I really should've got this chapter up yesterday but I just couldn't round it off properly. Hope you enjoy it though. Please can you read the note at the bottom of the document as it is vitally important you understand my position in writing this story.

Thank you.

As Seasons Change

Eight: A Surprising Offer

Hermione Granger Weasley was well respected within the Wizarding Community. Her dedication to any causes proved that she was one hell of a good witch to get through many of the regulations concerning slavery and getting them resolved, so that those in slavery had the freedom to do what they wanted. Of course, only a few house elves had taken up that offer of payment. Hermione, in secret, worked closely with Draco Malfoy, who had since disappeared from Wizarding view, though he had approached her a few years ago. He had told her he was head of a specialised, funded government agency, set up by Albus Dumbledore, that helped to track down Dark objects and former Death Eaters. Though that was the Aurors job and the people in the Department of Mysteries, it seemed that the headmaster trusted Draco Malfoy to give him that responsibility.

Over the years she had heard reports of Death Eaters being caught and tried, but no knowledge of who had found them. Since being reacquainted with Malfoy, the answers had become clearly. His father as a Death Eater proved to be a valuable source and it was that, that aided Draco in his endeavour to help all the people, whether they were magical or not.

Her other job occurred over the summer holidays. She went to Muggles who had children that were legible to attend Hogwarts School the following September. Her doing this enabled the Muggles to learn a bit about her and how she had accepted the fact that she was a Witch.

When Ginny had made the announcement that she would return to work, Hermione had offered her to work with her. She was part secretary and part business partner. Hermione and Ginny worked well together. Their fierceness in what they believed in showed others they were a formidable team. Harry had joined the Aurors shortly after returning to the Wizarding World, but he had realised he wanted to spend more time with his family and had quit. Ginny had decided it was best for her to bring in some money, even though, thanks to Harry defeating Voldemort, the Ministry paid them an amount of money every month in compensation for his help. Still, Ginny wanted to show the world that she was not just some hero's wife and trophy: she wanted the community to realise that was her own person.

It was that attitude that gave Ginny the recognition that she deserved.

Every so often, Regulus would accidentally let slip things about the Wizarding World. Combined with his incredible imagination, his teachers put him down as a highly, hyper boy. Once he had settled down, Regulus had proved he was more Weasley then Potter. He took after his uncles, Fred and George. He loved playing tricks, though he had to make do with Muggle tricks, which to him were not fun at all. It was in these cases that he accidentally spoke to Thomas about some of his Uncles products. Regulus didn't know that Thomas was highly suspicious of his family, that there was something odd about them.

No one could have an imagination like that and not have some element of proof that it was real.

Since joining the Muggle School Regulus had taken an interest in Ice Hockey. He and Thomas had applied for the county team and had succeeded in getting in. Regulus proved to be a wonderful skater and scored many points for his team. Thomas was just as good. It was the only other sport, other then Quidditch, that Regulus enjoyed.

When he and Thomas had taken James, Sirius, Remus, as well as Regulus' father and mother and little sister, to play Ice Hockey, Thomas was surprised that none of them knew how to play it. He spent ten minutes going through it, realising for the first time that something was odd about this Potter family. Of course, once they had got the hang of it, Lily watching from the side, the match turned into 'chase the kids round the rink' game. Quite surprising, Sirius was the worst at Ice Skating and couldn't get the hang of it. He managed to play Hockey for a bit, but he was surprised that he hadn't got the hang of it, as he thought he might've done.

Years seemed to fly by and Regulus grew older.

25th July 2015

Regulus stood next to his mother and Hermione as they wait outside a familiar red door. It was recognisable because this was where Thomas Madely, Regulus' school friend lived, however this was no social visit, this was a visit of utmost importance. They knocked gently on the door, and waited till Mrs Madely answered.

She was a tall woman, with curly brown hair. Her face was round, and her eyes a bright blue. She smiled warmly at Ginny. "I didn't know that you had arranged something with us today?" she asked, sounding a little mystified why they had turned up.

Ginny apologised. "It's not what you think either." She smiled warmly. "We're here for a reason."

Regulus was grinning madly. He knew what was going on. During the last week Hermione had been finalising the list of new students to Hogwarts, and Thomas Madely was on the list. As Regulus was his best friend, and Ginny was close friends with the boy's mother, it seemed only natural to bring Regulus along.

Mrs Madely nodded, and stepped aside, allowing the three to enter. She gave a small smile. They were led into a small living room. Directed to the sofa they sat down, Regulus in the middle.

"Cup of tea?" Mrs Madely asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No thank you."

Ginny also neglected the offer, however Mrs Madely brought in a glass of water each.

"May your son and husband be present for this discussion?" Ginny asked. "It is a matter of most importance about your son's future."

"What future?"

"Please, trust me." Pleaded Ginny.

Mrs Madely waited and then summoned her son and hubby, who came in from the garden.

"Reg!" Thomas yelled. "How are you?"

Regulus grinned. "I'm fine."

Once everyone had seated, Ginny began to speak, her voice smooth and full of confidence, but also kind. "There are many things that you don't know about us. My family. You've never been allowed to our house for a reason, and I know we've never given you an accurate reason, but now it is possible for us to do that. You see, my family are Wizards."

She waited for the words to sink in.

"What does that mean? You mean you're magicians?" Mrs Madely asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No we don't mean that. May we demonstrate?"

There was a slight hesitation but the Madely's relented. Hermione stood up, and took out her wand and performed a simple spell that lifted Regulus up in the air. She then conjured some flowers and set them neatly in a vase, filled with water.

"What the…?"

Silence reigned.

"That's impossible." Mr Madely said.

"No, it's not." Hermione replied.

"Mr and Mrs Madely," began Ginny, "you must become aware that there is a hidden society among your own. That is the world of magic. Wizards and Witches are real, and your son, is one of them. As am I, Regulus and all our family. Our house is filled to the brim of magical stuff, and if you came then there could be trouble as people who are not aware of our world, cannot come into contact with us. We took it upon ourselves to send Regulus to Primary school, so he could have some teaching of your world."

Mr Madely stood up and began to pace. "So, you're saying that my son, my son, can do magic, which by all accounts is not even real?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. There is a school where he can learn to control his powers. Regulus will be attending there in September for seven years where he will learn spells, defence, potions, charms, many other things that Muggles (which are people who do not have magical ability, like you) cannot learn or believe in. However it is entirely up to you if you wish for your son to walk this path."

The mother hugged her son. "What about a job afterwards?"

"There are many occupations in the Wizarding World that Thomas could do. He can still work in the Muggle world, but he wouldn't be able to openly use his magical powers."

"How is it possible for my son to be magic when you've so bluntly said, we're not?"

"I'm Muggle-born." Hermione replied. "I came from a family that didn't know about magic. My parents aren't, no one else is. It is possible for a magical child to be born to you, and that is what has been done. I know this is a shock to you, but Thomas wouldn't be alone in this new world like I was. He would have the wonderful friendship of Regulus."

"Any questions that you may have, you can ask us. And because you know of our world, you would be welcome to visit out house. You can also visit magical places because of Thomas. It is entirely up to you." Ginny finished.

Once again there was silence.

"It's just a shock." Mrs Madely whispered after a while. "I mean, Thomas, magical? It seems impossible. And is this school local?"

"I'm afraid not. It's up North somewhere. High in the mountains for protection. Magical boundaries keep people who are not welcome away. It is isolated for the outside world. It is a boarding school, so Thomas would be staying for a term before coming home. Holidays are Christmas, Easter and the Summer." Hermione explained.

"I enjoyed Hogwarts when I was there. I met wonderful friends and fell in love with my husband," continued Ginny. "Hogwarts is a wonderful opportunity. Please think about it."

Mr Madely raised a hand. "I do not think it is up to us to decide. We've always let Thomas make his own decisions, so we'll ask him now. Thomas? Would you like to learn magic?" It sounded corny at best.

"If Reg's going to be there, then I'm going to be fine, aren't I?"

Regulus nodded.

"That a yes, then?"

Thomas replied: "Yep!"

Ginny opened a small folder she had brought with her. "Here is your letter. It has your list of equipment. If you like, we would be happy to help you become accustomed to the magical world, if you wish. When Regulus goes to pick up his school supplies, we can bring you along if you wish."

"I suppose that is a nice offer. Allow us to see what our son is getting into."

An odd letter found it's way to Harry on the morning of his birthday. He was quite surprised as he didn't recognise the handwriting. He frowned as he slowly slit the letter. He sat in his office, sequestered away from the rest of his family. He didn't want to open it but he finally decided, after casting diagnostic spells on it, that it was perfectly safe.

Slitting it open, he read through the letter.

Happy Birthday, Harry!

I realise we haven't kept in touch (apparently I've disappeared from public view, though that is partially true, my work is important) but I thought it was high time to see how you are. You may have heard of rumours of 'Dark Warriors' running about, well, that's my job.

As you know, my father and mother were both Death Eaters, and I was on the verge of becoming one. I set up this little group, with aid from the ministry, that aids the Aurors in tracking down Death Eaters. We pass information down to them, and help them gain access into their hidey-holes. This is a job I'm proud off, and my mother would be too. My father was too late to step away from the madness that was Voldemort, but I was not.

My aim is to change the public's view on the Malfoy family.

I would be greatly honoured if you, Harry Potter, would join us in this endeavour to fight the darkness that is still stirring within our borders. If you wish to learn more, send Gryffy back with an answer.

Your friend (and once enemy)

Draco Malfoy,

Heir of the Malfoy Family,

Head of the Hunting Division

Harry re-read the letter before contemplating. He didn't know what to say. Draco was offering him a job. Did he really want to go back to work? Regulus was old enough to go to Hogwarts, and Lily, she was a responsible girl. She could easily look after herself.

Finally, Harry wrote a reply, saying: Come to my home on the 10th September. He signed the note and sent the owl on its way. Leaning back in his chair, he found his mind wandering into the past.

TBC

Hope you liked it. We've now come to the end of part one. Part Two will be starting in the next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! Chapter Nine will embark Regulus and Thomas on a journey of discovery at Hogwarts School!

IMPORTANT NOTE

Some of you may remember that I said that updates would be less frequent from now on…well that is still happening. However, I've had trouble writing this story from the start, and I'm looking ahead at my chapter plan, therefore I've decided that I will be trying to write at least 10-20 pages of the story before posting. As this is a really hard story to write, it will probably take me longer to update then two weeks, so my posting will not be frequent. I will try and get a chapter up a month, depending on what I decide to put in the chapter.

I've been considering this stories future. Therefore I have decided that the story will go up to the time when Regulus leaves Hogwarts (if he does). Then I will write an epilogue which will explain the fates of the other characters. I feel that that will be the best way to end it. Please note, that this will have a lot of chapters in it, and I'm not spending all the time writing it, as I'm attempting to write my other Harry Potter story (which is very hard to write at the moment).

I would also like to branch out into a different genre. At the moment I'm in the planning stages of writing a Doctor Who story (those who live in the UK might have seen Series 2 on BBC1, and I absolutely love that show, especially David Tennant,) and I would like to try my hand at a piece of fiction. Sometime in the future you might see me posting a story on Doctor Who, while I attempt to get to grips with my stories in the HP universe.

I do apologise (and I fully expect to lose reviews over this) but this is the decision of what I've come to. I just want to have a change at writing HP, and this is an opportunity I can take. Nevertheless, I do not intend to leave any of my stories unfinished, no matter how long it takes me to get to the end.

Thank you to all the support you've given me. And I hope that you can understand, and will continue to read this story when it is updated.

MissBlackPotter

Now that is out the way, I dearly hope you are enjoying this story. The next chapter will entail Regulus and Thomas going to Hogwarts, Harry's meeting with Draco and much more. Posting at some point in the future! (Hopefully by September!)

Thank you all,

MissBlackPotter