The disclaimer is in chapter 1. The idea for the story is mine.
Praise The Higher Power for one more chapter.
My gratitude to my Mom and my Son for their support and love. Even though I exert their patience from time to time.
A big shout out to SlytherinSal for her support on this adventure. A hug to Noppoh, for believing in my ideas, and making tails and head of the text. Marc the Unruly is just amazingly talented, and he is always encouraging me to give more. The Deathly Minion is a book eater, but he has such a sense of fun and enjoys being part of any process, that I can't thank him enough for his enthusiasm. To these friends all my love.
I don't feed the trolls, please keep the beasties to yourself(s).
Reviews are welcome.
Enjoy!
-oo0oo-
Chapter 12.- The Power of the Alliance of the Light.
Flashback.
5 November 1981.
Casa Potter,
Unknown Location, Spain.
10 AM.
Original Alliance of the Light
Augusta Longbottom, her son, her daughter-in-law, Sirius Black, and the Regent of the Potter house had an array of documents on display at the dinner table: health certificates from Gringotts healing facilities and letters from Auror Alastor Moody and Auror Amelia Bones.
"Well, Mary dear, I guess Magic sent you to us with a purpose after all," said Augusta. She added, "Someone set Longbottom Hall on fire after we disappeared on the night of the attack. Moody and his junior Auror Amelia Bones found traces of magical signatures belonging to the newly appointed head of the Obliviation department Cornelius Fudge, Dolores Umbridge, and Bartemious Crouch Sr. They are clearly the starters of the fire. It's obvious Crouch Sr. didn't want the remains of his son, a marked Death Eater, found in the company of Bellatrix LeStrange, her husband, and her brother-in-law. All of them are dead, slaughtered by an unknown beast. Alastor Moody and Amelia Bones received orders to not speak about it. Alastor, however, sent a letter to the goblin administrator for the Longbottoms. Voldemort is dead, the Death Eaters are pleading guilty because of an Imperio used on them, and Albus Dumbledore wants to sweep everything under the rug for the bloody Greater Good of magical Britain!"
"And let's not forget that I'm being blamed for everything," said Sirius with a big, disheartened smile. Mary reached out and hugged Sirius, surprising everyone in the room. "No more. No more heartache for you, not now, not ever." She kissed his cheek. They hugged, while tears ran on Sirius's face. "I won't let you down, I promise," added Sirius in a whisper.
"And love finds its way even during this dark moment. Cheers for new found love, new family and, better yet, political alliances," said Frank Longbottom.
"The houses of Black, Potter, and Longbottom declare a Blood Feud between their sworn enemies the Dark Lord Voldemort, his Death Eaters, Albus Dumbledore, Bartemius Crouch Sr, Cornelius Fudge, and Dolores Umbridge, and their bigoted doctrines of pure blood and the greater good, so mote it be!" declared Sirius Black.
"So mote it be!" echoed the rest of the people in the room.
End of Flashback.
1 November 1991.
The Ministry of Magic
Prime Minister of Magic's office.
London UK.
12 AM.
Mary Simmons stepped into the minister's office while Cornelius Fudge remained trapped by Elf magic.
Sirius was just behind his wife. At their arrival, the area was silent and the portraits in the wall drained of magic. All magical devices vanished as the newcomers stepped into the room. Sirius remained behind her as Mary took a seat.
"Good morning, Minister. I can't say that it's a pleasure making your acquaintance, and I see you seemed busy trying to pull a runner after the passing of a member of your staff. Tell me, did her passing bring you so much heartache that you could only run? Or was it our lovely, brief letter, declaring blood feud to you?" Mary asked.
"I agree with my wife. As I was growing up, learning the intricacies of how blood feuds diminished the magical houses was boring, but it had its highlights. For example, magic accepted blood feuds, if magical blood got spilled needlessly and there was a goblin assurance of foul play. A person or the offended family could claim a legal Blood Feud. Of course, with the goblin rebellions, the remaining magical houses got left without knowledge and the ignorance of rules as old as Merlin. Subsequently, the Ministry gained power and here we are in the 20th century, still behaving as neanderthals with magic sticks," Sirius said.
"What my husband is saying is that House Potter and House Black declared war on Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, all of his branded Death Eaters, Albus Dumbledore, Bartemius Crouch Sr., Dolores Umbridge, and you, Cornelius Fudge," Mary added.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" asked Sirius.
Mary moved her hand and Cornelius regained his voice, "What did you do to them?"
"What do you care, you idiot? Suffice to say that Dolores was the most fun to watch as the three-headed dog tore her into three bite-size dog biscuits in less than ten seconds," answered an annoyed Sirius.
"He has nothing of substance to add, let's go," added Mary.
"Right, he has a judgment pending," said Sirius.
Before Cornelius could say another word, a Port-Key transported the group to a goblin office in Spain where an old friend of the Blacks waited with patience.
"Ah, Regent Potter, Mr. Black, welcome," said Bernardo.
"Bernardo, good morning. We have another stool here. Do you need his blood in order to complete the paperwork?" asked Mary.
"Indeed, Mrs. Simmons," said Bernardo as he brought out the Vellum. Once he took the blood from the petrified Cornelius Fudge, a letter detailing his resignation and self-imposed exile appeared via elf on his desk. His blood created a perfect signature.
"We need to step into the time chamber, Bernardo. We need to be clear on all their crimes and, after, we need to have them executed. Do you think Gringotts will allow us the use of their dragons? And provide hard labor for those who still have a chance to redeem themselves in the remote banks around the world?" asked Mary.
"You don't want to kill them all?" asked Bernardo.
"I know what to do with the cold-blooded killers, the rapists, the megalomaniacs, and their followers, but some still have families, children that forever will be stained by their relation to their parents. I am not one to believe that the children have to carry the sins of their parents, but I cannot turn a blind eye to the pureblood dogma so ferociously branded into some of them. I have an idea of blocking their magic, making them squibs, and sending them to Black Island to learn how to function without magic. Then check if they are ready to grow out of that phase, or they stay on that island trapped in their own version of hell. It is a well-known fact that monsters that lose a war only remember that they lost and rarely acknowledge the ravages and scars left by them," said Mary.
"I understand, Lady Mary. Any other enemy would just kill the entire family, as they did with the Potter's or the attack on the Longbottoms. But showing mercy usually comes back at you and your family," said Bernardo.
"Or we can use similar tactics as the ministry: Obliviate them all, change their names, identities, and appearances. We sort them all over the continent, take their wealth, and make sure that the parent that is alive has a job under the radar. We make sure that the kids all have access to mundane schools, and medical treatment, all the way to grad school. No one remembers anything before landing in a refugee protection program from a friendly country and Gringotts recognizes that they have declared their magic void because of a Blood Feud," said Sirius.
"Wow, you are a devious dog," said Mary.
"I am. This is personal and family is everything to me, Mary dear," said Sirius. "Plus, the last time that I charged ahead without thinking, a beautiful woman chewed my arse and told me to think before I ran out on what was important. I swore I would listen and I've never looked back."
"Alright, then let's get this sorting done. Let's summon everyone and follow your alternative, Sirius. We are probably going to be here for a while, so let's send the message to Gussie, Alice, Amelia, and Emma," said Mary.
"On it," said Sirius. After he sent the message, Mary pulled him against her and kissed him hard. "In case I forgot to say that I love you, you mutt," said Mary.
"Right, let's sort this mess out, and then I can take you to bed. Otherwise, we are going to give a show to Bernardo and I don't think that's appropriate," said Sirius to a blushing Mary and a smirking goblin accountant.
5 November 1991.
Potter Glenn.
Wales UK,
10 AM.
"How did it go?" asked Augusta as Mary greeted her at the door.
"It's done. We, Sirius and I, have judged them all. The guilty got executed and transfigured into cans of Spam to feed the Gringotts dragons. Alastair, the Sorting Hat, was able to Obliviate the living relatives thoroughly, and the goblins locked their magic. With enough education on their mundane lives and jobs, they created their new identities. Some, if not all, became a much happier bunch after the procedure. Some of those women were actual victims of domestic abuse, as well as their children. Some of them looked at us with hatred before forgetting it all. I'm a jumbled mass of feelings, Gussie," said Mary.
Flashback
2 November 1991.
"Alastair, thank you so much for helping us with this chore," said Mary.
"Nonsense, I'm only out of my corner once a year, on the day of the Hogwarts sorting ceremony, and I've known the majority of them, even before they became lost souls. Your way of justice is the first time someone uses my talents for more than house affiliation, and this way I feel I'm doing my share in correcting the wrong," said the Hat.
Bernardo stepped in and said, "I've taken notes on all the families that have been processed and the documents have been created. The children and single parents will go through the next phase: an education on how to blend in like a perfect wallflower and the kids will integrate into mundane education. You will keep in touch through the nonprofit organizations created around them as refugees then?"
"I will," said Mary. Sirius stepped in and said, "What she means is that we will."
End of Flashback.
"But it had to be done, and you did it. By the way, how did you trap the Death Eaters?"
Flashback
2 January 1982.
Late Evening,
Casa Potter Unknown location.
Spain.
Sirius walked in with four cans of Spam. He selected a can and reversed the transfiguration and the arm of Rabastan LeStrange came into view. Sirius dissected the dark mark and placed it inside a jade box that neutralized the latent magic on the piece of skin. Remus took it and Mary added, "This is your compass, Remus, can we count on you?" Remus nodded, and Sirius added, "For every piece of garbage you deliver to the vault of Prongs in Castille Gringotts, we will be notified." Remus nodded and Mary added, "Have a great hunt."
End of Flashback.
"Remus Lupin was the hunter. With the aid of the Dark Mark, the rest were summoned and they all got turned into cans of Spam. Once we located and destroyed the anchors, it was only a matter of time to get to Dumbledore and Fudge," said Mary.
Flashback
31 October 1991
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogsmeade
Scotland UK
4:45 pm to 6:30 pm.
Mary and Sirius joined the group at the gates of the School. The couple was covered in a no sound, smell, or sight enchantment and, on top of that, they had the invisibility cloak. The Governors, guests, and Dolores Umbridge were received by Minerva. The Blacks followed the tour. Sirius kept hexing Dolores to trip again and again until Mary gave him a silent warning (a pinch on his bum). As the group landed on the 3rd-floor corridor, Mary did a silent 'Alohomora' on the locked door, and Sirius did a silent 'Imperio' on the ministry worker. They watched Delores march in a hurry to her death. Afterward, they pulled the group to step back and out of the room.
Mary summoned Luz and told her, "Let Alastair know that the attack with the mountain troll is today. He will get in contact with the Guardian Betsy." The house-elf nodded and said, "Luz understands and obeys."
"Let's go get the diadem," said Sirius.
Once out of the way, the couple walked all the way to the seventh floor and, behind the dancing Trolls tapestry, the door to the room of lost and forgotten things appeared. The couple located the dusty tiara (Horcrux), placed the warding stones, and Mary dropped a syrupy liquid (Basilisk venom) that, like acid, destroyed the founder's item.
Mary added, "Well now it's just a matter of locating the diary."
Sirius vanished the mess and said, "Lucius Malfoy was a pathetic little worm while pleading for his life, stating that he placed the notebook on a pile of second-hand books being sent to the Weasleys."
Mary nodded. "You looked green after I fed him to the Dragon."
Sirius nodded. "I just hated the idea that if ever you could hate me so much, you would feed me to a dragon too."
Mary turned and said, "Don't break my heart and I promise, no dragons."
Sirius blushed crimson and said, "Merlin help me, woman, why do you have to be so feck'in sexy!" He pulled her into a hug and kissed her as though he was running out of oxygen and she was an oxygen tank.
Mary laughed and then, after a long hug, she said, "Speaking of betrayers, we have a goat to catch and truss up for dragon fodder. Come on, we know he's not going to play nice."
One elf express ride to the Headmaster's office and the couple got introduced to a scene in which Gussie was in her most formal and enraged version, giving Betsy the Basilisk a run for her money on death glares at Dumbledore. Meanwhile, Dumbledore seemed bored out of his mind with the scolding. Once Gussie was done, Dumbledore rose from his seat and said, "And you think I'm just going to go quietly?" Mary conjured a beater bat, threw her cloak off, and whacked the bearded fool upside the head. She said, "Yeah, that's exactly what you will do, you miserable goat." She raised her emerald eyes to the group and made her claim loud and clear: "This piece of shite is mine, House Potter and House Black have claimed Blood feud with Albus Dumbledore, any objections?"
Not one soul raised a complaint to her claim, so she placed the Portkey and activated it, said goodbye to the ladies, and again the elf express took her outside the gates and close to Hogsmeade. Sirius picked her up and said, "You were brilliant!"
She kissed him again and detached herself. Just for safety, she took a look at the Marauder's Map. Her face shifted to fright as she said, "You have got to be shitting me! There's the last Horcrux and look? Next to him?"
Sirius went pale, "I swear, I'm going to bring back caning as punishment. Fuck, let's go, Luz take us to Andy now."
The Blacks stood still as Andy skipped the curse of Tom's wraith, and by elf apparition, he moved next to the Horcrux, and said, ~~Fiendfyre!~~
The Horcrux wraith fell apart and Andy added, "You're wrong to the end. I am Harry Potter, but what do you care? Go to hell, and stay there, you creep!" Andy waited next to the flame and asked Kreacher to put out the fire, then he got up and moved towards Tom's last victim.
Andy was standing close to the unconscious Gryffindor Prefect. Upon arrival, Mary and Sirius both noticed the ashes of the diary and the rune stones. Sirius called the Potter elves, and seconds later the room was cleared of any other activity than two students out of place. Mary took Sirius's hand and the two retreated behind the cover of the invisibility cloak.
Hermione and Neville came in and after feeding the medical elixir to Percy. Hermione looked at the Mirror, and, at last, Minerva marched in and asked Andy to explain himself. To which Andy threw up, due to the adrenaline finally leaving his body. This prompted Hermione to take action and be next to Andy, putting on a display that convinced Mary and Sirius that those two were going to be there for good or bad. For the first time in the entire evening, Mary cried tears of relief. Andy was going to be okay. Nothing else mattered anyway.
Minerva's tears, after Neville's explanation, shook the young first-year cubs and gave Mary hope. The children would be in good hands.
The Blacks were there when Percy regained consciousness and, as the Gryffindor Prefect asked what happened, Mary had a mental chat.
Mental conversation with Percy Weasley.
"Hi, Mr. Weasley, my name is Mary Simmons, Andy's mom. Do you mind if I call you Percy though?"
"Hello, Mrs. Simmons. Ah, no, not at all, but I think you should call me a tool because I feel just like one."
"Yeah, about that, Percy, you know better than to take an object and start a conversation with it, if you don't know where the mind of the object resides, don't you?" asked Mary.
"I do. I just feel so alone that, for a moment, it felt right to have someone who knew exactly what I felt," said Percy.
"Oh, don't feel so bad. Tom was a master manipulator, even at a young age. Otherwise he wouldn't have had a chance to become the Dark Lord Voldemort later in life, now would he have?" asked Mary.
"Tom was Voldemort?" asked an ashen Percy.
"Oh yeah, he crafted an anagram of his full name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, and it read something like 'I am Lord Voldemort.' So no, I won't call you a tool; I won't say a thing, but you need help. Dark magic always leaves a trace; it makes you feel tainted. Do you want me to help you?" asked Mary.
"I almost got my brothers killed and your son came to the rescue, and now his mom wants to help me. I don't deserve the help," said Percy.
"Nonsense, Tom had a really difficult time dominating you, didn't he? I think you were on your path to be set free, but he conned you into one last plan. Your brothers noticed your struggle and tried to help. So even before you say you don't deserve help, there are people near you that love you and will be there for you, and, Percy, you can trust that."
"Okay, Mrs. Simmons, can you help me then?" asked Percy in a whisper.
"Of course I can. I can even lock that memory until you are strong enough to face your choices and forgive yourself. The memory will not hinder you and you can reconnect to your brothers, alright?"
"Okay. Will it hurt?" asked Percy.
"No, it will be a slight tingly feeling. You will feel exhausted afterwards. Be aware that this issue has a solution and that after a night's rest, you can face the world tomorrow. You will tell Minerva that you lost a bet to your brothers and they thought that in order to honor the bet you would have to walk naked to the Great Hall for breakfast tomorrow, or go into the forbidden corridor on the third floor and see what all the commotion was about. Tonight, you went for the latter."
"You do know my brothers, but then, will they take the fall?" said Percy.
"Oh, I promise they will if they want to meet their heroes before the holidays," said Mary.
"I don't want to know who their heroes are, but my brothers are my heroes," said Percy.
"You're a good lad, Percy, just have a little more faith in yourself and I promise, everything will fall into place for you," said Mary.
"Thank you, Mrs. Simmons. I'll keep an open mind."
End of Mental conversation with Percy Weasley.
Start of Mental conversation between Mary Black and Fred Weasley.
"Hi Fred," greeted Mary.
"Hi, Mrs. Simmons," answered a blushing Fred.
"Uh, Fred, can you tell your brother George that Percy lost a bet between the three of you and that he had to either go naked to the Great Hall tomorrow or go fully clothed to the third-floor corridor today, while the school was in a state of shut down?" asked Mary.
"Oh wow, uh, I mean, yes. Is Percy going to be alright?" asked Fred.
Mary shared a Memory of a destroyed book and a boy made of ink vanishing, as Andy said, "Go to Hell and stay there, you creep!"
"Well, I'll be, we owe Harry our brother's life," said Fred.
"To answer your question: your brother Percy is just at the start of a healing journey. I helped but he's going to need a lot of help from you guys. Please cut him some slack, bullying and making experiments with your family members is not funny to them. The Marauders all thought they were the big guns in this school, only to be betrayed by the one member who was the butt of their jokes. Yes, Wormtail turned against Prongs, Moony, and Padfoot. His betrayal got settled and he's already talking to his Maker. So, be kind to one another. Yeah, you can make people laugh, but can you make them laugh with you and not at the people that get humiliated by you?" asked Mary as she curved an eyebrow.
"We just thought it was fun and games," said Fred.
"Yeah, but the joy of a good laugh is to know when to stop," said Mary.
"Okay, I'll tell George." Then said, "Done,"
"Good, thank you Fred. Good evening," said Mary.
End of Mental conversation with Fred Weasley.
The Ministry Of Magic.
1st of November 1991
London UK.
12:01 AM.
Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was having a difficult time figuring out who placed the trap for him. But he knew Black was back, and it was a bad idea to stick around. That man had been unstable ever since Hogwarts. Still, making a move or thinking on what force of magic to pray to proved difficult. Then, an invisibility cloak dispelled and a beautiful yet frightening woman stepped out of the shadows and said,
"Good morning, Minister. I can't say that it's a pleasure making your acquaintance, and I see you seemed busy trying to pull a runner after the passing of a member of your staff. Tell me, did her passing bring you so much heartache that you could only run? Or was it our lovely brief letter, declaring blood feud to you?" asked the woman.
He knew it, his goose was truly cooked.
End of Flashback.
"What did you do to Fluffy?" asked Gussie.
Flashback
15 October 1991
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hagrid's Hut.
Hogsmeade, Scotland, UK.
8 PM.
Sirius and Mary traveled all the way to Hogwarts. Upon their arrival, Mary knocked on the door on the Hut. "Andy Simmons, I hope it's not you knocking on the door at this time of the night?" said Hagrid as he opened the door and saw the Blacks greeting him. "Well, I'll be, who might you be? Because I don't recall a lady so refined ever as a child here at the school," asked the groundskeeper.
Mary smiled and said, "You are a charmer aren't you? My name was Mary Simmons, but recently I became recognized as Lady Mary Lily Black. I'm Andy's mom, but I think you are acquainted with my husband?" She stepped aside and Hagrid took notice of the man standing behind her, the mature version of the crazy boy who just wanted to flip one over the old British Magical way of life and run on his bike.
"Merlin help me, Sirius Black! Oh, uh, please come in," said Hagrid.
As the time went by, the groundskeeper wept in front of Sirius and begged for his forgiveness. He didn't know that a man everyone trusted (Albus Dumbledore) could be so twisted to allow baby Harry Potter to be lost on the 1st of November 1981. They convinced Hagrid that Harry was doing great. Afterwards, the Blacks asked for Fluffy to be sold to them, since Harry needed a good pet to guard him, at his home in the Bahamas. They produced a goblin purchase contract and Fluffy got a new set of masters, for the agreeable amount of 5000 galleons and the promise that Hagrid could visit the dog during his winter vacation. Hagrid was sad but glad that Harry would care for his spirited three-headed pup.
31 October 1991
The Ministry Of Magic
Department for Regulation of Magical creatures.
London UK
8 PM
"Ah, Mr. Creswell, good evening, I'm here to pick up my dog. Oh, there he is," said Sirius Black.
"Ah, I'm sorry, and you are?" asked a rookie bureaucrat, Dirk Creswell.
"I'm Sirius Black and, as you can see from this purchase contract, that Cerberus is mine, so hand him over," said Sirius, handing over the purchase contract. He went to the subdued dog which had magical muffs on each of the jaws of the canine heads. Sirius said, "You have been a naughty boy, haven't you? You went and ate pink garbage. Now, how are we going to deal with the mean belly ache you get with a case of food poisoning, huh?" said Sirius as he tapped his foot.
"Sir, I'm sorry but this animal killed a person, and, as much as everyone in a junior position here at the ministry wants to buy a steak for each of the heads and say 'thank you Fluffy', that was still the undersecretary, sir," said Creswell with disappointment.
"I know the law. There was a poetic reason why I despised it, to begin with." Sirius sighed and added, "Blood Feuds are more pressing, and house Black declared a Blood Feud with Dolores Umbridge for her role in the obstruction of investigation on the attacks on the Potters, myself, and the Longbottoms back in 1981. Does anyone have something to refute this claim? Well, you would realize, Mr. Creswell, it was not an enormous loss. Still, my dog, meaning Fluffy, committed no crime; he just took a bite out of someone who was too close to his personal space and, coincidentally, was one of my house sworn enemies. Again, the dog is not at fault, unless he delivers a massive bowel movement that is pink and amphibian in shape, is that clear?" asked Sirius.
Dirk Creswell wanted to appear annoyed, but the man was a charmer, and in the back, the captors and himself began laughing at the argument. He nodded, cleared his throat, and said, "I too know the law, and you are right, the blood Feud takes precedence. You can take the dog, Lord Black."
Sirius smirked and said, "I gather, Mr. Creswell, that you are going to be made head of a department soon. Keep that brilliant head sharp in aiding others, and there is a bright future ahead of you. Have a good evening," said, Sirius. He cast a powerful immobilizing spell and reduced the Cerberus to a pocket-sized dog, placed him in a pet carrier, and disappeared without a sound.
End of Flashback.
"He's guarding Black Island and loves his vast playground. Hagrid is happy with this change and said that the Christmas Holidays in the Caribbean sounds great, plus, he's staying with a friend," answered Mary.
"How did Andy and Nev behave while we were gone?" asked Sirius.
Flashback.
3rd of November 1991.
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogsmeade.
Scotland UK.
Lady Augusta Longbottom was visiting the grounds and noticed Hermione was busy sending a package with the help of Andy's beautiful snowy owl. Hermione added, "Remember, Hedwig, this package goes to Madame and Monsieur Flamel only."
Gussie noticed Hagrid was a lot happier. Minerva was busy working with Emma and Alice, while Professor Severus Snape said goodbye to Draco, the young one who was moving to Switzerland with his mother. "I'm going to be fine, uncle Sev. Mom and I are Blacks now. My cousins are a great bunch and mom is starting a job at a Swiss Magical and Mundane school as DADA teacher. It's different, but my mom is happier, and so am I. Over here I'm Malfoy, over there, I'm Draco Black, and my twin cousins Reggie and Iggy are a riot. I'll be okay. I'll write."
Severus hugged Draco and said, "Okay, next time maybe we'll go to a Comic-con and you can dress as Luke Skywalker and I can go as Darth Vader?"
Draco drew a puzzled look and Severus smiled as he cryptically replied, "Ask the twins if they know who Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are? And ask about the Wednesday Whopping Movie Marathon; I promise you will love it."
Draco smiled brightly and said, "I will, thanks, uncle Sev."
As Gussie walked through the grounds, she came near a boulder and, behind the boulder, Andy Simmons and Neville Longbottom were quietly talking.
"Nev, what the hell, you were supposed to distract Professor Snape, not burn his cape. It was just a game," said Andy.
Neville's face lit up as though he was a red Christmas light. "It wasn't me. As you were playing out there, the Slytherins were using their cheap tactics in gameplay and Hermione and I were on our way to make a stand when Daphne spotted me, dragged me behind a stall, and kissed me. Hermione got annoyed at Professor Snape only smirking at the tactics and she lit on fire the scarfs of the silver and green cheer squad and got the Professors' cape too."
"What?" asked Andy,
"Your girlfriend is brilliant but scary. Once the Slytherins' screams were contained, you had the snitch in your hand, so I guess everyone was a winner," added Neville.
"So, that thing about talking to a girl worked then?" inquired Andy.
"Yeah, I did little talking, but Daphne says she loves my strong and silent ways," added Neville.
"That, or that you get tongue-tied every time she takes your hand, sure," Andy added.
"Everything is changing, Andy. The Weasley twins are no longer terrorizing our year mates and Ron is actually developing a relation with Sally and Percy. The blood feuds were satisfied, and most of the students in Slytherin, and some other houses, were taken away. Did your mom ever write to tell you what she did with Dumbledore?" asked Neville.
"Yeah, she sent a message with Bernardo the Potter Accountant and she said that Dumbledore learned of the destruction of the Horcruxes, the wraiths, the death eaters, and other house members in feud, and that Dumbledore himself was going to be remembered in the history books as the worse hypocrite in history. A book detailing his life and lies will hit the stands and his part in the conspiracy to assassinate the Potters and Longbottoms will be published. And about his Hallows quest, he was already talking to my mother, the envoy of death, and now the owner of the Hallows. Dumbledore soiled his robes; he was petrified and tossed over through Veil, along with the Prophecy orb, and that was that," said Andy.
"So, do you think you are going to say that you're Harry Potter?" asked Neville.
"Not now. Maybe when I turn seventeen and graduate. Oh, and by the way, I'm going into the mundane world to become a Veterinarian and come back and study Magizoology and open a dojo, and christen my firstborn son as Michael Andrew Potter. You see, I'm Harry Potter, Hello and Goodbye, and steal Hermione from all," said Andy.
"Go out with a bang, into a very boring life, I mean typical life, sounds like a plan," concurred Neville.
"I deserve a boring life, Neville. On the other hand, you can be prime minister and marry a Slytherin Princess," added Andy.
"We'll never be ordinary, Andy, but until our time to shine is up again, we'll just be kids," said Neville.
"Took the words out my mouth," added Andy.
Gussie walked away before the boys began exchanging ideas on how to become animagus.
End of Flashback.
"Like perfect boys," answered Gussie.
Mary smiled and added, "It's been a hard period of time, Gussie. I think I will go to rest a bit."
"Go ahead dear, let me know if you need anything," said Gussie.
"Oh, worry not, Gussie, I'll rub her feet. My dragon lady needs lots of cuddles and I'm the man for the job," said Sirius as he carried his wife through the threshold and to his room.
"Gussie, thanks for everything," said Mary just before the door closed.
"No dear, thank you," said Gussie as she cleaned the tears rolling down her face.
-oo0oo-
