.

So far... The reborn Hermione launched the Cathesis League to fight Dark corruption, and Crest defensive training at Hogwarts where she'll soon begin her third year. After a rushed trial Luna and Neville were sent to Azkaban. Harry and Hermione rescue Luna, but Neville had been taken to an ivory tower in Malfoy Manor. They save him too, but Bellatrix Black is killed. Now read on...

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Chapter 75

Getting Ready


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Cover Story

Luna was curled up in her mother's arms, tired, subdued, and being comforted. Hermione, wrapped in a blanket, had her own squashy chair and, though still weak, was sitting upright with Mrs Granger's arm across her shoulder. Until she recovered, Harry was stalling any awkward questions. Neville, well Neville was floored on a big cushion having his legs freed from Harry's jinx, and the princely coronet removed:

"Ow! No, Mum! You don't understand! I'm royalty now! I have to return for inaugur... inaugra..." – Alice finally managed to cancel the sticking charm which held the golden circlet securely on Neville's head – "inauguration..." Neville sat up, bewildered, gazing around.

"A form of Confundus charm, I think," said Alice, holding up the little crown, "made him susceptible to suggestions of grandeur."

"But why?" said Frank. "In this state he was not of much use to them."

Neville groaned and held his head in shame. "Oh no..."

"You remember everything that happened, son?" said Frank.

"Pretty much – though I wish I didn't."

"Neville..." cautioned Harry.

"I think perhaps it's time for them all to know..." It was Hermione speaking in a faint but firm voice. "But first..." She turned to look past her shoulder. "Dobby, do you wish to be free? I must know before–"

"–Free? Dobby be free? Dobby is a bad elf?" Anguish spread across his ugly face, and he began banging his forehead on the stony hearth. "Dobby is being sad made free..."

"STOP! STOP! STOP! I thought you'd want to be freed from serving the Malfoys! They're–"

"–Malfoys is being cruel masters. Dobby serves the Noble House of Longbottom now," said the elf, as he staggered, slightly cross-eyed, back to Neville's side.

"Neville is your master?" cried Hermione.

"They fuddled me up with so many gifts," explained Neville, ruefully. "Said I could have anything I wanted. Gave me my own house elf. Ordered him to smarten up and dress himself in a royal page's uniform, then presented him to me."

"That explains how the elf passed our wards without permission," huffed Madam Longbottom, "but not why they went to such lengths."

Frank nodded. "Son, what do you have that they want?"

"I don't know. They examined me head to toe like I was fish bait. Perhaps they knew my friends would come to– LUNA!"

Neville was squirming to get up but his parents tried to hold him down. "Luna's fine. She right there, see?"

Luna was looking at Neville rather strangely. He sank down weakly onto the carpet again. His eyes fell upon a face – one hideously distorted in death – on the body across the room. "I thought she was beautiful. I was to be her royal consort once we were 'married' in the ceremony." He twitched his fingers in the air to signify the falsity.

"Right royal dogsbody is what you'd have been, Nev," said Harry.

"Yeah, I know that now don't I?" growled Neville before slumping down again, looking defeated.

Madam Longbottom instructed her own elf to put the corpse out of sight in the basement until the situation was resolved. "I saw no marks on the corpse. We all know what that means. But how exactly did she die?"

Harry stiffened. Hermione held up her hand. "Mr and Mrs Lovegood, Mr and Mrs Longbottom, Madam Longbottom, it falls to me to provide an explanation which I cannot wholly do without sworn secrecy from you all. Harry and I set out to correct a terrible injustice. If any of you feel any obligation to us then I beg you express it by giving your word that you will not reveal these facts to anyone else without my permission. Neville, you will need to instruct Dobby or send him out of the room."

Nodding, Neville finally rose to his feet. "Dobby, I order you never to tell anyone what you hear tonight without Hermione says so."

"Of course, Master Neville, Dobby is never telling."

There was a pause. Pandora shared an agreement with Xeno; both were nodding. Luna's eyes began to droop; she was nearing the end of a very long, arduous day.

Frank and Alice were in a fierce dispute of ever-rising whispers: "–But we're Aurors, Frank! We swore an oath! This is not like being in the Order. We'd have to resign if we're to–!"

"–We've a murder to report, so we can't!" Frank was clearly agonising. "You know a victim of a killing curse as well as I do, Alice! There was nothing like this in the Order. We can't sweep a dead body under the carpet, especially when it's that of the most wanted criminal in th–!"

"–Conflicting Vows if we stay with the Department, Frank!"

Hermione cut in, "THERE WILL BE NO CONFLICT! You swore to... let's see... diligently serve the Ministry with fairness and integrity, to preserve the peace and strive to prevent offences against people and property. There's nothing in there about how you specifically carry out that duty – the specifics are in your training, guidelines, and daily orders! You will find that the spirit of your oath will coincide precisely with hiding my secrets from the enemy! No further magical oath is required from you anyway because I trust everyone in this room. Simply giving your word will be sufficient."

"And if we don't?" said Frank.

"There's a cell at Azkaban with Neville's number on it. You will both be Obliviated and never see him again unless he's pard–"

"–ABSURD! Do you seriously think we'll allow anyone to–"

"–Dad!" shouted Neville. "You won't have a choice."

Mr Longbottom was on his feet, his face dark. The wand in his hand had appeared faster than anyone saw. "TRY ME!"

All the windows flew open with a bang, letting in the night air and distracting Frank. Astonishment replaced the fury in his eyes, for the wand was out of his grasp and hovering near the ceiling.

"WHO!" Frank scanned everyone swiftly. The blanket which Hermione had worn around her shoulders was settling down into the empty chair. "–WHERE IS SHE?"

"Sit down again, Frank," came Hermione's voice invisibly from behind him. "I'm too tired to fight you tonight."

Mr Longbottom felt himself pushed down as if by giant hands. His wand was back in its holster. "HOW THE BLAZES IS THAT POSSIBLE!"

"Is this anything to do with Jop Gair?" Madam Longbottom said thoughtfully. "He's been very busy with many of us around the Ministry in recent years. Something very big is afoot. If so, count me in."

"MOTHER!" cried Frank, wafting his hand in annoyance as a moth, attracted inside by the bright windows, flew past him. "Have you given this enough thought?"

"Frank... Frank," said Alice, soothingly, "the Aurors' oath is a magical compulsion we cannot break. If we do as Hermione says and stay within the spirit of the oath then there should be no conflict."

"That's correct," said Hermione. "How d'you think Steff Daggard killed so many Death Eaters while serving under Barty Crouch?"

Harry growled, "She turned evil, Hermione!"

"That was later. While still an Auror she... 'diligently served the Ministry with fairness and integrity, preserved the peace and strove to prevent offences against people and property' – according to her highest beliefs.

"She murdered, Hermione!"

"Only those who fairly deserved it and to prevent the killings of innocents. I'm not saying it was right, only that the oath conformed to her own interpretation."

Hermione's eyes flickered towards Luna who was, by now, half asleep, but only Harry recognised the significance of that glance. He nodded grudgingly and turned his back to stare at the leafy wallpaper, letting his gaze follow the confused moth as it tried to lay its eggs in the painted tendrils around the cool and silent mantelpiece.

"Very well," said Frank. "I give my word that so long as there is no conflict with my Auror oath then I will not breathe a word of what you tell us tonight."

"I too," said Alice. "Nor allow this information to fall into other hands – or minds – by any other means."

"Agreed," said Frank, after a moment's thought.

Hermione said, "Mr and Mrs Lovegood? You've been quiet for a while."

Pandora smiled accord with her husband before addressing the room at large. "Some years ago I was privileged to have access to an ancient artifact suffused with wisdom. Ever since it has made a great many things much clearer to me. My husband and I give our word. Bless you, Hermione Granger, for saving our Luna and so much more."

"Dad..." said Harry, eyes still on the floral wall design, "I want my real wand back, and I need to see the family tapestry right now." He turned around. His expression was quite stern. He'd seen his friends horribly murdered and was not in the mood for compromise. "You and Mum know all this stuff anyway apart from what happened tonight and I'll tell you... most of that myself." His eyes met Hermione's then flickered sideways to Luna and back. Hermione understood.

Sirius sucked in air and looked at his wife.

Hestia said, "I don't want him ever to be without his wand again, Sirius."

Nodding, Sirius rose, his wife with him. They all made their goodbyes and the Black family left together by the kitchen Floo.

"Most of you can defend your thoughts against intrusion, but Mr Lovegood, you are not a strong Occlumens. Will you permit me to cast a spell to protect my secrets?" She gave no indication of her lack of full trust in the man who'd once been forced to betray Harry Potter in her earlier life.

Pandora gripped her husband's arm and nodded encouragement.

"Very well," said Xeno, not truly understanding what he was agreeing to.

For an hour, Hermione related the evening's events, leaving out only her déjà vu experience and the precise way in which Bellatrix had died.

"We defended ourselves," she affirmed. "Bellatrix had to die so that we might live," was all she would say.

"And her body in our cellar?" said Frank.

"None of the Black Arc saw us but she. The others knew Neville was in the tower and watched Bellatrix ascend to fetch him. When there was a suspicious delay they investigated, broke in, and found the room empty. Conclusions?" She addressed her final question to Neville's parents: professional Aurors both.

Alice frowned, working it out as she spoke. "They'd expect Bellatrix to raise the alarm immediately if she'd found the room empty ... so they'd think Neville MUST have been still there. ... But Neville could not have overpowered Bellatrix in his state. Impossible. Nor had he any means of escape. The situation would mystify them because there is no possible – or rather, no sensible – explanation."

Hermione's magical strength had almost fully returned. She smiled. "A very great Squib named Conan Doyle wrote: 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.' The Black Arc would argue amongst themselves, but inevitably be drawn to the only logical explanat–"

"–That Bellatrix had taken Neville away for her own reasons!" cried Frank. "Highly improbable but there's no other logical explanation from their point of view! No one could exit the Malfoy wards without setting off the alarms except one of their own!"

Hermione nodded. "Exactly. Pure-blood supremacists never credit or even consider elf magic, and Neville was held by the compulsion. Passing immaterially through the earth is unknown and unthinkable to them – it would seem that only Bellatrix could have removed him because nobody else could have passed in or out through the wards without triggering them."

"And the uumm...?" said Mr Granger, pointing but trying not to look at the weird creature that was Dobby. "They'd be missing one uuh... elf, wouldn't they?"

Madam Longbottom answered him. "House-elves are bound to their owner. Any magical family would expect this elf to leave with his new master."

"Can we use this deduction to our advantage?" said Pandora. "If Luna and Neville are pardoned, Neville's reappearance in public will seem strange to the Black Arc."

Neville piped up, "I could say Bellatrix was in love with me and–"

Laughter. Smiles. It was late in the night and everyone was becoming drowsily relaxed now the excitement had settled.

"What?" Neville flushed slightly then mumbled, "Well that's what she told me, anyway."

Luna opened her eyes to save him from more embarrassment. Sleepily, she murmured, "Bad people are bad to each other." She yawned and her eyes began to close again. "Say Bellatrix wanted to be bad on her own with you as her special lieutenant. She wouldn't say why, but the Black Arc will know why you're special, and that's what matters. You bravely refused once she took the crown off you. Valiantly you fought her. There was a terrible... terrible... accident..."

"WE HAVE HER WAND!" cried Hermione. "It was still with the body. Dobby, would you mind fetching it?"

"Of course Mistress Mynee. Dobby be happy helping Master Neville's friends."

"You're not thinking of...?" squealed Alice.

"No way!" Frank Longbottom shook his head.

"We use it to cast a killing curse," said Madam Longbottom. "It's perfectly possible to harm oneself in a close fight. I've done it myself in the leg when I put old Avery down. Just a hex but had me limping for–"

"–YOU FOUGHT IN THE WAR, GRAN?" cried Neville. "You fought Death Eaters?"

"You'd better believe it!" smiled Frank. "Your grandmother is a formidable fighter, son."

"Is trixy lady's wand," said Dobby, as he popped back into view and handed it to Hermione.

She held it distastefully for a few moments. "Unyielding. Walnut, as I recall..." She looked across to the mantelpiece where Harry had stood an hour before. The moth was still struggling pathetically to wriggle between the thickly embossed greenery.

"Avada Kedavra." It was only a murmur but the moth fell to the top of the mantelshelf, finally surrounded by the green envelopment it had sought.

Gasps. Shock. Silence.

"You did that so casually, my dear," said Madam Longbottom, certain now in her own mind who had killed Bellatrix Black.

"Criminals often make the mistake of not thinking their actions through carefully enough," growled Frank, and his inference was clear. "You wouldn't know this but there is a reversing spell that would release the echo of the murderer's victim."

"Murder is the killing of another person, so neither an insect, a suicide, nor an accident apply here," Hermione said coolly. "Prior Incantato will reveal only a green glow in this case because there is no murder victim."

Mr Longbottom, angry at her indifferent, know-it-all attitude strode across to Hermione. "I need to see for myself!" He held out his hand, palm up. Hermione offered the black crooked wand.

"Not hers! Yours!"

"FRANK!" cried Alice.

"That's alright, Alice," said Hermione, passing it over. "We need to set Frank's mind at rest."

He frowned. The casual air with which she'd surrendered her own wand was not what he'd expected.

"Prior Incantato!" He blinked at the golden light that escaped the wand. "That looks like..."

"A powerful locking spell!" cried Alice. "Please, Frank, she's already told us that Harry used her wand to secure the door in the ivory tower while they made their escape!"

"Prior Incantato!" repeated Mr Longbottom. "What is that...? A healing spell?"

"Harry used my wand to stem the flow of blood after Bellatrix cut my throat."

"FRANK, please!" cried Alice.

"Prior Incantato! "Prior Incantato! "Prior Incantato! "Prior Incantato! What are all these! Memory retrieval? Obliviat–!"

"–STOP THIS, FRANK!" Alice seized the wand from her husband and handed it back to Hermione.

Frank was fuming. His gaze turned on his own son for a few moments then dismissed whatever thoughts were in his head. Neville had been so Confunded it was unthinkable he could have cast even a tickle. Mr Longbottom stared across at the dozing Luna.

When the sleepy girl's eyes opened to the sudden silence, they showed only doubt. "I was fuzzy after the Dementors. I'm not sure anymore. I don't mind if you ask my wand."

Pandora rose up, glaring, Xeno beside her. "You'll have to pass through us first, Frank," she cried.

"Oh for Goodness sake, let's get past this!" With a whisk and a flick of Hermione's fingers, Luna's wand flew up from behind her ear and floated across to Frank Longbottom.

He stared at it for a while.

"Well?" spat Luna's mother.

"Prior Incantato!" Frank said dully.

Sparks flew. Just sparks. As often as he repeated the incantation, all he saw were the harmless sparks that Dobby had accidentally triggered while trying to snatch two connected wands from Luna in the tower.

"Enough, Frank. Please...?" Said Alice. "Unless you think Harry could have cast the deadly curse with a toy?"

Frank's head drooped. He handed back Luna's wand, apologised all round, then sank back in his chair muttering something about his natural Auror instincts to unearth the facts being hard to suppress.

"Now that's all settled," said Hermione, "I'd like to invite each of you magical adults to join Cathesis. Pandora, your wisdom; Xeno, your information, communication, and publishing knowledge and resources; Madam Longbottom, your wonderful political and Ministerial experience; and Alice and Frank, your investigative skills and unquestioned integrity – all would be great assets in the fight against the evils of this world."

Frank looked up, surprised. "No hard feelings?"

Hermione smiled. "None."

Peace settled on the room. An elf was closing the windows. A few yawns were to be heard.

"Right," said Mrs Granger, "is that it? Well then, if you've finished saving the planet, young miss, it's beddy-byes time for you."

"Aw, Mum..."

"I'll set out the pink fluffy jammies and tuck you in with Hunny Bunny the moment we get home."

Hermione groaned with embarrassment, but her head was already sagging with fatigue, and before too long, she was home, in bed, and sound asleep.

.

The Last of Summer

For Hermione, a rush of events made August hasten far too quickly towards its conclusion. She'd had to briefly return Luna to Azkaban just before Ministry officials came to pardon her, and for Luna to explain Neville's disappearance. Later, Neville, along with Bellatrix's body, had been placed at a distant location for their cover story.

The Weasleys had returned from Egypt. Ron, Ginny, and Olive were exchanging news with Harry, Hermione, and Luna in the Black Family kitchen. Well-rumpled Daily Prophets were spread around the table between puddles of spilt tea and plates of toast crumbs. An annoying pyramid puzzle lay not-quite-completed near Ginny's cereal dish, and a sphinx-shaped pack of Figmentals was never far from Ron's hand.

"Well? Aren't you ever going to hand them round?" said Ginny.

"I just got them out for show," replied Ron, whose attention was mostly on the newspaper before him. "You know how expensive they were, Gin! I'm saving them for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Besides, they blast the taste centre in your brain and last hours – you're not supposed to have more than one a week."

"So that's what you spent your investment interest on?" smirked Harry.

"And my scarab brooch," smiled Olive proudly.

Ron eyed it warily as it crept a little higher for Olive to stroke its wing case. He shuddered and muttered something like, "Yeah, well, anyone can make a mistake..."

"So... everyone up-to-date with the news yet?" Hermione said briskly, trying to get their discussion of more serious events going again.

"Erm... I thought you said Nev's not really in Azkaban?" Ron rubbed his deeply-freckled nose and flapped week-old pages back and forth hoping to see the answer therein. "So how come they're pardoning him?"

Hermione sighed. Explaining recent occurrences had not been easy. She pushed over a battered Quibbler issue.

"LONGBOTTOM HEIR KIDNAPPED BY BLACK ARC!" he read aloud. "Blimey! We gotta do something! Poor Nev!"

"That's three days old, Ron," pointed out Ginny. "Listen to this:

"MISSING BOY FOUND! Exclusive by Ray 'Razor' Sharpe (jointly published in The Quibbler)"

"How can it be exclus–?"

"–Listen! Neville Longbottom, heir to the Ancient and Noble blah blah blah... was discovered, dazed and bewildered, in a remote farmhouse near Hay-on-Wye after locals–"

"–How can it be remote if it's near somewhere?"

"Shush! Investigative reporter Ray Sharpe pieced together the facts: the youth had been savagely Confunded and taken from Azkaban (where he'd been allegedly-illegally incarcerated) to an unknown address by Ministry official Albert Runcorn (yes, the same individual who had presided over Longbottom's rushed, allegedly-illegal trial now faces trial himself!) From there, a dark witch subsequently identified as the alleged leader of the Black Arc, Bellatrix Black, took him to the Welsh farmhouse for her own nee... neefar... nefarious purposes. As he–"

"–does that mean somewhere between near and far?" Ron scratched his head.

"–As he recovered from being Confunded, Bellatrix attacked the child who fought bravely back. At close quarters they struggled. Black strove to bring her wand to bear. The unarmed Longbottom forced down the dark witch's arm using defensive skills learnt at Hogwarts School. She snarled a whispered curse and there–"

"–How can you snarl a whisper?" smirked Ron.

"Like this, Ron," said Hermione. A faint growl in her throat sent a stinging hex Ron's way.

"Ouch!" he cried, standing up to rub his left buttock. "That really–"

"–Ssshh! –and there was a green flash, Longbottom recalls. His assailant fell to the floor dead. Subsequent examination of her wand proved that she had accidentally struck her own thigh with a killing curse intended for the poor boy!"

"He was so brave," murmured Luna, lifting her quill from the diary in which she'd been writing.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Luna, it's not real! You fabricated this disinformation for heaven's sake!"

"So brave..." came the wistful response as the dreamy girl gazed out through the window.

Harry grinned as he balanced his wand on one finger. "We have our Luna back alright." With a flick of his wrist he snatched his wand out of the air and laid it on the table where he continued to gaze at it.

"Oh, give it a rest, Harry, or get a room!" cried Ron, still massaging his tender backside and unable to sit down. "You've been playing with that–"

Room! "That reminds me, Harry," cried Hermione, "have you had any further thoughts about you-know-what back at you-know-where while you've been idling away here?"

"Eh?" Harry touched the tip of his wand and gently aligned it with the edge of the table.

Ron, stood on the other side, gripped under the table edge and, with a grunt, lifted one of its legs slightly off the floor.

"Haha! anti-roll curve, see?" grinned Harry, pointing at his wand. "What were you saying, Hermione?"

With one hand, Ron held down his Figmentals then heaved. The table jerked. Harry's wand skidded off. Luna grabbed her diary just in time. The intricate pieces of Ginny's puzzle came apart as it hit the floor.

"OY!" she glared – Ron laughed – "Well, you did say it was impossibly unfinishable!" – but Harry had snatched his wand just before it hit the stone tiles. He gave it a protective rub, then stuffed it in his back pocket.

Ginny's eyes widened at his reflexes. "Harry, you're not... have you thought about... uuh..." Her voice had lowered to an anxious tone as she and Luna knelt down to pick up the puzzle bits. "Wood's try-outs?"

Harry had prepared for this. He leaned over to peer under the table at her expression, then forced a sigh that wasn't entirely fake. "Too many things going on this coming school year, Ginny. For one thing I'm focusing on the Slytherins' training. Still not sure who to trust. Then there's... oh, yeah, Hermione" – his head popped up above table level again – "what were you saying about you-know-what or something? You meant your great Slytherin master?" He leaned forward in an irreverent kowtow and blew a raspberry.

"No!" Hermione's eyes glared at his obtuseness before dropping her voice to a whisper. "I meant our... r – o – o – m"

"ROOM?" blurted Ron. "Who's getting a room?"

"I absolutely forbid it!" Sirius was standing in the doorway dangling a small piece of coloured fabric from his hand. "That is very wrong of you, Harry and..." He glanced furtively over his shoulder before dropping his voice to a whisper. "...for Merlin's sake don't let your mother hear about it!" ... He winked.

Harry had turned in his seat and his eyes lit up at what Sirius was carrying. "Is that...?"

"Yeah, I finally managed to copy the bit of the tapestry you wanted. It was a particularly tricky spell. I did consider duplicating the whole thing, then cutting her out but... well, see for yourself, this is pretty damn good extracting magic, though I do say so myself." He held out the piece of cloth and Harry seized it, studied it, squinted at it very closely.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Ah... I'd forgotten about..."

"What's that, mate?" said Ron.

"Lucretia Black's likeness woven into our family tapestry."

"Aunt Lucretia? Great-aunt actually. What about her?"

"Hermione thinks she saw her with Lucius Malfoy."

Luna gazed strangely at Harry.

"When?" said Ron, gently testing his posterior on the chair seat once more.

"When we rescued Neville, you bonehead!" Harry handed over the fabric to Hermione.

"Harry," said Hermione, "Ron doesn't know that part yet. Nor Ginny and Olive." She examined the piece of cloth thoughtfully. "She's younger here, with side buns, but I think it's her."

"Well, how many Lucretias can there be?" said Harry.

Sirius murmured, "Just the one, fortunately. I'll need to show everyone at the next Cathesis meeting."

"Let me get this straight," said Ron, leaning forward over the table for a glimpse of the bit of tapestry. "You think Mum's auntie is one of the lot that kidnapped Neville?"

"The Black Arc, yeah."

"Still think your great-uncle's death was an accident, Ron?" said Hermione. "I mean, dragged apart by his own horses? Really?"

She passed him the fabric. "Did you know her very well, Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "Only saw her that one time at Uncle Ignatius's funeral, and she was wearing a black veil. And the bitch gave up the name Prewett after his death. Mum didn't like that. Kept away and lost touch with her." He gave the piece of tapestry to Olive. "Remember in the Forest, me telling you they buried him in two coffins?"

"And that disturbing experience is why you can see Thestrals – yes, I do."

Harry said, "Hermione, I think they should view your memory of Lucretia at the next meeting as well."

"I'd like to look at that too," said Luna. "I don't remember seeing her again after Azkaban."

Harry and Hermione exchanged frowns. "Luna..." began Hermione, "it's best nobody does."

Luna pushed away her diary. "I died, didn't I?"

"What!" several cried out.

"Luna, how could you possibly know that?" said Hermione.

"Wrackspurts don't hide things other people can see, they only make them fuzzy. Something really big you don't want me to know."

Hermione winced. How was she to explain magic she did not properly understand herself? And with others such as Ron and Sirius listening?

"Luna, trust me, you – did NOT – die! I lived through a... an experience where Lucretia and Lucius entered and killed both you and Neville – but with that... foresight it never came to pass because in the radiance of their killing curse I recognised Dobby as a friend so could... prepare our escape in time before that happened." Hermione paused for breath. "That's the best I can describe it."

Whatever thoughts were going through Luna's mind, she was shaking her head and knocking over her chair in a rush to reach Hermione. "You saved our lives!" The girl squeezed her arms around Hermione and whispered in her ear, "I'll never forget."

"Luna," said Sirius, "you saw Lucretia and Runcorn at Azkaban; that memory will be more useful than a... sort of imaginary, 'visionary' one."

"And Neville's," said Luna. "He saw them the most."

"Ah yes, and the Ministry should be releasing him later today." Sirius pointed to the latest Prophet and pushed it across to Hermione.

"Yes, I've read it," murmured Hermione as she listened to Cadence giggle-speed-toddling down the hall followed by the faint sound of Hestia's gentle correction: "No, no, no..." and then a door closed.

Idly Hermione began flicking through the other news. "I assume you've noted this bit about the date of the inquiry into the handling of the trial?"

Sirius muttered irritably but Hermione was distracted by another column inch. Piffle released? Where have I heard that name before?

"And Cathesis meets tomorrow, right?" said Sirius. "The impression I've been getting is most think we're not ready for the kill but going to use the inquiry to put Runcorn in Azkaban and weaken Fudge."

Knockturn Alley trader? Done for selling wands illegally? Do they mean... wotsisname... Pilf not Piffle?

"Hermione?"

"Mmm...? Yes, I'll be supporting that plan. Slow but sure wins the race."

"Eh? How can you win if you're slower?" frowned Ron.

Ginny said, "D'uh! Aesop, remember?"

"Luna, did you say your mum's got the other diary?" said Hermione.

Luna smiled a nod. "She wants me to write regularly so she knows I'm safe."

"That's why they're called fables, silly!" Ron rolled his eyes. "In real life you lose if you go slower, anyone knows that!"

"Could you ask her if your Dad's putting anything about a thief named Pilf or Piffle in the next Quibbler?"

"Used to run a knick-knack shop?" said Sirius. "What's he done?"

"Not sure. So it's definitely Pilf? Not Piffle? Something's niggling me. Harry, can I have your wand?"

"Why? What's wrong with your own?"

"I mean just to look at, you prat!"

Reluctantly, he pulled it out and slowly held it up – but out of range of her stretch. It jumped the gap in response to Hermione's summons. She snickered at Harry's protest. "Don't be so protective; I'll give it you back!"

She studied it closely.

"Owl for Miss Rosemary!" Kreacher could be heard chasing down the stairs and grumbling something under his breath about false names.

"Thank you!" called Hermione, as the owl wafted over her head and skidded to a landing beside a plate of leftover bacon sandwiches, which it pecked at hungrily.

"Sure, help yourself, why don't you?" said Ron, who was nearest. He detached a message from the bird's leg and handed it over.

Hermione glanced at the padded envelope. "Mike's writing... oo, I know what this is!" She tore it open and began reading.

"Well?" said Ron.

"Ron!" Ginny wide-eyed her brother.

"What?" He stared her back.

"Results of Nott's blood test. It matches one of the cadavers from the motorway! So Nott's father did die there! I wonder if he even knows." Her eyes swivelled around the table. "Nobody must speak a word of this to Nott when we get back to Hogwarts! He'd wonder how we could possibly know." Hermione took something else from the packet, nodded, and stowed it carefully away in her bag. Harry covertly retrieved his wand while she was distracted.

" 'Pilf, formerly of Pilf's Knacks, has been released, a broken man," declared Luna, reading from her diary. " 'Nivver agin... he swore when he arrived back at the Ministry Floo from Azkaban Prison. It is not known if he will resume trading from his shop in Knockturn Alley.' "

"So...?" began Ron, wondering where this was all leading. "Harry, are you cuddling your wand?"

"Of course not. Just... de-smudging it." He stuffed it carefully back into his pocket.

"He was, you know," smirked Ginny, and Luna giggled.

"What a sad git," sighed Ron, as he straightened a crease out of his pack of Figmentals.

Harry flushed and glared his reply. "Well, if you'd been without a wand for as long as–"

"–Different days, different routes to get in the room..." Hermione mused loudly to drown him out.

"So there is a 'room', eh?" smirked Ron.

Hermione sighed. "I'm now thinking about where we train the Slytherins, how they get in, how we prevent them being seen."

"Why?"

"For their own protection. Other Slytherins might give them a rough time if they were discovered. And, Harry, you might be their primary teacher–"

"–What!"

"–I'm less confident about getting a Slytherin master than I was. It's possible I'll have to break my promise to the Greengrasses. You've grown this summer, Harry, and I'm proud of you, but you need to prepare for our return to Hogwarts. Something's coming, I can feel it. Yes, there may be problems that are impossible to fix but... best be ready."

There was a loud click as Luna pushed the final keystone into place on top of the completed pyramid puzzle. Ginny gawped like a netted Plimpy.

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—oOo—

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Author's Notes

Note that Harry did see the déjà vu experience but that's being kept from everyone else so it can be regarded merely as 'foresight' and not time travel. I had to change this chapter at the last minute when I realised my mistake so I'm not sure if that was clear. Anyway, there is a case for wondering if it really is just foresight of potential futures (like Nick Cage in the 'Next' movie!) The result is the same! It's not, because in my fic it ties in with how extreme remorse at death brought her back 130 years. Why is she keeping this time travel secret anyway? Only because she's trying to hide her abilities from the Black Arc. The more people who know something then the more chance of an accidental leak. Accidental freak visions can be dismissed as fanciful and not taken as seriously as controllable time travel (even if she can only go back for a few minutes.)

Note that Dobby wasn't GIVEN clothes but ordered to provide them himself. The fact that they GAVE the elf to Neville emphasises they expected Neville to remain under their control or to be turned to their beliefs. In canon, Dobby passed the Hogwarts wards in CoS before he was free. I'm assuming that's because Hogwarts has so many elves they've been given that freedom (but not to bring in someone else?) Also in canon, Dobby could still enter/leave Malfoy manor in DH, presumably because they forgot to cancel his access? So, for this fic, I'm assuming elves cannot normally pass wards without permission.

bexis1 asked what is 'Baked Nebraska? It's a (fictional) (magical) huge (shared) hot and cold dessert of ice cream, golden cream sands, mint green prairies, soft, biscuit cake below, sweet jams, and rivers of blueberry syrup as described in Chapter 21.

Jesalynn asked for clarification of the Azkaban escape and battle. OK. Luna & Neville sent to Azkaban but Neville illegally taken from there to Malfoy Manor for reasons unknown (deduced from 2-way mirror connecting Luna & Neville.) Hermione, using immateriality, invisibility, & Apparation, takes Luna & Harry from Azkaban, along with guard Tashew to Hermione's prison (Devil's Deep) where he is forced to endure Luna's memory of his brutal treatment of her, then he's left there to be tried later for his crimes. more...

Using Immateriality again, the trio enter Malfoy Manor, find Neville Confunded, but Bellatrix seizes Hermione (weakened by earlier immateriality. Luna kills Bellatrix. Lucius Malfoy & Lucretia Black enter, kill Luna, Neville, and an elf, and are about to kill Hermione. But Hermione recognises the elf is Dobby, a strong fan of Harry's. Using remorse, Hermione triggers her déjà vu effect (see earlier chapters) to travel back in time to before Lucius & Lucretia coming up the stairs. Still weak, Hermione signals Harry to ask Dobby to use elf magic to pop them out of Malfoy Manor to Longbottom home which he does just before Lucius and Lucretia enter (for the '2nd' time.) ... Ask again if there is any other specific clarification needed.

My writing style is to avoid over-explaining stuff, but please be specific if anyone has trouble following a particular part of a story. Another reader complained recently about my Merlin's Blessing fic. Much of that is a surreal experience caused by Harry drinking from the goblet. It doesn't matter if it's all in his head or not because why should that mean it's not real? So... Hermione consumed by fire then next chapter comes out of fire in Snape's class and she's a different personality. It's magic! Yes, I welcome feedback but I've often re-read parts of that story (I adore the Luna-by-the-lake scene) and can't see how to make it clearer. It's just a complex, mysterious story to be enjoyed for what it is.

Many thanks for all comments and reviews. These are most welcome and very encouraging. Let me know of any weaknesses or faults – I'm always trying to improve my writing so feedback is really useful. :)

– Hippothestrowl

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