* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART FOUR

Brave New World

Chapter 29: The Truth Will Out

Stronaba, Scotland.

"We get to go home tomorrow," Theo said cheerfully as he got dressed on Saturday morning.

"I can't wait for a shower in my own house," Draco said. He shoved his feet into his boots, "Or a bath in my own house."

"Or a shag in your own bed," Theo joked.

Draco laughed, "I was going to say a night in my own bed, but that would be a bonus."

Theo glanced down at his watch and said, "The missus should be getting back right about now. I wonder if she'll go home or straight to Potter Manor to see Daph."

"Oh, she'll go to Daphne, no doubt about it," Draco said. He unzipped the flap and stepped out of the tent, Theo followed suit, and they began to pack the tent away, ready for their last full day of hillwalking.

"Should I be worried that my wife is gonna go straight to her best friend?" Theo joked after scanning the campsite and making sure that Elsie and Rod were inside their tent.

"Wife?" Elsie's voice said from behind them, "I thought you two boys were gay?"

Draco and Theo both jumped and spun around. Elsie was standing behind them with a basket full of wild berries.

"Uh…"

"Well…"

"We…"

"I…"

"The thing is…."

"That's your cover blown, guys, but nice try."

Draco and Theo spun around once more to find Auror Mitchell stepping out of Elsie and Rod's tent.

"With all due respect, sir, what the hell is going on?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Elsie and Rod weren't Muggles," Theo realised, "They were plants from the Auror office."

"Yes, we were," A new voice said from the treeline.

Draco and Theo spun around to the spot where Elsie had been standing. In her place stood Auror Carter.

"Now I'm intrigued that you jumped straight into being a gay couple instead of coming up with a story about friends camping for a stag do or something in that ilk," Mitchell said. Carter walked around them to stand next to him.

"That was an interesting leap," She agreed.

"I panicked," Theo said sheepishly.

"And in your panic, pretending to be a gay couple was the first thing you thought of?" Carter asked, "I'll tell you one thing; it will be an interesting one to write a report about."

Draco's cheeks flushed, "Great, Theo, now we're going to be the laughing stock of our class."

"Don't worry," Carter said with a reassuring smile, "None of this will go beyond the Senior Aurors."

"But you better be ready for Sumner to rip the shit out of you for it," Mitchell smirked.

"That would be fair," Theo said with a nod, then his face fell, "Oh no…Sorenson Cauldwell isn't a Senior Auror, is he?"

"Not as far as the training centre is concerned," Carter said, "So don't worry, he won't find out about this unless he breaks the rules by reading your private file."

"I wouldn't put that past Sorenson, to be fair," Draco said.

"No, neither would I," Theo muttered.

"You don't get to be the grumpy one here," Draco said irritably, "This was your idea."

"You played along with it!"

"Only because you coerced me into it!"

"Merlin, no wonder you two made such a passable couple over the last two weeks," Carter said with a shake of her head. She shot a smile at Mitchell, "Right, shall we have a hike without these two tag-alongs before we get back to base?"

"Sounds like a great idea," Mitchell said, "See you boys back at base."

Draco frowned at the retreating Aurors, "Do you think those two are…."

"Oh yeah," Theo said with a nod, "They are definitely shagging."

London, England.

When Sadie stepped out of the British International Apparition Centre, she did not expect to get pounced on by her best friend.

"Sadie! I've missed you so much!" Daphne said as she hugged her friend tightly.

Sadie laughed and pulled back from the hug, but the sight she was met with made her frown. Daphne looked paler and thinner than she had two weeks ago, "Are you crying?"

Daphne swallowed and wiped away her tears, "I'm just thrilled to have you back. Wow, look at your tan!"

Sadie knew that Daphne was changing the subject on purpose, but she supposed she wouldn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her out in the open, so she said no more about it as Daphne grabbed one of her bags and hooked her arm through hers, "How is Egypt?"

"Awful," Sadie replied, "I hate it. It's too hot and sticky; the Centre for Alchemical Studies is a joke. The poverty divide in that country is disgusting, there are beggars a street away from the gates of the centre, and everything in that bloody building is gold or gold leaf. Then there are the people on my course. Every one of them is an entitled idiot whose rich daddy is an influential politician or whose rich mummy is trying to be Australian Minister for Magic. There are flies everywhere too and mosquitoes, ugh I hate it, Daphne!"

Daphne smiled at her friend fondly, "Good thing you don't have to go back for a couple of weeks then."

"I can't handle spending two weeks at a time in that place with those people," Sadie said irritably, "I really hate it, and I missed everyone so badly, you, Theo and Hermione in particular."

"Yeah, I really missed you too, Sadie," Daphne said honestly as they walked up an alley together, "But I kept Hermione busy enough that she didn't miss you. I couldn't sleep without Harry, so I spent most of the last two weeks with her."

"Oh, thanks, Daph," Sadie said with a smile, "I was a bit worried about her being cooped up on her own with all of us away somewhere."

Daphne smiled, "Don't worry about it. Do you mind if I come back to the house so we can catch up properly?"

"Of course not," Sadie replied with a smile.

Without another word, the two friends spun on their heels and disappeared. They re-emerged in an alleyway around the corner from Grimmauld Place and walked the short distance to the doorway of number 11.

Sadie placed her hand on the door, and it automatically unlocked. The two girls stepped inside, kicked off their shoes and hung up their coats in the hall.

"I can't decide if I want a cup of tea or a glass of wine," Sadie said as they made their way down to the kitchen.

"I'm voting for wine," Daphne said.

"Then I guess I'll have to join you," Sadie said as she grabbed a bottle of red from the wine rack.

Sadie silently poured out two glasses then handed one to Daphne, "Now, what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked quietly.

"You're pale, you've lost weight, and you seem on edge," Sadie commented, "What the hell happened while I was away?"

And that was it. Daphne broke down. She cried, and she told Sadie everything. Sadie listened patiently and hugged her friend; she didn't say a word until Daphne was finished.

"Daphne, what he did to you is disgusting," Sadie said. She didn't shout; she spoke quietly but in a dangerous tone of voice, "If you don't report him, then I'll have to kill him, and I'm not joking about that."

Daphne looked up at Sadie through her tearstained eyes. Sadie did look furious, "That is sexual assault, more than that, he blackmailed you! It's not only disgusting; it's illegal, and you have got to tell someone about it!"

"If I take legal action, then Harry will find out about all of it," Daphne said quietly, "It would all be out in the open. The papers would probably even get a hold of it. I can't do that, Sadie; I just can't."

"If you can't face telling the Ministry, then you have got to report this to Bill. This bastard has to get sacked, Daphne; surely you know that," Sadie fumed.

Daphne nodded numbly, "I was too scared of losing my job, but it seems like I don't have anything left to lose now. Apart from Harry, of course, and with that comes losing Teddy…."

"You aren't going to lose Harry," Sadie said firmly, "You are my best friend Daph, and I love you to bits, but you really can be an idiot sometimes. Harry, you and Teddy, you are a family, and Harry is fiercely loyal when it comes to family. He's far more likely to end up in Azkaban for killing this arsehole than he is to leave you."

"Right because that scenario is so much better, Sadie!" Daphne exclaimed.

Sadie raised an eyebrow at her, "Don't give me cheek just because you don't like what I'm saying. We both know that Harry has a temper. I think deep down; you're more afraid of what he'll do when he finds out than you are about him leaving you."

"Maybe I am, but I don't know what I'm feeling anymore," Daphne sighed, "This whole week has just been one big fucked up mess."

"Well, we're going to un-fuck it, between the two of us," Sadie promised her friend, "You're going to drink that wine, then we're going next door to talk to Hermione. She works in the DMLE. She'll be able to tell us what you can and can't do. She'll know if there's a way to keep it out of the press."

"There's not a way to keep anything out of the press these days," Daphne said glumly as she looked into the depths of her wine glass, "Haven't you noticed?"

"Drink your wine," Sadie ordered as she dumped her trunk on the kitchen table.

"Can't I just take it round with me?" Daphne asked, "It's not like we have to go outside to get to Hermione's."

Sadie frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The door," Daphne said as if it were obvious, "In the basement."

"Daphne, I have no idea what you're talking about," Sadie admitted, "What door?"

Daphne looked up at her friend with wide eyes, "Shit, I forgot that Theo hadn't told you yet."

"Show me," Sadie said in a long-suffering way.

Daphne did. She led Sadie to the door and opened it.

"Is that Draco's man cave?"

"Yep," Daphne replied.

"And that's a door," Sadie said, "An unwarded door that anyone can open. I mean, of course, it is because Theo isn't going to want to go outside in his pyjamas at 3 am when he is struck with a random business idea that he just has to tell Draco about. And Draco is going to want to wander through in his fucking boxers at 7 am on a Sunday morning to discuss the politics section of the Prophet. I mean…I'm not even surprised anymore. We might as well have just bought a manor and called it Black-Nott House."

"Well, …you might have saved yourself some money. One manor as opposed to two houses in London…" Daphne weighed it up in her head, "If you ever fancy moving to the country, I'd go full foursome and just buy the one house, yeah."

Sadie shook her head in amusement, "Don't tell Theo that I said this, but right now, it's actually quite useful," she said as she walked through the door into Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"It's useful until Draco barges in on you having sex. No, scratch that; Draco knows how to knock. Theo's going to barge in on them having sex," Daphne said with a nod.

"Probably," Sadie agreed, "I give it a week and then there will be a list of rules up on that door, in Hermione's handwriting."

Daphne snorted in amusement and followed Sadie up the stairs into the entrance hall of Grimmauld Place.

"How on earth did you two get in here?"

Sadie jumped, "What the-"

"It's just Abraxas and Elladora," Daphne said offhandedly. She had been talking to them all week, mostly to tell them about the stupid things Draco had gotten up to in recent years.

"The floo system did not activate, and you did not come through the front door," Abraxas pointed out.

"Yeah, we came through the secret door in my husband's basement, which leads to Draco's basement," Sadie said with a wave of her hand.

Elladora turned to look at her husband, "So they are just like you and Thaddeus."

Abraxas rolled his eyes, "Now Elladora-"

"Don't take that tone with me. He moved his entire manor, brick by brick, two counties south to be closer to you," Elladora said calmly, "And then you built a secret tunnel system between your houses!"

"I did not hear you complaining about that tunnel system when our home was attacked during the war, Elladora!"

Daphne rolled her eyes, "They'll be at it for hours. Come on, let's find Hermione."

"Hermione! I'm back!" Sadie yelled.

There was a clatter and a bang. Then Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs, "Sadie! You're home."

"Wow, that was hard," Sadie said sarcastically, shooting Daphne an amused grin.

Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs and hugged Sadie, "Look at your tan! You look like you've lost weight though, have you been eating?"

"Egypt doesn't agree with me, but I'm fine," Sadie assured Hermione, "It's Daphne that we need to sort out."

Hermione frowned when she looked at Daphne, "Daph, have you been crying?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. We need alcohol for it. Where did Draco put the kitchen again?" Sadie asked.

"Through here," Hermione said, leading them across the hall into the bright, airy kitchen.

"Sorry about the lack of small talk. We can catch up about your new job later, and I'll tell you all about how much I hate Egypt, but right now there are more pressing matters," Sadie said quickly, "Someone fucked with my best friend, and I'm pretty pissed off which is why I need wine."

Hermione just nodded, "Okay. Red or white?"

"Whatever has the highest alcohol content," Daphne said as she slumped down into a chair.

Hermione grabbed a dusty bottle from the top shelf and said, "Well, in that case, let's break into one of Draco's nice French ones. Now, what is going on?"

"I can't go through it again," Daphne said quietly, "I've had to do it twice in the last 24 hours. Sadie, can you fill her in?"

Sadie nodded. She took a large gulp from the glass of red wine that Hermione had just handed her then told the story, the entire story. Daphne made her way through a large glass of wine in the time it took Sadie to recount everything.

When Sadie had finished, Hermione shook her head and said coolly, "Stuart Fawley, what's his address?"

"I…uh, well, I don't know his address," Daphne said with a frown, "I suppose I could find out from Bill but…why, are you asking me this?"

"Get me his address, and I will kill this bastard," Hermione said in a very dangerous tone.

Daphne raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "You're scaring me a little bit right now."

"Believe it or not, I wasn't just the brains of the golden trio," Hermione said, "I can look after myself, and I am more than capable of killing this guy."

"Physically, yes," Sadie agreed, "But morally, I doubt it."

"Oh no, my moral conscience is totally okay with it," Hermione assured them.

"Right now it is, but when you're standing over his body covered in blood, you'll go full Lady Macbeth on me," Sadie said calmly, "So no, you're not capable of killing him. Stop being ridiculous and think about this logically, please."

Daphne looked at the two of them in disbelief, half expecting Hermione to slap Sadie.

What actually happened was even more surprising. Sadie got to her feet and put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. She looked her in the eye and said, "You're a genius who works in the DMLE. How do we destroy a man without killing him?"

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. She picked up her wine glass and said, "I may work in the DMLE, but that's not the best way to tackle this. You need to tell Bill because if you don't, the Aurors are just going to ask you why you didn't talk to your boss as soon as it happened."

"I know what I need to do, but it doesn't feel as easy as everyone makes it out," Daphne said, "I mean, I've probably already lost my job anyway, but-"

"No, stop right there," Hermione said, "This guy is a prick! Bill will know that you're telling the truth. He loves Harry like a brother, and it's obvious that he's fond of you too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pulled you out of that cursed room so quickly."

"But-"

"And if you're worried about Bill taking this guys side because they trained together then stop worrying," Hermione continued, "Because don't forget, this is a fairly new job for Bill too. He only moved back to Britain just before the war started; he's spent the majority of his career working in Egypt, so he doesn't know Fawley as well as you think he does."

Daphne sighed and let her head fall into her hands, "But what about Harry?"

"Look, Daph, Harry adores you," Hermione said, "He isn't going to be angry with you. If anything, he'll probably try and kill this bloody Fawley guy."

"Maybe that's what I'm worried about!" Daphne exclaimed, "Have any of you considered that maybe I don't want someone's death on my conscience? Of course, I'm worried about telling Harry because I don't want him to do something stupid and end up in Azkaban!"

"Well, for a start, Harry is the chosen one. He won't go to Azkaban," Hermione began to say.

"No, Hermione, I know you think the sun shines out of your best friend's arse, but he would go to jail for that," Sadie cut in, "Murder is murder, regardless of who you are."

Hermione sighed, "Regardless, Harry isn't like that."

"I'm sorry Hermione, I know that Harry is your best friend, but I think I know more than you when it comes to this one," Daphne said hotly, "Harry is far more like his godfather than you think and his godfather ended up in jail for doing something stupid!"

Hermione wanted to say more, but she didn't want to start an argument, so she sighed again and said, "Fine, but either way, you have to tell him."

"I don't think I'm actually capable of keeping it from him," Daphne admitted.

"But what can we do? I mean, can we get him arrested?" Sadie asked Hermione.

"Well, as I said, the first thing you have to do is tell Bill everything," Hermione said, "Once you've done that, you will know if you are entitled to legal representation. If you are, then your work takes it from there, and it goes through the DMLE in a sort of tribunal. If you aren't entitled to legal representation, then you need to come in, give your statement to the Aurors, submit your memories to back it up then it goes to court. You can afford a good lawyer, though, so that would help your case."

"Surely she will get legal representation, though," Sadie said, "I mean, it's Gringotts."

"She's a trainee, and she has only been employed for two weeks," Hermione said, "It's debatable, but Gringotts is a good employer, so we will just have to wait and see."

"And what about the press?" Daphne asked, "I can't handle those vultures finding out and splashing it all over the front page."

"If it goes down the tribunal route, then the press won't be able to find out," Hermione promised, "But if it goes to trial in the DMLE, then it will be a lot harder to keep quiet."

"Hermione!" Sadie hissed.

"What?" Hermione asked defensively, "If you want my advice, then I have to tell the truth!"

Daphne shook her head, "It's fine; I'm glad you did."

Sadie sighed and looked at Daphne, "Do you want me to come in with you on Monday when you go to tell Bill?"

"I don't think it's the kind of thing where I can take a friend in," Daphne said glumly, "But I appreciate the offer."

"You don't necessarily have to tell him on Monday," Hermione said with a frown, "He'll be at the Burrow for Sunday lunch tomorrow."

"Yeah, and I'll have Teddy with me," Daphne reminded her.

"There will be plenty of people there to watch Teddy; you know that," Hermione said, "I could grab Bill and pull him aside. Then you could talk to him, and I could stay for moral support if you needed it."

"It might be easier to tell him in an informal setting," Sadie said gently.

"Without Fawley being there to make you nervous or distract you," Hermione added.

Daphne sighed but nodded, "Alright, I will tell him tomorrow at the Burrow, but right now, I need to get over to Andromeda's. I need to pick Teddy up for his sleepover."

Hermione nodded. She stepped forward and hugged her friend, "I am so sorry, Daphne."

Daphne just shook her head, "I'll be fine," she said stiffly, "I'll catch up with you on Monday night, Sadie?"

Sadie smiled weakly and nodded, "Yeah, I want to hear how it goes with Bill."

"Alright, bye guys," Daphne said as she threw some floo powder into the fireplace, "And thanks for everything."

Hermione sighed and looked across the breakfast bar, "Is she okay?"

"No, she's falling apart," Sadie said honestly, "She spent years objectifying herself, telling herself that she didn't need love; she just needed sex. That's why she got called the ice queen, but it made her feel like men want her for her body above all else, and what Fawley did to her, it just cements that."

Hermione shook her head angrily, "Sadie, what he did to her is disgusting, but it could have been so much worse if he-"

"Don't even go there," Sadie said, her blue eyes icing over, "Don't even say it, okay? Because if he had done that to her, I would have killed him."

Hermione frowned, "Sadie-"

"There are very few people left in this world who I love," Sadie said coldly, "My father is gone, and yes, he's not dead, but he might as well be. When he comes out of prison, he won't recognise me anymore. He went in, and I was a 17-year-old girl, finishing school, and he'll come out to find Sadie Nott, the wife of Theodore, a mother probably. How will I get any semblance of a relationship back with him?"

Hermione sighed and grabbed her hand, "I don't know," she said honestly.

Sadie swallowed and looked up, "I lost Tracey and Pansy to the war too. I'm fiercely loyal to the friends that I have left, and I swear to Salazar, if he had done that to her, I would kill him, and I wouldn't do it in a subtle way to avoid detection; I would slit his throat."

Hermione sighed and walked around the table. She pulled Sadie into a hug and murmured, "Then you'd go full Lady Macbeth on me, and you know it. You could do it in the heat of the moment, but then you would regret it for the rest of your life."

Sadie swallowed her pride and hugged Hermione back, "I hate him for what he did."

"I know," Hermione said, "I do too, but between them, our boys will find a way to punish him."

"They had better," Sadie said, drawing back and taking a steady breath. Her hand shook as she picked up her wine glass.

Hermione noticed, she grabbed Sadie's other hand, looked her in the eye and said, "They will."

The Forest of Dean, England.

"Well," Harry said thoughtfully, "The last two weeks have been interesting."

"I've learned a lot about you actually," Neville said, "Even though I thought I knew you already."

Harry nodded, "I guess Sumner was right to send us even though we thought we didn't need it. I suppose I should apologise for being an arse…."

Neville snorted, "Do you think Draco and Theo had such an enlightening week?"

"Merlin knows," Harry said with a shake of his head as a portal appeared in front of them.

On the other side, Sheppard waved at them and gestured for them to come through.

Stronaba, Scotland.

"Do you know something? I've kind of enjoyed this week," Theo mused as they waited to be extracted on Sunday afternoon.

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, "Should I be worried about that?"

"Not the whole fake boyfriend thing," Theo reiterated, "But all of these heartfelt chats are good for the soul."

"For you maybe," Draco muttered, "If you didn't know all of my business before, you definitely do now."

"I knew most of it before," Theo said honestly, "But I think this was a good idea anyway. I know how to get inside your head now, partner."

"Don't call me that," Draco said with a glare as a portal appeared in front of them.

"But you are my partner," Theo objected. On the other side of the portal, Sheppard motioned for them to come through.

"I know, but if you ever say it like that again, I won't be," Draco said. He shot Theo a smirk and stepped through the portal.

Theo shook his head in disbelief, "Honestly, you spill your heart to a guy for two weeks, and what do you get? Abuse! Some things never bleeding change."

Harry and Neville reconvened with Draco and Theo immediately after entering the lecture hall at the Auror training base.

"Woah, who knew you could grow a beard!" Theo exclaimed upon seeing his friends for the first time in two weeks.

"Which one of us are you talking to?" Neville asked Theo.

"The chosen git, obviously," Theo said, "You're like a little boy who has become a man!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "I've been able to grow a beard for a while, Theo. I just shaved it while I was on the run in the war because it used to irritate me."

"Why grow it this time then?" Theo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For the same reason I didn't grow a beard," Draco said, "It didn't irritate him. It irritated Hermione."

Harry nodded sheepishly, "Yeah, she hated it."

"What's your excuse, Theo?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He just can't grow anything more than bumfluff," Draco said with a smirk.

Harry and Neville sniggered at that as they settled down in the front row and waited for the others to return to the hall.

"So where did you spend your holiday?" Neville joked.

"The bloody Cairngorms," Draco said with a roll of his eyes, "With a couple of Muggles who were actually plants from the Auror office."

"And I sort of panicked when they started talking about how magical the place was," Theo said sheepishly, "And said I was there with my boyfriend, so Draco and I had to pretend to be a couple for the whole two weeks."

Harry and Neville guffawed shamelessly upon hearing this, all the while Draco shook his head and glared at his sheepish best friend.

"Where did you spend your two weeks then?" Draco asked once the pair had finished laughing at them.

"Oh, the most nostalgic place you could imagine," Neville said sarcastically, "For Harry anyway."

Draco frowned, "Surrey?"

"No," Harry said a little tentatively, "The Forest of Dean."

"Right," Draco said awkwardly.

Theo looked between the two of them, "Am I missing something here?"

"You usually are, Theo," Neville said. He patted his friend on the back and added, "I'll fill you in later."

"You don't have to," Draco said, "Theo, the Forest of Dean is where Harry and Hermione had sex during the war."

"Oh!" Theo realised.

"Anyway," Draco continued, "I did a lot of soul-searching, Harry, and I've decided it's pointless to dwell on the past. You and Hermione have history, just like Daphne and I have history. It doesn't matter. The future does."

"You say that like you came up with it all by your fucking self," Theo muttered, "You're a dick, you know that?"

"He's your dick, though," Neville said, waggling his eyebrows at the two Slytherins.

"Silence in the hall!" Sumner barked as he walked into the lecture hall.

They all fell silent instantly. Following orders here came much more naturally to Harry than it had while he was at Hogwarts.

"I hope you all enjoyed your isolation. Nobody tried to kill their new partner, so that's always a sign that we paired you together well," Sumner began, "We observed some of you closely by planting disguised Aurors in there with you, and we observed some of you from a distance. We were happy with how everyone did, and I hope you now feel at ease with your new partner. I will say one thing now; however, we noted some tension of a sexual variety between a pairing and we do not tolerate relationships between co-workers. If you are found to be sleeping with your partner, then we will have to take action. I hope that's clear."

"I hope he's not talking about us," Theo whispered to Draco.

"We don't have sex. We're fine," Draco said, shooting him an amused look.

"It's got to be Max and Emily," Harry whispered.

"Hey, don't judge," Neville muttered, "It could be Blanche and Ophelia."

"Oh, it could be," Theo agreed, "Blanche wouldn't know a dick if it slapped her in the face."

Draco snorted, "Theo," he hissed.

"What?" Harry asked in confusion.

"She fucks women, Harry," Draco said, shooting his friend an amused look.

"Oh," Harry realised, "Right!"

"So! Down to business then. You are going to get a couple of days off to wind down before the real training starts. However, I expect to see all of you in here sharp at 8 am on Wednesday," Sumner said.

Sheppard then stepped into the lecture hall with an armful of parchment.

"Auror Sheppard is going to hand you a list of things you will require for this year," Sumner said, "As well as your timetable."

"It's like being at school again," Theo whispered, a little too loudly.

"Trust me, Nott, it's much harder than school," Sumner said harshly, "Now, I am sure that you are all eager to hear the course breakdown, so here it is. Year one will probably be the most boring for a lot of the thrill-seekers here because there will be no field training. You will attend classes on the base here, some practical and some where you will need to tap into your academic side. I'm sure that will be easier for some of you than others," he said as he looked directly at Harry's group of friends, "Although at least you three dunderheads have Nott to help you through."

Theo grinned proudly while Harry and Neville nodded. They knew they weren't the most academically inclined. Draco, on the other hand, looked thoroughly insulted.

Sumner continued, "You will also continue with your physical training, and we will be giving you additional flying lessons so that you are all skilled fliers rather than competent fliers."

Neville looked a little sheepish upon hearing that news.

"As you will see on your timetable, Wednesday afternoons will be reserved for practising your healing magic. This will be a shared class with the trauma healers in your year because they will be the healers you will be working with on an everyday basis when you graduate."

Neville looked up as soon as Sumner began to talk about shared classes and his face lit up.

"And Longbottom, if you lay a hand on your girlfriend while you're at training, I will break it, and I will make you mend it," Sumner barked, "These trauma healers are often women, pretty women. We don't want you getting mixed up with the pretty women because then they get feelings, and feelings are complicated when their job is to save your sorry arse when your guts are hanging out. Are we clear?"

"But she's my girlfriend, sir," Neville pointed out.

"Not when she's here, she's not," Sumner snapped, "When she's in this building, you are Recruit Longbottom, and she's Trainee Trauma Healer Moon."

"I'm pretty sure I've had that dream," Neville whispered to Harry.

Harry had to bit his lip to hide his amused grin.

"As you can also see on your timetable, Friday afternoons will be reserved for the use of the simulation room," Sumner continued, "That is what we used to conduct your tests. It can become anything, and as you know, the scenarios depicted are very realistic. We will be giving you mock missions every Friday, and sometimes you will be competing with the other pairs, but sometimes you will be working together as part of a large team."

Sumner paused and looked around, "Are there any other questions about the first year?"

Harry raised his hand, "Can we stay off base now that isolation is over, sir?"

"Yes, Potter, you may," Sumner said, "There are dorms here for those who require them, but you may commute in as you would with any other job. Any other questions?"

Nobody raised their hand, so Sumner said, "Right, year two then. At the moment we call you Recruits, but in your second year, you become Trainees. You will be permitted to observe Aurors in the DMLE and hit Wizards if they take a liking to you and want to drag you along on a case. You can provide assistance, but you will never be working on your own, and you certainly won't be going out into the field without at least two Aurors present. There are limits to the sorts of cases that you can work on as well. The big cases will be completely off-limits. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"In year three, you are still a Trainee Auror, but you are effectively on probation," Sumner continued, "You will be free to work unsupervised on any cases that you are assigned, but you will be tested and observed at varying points by myself or another Senior Auror. If at any point, you fail to meet the standards we require, we can kick you out. Do you all understand?"

Everyone nodded once more.

"After you finish your third year, you will be given your badge, and you will officially become a fully qualified Auror. At that point, and that point only, you will have job security. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Everyone in the room echoed.

Harry supposed that to some people, that was scary. To some people, it meant a lot of pressure. Luckily for Harry, because of his family money and the family money owed to Daphne upon her marriage, he could afford to lose his job without devastating his family. He did know that his family money wouldn't last forever, though, and Daphne's inheritance relied on whether her Uncle Phineas would grant the request. Given the fact that she hadn't seen him in years, she was doubtful.

"Alright then," Sumner said, "Get yourselves home and showered. Potter shave that ridiculous thing off. Enjoy your free time, and I will see you all on Wednesday morning."

There was a lot of noise as everyone got up to leave the room. Amongst it, the four boys chatted amongst themselves.

"Have you seen this timetable? It is literally just like school; look at all of these lectures!" Theo complained, "Disguise, Tracking, Interrogation Training, Stealth, Law & Ethics!"

"Oh, look, Theo, your favourite subject is on here!" Neville exclaimed, "Muggle Relations!"

Harry and Draco sniggered at this while Theo glared at Neville, "Very funny."

"I actually like the look of this timetable," Neville admitted, "There's even Herbology lab."

"I don't see what plants have to do with being an Auror," Theo muttered huffily.

"Well, knowing your plants is kind of crucial when it comes to potion brewing," Draco pointed, "And I also noticed that Potions lab was on the timetable. I assume they want us to be able to select potion ingredients and make potions ourselves in case we're ever stranded somewhere and need to do it."

"That would make sense," Harry said as he scanned the timetable, "Some of the stuff on here looks interesting, like Code Deciphering. That could be fun."

"I bet you're gonna love Monday afternoons," Draco said sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Because it's mind magic? Very funny. As long as nobody pokes around my head and looks at my dreams to taunt me like Snape did, then I think I'll be just fine."

"He makes a good point," Neville said.

"Of course, you're going to side with him!" Draco argued as the group left the building, "You're his Auror partner!"

And the bickering that had commenced lasted all the way to the gate.

"Come on, Teddy, we're going to be late," Daphne said as she grabbed the little boy and threw some floo powder into the fireplace. She held him tightly to her as she said, "The Burrow."

They whizzed through chimney after chimney before they reached their destination. Daphne stepped out into the kitchen and smiled at Molly, "Can I help with anything, Molly?"

"No, no dear," Molly said cheerfully, "The others are all outside setting up. These lunches won't be outside for much longer, though."

Daphne nodded and steered Teddy through the kitchen, "That's true; the weather will turn soon," she said as they stepped outside.

She scanned the garden a little nervously and chuckled when she saw Bill, Charlie and George fighting with the three picnic tables they were supposed to be setting up for their mother.

"Welcome to the family, Daphne."

Daphne jumped and turned around. She hadn't seen Ron standing so close to the backdoor, "Oh, hey Ron."

Ron smiled slightly, "How are you guys getting on?"

"Good," Daphne replied, "Or at least we will be when Harry is finally freed from his isolation. How are things with you and Katie?"

"As good as they can be," Ron said honestly, "We aren't together, we gave it a good try, but it was a one night stand. We only tried to make it work because of the baby, and that's not healthy."

"No," Daphne agreed, "You can be good parents without being together as long as you can work as a team."

"That was what we agreed," Ron said with a nod, "Speaking of parenting, you seem to be doing a good job."

Daphne smiled down at Teddy, "We do what we can, but things are hectic right now with our new jobs. Everything is up in the air; once things are a bit more stable, everything will become a little more official."

Ron's eyes sparkled with realisation, "Oh, so that is happening?"

"It's happening," Daphne said, "Just not yet. Why are you standing here looking so broody, by the way?"

"Ginny has been glaring at me since I got here," Ron said.

Daphne turned around and followed his line of sight. On the other side of the table fight, Ginny stood next to Blaise, and she did indeed look incredibly pissed off with her brother.

"Is she still pissed that your mother was so angry when she got pregnant but so okay with you becoming a father?" Daphne asked. She grabbed Teddy's hand as the little boy tried to toddle towards the table fight.

"No, she's over that," Ron said, "At the moment, she's pissed off because she thinks I'm stealing her thunder. Katie is due on the 24th of October, and Ginny is due on the 7th of November. If Katie goes late and Ginny goes early, the babies could be born really close together."

"Well, to be honest, I don't really blame her for being pissed off about that," Daphne said with a slight smile, "When you think about it, do you?"

"No, I get it," Ron said honestly, "But she's being irrational about it."

"She's pregnant and therefore very hormonal," Daphne said as the table fight came to an end. It looked like Bill had won, "Give her time," she said.

Ron nodded and walked away to talk to one of his brothers. Shortly after he had done so, Hermione stepped through the backdoor.

"Good afternoon Daph. Are you ready?"

Daphne nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be," she admitted.

"Why don't you take Teddy over to Fleur and settle him?" Hermione asked gently, "I'll go and grab Bill. I'll ask if we can go somewhere alone, and then you can come and meet us in the orchard where everyone plays Quidditch, okay?"

"Okay," Daphne said a little shakily, "Come on, Ted, let's go and see Auntie Fleur."

Hermione strode across the garden to the spot where Bill was holding an open bottle of beer and laughing about something with Charlie, "Bill, I need to talk to you."

Bill held out a bottle of beer, "Talk to me. I'm right here."

"I mean in private," Hermione said, "Somewhere secluded like the orchard."

Bill whistled, "I know you had a crush on me when you were little, Hermione, but I'm a happily married man now."

"I'm serious, Bill," Hermione said sternly, "And for the record, it was Charlie I had a crush on."

Charlie grinned, "Yes, give me five, Mione!"

Hermione chuckled and hi-fived him. When she turned back to Bill, he was no longer smiling, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Hermione said.

"Alright, let's go," Bill said as he handed Charlie his beer, "I would tell you to look after that until I came back, but I know you'll just drink it, so be my guest."

"It will be gone before you hit the gate!" Charlie called after them.

Bill shook his head in amusement and asked, "Is it Harry? Is something wrong?"

"Harry is fine," Hermione said, "Or at least, I think he is. He, Draco, Neville and Theo have been in isolation for the last two weeks, but I would have thought they would have informed me if they weren't okay."

"What is going on then?" Bill asked, "Because you don't get all serious for nothing, Hermione. Not these days anyway."

"Something is going on," Hermione said, "But I'll explain when we get to the orchard."

Bill nodded and said no more. They reached the gate and slipped through it. Then they made their way to the orchard where the leaves had just started to fall from the trees.

"Come on, what's going on?"

"It's not my story to tell," Hermione said as she glanced behind, "We're waiting for someone else."

"You're acting all cloak and dagger here," Bill said. He frowned, and for the first time, he looked suspicious. One of the few times when Hermione could tell that he was a serious Curse Breaker with a vital job and a sense of paranoia that came from the war.

When he heard shuffling in the woods, he reached for his wand but sighed with relief when Daphne walked into the clearing.

"Daphne? What on earth is going on?" Bill asked as he looked between her and Hermione.

Hermione looked pointedly at Daphne; after all, she had to be the one to tell Bill.

"Look, I don't think there's an easy way to say this, Bill, so I'm just going to say it," Daphne took a deep breath, "But Stuart Fawley has been blackmailing me ever since you made him my mentor and on Friday, he sexually assaulted me."

"What?" Bill asked sharply.

"I know it's probably hard for you to believe," Daphne said quickly, "You trained together, and you've worked together for years, but I swear Bill, I'm an honest person, I wouldn't lie about this-"

"No, stop right there," Bill said, "I don't know what the hell Fawley told you, but he and I don't share some special bond just because we trained together. He was a prick when I first met him, and he's still a prick now, so please, Daphne, don't worry about me not believing you. Just tell me what he did."

Daphne breathed a little shakily, "To begin with, he just made inappropriate comments and rubbed my leg against his. Then he started stroking my leg with his hand but on Friday…."

Hermione grabbed Daphne's hand, "It's okay."

"He took me to this cursed cottage," Daphne said, "And when I stepped inside, this wave of magic washed over me. It felt like the imperius curse, he kissed me, and he started to…to take my clothes off, and I couldn't control it."

"That despicable piece of shit," Bill growled, "Please tell me he didn't rape you?"

Daphne shook her head and looked down, "He didn't get that far. I managed to snap out of it, but he…" she cleared her throat, "He went too far."

"Yeah, he fucking did," Bill said, turning away from Daphne as his eyes flashed angrily. Hermione stepped forward carefully and whispered, "When is the moon?"

"Tonight," Bill muttered.

"Bill," Hermione said, tentatively placing her hand on his arm, "You need to calm down."

Bill breathed in deeply and counted to ten. When he opened his eyes, they were blue again, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, "You're in the clear."

"I'm sorry, Bill," Daphne said quietly, "I didn't mean to make you angry, especially today."

Bill shook his head, "Don't apologise, okay? You have nothing to apologise for. He is in the wrong here, nobody else."

"So I won't lose my job?" Daphne asked, looking up at him.

"Of course you won't," Bill said, "Do you have any evidence to support the fact he took you to that cottage knowingly?"

Daphne held out the letter. Bill scanned it and swallowed hard, his eyes flashing amber once more.

"Bill," Hermione warned him. It was the same tone you would take with a dog that wasn't obeying orders.

All the same, it worked. Bill took a deep breath once more and blew it out, "Sorry."

Daphne looked at him nervously, "It's okay."

"Merlin," Bill said with a shake of his head, "I am so sorry, Daphne."

"It wasn't your fault Bill."

"And it wasn't yours either," Bill told her, "It was entirely his fault, and he will pay for this!"

"What will happen, Bill?" Hermione asked, "Daphne hasn't been in the job long, and she's still in training. Does she have a right to legal representation?"

"Of she does!" Bill exclaimed, "It doesn't matter how long you have worked for us or in what capacity. Everybody who works for Gringotts is entitled to legal representation."

"Surely that means that Fawley is entitled to it too?" Hermione pointed out.

"Yes, he is," Bill said, "But I'm the one who sits at the head of the review board, so trust me, that doesn't mean shit. He is going to go down for this; he will never work in a respected institute or be allowed to be in a position of power again."

"Does that mean it has to go to the courts?" Daphne asked anxiously.

"There are two ways that we can do it," Bill said, "It can go through the courts, and he might well receive jail time. The other option is to do it through an independent review within the bank."

"If it was an independent review, would there be any press coverage?" Daphne asked.

"No, it would be completely private, and the record would be sealed," Bill replied, "But the worst that could happen is that he could be dismissed without a referral. Is that enough for you?"

Daphne nodded, "That's fine. I don't want the press to find out. The longer I can keep it from Harry, the better."

"I understand why you don't want to tell him," Bill said, "I know what his temper is like but let me give you a word of advice. Harry is going to find out sooner than later, and it would be much better if it came from you."

"I know," Daphne said quietly.

"And when you do tell Harry," Bill added, "Which will be tonight, let him know that Fawley likes to spend his Sunday evenings gambling in Knockturn alley."

Daphne looked up in surprise.

Bill smirked rather wickedly and tapped his nose, "But you didn't hear it from me."

Daphne smiled slightly, "I heard nothing."

"Good," Bill said, "Now, first thing tomorrow morning, we will have the review, then you can go home for the rest of the day. I can give you the whole week off if you need it."

Daphne shook her head, "No, I'll be back first thing on Tuesday. But…does this mean I need to go back to the cursed room?"

Bill shook his head, "Your talents were wasted there, don't worry. You'll be doing the same job. I'll just find you a competent mentor."

"Thank you, Bill," Daphne said gratefully.

Bill shook his head, "Don't thank me, I'm just doing the right thing. You should have come to me sooner. I feel terrible that you let it get this bad."

"I'm sorry, I just…I didn't know how to, and I was so afraid I would lose my job," Daphne said.

Bill nodded, "I understand why you didn't, and I promise, I will sort all of this out. Just come to my office at 9 am on Tuesday, and we'll make sure Fawley never sets foot in Gringotts again.

* ~ TBC ~ *