Sorry, been meaning to get this out for a week or two, but I had exams, and I've been trying to catch up with the on-going coursework we've got on. Plus preparing for our next drama exam. Play based on The Crucible. Believe me, that's a creepy play.

17 pages! I'm good! That's over 5000 words. About the length of chapter I like to give. Worth a month's wait. Especially as I'm trying to pre-write as much as possible before exam months like June. And the start of uni in September - I'm preparing!

Enjoy!

Chapter 4: An Entertaining Trip

Summer 2003:

The remainder of the summer was spent furiously training. The kidnappings and break-ins had fuelled Harry and Neville in particular – both had lost their parents further. No one had understood why someone had robbed the graves of Lily and James Potter. Many had been confused as to why they weren't buried in the family crypt. That was soon answered – it had to be opened by a family member by blood or marriage, and Harry had been unavailable. They had been buried in the cemetery at Godric's Hollow.

By the end of the summer, all three boys had changed. Neville had rapidly lost his baby-fat, and, coupled with a growth spurt, he looked very different. Harry had also grown, and the mix of exercise and meals had not only improved his figure, but his speed was unrivalled. Ginny had indeed begun to call him 'Hunter', only to be called 'Siren' in response.

Indeed, her Voice had progressed and she had a power that she was still fighting to control. Once, a snapped "Sit down!" had resulted in Moody falling on his bum with everyone else, and Ginny turning scarlet.

All of them had changed from the summer of hard work. Ginny controlled her temper better, as did Ron, and both looked more toned with the physical exercise. All five were able to draw their wands at the speed of an Auror – Harry was quickest. He was not huge, still, just gracing six foot, but lean with wiry muscle. Hermione, while she had done some duelling practise, had also been researching and learning healing techniques. Her transfiguration was still to be rivalled, and she was also a skilled potions-brewer, if not an instinctive one.

Ginny's birthday came and went, none of them mentioning the funny feeling they had floating in their veins for the entire day.

Harry and Ginny did not sing with each other again, but were found on occasion with their heads together, plotting.

The brains' effect on Ron was being studied. He did not seem harmed, but occasionally came out with random facts and odd, almost prophetic sayings. He seemed able to see things others could not, which scared his mother to death.

OWLs had been achieved well. Hermione had received O for every subject except Defence, which had Harry grinning. He had achieved an O in defence, where she had an E. He had Es for most of his other subjects – including Potions. He had sighed that he wouldn't be able to take it, but accepted it anyway. Astronomy had been an A, with a P for Divination and D for History of Magic, but he'd never expected to do well in the latter two anyway, particularly with a vision in the middle of History.

Hermione had achieved Os, but for her one E, which she had been disappointed about. Ron had been pleased with his results. He'd failed History of Magic and Divination – as had Harry – but never expected to pass them anyway. He'd had no Outstandings, but had achieved Es in Potions and Transfiguration. His mother had been just as pleased, particularly since he'd scored more than Fred and George put together.

The trip to Diagon Alley had been swift and abrupt, following the delivery of the Hogwarts letters. Harry had been fascinated by Fred and George's joke shop, where they'd even set up a range of Defence items as well. One or two items – like the Extendable Ears and Eyes – were not on the shelves, being used exclusively by the Order – and Harry.

But even as they trained, the teenagers heard whispers, desperately trying to put together the puzzle of information that had been hidden for years. Kathryn Orenda – or was it Black as Harry was beginning to suspect? It would explain the conversations a lot more, not to mention Sirius.

Damion and Alura Jackson's children remained conspicuous by their absence in the Order Headquarters. They were left at home, with their grandparents, out with friends… Even the adopted children. It almost seemed specifically the adopted children.

Amelia Bones had been selected as the Minister, just ahead of the Head of the Auror Department, Rufus Scrimgeour. It had been decided that Scrimgeour was best where he was, though he was also one of Amelia's close advisors. It had been a near-run thing, with an attack on the Bones' home, but the vigilante had appeared again, and the Death Eaters were found outside, bound and bloodied, with a message written in fire – 'You will not take another family member from that girl.' 'Fire Star' had clearly meant Susan Bones, in Harry's year, who Harry remembered had lost her parents in the first war (they were members of the Order of the Phoenix), and she lived with her unmarried aunt. Silently, they all thanked whatever deities they believed in that the new Minister had not been harmed.

There had been a single day when Harry, tired of his hand-me-down Muggle clothing had commissioned the help of Tonks, Hermione and Ginny in shopping for some new clothes. His 'new look', as they put it, was one of casual sophistication. It had been decided that Harry's good looks – like Neville's – were the kind that would not look out of place in a First World War military uniform. They were the old-fashioned kind of handsome that was often admired in the wizarding world. Hermione had commented dryly that Harry also had the eyes of someone who had lived through the First World War.

Harry's only reply was a wondering question of maybe he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Hermione had merely stared, as her friend grinned as he picked up some shirts.

Ginny had made a joking comment about her brother as a punk, to which Hermione had again stared, but looked thoughtful. Ron wasn't one who'd look good in the old uniform, but rather the modern day Muggle loose jeans, tank top and shirt. Harry had just shaken his head at this comment, saying that it was all in the eye of the beholder, and how could attractiveness be split into periods anyway? This had begun a lecture that confused him thoroughly, except for when Ginny stated that he'd be thought of as a warrior whatever time-period they were in.

Harry had shuddered, praying he'd never have to go through serious time-travel.

Clothing bought, Harry had next engaged the help of Bill in enchanting his trunk permanently to hold more than the dimensions. He promised to buy himself a new trunk at some point – he didn't have nearly enough space in it now.

It wasn't until a few days later that it occurred to him that he could leave some belongings behind. He'd never risked it at the Dursleys, but here… He had his own room. Admittedly, it was shared with Ron and Neville, but still. He gave a smile. It wasn't home, but it was somewhere he belonged.

The first of September was arriving all too soon, and with the usual frantic packing and searching. Harry had pinned his Captain's badge to his robes in preparation, silently thrilled at the prospect. Ron had shown no jealousy, to his relief, and McGonagall returned his Firebolt in perfect condition.

Harry grinned on the thirty-first of August as he lied back on his bed after going over the final details of his and Ginny's plan.

This year was going to be interesting. He knew it.

XXXXX

1st September 2003:

It was breakfast when it happened.

"Urgh!" Paul Orenda and his twin brothers shuddered and cried, as though something had struck them through the heart.

But when they lifted their heads again, their eyes were bright.

"Can you feel it?" Paul asked them, as they nodded.

"He's returned. She's revealed it." Joseph Orenda murmured.

"We have to go." Jonah told the Order. "If what we think has happened, has happened…"

"Prepare for something dramatic to happen today…"

"She always had a flair for the dramatic."

The others stared in wonder as the three brothers high-tailed it out of Headquarters.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked her parents.

Molly merely smiled. "I think hope is returning."

XXXXXX

Harry stared at the clock as they arrived on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He frowned.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked him.

"Are we sure those are really your parents?" He asked her in a whisper, urgently.

"What? Why?" She demanded, sounding worried.

"We're early! Half an hour early!" Harry cried dramatically. "Those cannot be the Weasleys!"

Mrs Weasley tutted. "Really, Harry, we are the Weasleys. It's just easier to get things done without the twins messing around, making everyone late…"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I knew that."

"Besides, if you're early, it means you can get the best compartment." Remus grinned at him. "Right at the end…"

Harry and Ron grinned and raced to the end of the train, finding said compartment mercifully empty.

Harry looked around appreciatively. "Isn't this the one we shared with you in third-year, Remus?"

The man nodded. "Most people can't be bothered going to the end of the train, but we liked it for it's size."

"Yeah, you can fit more people in this one." Ron mused.

Ginny was staring at a wall. "There's something on here…"

Remus looked, and laughed. "We did that in our first-year."

In a 'square' diamond-shape was scratched the words 'Marauders' Compartment. Next to it with a plus sign was the word 'Enchanted' within a heart.

"Enchanted?"

"Our female counterparts. Your mum was one, Harry, and my Radella, and Alura…"

"Ah."

"Well, this is nice enough." Ginny grinned. "I think we can take this. Harry's got an inherited right, after all."

Remus grinned. "Alura and Damion's kids should be here soon as well. If you see them…"

"We'll be quite happy to invite them in." Harry assured him.

Remus nodded, and proceeded to wait on the platform as the others made their goodbyes. Remus was part of a protective force for Hogwarts, as was Tonks.

Harry grinned and stretched. "I'm going for a walk." He decided. "Get to look at the train when there's few people on board."

Neville nodded. "Enjoy. If you see Luna, invite her."

Harry gave a nod. "I was going to."

"I think I'll join you." Ginny decided.

As the two walked out of the compartment, the others frowned.

"They're up to something." Hermione concluded.

Ron snorted. "You think?"

Meanwhile, Ginny was giving Harry a mischievous look.

"You thinking what I think you're thinking?" She asked.

"Oh yes." Harry grinned. "Let the Phantoms begin."

The 'Phantoms' were a long-term prank the two had conceived during the holidays. If they timed it right, it would conclude right about Christmas. Originally, they were only going to use the one idea, but several others had intruded, so that the 'Phantoms' had a plethora to choose from, but one particular favourite. And they all had to link after all. Only certain things could have been chosen. And a request had been made from Fred and George.

"Thank Circe we mastered the spell." Ginny whispered.

"Yes, but the most fun will be had when we get to be the Phantoms." Harry grinned at her.

"Oh yes."

And so as they headed down the train, they began to plant one or two triggered spells. Some were short – the spell would only last from when a door opened to when it was closed. Others would last much longer. Yet others would come to life every time a door was opened, continuing a bit each time.

The pranksters smirked at each other in the knowledge that they were pulling a singularly original prank.

As Harry placed the last spell on the prefects' compartment, he grinned at his partner-in-crime.

"Done." He told his friend.

"Then we just need to activate them." Ginny told him.

"Later." Harry told her. "We need an audience to hear the very first 'haunting' of Hogwarts."

Ginny grinned. "With so many ghosts around, they're going to want to know what on earth is going on."

"Maybe, but if they hear enough…" Harry smirked. "Phantoms are different to ghosts, after all."

People were now getting onto the train.

"At eleven sharp." Harry told his friend. "We'll use a Disillusionment, and activate it. If you use your Voice a little so no one can tell where it comes from with Sonorus…"

Ginny nodded. "Perfect. Come on. We'd better get back to the compartment. Remind Ron and Hermione they need to be in the Prefects' Compartment."

"At the other end of the train."

"Exactly."

They smirked, looking forward to kicking off their prank, both silently wondering who they could bring in without ruining their finale.

The finale that, of course, would have two of their friends admitting their feelings for each other.

They ducked into their compartment a few minutes before eleven.

"You two might want to go." Harry pointed out. "Prefects' meeting."

"You don't mind, do you?" Hermione asked.

"Did I mind last year? No. Now scat." Harry grinned, plonking himself on a seat and his feet on the one Hermione had just vacated.

The older girl looked at him disapprovingly, but just sighed.

"We'll see you in a bit, come on, Ron." Hermione poked her other best friend in the ribs.

"Get off me, woman, I'm coming!" Ron cried. "See you later, Harry, Ginny, Nev."

"Later, Ron." Neville grinned.

As the door shut, Neville looked at the other two.

"What's going on? You did not just take a twenty-minute walk up and down the train." Neville fixed them with a beady eye.

"Well…" Harry mused.

Ginny just grinned evilly. "Can we bring him in, Harry? Make it a threesome?"

Neville choked, as Harry guffawed.

"Not like that, Neville!" Ginny complained. "Honestly, boys!"

"What did you expect, Ginny?" Harry asked. "We were gone that long, snogging is a possible conclusion."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not now."

"Never mind. You sing, Neville?"

Neville went scarlet. "Erm, a bit…"

"Perfect. And you'll find what's happening as soon as we activate the Phantoms."

"The whats?"

"Well, we're currently working with my estimable partners to get the final aspects done, but the Phantoms will be at Hogwarts until the finale."

"Finale…" Neville mused. "Can I sing… Phantoms…" His eyes widened. "Oh, no, you can't – but – it's brilliant!"

"We thought so too. Everyone's going to be so confused. Some actual phantasms will be there, other times just the voices, and from a variety of things. Naturally they'll assume Muggle-borns, because of the origins, but there have been Muggle performances in Jamatic Alley." Ginny grinned. "The one thing Mum likes about Dad's Muggle obsession."

Harry grinned. "The war's starting. We thought we'd bring a mystery to Hogwarts so everyone's got something else to worry about. And we've the tools and the spells to pull it off. Care to play a part?"

Neville's eyes widened. "Oh no, I'm not that good…"

"We'll decide that. Not all of the stuff gets set up today. We've got a trigger-release prepared for the Great Hall, and Ginny's power makes it easy to set of those on the train…"

"Speaking of…"

"It's eleven."

"Just jam the door and keep away from a window." Harry told her. "And the whistle…"

"Sonorus."

The whistle blew as the train began to move.

"Anywhere you go,

Let me go too!

Love me…

That's all I ask…

Of…

You!"

The music rang around the train, startling everyone, as the first high note seemed to match the train's whistle. Those on the platform looked confused as it reverberated around the outside as well.

The couple removed the spells, sat down, and gave a smug look.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this." Neville grinned at them.

XXXXX

Ten minutes later, they heard a squabble outside the door.

"It's not my fault we're late!" A boy's voice accused.

"Oh, and who decided he couldn't go to school without his hair products? You're worse than a girl!" An older girl's voice retorted.

"No, I'm not, Lenie."

"Yes, you are, Orion Coel." 'Lenie' snapped.

Harry froze. Something was so very familiar about that name. Lenie. Where had he heard it before?

Ginny pinched him. "Tonks mentioned a 'Lenie' a while ago. Kathryn Orenda's kid, I think."

Harry nodded. "We'll invite them in. If they knock, of course."

"Look, Mum said this is the largest compartment. If there're people in there, fine, but I'm sick of hulking this trunk around." The girl complained.

"Aww, is poor ickle Lenie all weak and tired?" The boy mocked.

"Orion, remember the time Mum accidentally set fire to your favourite shirt?"

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't Mum. And unless you want a repeat performance…" The threat was left hanging.

"Fine, fine. You gonna knock?"

"Gonna? Gonna? For Zeus' sake, Orion, speak correct English."

"What, until you slip into 'I've watched too many American TV shows' mode as well?"

"Exactly."

There was a knock on the compartment door.

"You can come in." Harry told them, his voice lazy. "Nice conversation."

The girl who entered blushed. "Uh, hi, thanks. We got on the train about a second before it left, so we haven't been able to find somewhere to sit."

She entered, dragging a trunk and a cage holding a barn owl inside. A younger boy holding his own trunk followed her. They both shoved their trunks into the luggage racks and sat down.

Harry observed them keenly. The girl possessed a remarkable likeness to the woman who had come to his house that nice over a month ago now. Dark blonde hair that curled around her shoulders, the exact colour of old brass, large, calf-like brown eyes, a fair, peaches and cream complexion. She was six inches taller than Ginny's petite five foot two, and slim without losing her curves. However, the mouth and chin were different, slightly squarer, and decisive rather than stubborn.

He gave a sidelong glance at Neville who was staring, and nudged him in the ribs. Neville averted his eyes. Harry admitted that it was hard not to stare, but rather wanted to know if he could get the girl's low-slung dark jeans and white tank top in Ginny's size. The younger girl would suit Muggle styles perfectly.

When Harry turned his attention to the boy, he stopped. Here was a near carbon copy of the Sirius he had seen in Snape's pensieve (or rather Dumbledore's pensieve that Snape had borrowed) the previous year. It was impossible that anyone else could be this boy's father unless Sirius had a twin. The boy's dark, glossy hair fell in his face with the same elegance, the grey eyes were equally deep, but held a cheerfulness and mischievousness that he'd not seen in the adult Sirius'. The eyes that were a Black family trait, he concluded, since he'd seen the cold, cruel version on Draco Malfoy. His skin was tan, his nose shorter than Sirius', and the chin rounder and stubborner. He also wasn't as tall, but better muscled.

"Hi." The girl grinned. "I'm Selene. Not Lenie, if you value your life, as my brother clearly doesn't."

The boy grinned. "I'm Orion. My chief mission in life is to annoy the pants off my sister, especially in mixed company. Ow!"

Selene gave a smug grin, and rubbed her hand. "Serves you right. Why was I cursed with a little brother?"

"Swap you your little brother for my six big ones." Ginny suggested.

The girl's eyes widened. "And I thought one was bad."

"Ginny Weasley. You will not find out my real first name, unless the divulger is suicidal."

"Death by Ginny. Hmm, I can think of worse ways to go." Harry teased, then held out a hand. "Harry Potter."

Selene grinned and put on a high-pitched, over-excited voice. "Oh my God! It's Harry Potter! I simply must get my knickers signed by him!"

"Please tell me you're stereotyping." Harry groaned.

"A little." Selene smirked.

"However, when the girls at school see what you've turned into…" Ginny gave him an appraising look.

"I'm going to a monastery. Someone, let me off the train!"

"Too late." Neville grinned. "Don't worry, Ron and Hermione will protect you."

"We'll put Hermione on the automatic Hogwarts, A History regurgitate setting…" Ginny grinned.

"I'm telling her you said that." Harry shook his head.

"So, what year're you in?" Orion asked.

Selene rolled her eyes. "Orion, remember that Mum said Harry was born the day before I was? And Neville the day before him?"

"Yes?"

"Then what year do you think they're in, dumbo?"

"Same as you."

"Give the boy a gold star!"

"Selene, someday someone is going to shove a whetstone in your mouth to blunt your goddamn tongue." Orion threatened.

"I'll cope until then."

"Besides, I wanted to know what year the lovely redhead is in, and whether I might chance her company to classes."

"Sorry, squirt." Ginny grinned. "I'm in fifth-year. You've gotta be in fourth tops."

The boy nodded. "Alas, alack! I shall never love again."

"Yeah, according to Mum, that's what Dad said in his fifth-year over Diana Hall. Then Mum woke up."

"And started flirting with him. Are we sure Mum's still sane?"

"No, but then I doubt Dad is either."

"Dad wasn't sane when he started school."

"True…"

"I think I'm doubting your sanity, but never mind." Harry observed.

The siblings shrugged. "So, what was that singing before?"

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe we'll find out at school."

"That, or Fred and George snuck on board." Harry grinned.

Neville shook his head at the pair's ease of deception.

"So," Selene looked at Neville, "you didn't give your name."

"But you guessed it with the birthdays." Neville pointed out. "Neville Longbottom at your service, milady."

Ginny and Harry exchanged raised eyebrows at the smooth introduction. Neville really had changed. That or Selene was giving off some kind of pheromone he couldn't resist. Although if he fancied her, that was probably happening naturally.

"Well then, hello, Neville." Selene smiled lightly.

"Fred and George?" Orion wondered.

"My twin brothers. They run the joke shop in Diagon Alley – Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." Ginny replied.

"We went in that place! It was awesome!" Orion grinned.

"So, who are your parents?" Harry wanted to know.

"Well, we've never actually met Dad." Selene looked down. "He disappeared when I was little, and before Orion was born. We've been living with Mum and Auntie Anne and Peppy since we were small."

"Peppy?"

"House-elf. And her spouse and kids."

"House-elf kids?" Ginny asked. "What are they like?"

"Small, really high-pitched. We grew up playing with them. They've got wonderful English now." Orion grinned.

"Your mum?" Neville asked.

"She said she was an Auror. Told us lots of stories about her and dad and their colleagues. Taid was an Auror too, killed in the First War."

"Taid?"

"It's Welsh for grandfather. North Wales Welsh, I think. Taid was Welsh, and Mum and her siblings grew up there, so Welsh titles. Except Avia. That was Latin, that Mum chose to use for her grandmother." Selene explained.

"Your mother's Kathryn Orenda." Harry stated, slightly wondrous, slightly matter-of-factly.

Selene and Orion's heads shot up to stare at him.

"Damn, you're good." Orion stated.

"See, he's always being underestimated. I told Mum he'd have found out by the end of the train ride, not to mention knowing who she is." Selene informed her brother.

Harry shrugged. "Simple deduction really. 'Specially since I heard Paul refer to his grandmother as Avia."

"Damn, done in by Ma's little brother." Orion groaned.

"'Rion, you know she hates that. It makes her feel old." Selene chided.

Her brother grinned. "S'why I do it. 'Sides, she's aged, what, twenty-seven at thirty-nine? She looks younger. Someone has to remind her of her age."

Selene rolled her eyes. "Wait until we see Avia. She must be in her nineties now, looking forty-five."

Orion giggled. Harry looked confused. "Is wizarding aging really that slow?"

"Depends on the families and the amount of magic a person has. The Dumbledores are known for only aging maybe twenty years behind Muggles, but the Headmaster's over one hundred and fifty, looking in his seventies or so. Obviously, he has huge magical reserves."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, Harry." Ginny patted him on the arm. "You won't outlive your loved ones."

"Why not?"

"Because we'll take you with us."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, you'll affix a self-destruct button, and when you die, you'll trigger it."

Ginny shook her head. "We'll just turn you into a god, and then you can pass from realm to realm."

"What? I don't think so."

Ginny giggled. "I thought so."

"So, what subjects are you taking?" Selene introduced a new topic.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration and Herbology. I wanted to take Potions, but Snape needs an O, and I got an E, and Auror Studies isn't on because they don't have a teacher."

"What?" Selene looked furious. "Why not? It's even more important now than ever! Couldn't the miserly government spare an Auror or two?"

Harry shook his head. "Amelia Bones tried, but there just isn't enough members. Any Aurors posted up here will not have time, and there's been so few recruits for the past five years that they just don't have the scope. That and Fudge's ridiculous laws that Bones is still trying to clear up after. She's trying to get the werewolf legislation sorted before someone like Fenrir Greyback can lure more werewolves to Voldemort's cause. You can't stamp out vampires, but none of them are likely to work with Voldemort – he's too polluted in their eyes, and made the irredeemable crime of stealing another's blood."

"What?" Selene gasped.

"At his resurrection." Neville answered for Harry. "A dark ritual with blood, flesh and bone. Harry was the blood."

"Luckily, my blood will have disappeared by now." Harry grinned. "The bone marrow will have replaced it with flesh blood. The bone marrow from Tommy's delightful Muggle father. Hmm, does that make his blood Muggle blood now?" He mused. "Wait until he hears that!"

At this moment, there were several knocks on the door, and a blonde head shoved through the door.

"Mind if we join you?" She asked, her voice a mix of English and Yankee accents.

Harry looked around the compartment. There were five of them now. It was large enough to hold at least six more, and none of them appeared to have their luggage.

"Please, sit down." Harry smiled.

The blonde girl was followed in by two dark-haired boys, both of whom shared her dark brown eyes, and a boy and girl with light-brown, sun-streaked hair and lupine hazel-amber eyes.

"Hi." Harry grinned. "Harry Potter."

"Really?" The elder of the two dark-haired boys asked. "Cool. Dad said he'd met you."

"Well, duh, he's been living where the meetings are held." The blonde girl rolled her eyes.

"You are?" Ginny asked.

The elder dark-haired boy grinned. "Allow me. I'm Robert – Rob – Jackson, seventh-year, and eldest of this lot. This is my sister, Halimeda – no, Meda, no hitting me – Jackson, sixth-year." The blonde girl scowled. "And my younger brother, Andrew Jackson, fourth-year."

"Yay, someone's there with me!" Orion grinned, holding out a hand. "Orion the Mischievous at your service."

"Not the Hunter?" Andrew asked, his accent the same American-English mix.

"Nah, Harry's got that covered." Ginny teased.

"And these last two are twins, Conall and Tala White. Our parents adopted them when we were small. They're more like cousins who live with us than brother and sister."

"Family, but not the same. Uncle Damion's always had us as a niece and nephew. Our colouring's more like his." Conall held out a hand. His voice was not the same. It was odd, reminding Harry of howling wolves under the full moon, and distinctly English.

Tala interpreted the confused look that had flickered on Ginny's face (Harry had had too much extra training over the holidays to betray his thoughts). "We've got distinctly non-American accents – that's what's wrong?" She asked.

Ginny gave a nod. "It's a little odd…"

"We've never figured it out. But Uncle Damion told us that we could tell you – he was specific, mind – that we have been in his care partially because of our heritage. And while he didn't tell us what it is, we've been working on it since we were old enough to understand, and we think we know what they've been hiding."

Harry grinned. "They'll fit in here just right."

"Too right, they will." Neville guffawed. "At least last time you went on an adventure, you didn't end up in a Full-Body Bind."

Harry rolled his eyes. "We did say sorry, and it was important…"

"I know!"

"Anyway, we think we know why the Mysteries Department has always been on our case." Conall continued. "And Uncle Damion works for them. We're the offspring of two werewolves."

Harry froze. "You sure?"

"We're naturally able to turn into wolves, yet we keep our minds. We have the attitudes of wolves – pack, monogamy, hunting – and attributes – hearing, night-sight, senses, stamina. We're not contagious, and we figure we were born with the werewolf allele activated, rather than it being forced into the DNA strand by a bite. We can't pass it on."

"Allele?" Harry asked. "There's one in everyone's DNA?"

Tala nodded. "There are a series of alleles that feature in magical children that are not in Muggles. Even in Muggle-borns, where the parents' magical life signatures bind in the child to form a witch or wizard, causing an extension to the sex chromosomes that hold magic. Within the alleles are those coding for animagus, metamorphmagus, werewolf and various other similar talents. Some alleles are harmful, and inbreeding means problems like insanity can increase exponentially."

"A werewolf allele is dominant, and it can only be passed down to a child. However, children can only originally spring from bitten wolves. With them, both non-werewolf alleles are forcibly activated by magic, which causes other problems, forming the disaster of lycanthropy. Two bitten-werewolf parents can only produce born-werewolves because the dominant allele of the werewolf actually attacks the non-werewolf allele, destroying any embryo. They appear sterile, because no child can form beyond a few cells. Both werewolf alleles, however, fuse and merge, meaning that we are born naturally, without the aggressive nature of the wolf taking over other parts of the chromosome."

"You took biology, didn't you?" Ginny guessed, trying not to show that the entire explanation was shooting over her head.

"They teach it in America. Genetics is fascinating." Harry grinned, inadvertently revealing something else.

'When did you find the time to study genetics, hmm, Potter?' She wondered.

"So basically, born-werewolves have to be born to two bitten-werewolf parents because of the aggressive nature and magic of the allele that causes lycanthropy in bitten-werewolves?" Harry asked. They nodded. "What about you?"

"The allele is stable in us, because we were born this way, and magic decreed it. We can have children normally, and they will probably have the same abilities."

"Homozygous natural lycanthropy." Harry mused.

"Exactly. Their grand-children have a half-chance of the same condition."

"Heterozygous dominant."

"Precisely."

"If you've finished with the genetics talk, can we get onto something more interesting?" Halimeda – or Meda as she insisted – asked.

Harry and the twins blushed. "Sorry."

"Quite alright." Rob grinned. "Meda gets the same way about Celtic history."

"Hey!"

Harry grinned. This was going to be an interesting trip.

XXXXX

A/N:

No points for guessing what I had been studying in particular when I wrote the last bit!

I turned eighteen at the beginning of the month. I now have my own laptop. Cool, huh? Gotta get used to it, though. And install a working version of Microsoft Office! I want Word! Works word processor is good, but awkward to save on.

Thanks to end of January module exams!

Lol, Tanydwr