers? The other teachers might say it was an old fashioned attitude, but Perenelle disapproved.

But Harry was Head of House and it was entirely suitable for a Head of House. His letters to her were fewer these days. He no longer needed her advice, she guessed. He often spoke of his regard for the Greaves family who had taken him in. 'I can trust them,' he'd said in his most recent letter. And 'I can't wait for the Summer holidays. There's to be a fortnight at the beach, and I have never been to the beach. Other things, as well.'

He didn't need her any more, but then there were three young girls in Slytherin, who'd chosen her to confide in, though she'd been surprised at that. Their House Master was Thomas Zeller, of course, and he was not exactly the confiding type, especially for girls. There were others she was interested in, like a small group of especially bright girls, two Gryffindors, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin. They tended to be ignored by the other students, sometimes bullied, just as she, herself, had been bullied long, long ago when she'd been a Hogwarts student. She liked being of use to them, and besides, she didn't trust Lupin to lock himself away as carefully as she deemed necessary. Until Nicholas managed the cure, she needed to stay and supervise the regular confinement, no matter how he resented it. She couldn't quite work out how the other teachers remained so blind to his curse. There were clues enough.

But then Pucey rose, gave a three minute speech - he was never wordy, and presented the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor and the House Cup to Hufflepuff. And then the feast appeared on the tables, and for a short time, there was a quiet as people ate, followed by a din as the movements from table to table began. It had taken less than a year, and most people had friends in other Houses now, and some had 'best friends.'

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Harry knew a great contentment the following day as the train took him back to King's Cross, far different from his feelings the previous year. He had a family, a family who were willing to help him in all things. A family to treasure. He didn't think he had any dangerous enemies any more, both Dumbledore and Voldemort were out of the way, Dumbledore in a secure institution, though no-one quite knew what Voldy was doing.

It was a busy holiday. There were visits, as had happened before. The first was to the Greaves family's Head of House, where Brandon and Sonia made their formal greetings to Lyall Greaves, followed by Charlie, Connor, Harry and then Annalise. And then there was the general relaxation, and the nanny brought in young Susan, so much bigger now, but as charming as ever to Harry and everyone else.

The very next day, Harry went to visit Sirius Black and his new wife. It was just Harry alone this time. With Dumbledore out of the picture, Brandon did not feel his presence was required and Sirius was said to be much better these days.

Harry liked Cecilia, though he wondered that she seemed a little tubby. He didn't comment, of course, but then Sirius, said, beaming, "An heir on the way, Harry, so you're displaced."

Harry reddened, but said, beaming, "A baby, Cecilia? You're going to have a baby?"

Cecilia laughed and patted her middle, "What did you think this was, Harry? She's due at the end of October."

Harry shook his head, still red, and said, "I don't know women, much. I didn't even think."

Sirius said crossly, "It has to be a boy, Cecy. I told you that. Otherwise Harry will inherit."

Harry asked, "Why should I inherit? I'm not a Black."

"Because every other contender is a Death Eater, that's why," and Cecilia put in, "There is no magic that can ensure a boy, Sirius. I keep telling you that."

"I need a boy!"

Cecilia soothed, "Then we will have as big a family as needed until we have a boy."

Harry asked, "Can't a girl inherit at all?"

"Not much," Cecilia said. "It's a great annoyance to a lot of witches."

"I expect it would be! I still don't know why I was in the running, though."

Sirius said casually, "Well, James made me your godfather, and I don't like any other Black, so it was you."

Harry smiled at Cecilia, "I have enough on my plate. So maybe seven girls because girl babies are beautiful, and then a boy to satisfy Sirius."

Cecilia laughed then, and sent for the dinner they were there for.

Harry had a much better time on that visit than he had on the last, mostly due to Cecilia, who was a very pleasant lady. Sirius seemed more sensible as well, in spite of that ridiculous insistence that Cecilia made sure that it was a boy baby that she would have. Due at the end of October, she told him. They didn't speak about the Potter ancestors, not even James, and Remus was not there. No-one had too much to drink.

There were other gatherings, visits and parties, like a birthday party for one of Charlie's friends to which Harry was also invited. There were excursions to various places, a fitting for new clothing, both for Harry and for Charlie, who was also growing quickly, and this was all before Harry's birthday. The Greaves squeezed a lot into the summer holidays, explaining that they had to make the most of the holidays, since they were at school for the bulk of the year.

There was a visit to Potter Manor, where the house-elves fell over themselves with the pleasure of serving the new Master, and there was a visit to Godric's Hollow. Brandon had managed to have the house at Godric's Hollow freed from its status as a memorial, and rebuilt as it had been before the visit of Voldemort. To Harry's surprise, there was almost no damage from the weather - Stasis Charms, Brandon explained, although of course, there were things that had been destroyed in the explosion. There was one surprise, a battered toddler-sized car that Harry regarded, frowning, and then laughed in triumph. "I remember it! I used to drive to London all the time, probably to Paris and New York and every other place I'd ever heard of."

Sonia said, "Well, you can do a 'Reparo' if you like and one day, your own son might drive to London in it."

Harry smiled. That was a wonderful thought, that one day there would be a beloved wife and a beloved son. Maybe many children, sons and daughters. The face of a potential wife came to mind, but he shook his head. Hermione was always with the group of girls - 'the brains of Hogwarts,' they were being called. She never showed any inclination that she wanted to see more of him. He had stopped trying.

Ron was still a friend, though he was no longer the exclusive 'best friend.' Harry socialised with a lot of boys these days, mostly of his year, though some older, especially Charlie's friends. And they were from all Houses, including Slytherin, though that was mostly only Draco. Like other boys of his age, he took little notice of girls.

The Weasley owl arrived, not Errol, luckily, but their younger and far fitter family owl, called Cressy. It was an invitation to a children's party, and it was for all the children who wanted to come. Just a year before, if the Weasleys had presumed to make such an invitation, it would have been met with a courteous refusal. Like most of pure-blood society, the Greaves regarded the eternally poverty-stricken Weasleys as beneath them. But that was before Harry had joined the family, and he was friendly with them. It was during a visit to the Weasleys that Dumbledore had made an attempt at abduction. Brandon checked that Dumbledore was still securely locked away before he brought it up at dinner - whether to go, and if so, who wanted to go, and Sonia said, "No need for all of us to go, just either Brandon or I and whoever wants to."

Harry quickly said he wanted to go, and then wondered if it was wise. Ginny had been an embarrassment the last time he'd visited there, and then he'd caught her with two others trying to open his school trunk. But that was months ago, and she'd stayed right away from him since. She'd be fine, he told himself. Ron was his friend, and besides, he loved the Weasley house. Crooked and vital and warm. It seemed to shriek 'family.' Maybe a family that was not perfect; he knew they had fights, and yet a family that was very close.

Annalise quickly said she wanted to go as well, but Charlie said that he'd planned to visit Ian that day and to stay overnight. "He says there's something good on TV."

Annalise said, "TV, Charlie?"

"Sorry, Sis. He only invited me."

"Oh well, I'll go with Harry then."

Sonia said, "Connor?"

"They're all older than me, aren't they?"

Harry said, "Ginny is the youngest, and she goes into second year in September."

"Can I ask a few friends over instead, Mother? Tony McKenzie and Lindon Edgecombe. They're in my year, plus Anton. If that's okay?"

"We'll talk about it. So the Weasleys' party, just Harry and Annalise?"

The two nodded, and so it was arranged.

Sonia had fully expected to be bored at the party, but Annalise was only ten, and she preferred not to leave her with people who were close to strangers to her. There were a few other mothers there, those with younger children, though none she knew well, and few she knew at all. Molly Weasley was overpoweringly friendly, gushed over 'dear Harry,' and in a lowered voice, said again how distressed they had all been when Dumbledore had tried to take him. "So lucky he escaped. I don't know how he did it, but Ronny said that he tends to be lucky when he gets into scrapes."

Sonia said, "Luck, yes, but also that he manages to keep a cool head. I am very proud of Harry."

"Of course. Such a nice boy. Ginny positively adores him."

Sonia glanced over at the noisy gathering, a lot of laughter, and many of the children still devouring the goodies on offer. She stood to scan more closely, and asked, suddenly worried, "Where are they? Your Ginny's not there, and neither is Annalise. I hadn't even noticed."

"No need for concern. Ginny was just going to show her something in her room."

Sonia sat again, and looked over at the other women present, five of them, all apparently close friends and involved in gossip about people she didn't know and didn't care about. Politely she concealed her yawn, and asked Molly about her older children who had already left home.

In Ginny's cramped room, Annalise and Ginny were perched on the bed. Ginny held a doll, a doll that appeared male and sported a mop of untidy black hair, and a zigzag scar prominently marked on its forehead - a Harry Potter doll. She'd had it since she was three, she told Annalise, and now Annalise was reading through a book meant for small children, 'Harry Potter and the Haughty Hippogriff.'

She remarked, "You've got a whole collection of these."

"Twenty-three. Mum used to read them to me for bed-time stories. I think I know some of them by heart, like 'Harry Potter and the Grumbly Goblin.' I used to love that one when I was little."

"You do know they're not true, of course?"

"Of course," Ginny said with some indignation. "I might have thought they were true when I was three, but I'm twelve now and I go to school with him."

"I live with him. I'm going to marry him one day."

Ginny abruptly stood and declared, "You can't. I'm going to marry him. Mum always said that when I was grown up, he'd want to marry me."

Annalise stood as well, assumed a remote air, and said, "I guess we will see."

"I'm pure-blood, and I'm pretty and I love him and he's going to marry me."

Annalise smiled slightly, and said, "I don't think so."

Ginny slapped her, hard, across the face. Annalise stared, stunned, then whirled and ran out the door, trying not to cry. It was not good manners to cry, but that wicked, wicked girl. She'd never met anyone with so little conduct. She'd slapped her.

She found her mother, sitting beside Mrs. Weasley, and asked, voice shaking, if they could go home now.

Sonia said, "Annalise?"

Annalise put her hand to her reddened cheek and said, "She hit me and I want to go home. She's an awful girl and she hit me."

Molly Weasley asked sharply, "Was it Ginny? Did you do anything to her?"

Annalise shook her head, and asked, "Please, Mother? I don't like it here."

Sonia stood and said to Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you for a lovely party, Molly. But I think I had best collect Harry and we'll be off now."

"I'd prefer you waited until we sort this out," but Sonia looked at her daughter, trying so hard to control her tears, and said, "Another time, perhaps." She held Annalise's hand as she went to collect Harry.

Harry had been enjoying himself with a gathering of friends, almost all of whom he knew, but one glance at the face of Annalise, and he quickly found his jacket and said nothing as they headed for the floo. Just before they left, they could hear a loud and furious voice, "What did you think you were doing, Ginny Weasley!"

Sonia took Annalise to her bedroom once they were home, so he didn't know what had provoked the argument. But he knew it had been Ginny, and he knew that Annalise was upset, even he hadn't noticed the reddened cheek from a hard slap. If Ginny had ever been in the running as a potential wife, she was not now. She had upset Annalise, who was like a sister, and only ten besides.

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