* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART FOUR

Brave New World

Chapter 84: New Horizons

Friday night brought the most important Wizengamot meeting yet, as far as Harry was concerned.

"Time to vote!" Kingsley's voice boomed, "All rise!"

Every member of the Wizengamot rose to their feet.

"Are we in favour of the launch of Child Protective Services? A division of the DMLE that has the welfare of children, wizarding, squib or otherwise, at heart?" Kingsley asked the group as a whole, "If the vote is positive, we will launch this under the Child Protective Reforms. Within these reforms will be guidelines on what happens to the child in the event of the death of a parent. There will be legislation to prevent that child from being placed in a dangerous situation. There will be measures put in place to ensure that the child is being raised safely and happily."

There was a general murmur of agreement.

Howard Abbott was the first to speak, as the vote went in alphabetical order. "I shall begin the voting, Kingsley. Aye!"

Draco nodded, "Aye."

"Aye," Susan agreed.

Harry smiled proudly as they went around the room. Kevin Brown and Sorenson Cauldwell voted for the act. Surprisingly enough, so did Julian Crouch.

"Aye!" Michael Corner Senior said.

"Aye," Stefan Cornfoot agreed from his side.

Stuart Fawley, who often voted against them out of spite, even said, "Aye."

Cygnus smiled at Harry and nodded in his direction, "Aye."

"Aye," Matthias Jones said.

"Aye," Neville said proudly from Harry's side.

Hamish MacDougall and Ernie MacMillan both actioned the vote. The first to openly oppose it was Graham Montague, "Nay. It will be too much of a strain on the DMLE's already weak resources."

A general scoff of outrage and disbelief went around the room.

Theo shook his head at the idiot down below and said, "Well, it is one that I will happily fund. Aye."

Oberon Parkinson bowed his head, "Aye. I concur with Viscount Nott. I would be honoured to fund such a venture."

Gareth Perks nodded his agreement, "Aye, I sanction this law."

Harry smiled proudly, "Aye. As do I."

Clara shot Harry and his friends a knowing look, "Aye."

"Aye," Slughorn said, beaming proudly at his former student, which made Harry feel oddly humbled.

"I support this law," Kingsley said as it came to him, "Aye."

Ezekiel Smith, unsurprisingly, shook his head, "Nay. We have always looked after our own. I see no reason to change this approach."

There was another round of irritated murmuring as Percy threw his hat into the ring, "We have always looked out for our own if they were pureblood or perhaps even half-blood. We have never looked out for our own if they were squibs," He said sternly, "And that must change so aye! I sanction this vote."

"Aye," Oliver said with a nod.

Finally, the vote ended with Belinda Zabini, who held her head high and said, "Aye."

Kingsley smacked his hammer against the lectern and said, "Law sanctioned!"

Harry grinned triumphantly.

Kingsley smiled and said, "Also on the agenda to discuss today is the launch of a new service. The ministry will run it, but it has been privately funded by two of our own. I want to give my personal thanks to Marquess Potter and Earl Abbott for funding the launch of Lupin House. An exclusively wizarding orphanage that will take in the children of magical parents, regardless of whether they have manifested magic yet or not. If they are from a magical background and have knowledge of our world, they should be given a safe place to live until they reach school age, whether they attend in the wizarding or in the muggle world."

There was a round of applause at this, and Harry met Howard's eye. The older man bowed his head and smiled proudly at Harry.

Harry was supposed to go home after he left the courtroom where the Wizengamot sat. He was already going to be unbelievably late home, and he expected Daphne to be at least a little bit pissed off with him, even if she knew it was for a good cause.

He glanced at the clock and said goodbye to his friends. As much as he wanted to try and race home in time to help put Teddy to bed, there was somewhere else that he really needed to be right now, so he headed to the lifts and rode up.

When he reached the Auror bullpen, the A shift was switching over with the B shift. Harry scanned the bullpen and saw Rob sitting behind his desk, looking exhausted. He headed over to him and dropped into a seat across from his desk with a grin.

"Thought you were going home to your kid after your big hot-shot lordy meeting?" Rob asked dryly.

"I'm meant to be," Harry admitted, "But there's something I want to tell you. I'm not meant to tell you yet, but I'm going to tell you anyway."

Rob grinned at him, "It's only a week, and I've already taught you how to bend the rules."

"I didn't need you to teach me how to do that," Harry chuckled, "You wanna hear the news?"

"Yeah, go on. What's happening?"

"As of Monday, you won't be one guy at a desk on his own anymore," Harry said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, "You'll have your own department, Child Protective Services."

Rob's eyes widened, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, it was a landslide with the Wizengamot Rob," Harry said excitedly, "And it's not just a fancy title either. It's an office with co-workers and more legal powers too. I'm talking veritaserum and legilimency testing on parents or guardians who you suspect of abuse."

Rob leant back in his chair and grinned, "Damn kid, you're good."

Harry grinned broadly, "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

Rob raised an eyebrow at him.

"When Kingsley announces the Child Protection Reforms that I just told you about on Monday, he's going to be announcing something else," Harry said proudly, "The opening of Lupin House, Britain's first exclusively wizarding orphanage."

Rob's grin widened, "Alright, if we're playing this game, I'm going to tell you something that I shouldn't."

Harry looked at the older Auror in surprise, "Something good?"

"That depends on your perspective," Rob shrugged, "But I had a little chat with your trainers the other night because I reckon you are wasted in a classroom."

"Necessary evil, though," Harry said simply.

"Not for someone like you," Rob said, catching Harry's eye, "On Monday, they are going to bring you in for a meeting, and they are going to ask you if you want to come and work for me."

Harry's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Rob promised, "You're bringing this change about Harry; you should be here to see it through. It's a choice though, if you don't want to, I won't be offended. But if you do want to, you're going to have to pass your exams."

Harry sighed, "Right,"

"Not all of them mind, just the physical ones," Rob added, "But I doubt they will tell you that. They'll want to keep you on edge."

At this, Harry relaxed a little, "Just the practical ones? I might…well, I don't want to sound arrogant, but I think I might be able to do that."

"I'm sure you can," Rob said with a smile, "But just make sure it's what you want before you make a decision, alright?"

"I don't have to think about it," Harry said honestly, thinking of how much he had hated but equally enjoyed the past week. He also had incredible respect for Rob, "I want to do it."

"If all goes well then, I'll see you on Monday," Rob said, patting him on the back and grinning, "But right now, you better get your arse home to your missus before she sends out a search party."

"Alright," Harry said, grinning back at Rob, "See you Monday, hopefully."

Rob gave him the thumbs up, and Harry left, his mind spinning at a million miles per hour.

Harry had spent Friday evening talking things over, not to mention discussing things with Daphne. She had been entirely on board and incredibly proud that Harry was even being offered this opportunity.

As such, the remainder of his weekend had been spent studying. He felt confident in his physical abilities, but the theoretical side of it was where he would be let down, so he crammed as much knowledge into his brain as he could.

By the time Monday morning came around, he felt a little nervous, but he tried not to let on to his friends as they did their usual morning warm-up together. They hit the showers and dressed, ready for their first class of the day.

However, the moment they left the locker room, Sumner called, "Potter! Meeting in my office, stat!"

"Yes, sir," Harry said, his heart beating fast as he followed Sumner to his office. He had expected this, but he was surprised by the fact that Sheppard and Weir were also there.

Sumner sat down behind his desk and surveyed Harry, "I expect you know what this is about?"

"No, sir," Harry lied.

Sheppard laughed, "You need to get better at that Potter. Even the weakest criminal wouldn't believe you."

"Not to mention, we know Auror Wolfe," Weir replied, smiling at Harry, "He has struggled to keep his mouth shut for the past 15 years. I do not expect he would start now."

Harry smiled sheepishly, "He did give me an inkling of what was to come," he admitted.

Sumner nodded, "And do you know what you want to do?"

Harry nodded too, "I want to take the exams, sir, and if I pass, I would like to join Auror Wolfe in Domestics."

"Alright," Sumner said, a hint of pride in his voice, "But, you need to take them today."

"Alright," Harry said simply.

"Now," Sumner added.

Harry nodded, "Okay."

Sumner looked over at Sheppard. The younger Auror smiled and said, "I reckon Wolfe might have been right about you, Potter. Come on, I'll walk you to the exam centre, and I'll fill you in on what's coming along the way."

Harry followed him to the door, and once he got there, both Sumner and Weir wished him luck. He thanked them both and left with Sheppard. All the Recruits were now in their first class of the day, so the corridors were almost entirely empty.

"You will be sitting six exams," Sheppard told him, "You will sit the theoretical exams first and then you will sit the practical exams. There are three of each."

Harry nodded as he listened intently.

"The theoretical exams are 'Potions & Herbology', 'Stealth, Tracking & Disguise' and 'Law and Ethics'. Feel okay about that?"

"Apart from Law and Ethics, yeah," Harry replied honestly.

Sheppard grinned, "A lot of people feel that way about Auror Weir's classes."

Harry laughed at that comment.

"As far as the practical exams go, you will sit them in a particular order. The order is designed to make it accurate for a real-life situation. All practical exams will take place in the simulation room one after the other, and I will not be telling you the names of the three sections, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

They reached the simulation room corridor, which had changed from the last time he had been here. This time there were only two doors, one labelled as 'THEORETICAL' and the other as 'PRACTICAL'.

"Once you head into that room, you have two hours to complete all of the theory tests," Sheppard told him, "When you come out, get yourself a glass of water. Take at least ten minutes to get yourself into gear. Then head into the physical. It will be over when you have completed all three tasks. If you die, it's an automatic fail. Any questions?"

Harry shook his head.

Sheppard smiled and said, "Good. Do you know what Sirius asked at that point when we were asked for questions?"

Harry chuckled, "Something cheeky probably?"

"Oh yeah," Sheppard said, his smile was one of amusement, "He said, Does it also count as a fail if we accidentally amputate a major body part or do we just get an Alastor Moody award?"

Harry laughed out loud at that comment, "Well…it's kind of a fair question."

"The head trainer at the time didn't think so," Sheppard said, clapping Harry on the back, "Good luck, Potter."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, taking a deep breath and opening the door into the theoretical exam room.

The two hours passed quickly, but the exams weren't actually as hard as Harry was expecting. The Potions & Herbology one had mostly been about critical ingredients for brewing potions such as Polyjuice Potion. There had also been a section on common poisons and how to deal with them that he found easy. The Stealth, Tracking and Disguise exam had also been a breeze. The section about the pros and cons of Animagi, and the process of becoming one was a dream for Harry. The only exam that he struggled with was the Law and Ethics one, which was expected because he spent most of that class napping through Weir's speeches.

When he left the room, he took Sheppard's advice. He had a glass of water, went to the toilet and took ten minutes to compose himself. Then he took a deep, steadying breath and entered the simulation room.

From that moment, it was fast and furious. He was faced with a war zone at first, clearly designed to put his field healing to the test, and he thought that he did pretty well, all things considered. The next section of the test involved dealing with a hostage situation which he also found relatively easy. At the end of that section, the duel was a breeze compared to some of the duels he had fought as a teenager against the likes of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange.

The final section was the one he had expected but dreaded. It was a resistance test, he was subjected to the imperius curse, which he managed to fight, and then he was worn down with the Cruciatus Curse, but he kept his resolve. Just when he thought it was all over, his mind was invaded through the use of Legilimency. That was the hardest part of the entire exam, if he was honest, but the relatively basic grasp that he had on Occlumency had been enough to force the assailant out of his head.

Once he had done that, the scenario around him faded away until all that was left was a desk. Sitting behind that desk were three people; Aurors Sumner, Sheppard and Weir.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and wiped his brow, "How did I do?" he asked a little breathlessly.

"Well," Weir said, looking down at his results, "Let's start with the theory tests. You passed 'Potions & Herbology' and 'Stealth, Tracking and Disguise' adequately."

Harry's face fell, "I failed 'Law & Ethics, didn't I?"

"No," Sheppard said, glancing down at Harry's result, "You scraped a pass, but when we say scraped, we mean scraped because you actually got exactly what you needed to pass and no more."

"And I think some of that was by chance in the multiple-choice section," Weir admitted.

"Yeah," Harry said sheepishly, "It probably was. Sorry, Auror Weir."

Sumner looked like he was struggling to contain a look of amusement. He also glanced down at Harry's result, then he looked back up at the young man, "However you did exceedingly well in your Practical exams. You passed all three with flying colours. You even beat a few records."

"Did I?" Harry asked in surprise.

Sumner nodded, "Yep, you beat the hostage situation faster than anyone else has. The record holder for that was your godfather. Sirius always was able to talk his way out of anything."

Harry grinned at that news.

"You also set a new record for the resistance section," Sheppard told Harry, "Moody held that record, so you should be proud about that one because he was a tough old bastard."

"I beat that section faster than Moody?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"You sure did, son," Sumner said. He smiled at Harry, "And you set a record overall time for the practical exam too. You know who you beat on that one?"

Harry shook his head.

"Only your old dad," Sumner said proudly.

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat, that packed a bigger punch than the others.

"He was a brilliant all-rounder, your dad," Sumner elaborated, "He was a damn good Auror. It's no surprise his son aced his end of training exams ¾ of the way into his first year."

"So…" Harry looked at them in disbelief, "Does that mean I'm qualified?"

Sumner got up from the desk and handed him a badge, "Proof is in the pudding, Potter."

Harry looked down at the shiny golden badge which said in bold writing above the Ministry crest, JUNIOR AUROR, and underneath it was his surname emblazoned in bold, POTTER.

Sheppard walked over and smiled at him, "Congratulations, Potter. Wolfe was obviously onto something. He was right to bet his badge on you."

Harry looked up in surprise, "He bet his badge on me?"

"Oh yeah," Sumner said, smirking at Harry, "He was so sure that you were going to pass that he agreed to quit if you didn't."

Harry was stunned by that news, "Would you actually have let him?"

"Yeah, I hate that guy," Sumner replied.

Sheppard nodded his agreement, "He's arrogant, thinks that he knows best. That's why he got stuck in Domestics when we all got promotions to the training centre."

Weir stood up and walked around the table, "Wolfe didn't end up in Domestics because he was a bad Auror. He ended up there because he was a good one who stood up when nobody else would and told the world the news that nobody wanted to hear. I think you and he will make a good partnership, Potter."

Sheppard rolled his eyes.

Harry noticed this and said, "You really don't like Rob, do you?"

"Nope," Sheppard replied, "But you can obviously work with him and since you are the first in about five years, congratulations."

Harry smiled, "So what happens now?"

Sumner glanced at a clock which had just appeared on the wall, "You go to lunch with your friends and tell them the good news, then you head on over to the Ministry, get yourself some red robes and tell Wolfe that he was right about you because I sure as hell am not going to do it."

Harry chuckled, "Thanks, Auror Sumner, for giving me this chance, and thanks for everything Aurors Sheppard and Weir."

Sumner smiled, "It's Jack, John and Elizabeth to you now, Harry. We aren't your trainers anymore. We're your colleagues."

Harry grinned with pride at those words.

Harry practically skipped into the lunch hall. He saw his friends and made a beeline for them. They all looked up the minute that he sat down.

"Where the hell have you been all morning?" Draco asked in disbelief.

"Is everything okay?" Neville added.

"Everything is fine, Nev," Harry said, beaming, "More than fine, actually. I have news, bloody brilliant news!"

"Oh no, don't say Daphne's pregnant," Theo said with a grimace, "No more babies!"

"No more babies," Harry promised, "You know how I worked with Rob all week and kind of hit it off with him?"

"Yeah," Draco said, frowning at Harry.

"What, you're marrying him and forming a triad?" Theo joked.

Harry rolled his eyes and punched Theo in the arm, "No, he spoke to the trainers here and told them I was wasted in a classroom, so Sumner, Sheppard and Weir let me sit my final exams today."

"Your final, end of third-year exams?" Draco asked in an outraged whisper, "It's not even the end of first year!"

"Shh," Neville hushed him irritably. "How did you do?"

"I passed them all, aced the practical ones," Harry said with a smug grin, "I start working with Rob today."

"What?" The three of them echoed.

Harry pulled his badge out of his pocket and put it on the table.

"Holy fucking Helga."

"Don't take the Founders names in vein, Theo," Neville joked half-heartedly as he looked down at the badge then up at Harry, "That's huge, Harry, congratulations."

Harry grinned, but then his face fell, "Oh…but Nev…what's going to happen to you?"

"I'll be fine without a partner," Neville said, smiling at his friend, "Don't worry about me. This is great news for you, and you bloody deserve it! What you did for that department, for kids like us, it's brilliant, Harry."

Harry put his arm around Neville's shoulder and said, "You know, this is going to sound sappy, but Auror partner or not, you're still my plucky sidekick."

Neville punched him in the arm at that.

"Ow!"

"Stop calling me your plucky sidekick!" Neville exclaimed, "Sidekick, I will accept, but I'm not plucky!"

Harry rubbed his arm but chuckled, "Alright, alright, I'll stop," he promised.

Neville shook his head in amusement, "You better think about heading off to your fancy new job. You'll want to tell Rob the news."

Harry nodded and got to his feet, "I will, but you guys will come over for drinks soon, right? So we can celebrate?"

"Yeah, course we will," Neville promised.

With one last grin, Harry left the lunch hall. Draco and Theo looked at Neville expectantly as he dropped the happy façade.

"Are you going to cry?" Theo asked, pushing his slice of cake across the table to Neville.

Neville frowned, "Why do I feel like I just got broken up with?"

"Probably cause you did," Draco said with a shrug.

"Yeah, your boyfriend just got a new job and ran away to pursue it," Theo added.

"You guys aren't gonna leave me too, are you?" Neville asked them.

"Never," Theo said, grinning at him, "We've got your back, Fatbottom."

Neville rolled his eyes, "Arsehole," he said affectionately.

"Dickhead," Theo shot back in the same tone.

When Harry walked into the Auror department, he decided to seek Rob before he 'robed up' in the iconic red Auror robes. He headed to the back of the department, where Rob appeared to be dozing on his desk and knocked on it hard a couple of times.

Rob jerked awake and looked up at Harry, "Woah, Potter, not a cool way to wake a guy up."

"Don't sleep on the job then," Harry said with an amused smile.

Rob blinked away the blurriness in his eyes.

"I just popped in to say thanks," Harry said with a smile, "For having faith in me."

"You're not staying?" Rob asked.

Harry shook his head, "Nah, it's Auror training for another couple of years for me, but Sumner is here. He wants to talk to you about something."

Rob's eyes widened, "He wants to talk to me? Oh, …oh, fuck."

At this point, Harry sniggered, making Rob look up sharply, "Oh, you little shit!"

"Serves you right for putting your badge on the line, partner," Harry said, grinning and putting his badge down on the desk.

Rob grinned, "I knew that you could do it! Yes, well done, kid!"

Harry chuckled and sat down on the edge of Rob's desk, "I passed all of the tests, even beat some records."

"I told them you would," Rob said proudly, "I bloody told them!"

"So they said," Harry snorted, "They don't like you very much, do they? Well, Sumner and Sheppard, that is."

"Sumner doesn't like me because I was a first-year when he was a third-year in training, and I beat him all of the time," Rob said with a grin, "Sheppard doesn't like me because I dated his wife back when we were young and stupid."

"You dated Weir?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, she acts all strict and ethical, but," Rob whistled, "It's the good girls Harry, they are so bad."

Harry made a face, "That's gross."

Rob just grinned.

"Right then," Harry said, crossing his arms to look at the older man, "This is the point where I tell you that every time someone comes into my life and believes in me or has faith in me, it turns out they are a long-lost Father figure who knew my parents so…."

Rob nodded thoughtfully through Harry's spiel. When he was done, he said, "Yeah, you're right. That does happen in your life a lot, doesn't it? You've got this whole epic hero persona too, so I guess it's fitting that now is the time for me to tell you the truth."

Harry frowned, "What truth?"

Rob took a deep breath and said, "Harry…I am your father."

"Rob, you're a fucking idiot," Harry said, instantly sensing his sarcasm, "That's a line from Star Wars."

"Good kid, you like Star Wars!" Rob clapped him on the back and laughed, "Nah, in all seriousness, I knew of your parents, but I wasn't friends with them or anything. I was a couple of years behind them in school, but I was a background Gryffindor, so they didn't know my name."

"A background Gryffindor?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Yeah, there are always background Gryffindors," Rob said with a wave of his hand, "You and your friends were the heroes, but I bet there were other Gryffindors in the years below you who you would know to look at but couldn't even hazard a guess at their names right?"

"Uh…yeah," Harry admitted sheepishly.

"That was me. I was a background Gryffindor to the Marauders," Rob said with a shrug, "Which was to be expected; they had big personalities. I knocked your dad off his broom once in Quidditch practise, I was a beater in his final year as captain, and I had a crush on your mum, but I hate to break it to you, Harry; everyone had a crush on your mum."

Harry made a face.

"Not a creepy, obsessive crush like Severus Snape, mind you," Rob added, "Just a normal, I'd definitely do her' crush."

Harry could have gagged, "Rob, that's my mum you're talking about!"

"Well yeah but, Lily Evans," Rob said with a content sigh, "The amount of wet dreams-"

"Rob!" Harry exclaimed, "Can we get down to business here. How are we going to do this?"

"Well, since you decided that you were going to restructure my department for me, you tell me what we're doing," Rob shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

"That's your way of saying you've got no fucking clue, isn't it?" Harry guessed.

"Yep, kid, it really is."

Harry snorted, "I don't think anything is going to change until the big bosses tell us that it has to. The orphanage is well on its way to being set up, but we are not handling that. I put my adopted mum in charge of that."

"Your what?"

"Molly Weasley kind of raised me," Harry said with a shrug, "Ron Weasley was my best friend through school, and his kid is my godson. Ginny Weasley's kid is my goddaughter, which is a bit weird because she's my ex, but yeah, those guys are my family."

"You dated your adopted sister?" Rob asked distastefully.

Harry rolled his eyes, "No, they didn't actually adopt me. They just – oh, do you know what, forget it. I was trying to make an analogy."

"Don't, analogies are my thing, find your own thing," Rob joked, "Do you have a thing?"

"Em…I like Expelliarmus?"

"You're a weird kid," Rob said, shaking his head.

At that moment, a memo appeared on his desk, and he grinned.

"What is it?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It's a call," Rob said, "So you better robe up."

"Why are you so happy about a call?" Harry asked curiously.

"Because it's from the Closes," Rob replied, turning around so that he could look at Harry while he walked backwards out of the bullpen, "It's Hetty's house, and your new laws came into force this morning."

"Oh…" Harry realised, his face lighting up.

"I CAN FINALLY ARREST THE BITCH!" Rob cheered triumphantly, "EVERYONE, THIS IS MY NEW PARTNER HARRY POTTER, AND I THINK I LOVE HIM!"

Harry just followed him out of the bullpen with an amused shake of his head.

Daphne was singing in the kitchen as she prepared dinner. Teddy was playing away happily upstairs, and she was enjoying a rare moment of quiet.

It didn't last long because the front door opened, and three loud men trudged into the entrance hall. She rolled her eyes as they sought her out in the kitchen.

"Something smells great."

Daphne turned around and raised an eyebrow at the three of them, "Boys."

Theo grinned at her, "Hey, Daph."

"Yes, you can stay for dinner," She said with a roll of her eyes, "What have you done with my husband?"

"We haven't done anything with your husband. He left us," Draco replied.

"For some hot, rugged Irish Auror," Neville complained.

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Hot?"

"Well, he is all rugged and Irish," Theo said with a shrug.

"Wow, way to spoil the surprise that Harry passed all of his exams, Theo," Daphne said dryly.

"Oh come on, you knew he was going to," Draco snorted, "He's Harry Potter."

"I did suspect he would pass them all," Daphne admitted with a smile, "But why are you lot so miserable? You should be happy for him."

"We are happy for him," Neville said unconvincingly.

"No, we're not, I'm fuming," Theo objected, "How come he passed the third year exams in his first year? It's not fair."

"It is fair," Daphne said, crossing her arms and staring them all down, "Yes, he's Harry Potter, but that's not why he passed all of the exams in first year. It's not because they fudged them or because they let him do whatever he wanted. It's because he's fucking brilliant."

Theo snorted.

"Have any of you defeated a Dark Lord?" Daphne asked, directing the question at Theo first, "Have you?"

"No," Theo muttered irritably.

She then turned to Draco, "No," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Daphne then looked at Neville.

"Well, I beheaded-"

"Goddamn it, Neville, beheading a snake doesn't count," Daphne said, glaring at him, "He is unique, and he deserves this, so all three of you need to stop wallowing in your own self-pity and start being good friends!"

Neville frowned down at his hands for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, you're right, we do. We are being shit friends right now."

Draco sighed, "Yeah, we kind of are."

"What would good friends do?" Daphne asked the three of them, feeling more like a mother than ever.

"Have a party!" Theo exclaimed, "Yes, surprise party! I'm on it. Neville, you can get everyone here by floo. Draco, you sort the food out. I'll go and sort the booze out, and Daphne," he faltered, "You can make dinner and put the kid to bed?"

"I am more than a bloody housewife and mother Theodore Nott!" Daphne exclaimed, hexing him in the direction of the front door, much to the amusement of the other two men.

Harry was on cloud number nine when he got home that night, it was later than Daphne had expected him, but he had sent her a Patronus to let her know that he wouldn't be home until closer to 7 pm.

He walked through the door and noticed that the lights were dimmed upstairs, so he made sure to stay quiet until he reached the kitchen, "Daphne, I have had the best day-" he began to say, but he stopped short when he saw Draco, Neville and Theo sitting at the table.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Being good friends," Neville said with a smile.

"And congratulating you," Draco added.

Theo grinned and said, "SURPRISE," with jazz hands.

At that point, several people jumped out from various hiding spots throughout the kitchen. In the commotion of it all, Harry almost missed Hermione knocking herself out on the breakfast bar as she tried to jump out from underneath it.

"Oh, for the love of Rowena," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes, "Thank the founders that one of us is a Healer."

"I just passed field training," Harry joked.

"Go on then, wake her up," Lilly said with a smirk.

"Enervate," Harry said.

Hermione woke up then cried out in pain.

Lilly said another incantation and shot Harry an amused look, "You forgot the numbing charm."

"Oops," Harry said, grinning around at his friends, "You didn't have to do this, but I appreciate it, thank you," he said, tears burning at the back of his eyes.

Daphne wrapped her arms around him and smiled, "Congratulations, baby," she said, and the pride in her voice made it all the more sweet.

* ~ TBC ~ *