"I suggest that everyone be taught some basics in everything and then we can look at additional training." Peggy said. "The last thing we need is for you to be in a position where you could see to your own defence if you'd had a little more training."
"She's right and you know it." Sirius pointed to each of the teens.
"In that case let's start with some physical conditioning." Dum-dum said and Morita nodded.
"Once Albus and Bill return, we need to kill whatever this is." Moody grunted pointed at the jewellery box.
"That means a trip to Hogwarts, and the chamber of secrets, for a basilisk fang and if possible, some venom." Remus perked up at the chance to see the fabled chamber.
Three days later, or perhaps that should be… three training rotations later, the group met in the ballroom, again. All of them were ignoring the darkness outside the window, that was incredibly slowly turning to daylight.
Living four hours for each one that passed on a clock, was a peculiar thing. Rest times were scheduled by the clock and someone was always up and about. Rooms had to be blacked out with heavy curtains, to allow people to sleep. Dobby and Winky were having to prepare twelve meals a day, instead of three and that meant a lot more shopping for groceries. Then there was the fact that most people were running around and getting dirty and sweaty for hours on end, meaning the laundry was a never-ending chore.
And that didn't take into account the hunt for the last horcruxes. They had already destroyed the diary and removed the one in Harry's scar, they had the ring under heavy wards in the house's ritual chamber. That left them the cup, the locket and the diadem, if they were lucky. The locket, they knew was in Grimmauld, assuming that Mungdungus Fletcher hadn't stolen it and would be retrieved on the same trip that they used to go to the chamber of secrets. The cup would require a trip to Gringotts, while the diadem was still missing at this point.
"Magically?" Dumbledore said. "I agree with my colleagues, we should have listened to Harry. All four of them are capable of sitting their NEWT practicals and passing. Mr Longbottom and Miss Lovegood might not achieve O's, but they would certainly pass."
"Physically…" Falsworth paused. "Just for clarification… We've split their training into magical and physical groupings. Magical is like it sounds, anything they would learn solely from the magical world. Physical, covers everything else, everything they could learn in the muggle world. Clear?" He looked around the table and saw most people nodding. "Good. Physically, Harry's far and away more fit than the others but given their histories, that's to be expected." The Howlie told them. "Peggy's taking the girls for the next few sessions, while Neville will work with Morita and Harry with Bucky. Sirius, and Remus will join Neville. Tonks? You're in with the girls. Filius? I'm hoping you can work with Andi and Minerva and come up with a way to have some guns fire charms or hexes instead of bullets. Those of us that are squibs or muggles, or Bucky, need a way to incapacitate the enemy but we also need it to be password protected."
"I'm not sure I understand." Flitwick frowned. "Password protected?"
"If you don't have the right password, you can't remove the charm." Falsworth said.
Flitwick's face cleared. "Oh, yes, of course. Why didn't we think of that?"
"You haven't the experience with computers and passwords, like most muggles have." Falsworth said. "Minerva, another thing we need you and Andi to work on, is the animagi potion."
"I've got that." Sirius said. "James and I worked out a few shortcuts to the usual recipe and procedure."
"What did you do?" McGonagall looked at her former student sternly.
"We altered the section that has you holding a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month, to soaking it in a combination of blood and saliva for a week. The other change we made is the electrical storm, we did heap of lightning charms, just kept going until we could feel the static in the air and the potion started to sparkle."
"I'll need to view you memories, Sirius." Andi said, sharply.
"As will I." McGonagall nodded.
"Excellent." Dumbledore beamed at them.
"We've decided that we'll wait until mid-afternoon to head to Hogwarts and the chamber. Professor Snape is more likely to be engrossed in brewing for the hospital wing, at that time." Hermione said. "Less chance of running into the man."
"We can't take the chance that he learns something that would be a risk to him." Bucky said. "His position is precarious enough."
"It is." Dumbledore nodded. "I spoke with him, last night and requested his permission to explain where my trust in him originates from. He was… reluctant but agreed to it, if Oaths of Confidentiality were given."
"Professor?" Harry asked. "I've been thinking about that."
"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore tilted his head in question.
"I'm wondering…? Do we all need to know? Or can we have a select few take the Oath and tell us that your trust in him is worth it?" Harry asked. "It would tell us, not necessarily why you trust him, but that your trust a good thing. If Siri, who really can't stand him, and say… Peggy who doesn't actually know him, both believe your reasons are good, I'll accept that and won't ask for more."
"Me, Peggy, Moody and Andi." Sirius corrected. "I won't insist on more than that but Moody is a suspicious bastard, he won't believe without knowing for himself. Peggy is used to working with spies and secrets. Andi, as our primary healer, needs to know everything, just in case we are forced to bring Snape to her, for treatment. And me. I… Before the Veil, I would have said I hated him… but for me, it's been nearly two years since then. I've seen a lot and done a lot. I'd like to think that I've grown up a little. I don't think I hate him, anymore, but he'll never be my favourite person. My favourite DeathEater, yeah, sure, but not my favourite person." He shrugged. "I think it's safe to say that those at this table rank higher in my affections than Snape, but if I have to choose, his life or Fudge's? Snape gets my vote." He finished with very false cheer, causing the teens and Bill to laugh at him.
"Then perhaps, you, Miss Carter, Alastor and Madam Tonks would join me in the infirmary for a private discussion?" Dumbledore asked.
"I think that's a good idea." Moody agreed.
"Shall we go now?" Sirius looked at Dumbledore.
"We shall." The Headmaster stood and offered his arm to Andi. "May I escort you, Madam Tonks?" She nodded regally and linked her arm through his.
"Don't even think it." Peggy glared at the two other wizards. "I am quite capable of escorting myself." She followed Dumbledore and Andi from the room.
They were back before a clock said they'd been gone fifteen minutes, which under the time dilation, was actually an hour.
Sirius had a furious expression on his face and Peggy was no better, Andi's face was blank and for some reason that told the people still working on the finer details of their training, that the healer was just as angry as her cousin was. While Moody? He'd stomped into the room in a veritable tower of rage.
And… all of it was directed at Albus Dumbledore.
"Well?" Harry asked, he knew anger well enough to know that it wasn't directed at him and wouldn't be taken out on him.
"Albus too-many-names Dumbledore is a bloody frigging idiot and given his stupidity, you are NEVER allowed to be alone with him, nor are you allowed to go anywhere with him, not without getting my consent first." Sirius sounded very much like Harry assumed Padfoot would, if he could talk and was angry with someone.
As he spoke, Dumbledore winced and quietly took his seat.
"Quite rightly so." Andi agreed. "Having said that, we now know why the Headmaster extends his trust to Professor Snape." She spoke formally, any warmth completely leeched from her voice. "And while we do not like his reasoning, he at least had the foresight to get an Oath on the man's allegiance. Severus Snape is most definitely not working for… Tom Riddle. I wouldn't say Professor Snape's on the side of Light, more... that he's on whatever side Riddle isn't. He will do whatever he can to bring down the monster responsible for killing Lily Potter."
"Ah." Remus nodded. "That explains a lot."
"It does?" Neville asked.
"Oh." Harry made the mental leap. "He was in love with mum…" He whispered.
"Yes." Remus confirmed.
"Oh, well, yes… That makes… Everything he's done makes so much more sense, now." Harry rubbed at the back of his neck.
"It does?" Hermione asked.
"Think about it." Harry said. "Knowing that? First year, the troll, it was Snape and McGonagall that found us, our head of house and Snape. It was Quirrell jinxing my broom but Snape was casting the counter jinx. He also cornered Quirrell and threatened him in the corridors one night. Then there's Fluffy, Snape was bitten insuring that Quirrell didn't get passed Fluffy and let's not forget that his part in the protections was a logic puzzle. Hermione, how many times have you said that wizards have no logic and yet he uses a logic puzzle? Then Second year? He did the duelling club with Lockhart The Incompetent but Professor Flitwick is the Duelling Master, not Snape. We brewed… well… you brewed polyjuice in a bathroom, how many times a day did Snape walk passed that bathroom? He's a potions Master, he'd be able to smell it brewing and he did nothing. Then, there was no retribution from him, after Crabbe and Goyle woke up, he had to know it was us that dosed them. He knew Ron and I were there when he challenged Lockhart to go after Ginny, looking back, he was trying to show us that Lockhart was useless. Third year, he brewed Wolfsbane for Remus, every month. He followed us to the Shack. He stepped between us and Remus, as Remus became Moony, he shoved us behind him, the instant he realised what was happening, the instant. And remember, his bogart was a werewolf. Fourth year, he never picked on me in class, not once. That might not sound like much but this is Snape, he's given me a rotten time in every class since I first arrived at Hogwarts, it's huge. And this year? Occlumency lessons, I think now, that he was trying to make my mental shield snap into place. He told Umbitch that he didn't have any veritaserum. He could have left it at that, but he also told us that she'd used the last of it on Cho and he didn't tell her that he could brew more or get more from the hospital wing or the Headmaster's office. He could have just left it at the same point I did, flooing headquarters and leaving a message with Kreacher, instead, he hunted around and told the all the members of the Order and sent them after us." He ranted. "And let's be honest, given how many times I've been in the hospital wing, if he wanted to kill me, all he'd have to do is make a small mistake in a potion. He does all the brewing for the hospital wing, after all." Harry ended his rant and sat back, breathing hard.
The expression on the faces of the magicals was amusing.
"Oh, my…" McGonagall whispered. "We never gave it a thought. We just expected him to be professional about it…"
"Harry's right…" Remus was just as quiet as McGonagall. "If he wanted to kill Harry…? It would have been so easy for him and it would never have been picked up. Just a minor mistake in dosage or strength."
"Or suggest a potion that had an ingredient that Harry was allergic to." Andi said darkly.
"So, it's safe to say that Snape is on our side until we get rid of Riddle?" Bucky said. "What's he likely to do, then?"
"I would say, he'll probably wait for the furore to die down and offer me his resignation." Dumbledore sighed.
"Can Hogwarts afford to lose a potions Master of his abilities?" Hermione asked.
"It will be a great loss." Dumbledore admitted. "And will costs us, to either buy the potions he brewed or to hire another brewer."
"Then why not hire him just to do the brewing?" Harry asked. "He doesn't have to do classes, doesn't have to put up with students, unless someone's absolutely brilliant at potions, then maybe he could have an apprentice?"
"House Black will fund half of his wages, if he'll undertake research into creating a cure for lycanthropy." Sirius said.
Harry nodded, quickly. "House Potter will fund the other half." He'd had a few sessions with Sirius learning the extent of the Potter holdings and while they weren't quite as wealthy as the Blacks, that was only because Dumbledore had locked down Harry's Gringotts vaults, putting a stop to changing any investments.
"House Longbottom will add to that, perhaps the same amount, to go towards the ingredients and materials needed." Neville added.
"If I had anything, I'd help, too." Hermione muttered and Luna nodded her agreement.
"In that case," Andi suggested, "you should really go to Gringotts and get an inheritance test."
"Actually, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for all of you to go." Remus added. "I know a number of people that have died since the war ended... or paused I should say... that have left money to Harry. And Hermione? You may be a muggleborn but with the surname of Granger, there's the possibility that you're connected to the Dagworth-Grangers and that might mean a vault's waiting for you."
"Alright." Falsworth said. "If we're going to do that, I suggest that we alter the timing of our trip to Hogwarts from half-four to three o'clock. We go straight to Hogwarts, to the chamber and get a few basilisk fangs, from there to Grimmauld Place for the locket. Send Sirius back here with the locket, while a few of us take Harry to Gringotts."
"Can I suggest a change to that?" Peggy looked around the table.
"Suggest away." Falsworth said. "We'll decide as a group."
"Right." Peggy nodded. "Swap things around a little, do Gringotts first, just the testing, then Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place. Leave the cup for another day. As far as Hogwarts and Grimmauld is concerned, I'd change nothing but making them later. But for Gringotts and Diagon Alley? I'd suggest going a little more… obvious. Dum-dum, Falsworth, Morita and Barnes dress in duelling robes or something similarly threatening, Sirius in his Animagus form with a heavy chunky-studded collar, make them all look like a protection detail."
"Bodyguards, you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Yes." Peggy nodded. "Have four men, clearly armed and escorting Harry, calling him Mr Potter, or Sir, ignoring anyone else that speaks to them, deferring to Harry when approaching a shop or person. Maybe with Remus as Harry's guide?"
"No, not Remus." Harry shook his head. "Tonks and Kingsley. In their Auror robes. Moody? Any chance you can get Madam Bones to sign-off on them being assigned as my security or trainers? And getting her okay on muggle bodyguards as well?"
"And how do you plan to get around the fact that they know about magic?" Moody asked. "I should be obliviating them not getting official approvals."
"Tell her that they'd been magically de-aged." Neville suggested. "Or that they're squibs."
"Peggy's a squib, but the others aren't and Madam Bones will insist on testing them." Andi reminded them. "And the de-aging can be reversed. Best to keep that to ourselves."
Harry grinned, an evil grin. "Tell her I've already hired them and had them sign Gringotts' contracts."
"She'll want to see the contracts." Moody grunted.
"Hermione? Can you write up something that sounds really heavy and binding... but isn't? Bill? Can you approach Gringotts about getting it made into a contract?"
"That's my pup!" Sirius cackled.
"How far do you want to go?" Hermione asked.
"How about you, Bill and I do this, together? If you're happy with it and Bill's happy with it, Harry should be fine with it. Right, Harry?" Peggy countered and the trio quickly moved to a smaller table and began scribbling notes on a pad.
"Tell the goblins that we want it backdated to… say the 25th of June?" Harry added, nodding in answer to Peggy's last question. "Imply that we had a muggle contract, but that we'd all feel safer with a magical one."
"Will do." Hermione just waved a hand over her head.
"We might wanna put the trip to Gringotts off until they get that done." Moody suggested.
"If they take an hour to put it together, it should only take Gringotts another hour to formalise it." McGonagall said.
"Then Alastor can take copies to Madam Bones and we'll be good to go." Sirius added.
"In the meantime?" Falsworth looked at Harry and Neville. "Boys? Back to it."
Harry groaned but got to his feet and followed a grinning Bucky from the room.
"Bugger." Neville sighed, but he too got to his feet, only he followed Morita out a different door.
"And you two." Falsworth pointed at Sirius and Remus. "You need this almost as much as they do."
Sirius and Remus exchanged looks and huffed. "Right." Remus nodded. "Come on, Padfoot."