Harold Peverell and the Order of Snow Leopard

by Lord of mystics

Harold Peverell and his friends are preparing for the battle which they know would take place soon. Tom Riddle is leaving on his quest to find more power and more men before he tried to seize the reins of Wizarding Britain. Starts at the end of Harry Potter and the Tribe of Mystics.

27. Chapter 27

We need a deal

After the confrontation with Grawp and Hagrid, there was something that stuck in Harry's mind. It was important for him to talk to the gamekeeper about it as soon as he had the time. There was no point trying to beg off or sneak away from the Gryffindor victory party. The Staff would be having a party of their own. And Even Hagrid with his giant constitution would have to sleep some time. So it was that Harry decided to risk waking Hagrid just before dawn. Even on Weekends and holidays, the grounds and the creatures that Hogwarts keept needed tending.

In the pre-dawn twilight, Harry tended to his morning oblations. Seeing that his room-mates weren't waking up any time soon, he walked down to Hagrid's hut that faced toward the Forbidden Forest. As he made his way around to the door, he could hear Hagrid moving around inside. When he rapped gently on the door, he heard Hagrid grumbling to himself, "Now who'd be calling at this ridiculous hour?"

The next moment, the door swung open to reveal a blurry-eyed Hagrid. With evident effort, he had to blink a few times and rub his eyes before they would focus. Harry couldn't suppress a chuckle at the half-giant's discomfiture. He tried to imagine how much mead it took to leave him in that state the morning after. The moment that Hagrid managed to focus enough to be sure that it was Harry at his door, he swept the young war-mage up in a bone crushing hug, "'Arry! Glad ter see yer. I was just makin' breakfast. Will ya join me?"

Harry tried to rub some feeling back into his ribs as Hagrid put him down again, "I'd be glad to, Hagrid. Do you mind if we talk shop while you eat?"

Hagrid was alert enough to know that this wasn't just a social call. He quickly looked to see if anyone was watching and pulled Harry inside to close the door behind him.

Harry didn't have a lot of personal experience with being hung-over, but his training with the mystics helped him recognize that Hagrid was in a bad way. He also knew that the main issue with this condition was dehydration. He sat Hagrid down with a huge mug of coffee and just kept it full as he slowly lowered the temperature and diluted the contents of the bucket-sized mug. Harry knew that Hagrid wasn't much of a cook from hard experience. But there were, about the hut, enough supplies to make a fabulous breakfast. It wasn't long before the hut was full of the odour of splendid flap-jacks and bacon.

Harry kept Hagrid's mug filled and kept him talking while he worked, "How's Grawp settling in?"

Hagrid put down his mug long enough to answer, "'E loves it up there. I've already ben up ter visit 'im an' 'e's already started fixin' the place up."

Harry flipped a stack of flapjacks onto a huge plate then stacked about a pound of bacon beside them, "Good to know it's working out for him."

He set the plate down in front of Hagrid, "There's been something on my mind that I wanted to talk to you about."

Hagrid's eyes went half closed as he inhaled the aroma of the feast before him, "Sure, 'Arry. What's on yer mind?" He reached for a gallon stone jug of black molasses that he poured generously over the flapjacks.

Harry sat down with his own platter, only about a quarter of the size of Hagrid's serving, but still worthy of a Ron sized helping, "It's the creatures of the forest, Hagrid. Do you have a plan for them?"

Hagrid looked up from his meal which was disappearing rapidly under his attentions, "What do yer mean, 'Arry? I mean, they look after themselves don' they?"

Harry had just finished plastering marmalade all over his flapjacks. He nodded firmly, "I'm sure that a lot of them do, under normal circumstances. What I'm talking about is Tom and his forces. I mean, they'll be attacking almost any time now. What's more, they're likely to come through the Forbidden Forest rather than try to assault the walls of Hogwarts directly. Is there any plan to protect the forest creatures or relocate them until the battle is over?"

Hagrid took a moment to swallow, "Relocate? I'm sure that nobody is gonna tell them centaurs to relocate. They've been pushed around enough. The others though… 'Arry, Do yer 'ave any idear 'ow many creatures live in that forest? I'm sure that lots of 'em don't live anywhere else in Wizarding Britain and maybe nowhere else in the world. Do yer see what I'm getting' at?" Hagrid's eyes began to tear up. As big and menacing as Hagrid might appear, he certainly had a tender heart when it came to magical creatures.

Harry reached over and patted the half-giant's dust-bin cover sized hand, "Yes, Hagrid. I think I do understand. Here's what I propose. As you said, lots of those creatures can look after themselves. I'm thinking that the centaurs, the trolls, the Thestrals can not only look after themselves, but can also actively Sheppard the smaller creatures out of harm's way."

Hagrid perked up a bit, "Ya. I'm pretty sure that even the centaurs would agree to that!"

"There's one more thing", Harry said with a grave air.

Hagrid asked, "alri' 'Arry, out with it?"

Harry asked, "What would your friend Aragog and his children think about attacking the death eaters? I mean, it's entirely likely that a lot of them would die, but nobody is going to object if they eat what they kill?"

Hagrid took a moment to take in what Harry was asking before he answered, "Of course, al' Aragog is his own spider, meaninin' I can't speak for 'im, much less 'is children, but there's no love lost 'tween ol' Arargarg an' You-Know-Who. I think He'll agree."

With breakfast done, Hagrid excused himself saying that he had to make his rounds. Harry looked after the retreating back of the half-giant as he strode off into the forest, his massive cross-bow over his shoulder and the huge boar-hound at his heals. There was a lot resting on those massive shoulders. Harry knew the creatures of the forest would be safe as long as Hagrid's giant heart beat.

By the time Harry finished his business with Hagrid, the sun was above the horizon. There was a bit of mist on the lake and the entire castle seemed to be at peace. He knew that in the tower, his house-mates would be looking after their last-minute packing before going down to breakfast. Speaking of which, he thought he would best be getting down to the barrel portal to escort his lady to breakfast. There was just enough time to walk and take in the morning air before reporting for duty.

Let me show you quality time

As breakfast progressed, Susan noticed that Harry was only picking at his food. Of course, he had two servings of treacle tart and a couple pints of orange juice, but for him, that was hardly sniffing at it. She asked him, "Is something bothering you, my love?"

Harry's mind was on Hagrid. He was wondering about how the Game Keeper's negotiations with the centaurs and the children of Aragog would go. His mind full of Hagrid and his belly full of flapjacks and bacon, he realized he wasn't giving much attention to his betrothed. He focused on her and gave his best charming smile, "Of course. I'll tell you about it later. For now, please forgive my inattention to you, my lady."

She kissed him tenderly on the cheek and they passed the rest of breakfast in light conversation. As he dropped her off at the barrels he said, "Don't bother about bringing your luggage, I'll have Dobby pick it up."

After the normal exchanges she made her way through the portal to get things ready for their weekend together.

It wasn't much later that Susan joined Harry by the main doors to the castle. There was a steady stream of students making their way to the carriages that would take them to the Hogwarts Express. Outside the main gates, the carriages departed as soon as they filled. That was where Hermione caught up to them, bushy haired, breathless and with Ron in tow, "Harry, Susan, hurry up and grab a carriage or we'll miss the train!"

Harry chuckled, "Hermione, have you forgotten? My god-father lives in the cottage in Hogsmead. We'll be spending the holiday with him. Besides, if I wanted to travel to London, I can apparate there directly. There's no need for me to spend four hours on a train. Would you like to join us? You can floo to your house from there."

Ron looked to Hermione for a sign. Hermione said, "That's a kind offer, Harry, but I do have plans with my family and certain duties to attend to on the train. Perhaps another time."

Ron Just sort of shrugged helplessly and followed Hermione into the nearest carriage where Neville was already sitting with Hannah.

That done, Susan took Harry's proffered arm and they walked off toward the village together. As they walked, Susan asked, "Harry, weren't you taking an awful chance inviting them up to the cottage?"

Harry gave her his best lop-sided grin, "Not a chance, Sue. Neville was in on it from the start. And there's no way that Hermione is ever going to pass up an opportunity to be a prefect. Besides, the safe-house where Hermione's family is staying is not connected to the floo network and it would take hours for her to get home from The Leaky Cauldron."

They waved at the coaches full of happy students, making their way to the train station. As soon as they reached an alley that was out of sight from the coaches and the castle, Harry pulled on his bond to Black Storm. The couple had to walk out into the space behind the neat row of shops to allow enough space for the nearly 20 foot wingspan of the hippogriff to land. Once the formal bowing was done, Harry greeted his friend affectionately and placed the tac upon him in record time. Harry adjusted the saddle a bit forward so that Susan could ride on it in front of him and the balance would not be too difficult for his trusty steed. With a bunching of his haunches and a few flaps from his mighty wings, Black storm was airborne with the young couple on his back. Just in-case anyone was still watching, Harry and Susan winged off in the direction of the cottage. Once they got past the edge of town, Harry redirected Black Storm to head for the hunting lodge. With Harry's arms wrapped around her, Susan nestled into Harry's chest as they had a glorious view of a spring day in the Scottish highlands. Even carrying two people and Harry was no light-weight anymore, Black Storm was able to make the trip in about an hour.

They landed in a small clearing near the modest cottage that was the hunting lodge. Harry thanked Black Storm for the ride as he removed the tac. In a conspiratorial tone, he let Black Storm know that there were likely a wealth of rabbits hiding in the undergrowth. With a quick bow, the hippogriff took off to hunt for his noon meal.

Looking around the cottage, it was plain to see that the whole area was overgrown. None of the gardens, shrubs or trees had been tended to for many years. The only way to tell where the cottage stood was that the undergrowth gave way to some more substantial ivy in that direction. There were many small creatures rustling through the underbrush. Bird song came from every direction. The few narrow paths were evidence that there were deer in the area. They could also hear the sound of a brook in the distance and the occasional splash as the fish jumped.

Susan took it all in, deeply inhaling the sweet scent of countless wild flowers. She exclaimed, "Harry, it's absolutely beautiful! I feel like I'm in the middle of a fairy tale."

Harry was about to answer when twin disturbances in the undergrowth announced the arrival of Kitty and Dobby. They couldn't help but break out in laughter as Kitty joyfully exclaimed, "Mistress has come to stay!", and threw herself around Susan's knees. At the Same time, Dobby exclaimed, "Welcome, Master! Welcome to the Great Harry Potter!" and bowed profusely.

As Harry patted his dear friend, the former Malfoy house elf on the back he said, "It's good to see you too, Dobby. Would you please keep an eye on Black Storm? He's off hunting for his lunch. Just make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

With a quick bow, Dobby said, "It will be my pleasure!" And he was off.

Kitty seemed to be eagerly towing Susan off toward the cottage. Susan said, "She's eager to see if I approve of the arrangements, Harry. Will you be joining us?"

Harry said, "I will be there in a while, my love. I must attend to a few important details first."

She smiled sweetly and blew him a kiss, "Don't take too long.", She worked her way through the overgrown wildflowers and undergrowth trying to keep up with Kitty as they headed off toward the cottage.

As she left, he checked the state of the wards. With the purpose for which the property was used exclusively in the past, there wasn't much that he could put around the perimeter except for the cottage. After having taken care of the wards, he summoned his patronus. Its instructions were to notify Amelia Bones and Sirius Black that Susan and Harry were well and safe and taking a much deserved break from everything and everyone. They would turn up at Grimmauld Place in two days time. Having received his instructions, the great silver snow leopard vanished through the undergrowth to the south at blinding speed.

The next thing he did was address the wild overgrowth. With his wand in hand, he cleared a path from the clearing to the cottage. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the splashing of a brook. He could see where a path had been, now with trees and brambles nearly completely covering all traces of it. Setting off with a will, he began scouring the path clear. As he grew a little tired, he summoned one of his elves from the Potter Manor who was adept in upkeep of the outside and put him to the task promptly. As he was walking towards the cottage, the sibilant speech of a snake caught his attention. It was warning other snakes to stay away from the great serpent that was clearing the path. Hearing it, Harry amid his stride to the cottage and hissed in the direction he guessed the snakes were, "Come on out. I will not harm you."

Reluctantly, the snake poked his head out from under a bush on the side of the path and said, "Speaker! How is it that the King of Serpents addresses me?"

"Never mind that. I will be visiting here from time to time. If any others that walk upon two legs are spotted by you or any of your kind, you are to inform me without delay. Will you pass the word?"

The serpent hissed in response, "I am the Lord of Snakes in this place. It shall be, even as you command."

With that, Harry thanked the reptile and continued walking towards the brook. As he walked, he could see that the elf was tirelessly working at his task and had already cleared a path to the cottage which had been paved with natural stone. When he reached the brook, he found stone steps leading down to a pond. A small dam made of granite boulders formed a pool. The sound he had heard in the distance was a small waterfall that splashed out over the boulders. Hovering over the pond were the mosquitos and dragonflies that the fish were jumping at. Completing the scene were a few lily pads with the flowers just beginning to open.

Harry had lost track of time. Just as he was thinking that he had to share this scene with Sue, Kitty popped up beside him, "Mistress is wanting to know if Master is having lunch now."

Harry looked up at the sun high overhead. Sue was going to kill him. He answered, "Please tell your mistress that I will be there right away."

The elf bowed and disappeared with another pop.

Thinking fast, Harry summoned a bouquet of the nearby wild flowers. Without any effort he disapparated without a sound and appeared outside the cottage door.

The cottage was an ancient stone structure, reinforced with wards to stop rot and infiltration from various plants, insects and animal life. Although the outside presented an air of long neglect and decay, the inside was dry, cozy and warm. Although it was a smaller structure, the roof sported proper rafters and slate tile. It was purposefully built to blend into the surrounding countryside. No vandals or vagrants had ever found the place because it was unplottable and under stasis charms when not in use. Any muggle who was able to walk past the muggle repelling wards would find nothing but a big boulder and impassable thorny hedges, certainly not worth the trouble of investigating.

While Harry had been occupied outside, Susan had been busy inside. She began instructing Kitty as soon as the door was closed, "Kitty, while Lord Peverell and I are staying here, you are to look after this home. You are also to prepare the meals. Dobby will see to it that you have all the supplies you need. If he fails in his duty, you have my permission to pull his ears."

At this, Kitty giggled then nodded enthusiastically.

Reaching up to place her travelling cloak on a nearby hook, she continued, "I expect that Lord Peverell will wish to take a walk with me and explore the grounds. Let's get lunch started now so that we can have the afternoon to do that."

There was a flurry of unpacking food, chopping and filling of pots. By the time the door opened again, things were ready to serve.

As Harry stepped inside, he was greeted with the wondrous aroma of the meal as it was being served. It reminded him of the way the kitchen at Hogwarts smelled only not so many dishes being prepared at once. The cook stove was piled up with every cooking pot it could hold and there was another cauldron on a hook over the fire. As Harry took it all in, he could see the heavy wooden furniture that had been rough hewn from the native trees, carefully sanded and finished to a dark gloss, the throw-rugs that had once been the hides of various large and dangerous creatures and under it all, the carefully polished natural stone that made up the floors. Missing were any signs of rifles, hunting bows or anything like them. When wizards went hunting, a stunner would do the job of subduing any beast. Then they could be dispatched, painlessly, without any fuss. Harry had noticed while he was outside, that the forest creatures seemed to take no notice of him. That was likely because nobody, muggle or wizard, had done any hunting around here for a very long time. As for Harry himself? He didn't plan to do anything more aggressive than hold a fishing rod while he was here.

Even though Harry had only ever been here once before, the old cottage somehow felt more like home than any other place he had ever been. There were two possible reasons that occurred to him why this might be: first was that Susan was here and second that there must be some deep magic here that called to him.

As he admired his intended, she beamed at him and his heart skipped a beat or two. She had shed her travelling cloak and what she was now wearing really showed off her figure.

He threw his outer cloak over a hook by the door and with two steps, swept his lady up in his powerful arms. After she had been properly and thoroughly kissed, she pulled back and asked him, "What is the plan, Mr. Peverell?"

Harry presented the bouquet of flowers to Susan. He asked, "How would you like to take a tour of the grounds after lunch?"

Susan clapped her hands with delight at the surprise. She said, "Kitty, would you please put these in that vase we found and put these on the centre of the table?" Quick as thought, the elf placed the dish she was carrying on the table, received the bouquet From Susan and had the flowers on the table. In a few more moments, the table was set. Susan looked out the window where she could see the nearly wild forest outside, "That sounds wonderful. But first, lets' take a break from dessert to have some lunch, shall we?"

Harry looked at the table piled up with many of his favourite dishes. He realized that it looked like a lot of food, but the flapjacks and bacon in Hagrid's hut was a long time ago and it sure looked good to him. He asked, "That looks like a lot of food, Sue. Do you think you might have overdone it a bit?"

As they stepped to the table, she shook her head, "No, Harry. I've kept track when we sit together at Hogwarts. This is about right."

Harry pulled out the chair for her and carefully pushed it back in as she sat. He said, "Wow, I hadn't realized. I guess I have been eating more since I went East."

As Harry stepped around to his chair, Susan observed, "Yes, since you went East. Why is it, Harry, that you never talk about that time?"

Harry sat and began to load up his plate, "Sorry, Sue, that's mostly because they asked me not to talk about it."

She placed some food on her own plate, "Is there anything about it that you can talk about?"

With a small pile of chops on his plate, Harry was busily adding potatoes, gravy and some glazed carrots, "They're supposed to be a secret Order. Much of the knowledge that they guard could be extremely dangerous if it ever got into the wrong hands. They never take in someone who is not ready to let go of his identity however there are a few very rare exceptions. The fact that they trained me at all, without me having to give up everyone and everything I know is extraordinary in itself. The least I can do in return, is respect their wishes."

Sue nodded, "Magic can be a tricky thing. I suppose that's all for the best."

Harry shook his head, "But still, I just don't feel right about keeping anything from you. While I can't say anything about my time with them, I can share what they have chosen to reveal about themselves."

Susan said, "Anything you say will remain safe with me."

Harry beamed a genuine smile at his intended, "Of that, I have no doubts." He paused a few moments to collect his thoughts, "First of all, you've met Professor Vikram? He is one of them however I will appreciate if you will not share this information with everyone. Only a very handful of people know about it."

She nodded as she powered through a pile of Brussel sprouts.

Harry continued, "He's pretty typical of what they're like. He's a lot older than he looks, he's quiet, modest and certainly a force to be reckoned with when it comes to a duel. He knows more healing than most healers. But if he observes someone being a bully or committing an offense against Mother Magic… Well, let's just say that you don't want to be on the wrong end of his wand."

Susan swallowed and asked, "Just how old is he?"

Harry shook his head again, "Sorry, Sue. That's his story to tell. You can ask him, but I won't tell you."

Susan summed up, "Ok, so they're really powerful and wise and such, but what do they do with all that? I mean, I remember this saying that, 'All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.'"

Harry frowned slightly, "For all I know, it may have been a Mystic on an assignment that said that. Their Order is all over the world. They prefer to work behind the scenes and let other people take the credit. Anywhere that good people are being oppressed or killed, with no means to defend themselves, you can be sure that the Mystics are there, evening the odds."

Susan stopped with a fork half way to her mouth as she realized, "Do you mean...? Is that why the attacks on muggles have stopped so suddenly?"

Harry shrugged, "Nice guess, love. Nobody is telling me directly, but that sure is their style."

Susan's head began to swim with all the implications. She asked, "That seems like a lot of work they do. Just how many of them are there?"

Harry laughed at the audacity that Susan even asked, "Sorry Sue. Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. That is something they would never want anyone to know. But I can tell you this. Do you remember how you were healed after the battle at Hogsmead?"

Susan shook her head, "Not really. I remember taking a curse for Daphne and the next thing I knew, I woke up to your handsome face in the infirmary. I remember feeling lost and alone and then following your voice home. I thought that you had saved me."

Harry took an extra moment to swallow before he went on, "In part that is true. But you should know that it was my master, Lord Harsh Vardhana, who came to our aide when I thought all hope was lost. There was no way I could have done it without his help."

Sue let that sink in for a few moments, thoughtfully chewing before she swallowed to ask another question, "You said that Professor Vikram is a lot older than he looks. But, just how old is this Order?"

Harry said, with all the double meaning it implied, "I really can't say. But they have crossed paths with our families before. If you look in your family journals, you'll find that Lord Black, Lord Potter, Lord Bones and Lord Longbottom all worked with them to bring a dark lord down about a century ago. They saved Lord Bones' life twice, but Lord Longbottom did not survive the conflict. There is likely to be something in there that the Mystics haven't told me."

Susan frowned slightly, "I can't say that I've ever been inclined to go through those old, dusty memories, but now, I'm definitely curious."

Harry nodded, "Can't say that I've taken the time to read them myself." He looked wistful for a moment, "Maybe, when all this insanity is over, maybe then I can take the time to do things like that."

As Harry looked around the table, he realized that Susan's estimation of his appetite was pretty much spot on. He turned back to look into her eyes and raising one eyebrow asked, "How about that hike?"

She gazed back at him and answered, "Sure sounds good to me. Let's get going."

Harry said, "Before we go, the place is pretty badly overgrown in most places. I wouldn't want you to get that gorgeous outfit snagged on the brambles."

She said, "I can fix that. Just give me a minute or two."

Quick as a flash, Harry was standing behind Susan, pulling out her chair as she stood. Before she retired to one of the small bedrooms, she asked Kitty if she wouldn't mind cleaning up. The elf looked at the mostly clean plates left on the table and immediately got to work.

Harry headed toward the other bedroom in the hopes that Dobby had placed his luggage there. It didn't take him long to find a sturdy pair of hiking boots, a pair of blue jeans and a plaid bush jacket. He also found a red hunting cap to go with the outfit. By the time he was dressed, Susan only took another minute to emerge from her room. Her jeans didn't leave much to the imagination. Her boots had just enough lift to the heels to make them flattering. She had seen the overgrown state of the grounds, so she took the precaution of pulling her hair up into a bun and hiding most of it under her cap. It was a different look for her, but Harry still liked it.

Suitably attired, the two followed the path that Harry had cleared from the cottage that led in the direction of the babbling stream. As they walked, there were places where the trees had intertwined overhead, forming a tunnel of greenery.

As they walked, Harry asked her, "It looks like you've already taken on the duties of the lady of the house?"

She blushed profusely, but answered, "It seemed the natural thing to do."

Fishing

The grounds were extensive. Although the forest had been growing wild for a long time it was not nearly so extensive or deep as the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. The path twisted and turned as it went, rounding hills in some places and massive, ancient trees in others. If he listened carefully, he could hear the bowtruckles chittering at them from some of those trees.

Harry remarked, "Some of these trees are good for wand wood."

Susan looked around and said, "I suppose they are, but why do you mention it, Harry?"

Harry pointed up into the branches of an ancient elm next to the path, "Up there. Can you see it? A bowtruckle is chewing us out for being too close to the tree."

Now that she looked closely, she could see the little twig arms furiously waving as the tiny creature chattered at them. Her laughter was like the chiming of a silver bell, "Sorry little fellow, we haven't brought any wood lice for you."

As they passed by, the twig like creature shrugged its shoulders and settling down again seemed to become part of the tree.

Harry could also hear the rustling of countless small animals in the undergrowth. There also seemed to be a vanguard of snakes on either side of the path keeping pace with them. Well, with guards like that, at least they wouldn't be attacked by any small rodents. The happy couple kept walking hand in hand until Harry heard running water in the distance. They followed the trail to the place that Harry had found earlier. It was teeming with fish. Grinning, Harry started fashioning a fishing rod out of a green branch that he had trimmed from one of the trees earlier. Susan asked him, "What are you doing?"

He turned to her with a look of mischief in his eyes, "I thought it would be nice to have some fresh fish for dinner tonight."

Susan asked him, "Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just summon some fish from the pond?"

Harry shrugged, "I suppose that would be faster, but I think it would defeat the whole purpose."

He carefully drew a couple of wards so the biting insects would not bother them then set out some blankets by the bank of the pond. That done, he applied himself to setting up the rod with line, hook and bait. With just a careful touch of animation, he set his hand tied fly to flapping and buzzing above the water and set the rod up so that he could grab it if a fish bit. Having set up his devious device, he settled down to watch the patterns of the insects above the pond. He reached up and helped Susan to settle into a comfortable place.

She asked him, "Do you ever think about the future, Harry?"

Harry continued to look out over the pond, "Sure I do, Sue. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going."

Sue leaned into him as he put his arm around her, "what do you mean?"

He felt her warmth as she snuggled close, "Right now, right here," he gestured to the place around them, "with you, this is great. This is everything I could ever want and more…"

She encouraged him, "But?"

Harry sighed deeply, "But indeed! But, there's this homicidal maniac that wants to kill me. He wants to kill all my friends. I mean, sure, the Mystics trained me and I've beaten him the last two times we collided. And it took everything I had to do that. His people nearly killed you. He nearly killed me twice. He killed my parents, he killed your parents, so many people have died because of him and his followers. And why? Why do I have to stop him? Live and let live is the way I want to be, but I have to kill him and why? Because of some inane prophesy? I mean, that's why he killed my family. That's why he tried to kill me. That's why I grew up in that wizard hating muggle family with that stupid scar on my head instead of being raised by my own mother and father who would have loved me and taught me magic instead of treating me like the most loathsome rubbish in existence. And I still have to kill him because if I don't, he won't settle for just killing me. NO, he'll destroy, plunder and kill everything and everyone I love."

Susan let the silence stretch out for a few minutes before she spoke again, "That's just awful, Harry. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you."

Harry gave her a gentle squeeze around her shoulders, "Some people think they do. I mean, I control four seats. Well, I'm still not clear about how that works, but more than four, on the Wizengamot. I have more money, castles, estates and properties all over the place, more gold than I know what to do with. And then there's the cursed hero worship." He blew out a sigh. "They think it must be pretty great being me. But all that means is that they don't know me at all. I don't give a fig for any of that. I wasn't brought up for wealth or power. I'd give it all up in a heartbeat if I could just have you, this little cottage and a peaceful, unremarkable life."

Susan said, "That is why I love you, dear. I really can't help it. Anyone else with all that would just want more and more and they wouldn't care who it hurt."

Harry shook his head, "Now you're talking about people like Malfoy. But, as a general rule, I can't agree with that. I mean, look at people like Neville. He was brought up to wealth and power, but it never damaged his soul. He is as true a friend and as fierce a defender as anyone could ever ask for. When I think that he was a laughing stock because his Gran thought his Father's wand was for him, and he just soldiered on, never complaining."

Susan agreed, "Yes, he is a good soul."

Harry continued, "Then there's Ron. His family was deprived of everything because of the machinations of one corrupt servant of the dark side. His soul was filled with bitterness, having to use the second-rate, second-hand leavings of his older brothers."

Susan answered, "Yes, Auntie told me all about it. She also told me that the moment you came into your own, you set it right. It seems that Ron is a better person now."

Harry said, "I would do the same no matter who had suffered the injustice. Yes, even for Malfoy."

Susan reached both arms around his middle and gave him a firm squeeze, "And that, my love, is why you will always win. You don't let your personal feelings keep you from doing what's right."

At that point, a trout jumped and engulfed the fly at the end of the fishing line. Harry grabbed the home-made fishing-rod before it could be dragged out of reach. With a careful tug, he set the hook. In a few minutes, he pulled the still struggling fish out of the water. He hit the fish with a non-verbal stunner and it lay still. With a second non-verbal spell, he put the fish in stasis to keep it fresh. A few minutes more and he had the rod set again. Susan took the opportunity to stand up and stretch. Harry observed how cat-like and natural her movements were. She also summoned Kitty to bring some butterbeers and other refreshments.

Once they resumed their position next to each other on the blanket, Harry asked, "So, where were we?"

Not entirely honestly, Susan ventured, "Our future?"

Harry popped the cap on a butterbeer and handed it to Susan before he opened one for himself. After taking a sip, he smiled, "Yes, our future… I'm sure that's what we were talking about. What do you want to know?"

In a mock-casual, sing-song voice she answered, "Oh, you know, the usual. What do you want to do for a living? How many children do you want to have? Where will we live? That sort of thing."

Harry thought for a moment, "From what I hear, I'll never have to work a day in my life. My investments are doing so well that I could never spend it all."

Susan gave him a poke, "If you think you're going to just sit around the house drinking butterbeers all day, you'd best reconsider, Mr. Peverell."

In a mock submissive nasally tone, Harry began, "Yes dear." When Susan poked him again, he chuckled and answered sincerely, "Just because I don't have to work, doesn't mean I won't. I already have an offer from Jeremiah Wright of Puddlemere United. One of their scouts saw me in the game versus Slytherin. They say they have a spot for me on the team as soon as I get out of school. Not only that, but I have a standing invitation to join in their practices if I'm ever in the neighbourhood."

Susan sat up straight, "Wow! They don't usually recruit until Seventh year. That's amazing!"

Sounding a bit sheepish, Harry admitted, "It's not the only offer. I've had half a dozen at least. They just happen to be the team I want to play for."

Susan was struck speechless for a moment. Then she got herself together, "OK then, Quidditch. It'll be nice to be presented with the game Snitch at the end of your working day. And it sounds like you can write your own ticket there. But what about the rest of your time. Politics? You already have a lot of influence in the Wizengamot."

Harry reacted with horror, "I suppose you'd have me Minister for Magic?"

Susan said indignantly, "And why not? General Longbottom won't be Minister for Magic forever and I'm sure you could swing the votes."

Harry shook his head, "That's not for me. I'm quite happy with the regents I appointed handling things. Politics makes my head hurt. When the war is over, I'll take up the Peverell seat, put in a word or two when it matters, but I have no interest in doing more than that."

Susan said, "OK, I get it. You just weren't brought up for that and all the trappings don't appeal to you. But, you can't just sit around doing nothing, with snitches fluttering around your head, during the off season and between games and practices."

"Well", said Harry, "there are things that will be unavoidable. I'll have to do a certain amount of writing and public appearances. That's just a natural consequence of the last 16 years. And I really don't mind spreading around some kindness and inspiration where I can. But, my real passion is potion making."

"Do tell", She encouraged him.

Harry said, "That improved Wolfsbane potion for instance. It wasn't exclusively my work, although I did most of it. The person that helped me refused to take any credit for it."

Susan deduced quickly that he must be talking about a Mystic.

Harry continued, "It's Remus, you see. Not all werewolves deserve the fate they have. I'm determined to discover a complete cure for lycanthropy. And if I can't do that, I will do everything I can to either completely stop the lunar transformations or at least let them keep their minds and be comfortable when that happens."

Susan nodded, "And you'll never have to worry about scrounging for grant money to do your research. That's absolutely brilliant!"

Harry demurred, "It'll be brilliant if I can do it. Hmm, were you asking about children?"

"Yes.", She said nodding, "If I am to be a proper wife, I need to know what I'm in for."

Harry began hesitantly, "Well, um, you do know that I am the lord of no less than five houses?"

She counted on one hand as she went through the names, "Potter, Black, Rosier, Webber and Peverell. Is that right?"

Harry nodded, "yes. And, of course, you are the heiress of House Bones too. We will need at least one heir for each house. That's six altogether."

Susan gulped, "I guess so… It'll be like the Weasleys"

Harry chuckled, "We could do worse. The Weasleys are good people." Then he sighed, "The fact that so much has come down to you and me is just more proof that the Wizarding World has been at war too much, thinning our numbers, wasting our blood. Still, I wonder what they'll look like."

Susan said, "I hope they get my hair instead of bird's nests like yours."

Harry scowled, "I'll have you know that the most beautiful women have been falling for this windswept look for countless generations."

Susan poked him again, "Ah yes, the Potter men have such wonderful hair that your grandfather, Charlus, came up with a new potion just to control it."

Harry jibed back, "You are mistaken, my lady. He only came up with that to make his fortune. And there are so many ladies who bought it that he made his fortune."

Susan asked him, "So do you feel any better?"

Harry nodded firmly, "Since we have come here, I have felt so much more relaxed. Last year, I was training my brains out for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Then there was the battle in the graveyard and Tom gaining a body and I was in a magical coma for weeks. Since then, my entire existence has been one continual round of training, leading and fighting. I really needed this break." He chuckled, "the last time I felt really rested was when I came out of that coma. Can you believe it?"

She thought back, "What about the Yule break?"

Harry said, "Even then, I was hosting and then there was that attack."

Susan said, "yes, the Nundus. How did you deal with that?"

Harry shook his head, "Honestly, I didn't have to. That's another time the Mystics stepped in."

Susan said, "Oh."

Harry recalled a memory that seemed to come from a lifetime ago. He said, "The coma wasn't all bad."

Susan looked at him disbelieving, "You've got to be pulling my leg."

Harry said, "Honestly. I got to see my family, parents and grandparents. I spoke with them. You realize I have no memory of any of them? "

Susan reached up to lift his cap and stroke his wild hair, "Now that you put it that way." After she thought a moment, she continued, "Harry, I know that you don't like politics, but consider. If you're not going to be the next Minister for Magic, you are going to have a lot to say about who is. I mean, you are the leader of the light, whether you hold the office or not, the person that does will do so by your leave."

Harry stood up to look into the pond before he answered, "You're right, I don't like thinking about it. But you're also right that I'll probably have to make a decision like that too."

He turned back to face Susan, who was now sitting up on the blanket with her arms wrapped around her knees and continued, "When the time comes, if I can't find anyone who will serve the public trust with perfect fidelity, I'll do what I have to do. Why should my adult life be any different from my childhood?"

Then Susan started laughing for no apparent reason. Grieved, Harry said, "What's so funny? I just volunteered to take on the role of leading all of Wizarding Britain and you laugh at me?"

Susan sobered momentarily and said, "I'm sorry, Harry. It's just that you said 'childhood' and I started thinking about all the couples among our friends, and I started thinking about what their children will look like. Well, one thing led to another and I got to Millie and Draco…" Harry got a vision of half-troll sized girls with Malfoy's pale, pointy chinned, sneering face and immediately became helpless with laughter.

When he was able to calm down, he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "That's just mean. Millie doesn't deserve a fate like that."

That was when another fish jumped to the lure and Harry's fishing rod headed for the pond. With the lightning reflexes of the Seeker, his hand shot out and grabbed the rod out of mid air. The line was light and the fish did not go down easily, but in the end, Harry managed to land another prize trout. Once he had the fish stunned and preserved, he summoned his elf, "Dobby."

The elf appeared instantly with his customary loud crack, "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Dobby, how is Black Storm doing?"

Dobby almost vibrated with excitement, "The eagle-horse is sleeping in the upper meadow. His belly being very full."

Harry said, "Well done! Now, please take these fish to Kitty and I want you to …" Harry bent down low and whispered so that only Dobby could hear him."

Without another word, Dobby took up both fish and disappeared with another loud crack.

Susan looked at the spot where the elf had vanished and asked, "Is there a reason why he's so loud?"

Harry chuckled, "He was the first house elf I ever met. Of course, we didn't start off on the best of terms because of who he had to take orders from at the time. But as I have had the chance to get to know other elves… Let's just say that he's very enthusiastic. I could ask him to tone it down, but I'd hate to break the little fellow's heart."

Susan walked over and kissed her betrothed tenderly, "That's just one more reason I love you."

Looking up at the sky, Harry saw that the sun was already on the horizon. The stars would be coming out soon. He turned to Susan, "Look. We've chatted the entire afternoon away. We'd better head back or people might begin to talk."

Susan swept her arm around to take in the entire scene, "I doubt there's another soul around for ten miles at least. Who's going to tell?"

Harry shrugged, "Don't you know how house elves talk?"

Thinking of Dobby, she giggled, "Oh dear! We'd better hurry!"

Harry cast a finite on the lure he'd been using all afternoon and stored the fishing rod under a log by the pond. He didn't want any of the wildlife to get into trouble with the hook. Preparations made, he offered his arm to his lady and they strolled along the path in the waning light.

As they walked, Harry noticed that Susan had become quiet. He asked, "Knut for your thoughts, Sue?"

She said, "It's that dream. I want you to tell me about that dream you had?"

Harry said, "I have a lot of dreams, not all of them good. Could you be more specific?"

"You remember that day in the infirmary. You were rambling about having seen a future with me where you saw that we had children running around and you named them after our parents. Tell me about them."

Harry said, "I'm no seer, Sue. But they were beautiful. I'm happy to say that for the most part, they got your looks. I mostly remember how happy I felt, knowing that every day, I would wake up to your face and have you by my side. Like I said, it was a dream, mostly wishful thinking, I guess."

Susan quipped, "Well, they would be fortunate indeed to get my looks over yours, Mr. Peverell. As for the rest, that's no wishful thinking, that's a promise!"

Harry stopped to give her a proper kiss before continuing to the cottage with Susan leaning on his arm. As they walked, they speculated about what the children of each of their friends would look like. They had Hannah and Neville's children looking like Malfoys, with Neville's blond hair and Hannah's features. They had Ron and Hermione's children with massive bushes of red hair. By the time they reached the cottage, they were both nearly helpless with laughter.

When they emerged from the trees, Susan saw a sight that took her breath away. The clearing outside the cottage had been festooned with wild flowers of every description. The entire scene was softly lit with lightning bugs and fairy lights. There was a table set up with a warm fire glowing nearby. Set upon the table were covered platters. And in the background, the moonrise revealed a waxing gibbous moon. The moon immediately brought Remus to Harry's mind. It would be the full moon tomorrow night and he would, yet again, have to deal with his furry problem.

Harry could tell by the fabulous aroma that Dobby and Kitty had done his recipe for grilled trout almandine exactly right. No, the Dursleys had never allowed Harry to cook for guests, but, there was the one time that Uncle Vernon and Dudley had come back from a fishing trip. They made Harry prepare the dish while Aunt Petunia was busy cleaning the already sterile living-room. He had learned the recipe and managed to get it right the first time. (But of course, Dudley had to complain that his serving wasn't big enough and Harry never got to taste it. Oh well, ancient history.)

Susan exclaimed, "It's beautiful! Thank-you so much, Harry."

Harry said, "You'll have to thank the elves. All I did was give Dobby the fish and some good ideas. I must say that they really outdid themselves."

She kissed him to shut him up, mostly. Harry pulled out a chair for her before going around the table to take his own seat.

Kitty appeared with a soft pop, "is everything being to mistresses liking?"

Susan answered, "Very well done, Kitty. We will call you when it is time to clear away, Thank-you."

With a quick curtsy, the diminutive elf popped away again.

The table was set with the finest silver and cut crystal. Everything looked crisp and clean and placed with minute precision. When they lifted the lids from their platters, what greeted them was as much a feast for the eye as the nose and the pallet. The Presentation was perfect. There was the fish, of course, served on a bed of brown rice (exactly how it was prepared is an exercise for the reader) framed with spears of asparagus. A meal like this would go for over a hundred pounds at a muggle restaurant and quite a bit more with the linen and the gratuity. Susan stopped to take it all in before taking even the first bite.

As the meal went on, they speculated about Daphne. Neither one of them had seen her dating anyone. Even Harry, clueless as he was when it came to girls, had a pretty good idea of what was wrong with the Heiress of Greengrass, but he also had enough care for his own well being to keep mum about it. Susan also knew what was going on, and she felt sorrier for Daphne than anything else, but she was also trying to test Harry to see if he knew how to be discrete. As the small talk progressed, they brought up young men, one at a time and quickly found reasons why it would never work. By the end of the meal, Susan determined that either Harry had no feelings of that kind toward Daphne or he had recently become a master at hiding his feelings. On the surface, they both came to the conclusion that there wasn't a single boy in all of Hogwarts that would do for Daphne. They would just have to find someone from outside the country for her.

Susan started taking the empty dishes from Harry's side of the table and piling them up with hers. She rearranged the still covered dessert dishes in front of Harry.

He asked, "What are you up to?"

Instead of answering him, she pulled his chair, with him in it, away from the table. Grinning mischievously, she lifted the lid off of one of the dessert dishes and climbed onto his lap. Harry said, "Treacle tart?"

Susan said, "I know of something sweeter."

After three servings of dessert, Susan asked Kitty to clear away and the couple took a walk in the moonlight. Some of the creatures were curious about the couple but were kept away by the wards Harry carried with him. The biting insects were repelled by similar means. Between the wards and the watchful eyes of the resident snakes, nothing bothered them. The two of them made a tour of the outer boundaries of the property and retired just before midnight.

Cottage on the Hill

Sirius Black was pacing up and down the kitchen floor, hands clasped behind his back, a worried frown on his handsome features. Between no longer having to live as a fugitive from the law, the physically demanding work of being an Auror trainer under the regime of the fearsome Mad-Eye Moody and the love of a good woman, the wasted gauntness was gone from his face and frame. Instead, he stood straight and tall, well defined muscles supporting his thirty-something frame. And yet, there was still a certain haunted quality about his eyes. Nobody could survive nearly 12 years in Azkaban without permanent scars. Still, he managed to come through it better than most.

He recalled his surprise yesterday when the snow leopard patronus came galloping up to him, announced in Harry's voice that he was disappearing for a couple of days and vanished. If that wasn't bad enough, he was summoned shortly after that to appear before a very irate Master Auror Alastor Moody, "Where is your son? I've just been raked over the coals by a very angry head of DMLE. She's not happy that your son has kidnapped her daughter!" Sirius didn't know what bothered him more, the chewing out from his boss or really not knowing any more than the veteran did.

Thinking fast, Sirius made an attempt to calm the older man down, "I'm sure it's not as bad as all that, Alastor. The lad can handle himself. I'm sure they're OK."

Not satisfied and naturally suspicious, moody snapped bac, "Just what makes you so sure. I mean, the General's having kittens over this! He had told me that we are to keep an eye on him all the time while he is out of the castle"

Sirius nodded, "It's the Patronus. It spoke in Harry's voice. You can't fake that."

Moody said, "That's not good enough. You are to locate one young Harold James Peverell and bring him to me, preferably in one piece. That's an order!"

Sirius snapped to attention and saluted, "Sir! Yes sir!"

Moody waved him off, "Don't go shining on to me, Black. Just get him back here. Dismissed."

That was yesterday. This morning, the Marauder was (excuse the pun) seriously vexed and found Moony to vent his rage and frustration. He grumbled, "The very idea! He disappears with his girlfriend and doesn't even tell us where? I swear, when I get my hands on that pup, I am going to…"

Remus cut him off, "Come, come now, Padfoot. We certainly got into our share of trouble back in the day. At least he sent you a patronus. That's more than I've heard. And that way, you know that he's safe and you know that it was him that sent it."

Remus was sitting at the table, an open copy of The Daily Prophet spread out before him. Like Serious, it was plain to see that his fortunes had soared in the last year. The unhealthy pallor, a side effect of the monthly poisoning from the Wolfsbane potion, was gone. He was dressed in well-fitted expensive robes instead of the second-hand patched rags he used to wear. And although his hair was prematurely gray, the same colour as his coat in his wolf form, and he was beginning to develop a bit of a paunch from his personal weakness for fine chocolate, there was no mistaking that the gentle academic had taken up a rigorous training program. His own gentle, thoughtful nature was only enhanced by the love of the fearsome Auror who preferred to be addressed by her surname only.

Sirius stopped pacing long enough to face his life-long friend squarely, "Yeah, sure. He says he's safe and I remember, perhaps a bit too fondly, the mischief we used to get up to, but, Remus, there was always a line we didn't cross and we always had each other. Harry's got…"

Remus chuckled, "Think about what you're saying. He sent you a talking patronus. How old were you before you could do that? He's more than twice the wizard we were at that age. And, he's with Susan. I've heard that she's quite a capable witch in her own right."

Sirius pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. Remus observed, "Good. I thought you were going to wear out the floor. So, are you going to just be patient and wait until the lad shows up?"

Sirius looked over at the newspaper, laid out on the table. He couldn't believe it! Moony was working on the crossword puzzle. He exclaimed, "Harry's missing, we're in the middle of a Blood War, the paper is full of death eater attacks and you're doing a crossword?!"

Remus looked up from what he was doing and showed the front page to his friend, "It relaxes me, Padfoot. It's the full moon tonight. And, strangely enough, no death eater attacks."

The front page was a Ministry peace about General Longbottom giving a speech. "Well", said Sirius, "If Frank's speech made the front page, there really isn't much going on."

Lupin nodded and went back to his puzzle.

Remus said in an off-handed way, "The last year has been hard on the lad. He's probably saved more lives in the last year than the entire Auror force combined. He came up with a new Wolfsbane potion that has made life so much more bearable for the afflicted like me. And he never stops training. I can't even imagine how stressful it's been for him. Why can't we just give the lad a break?"

Sirius considered, "I suppose he had it coming, Remus. It's not like I never disregarded a direct order before."

The pencil in Lupin's hand was almost a blur as he filled in letters on the puzzle, "That's right. The next time you see Moody, just tell him you couldn't find Harry and He'll forget about it soon enough when he pops up again."

"Still", Sirius said musing, "he pulled a fast one on us… And we are Marauders, are we not? Can we really let this stand?"

Remus filled in the last few boxes of his puzzle, then looked up, "Now that you put it that way, what do you have in mind?"

Sirius' lips curled up, "First we find him then we remind him who the Marauders are."

Remus adopted the demeanour of the patient teacher. He had already worked out a plan. He was just waiting for the slower student in the room to work through the problem, "A good basic outline. Now, how are you going to locate him?"

The taller man's brow furrowed in concentration, "The last time anyone saw him, according to Mad-Eye, the two of them were flying on the back of that hippogriff. They were heading directly to this very cottage. But, as we know, they never arrived here."

Remus encouraged him, "And…?"

Sirius looked like he was trying to do Arithmancy in his head, "Two people on hippogriff-back. He's a pretty big hippogriff. They couldn't have flown much more than two hours. Harry has properties all over Wizarding Britain. They could be, hmmm, let's see…"

Lupin chuckled, "Think hard, the answer will come to you."

Sirius said, "What if they disapparated or used a floo? They could be anywhere."

Remus nodded, "Very good. You're not going to find them by deduction."

Sirius stopped overheating his brain, "What? I thought you had it figured out already. What am I missing?"

When it came to pranks in the good old days, Remus was always the brains of the operation. Peter could use his animagus form to place thing things where nobody else could reach. James, with his athletic skills and incomparable daring could pull off most any physical feat. Sirius' talent was charm and the silver tongue. He could get information and distract anyone. But none of it worked without the careful planning and research of the quiet one in the group. In fact, Remus had done the most important work in researching all the charms that they had used when they were crafting the Marauder's Map.

Remus said quietly, "You have to think outside the box to solve this one, my friend. Call your elf."

Sirius spluttered, "My elf? But what good…" He did a face-palm as he realized what to do. He called, "Kreacher."

The ancient elf popped into the room and bowed, "Yes, master. What can an old elf do for master?"

Since Sirius had returned to the townhouse, the old elf had cleaned himself up. He was still quite wrinkled by reason of his age, but the wasted look was gone. He no longer muttered to himself. And whenever he reported for duty, he was draped in a clean linen dish towel, toga style, with the Black family crest proudly displayed. Sirius addressed him, "This is a covert mission. Kreacher, do not allow yourself to be seen. Locate young Lord Black wherever he might be. When you are done report back to me without letting him know."

Kreacher bowed and said, "As master wishes." And with the pop of inrushing air, the old elf was gone.

Remus nodded in approval, "That's taken care of. Now what about the rest of the plan?"

A maniacal grin took possession of Padfoot's face and he shared his plan with Moony."

Ministry of Magic

Back to yesterday...

Sirius had just left the office of the Master Auror when a memo came winging to Moody's desk. Before he even opened it, Alastor recognized the General's personal stationary. As he opened the memo, he grumbled to himself, "The cat's in the cauldron for sure. He quickly scanned the summons to the General's office and having confirmed what he already knew, grabbed his staff and headed out the door.

When Moody arrived in Frank's office, he stood at ease, his eyes focused on a point just above the General's left shoulder, "Reporting as ordered, General."

There was something about Moody that always unsettled Frank. But, this was a war and Alastor was just being formal. He would expect no less from any of his troops. He got straight to the point, "Master Auror, I've read your report, of course. I would like an update on the search for Lord Peverell and recent death eater activity."

Moody began his report, "Yes sir. A new force has entered the war. This has been confirmed by the Muggle-born Network. There have been multiple sightings of unknown wizards thwarting death eater attacks on muggles. They do their own obliviating. It appears that they do not attack to kill, which is a mystery to us."

Frank nodded, "Have you identified them?"

Alastor responded, "No sir. For one thing, they all seem to have the knack of blending in perfectly with the muggles, hiding in plain sight until they draw a wand. For another, they do not linger at the scene once the attack is over. From the description of their battles, they are at least as well trained as our best Aurors. They provide verbal warnings before they attack. And finally, their accents seem to originate from all over the world."

Frank nodded, "Sounds like associates of our friend Harsh Vardhana."

Alastor concurred, "That would be my best guess."

Frank tried to look Moody in the eye, but gave it up for a bad job. The one squinty eye was as sharp and piercing as ever and the bright-blue eye never seemed to stop moving. He asked, "Let's just assume that it is the Mystics. What role do you suppose they might fill?"

Alastor recited as if he were reading from a report even though he had no documents with him, "My assessment of their abilities is that they can accomplish any objective they set. My assessment of their actions is that they are highly capable with a well developed command structure. Their ethics and motivations appear to be that of non-interference however, they do not hesitate to defend the defenceless. Long term, I believe that they will defend the muggles, relieving us of that responsibility, until the war is over. This will free our resources to concentrate on training for the final battle."

He jotted down some notes before proceeding to the next matter, "And what of Lord Peverell and the Heiress Bones?"

Alastor stood impassive as he reported, "The facts are as you know them, sir. They were last sighted flying on the back of the black and red hippogriff identified as Black Storm in the general direction of the cottage on the hill in Hogsmead. They did not arrive there. About 11:00 Am today, Amelia Bones received a message by patronus that Lord Peverell and her daughter were 'taking a break and would return in two days time to the townhouse at Grimmauld place'. No location for their stay was given. When I gave Sirius Black orders to locate them and return them to me, he mentioned that he had received the same message and in the same manner."

The General made a few more notes, "So, the legal guardians have been notified. They will return in two days. And, Lord Peverell is able to send messages by talking Patronus. Remarkable, but somehow, I'm not surprised."

Frank leaned back from his desk, tapping the quill against his nose, "Do you suppose, Master Auror, that Mr. Black will succeed in his assignment?"

Moody's scarred face split into a hideous grin, "Yes sir. I'm counting on it. I think that man must be part blood-hound."

Frank nodded, then asked, "Have you taken any other steps?"

Moody said, "Yes sir. I have assigned five of my best trackers to try and find him, but I still believe that Sirius Black has the best chance of getting the job done."

Frank sat up and shook his head, "No, Alastor, that won't do. We don't want word getting out that the young war mage is missing. Call the other men off the job. Report your findings to me only. Is that understood?"

Master Auror, Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody stood to full attention, clicked his heels together, snapping a salute and replied, "Yes Sir."

Before Frank dismissed him he asked, "Is there anything else you wish to report?"

Alastor resumed his at ease posture and ventured, "No but I have a question."

"You don't need my permission to ask questions, Alastor. Ask away."

"What do we tell Amelia about the disappearance of her niece?"

Frank said with genuine conviction, "Tell her that her daughter has the most capable defender in a thousand years. She'll be fine."

Alastor answered, "Indeed. I can tell her that."

The General snapped off a salute to his right-hand man and said, "Dismissed!"

Alastor returned the salute and turned to leave the office.

The Brain of the Marauders

The initial plan that Sirius had laid out was reckless and sparse on details. Remus and Sirius spent the next hour working it out. With the new abilities that the Pup now possessed, a bit of recklessness could lead to serious injury or much worse, humiliation. From the original outline, they had a cunning plan to wreck havoc on the son of their departed Marauder.

With only the barest minimum of the pop of displaced air, the ancient elf of House Black re-appeared, "Kreacher has found the young Lord, Master."

Sirius grinned broadly as he leapt from his chair. Right now, Kreacher was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and his bullfrog croak of a voice, the sweetest music he had ever heard. Gleefully rubbing his hands together Sirius asked, "Excellent, Kreacher! Truly excellent. And just where is young Lord Black staying?"

Kreacher bowed low. He seemed truly overwhelmed with the high praise, "Master Harry be staying at the Rosier hunting lodge with Mistress Susan, Master."

Padfoot almost danced with glee, "Thank-you Kreacher. That will be all."

With another pop, the old elf was gone. Moony looked up from the place where he was sitting at the table, Grinning as much as he ever did, "Oh dear, the Pup is in for it now."

Sirius knew the old hunting lodge well. It was only about 40 miles from Hogsmead as the hippogriff flies. Given the timing between when they disappeared and when Sirius got the Patronus message, they must have flown the whole way. Yes, the place had some basic protection wards and it was unplottable, defences mostly designed to discourage muggles from snooping around. But it was much too large to hide under a Fidelius charm. And what's more, the basic wards there were entirely inadequate to even slow down the Marauders. But what Sirius thought he knew about the place was old news. Where Harry was concerned, it would be best not to take anything for granted. They would not know for sure until they got a close-up look at the place.

The Gaunt Shack

The wraith like experience was one more thing that Voldemort despised. The floating the difficulty willing himself to move with any direction or purpose, the lack of limbs, the inability to touch or move anything physical, the inability to sate any hunger or thirst, the frustration of continuing to be conscious but not do anything. His ability to do magic stripped from him, nothing remained but the ability to make some noise and to chill any living thing he touched. It took more than a day and a night before he was able to focus his mind by sheer force of will. There was still some sense of his horcruxes tethering him to the material plane. But none of that force came from beneath the floor of this shack. When he was able to perceive again, a process that took another day and a night, he could see that the centre of his being was still in the Gaunt shack. The construct that had served him as a body for nearly the last year still lay there on the floor. It didn't seem nearly so damaged as he had feared. He made an effort to re-enter the body and inhabit it again, but to no avail. There seemed to be a barrier excluding his wraith form from the vicinity.

He raged at his state. If he only had a body, it would be the work of a moment to destroy the wards that kept him out, but he could not go there. He could perceive it clearly but the problem was a force from a ward that excluded his animus from a radius around it. He raged at himself, "Stupid! clumsy!" Had he not been delinked from the construct, it would have been the work of a split-second to obliterate the ward that had been his undoing.

The twisted genius of it all: first, they had to know that he had horcruxes; second, they somehow found one here; third, they didn't just defeat his wards, but they actually managed to co-opt them for their own purposes and hide their deadly trap almost without leaving a trace. Yes, almost, he had just the inkling that something was wrong before he was ripped from his physical existence again. There were only a handful of people who could do that.

First was his master Abbadon, second was Albus Dumbledore and third was his nemesis Harold Peverell. He could rule out Master Abbadon. The old master was evil and hard, but he would never do something like that to one of his students, unless it was to repay them for treachery, something that was almost a physical impossibility because of their conditioning. Besides, the old master had signed his own death warrant when he passed on the secret of the parasite spell along with his followers to Voldemort. Then there was his nemesis, the Potter brat. The child seemed powerful all right, but subtlety didn't seem to suit him well. No, the boy would face him in combat, but would not set a trap like this.

Finally, he considered the old fool. This somehow just didn't seem like Dumbledore's style. Even when the old fool had the upper hand, he always tried to be reasonable and subdue his former student. Still, the old fool liked puzzles. He liked to keep his secrets and for sure, he was capable of the subtle magic and finesse required for something like this. He also recalled that Dumbledore often liked to say, "There are things worse than death." This existence may very well be worse than death. Voldemort wouldn't know because he had never died. It must have been Dumbledore!

That question settled, Voldemort had to force his attention back onto the problem at hand. It was so difficult to focus and time seemed to lose all meaning. How long had it been? Focus! Two days? He thought it must have been two days already. Did that Old fool set an alarm? Would he come by to collect the construct? No hands, no feet. How to get the body back? Surely, none of his followers would come here to assist him. This place was one of his most closely guarded secrets. They wouldn't know where to look. No, at best, he was on his own. At worst, he would have to contend with the old fool with no body or wand.

He scoured the area around the shack, trying to find animals to possess that had good enough hands and enough strength to drag the construct from the radius of the ward. He found a racoon. Generally these creatures were quite clever, but they proved far too dimwitted to follow his instructions to get through the wards. It took him another two days to recover his wraith form after the racoon was struck dead. Finally, there were the snakes. The hut was surrounded by dozens of snakes. He tried possessing one and its mind was much more compatible with his own. He tried organizing the other snakes to work their way through the wards and pull the construct free. But ultimately, snakes are not team players and the few that did cooperate ended up dead on the wards for their trouble. He tried telling the one snake that made it all the way through to use its body to erase the critical ward, but that just resulted in one more dead snake. The remaining reptiles refused to cooperate any further.

Already, Voldemort could feel the body he was possessing beginning to weaken. When he focused his attention enough to feel what was the matter he realised that days had passed and the snake hadn't eaten anything. He spotted a swallow high up in a tree and decided that the bird would be a much better choice for what he had to do next. He gave the snake an irresistible urge to hunt and eat, then left the body to possess the bird. He needed to be closer to one of his horcruxes. He needed a human, no, a wizard body to regain his own. If not a human body then he would have to settle for the one who could understand him better than anyone. He needed Nagini. He could have pulled on his connection with her as his familiar, but he did not wish to risk her being discovered and killed. No, he would have to go to her. He spent another day in the bird's body, eating, resting and getting used to commanding it before he attempted to fly back to the hidden castle. The bird actually fought him. It's mate had just laid her eggs and he was supposed to be providing for his young. But that was of no consequence to Voldemort. He ruthlessly wrenched control of the little feathered body from its rightful owner and winged away toward his headquarters.

He made good progress as the average airspeed of an unladen European swallow was about 24 miles per hour. That was fine. The problem was that the body required frequent feeding and every time he descended from the sky, cats, children with slingshots were a serious problem. Not that being high in the air was much safer. Everywhere he flew, there were hawks and falcons. He managed to make about half the journey before a lucky shot from a child's catapult nearly took his wing off. As he spiralled to the ground, he realized that this body could no longer fly. He thought about possessing the child, but he was already a hundred or more miles from the shack and there was no way that this child would be able to work the wards. He abandoned the bird to its fate and found a dog nearby. It was a Dalmatian. Not the smartest or the fastest canine in the world, but fast enough. He possessed it and took another day to rest before continuing his journey. If he knew anything about dogs, and admittedly, he didn't know much, he thought he might be able to complete his trip back to the castle in about another three days. That would give him time to figure out what to do when he got there. He couldn't count on any of his followers to help him voluntarily. They were just as likely to hand him over to the Aurors in exchange for their freedom.

A picnic

Harry woke up to a curtain of strawberry blond hair falling on his face and a melodic voice in his ears, "Wake up, love. A glorious day is waiting for us."

Harry didn't get up instantly but pulled Susan down in a hug, then proceeded to kiss her thoroughly. When he had his fill of that, he tickled her relentlessly. When she begged for mercy through her giggles, he held her close for a few moments more.

She kissed his cheek and asked, "Aren't we a bit romantic this morning?"

Harry grinned, "Seeing that such a beautiful lady came to wake me up this morning, you can hardly blame me for wanting to cuddle."

She blushed crimson but swatted him on the arm, "Come on. Get up now. Dobby has laid the table and is waiting for us."

She turned to go, but Harry hadn't let go of her hand yet. He pulled her back, "Dobby can wait a little more. I cannot."

She, well she could not control herself after such a fervent display of love. She started kissing him deeply when Dobby arrived with his customary loud crack, "Breakfast be ready, Master and Mistress."

They both jumped at the sound and Harry grumbled, "Dobby, you don't have to apparate everywhere. Next time, try knocking."

Breakfast was simple yet plentiful. There was toast, bacon, eggs and a lot that Harry could see. He turned to Susan, "is someone else joining us for breakfast today?"

"No. Why?"

Harry gestured to take in the entire table, "This looks like a feast for four. It looks like a lot for breakfast."

She wrapped herself around his mighty arm and said, "My handsome boyfriend, I have seen you eat and this is your standard fare. We are in no hurry, have nothing else to do so we can spend as much time at it as we want."

This morning also, Susan asked the elf to take away one plate and not to come until he was called for. Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you planning to serve me by yourself again?"

She said coyly, "I thought you liked that. Or if you don't want me to sit on your lap then I will definitely ask him to come serve us."

He grinned, "Do you think I would miss a chance to snog the daylights out of you? Never Miss Bones."

The breakfast lasted for over an hour. After it was done and the plates were cleared away, she asked, "So what is the plan for today?"

"Well Sue, as I have said, I just want to be a teenager while we are here. I haven't ever been to a picnic so that's what I would like to do today."

She grinned, "Well that means we will get to spend the day outside. I will ask Dobby to pack some food for us, and a few books in case we get bored."

He grinned, "As always, you are very thoughtful, Miss Bones."

15 minutes later, they were equipped with a picnic basket and garbed in their bush gear. They made their way through the various paths and trails that the acreage around the property offered. With all the vegetation that was spread around, the untamed woods all made it a very interesting walk. The first stop they took was beside the stream where they had fished yesterday. After setting up the rod, they decided to spend some-time lazing around. It was Easter after all. They had given the responsibility to Dobby to prepare for it while they spent the day in the woods. Since they had the day to themselves they were going to have a simple celebration by themselves. Harry had also brought the wizarding wireless which he was planning to use to dance with Susan. It had been days since he did that.

After they had spent about an hour at the stream, it seemed that the fish weren't biting. So Harry stowed the fishing rod again. They moved on a bit further and came to a tree which was very big and ancient. The spread of its branches was such an expanse that they could sleep under it and the sun wouldn't be in their eyes. Conjuring a mat, they sat on it while Susan served the food to them. With lots of silliness and lollygagging, lunch ended up taking an hour. When it was done, between their full tummies, the warm afternoon sun and the ambient magic of the place, they both felt quite drowsy. Harry set a few proximity wards which would tell him if someone approached before they fell to sleep lying next to each other. Susan dozed off first as she clutched one of his hands in her hands. The innocent look on her face was tempting him to snog the daylights out of her but he didn't disturb her from her sleep.

He had been asleep for about an hour when he felt a presence nearby. With one fluid movement quicker than thought, he sprung to his feet with his wand at the ready. He found ropes restricting his movement. Using a non-verbal spell with his free hand, he severed the ropes while he strained his senses to discover who had bound him.

The smug look quickly vanished from Sirius Black's face as the ropes vanished and Harry plastered him with a barrage of bludgeoners however Remus who had been ready with a shield was already on the spot and stopping the barrage to go through. They were ready for any such eventuality when they did decide to try and pull one on him.

Harry roared, "What are you two doing here?"

Sirius had managed to raise a shield quick enough to avoid being turned into hamburger. He exclaimed, "Hey, take it easy, Pup. Can't you take a joke?"

Harry menaced Sirius with his wand, "So, you two thought you'd have a go at me? I wonder how you'd look with a pair of elephant ears…"

Sirius quickly put his wand away and raised his hands in mock contrition, "Sorry. I'm sorry. I should know better than to tangle with the mighty war mage. All hale the mighty war mage."

Harry calmed down and put his wand away. By this time, the disturbance had managed to wake up Susan too. She sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "Oh no! It's you two. Can't you leave us alone?"

Remus remarked, "Wow, she sure wakes up cranky. Are you sure this is the right one for you, Harry?"

Harry chastised his friend with mock sternness, "I'll have you know, Master Lupin, that is a mortal insult! I challenge you to wet noodles at twenty paces."

Harry reached down to help his intended to her feet. Harry and his father exchanged hearty hugs and backslaps while Susan accepted a kiss on the hand from Remus.

At last, when greetings were exchanged, Susan asked, "How did you find us?"

Remus answered, "With all due respect, my lady, that would be telling. We Marauders have our ways. "

Sirius addressed Harry, "Did you think, for one minute, that you could just take off without telling anyone where you were going and that the two of us would take it lying down? Fat chance. You might as well have slapped my face with a gauntlet to lay down a challenge."

Harry shrugged sheepishly, "Well, a guy can hope, can't he?"

Remus said, "Right now, Alice and Andy are drawing lots to see who gets to skin you alive first."

Sirius added, "That's right. Andy claims first rights because she says that she's your favourite aunt while Alice says that she has dibs as your god-mother. Then, Amelia weighed in for taking off with her niece. When I left the room, it looked like they might duel over it."

Harry mused for a moment then said, "Maybe they'll finish each other off so that I won't have to worry about it."

Susan mugged being shocked, as she gave Harry a swat on the arm, "Honestly, Mr. Peverell, have you no shame?"

Harry said thoughtfully, "Hmm, last time I checked… no."

The four of them shared a good laugh over that.

Sobering, Harry asked, "But seriously, how did you two manage to get past the wards?"

Sirius chuckled, "Well, it serves you right if we don't tell you. We can't go about giving up our secrets, same as you, big scary mage."

Harry pouted, "But I am your son."

Sirius snorted, "And that's exactly why I won't give my secrets to you. Father always remains the father."

Susan asked them, "Did you tell anyone else about where we are?"

Remus answered, "No. in fact, we didn't even tell Emmeline or Dora about it. We figured you want a peaceful holiday so we decided not to ruin it. We wanted to celebrate Easter with you but if you wish, we will go."

Harry reached around and pulled both men into a group hug, "Now I know why my Dad loved you guys." Letting them go he continued, "If it's OK with Sue, I would love it if you guys stayed for the Easter feast."

Susan said, "Yes! A hundred times, yes. I can't think of anything that would be better than that. Will you two please join us?"

---

Sirius and Remus are remaining tight lipped about how they found the happy couple and got past the wards but you readers can't be kept in the dark about it. As the reader may recall, Kreacher had worked for the Blacks for a very long time. He knew all the places that the family had ever visited and he knew which ones belonged to the new Lord Black. Besides he could always go anywhere where his master was unless there were wards to prevent him from coming and going. He found Harry quite easily, made sure that this master was okay and then left to report to Sirius. As for the wards, between the snakes and the human detection "Homenum revelio", they were only looking for humans. It was easy enough for Sirius to figure out what wards were in place and walk right in as the huge black dog. What Harry didn't know was that these wards generally have some pores which can be exploited only by those who know where to look. With the little time that his Rune master had got, he could get around to teach him the finer aspects of warding. Once the ward was breached, the two of them were able to disillusion themselves, mask their scents, muffle their sounds and sneak up on the napping couple using the Point Me spell to direct their steps.

Even the hyper-alert senses of the War Mage didn't help him until Sirius attempted to bind him.

---

The celebrations were simple. The Wizarding World celebrated Easter on the day when the two aspects of magic, the light and the dark were in balance. It also had some roots in the pagan rituals that welcomed spring while saying good-bye to winter. They sacrificed new food-grains to the bon fire while they sat around eating seasonal fruits or new grains cooked artfully by the elves. It lasted for about an hour. By the time they were done, they were full.

Remus, as soon as they were done, said, "Well Cub, I will take my leave of you."

Susan insisted, "No, please stay here today, Moony."

Remus shook his head vehemently, "Sorry Susan. Tonight will be the full-moon. I can't stay here knowingly putting you in danger. I will go to the estate and stay there."

Harry gave him the puppy eyes, "Please Moony. You can transform on the grounds of the lodge and Padfoot will keep you company. With the Wolfsbane and us barricading the cottage, we should be safe enough. Besides, the hunting here is excellent there are more rabbits and deer than you can imagine!"

Remus understood that Harry wanted to run with him tonight but couldn't say so in front of Susan. If she didn't already know that Harry was an animagus, it wasn't his place to tell her. He nodded, "Alright, I will stay but you both must stay in the cottage no matter what happens."

Harry happily agreed.

Unknown Castle

The Dark lord had been out of the castle for days already. Wagner took it upon himself to question Voldemort's number 1 spy. Having summoned him, he asked Snape directly, "Mr. Snape, your Dark Lord has expressed a great deal of confidence in you."

Snape drawled slowly, "It is my pleasure to serve The Dark Lord."

Wagner brushed off the point, "Of course it is. The question is, "Why have you brought him nothing of value recently?"

Not even so much as a single muscle twitched to relay any change in emotion. Snape answered in the same slow drawl, "Has it occurred to you that perhaps The Dark Lord does not share everything He knows with you?"

As cold and emotionless as the delivery was, the effect was like a cold slap on the face to the German mercenary. With the edge of hardened steel in his voice, Wagner answered the insult, "For your information, Snape, the Dark Lord has left me in charge while he tends to other business."

With only the slightest inflection, Snape asked, "Meaning?"

Wagner pressed his point, "Meaning that, until the Dark Lord tells me otherwise, you and everyone else here reports to me."

Severus could have been forged from adamantine for all the impact this had, "Those were not my instructions."

Wagner raised an eyebrow, "If I were the dark Lord, I would have been suspicious of you by now with how useless you have been to the cause. You haven't been able to unearth any detail about the other side which could give us an advantage. And yet, it seems that the other side has been ready for everything we have tried. Whenever we were sure of the surprise element, it was missing. Is it possible that your loyalties have changed?"

Snape sniffed like something had gone bad in the room, but was otherwise unmoved, "yes, it would appear that you had best look to your security. I shall not waste breath in the attempt to vouch for myself. Should you have doubts, you may ask The Dark Lord about my loyalty, if you dare."

Wagner grinned, "Very well. We will not question your loyalty any further. But, so far you have not found answers to any of the most crucial questions."

Snape continued to drawl in the same maddening tone, "What are your questions?'

"What is the other side doing? Who are the members of the Order of the Snow Leopard? What is the Ministry's next plan? What are the students learning and from whom?"

Snape continued in his slow drawling tone, "Well Dumbledore and the boy are preparing, at least that is what I think. Many of the times I have seen the old fool mentoring the boy and telling him things about magic which a child should not know anyway…"

Wagner interrupted him mid-sentence, "If Dumbledore is mentoring Peverell then why did he declare Longbottom as his apprentice?"

Severus actually smirked, "A clever ruse, obviously. If the death eaters consider the Longbottom boy to be the main threat, perhaps they will not pay so much attention to Potter, granting him easier access to The Dark Lord."

Wagner was surprised, "Clever indeed. I was actually making plans to keep the Longbottom boy as one of the key players in the game. Are you sure that the boy is not as important?"

Severus nodded as he told a careful half-truth, "I have attempted to instil some useful knowledge into the thick skull of the Longbottom boy for five years now. He has no talent. He can hardly cast a summoning charm without causing a disaster. I will not bore you with his unbroken series of failures in my potions class. The Potter boy, on the other hand, seems to have progressed steadily since he was chosen for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He is a real threat." He quite purposefully left out how the Longbottoom boy had been crippled by a wand that had not chosen him or how rapidly he had improved in the last year. If Lord Peverell failed to fulfil his destiny to destroy Voldemort, the Longbottom lad would likely get the job done.

Wagner seemed to believe him. He was also trying to passively read Severus's thoughts. Severus seemed to have his mind-shields down as a show of faith. In reality, anything important to the cause was carefully secreted inside constructs that looked like ordinary rocks in his mindscape. Wagner was also impressed with that. If the man was ready to give him access to all his secrets then he must be speaking the truth. What Wagner didn't realise was that he had just been hoodwinked. Longbottom was an undisputed leader and he would lead the faction at his back when the time came.

Now that Severus had Wagner believing his fabrications, he uttered complete misinformation, "As to your other questions. I have already told the Dark Lord that Sirius Black has hired some mercenaries from outside of Wizarding Britain for this order. As Black is one of the Lords and an employee of the ministry in addition to being a friend of the General, he was able to broker a deal between them whereby the ministry turns a blind eye to everything that they do in return for them killing death eaters. I have confirmed from some of my sources in Gringotts that Black hired them from somewhere in the Far-east."

Wagner nodded while digesting the information, "Now what about the other questions."

"When the Dark Lord returned, the old fool reassembled his order and started telling the world that he had returned. So, people assumed that the old fool would lead the second war against the Dark Lord if what he said was true and the Dark Lord had returned from the dead. In fact, the old fool was settling himself in the position of leader when suddenly out of nowhere General Longbottom woke up from whatever illness he and his wife were suffering from and assumed his seat. He was one of the veterans. The wizarding world trusted him to lead them rather than the buffoon Cornelius Fudge. The General believed Dumbledore's warnings and took steps to be prepared in case they were true. Since the battle in the Ministry atrium, the General has been directing this war and the old fool does nothing except sit back and give counsel when he is asked. The General as a rule doesn't trust me because everyone knows I was a death-eater in the past. Pardoned or not, there are still many that distrust me. The chief of Aurors Alastor Moody despises me and is always reaching for his wand when I am in his presence. That is why I have not gained so many secrets as I would have liked. I have been keeping the dark Lord updated about whatever happens at the castle."

Wagner nodded, "That was a lot of information that you gave me, Mr. Snape. The Dark lord really puts his trust in the right place. What about the third question?"

Severus took a few moments and thought about what to tell the German, "The post of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher has experienced a long string of misfortunes and no individual has held the position for more than one year. All have experienced misfortunes that preclude them from continuing. In the past four years alone, one died, one suffered permanent memory loss, one was exposed as a werewolf and one was a death eater, posing as a teacher, who also perished. Under the circumstances, finding qualified teachers has become difficult. Although I have applied for the post myself every year for the past 14 years, the Headmaster has kept me in the position of Potions Master. Some have been grossly incompetent such as Lockhart, others passible such as Lupin. In any case, the subject is inconsistently taught because there is no continuity from year to year.

The professor this year, Vikram, is unconventional and effective. He does not teach much in the way of theory. Instead, he concentrates on practice and execution, more of learning by doing approach. And he does not restrict himself to teaching magic. He encourages a program of physical fitness to improve coordination, strength and endurance. He also rewards them for independent study, encouraging them to increase their spell repertoire. I have heard that for tests, he sets the students up to duel one another, marking them on their spell selection, dodging, blocking and shielding."

Wagner was sceptical, "But what about Longbottom and Peverell? Whatever those two boys did that day surely cannot be taught at any school, no matter how accomplished a teacher might be."

Severus drawled, "Perhaps you need a lesson in history. The society of Wizarding Britain owes its existence to 'the council of thirteen'. The Thirteen were thirteen wizards who were chosen by Merlin to help King Arthur Pendragon in reclaiming his throne. It was the magical counterpart of the Knights of the Round Table. Those twelve of the thirteen leaving Merlin aside founded some of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Today. Of these two were the houses of Potter represented by Linfred of Stinchcombe and House of Peverell represented by Ignotus Peverell, the last war mage of Wizarding Britain. The two houses combined after the marriage of Lord Hardwin Potter and Lady Iolanthe Peverell which means the Potters also inherited the title of Peverell and their war magic. Also a few years later, came the magical Vikings to England. They had been raiding about Europe ravaging it and assimilating magics into their own. Their campaign was stopped here by Lord Potter and his allies. Later Lord Potter convinced the leader of the Vikings to settle here and so was founded the house of Longbottom. Harold Peverell and Neville Longbottom have inherited those magics which flow in their blood and they have access to those grimoires. Do I still need to tell where they learned whatever they were doing in the battle of Hogsmead?"

Wagner noted everything and decided that he had enough of questions and answers for now. He turned to Snape, "I am delighted that you told me so much of the history of this place and a lot of information which is otherwise inaccessible."

As Snape left, Wagner thought "I asked him some straight questions and he led me down the garden path of easily accessed history. Nothing of what he told me was new. If the Dark Lord needs to be wary of anyone, it is him."

Werewolf Attack!

Keeping his promise, Harry barricaded the cottage with Susan and him inside when the sun began to set. The windows were shuttered, the doors barred and some very specific and powerful werewolf repelling wards were set to protect the cottage through the night. Likewise, even though Remus had taken his dose of Wolfsbane, he found a secluded spot near the edge of the property to go through his change. Sirius was already at his side in his Padfoot form, a black dog so massive, that Harry had thought he was the legendary Grim when he first saw him nearly three years ago.

After dinner which consisted mainly of fish, fish and more fish (Harry had gone back to the pond and done some more fishing late in the afternoon.) they decided to dance. He turned the wireless ON and they started dancing to different songs. Weddings were coming up pretty soon and they needed to learn to dance anyway. It had been an hour or maybe two when Harry noticed something was amiss. For one, the moon shone brightly and there was a lot of howling on the property. Harry knew for sure that just one Moony couldn't make that much ruckus, even if Padfoot joined in just for fun.

Knowing that he had to protect Susan in case things were not what they seem, he summoned Dobby. When the elf appeared with his customary loud crack, he was actually shaking with fright. Harry picked him up and hugged him patting his back and asked softly, "What happened, Dobby?"

Dobby, still shaking with fright said, "Where wolfs on the property master. Fighting master's moony and padfoot."

Harry understood what the elf was saying and asked with concern, "How many of them, Dobby?"

"10 of them master and Master's moony is injured."

Harry turned to Susan, "Sue, there are enemy werewolves out there and they have attacked Moony and Padfoot. I am going to save them."

As he was about to disapparate, she caught his arm saying, "I am coming with you."

He said urgently "Sue, you can't. There's no way that I can guarantee your safety against ten werewolves. You'll have to stay here where you'll be safe."

She said a little hotly, "How do you plan to fight them without your sword or your armour?"

He patted his robe where the sword was sitting, shrunken in an inner pocket, "I have my sword with me and the armour will just slow me down against werewolves."

Susan called him out on his deliberate misdirection, "Harold James Peverell, you weren't reaching for your sword or your wand. Show me your real plan or I'm not letting you go out there."

Harry looked really sheepish this time, "Alright, Sue. It's true, I've been holding out on you. Please promise that you won't be angry with me?"

She stared at him sternly, "No promises."

Harry shrugged then said, "OK, here goes."

She watched in amazement as Harry stretched and grew and reshaped until a massive snow leopard filled most of the room. She exclaimed, "That's impressive!"

She reached up and scratched Bliz behind his ears saying, "Who's the nice kitty", as Harry rumbled.

Another round of howls reached their ears. Harry's ears stood up as he turned his head to face the window. The next moment, he was standing there, back in his natural form, "Sue, now I hope you understand. I have to go. I'll be fine."

She stood in front of the door, "I'm coming too."

Harry shook his head vehemently, "Now you're just being stubborn. No way is that going to happen. Don't make me stun you."

Sue laughed at him, "As if you could. It's time I showed you something too."

She closed her eyes hard in concentration. Within a few seconds, Susan was replaced by a sleek black panther!

Harry just couldn't find a word to say. When she transformed back, he finally found his voice, "How? When?"

She grinned, "Later. Right now, we need to save Moony and Padfoot."

They stepped out of the cottage in the dark night, sniffing the air and growled. The charge had begun.

---

Author's Note: So who liked this surprise? Did you see it coming? If you did then where was it mentioned? I really think you would be delighted with this.

This story is coming to a close now. If we go through the timeline, we have hardly a month left before the final battle will be fought. We don't know who will win and who will lose but we are willing to see. And there will be a final chapter which will be my epilogue to this story. Until next time.

Editor's Note: At least two more battles and two more Quidditch games until we can wrap this one up. It's been a blast working with this author.