AN: After a lot of thought, I've realized that I don't have enough time to focus on more than one story at once. So, I will continue working on this one until it's finished while putting the other two on hiatus. For those of you who might be disappointed, I promise that I will come back to them once I finish this one, I just need to write one at a time.

Also, I made a small change to the end of the last chapter to show that Harry's replica didn't have his face to hide his identity as the Hooded Stranger. If you've already read the previous chapter, you don't have to go back.


Chapter 9

Early the next morning, Harry woke up before Minerva and immediately realized that something was wrong. They had changed positions as they slept, unlike the previous night, their bodies ending up flush together with Minerva's arm wrapped around his middle and her head on his shoulder. He had his arm wrapped under and around her back with his hand on her waist near dangerous territory. Afraid of how she would react to this, he tried to gently maneuver himself out from under her without waking her. It was slow going since he froze whenever he felt her move, but after a few minutes, he'd managed to get free. Satisfied with that, he got some clothes that was left out for him, likely by Dobby, before going to the bathroom.

While he got cleaned and ready for the day, Minerva woke up to find that Harry wasn't lying beside her. She ignored the slight twinge she felt at that knowledge, choosing instead to head to her own room and get ready as well. As she got dressed, she tried to remind herself that her feelings for Harry were purely platonic. By the time she was finished, she wasn't sure how successful she had been.

By the time everyone in the house was awake and dressed, Poppy arrived to check up on them. She quickly examined all of their injuries, reapplied the necessary salves, and gave them all pain potions. "You all seem to be healing just fine and will likely be fully healed within a few days. I want you to take it easy for today at least, though I won't put too many restrictions on you. I will check on you every morning for the next few days just to make sure you're okay."

Everyone thanked the healer for her help before she returned back to Hogwarts. Once she was gone, they went into the the kitchen. Amelia, noticing Minerva's different appearance, held the witch back for a moment.

"I understand now why you wear a glamour," Amelia remarked.

Minerva gave a short laugh, realizing she had forgotten to put it on. She'd gotten used to wearing her natural look unless she was going out. "Yes, I thought it would better for my male students if I changed my looks to be less distracting."

"I always suspected you did. You're much too powerful of a witch to not have kept your youthful looks," Amelia agreed. Her next response was a bit probing. "I am a bit surprised you are wearing it in front of Harry, though."

"As was bound to happen with him living with me, I forgot to reapply the glamour one morning, and he saw me. I figured there was no reason to hide after that," Minerva replied calmly. Having been her professor, she had known that Amelia would question that, but decided not to wear the glamour anyway. After all, they would be seeing quite a bit of each other since she knew Harry would offer Amelia and Susan the use of his home for as long as they needed it due to the destruction of their own.

Amelia wanted to ask more, curious about the relationship between the two after watching their interactions yesterday, but decided she would keep observing them instead, not wanting to pry too much. She respected them both too much for that; Minerva for being an amazing professor who was strict yet caring and Harry for what he did to train Susan and the others regardless of danger. Plus, both of them helped to save her life last night.

"Well it's good to see you relaxed. You shouldn't have to hide yourself to make others more comfortable anyway. Wizards just need to learn how to act properly around beautiful women," Amelia said as they walked into the kitchen to join the others, causing Minerva to let out a short laugh of amusement. Harry was getting ready to start making breakfast as they entered the room.

"You can cook?" Amelia asked, realizing what he was doing.

"Indeed, he can," Andromeda answered for him. "He's very good at it, too."

Harry fought his blush. "I wouldn't say I'm that good, but I can get by."

"We have mentioned his talent for understatements, right Boss?" Tonks asked, teasing Harry.

"I think you might have said something along those lines," Amelia said, playing along.

Minerva cut off Harry's protest before he could get started. "Just let it go Harry. You're a good cook and you know it. There's no shame or arrogance in admitting that."

"You should not be cooking, Master Harry," Winky interjected as she popped right in front of him along with the other three house-elves, interrupting their conversation. "You're supposed to be resting from your injuries."

"But I'm fine Winky. Besides, I promised to give you the weekend off anyway," Harry argued.

"That was before you got into a fight with Death Eaters and a werewolf," Dobby countered.

Kreacher nodded in agreement. "Us house-elves will be taking care of all of you until you're fully healed."

Harry sighed, knowing that it was a losing battle. "Ok, but I will still be giving you that weekend off."

"Deal," Dobby replied after looking at his counterparts.

"Topsy would like to help as well," Topsy spoke up. She was feeling a bit lost after the destruction of her home and needed to feel useful.

"You can help me Topsy," Winky said after glancing at Harry and Amelia for permission. Winky led her to the kitchen and they began to prepare the meal. After about twenty minutes the food was ready and the house-elves set the table for everyone, leaving to find some other work to accomplish after being thanked by the group.

Just as everyone had started to eat, they were interrupted by the arrival of a post owl carrying the Daily Prophet. It landed in front of Harry who quickly untied the newspaper from its leg before letting it fly away. His attention was grabbed by the front-page title and image and he quickly read through the article. Minerva and Tonks, who were sitting beside him also read it. All three of their expressions were grim when they'd finished.

"How bad is it?" Andromeda asked, her sentiments echoed by Amelia.

Instead of replying, Harry handed them the paper so they could read it for themselves. The two witches sat the paper in between them so they could see it at the same time. The title read, "Bones Manor Destroyed! Madam Amelia Bones, Professor McGonagall, Lawyer Tonks, Auror Tonks, and the Hooded Stranger's Bodies Found in the Destruction!" An image of the manor burned down to the ground with the ominous Dark Mark shining above it was underneath this. The rest of the article was filled with various speculations on what had occurred there last night. A few aurors who had arrived on the scene after made some statements expressing grief over their "deaths" and the plan to make those who had committed these crimes pay. There were page numbers mentioned that had short biographies about Amelia and the others. It even mentioned the death of Fenrir Greyback, stating that his head was found separated from the rest of his body.

"I want you to know that you and Susan can stay here for as long as you like. In fact, all of you can. I want you all to have somewhere safe to be since this war is only going to get worse," Harry declared firmly after they had finished reading.

"Thank you, Harry. Now I don't have to worry about finding a place for the two of us to live," Amelia replied, moved by his compassion for someone he barely knew.

"I'll be staying too," Tonks said.

"Me as well," Andromeda said. "We'll need to spend quite a bit time together to plan for and fight this war anyway. It makes sense for us to live in the same place and there's plenty of room here for us to have our own space."

"Alright, how do we want to handle this?" Tonks asked seriously.

"First, we need to get Susan from the Abbot's house so she can know the truth," Harry said.

"Yes, though I don't think any of us should go. It's best if only a few know the truth until we are sure who we can trust," Amelia noted.

"Who do we send to go get her then?" Andromeda asked.

"It has to be someone we know we can trust," Minerva pointed out.

They all sat in thought for a few minutes before Tonks spoke up. "What about Hestia? We know she doesn't trust Dumbledore anymore and she's a good and loyal auror. I trust her with my life."

"I agree with Tonks," Amelia remarked. "Hestia is an excellent auror and I can fully say that I would trust her with Susan's life. Also, her and Susan know each other and get along very well."

"Alright, if you two trust her then so do I," Harry decided. Andromeda and Minerva voiced their agreement as well, both having prior interactions with Hestia that convinced them she could be trusted.

"I can go see her right now if you like," Tonks offered.

"Yes," Amelia said. "Once Susan is here and safe, we can figure out everything else."

That decided, Harry gave Tonks a slip of paper on which he wrote the Fidelius secret before she flooed over to Hestia's place.

- H.M. –

Tonks stumbled out of the floo as she arrived, just managing to stop herself from falling on the ground. Hestia, who had been sitting on the sofa crying, jumped up from her seat and dropped her copy of the Daily Prophet that she'd been reading. Her wand was drawn and pointed at Tonks who put her hands up in the air non-threateningly.

"Who are you?" Hestia asked dangerously.

"I'm your friend and fellow auror Tonks," Tonks replied calmly.

"My friend is supposed to be dead along with her mother, Madam Bones, and Professor McGonagall," Hestia replied.

"None of us died last night. We were attacked by Voldemort and his Death Eaters and managed to escape by faking our deaths. It was the only way we'd have enough time to find a way out of there," Tonks explained.

"Prove it," Hestia demanded, still skeptical.

"At the last auror meeting, I asked you how you felt about Dumbledore and you told me that the man can't be trusted, and you planned on quitting as well as informing Madam Bones of your involvement in the group," Tonks replied.

Hestia lowered her wand down to the floor. "It's really you Dora?" she asked for confirmation.

Tonks nodded in reply. "Yes, I'm sorry we gave you a scare, but I'm really still alive, just a bit banged up. We all are."

"Thank Merlin," Hestia exclaimed pulling the Metamorph into a short but tight hug. "What happened last night?"

"We'll all explain it more later, but right now we need you to get Susan from the Abbot's house and bring her back to the old Order headquarters," Tonks requested.

"Of course. The poor girl is probably devastated right now," Hestia commented. "Would I be correct in assuming that Harry got custody of that place?"

"You would. He's also the secret keeper. He wrote down the secret on this piece of parchment for you and Susan," Tonks confirmed as she handed it to Hestia.

"Alright, I'll be over with Susan shortly then," Hestia said. "Wait, am I to tell the Abbots that Boss is alive or not?"

Tonks thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "As harsh as it sounds, it's better that they don't know for now until we decide how we're going to handle this situation."

"Understood," Hestia replied before going to grab a few things as Tonks left through the floo. Something told her she might not be coming home tonight.

With that done, she flooed over, appearing in the Abbot's sitting room a few seconds later. Mrs. Abbot walked in a moment later, having heard her arrival. "Auror Jones, are you here to see Susan?"

"Yes ma'am. I have orders to take her to a safe house," Hestia confirmed, her tone professional.

"She's upstairs in her room. The poor girl is quite upset by her aunt's death," Mrs. Abbot said. She had a few tear stains on her face, showing her sorrow as well.

"I can imagine so. We all are very upset by the news," Hestia agreed before heading up to Susan's room. When she got there, the door was closed. She knocked on it and said, "Hey Susan, it's me Hestia. Can I come in?"

Instead of a verbal response, the door was opened a moment later, showing a distraught Susan. Her eyes were red, her nose runny, and tears continued to fall down her face. The young witch threw herself into the auror's arms as she started sobbing. Hestia quickly closed the door and maneuvered them until they were both sitting on the bed before holding the girl tightly as she tried to soothe her.

"Susan it's alright. Your aunt is alive. Amelia is alive and safe, I promise you," Hestia declared.

"Really?" Susan asked when she realized what Hestia was saying. Her voice was full of hope.

"Yes. I'm here to take you to her."

"What happened last night?"

"I don't know yet, but Dora came and asked me to come get you."

"Are they all alive then?"

"Yes, but we can't tell anyone that just yet. Now let's get your stuff so we can go there."

The two of them quickly packed up everything Susan had brought with her. Once that was finished, they went downstairs back to the room with the fireplace. Susan said goodbye to the Abbot family with Hannah giving her a tight hug. Susan promised to write to them soon before she and Hestia flooed away.

- H.M. –

Back at Black manor, the others were finishing off their breakfast when Hedwig appeared unexpectedly, swooping down to land in front of Harry as she began to scrutinize him. When she noticed the bandage covering up the scar on his face, she hooted angrily at Harry, demanding an explanation.

"I got into bit of trouble last night, but I'm fine, honestly. We all are," Harry protested.

Hedwig looked at him skeptically, pointing a wing at his scar.

"It's just a scratch."

Hedwig's expression didn't waver.

"Ok so maybe it was caused by a werewolf, but it's not like I've been turned or anything."

Hedwig barked in exasperation.

"It's not like I went looking for trouble, it found me. Riddle and his Death Eaters showed up unexpectedly. At least I wasn't alone."

Tonks, used to Harry's conversations with Hedwig, decided to tease him a bit. "He was alone when he fought Greyback, but seeing as the werewolf lost his head, it seems our boy was able to handle it."

"Not helping Dora," Harry bit out. She only winked at him.

Hedwig gave him a piercing glare.

"I know you worry about me girl, but I'm okay. Unfortunately, there's a war going on and I'm part of it no matter how much I don't want to be. I promise I'll try to be more careful though, alright?"

Hedwig stared at him for a few more seconds before Minerva decided to help him out. "He really isn't at fault this time, nor did he do commit any unnecessary self-sacrificing act. He even managed to only suffer minor wounds."

Hedwig turned to look at Minerva for a moment before hopping onto Harry's shoulder to be petted as she rubbed her head against his cheek affectionately. Harry obligingly stroked her feathers.

"Is he always this way with his owl?" Amelia asked Tonks quietly, not wanting to disturb the moment.

"Pretty much. During his summers since he started school, she was the only one he could talk to at those people's house. They formed a very strong bond because of that. Plus, Hedwig is very unique. He told me that the owner of the shop where he got her from said that others before him who tried to buy her ended up returning her because she was always uncooperative with them," Tonks explained.

"Harry has a habit of doing the unexpected and forming unique bonds with others. You'll get used to it soon enough," Andromeda remarked, having overheard the two of them.

They all sat quietly and watched him and his owl until they heard the roar of the fireplace signaling that Hestia and Susan had arrived, causing them to get up from the table to greet them. The moment Susan saw Amelia, she ran into her arms, hugging her tightly as she sobbed in relief. Amelia held her niece just as tightly, the ramifications of last night fully hitting her which caused tears to fall from her eyes as well. The rest of them decided to go back into the dining room to give the two some privacy.

"I'm glad to see you all are alive," Hestia spoke as they sat down at the table. Everyone could hear the emotion in her voice.

"I'm sorry we worried you, Hestia" Andromeda replied.

"Yeah Hes, we really are sorry about that, but we had no other choice," Tonks added.

"If we hadn't, we likely would have died," Minerva noted.

"I understand," Hestia said.

"If it makes you feel any better, you are the first person we decided to tell," Harry said, in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Thanks Harry," Hestia replied before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Anyway, I really approve of what you've done with the place."

"You'll have to compliment my house-elves seeing as they did all of the cleaning and redecorating," Harry replied.

"You let your house-elves decorate?" Hestia asked, having never heard of anyone who'd done that.

Harry shrugged, not seeing it as a big deal. "Yeah. I figured they'd be better at it then me."

Hestia shook her head at him. "Well they did a bloody good job of it." She looked around the room one more time before becoming serious. "So, is this where you've been all this time?"

"It's where I started out, yes," Harry confirmed. "I'm sorry for causing you and the Order to worry about me. My head was in a bad place at the time."

Hestia shrugged. "It's alright. As long as you learned your lesson… Hooded Stranger."

Harry looked at her in shock and didn't even try and deny it. "How did you figure it out?"

"Lucky guess," Hestia replied with a smirk. "I'd scold you about that, but I'm sure Minerva here's already taken care of that."

"Hestia here's an excellent observer. She tends to pick up things that even the most experienced aurors miss," Tonks explained.

Harry looked at Hestia warily, wondering what else she'd noticed about him. Before he could get too deep in thought, Amelia and Susan joined them at the table.

"Are you alright Susan?" Harry asked in concern.

"I am now," she replied. "Thank you all for helping my aunt get out."

"We all helped each other, but you're welcome," Harry stated, speaking for all of them.

"What happened last night? And how did you all come to be together?" Hestia asked, unable to remain patient any longer.

Harry looked around at the others who knew the story before turning back to face her. "Well, that's a seriously long story and there's some parts that I'm not quite ready to share."

"Just tell me and Susan what you are comfortable with," Hestia urged gently. She was well aware of his trust issues and aversion to talking about himself and had no intention of pushing him too hard.

"Okay," Harry said before beginning. With the others help, he told Hestia and Susan about everything that had happened since the Battle at the DOM except for the horcruxes. He recited the prophecy, not seeing any reason to hide it, since it didn't really make any difference. Voldemort wasn't going to stop trying to kill him now, especially after he'd managed to make him look weak more than once. When they got to the events of last night, Harry hesitated to describe his fight with Greyback, still a bit ashamed of his actions. Hestia reassured him that he did what was necessary and neither she nor Susan looked at him any differently. By the time they were finished, the two of them were a bit overwhelmed by everything he'd gone through.

"Wow, I understand why you ran away then," Hestia remarked, shaking her head in disgust. "I knew he couldn't be trusted, but now I know it's not due to old age. It's because he's a manipulative, arrogant bastard."

"I can't believe he thought that right after you lost your godfather was a good time to tell you about the prophecy," Susan remarked angrily. She'd never been one to blindly believe anyone due to growing up with Amelia, but she didn't know Dumbledore was capable of this level of cruelty.

The others gave them time to come to terms with everything and a few moments later Hestia spoke up.

"I'm in," she declared.

"Me too," Susan added.

"I'd try to stop you, but you're too much like me for that to go over well," Amelia said to Susan. "Besides this war won't leave children unscathed anyway. I'll just have to make sure you're properly trained for whatever you might face."

"Thanks Auntie. I promise I'll work as hard as possible," Susan replied.

"Alright then," Harry stated, going into business mode. "Well I'm planning on meeting with my friends tomorrow to gauge their reactions."

"I'd like to come as well," Susan requested.

"Sure. You're my friend as well so you're more than welcome," Harry answered.

"I should probably invite Charlie and Fleur as well since I planned on meeting with them soon anyway. That way we can kill two birds with one stone," Tonks remarked.

"That's a good idea," Harry said in agreeance.

Minerva spoke up next. "We need to start thinking about training as well. If you're going to bring your friends into the fray, they need to be able to protect themselves as well as the information they'll be learning, physically, magically, and mentally."

"You'll need a secure place to train them," Amelia pointed out.

Andromeda spoke after a thought came to her. "A few months ago, I stumbled upon this store owner that had invented a way to link trunks to each other where they would all open up to the same room with doorways leading to their separate trunks. Using them would make it possible to meet at whatever time is convenient without ever having to leave their homes. I could even add charms on them to warn when someone is within proximity of the trunk so they could know when they're in danger of getting caught."

"We should add a ward to block the Trace so they can train in secret on their own as well," Amelia added. When everyone looked at her in shock, she shook her head at them. "We're in a war and they need as much time to train as they can get. If that means allowing them to hide from the Trace, then so be it."

"That works," Harry said after they all got over their shock. "We could meet early in the morning or late in the evening or both to lower the chances of them getting caught."

"All of us adults, including Harry, can help with the training," Amelia said. "Some of us could probably use the practice as well to get back in shape and get our endurance back up." Harry quietly joked that he was technically an adult to Minerva, causing her to lightly slap his arm in amusement.

"We'll have to go out to get to the store and get the trunks, which brings us to our next issue. How are we going to handle the world thinking you four are dead?" Hestia asked pointedly.

"Well, whenever we decide to do it, we need to make sure to get the true story out there so it will reflect badly on Riddle," Andromeda noted.

"We should probably keep Harry's involvement a secret. It's best that no one knows he's the Hooded Stranger for now so we can keep the element of surprise," Minerva advised.

"Minerva's right. We need to delay Riddle and the rest of Britain from finding out about my alter ego for as long as possible. In fact, we might even want to say that the Hooded Stranger died, that way we can use it as an advantage the next time I use that identity."

"Very sneaky Harry. You probably would have done well in Slytherin," Andromeda remarked, impressed by his cunningness.

"Well the sorting hat did say I would do good in that house so that makes sense," Harry replied.

"Really?" Susan asked. Only Tonks, Andromeda, and Minerva knew about this, so it was a surprise to everyone else.

"Yeah. I would have let it, but I'd already met Malfoy and didn't think it would be a good idea if we had to stay in the same dorm for seven years. After meeting Snape, I'm even more glad I made that choice." Harry explained.

Minerva shook her head in agreement. "Unfortunately, that man has yet to grow up and get over his grudge with James. It would not have been good for either of you to have anymore interaction than you already do."

"You certainly would have shaken up the country even more if you had," Tonks noted.

After everyone laughed at the thought, Amelia brought their attention back on the issue. "As much as I'd like to continue to lull Riddle into a sense of false security, I don't think we should wait too long to reveal ourselves. If not, Fudge might try and give my job to someone either unqualified or worse, one of Riddle's agents."

"Dumbledore might as well. He doesn't have the best track record with hiring people lately," Minerva added.

"Good point," Harry concurred. "We don't need him screwing up the Ministry and the war efforts any more than he already has."

"I can get in touch with someone at the Daily Prophet who can be trusted to write the story the way we want it to be written and get us a press conference as soon as possible," Hestia proposed. "I'll also stop by that shop you mentioned as long as you tell me exactly what I need to get."

"Thank you, Hestia," Andromeda said.

"Okay, there's one more thing we need to discuss," Harry stated. "Who gave Riddle knowledge about your ward defenses?"

"It has to be someone who's been to the manor before, and more than a few times," Amelia noted.

"They have to have extensive knowledge of wards and how to dismantle them," Hestia remarked.

"It's got to be someone who has a big grudge against you since they knew Riddle had every intention of killing you," Tonks pointed out.

"Can you think of anyone that might be angry enough at you to want to hurt you?" Andromeda asked.

Amelia sat back in thought, gasping a few moments later when she came to a realization.

"You know who it is, don't you?" Minerva asked gently, seeing the despair on the woman's face.

"Yes, though I can't believe she hates me enough to want me dead," Amelia replied.

"Who are you talking about?" Tonks asked.

"Would I be correct in assuming you're referring to Auror Ivy Henderson?" Hestia guessed.

"You would," Amelia confirmed. "She and I… we used to be very good friends. Both of us were at the top of our auror class when we graduated, and we rose through the ranks very quickly. Then, when I was given the position of Head of the DMLE over her, she changed. Ivy became jealous and felt she was more qualified than me. She believed I didn't deserve the job and that I somehow cheated my way to it. Since then, we only talk to each other when necessary. I've tried to reach out to her a few times, but she just continuously pushed me away."

"How are you going to handle this?" Harry asked.

Amelia thought on it for a moment. "I think it's best I don't do anything drastic immediately. For now, I'll keep an eye on her and try to prevent her from learning any crucial information too early. Hestia and Tonks, I'll need your help with this as well as a few more aurors that can be fully trusted."

"Of course," Hestia assented.

"You got it Boss," Tonks responded.

"I also will be putting the two of you on protection detail for Harry," Amelia continued. "I am very aware of your ability to take care of yourself Harry, but this will give them a logical excuse for being out of the office often."

"Don't worry, I'm not the macho type that truly believes he doesn't need any help," Harry replied.

"Oh really?" Minerva asked with an arched brow.

"Okay well at least I'm not when I'm in my right mind," Harry quickly amended. Minerva, along with Tonks, Andromeda, and surprisingly Susan gave him deadpanned stares. "Really, I'm not that bad."

"Oh, so your just not usually in your right mind then," Tonks countered sarcastically.

Harry put his head down in embarrassment. "Am I really that bad?"

Minerva decided to take pity on him. "No, you aren't. You're nowhere near arrogant enough to believe that you're somehow invincible and require no help. We just want you to stop being so willing to sacrifice yourself. Your life is worth living, worth saving,"

"I'll… I'll try to keep that in mind," Harry replied sincerely.

"Well," Amelia said after a moment of silence. "I think that's enough planning for the moment. We need to start figuring out training plans for the kids."

"Harry, why don't you give Susan a tour of the house," Andromeda suggested, seeing that he needed a break.

"Um sure. Come on Susan," Harry said, gratefulness in his tone. The two of them left the adults to it. Hestia also exited the kitchen so she could make her trips out for the trunks and to meet her friend in the Daily Prophet.

Harry and Susan had become good friends over the past year so there was no awkwardness between them as he showed her around. They went to almost every room in the house, with Harry giving a running commentary of how things looked before the remodel. After giving her a tour, the two students ended up in the library to relax for a while.

"Nice place you got here," Susan remarked as they sat down on one of the sofas.

"You should have seen it before my house-elves fixed it up," Harry replied. "It felt like the epitome of a pureblood supremacist's home that's been allowed to fester for a while – dark and oppressive."

"I can imagine."

"I'm sorry about your home Susan. If I could have saved it, I would have."

Susan shook her head at him. "Only you would apologize for something you played no part in causing. Harry… you saved my aunt, that's what's important. Plus, you even thought of getting as much of our stuff out as possible. You have nothing to apologize for. In fact, I owe you a debt of gratitude I don't think I'll ever be able to repay."

"No repayment needed. You're my friend and I protect my friends… but you're welcome."

Susan glanced up at his head then, curious about his injury. "How is your eye?"

Harry ran his hand across the bandage. "My eye didn't really get hit, but the injury hurts a bit."

"Are you…" Her tone was wary. She wouldn't really look at him differently if he was but was well aware of the stereotypes that werewolves faced. If he was, she would support him completely, but she hoped that he wasn't burdened with it, knowing he already had enough to deal with.

"No, thank goodness. Not that I have anything against werewolves, but I think I have enough on my plate already. Turning into a furry animal on the night of the full moon is a bit much right now." Harry smirked mischievously. "Plus, I'm becoming an animagus during the next full moon and that would put a damper on my plans."

"Yes, I could see how it would do that," Susan said as she laughed at him.

"Want to see it? Poppy cleaned it up, so it doesn't look so bad now."

"Sure." Susan was curious, especially since she wanted to be a healer one day.

Harry unwrapped the bandage to reveal a centimeter-thick scar that ran diagonally from above the right side of his left eyebrow to his hair line, just barely missing his eye.

"That looks painful."

"It is, but at least my eye is okay and I'm alive."

"True. Are you gonna hide it? I know how much you don't like your other scar."

Harry thought about for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think so. You're right about me hating my other scar since it's a reminder of my parent's death, but this one isn't. I earned this one on my own."

"You did. I still can't believe you fought and beat Greyback. He's one of the most dangerous werewolves ever… well at least he was."

"I can't either, but I'm glad I did. He's the one who turned Professor Lupin when he was a kid."

They lapsed into silence for a moment until Susan spoke up again. There was a mock-innocent tone in her voice that made Harry a bit wary. "So, did you know that Professor McGonagall wore a glamour?"

"Yeah, though I didn't see her with it off until a few days ago."

"Mhm. The two of you seem pretty close."

"What makes you think that?"

"Only the fact that you called her Minerva."

"Umm she's been training me in secret since our fourth year after I reluctantly became a champion. We're friends, that's all."

"If you say so."

Susan dropped the subject for now but planned on watching the two of them to see just how close they were. They changed the conversation to lighter topics after that, talking about the good things that's happened to them this summer so far.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing for the most part. Hestia was able to secure a press conference for tomorrow morning at ten after promising her friend an exclusive interview. Then she was able to get all of the trunks made, which would be ready tomorrow morning as well. Tonks wrote letters to Charlie and Fleur, inviting them to the meeting that would take place tomorrow afternoon. She got a reply from them after dinner saying they would be there so Minerva made portkeys for them as well. Harry also wrote to Remus, asking the man several questions about his lack of involvement and interaction with him over the years. He didn't know what answers he would receive but decided to give the man a chance to explain himself for Sirius's sake. After that, they just spent time talking, with those who were less familiar with each other getting to know one another.

When night time came around, Harry stopped Hestia before she returned home to say something that he wanted everyone to hear. "Umm, I should have said told the others this earlier, but I want you to know that you're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like. You don't have to, but the offer's out there if you want it."

"I think I might take you up on that offer," Hestia said. "It'll save me a bunch on rent."

With that settled, Kreacher showed the new guests up to their rooms. Harry and Minerva, whose rooms were on the family floor instead of the guest floor, stopped in the middle of the hallway between their rooms. They looked at each other unsurely before Minerva broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry if our words upset you earlier."

"No, it's okay. I do need to remember that my life is important and that I have many people who care about me too."

"It's not completely your fault, though. You were thrown into a world where too many expect the impossible from you after spending years with people who treated you horribly. The fact that you value your life at all is a testament to your character."

"Thanks. I promise I'll keep working on it though. I don't want to cause you or anyone else any more worry than necessary." After a moment of hesitation Harry spoke again. "Umm… good night then."

"You can ask me if you want. It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

"I think I'll be okay tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"I have to try."

Minerva sighed. "We still haven't found a way to make your nightmares less intense Harry. How about we continue for now and ask Samena about it when she comes? She'll likely know a way to help you sleep better."

"I… okay."

Minerva went to her room to get ready for bed, entering Harry's room about twenty minutes later. As had become routine, they laid down in their usual position with about a foot of space between them. Soon after they were asleep.