Chapter 1: Hogwarts Bound

Martin Shaw sat at his writing desk. He had been there the entire morning. Before he met so many wonderful friends, he didn't spend much time writing. Now, it would take him hours. He would first write Draco and his Aunt, Augusta (who was no longer flirty and treated him as a son now), then the Grangers, then the Blacks, then the Potters, then the Snapes. Not to mention other friends he had made in and out of the curia in all these years. He could scarcely believe that time had passed so fast. He still remembered how scared and excited he was the day he arrived.

FLASHBACK

The sun rose over St. Peter's square. The ding-dong of bells resonated among the tall pillars. Martin Shaw walked briskly towards a phone booth, his small suitcase on the only thing he carried. He felt watched. As soon as he got to the phone, it rang.

"Buongiorno?"

"Martin Shaw?" an old woman's voice said on the phone.

"Si, sono io," Martin replied, looking around with uncertainty.

"Turn to your right," the voice said in a thick Italian accent. "A blue bike è parcheggiata davanti alla pizzeria. There is a map in the bike's basket with a route. Follow it. I can't say more—Le pareti hanno orecchie. A dopo,*" the voice whispered in a hurry.

"Grazie mille. A dopo," Martin replied in his best accent. His knowledge of Italian was a bit rusty. He walked to the bike, opened the map, and quickly memorized it. He folded it, put his small suitcase in the basket, and took off. Little did the priest know, he would not come out of the place he was going into for several years. His Holiness was waiting for him. They had a vast amount of work ahead, but Martin had promised Draco and his aunt that he would make them proud, and it was a promise he would not break.

END FLASHBACK

Martin had arrived at the Vatican a little over five years ago. From there, he had traveled all over the world, trying to help the pope fix things. They had been threatened. He had been beaten more than once. There were two attempts to poison the Pope. The information that Emma and Ianthe had sent him had caused Pope John Paul II to age significantly faster. The depth of the deception and the lies was too shocking, too painful. It had been years of struggle of unraveling mysteries, but they were making progress, slowly, but surely. Fifteen priests high up in the hierarchy had been forced into retirement and excommunicated. He was looking forward to visiting his aunt and Potter Manor this Christmas. It was a welcome break from all the watching over his back.

Puppeteers are unnervingly good at preventing strings from becoming knotted. The mastery Amelia Bones had to display to make sure there wasn't a second Wizarding versus Goblin war was quite extraordinary. She felt the need to make sure The Family saw she was on the side of justice and that she wasn't the Minister's lapdog. She managed to make Minister Bagnold's horrible behavior and incompetence front-page news for an entire month until wizards began demanding she was sacked. This was unnecessary, of course, because she had been six feet under for a while.

However, by the time the statements from the members of the Wizengamot present at the wedding and all the photographic evidence had been published, no one was particularly keen on fighting Goblin King Nagkrat The Conqueror and Goblin Queen Gankra The Slayer. Decree 17072016, the one that ended the war, clearly established that they had the right to respond with lethal force when their life was threatened in their territory. Dark purebloods were incensed that such a noble family like the Potters had essentially given co-ownership of their ancestral lands to such… creatures.

The Wizengamot held an extraordinary meeting, and Cornelius Fudge was appointed Interim Minister for Magic. The Potters had voted for him with stern warnings of their need for his cooperation, meaning their need for him not to obstruct their fight for a fairer, more equal society. Cornelius was fond of the old ways, but he was also fond of power, and he knew he had a better chance at making his position permanent if he didn't step on the toes of the Most Noble and Ancient families. Blood supremacists in the chamber had almost suffered a stroke when they were disabused of the notion that Lord and Lady Potter were dead.

Additionally, their hearts almost gave out when they realized that Sirius Black had actually married Remus Lupin-Black legally and that there was nothing anyone could do. To add insult to injury, Harry Potter had designated Remus as his Proxy. Lord and Lady Potter had seats, but Harry's parents also had their own seats as with their role in the last war, they were ascended to Order of Merlin first class, and as a thank you, Albus Dumbledore himself had given two seats to all the recipients. Oh, the irony! Now those seats would fight to the death to get him arrested and convicted. As Trevanian**** once wrote, "Irony is Fate's most common figure of speech."

Sirius was questioned in a public trial under Veritaserum, and he was promptly freed, with profuse apologies from the DMLE and the Ministry. The Family's first political success was to get Sirius acquitted and to have the Ministry pay him damages. He was entitled to significant monetary compensation for House of Black. In the following session, The Family presented their Alliance to the Wizengamot, which caused quite a stir, especially among historically dark-aligned Houses. Fear of retribution was evident in their faces. They looked at each other, trying to measure whether they would follow suit with a dark alliance of their own.

Lord and Lady Potter took back their positions as leaders of the wizarding communities of Great Britain while they spent significant time and resources having Dumbledore hunted down. They had tried to find Charles O'Brian too, but by the time they got any information about the man, he was beyond their reach. O'Brian ran back to the Vatican, and the intelligence gathered by Martin said that Charles was currently residing in Rome at The Church of the Gesu in Frascati. He was also under the protection of the Societas Iesu** and the Order of the Dragon, meaning he was currently untouchable by anyone in England. He had been promoted within the order when he revealed what was inside the chest being held closed by St. Peter's Chains.

With the help of Lily Potter, Emma and Dan were slowly but surely winning goblins over to technology. It took a year of hard work and many demonstrations for most tellers to come around, but they now had electricity in Gringotts and actual registers for each teller. They began using the typewriter, which was a problem because of their thick fingers. Emma suggested they hired a secretary, and they decided to do so on a trial basis. That was two years ago. Now, the secretary had the best high-speed computer available, and she was doing the correspondence daily using templates, mail merging, and spreadsheets that updated automatically and took out the guesswork and the calculations goblins had to go through multiple times a day.

The secretary was a squib that Edward Tonks had recommended. She was thrilled to be able to contribute to the Wizarding World. What had shocked both the goblins and the wizards was the thin paper that everything was printed on. What would have taken thick tomes now took many thin, small, white pages that were a quarter of the thickness of the old monthly account reports. The goblins found a way to avoid the paper from tearing or getting wet. Even the owls were quite pleased with carrying multiple balances at once in one trip instead of taking several exhausting trips with one hefty tome at a time each month.

Gringotts was growing fast and steady. The Queen and King were quite pleased with all the developments. Customers were happy if a bit resistant to the improvements. On Emma's request, the goblins -in disguise, of course- went to a non-magical amusement park so they could see the railings, the suspension, and all the security features that rollercoasters had. If they insisted on having such a means of transportation, it should, at the very least, not be a deathtrap. Daniel had a blast seeing their terrified "human" faces. Goblins were rarely scared. It was amusing to see their usually cold, reserved, neutral faces be expressive for a change.

Sharptooth swore to never get on any of those blasted muggle torture devices again, especially after they did the slingshot. One of the goblins had fainted. It didn't help that Mr. Granger seemed to be having the time of his life… like a child while they were holding on for dear life and struggling to keep the contents of their stomachs right where they were. After this, the goblins agreed that their mining rails needed some work. Especially since Emma mentioned that Ed had found a loophole that would allow wizards and witches to seek financial compensation for any injuries that happened within Gringotts in the existing ancient rails.

The kids at the manor were a strong unit by the time they were eleven years old. Ianthe had decided to stay with her daughters in France, but the kids kept regular correspondence. Draco was quite sad at losing Martin and Astoria, but the priest would write him one letter a week without fail, and Astoria had written him a few words. First, she wrote his name in wobbly handwriting with pretty colors: Draco. He had hung it on his dresser. She was starting to learn how to write. Then, she wrote a short: I miss you. That had been months ago. In the most recent letter, she wrote in French: Je veux te voir bientôt***. Her handwriting was improving. The kids had been learning French too at the insistence of both Dorea and Emma.

Harry and Hermione were like an old married couple at this point. They would finish each other's sentences, anticipate each other's needs, and were so in sync that even actual old married couples were surprised at how in tune they were. Professor Flitwick and Headmistress McGonagall had given them journals to write about their bond as best as they could. They would test the children in different ancient magics, and the results would always amaze the seasoned wizards. When they turned seven, the elves and the goblins had begun to teach them their magic and their war ways. The first thing they learned was the history behind the elven ways and the goblin's mightiness. Their gobbledegook improved slowly. Human vocal cords weren't that good at goblin sounds. But they were persistent.

Emma and Narcissa had started to teach the elves how to speak properly. They had been very embarrassed at first, but both women were kind and patient, and soon enough, all the elves at Potter Manor were speaking much better. Long gone were the days when they had subject-verb agreement issues or simply misspoke difficult words. Their diction was better, their vocabulary grew, and their voices were clearer. They were thankful to the mistresses, and their treehouse was flourishing. Fifteen young elves were running around their home now.

After the Massacre at Hogwarts, elves had gathered to decide that they needed to strengthen their numbers. It was a good thing that their pregnancies lasted five months only. Elves knew there was strength in numbers, and they wanted retribution. They wanted to make sure that when the fight began, they would have enough support. House Potter elves knew they had to set an example to other elves who were scared after that bloody night.

Neesy and Dobby named their firstborn daughter Libby, a combination of Lily and Dobby. Mrs. Potter had cried when she found out. It was a high honor for her. Blinky decided to name her son Tremmy, a combination of her late mate Trippy and Emma. The doctor had been over the moon with the news. The elven birthing experience had brought so much new knowledge to her, and to be able to assist had been illuminating and instructive, not to mention quite emotional.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger's practice was growing famous rapidly. Lady Longbottom and Emma worked together for three long years to create a burn salve almost as good as the magic one without magic. It was costly to produce and to package, but it was so effective that people didn't bat an eye at the price. Still, Emma was creating links with some charities to make it a bit more widely available for burn victims who could not afford it. Dorea had decided that, in their joint effort to bring magicals and non-magicals together, charity was a good start, so Lord and Lady Potter began to participate in the peerage with their ranks of Viscount and Viscountess Potter. It wasn't something they were quite fond of. Being a part of nobility essentially meant fancy events in which one had endless small talk for hours with people that Dorea and Charlus would not have chosen voluntarily to associate themselves with. It also meant that they needed to revamp Potter Castle. The property was mainly a museum now. Additionally, they had to have a second, muggle-friendly wardrobe and an expensive car.

Narcissa and Severus had moved in together and brought Eileen with them. They lived in a cottage just outside Hogsmeade. They married in a small ceremony with only their closest family and friends, planned expertly by Emma, of course. Narcissa chose to keep her last name as Black, and Severus didn't mind. Draco was still a Black too because Sirius and Remus quickly decided to make Draco their heir. Their fireplace always open to Potter Manor, Hogwarts, and Lily's lab. Narcissa was now a proficient potioneer. She had started as a part-time assistant, only preparing ingredients, but now Severus had her doing complicated potions entirely by herself. They created their own apothecary business to help make ends meet.

If anyone had told Narcissa that she could ever be so happy without any luxuries and working full time to make money, she would have thought they were mad. And yet, she had never been happier. She had invested money from the divorce into the business and into Draco's education. Her son was learning as much as he could, and he loved to help her organize ingredients and prepare flasks and vials. The boy's favorite part was pouring the potions, with all the security measures, of course. He also liked to see them bubble and simmer. It was magical and calming. Often, after his classes, he could be found reading in the lab or playing with his friends. He had grown particularly close to Luna, who had an extraordinary ability to calm everyone around her. Neville and Draco had struggled to become good friends, but with a little maneuvering from their other friends, they were now as close as they could be, considering their contrasting personalities.

Draco had indeed earned his broom from doing chores a few years back, and he took great care of it. He understood the value of material possessions now that he had to work for them. He had become very conscious about money and would help his mother do the math to buy supplies for the apothecary. He was always doing research (much to Hermione's delight) to find cheaper good quality ingredients and to save money by buying in bulk. He stopped caring about expensive clothes and things. He liked them, and he was glad if he got a nice piece of clothing as a gift, but now, he didn't need to have it. Narcissa had been delighted to find that muggle clothes were what both preferred, and those were cheaper, easier to wash, and much more comfortable than usual robes and tunics. They kept some, but only to wear them out and about in Hogsmeade and at formal events. Therapy had done wonders for them.

Eileen had decided to go back to work at Hogwarts after a year of intensive therapy. She had enjoyed being a librarian… and she was also enjoying the company of Professor Flitwick, much to the annoyance of her son. It wasn't that he didn't like Filius. He was a good wizard, a brave warrior, and a knowledgeable professor, but he was his co-worker… and Draco was taller than him now. Regardless of that, Snape was happy to see her mother finally with someone who genuinely cared about her and appreciated her worth. If the floral arrangements that were displayed on her desk every week was an indication, Filius really wanted to brighten her days, and he was succeeding. Having a grandson and a daughter in law had also help Eileen recover. Narcissa was excellent company. They could talk for hours. Draco adored his grandma and was constantly asking for stories on her lap. She was happy to oblige. She loved to run her fingers through the boy's former blonde locks.

FLASHBACK

Emma was working on updating some patient files when a tiny hand knocked at her door. Daniel was buying supplies today, and their secretary was out on medical leave. She found the visit odd as she wasn't expecting anyone, but she looked on the monitor at the security camera footage and saw a crying Draco holding on to a newspaper. She rushed to the door.

"Sugar! What's wrong?"

He jumped into her open arms and cried for quite a bit until his breathing returned to normal. She carried him to her couch and sat down, drawing soothing circles on his back with her palms.

"I d-don't want t-to look like h-him anymore!" Draco whisper shouted, handing her the newspaper.

Lucius Malfoy was on the cover page, holding his prisoner number with an ugly, arrogant smirk on his face. His signature platinum blonde hair styled exactly as Draco's was, if a bit longer. The boy did look far more like his father than his mother.

"Oh, honey…" Emma smiled sadly.

"I want t-to have d-dark hair like m-mother, Sev, and uncle P-Padfoot," Draco sighed, sobbing.

"I understand, sweetheart. Does your mom know you are here?" Emma asked with concern.

"Mother is working, but I t-told her, and she says that s-spells to change hair color are just for adults, auntie," Draco rested his head on the crook of Emma's neck. The doctor sighed and kissed the boy's forehead. In the five years since they met, both she and her husband had managed to earn Draco's trust and affection. They were his auntie Em and his uncle Dan.

"Well… there is a non-magical way to change your hair color. I'll call the lab. If Cissa gives me permission, then I'll help you with that, okay?"

Draco nodded with a small smile. Luckily, as the lab was originally Lily's, it had electricity and phone reception. Narcissa was glad that there was a way to change her son's hair. Emma consulted with her hairstylist, who was dismayed when she heard that the boy wanted to darken his impeccable platinum blonde locks. However, since Emma had sent her a message explaining the situation, she didn't ask the boy any questions. She did recommend going with dark brown, almost black, instead of pitch-black like the boy wanted because if Draco ever wanted to change to a lighter color, black dye was virtually impossible to lift. He would have to grow it out.

In any case, when Emma was shown the color samples, she quickly noted that Sirius and Narcissa's hair wasn't black. The hairstylist looked at some muggle pictures of them that Emma had brought and gave Draco a color that was so close to theirs that it actually looked as if he had been born with it. His brows were tinted too. Emma got the exact same dye so she could do it the next time at home. When the stylist was done, Draco cried in relief. He had been called Malfoy quite a few times at Hogsmeade, and he was sick of it. Any time he got called that he would also be called horrible things too. Emma took him for ice cream after that. His change was quite a hit with everyone, especially Narcissa. She would have never admitted it to anyone, but it was unnerving to have the person she loved the most look so eerily like the person she hated most. Draco's darker hair highlighted his beautiful eye color and the paleness of his complexion.

END FLASHBACK

Eileen had taken over Emma as the person in charge of coloring Draco's roots for a while, but the boy learned quickly. He was such a sweet kid. She had always wanted a grandchild, and now she felt she had several. Drakey was her favorite, though. He would bring her pretty stones and flowers from the manor. He would draw her things. In the beginning, his drawings weren't that good, but he had improved slowly but surely. All his drawings were framed, and they decorated the house.

Eileen made the best homemade oatmeal cookies. No, she wasn't cocky. It wasn't her opinion but that of anyone who tried them. Draco loved them, so she always made sure to make them when he was going to be in the house most of the day so he could have as many as he wanted. The boy had grown fond of house-elves when they taught him all about his chores, especially in the garden, and he was always talking to Dobby and helping him out around the manor, much to the elf's disbelief.

Tonks was enjoying having so many cousins. Before Potter Manor grew so much, she was used to always being alone. But she had enjoyed helping the kids learn about magic and being taught about other things the Grangers were teaching the magical families' children. It turns out that math is good for something, and scientific knowledge is also quite useful. She had graduated Hogwarts with several Outstandings, and Amelia Bones had personally invited her to join the junior Aurors, after a particularly glowing reference from Remus Lupin-Black.

Professor Lupin was always going to be Tonks's strictly platonic crush. She knew he was absolutely into his husband and that even if he wasn't, he would be into men, not her. At one point, during the most… Ahem, heated, times of her late teenage years, Tonks considered using her metamorphmagus' skill to change into a man and try her luck. Not with Lupin. He was sacred and on a shelf. She adored Sirius, and she could never do that, but she wanted to assuage her curiosity of what it would be like.

She couldn't help but compare anyone she kind of sort of liked to Remus. Her mother had warned her that she would break her own heart. It was, after all, a very unfair comparison. People her age were starting their career, and he was an experienced professional who was several years older and wiser. He was an incredible professor and mentor. He was mature and a perfect gentleman. Tonks did date here and there, both guys and girls, but it usually never went past a first or second date. No one had done that good in the comparisons.

Nymph was excited for her cousins starting Hogwarts. She had given them all the juicy tidbits parents and guardians wouldn't. They knew how to get away with a lot, what to avoid, where to run to in case of an emergency, etc. Professor McGonagall had decided to come back as a teacher first. She wasn't ready for the added pressure of being headmistress. Nymph insisted to her cousins that they better make sure aunt Minnie is okay often but that they should not ask questions, just shower her with love (in private, of course).

The Family had purchased all the school supplies, top quality, of course. The children had the required books that they had already read before the term started. Some of the work they did with their tutors, the rest was done on their own. Hermione wasn't sure about which pet she wanted yet, so she didn't get one. Harry had fallen in love with the snowy owl that his uncles gave him for his eleventh birthday. He named her Hedwig. The bird was brilliant and seemed to bond with the boy and, by extension, with Hermione. Athena wanted to come with them to Hogwarts, for added protection, but Lord and Lady Potter were not keen on the idea. Things could escalate quickly with a snake, even if it was technically family. Athena had refused to talk to them for a week for such a comment, but they won her over with a delicious meal.

Things were much better, financially, for Severus and Narcissa. She now had eight years of practice as a potioneer with Snape. Eileen had been helping them market to apothecaries abroad on the weekends. Draco didn't make any of the outlandish demands Narcissa was expecting as their financial situation improved. She feared that he would slip back to his father's ways now that he would see the children of his former associates. But there would be no demands from the boy. He had learned to be grateful for everything he was given. Father Martin had helped him mature in that respect. Draco would take great care of all his supplies and belongings. Since he was no longer blonde, his countenance now resembled more that of his mother than his father's. Narcissa had eventually gone back to her natural color and had added some burgundy highlights. Snape had kept the same haircut, but his hair was always clean and soft now.

Draco was a bit scared of being hurt if he got sorted into Slytherin. His friends had told him that they would riot and fight to have him move in wherever they ended up if anyone laid a finger on him. Draco was much happier now that he had friends who loved him and who would revolt to keep him safe. The best part was that they did it because they loved him as a person, not Lucius, nor any prestige or benefits they could get from his family. Draco was closest to Harry, but he grew very close to Hermione as well. This surprised him the most, but the girl was a fabulous study buddy with an impressive brain and excellent research skills. Her note-taking was impeccable. She had beautiful handwriting, and everything was color coordinated and charted to perfection.

Neville was flourishing now that his parents were recovering mobility and expression. Alice now could move her right hand fluidly. It was just her hand, but soon enough, Augusta and Emma conspired to get her a computer and so she had a special keyboard that allowed her to type phrases to communicate with her family. Frank's body was a bit worse for wear. When he was tortured, it wasn't just his mind, it was his body. He had been beaten, had his bones broken, and muscles severed. His bones had been fixed, but everything else was taking extensive, unbelievably excruciating physical therapy. So far, his hands were unresponsive, but he could stand longer than Alice, and his back started to prefer standing than sitting down. Frank's face was half frozen. Apparently, during his torture, he suffered a stroke, and half his face, as well as one arm, were entirely motionless. The therapist hoped that with newer techniques, things would improve, but it would be a long process. Neville didn't care. He had his parents back, not entirely, but just knowing they were there and that they could hear them and that his mom could reply, even if it took some time, meant everything to him.

Luna was sad that she would not get to share with her friends every day. But they promised to write, and they had a pact. If they made promises to each other, they would keep them no matter what, so she was much more resigned. She had been spending some time with her friend Ginevra. Before her other friends were a part of her life, she felt that Ginny was a good friend who cared about her. Now, Luna was not so sure. The redhead went from happy and nice to angry and mean in seconds. It was quite strange. Luna was starting to consider just spending time by herself or with the young Potter elves. They were still 'kids,' so they had a chance to play and enjoy, not just do her duties. Since the young seer treated everyone with equality, sweetness, and respect, all elves in the manor liked her.

On September 1st, everyone was up early to get to King's Cross. The adults wanted the children to get to experience the train ride and the bustle and hustle of Platform 9 ¾. The Grangers had been very amused by the idea of there being an invisible entrance to an invisible platform. The day before, Emma, Dan, Harry, and Hermione had gone to stay and say goodbye to Hermione's grandparents, who by now had taken Harry in as another grandchild. The boy had won them over with his shy politeness and his soft, gentlemanly manners.

Everyone decided to meet at 9.30 am at the train station so the children would have plenty of time to find a compartment and to put their charmed belongings in order. Sirius and Remus had spelled the bags and trunks to hold more things than they seemed to hold and to be weightless. The Potters had insisted on adding security measures to the children's trunks so only they could open them. Emma had made sure that the kids would have healthy snacks once Remus told her about the poor nutritional value of the ones from the trolley. She was okay with her kids trying things out, but she didn't want them to get sick from overeating candy.

As the Grangers and Harry got off Emma's parents' car and got the trunks and carriers off the car and said goodbye, a rather loud and numerous family of redheads had pushed past them quite rudely. The woman, who Emma assumed was the mother, was talking loudly, drawing a lot of attention to herself.

"I don't see him… just bloody muggles,"

Twin boys looked at their mother in confusion. "Well, maybe he's already in the platform."

"Mum! I'm hungry!" another lanky younger looking boy complained.

"Don't be ridiculous, Fred! He was raised by muggles. He won't know how to get in," the woman pulled them towards a miraculously empty bench. "Ronniekins, I packed you a lunch."

"But I want something from the trolley!" the boy groaned impolitely.

"Hey, we don't have money for that," twin A said with a frown at his annoying brother.

"You should be grateful that mom packed us a lunch. It's a long train ride," twin B said.

Harry hugged Emma's parents and thanked them for having him. Hermione followed suit. The grandparents crossed the children to bless them and said their goodbyes to Emma and Daniel. Hermione grabbed Hedwig's cage and her father's hand, and they began walking towards the division. Harry took hold of the bag that Daniel wasn't carrying and of Emma's hand. She brushed his fringe to hide the almost invisible scar. They waved at her parents and joined her husband and daughter. As Hermione walked by the redheads, the impolite one pushed his trunk into the cage earning an indignant shriek from Hedwig as the girl tripped and fell.

"Mione!" Harry rushed to help her up.

"Watch where you are going, muggle!" the boy made an angry face.

"Shhh! You are not supposed to use that word in public!" Hermione hissed.

"We are not muggles, and you did that on purpose!" Harry whisper shouted with a frown. Daniel picked up Hedwig and a bag.

"Watch it, boy," Daniel stood straight. His height and noticeable physique made Ron take a step back.

Emma picked the other bag and put a calming hand on Harry. She was expecting an apology from the mother or for her to at least acknowledge what had happened, but she didn't. "Let's get going, sweetheart."

The boy's mom was too busy fixing her daughter's hair. The twins stepped in front of their brother before he could say anything else. Twin A said, "Hi there, we are very sorry for our brother's clumsiness,"

"And rudeness. Are you okay?" the other twin asked.

Hermione nodded. Harry frowned. "Keep him away from us, will you?"

"We'll try our best. I'm Fred," the teen offered a smile and his hand. Both kids shook it.

"I'm George," he other twin said.

The children nodded, as did the adults, but they didn't provide their names.

"We need to get going, Fred, George. Excuse us," Daniel nodded with a frown at the mother who was pointedly looking the other way. He took Emma's hand and nudged Harry forward. Harry nodded, took Hermione's hand, and left. Once they went through the barrier, which was an extraordinary experience for the Grangers (they would have never willingly walked into a solid wall), they saw everyone waiting for them.

Tonks was laughing, one arm linked with Remus' forearm, and the other arm looped with Sirius' forearm. Her hair was currently styled in a black straight, mid-length style with teal ends. She was wearing her Auror Academy robe. Draco, Narcissa, and Snape were talking with Dorea and Charlus, who were trying to calm down a nervous Neville. Augusta was busy fixing Neville's trunk.

"Nymph!" Hermione ran to greet her and her uncles.

"Mi!" the Auror smiled. The two were close as sisters now, but only Harry got to call the girl "Mione."

"You came!" Hermione laughed when Tonks twirled her around.

"I don't break promises," she winked. "We found you all a great compartment. Let me help you with your bag."

"Padfoot! Moony!" Harry squeezed them tight.

"How was your little trip to Emma's parents?"

"Awesome! We went to an amusement part!" Harry smiled.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you had fun. You ready to have the best time of your life, pup?" Sirius smiled.

"Yes! I miss aunt Min-" Remus cleared his throat, and Harry corrected himself. "Professor McGonagall."

"She will be happy to see you. Remember that Aunt Andy is at Hogwarts in case you feel sick or need anything, okay?" Remus ruffled Harry's hair. "So is your uncle Severus, alright?" The boy nodded. Daniel took Hedwig's cage and his trunk to the compartment.

"Son, are you ready to go?" Charlus asked.

"Yes, grandpa. Grandma did you bring the-?" Harry began.

"Of course, I can't have my grandson hungry on the train. Although, I am sure Emma packed you something wonderful," Dorea pushed a heat preserving bag his way. He took it with a wide smile.

"She did… But it's a long ride…" Harry shuffled, looking down. Since he turned eleven, he was always hungry.

"I know, my little love. I hope you like it. Neesy packed all your and your friends' favorites," Dorea caressed his cheek and kissed his forehead. "Have a good year. Write often. If you need any more galleons or anything at all, send a note with Hedwig or tell Andy so she can contact us via her mirror."

"Yes, grandma. I will make you and grandpa proud," Harry puffed his chest.

The grandparents shared a look and chuckled. "We are plenty proud of you already."

Emma stood a few feet away against a wall, discreetly drying her eyes. Sending Harry and Hermione to a boarding school was troublesome for her. She would miss them like crazy, but that was not the only concern she had. They were too young to be hours away surrounded by hundreds of kids their age and only a handful of professors. When Sirius mentioned a Giant Squid in passing and a tree that hit people, she almost packed her kids and moved away. Who would have such things in a school for Christ's sake?

Daniel hugged her from behind. "Love, please try to compose yourself. The kids are already anxious as it is. We can have a good freakout once the train leaves, okay?" he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her.

Harry and Hermione felt pulled to Emma.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Hermione held her.

"Nothing, darling…" Emma dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Harry immediately took out a handkerchief and offer it to her, beating Dan to it.

"Emma, I know you are scared for us…" Harry began. He could somehow feel how she felt. It was like a ghost of a feeling, but it was there.

Emma looked at him and smiled sadly.

"I don't want you or Dan to worry. We will keep our promise. Hermione and I will stay away from dangerous things. We will look after each other, and if there is something wrong, we will call Aunt Minnie, Uncle Sev, or Auntie Andy," Harry said, holding Emma's hand. Hermione nodded with certainty.

Emma sighed. "I know. You are smart kids. I can't help but worry. Please, keep in touch as much as you can, and stay safe."

"We are going to miss you terribly, but we want you to have fun and to learn as much as you can," Dan smiled, squeezing Harry's shoulder.

"We'll miss you too…. Remember that we have our amulets to call for help too, and I double-checked that I had our muggle medication just in case."

"We love you," Dan and Emma said, squeezing both kids in a bone-crushing hug. We wuf u too, was the kids' muffled replied.

"Draco?" Sirius called the boy over before they got on the train.

"Yes, Lord Black?" the teen bowed slightly. Sirius and Remus exchanged amused looks. Not even years of familiarity had been able to shake some formality out of the kid.

"Listen, we know that there are going to be some people who may not be accepting of you at Hogwarts due to your father's actions…"

Draco looked down in shame, but Remus lifted his chin, "None of that. You have nothing to be ashamed of. All we want you to keep in mind is that you are Sirius' heir. That has responsibilities."

Sirius went on, "As our heir," he clarified, narrowing his eyes at his husband. "We expect you to uphold the family motto: Family above all."

"But we also want you to know that nothing matters to us more than your well-being. If anyone fights you, threatens you, or bullies you, you can use the power of House of Black to your advantage," Remus added.

"We will back any feud or any formal complaints you want to raise against other equal or minor houses. Do keep the rules in mind. You can't just call feuds over anything. I am sure I don't need to tell you which instances call for that," Sirius smirked.

Draco shook his head. He was very aware of the reasons for a feud.

"We know we are not your parents or your guardians, but if we can help in any way, I want you to consider us as such, alright?"

Draco nodded happily. "Sirius… I still think you could have chosen… another heir."

Remus knew the kid almost said a better heir.

Sirius chuckled, "Son, there aren't many people who can carry the weight of being an heir at your age. You carry it well. Also, you do us credit with your looks!"

Remus laughed and nodded. "Have we had biological children, we may not have been so lucky!"

"Hey! I will have you know I am famous for my looks!" Sirius grabbed his chest dramatically.

"That's the only reason I married you!" Remus replied without missing a beat.

Draco laughed while Sirius looked indignant for a second and then joined in.

"Son, you are worthy of being the Black heir. It is in your veins and in your marvelous brain. Never doubt that. Stand with pride and never allow anyone to try to make you feel inferior," Sirius said once he calmed down.

Draco nodded with a bit more certainty. He took both Remus' and Sirius' hand and kissed their signet rings as Lord Black and Lord Lupin-Black "I will not let you down."

The two men were surprised but nodded with affectionate smiles. "We are sure you will make us proud."

Everyone said their goodbyes and exchanged last-minute advice and such. By 10.30 a.m, the children were already sitting in their compartment, talking animatedly. Sirius asked Remus to keep an eye on them from afar. I wouldn't do to have other kids thinking there was any favoritism. No preferential treatment was needed. Remus was sure that the four would shine on their own right. They were smart and well prepared, not to mention polite and kind. It would be a good year.

Remus walked to his and Severus' compartment. He would miss his husband, as he always did, but this year, at least for the first couple of weeks, he would stay at Hogwarts while the children acclimated. It could take more than a month, but he was not so stressed because there were other people the kids could look for: Severus was really a new man; marrying Narcissa had rounded him up even more. Then, Andy was ready to unleash all her healing knowledge in reverse to hurt anyone who touched the kids. Remus sat down across from Severus. Both men took out a book and started to read while the train filled.

The train ride was enjoyable. The friends talked, read, and played scrabble. They stopped to have the snacks that Emma packed for them. By the time the lady of the trolley knocked on their compartment, they weren't particularly hungry, but they still tried a few treats: chocolate frogs and cauldron cake. They were in the middle of purchasing the sweets when the rude redhead pushed the lady to come into their compartment.

"Hey!" the lady complained, staggering over. Harry immediately got up and asked her if she was okay.

"I'm going to sit here with you. Everywhere else is full," the rude redhead said. He ignored the lady completely. "I'm Ronald Weasley. Who are you?"

"Hey! Apologize to the lady," Draco said, standing up with a frown.

"I am not apologizing to the help, who are you?" Ronald lifted a contemptuous brow.

Draco shook his head. Was he that conceited and annoying as a young child? Damn. "First of all, she is not the help," scion Black had noticed her name tag. "Mary is here to give us options, so we don't starve during the train ride," the teen smiled at Mary, who smiled back. "You should be grateful. In any case, you have no right to barge in demanding to sit with us. We got this compartment because, unlike you, we were here early."

"Also, are you blind? This compartment is full. There's four of us, which is the maximum capacity of the compartment," Hermione narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the redhead.

"No one asked you," Ronald retorted.

"Don't talk to her like that, Weasley!" Neville stood up and stepped protectively in front of Hermione.

Harry's eyes were hard and cold. He paid the lady for everyone's treats and helped her move the trolley. He turned back, ran a hand through his messy hair in exasperation. His faint scar was visible for half a second, but it was enough.

"Are you Harry Potter?!"

Harry ignored his question. "Look, Weasley. You have your brothers on this train. Go sit with them," Harry said with an angry expression, "before we lose our patience."

"But I just want to be your best friend!" Ron said, feigning hurt. "I have to be. You will need my help to stay on the good path."

"You want to be friends with The Boy Who Lived, not me. I already have wonderful people to help with that," Harry smiled at his friends.

"The son of a Death Eater, a squib, and a muggle-born?" Ron was appalled by this.

Draco got a deep shade of red, Neville just looked down, and Hermione stood up defiantly.

"Oi!" Draco complained. "Watch it! I haven't been a Malfoy for years. That criminal cast me out, thank Merlin! I am scion Black of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Just get out of here before we take out our wands!"

"As if that makes a difference. You were born a Malfoy, and you will always be a Malfoy. You know how magical blood works!" Ronald spat.

Hermione discreetly touched her amulet lightly and placed a restraining hand on Draco's shoulder. The boy was taking shaky breaths and seemed ready to hit Ronald. "Weasley, you are not welcome here. Scion Potter asked you to leave. Scion Black has told you to get out, and I am sure that scion Longbottom doesn't want you here. Also, for your information, Draco was adopted by blood ritual, and he and his Heads of House went through a lot of pain for it!"

"I am not talking to you, nerd!" Ron grunted.

Remus Lupin stood behind Ronald. "Miss Granger, is there a problem here?"

Ron jumped. Hermione turned on her acting skills and schooled her face to look sorry and sad. "Hello, Professor Lupin. We are telling Mr. Weasley here that he cannot sit with us. It's not that we don't want him here, but each compartment's capacity is four, and we are already full. Capacities are established for safety reasons, and we don't want to get in trouble. Harry told him to sit with his brothers, but he refuses to leave. He is being mean to us, and we would like him to leave us alone."

Remus lifted a questioning brow at Hermione, who kept the same expression and pouted prettily for good measure. His niece never pulled that act unless it was necessary. He could see Harry was about to start shouting at the boy. Draco seemed ready to jinx him, and Neville looked sad. It was a good thing that Hermione was the most level-headed of the group and that she thought to use the amulet.

Ron turned to the professor. He looked a bit pale, and his eyes were wide. That bitch! He thought, "I just want to be friends with Harry, Professor."

"I see… Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Percy are looking for you. You left your compartment a while ago, and they are worried you got lost. There will be enough time for you to make friends at Hogwarts. I will walk you back so you can find your way," Remus said with a smile that never reached his eyes.

Ronald left fuming.

"Are you all okay?" Remus asked before leaving.

"Yes, we will be fine now. Thanks, Uncle Moony," Hermione smiled brightly at him.

He winked at her and left. In his marriage to the King of Winks, he had picked up the skill too. Hermione closed the compartment, locked it, and closed the curtain on the small window of the door.

"He gets on my nerves!" she said, falling to her seat dramatically.

"What an idiot! If he keeps this up, we have to write to Lord Black and Lord Potter. He has no right to do things like this. He has to know where his family stands," Draco took a bite of his chocolate frog. Chocolate always made him feel better. He side glanced Neville, who was resting his head against the window. He noticed that there were tear-track marks down the cheek he could see. Draco had gotten much better at dealing with crying people. Without a word, he handed Nev another chocolate frog he had bought. He originally wanted it for dessert after dinner, but his friend needed it more.

Neville sniffed and took it with confusion evident on his face. "What's this for?"

Draco remembered what Dan explained to him when he had asked why chocolate made him happy, and so he told just that to Neville, "There are some components in chocolate that improve mood. One of them is something called tryptophan, which is an amino acid that helps the brain make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and satisfied."

"A neuro what?" Neville asked, perplexed, drying his tears with a handkerchief Draco offered him.

Hermione explained. "Let's just say that serotonin is a substance that makes you feel happy. Chocolate equals happiness," she smiled. "But you know what? You should not be sad at all, Neville. You are a wizard. You are going to Hogwarts!"

"I guarantee you are a much better wizard than Weasley," Harry said confidently.

"Absolutely. So are the four of us…" Draco said haughtily. Hermione lifted a brow at him. "I know you are a witch, and I am not trying to sound arrogant, Hermione. We have been studying and practicing for years, and I guarantee you that all he has been doing is playing Quidditch and degnoming his garden… if they even have a garden. I have no clue. Lucius never liked them. I thought it was just because they were poor and on the light side… but now I am not sure based on how impolite and uncouth this one is. I haven't met the others."

"How many are there?" Harry asked with wide eyes. "We saw Ronald, Fred, and George -who were actually much better- and a younger girl."

"They finally had a daughter, huh? Lucius said once that they kept having children because they wanted a girl and didn't get one. There are, I think, 3 older boys… I am not sure."

"That's a lot of kids…" Hermione said, laying her head on Harry's shoulder. She could feel he was still agitated, so she pushed calming energy. He sighed.

"Nev, you are going to do great. We have already read all the material and done most of the practices. We'll be fine…" Harry smiled at Neville.

"If anyone else tries to mess with you, we got you, okay? Just let us know who did it, and we'll take care of it," Draco said with a smirk, clapping on Neville's back.

Neville seemed a bit happier at that. The rest of the train ride was spent having fun and watching the beautiful landscape as the sun began to set.

A/N: I own nothing but my plot and my original war, conflict, some blood, drama, romance, adult topics, etc. Thank you for reading! This is a sequel to my previous story A Solid Foundation. -Lux-

*A blue bike is parked in front of the pizza parlor. There is a map in the bike's basket with a route. Follow it. I can't say more—The walls have ears. See you soon.

** Societas Iesu or The Society of Jesus is a religious order that had some militaristic tendencies. This was so because St. Ignatius Loyola, who was its founder, was a nobleman with a military background. The members of the society were expected to accept orders to go anywhere in the world, where they might be required to live in extreme conditions. Accordingly, the opening lines of their founding document declared that the society was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine." Jesuits are referred to as "God's soldiers," "God's marines," or "the Company," which evolved from references to Ignatius' history as a soldier and the society's commitment to accepting orders anywhere and to endure any conditions in the name of God. The current pope is a Jesuit. Make of that what you will.

***Je veux te voir bientôt means I want to see you soon.

****Rodney William Whitaker was a film scholar and writer who wrote under the pen name Trevanian.

Lastly, one of the last reviews on ASF (Part 1) was about not being able to take that piece seriously because of mixing in religion with magic and placing a tolerant and open priest, who sees beyond his nose. Not all priests are extremists about their beliefs. There are religious people with very open minds to knowledge and other people's ideas. Not extremists, obviously. Some atheists have an open mind to things science cannot explain yet or that it may never explain in our lifetime. Magic, just like religion, has historical precedents, and facts don't care about our feelings. Magic and Religion have coexisted for thousands of years. Think of the Inquisition and of religious persecution. Think of all the Shamans, the Caciques, the Elders, and Healers from various cultures who have been and are still slaughtered to this day. This year (June 8th, 2020), a man was killed by an angry mob accusing him of witchcraft in Guatemala. His name was Domingo Choc and he was burned alive. It was a tragedy. Is it horrifying this is still happening? Absolutely. Ignorance has robbed the world of a lot of advances and contributions. Does turning away from it make it disappear? Nope. When has ignoring a problem ever helped solve it? In this story, I want to propose something different, an amalgamation of diverse beliefs. The idea is to explore them together, to hopefully teach some things to the readers, and to invite them to reflect. We know very little about all there potentially is to know about life and the universe. The knowledge we have is biased. Remember that history is written by whoever won the battle or the war. Ask yourself: is what you learned in school the actual truth or is it what your government thinks is convenient for you to know? See you next Chapter.