A/N: Coronavirus, eww. NGL, I am annoyed with how its fucking up America and my life. Not to say it doesn't suck for other countries, but I am naturally more displeased with my own inconveniences. Stay safe everyone. Gonna be a rough year, maybe more. I work in online retail and my distribution center is digging in its heels to not shut down. Even though its got over 100 employees. No cases yet, but if we get one, the whole building's going offline. Best of luck to everyone, and enjoy the read.

Chapter 2

Harry's stumbling exit from the floo was blocked by Emily's quick hands. She had him steadied the moment the flames flared his arrival.

"Could you be any more uncoordinated?"

Harry grimaced. "I don't know what it is about magical transportation, but if it isn't a broom, I've got zero grace with it."

Emily loosened her hold on him, sliding an arm behind his lower back and guided him from the floo. Harry was greeted by the small crowd of reporters that he had somehow missed when he first arrived, but he chalked it up to Emily's proximity. When she was close enough, Harry found himself oblivious to other things. Her ruby eyes, which once sparked fear in him, could drown out everything else that was present in any moment. It was an intoxication he rarely acknowledge his addiction to, but it existed all the same.

With her arm around him, she pressed him through the throng of people, giving very brief answers to only a select few questions. Harry, stayed quiet.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter! Are you nervous about your exams?"

"Of course he isn't."

"Mr. Potter, what subject will you perform best on?"

"My husband will achieve an Outstanding in all subjects he takes, of course."

"Mrs. Potter, what were you exam scores?"

"Exemplary."

"Mrs. Potter, have the two of you been away on your honeymoon for the past month?"

"Yes, we only recently returned."

Eventually they made it the short distance to the lifts. Once she declared their destination and the doors closed, she let her arm fall from around Harry's waist.

"Ravenous flock of vultures."

Harry scoffed. "If you don't want birds, then don't scatter seed."

Emily leveled him a look. "Vulture's are scavengers, Harry. They don't eat bread, they eat dead animals."

Harry stared at her for a moment, then spoke. "I was speaking meta- you know what, never mind. You're right."

"I always am."

"Have I ever told you how much modesty turns me on?"

Emily snorted. "Considering how easy it is for me to arouse you, I'd say the opposite is true."

Harry couldn't stop the bark of laughter slipping out of his mouth. He looked at the familiar lift. "Brings back some memories, being in this thing again."

"Its only been a bit more than a year, no surprise. My memories are a bit more vivid, I would wager. I actually stayed conscious for more than five seconds after we left the lift the last time."

"I did what I could."

Emily remembered the moment when his shield charm had kept her safe long enough to disable one of their attackers. He had succumbed to Albus Dumbledore moments later, but it was his fast reaction that kept her upright and allowed her to retrieve him later.

"You did what you needed to. You protected me, as I will always protect you."

They stayed silent, both of them reminiscing various moments of that night. Eventually Harry awkwardly coughed before asking, "Do you think they know what we did, you know, in the Love room?"

Emily smirked. "Why? Did you want to see if we could get away with it a second time?"

"Think we can?"

"Are you asking me if I think I can screw you in a top security department in the most well policed building our government possesses and not be found out? The real question is how many times I can do it before we almost get caught."

Harry smiled. "Well then, how many?"

"Depends on my luck. If the first person I kill leaves a ghost, we're screwed. If I go through the entire department and not one specter arises, I'd say we could do it about twenty times before the auror department comes knocking."

Harry's smile had already soured. "The only thing your killing here is your chances of getting laid."

Emily faked a pout briefly, before relaxing her face. "We both know you have no intention of bedding me here. As for our last... rendezvous here, I'd wager they know nothing of it. I've a feeling sex happens in that room fairly often and the evidence is taken care of magically."

"Lets hope you're right. Which way?"

The doors had opened, and once again, Emily steered Harry in the right direction. "Through here. Normally we'd have to do some paperwork, but I've done what I needed to in order to expedite the process."

"Do I want to know?"

"The name Emily Potter does have some weight to it, you know."

Harry didn't bother arguing. The two entered a room and one of the clerks was already on his way over to them. The man didn't bother introducing himself, but he did stop in front of Harry and shook his hand exuberantly.

"An honor to meet you, Mr. Potter. And your lovely wife. Please come this way."

At Hogwarts, exams took place over a two week period. When they were taken independently at the ministry, however, they were condensed. The practicals took a similar amount of time, but the written portions were far shorter and weighed less heavily on one's grade. The written exam was mixed as well, a single test grouping all of the subjects he applied to be tested on. His test would be relatively small as he only applied for the core subjects.

Even with a condensed test, the written exam took him almost three hours. Harry was the only one taking the exam in the room he was in, but he didn't know if that was because he was the only one who applied today, or if he was kept separate because of his celebrity status.

The test wasn't a real struggle. All the information was readily available in his head and he quickly jot it down with his quill. He wasn't sure if the test was so simple because the practical portion was more important or if the ministry just skimped on the process. In either case, Harry felt more than confident with his performance that he was completely relaxed when the practicals began. This exam was far more similar to his OWLs in fifth year. The subjects were separated and each had its own proctor.

Potions was first, and it was to Harry's embarrassment that he was required to brew amortentia. It was the best choice for him as his previous encounter with the world's most powerful love potion had inspired him to study it extensively. Though he had never brewed it, he knew the formula and steps by heart. When he was finished, he noticed its perfect pearly sheen and only barely sniffed it. The scent, as it had in the past, made his knees weak and he knew that it was a perfect brew.

Charms was second and Harry cast the vast majority of the charms asked of him nonverbally. This impressed the proctor greatly, apparently, as the proctor started to giddily ask him to perform more and more complicated charms. After the second spell he had to use verbally, the proctor regain some decorum and ended the exam. Harry chalked up a second mental 'Outstanding'.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was third and the test was pathetic. His proctor seemed to be a plain auror and he was expected to duel for this portion. After Harry's third consecutive victory, the proctor ended the exam. The exam lasted all of two and a half minutes. A third NEWT was tucked away.

Transfiguration was next, and the test was human transfiguration. This was his only test with two proctors. One to test him and another to be the subject of his magic. Emily had been horrifyingly adept at unwilling human transfiguration and had drilled it into Harry. Harry pocketed his fourth passing grade.

Herbology was the final NEWT Harry applied for, giving him five in total. It was the only one he felt he struggled with. The written portion had gone well enough, but he found himself unprepared for the practical. He had been shown an assortment of plants and then was asked how he would to use them in multiple imaginary scenarios. The flora were not labled, and Harry had to identify them by sight, smell, touch, etc.

Many he new instantly. Dittany was one Emily had made him consume multiple times to heal small cuts he gained while practicing. Another was completely unidentifiable until he poked a petal with his finger. When he pulled his hand back he noticed it covered in a light dusting of Floo powder. The stargrass he identified by smell. However, enough were foreign to him for him to wonder if he even passed, let alone achieved an he Oustanding. Still, the proctor told him he had done an incredible job and wished him the best of luck.

Emily, who had been sitting of to the side patiently, approached him when he finished his last exam. "Wonderful work, Harry. Five Oustanding NEWTs, as I predicted."

"Five? There's no way I got an Outstanding in Herbology, Emily. I didn't have an answer to a third of the questions, and about half I did answer were based on mostly conjecture."

"And you conjecture is spot on. Besides, Herbology is graded differently. Your score is based on the amount you get right, not the amount you get wrong."

Harry stared at her. "That doesn't make any sense, whatsoever. Are you taking the piss?"

"Not at all."

Harry's eyes narrowed. This wasn't adding up. Emily was just staring sweetly at him. While he knew they probably had some image to uphold, he wasn't buying her story. What made it worse, was the sneaking suspicion already brewing in his gut.

"You bought my results, didn't you?"

He hadn't said this as quietly as he should have, and the proctor overheard. At the short gasp of the test administrator, Emily shot him a glare, before leaning to Harry and whispering.

"Not now."

Harry balked immediately. "Yes, now."

Emily groaned quietly. "I took out a simple insurance policy. You need to look the part of a powerful and capable wizard, and I wasn't about to allow some useless subject like Herbology stand in the way of that."

"So you thought I'd fail?"

"I said no such thing, and you know it."

Harry was worked up now, not willing to let it drop. "Just how much influence did you have on this test? Amortentia was an easy one, considering you know how in depth my knowledge of that one was. You paid them off to pick that one for me. Every single charm I was asked to use was a combat spell, without a single peaceful charm thrown in. Bet your behind that too. As for Transfiguration, human transfiguration is the most difficult, but why not ask for other examples. Why did they only focus on that? The only type you ever went over with me extensively. And Herbology? No way to zone in on my specialty knowledge there, so you probably just paid for the ace, am I right?"

"Not going to question me about the Defense one?"

"No, I think we both know that my pride would've taken too much of a beating if you had tried to buy that one as well."

Emily gave a slight huff. "Well, at least your being reasonable, I suppose."

"That's not answering my question." At this point the proctor had already fled the room, as if sensing an upcoming row between the couple.

"You don't always need to know what I do."

"BULLSHIT!"

Harry was glaring now, voice still raised, "If I give you even a moment to yourself you'll destroy something. That's just how you are."

Emily was affronted. That was a disgustingly low blow. First he had yelled at her, and now he was insulting her. While he was correct that she had certainly interfered with his exams, his reaction was unwarranted, or at least she felt it was.

"Oh? Is that so? Well then, tell me Harry, just what have I ruined now? I was doing what I needed to, to ensure your success. Is success not the opposite of ruin? Out with it then, what have I destroyed?"

Harry seemed to deflate immediately. Emily had thought that this was in her favor, until he spoke. "You're missing the entire point. The opposite of destruction isn't success, its creation. And what you always destroy between us is the trust we create." And without another word, Harry turned on his heel and with a pop, he was gone.

The next half hour passed in a bit of a fog for Emily. She made her way through the ministry, giving a brief explanation to those who asked about Harry's absence, before finally picking up his exam scores. Of course, it held five Oustanding test scores. Just as she had planned. Plans. There it was again. Her plots. Always getting her sent to the dog house. Why couldn't he just understand that somethings couldn't be left to chance? That sometimes events had to be molded a certain way, otherwise, things could go horribly wrong.

Harry would've passed each subject, even Herbology, though only barely. Why did it really matter if she fudged the numbers a bit in his favor? To make his future brighter. Why was he so stubborn?

"Maybe, he's not. Maybe, I'm the stubborn one."

Emily finished muttering this muted sentence right as the gates of the lift opened to reveal a face she hadn't expected to see. A face that she only ever wanted to see if she was burying its corpse.

"Mrs. Potter."

"What do you want, Mad-Eye?"

The gnarled auror's face twisted into a hideous grin. "Heh, imagine my surprise that once the healers finished unscrambling the mess I made out of my own head, Dumbledore's dead and you are just oh so conveniently married to the upcoming magical messiah. And to kick it all off, there's apparently another one of you causing havoc, with no one being aware of just who you are. Care to fill me in?"

"Not particularly. Though I'd l- Obliviate."

Though the memory charm had been quick and unexpected, Mad-Eye had not raised a wand to defend himself. Emily knew her spell had failed when the man's expression didn't change.

"Not gonna work on me, Missy. Still on potions to keep my head straight, so you'll have to do better than that."

Emily grimaced. She had taken a dangerous gamble with that charm. Though the view from inside the lift was blocked off somewhat by Moody's frame, someone still could've seen her cast the spell. She had acted impulsively, hoping to silence the new threat quickly. That had failed and now she could only wait for a better opportunity.

"Albus is dead, and Harry Potter is the puppet on my strings, Alastor. You have no way to fight me alone. Your just a solitary figure on a ship that has already sunk. Everyone thinks you've gone round the bend three times over. Once you start preaching conspiracy theories they'll throw your arse into St. Mungo's permanently. So if you value any semblance of normal life, I suggest you either leave the country, or seclude yourself into an isolated corner of it. You will not interfere with me."

"Not much you can do to stop me though, is there? I'm certain there are more loose ends that you didn't tie up. Other people who know. I'll find them, Voldemort, and when I do, you'll be the first to know."

Emily had officially lost her patience and bodily moved the grizzled ex-auror from her path as she pushed past him. She could hear him chuckling as she walked away.

"I'll cut that tongue out of your scared face if its the last thing I do, you useless remnant." Whispering darkly to herself, she made to put as much distance between her and the deceased Dumbledore's lackey. The Order of the Phoenix was a dying entity. Without its head, whatever was left of the body was floundering about.

Still, the man would have to be dealt with in some fashion. Preferably through excruciatingly painful death, considering his hand in Harry's precarious mental health. The butchering of a memory charm that massive had not been good for her husband. The old man could perish in an accident, she could arrange it to look like it was his own paranoia that caused it. Even if the circumstances were suspect, the man was not short on enemies, and surely no one would dare to try and pin the blame on Harry Potter's wife.

Emily arrived home from the ministry soon after, and noticed immediately that Harry was not there. She briefly thought about tracking him down and hashing things out, but thought better of it. Hashing it out with him would only work in the short term. If she desired a long term solution, she'd have to reflect on where she went wrong. Or, at least, where he thought she went wrong, because she was rarely actually wrong.

He said that she destroyed the trust the shared. Such a thought was impossible. Their trust in one another was immeasurable. But that was the standard trust, the trust that stood opposite of betrayal. The idea that he didn't trust her to have faith in his ability to pass was also hard for her to swallow. He was more than well aware that her faith in him was absolute. Therefore, the trust he was talking about, was probably in reference to the trust he always talked about. That she didn't share enough with him. Obviously he felt as though her hiding this plan had somehow crossed a line. As if he honestly thought that she wasn't keeping some secrets from him.

So if that was the case, what precisely was the issue. If he knew that she would always hold some secrets, why would he be so angry about one she saw as so minor. She was still missing something. Emily was not a fool, thankfully. No one knew Harry Potter better than she did. No one. So, the real question was what did she do that really rubbed Harry the wrong way.

Sitting down in one of the chairs in the dining room, she began to wonder aloud. "Harry hates his relatives. He hates losing. Neither of which help me, unless he saw my buying his results as him losing. Or failing. No, it isn't that. He said 'what you always do'. Something I do often that he ha- oh."

It finally dawned on her. Harry hated being controlled. What was more, he loathed being controlled by her. "I suppose I did something like that. Taking away his choices and chances to do as he pleased. I've told him so many times that I'd stop manipulating his life, yet I seem to fall short."

If their biggest point of spoken contention was Emily's willingness to do anything to keep him with her, then the biggest unspoken point of contention was her need for control. Some days it was easy for her to forget Harry hated that. He was so passive, always willing to go along with whatever she wanted, that sometimes she didn't ask him for the okay. He was almost never confrontational with her, unless she did something terrible. This was probably a side effect of his upbringing. She doubted the Dursleys ever allowed him to voice his desires and wants. He was used to tagging along for the ride or else being simply left out completely. In either case, there was a difference between being passive and being ordered about.

Emily knew she slipped up every now and then, letting her past habits creep up on her. Being a terrorist, did that, she supposed. She occasionally did something oppressive here or there.

"At least I know why he was angry... I hope."

She knew to reach out to him now, but was aware that just showing up wouldn't be the best approach. He left because he needed space between them. She would respect that and send him a message instead. Unfortunately, she really only had two methods to do this. She could call upon Dobby to deliver it, but the elf was more likely to tell her off and then vanish without assisting her. She couldn't kill the reproachful thing either, as Harry was ridiculously fond of the creature. Which left her with owl post. And they only had one owl.

"Hedwig, sweetheart, come down here and take this to Harry for me."

Though Emily's voice was dripping with honey, the snowy owl made no move towards her other than a slight tilt of the head and narrowing of the eyes. The damned bird hated her. Emily knew this from day one, unfortunately. Harry was also aware of this, but he insisted that Hedwig was the greatest owl alive. Which Hedwig may very well be, but to Emily, the snowy owl was worthless.

"Come now, Hedwig. Harry would be upset if he knew you wouldn't deliver my letter to him."

This brought out an actual reaction from the owl, though it was not what she desired. The owl swiveled her neck and lined her eyes with Emily's before cocking her head. On a human it wouldn't have been too odd, but an owl's neck had much greater mobility, so the tilt was exaggerated. Emily felt as though the owl was saying, 'Oh really? I doubt it."

"Please, Hedwig, its a very important letter. Harry needs to read it."

This must've been the last straw of Hedwig's patience, and the owl's head resumed its original position and closed its eyes, as though it had drifted off to sleep. Emily was instantly annoyed. Harry was more than capable of warding himself from owls and if he so desired, and could prevent any other owl from finding him. These wards would never effect Hedwig, however. Something about their relationship simply broke the normal laws of magic. If it weren't for the fact that Hedwig was nothing more than an owl, Emily would have killed her out of jealousy.

Emily had wondered often what exactly caused the wedge between herself and the bird. She had never treated the beast with disrespect, as she was well aware how much Harry valued his pet. She had brought it up with Harry in the past, but his answer did nothing more than make fun of her.

"She knows when your being a daft cunt."

She had dismissed his comment back then, but now she pondered if the owl could tell when she was lying. Or perhaps knew of her fight with Harry. She wondered how that was possible, knowing he had not been home before she arrived and thus could tell his owl what had happened. Writing off Hedwig as a lost cause, she made her way to the fireplace. Looks like confrontation was inevitable.

"The Burrow."

With the youngest two Weasleys at Hogwarts, it was unlikely that Harry would go to the Burrow, but the only other option was one she was loathe to check. So she picked the unlikely, but easier option, and stuck her head into the flames.

"Hello? Mrs. Weasley? Are you home?"

Emily could hear movement close by, and soon Molly Weasley entered the room.

"Hello, Emily, dear. What can I do for you?"

Emily had great distaste for the majority of the Weasley family. Ron had been a thorn in her side in the past, attempting to get Harry away from her. Ginny was in love with her husband. Fred and George Weasley had earned her ire several years ago. Back in Harry's first year, the two boys had charmed snowballs to bounce off the back of Quirinus Quirrells turban over and over. She had been hiding underneath it. Percy was a pompous twat. Charlie she had never interacted with heavily. The same could be said for William, or Bill, as he liked to be called, however she knew of his romance with the half-veela and found it repulsive. Arthur was a pathetic muggle lover without a spine.

Molly was the exception. Though the woman was not Emily biggest fan, Molly was the most welcoming. Emily appreciated the woman's compassion and love for Harry. She knew that Molly had pushed for Harry's unofficial adoption into her brood of children, and she knew that Harry was better of because of it. Though she didn't make a habit of contacting the woman, she was not uncomfortable doing so.

"I was wondering if Harry may have come by recently. Today. He and I got into a bit of a tiff earlier and I wanted to apologize for not listening to him."

Molly smiled, but shook her head. "Sorry dear, but you're my only visitor of the day. If he drops by later, I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"Thank you Molly. As for your invitation to dinner next week, we'd love to attend. Thank your for the consideration."

"Of course, you two are family. Always welcome. Best of luck with your search. Harry's one to close himself off at times, but I'm sure you're familiar with that the most. Everything will be fine."

Emily nodded and closed the connection. Cursing her luck, she once again tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fire place and said, "The Doghouse."

The interior of the home was painted blue briefly from the flames as she looked about, hoping to see Harry in the sitting room. She had bypassed a simple call and had arrived unannounced. It was her hope to run into Harry and smuggle him out before running into Sirius. Though the man did not know who she was, some things a forgetfulness potion couldn't solve. Sirius hated her guts in the past, and that hate didn't change, he just couldn't remember why he felt that way. This helped alleviate the negative feeling, but it did not erase it entirely.

Emily made her way into the dining room, and saw Harry seated at the table, nursing a drink. His godfather was not in sight, nor was a second drink, so Emily figured him to not be home. Knowing they were alone, sans one crazy house-elf, Emily sat silently next to her husband.

"Angry still?" She cast a gemino spell on his drink and took a sip. The firewhiskey burned her throat, and tasted poor, but that was the price of using a duplication charm.

"I don't think I was. Not really."

"You were. You have a temper on you. Its fleeting, but I saw it spark back there."

Harry took a moment to take a drink, before answering. "You're not hear for an apology, I hope."

Emily chuckled. "No, I'm not. I feel I owe you the apology. I should have confided in you what I planned on doing. I didn't mean to take the reigns on your life again."

Harry scoffed, "Of course you meant to. You just didn't mean for me to be offended by it."

Emily paused, weighing how she should answer. "You're right. I have a tendency to lead without consent. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. I know you better than anyone, including your obsession with control. I knew what I was agreeing to when I said 'I do', I just... get annoyed with you. I'm sorry too, for saying you destroy the trust we create. I do trust you, you know that."

"In many aspects you do. In some, you do not. But that is to be expected, I am not a woman who is to be trusted easily."

Harry turned to look her in the eyes. "That's not what I wanted, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry sighed, tilting his head back. "I didn't want to fall in love with someone I couldn't trust. With someone I would disagree with. With someone I would fight with. The few times I ever did imagine a woman being in my life... it was never the mess that you and I face constantly."

"You must've never planned on falling in love then."

Harry looked at her, bewildered. "How so?"

"Harry, you are the only true relationship I've ever really been invested in. Or even remotely interested in. Well, to be perfectly honest, the only person I've ever really cared for. But even I know that relationships come with fights and disagreements. Often times, there are even moments of distrust. Our issues aren't the exact same that others face, but they aren't too dissimilar from them either."

Harry stayed silent, going over what she had said. Emily took this as a moment to push forwards. "Take a look at all the relationships you've seen at Hogwarts. You should be aware that it isn't always about acceptance and understanding. Sometimes, the dissatisfaction between two people can't be overcome, especially for younger couples. In some regards, we are far better a match than most, and while we do fall short in others, I find what we have to be most fulfilling. And I know you do too."

"I do, of course I do. Sometimes, I just feel as though we could fix certain things."

"And we will, with time. And we will argue again and fight again. That is a part of who we are. Its a part of who you are, a part of the man I love. We are destined for greatness, Harry, and the road will have its bumps. As long as you are there to chastise me when I need it, I will be there to support and protect you when you need me to."

Harry smiled. "Have I ever told you that you make it hard to hold a grudge?"

Emily returned his grin. "It depends on what kind of grudge you mean. For you, I'm sure you struggle, but for other's, including your godfather, nothing can wipe the slate clean, not even a forgetfulness potion. Where is he, by the way?" Emily made a show of turning her head left and right, as though expecting to see him in a corner of the room.

"No clue. He said he'd be home today, but when I got here, he was gone. His travel cloak is gone too, so I assume he went out for some reason."

"Hm." Emily's thoughts began to wander, her paranoia spiking. It was possible, though unlikely, that Alastor had contacted Sirius in some way or another. It would be detrimental to her plans if he may have already started gently probing Order members about their memories of her. The false Voldemort was already more on her plate than she deemed necessary. She didn't need the Order re-birthing itself like it's namesake to start meddling again.

"Let's go then. Your godfather still dislikes me, and I'd rather be gone before he returns."

"You go on ahead, I actually had plans to spend the evening here. I'll see you at home, later."

Emily didn't like that. The last thing she wanted was Harry being away from her, with Alastor on the loose. "Fine, but you should know, Moody is out of St. Mungo's. And he is aware... of us. Should you get even an inkling that he is nearby, be prepared to defend yourself and contact me with your location."

"Mad-Eye's okay? That's good to hear."

Emily scoffed, annoyed. While she was ever grateful that Harry was the forgiving sort, she wished that sometimes he'd hold a grudge. "He tried to tear us apart and succeeded for a while, don't be happy for him."

"Happy? I'm only happy that I can yell at him at my leisure later, but mostly I'm just peeved at the tosser."

Emily nodded her head, turning to leave the room. Before she made it to the door, she stopped, looking over her shoulder at Harry. "I love you."

"Love you, too."