Molly went back home and started preparing lunch for her own family. To say that her children were currently terrified of the sudden tranquillity that had settled over the Burrow was an understatement.

"Ron, please chew with your mouth closed if you want seconds. Have you all completed your summer homework?"

The four nodded in unison. "Good, after lunch please bring it so I can go over it once." The twins shrugged but Ron and Ginny paled.

"What's happened to mom?" Ginny hissed as the four went to get their things.

"Dad lost his temper. It was bad." George answered.

"Didn't you notice? The clock's gone." Fred added with a shiver.

Molly sat on the table waiting for her children to come back downstairs with their assignments. She'd been happily married for a little over 25 years and never in those 25 years had Arthur ever raised his voice at her but today everything had changed. The fight they'd had in Grimmauld place would forever be burned into her mind.

"HOW DARE YOU, I LOVE HIM LIKE HE WAS MY OWN!" Molly yelled.

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE ISN'T!" Sirius yelled back.

"ENOUGH!"

Both Sirius and Molly spun around to find Arthur seething. His breathing was ragged and a vein was pulsing on his blotchy forehead.

"I have had it! Sirius, ask your elves to pack our things please we are leaving!"

"But Arthur…"

"NO! Now you listen to me and listen to me very carefully Molly. I am done! It was you who wanted a daughter. I was happy with just Bill and Charlie, I got to spend time with them and even when Percy came, we were still managing. But you couldn't stop, you were desperate for a daughter and look what it's done to us! I used to be the head of the Muggle surveillance department. Yes, I enjoy muggle items but that's just a fucking hobby, I didn't want to end up in a dead-end career fixing regurgitating toilets for the rest of my life! But when the twins came you couldn't handle all the children alone and I had to find something that still put food on our table without having me working long hours or even days at a time."

Arthur pulled out a chair and slumped into it "and now this! Sirius is Harry's godfather; you may care about him but stop forcing yourself into his life. At least before showering him with all your love, focus on all the children you popped out to have Ginny that are feeling neglected."

"But Ginny's our baby…" Molly whispered.

"No Molly, she's your baby. I told you not to send her those dress robes she knew we couldn't afford them; she wasn't even supposed to go to the bloody ball. And now at barely 13 she's got a boyfriend. George and Fred are completely out of control and I don't blame them, I don't have the time to spend with them like I did with their brothers and you simply don't care. Instead of helping them with this project that they are so passionate about you spend your day cooking and screaming! HOW MUCH FOOD DOES OUR BLOODY FAMILY EAT!"

Both Molly and Sirius jumped at his sudden outburst.

"Don't even get me started on Ron, he's barely scraping by and you couldn't even teach the bugger how to chew! What have you been doing all these years? I tutored our eldest three, they then helped me with the twins but why didn't you do your duty with my youngest. It was your and your bloody demented great aunt Helga who believed in the prophecy of the seventh daughter changing our lives! Well guess what! Our lives have changed!"

He stood up abruptly and started pacing.

"Gone is the loving and caring woman that I'd fallen in love with and married. Instead, I'm living with a control freak banshee whose children detest her. You think Bill and Charlie don't visit because they are busy? They don't visit because every time they do you start smothering them; like that bloody clock you had made wasn't bad enough. I thought I could wait till the kids were old enough, but I heard you interrogating Bill about some girl. HE'S AN ADULT MOLLY! I wouldn't blame him if he up and left like Percy."

At this point Molly was quietly sobbing.

Arthur sighed "do you remember your dreams? You wanted to become a potions mistress. You could have followed that dream after Bill was born but you decided to chase after some ludicrous prophecy. Well, I've had it, I have accepted my fate, I will spend the rest of my days fixing toilets but I will not be miserable when I enter my home. From this moment on you are going to fix your mistakes, I am providing for our family. There's a roof over our head, clothes on our back and food on our table but you've failed as a mother. You have four children left under your care. I suggest you start doing your job immediately."

Molly simply nodded and made to leave.

"And another thing Molly, I love you, but I spend enough time during the day frustrated at work, if I'm forced to come back home to you screaming and expecting me to discipline the kids I will leave and I won't look back."

The twins placed their assignments in front of her. She was impressed with their work, "I'm actually impressed by everything except potions. It's like you aren't even trying and I know that you two brew a lot. I've seen the cauldron and the supplies hidden in your room."

"He hates us, but we'll ace the exam, there's just no point trying…" Fred piped up.

"He might hate you but you should take pride in your work. You want to start this prank store business, what will you do when you receive complaints about some of your products? Will you start doing a half ass job because you don't feel appreciated?"

The two squirmed uncomfortably in their chair, Molly had never mentioned their plan before. She'd normally just yell, threaten and tell them that they'd join the ministry.

"You've kept all the core subjects except History which is okay but why have you dropped Arithmancy and Ancient Runes? You will write to Minerva and each one of you will take at least one of the electives. You'll be starting this business together; these electives will come in handy."

They were too stunned to respond.

"We will set up a lab for you in the shed" she carried on not noticing their surprise "but till you are in school you are under my care which means that you will only use the lab under supervision. No more secret experiments in your room. I am on board with this plan of yours as long as you carry on doing well in school." They both immediately agreed. "Another thing, we do not take charity. You two will either treat the money that Harry's given you as a loan which you will return with interest or you will make him a silent partner and share a percentage of your earnings when the time comes."

Again, they both nodded, not believing their luck.

By the time she'd finished reading and correcting minor errors in their assignments Ron and Ginny had brought their assignments. To say that she was appalled at their work would be an understatement.

"What is this?"

"Assignments." Ron mumbled.

"Ginny you were sharing a room with Hermione, I know she finished her work I saw the parchments brimming with her handwriting but why didn't you do yours as well? Do you think I never went to school? I know that these are last year's assignments."

Ginny blushed a deep shade of red but hung her head in shame.

"And Ron, do you honestly think I wouldn't notice that you just wrote this? I can't even make out the words."

Everyone braced themselves for the impending explosion but nothing happened. Instead, Molly sighed and tiredly rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, I have already come to an understanding with Fred and George. Here's the deal, things are going to change around here; some changes you'll like others not so much but I'm your mother and you'll do as I say regardless. Ron, what do you want to do with your life?"

Ron blinked at her, not sure if she was setting him up "Err, I want to become an Auror?"

Molly nodded and stood up walking over to a drawer in the living room. She started shuffling through unopened letters till she found what she wanted. Tearing it open she came back to the table.

"So far all you've got are A's, you can't become an Auror with these grades."

"But I'll study hard for the OWL's and NEWT's; the other grades don't matter." He blurted out.

"That's where you are wrong. You think that they won't do a background check on you before allowing you to join the program? They don't want a slacker; nobody wants a slacker. Are you willing to study for another two years after Hogwarts?"

Ron blanched.

"I can see that you have some serious thinking to do…"

"I could become a Quidditch player!"

Molly gave her youngest son a long hard look before turning to look at her daughter.

"What about you Ginny, have you ever given any thought to your future?"

"I'd like to become a Quidditch player as well." She replied offhandedly.

"Alright, from tomorrow onwards we'll all be getting up at seven sharp. We will eat breakfast as a family. At eight o'clock when your father leaves for work, I will start preparing dinner while the four of you sit at this table and either study or do your assignments. I will be keeping an eye on you, if you don't do your work properly, you will spend the entire day on the table till it's done properly. At half past eleven we will all go outside; Ron and Ginny can practice Quidditch while Fred and George work on their project."

She could see that her kids had mixed feelings about this new regime, while the twins seemed happy, Ron and Ginny were sulking.

"For lunch I will make myself a sandwich and you all can either do the same or you can cook something that's up to you." Molly put her hand up to stop Ron from complaining "Bill and Charlie would do the same and would even do it for Fred, George and Percy when they were younger. It's time you learnt a few life essentials. I will only clean my room, the kitchen and the living room. At the moment your rooms look like pigsties, I expect you to keep your surroundings spotless and you will take turns cleaning the bathroom. If you do everything, you can spend your evenings as you like."

"Can't I spend the evening flying and wake up later! It's summer…" Ron whined.

"You won't just be playing Quidditch, you'll be doing drills! The way Charlie used to do, when he was at school."

"But that's not fair."

"You two are pants at Quidditch. Mums right if you want to really do something you need to be good at it."

"Well dad knows nothing about muggles and look at him!" Ginny shot back at Fred.

"Now you listen to me very carefully Ginevra, your father is doing the best he can with what he has. Do you think he wanted to live this life? No! He had dreams but things don't always go the way you want them to. That's life but it is our job as parents to make sure that we can create every possible opportunity for our kids' dreams to come true. Which brings me to another concern, I heard you two back at Grimmauld place."

Both Ron and Ginny crossed their arms grumbling under their breath.

"Harry Potter is a good boy. Yes, he is richer than we are and yes, he is famous but if you two can't treat him with respect then I want you to stop talking to him. Has Harry ever lauded his money over you? Or his fame?"

Ron shook his head.

"Do you expect him to share his vault with you? Have I raised a son who will spend the rest of his life on other people's charity? You could become rich and famous too by working really hard or you could pray that some dark lord kills us all, leaving you as a sole survivor who can then go live with aunt Muriel and enjoy his wealth and fame. Do you want to go stay with aunt Muriel? I'll write her a letter right now."

Ron paled and actually shivered at the thought of living with his mother's great-aunt. "No" he mumbled, sinking further down in his chair as for the first time in five years the reality of Harry's situation hit him.

"Ginny, has Harry ever shown any interest in you?"

The girl blushed crimson but shook her head.

"Then why are you playing games?"

"Hermione said that it would make him jealous." She blurted out.

"Then I suggest that you stay away from Hermione and Harry. I am not okay with how fixated you are on the poor boy. We will be talking more about this later and you will not be dating anyone till after your OWL's."

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"I have already asked Fred to send a letter to this boy and let him know that your parents think that you are too young to date."

"You wouldn't!" She glared at Fred.

"I will. If you actually liked the guy I wouldn't have agreed with mom, but using him to get to Harry… sorry but that's not okay." George nodded along with his brother.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!" she yelled and ran up to her room in tears.

Fred and George went to set up their workspace in the shed and even taught Ron some drills. Ginny spent the afternoon in her room.

Molly had just finished clearing up and preparing dinner when an old photo album caught her eye. Flicking through it she couldn't help but smile, she'd truly been so different back then.

Making up her mind she got up and went to her bedroom where she started organizing her closet. She had a shower and got dressed, she barely recognized the woman in the mirror; she hadn't seen her in over 16 years.

"Mom?" Ron asked when she walked down the steps.

"Woah! You look, you look!" George stuttered.

"You don't look like mom!" Fred supplied.

"Oh, hush you boys!" Molly said with a laugh "I just found an old dress and put on some makeup."

"But your clothes actually match."

"The red sweater matches the red flowers on the black dress."

"And the black sandals aren't frayed."

"And your skin looks smooth."

"And you smell so good."

Molly knew that her twins were teasing her but she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Especially with the way that Arthur looked at her when he walked in.

"Come on Ginny, dad's home we are setting the table."

"Go away Ron, I hate you all."

"Stop being such a brat!"

"That's rich coming from you!"

"What's your problem Ginny? Why are you ruining this for everyone?"

"Go away! Or I'll hex you!"

"What's going on here?"

"Dad! Mom's ruining my life!" Ginny wailed and started sobbing.

"That's alright dear but we are all sitting down for dinner now, you can throw your tantrum after dinner."

Ginny actually stopped crying and looked at her father wide eyed. She always got her way with tears or threats.

"I will not eat if Fred sends that letter."

"Very well, I guess it'll just be the five of us then." He said, turning around and looking at the boys.

"I won't do any work either!"

"Okay, I will let your mother know so that she can buy the necessary supplies."

"Supplies?"

"Well, if you refuse to do anything at all then you obviously won't be going back to Hogwarts so Molly will have to home school you, she'll need supplies for that."

Ginny was now openly gaping at her father. Her parents had always been a team but her mother would just scream and shout and deliver empty threats and her father would simply turn a blind eye to everything.

"You wouldn't!" She managed to say.

"I would and I will. You don't have to study, you can sit at the house all day long if you like but if by 17 you don't have your OWL's and NEWT's, you'll have to figure your own way in life. Now dinner's getting cold and I'm ravenous."

It took Ginny two days to finally give in, it had been very difficult for Arthur and Molly to see her suffering but they'd stuck to their guns and after many years the Burrow was filled with a general feeling of peace and happiness. No one was fighting, there was no shouting and everyone once again was feeling like a part of the family.

Molly spent the rest of the summer holidays in the same fashion, every time she'd feel like she was slipping into her old ways she'd imagine life without her beloved Arthur and push through the obstacles.

An explosion rocked Grimmauld place. Several Order members ran out of the kitchen wands at the ready only to find Sirius laughing his ass off on the staircase.

Harry stood on the landing covered in goo.

"Don't worry!" Sirius said moving his hand dismissively at the group "Harry was trying to brew."

"I wasn't trying, I was brewing. Sirius set me up, he said that beetle juice would make the pepper-up potion more potent." Harry added dryly.

Tonks shook her head in amusement "I thought you read the chapter on which ingredients should never be mixed."

"I did," Harry whined, "but I trusted him!"

She couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips "never trust Sirius near a cauldron."

Harry glared at everyone who now looked equally amused before walking away, leaving a trail of goo in his wake.

So far summer had been great, Sirius and Tonks had both taken it upon themselves to help Harry study. Harry had initially been shocked to find out that both Sirius and Tonks were simply put, brilliant. Always having seen them goofing around, he'd never imagined that they could be so focused. Of course, when he stopped to think about everything his godfather and his dad had accomplished during their time at Hogwarts he should have presumed as much and Tonks, well she wasn't Moody's prodigy for no rhyme or reason.

He had a quick shower and changed. Walking out he noticed the letter from his secret friend and cursed inwardly. They'd sent it over a week ago, between revisions, spending time with Sirius and other Order members who'd tell him snippets about their lives he'd completely forgotten to reply.

Dear Harry,

I know you have your own problems which are more pressing at the moment, but I just needed to talk to someone. I recently lost someone dear to me, even though it was just a matter of time their demise still pained me deeply.

I suppose I'll be spending the rest of the summer reflecting over the direction I want my life to take now. How are things with you?

A concerned shadow.

"Shit" Harry cursed under his breath. CS must think that he's only interested in offloading his problems seeing how he hadn't bothered replying. If only he'd read the letter when it had arrived, but when Nighty had popped in, Sirius and Tonks were taking Harry to a bowling alley. In his excitement to go and their plan to do it behind everyone's back he'd completely forgotten about the person that made all this possible.

Taking out a piece of parchment he tried to think of the best reply to something like this. He was tempted to go ask Sirius for help but for some reason this felt very personal and he didn't want to share this particular piece of information with anyone. After staring at a blank piece of parchment for well over an hour, he decided to take a page out of his secret friend's book.

Dear CS,

I apologize for taking so long to reply. I am sorry for your loss and I do hope that you are doing okay. I wish I could say something to make you feel better, but I don't think words will make the pain you are feeling any less. I can however lend an ear whenever you need one. Maybe we could even meet and talk in person when we are back at Hogwarts.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Harry

He read the letter five times before calling out for Nighty. His reply felt hollow, but he didn't know them and from their vague replies it was clear that they wanted to keep it like that. It was strange, he realized for the first time, how a complete stranger now knew everything about him but he didn't even know their name. Not for the first time, he wondered what someone would gain from helping him but now a slither of something darker was creeping into this idea, was it doubt he wondered.

Daphne was once again sitting in her favourite spot in the garden. Her sister was spending time at Malfoy Manor and Tracey would only come back on the 31st of August. Being alone in her manor had initially been strange but now it had become down right depressing.

Nighty popping in with Harry's reply had only made matters worse. She realized, that she'd kept up walls for so long that now when she needed someone to confide in, she had no one. She toyed with the idea of writing to Harry, but it was a futile thought. How could she open up to him in a letter when, even with Tracey, her best friend she always shared things in person, it was the only way she could truly gauge the other persons reaction.

Fortunately, time flew by and on the 1st of September Daphne made her way to King's Cross with a new goal in mind.