The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
When You're Beside Me, There's a Silver Lining
The chapter title is from the song:
I See Stars by The Shires.
Potter Manor
The 30th of September
Tonight was the night – Draco was making the announcement. Until now, only those who had needed to know about the plans for wizarding Britain had been informed. Of course, rumours were flying, but today Draco would set the agenda for the rebuild in stone.
Potter Manor was as busy as it ever was when the Longbottoms were over. They were all missing Alastor's presence, but everyone else was here for now. Of course, that would all change tomorrow when Thea went back to Hogwarts with James, Harry and Laurel.
It didn't feel quite so sad this year, though, because three out of four of them were going to be at Hogwarts as well. Thanks to the night shift rota that Neville had brought in when he was Headmaster, they no longer had to stay in the castle. But with all three of them taking shifts, it seemed rare that there would be a night when the four of them found themselves at Potter Manor or Longbottom House together.
"Mum and Dad won't tell me anything about the big announcement!" Laurel was complaining.
Harry tuned back into the general conversation as Andrea rolled her eyes, "Ours won't tell us anything either even though it's obvious they know something."
Daphne smirked in response, and Andrea groaned, "Do you really not know anything about this, Ted?"
"Why would I know anything?" Teddy retorted.
"Because you're married to the Ministers daughter, Tedward," Thea replied sarcastically.
"He doesn't talk about work to his kids, Theodora," Teddy responded in the same tone.
Daphne held up her hand when the announcement began, "Be quiet. You all need to hear this."
Silence fell, and they listened to the broadcast.
"Good evening, and thank you for taking the time to listen to this broadcast. Our community has suffered greatly, and we are all still mourning those we lost in the Diagon Alley attack. This evening, I would like to outline the tentative steps forward we will take to overcome our suffering.
The damage in Diagon Alley was significant, and while we can repair it, we have decided that doing so would not be in the best interest of the magical community. There have been several attacks on Diagon Alley, and its location makes it easily accessible. For that reason, we shall be relocating our shopping district to Hogsmeade."
Teddy looked at his mother and raised an eyebrow.
"Just listen," Daphne said quietly.
"Diagon Alley will be a joint venture between the Ministry and the city of London. It will become the first magical area to open to the non-magical public. The city of London has agreed to tastefully rebuild, in keeping with the age of the buildings in the alley. The Ministry of Magic has taken responsibility to place a memorial archway into Diagon Alley, to commemorate all those who lost their lives there.
Now that recent circumstances have revealed our presence to the non-magical community, we have decided that it is best if our public buildings remain hidden for our security. Keeping these buildings secret and safe will be easier if they are not all located in central London. That being said, St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and the Diana Midwifery and Paediatric Hospital will remain in London. The shopping district will move to Hogsmeade and stay under the protection of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its Headmaster. Lupin House Orphanage and the Hermione Granger School for Young Witches and Wizards will remain in Wiltshire, close to the border with Somerset.
The village of Godric's Hollow has had a dwindling population over the last decade, and as such, no Muggles now live there. Therefore, the village will become our second wizarding-only one, and it is where we have found new homes for all those who lost theirs in the Diagon Alley attack."
Andrea nodded thoughtfully as she listened to Draco's broadcast.
"The Ministry will be entirely rebuilt on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. We will never disclose its location to the Muggle administration. I can assure you that the wards on the Ministry and the village of Godric's Hollow will be on a par with those that protect Hogwarts because Professor Potter and I shall design them together."
Thea rolled her eyes, "So that's why you knew everything."
"I've known everything for weeks, Thea," Harry smirked.
"I am sure we will all be sad to say goodbye to the alley as we know it, but the Closes have never provided the level of comfort they ought to have done. I believe it is time that the wizarding world enters the 21st century and provides the level of welfare that all magical people deserve, regardless of their financial worth.
Thank you once again for your time, and I hope we can all look forward to the brighter days that I know lie ahead for our community.
Goodnight."
Lilly leant back in her chair and smiled slightly, "Who would have thought it? Draco Malfoy is our Winston Churchill."
Andrea shrugged, "He's more like our Clement Attlee, actually."
Daphne raised an eyebrow at her daughter, "How so?"
"Well, Attlee was the one who implemented the welfare state in the Muggle world," Andrea replied matter of factly, "Even if Beveridge's report on the five giants of poverty was published when Churchill was Minister."
"You're such a geek," Thea muttered.
Daphne shook her head, "If I hadn't given birth to you, I would have sworn you were Aunt Lilly's daughter."
Harry and Lilly both snorted in amusement. Then Harry got to his feet, "It doesn't matter what Muggle minister he's most like. All that matters is that he's the one leading the wizarding world out of the Victorian era it's been stuck in for centuries. And I, for one, respect the hell out of him for that."
Daphne laughed, "What do you think you would have said if I went back in time to our second year and told you that the boy you thought was the heir of Slytherin was going to become that man?"
Harry smiled, "I'd be surprised, probably just as surprised as I would be that you turned out to be my wife."
Lilly made a gagging sound, and Thea joined in. Andrea rolled her eyes and picked her book up again.
Teddy smiled slightly and got to his feet, "I don't suppose you know when I can go back to work, Dad?"
Harry looked up at Teddy and shook his head, "No, but Rob did tell me that CPS was moving into the town hall in Godric's Hollow, and I've heard rumours that it's going to be the temporary base for the Aurors too. So I suspect you'll hear something concrete soon."
Teddy nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder, "Thanks for dinner, Mum. Nina's going to be chuffed with the leftovers. Your lasagne and Rob's hotpot is all she can keep down."
Daphne smiled and waved him off.
When he had left, Andrea deadpanned without looking up from her book.
"Are you ever going to tell him you don't actually cook the lasagne, Mum?"
Daphne scoffed, "It's a family recipe, give me some credit."
"A family recipe that I cook and that you taught the house-elves to cook," Lareina drawled as she stepped into the drawing-room with a glass of red wine.
Thea smiled in amusement but said nothing.
"What did I miss?" Lareina asked.
"Oh, only the biggest announcement in about twenty years," Daphne replied dryly, "And that better not be the 1959 French bottle you're drinking."
Lareina scoffed, "Darling, you have at least ten of them in the wine cellar."
Daphne shot Harry a long-suffering look, but he didn't help the situation. He shrugged and said, "You have another eleven in the cellar, Daph."
Lareina sat down in an armchair, and Daphne added, "Have you officially moved in then? Because if you have, there are rules and not outing me for my lack of home cooking in front of the children is one of them."
Andrea snorted, "We know, Mum."
"Yeah, we remember that Christmas when you tried to make shortbread biscuits," Thea grinned, "I pretended to eat them and hid them in my room, then I pelted Andie with them for weeks."
Harry snickered at that, "I remember when Teddy was a baby, and you made gingerbread men which tasted awful, but they did make great projectile weapons."
Daphne clicked her tongue irritably, "Did any of you break a thousand-year-old curse on a crystal skull?"
"No, Indiana Jones, we did not," Lilly replied matter of factly.
Harry laughed, then got slapped around the head by Daphne. Neville got away with it because he hid his mouth behind his hand.
"It would do you all well to remember who tells the elves what to cook," Daphne pointed out, "If you keep this up, it will be porridge for weeks."
"I'm going back to school, so I don't care," Thea remarked boldly.
Laurel sniggered, and Harry and James were rather sensibly keeping their noses out of the Potter family drama.
"Would now be a bad time to tell you that I start my new job as a Trainee Midwifery and Paediatrics Healer next week and move into my new dorm at the same time?" Andrea asked cautiously.
Daphne smiled at her daughter, "We knew you were going to."
Harry smiled and nodded, "And you will be great, Andrea. I'm glad you found your path."
Daphne nodded, and Harry added, "And I think moving into a dorm is a good idea. You'll be closer to the hospital, you'll make new friends, and it would probably help you develop some independence."
"But you will still join us for dinner every so often, won't you?" Daphne asked her daughter.
"Yeah, I'll visit all the time," Andrea promised.
"Good," Daphne said with a tight smile, "I'm proud of you – of both of you."
Thea looked up, "Why me? I'm not moving out."
"No," Daphne said with a knowing smile, "But you are growing up. Although, when you go back to school next week, this house will feel empty."
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that I've moved in then," Lareina remarked.
Daphne shot her mother an exasperated look, "If you want to stay here, that's fine. But like I said, there are rules - "
"Like don't mention Mum's thing with Aunt Lilly," Andrea said.
"I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it," Thea joked in a whisper.
Lilly gave Thea a long-suffering look.
Lareina chuckled and sipped her wine, "Darling, you ought to know I do not judge. I may, on occasion, indulge in some female companionship myself. After all, I have some old friends who did not end up in Azkaban."
"Like Lucinda Smith?" Daphne quipped, raising an eyebrow at her mother.
Lareina smirked in her daughter's direction, "Sweetheart, I think we ought to agree not to judge each other and simply live our own lives."
Andrea made a face and muttered something about too much information.
Harry snorted and glanced at his wife, "But I understand how you and Astoria turned out the way you did now," he whispered.
Daphne gave Harry a long-suffering look and glanced back at her mother, "You can indulge in whatever company you like, but not in my house."
Lilly grinned and said, "That's that, then. The Marchioness has spoken."
"Oh, fuck off, Lilly."
Harry chuckled; normalcy seemed to be resuming, at least.
Bones Manor
The 30th of September
Addison was pacing in front of the kitchen table, telling Susan something was up.
"Whatever it is, Addison, just spit it out, or I'll have Caroline read your aura."
Caroline shook her head at Susan, "I would never do that; it's a huge invasion of privacy."
"Well, at least your girlfriend has some decorum, Mum," Addison muttered irritably.
Susan looked mildly offended, "Addison, you have no idea how tired I am. I am responsible for moving our entire country's shopping district 400 miles north. I can't deal with your petty drama right now, so spit it out."
Caroline grimaced as if what Susan had said was a little harsh.
Alyssa bit into the toast she'd made herself for supper noisily, "Did you use weird spells and potions and accidentally get pregnant?"
"Alyssa!" Susan exclaimed while Caroline tried not to laugh aloud.
Alyssa looked up and shrugged, "What? It's a thing. I read about it in a book in the hidden section of the library."
Susan gave her smart Ravenclaw through-and-through daughter an exasperated look, "How did you get past the age line?"
Alyssa took another bite of toast, "Oh, I got the book with a summoning charm. Thanks for the tip, Caroline."
Susan looked at Caroline, and the other woman defended herself with, "She said it was for research!"
"Oh holy, Helga," Susan muttered, "You should have been in Slytherin. Now, you," she pointed at Addison, "Talk."
Addison looked up at her mother and said, "I quit my job, okay? I hate the DMLE. I never wanted anything to do with the DMLE. I did it because it was your dream, but little miss smarty pants over there is totally going to want to be a Juror or a lawyer, so I need to live my dream, not your dream."
Susan took it better than Addison had expected. She looked at her daughter in disbelief, "Seriously, Addison? That's what all of this is about? What kind of mother do you think I am? I knew you weren't happy, and I've been expecting this for months."
Addison faltered, "Really?"
"Really," Susan said, managing a small smile for Addison's benefit, "So what are you doing now? What's your dream?"
"Well, I've been helping out at Lupin House," Addison admitted, "And I like it, you know? I feel like I get to make a real difference in the world, and Aunt Hannah noticed that and offered me a job."
"At Lupin House?" Susan asked.
Addison nodded, "Yeah, she said the job title would be Community Outreach Officer and that I would be responsible for placing kids with good families. There's a lot of pressure there, and I know that, but I feel strongly about it, Mum. I've helped so many kids find homes already."
Susan smiled and looked over at Caroline, who had that same proud look. Even if they had only gotten together recently, they had been friends for a decade, so Caroline had seen Addison grow up.
Addison perched on the edge of the sofa and nodded, "Yeah, there was this little girl, Halley, her mother died in Diagon Alley, and I helped her best friend, Marianne, adopt her daughter. I helped George and Angelina Weasley take in Colton Jordan as their ward, and I spoke to Aunt Daphne about Gale and Holly Davis; you know her childhood best friend, Tracey's, niece and nephew?"
Susan nodded and watched her daughter in awe. It wasn't that she hadn't taken Addison seriously before, but this was a side of her that she hadn't seen before.
"She wanted to take them in, but I don't think Uncle Harry was too keen on the idea because all of their kids are sort of grown-up now," Addison continued, "But she set up a fund for them, so when they finish Hogwarts, they'll be set for life."
"That's great, honey," Susan said with genuine pride in her voice, "And I'm glad you found your calling. It's not something that happens instantly for all of us, after all."
Addison smiled, a little sadly, then, "The only thing I wish I could do is find someone who could give Nova the love she deserves. You know her mum Sienna was my friend, right?"
Susan nodded, "I know you were close. She was in Hufflepuff with you from the beginning."
Addison sighed, "Yeah, she had Nova when she was 17, and she just loved her so much. Don't get me wrong, I love that little girl, but I don't know how Sienna did it on her own. I don't even need to ask Nat if she would take her in. I know she'd say she isn't ready for that commitment, and I don't think I am either."
Susan nodded, "Having a baby young is hard. Some people thrive, and others struggle. Just because someone else can do it doesn't mean that everyone can."
Addison nodded glumly, "I hate it, though. Every time I'm at Lupin House and Nova is there, I just don't understand why she's still there. She's just this vibrant, brilliant three-year-old who anyone would be lucky to have in their life."
"So why don't we have her in ours?" Susan asked.
Caroline looked over at her in surprise, "What?"
Alyssa looked between the two women, "You're adopting a kid?"
"You've only been together for a few months!" Addison agreed in disbelief.
Susan ignored her daughters and looked Caroline in the eye, "Maybe, but I've been in love with you for the best part of a decade, Caroline."
Alyssa gagged, and Addison made a face, "That's disgusting sentimental."
Caroline smiled slightly at their antics but kept her eyes on Susan, "I know, and I feel the same, Susan, you know I do. But a wedding and adopting a child, don't you think it's all a little too much?"
Susan grinned at Caroline, "You ought to know by now; I don't plan my life out in a diary or keep a schedule like you do. I live in the moment, and it feels great. Maybe it's time for you to step into that with me."
A smile played on Caroline's lips for a moment, "Maybe I should."
Susan leant forward to kiss Caroline, and Alyssa looked at her older sister in disbelief, "I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts."
Addison snorted in amusement, but she was pleased to see her mother happy. Ever since their father had died, Addison and Alyssa had never really seen her like that, and it was about time the tide turned.
Hogwarts Castle
1st of October
He had to admit that Harry felt under more pressure than he had for years, standing in what he still perceived as Dumbledore's place, even after McGonagall's long reign as Headmistress.
Looking out at the great hall was daunting but therapeutic. Hogwarts had changed so much since he had attended the school and much of that was due to Neville's short but brilliant reign as Headmaster – there were no longer house tables, the great hall was communal. Seeing the school so undivided had inspired Harry, and he intended to take that further to increase the school spirit as one whole community, not four individual houses.
A little competition was healthy, of course, but for too long, it hadn't just been a little competition at Hogwarts, and that had been the problem.
He took a breath and smiled at the students. True to what he'd said to Draco, he wasn't dressed like Dumbledore had been in his 90s; there were no brightly coloured robes or pointed hats. Instead, he wore maroon suit trousers with a matching vest, a white shirt and a dark blue tie. Daphne had said he was promoting house colours, but he had argued that the cloak he had been wearing over the top was navy blue, so of course he wasn't.
Not that she was any better anyway, sitting a few seats along wearing a deep green dress with a green cloak over the top, complete with silver fastenings. She had left her long hair down, and her glamour charms were as on point as ever. Harry knew most of the older male students would have a crush on her.
Harry looked out at the hall of expectant students and smiled, "Good evening, everyone. I know you will be anxious to begin the feast. But I do have something to say first."
We were delayed in beginning the term this year by a tragedy that shook this castle and all of our families. But in the wake of tragedy, we came together, and this unity will prevent something so awful from happening again. Before I introduce you to our newest staff members, I would like you all to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives in the August weekend attacks."
The hall fell silent, and most people closed their eyes to remember. Some people cried; others reached for their friends' hands and held them tightly throughout the minute.
When it was over, Harry cleared his throat and motioned to the table behind him, "Joining us to teach Charms this year is Professor Bill Weasley."
"And teaching Astronomy is Professor Sadie Blacknot," Harry said, motioning to Sadie, who wore deep purple robes.
"Teaching Arithmancy and temporarily replacing Professor Sheppard, who is due to have her baby next month - " Harry said with a warm smile, " - is Professor Daphne Potter. I trust you won't have any problems getting her and I mixed up. We look very different after all."
Daphne smirked, and a ripple of laughter went around the great hall.
"Following the loss of his leg while heroically saving lives in the August Weekend attack, Mr Weasley has had to step down as Flying Coach, but Mr Oliver Wood will be taking his place," Harry continued.
Oliver bowed his head, and his eyes searched the crowd of students. Harry's heart went out to him because he knew what Oliver was doing. He was looking for his daughter's face in the sea of students, and he wouldn't see it because she had lost her life on August Weekend.
Harry looked back to the students and smiled tightly, "We are all going through pain right now, but I want you all to know that you do not need to suffer alone because help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."
He raised his hands and said, "Let the feast begin!"
Food appeared on platters throughout the hall, and Harry sat down, letting out a tell-tale breath of relief. Only those on his immediate side heard it – Neville, his wingman and second in command as Assistant Headmaster, and the Astronomy professor, who traditionally sat on the Head's other side, Sadie.
"Nice speech," Sadie said softly.
Neville smiled and said, "Lilly will be sorry to have missed it."
Harry chuckled and asked, "What do you think she's doing right now?"
"Eating takeout and gossiping to the house elves, probably," Neville said, grinning in amusement at Harry.
Harry grinned too, "Yeah, probably," he agreed.
Longbottom House
Lilly sighed and stabbed a piece of chicken with her chopsticks.
"I wonder what they're doing up at their grand castle. Eating a feast, probably."
The house-elves occupying the kitchen with her both nodded, "Yes, they always eats at this time, mistress."
The other elf filled up her wine glass while she wasn't looking, and Lilly rolled her eyes, "Oh, I'm sure they are. Harry will be giving his epic speech, Neville will be telling him how great he is, and Daphne will be looking as made up as possible because she'll want the students to have a crush on her. She's so vain, don't you think, Plimpy?"
Plimpy looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "Mrs Daphne is very kind, mistress."
Lilly snorted, "She's vain and stuck up. But I mean, she's still my best friend," she waved a hand and picked up another piece of chicken, "For all my sins, I don't know why I put up with her sometimes. Do you know what I mean, Beans?"
Beans shook his head, "Beans does not understand this human feeling, mistress."
"Hm," Lilly mused as she chewed her piece of chicken, "I'm sure they're all enjoying their school, anyway. Headmaster Potter with his sidekick by his side again, honestly, you would think that Neville might want more for himself after all this time, but no, he's still quite content to let the great Harry Potter run everything while he sits on the sidelines."
She snorted and said, "But no mention of me being great, is there? I run my own hospital. That's better than some draughty old school, don't you think?"
Plimpy and Beans looked at each other, at a loss for words.
"Hospitals help people," Lilly muttered, reaching for her wine glass, "But I don't get any credit, do I?"
"Schools is important too, mistress. They teaches children rights from wrongs," Plimpy pointed out.
"And mistress do get credit," Beans added, "You has two Order of Merlins, mistress."
Lilly made a face, "Well, apart from that, I don't get credit."
Plimpy bowed her head, "Mistress is sad because she feels left out."
"Of course I feel left out," Lilly said, maybe a little bitterly, "They're all at Hogwarts, and I'm here! And this is going to be my life for the next year. All of the kids at school, all of them at school and me, eating takeout and bitching to house-elves. No offence, guys."
Plimpy shook her head, "This fine, mistress."
"Beans and Plimpy no take offence," Beans agreed.
Lilly sighed. Then, the floo activated with a roar, and Neville and Daphne stepped in.
Daphne chuckled when she saw Lilly, "What do you know, Nev, you were righting. Eating takeout and bitching to house-elves, the only part you forgot was the wine."
Lilly made a face, "What are you guys doing here? Don't you have to stay at Hogwarts tonight?"
"No, because the Headmaster is very amenable," Neville grinned.
"And also, easily bribed," Daphne teased.
Lilly snorted in amusement at that.
"He has to stay there tonight," Neville added, "But we had a feeling you would be having a pity party, so we didn't want to leave you alone."
"Pity party," Lilly scoffed, "Pfft, I was fine. Right, guys?"
Plimpy and Beans shared a look, then Plimpy looked up at Neville, "Mistress feels lonely."
Beans bowed his head, "Mistress feels left out."
"Traitors," Lilly muttered.
Daphne grabbed a chopstick, "Oh, give it up, Lilly. We know you can't function without us," she speared a piece of chicken and grinned at her best friend.
Neville chuckled and leaned against the kitchen table, "Which is why we didn't stay at Hogwarts tonight."
Lilly's cheeks flushed, and she muttered something under her breath about running her own hospital and being a strong, independent woman.
Neville and Daphne shared an amused look and respectfully ignored her.
Hogwarts Castle
The Slytherin Common Room
"His speech was amazing."
"And he's so hot!"
The third years were gossiping about their new Headmaster right in front of Thea, and she could already tell this was going to be the worst year of her life.
"Not as hot as his wife," Tyler Zabini piped up.
"Dude!" Thea exclaimed, looking at one-half of the Zabini twins, who she had known since she was in the Hermione Granger School.
"That's her mum you're talking about," Cas said pointedly.
Tyler snorted, "Like you don't know your mum's hot, Thea. Come on, everyone thinks it!"
Taylor, his twin sister, chimed in, "But who knew how hot your dad was?"
Thea groaned and sank further into the sofa. She rolled her eyes at Cas, who was sitting next to her.
"This sucks," she whispered.
Cas leant forward to whisper, "Try being the Minister for Magic's kid."
The whisper sent a shiver down Thea's spine, but she tried to cover it up. If Cas noticed, he didn't say anything.
"Look, it's Caspian Blacknot!" A seventh year jeered, "Changed your name because your daddy's finally outed themselves, did you?"
Cas rolled his eyes and got up, "No, Marcus, I changed my name because I'm a Blacknot. But if you wanna keep having a go, come on them, I'll take you."
Marcus smirked, "Like your dads take each other?"
Caspian lunged at him, and Thea lay down on the sofa as a brawl broke out behind her.
"Great," she muttered, "Just great."
"And I really thought this year was gonna be different," Laurel agreed, shooting Thea an amused look.
Thea made a face, "Shut up, Laurie."
"Hey. I've had my fair share of 'oh your dad is Professor Longbottom, right? He's so nerdy and hot!' it's your turn, bitch."
"Fuck you, bitch," Thea returned.
Laurel grinned and slung her bag over her shoulder, "See ya later!"
"I'll kill you, Caspian!"
"Not if I kill you first, Marcus."
Thea shut her eyes and sighed.
"Fuck my life."
Blacknot Castle
"This is weird."
"It's too quiet," Hermione agreed.
"I don't even want the elves to make anything," Draco admitted, "Do you think we should just go out for food?"
"Yes," Hermione and Theo echoed.
Having three of them around a kitchen table that had served at least six people over the summer was depressing.
"Come on then," Draco said. He slung his coat on and yanked open the heavy wooden door. The other two put their coats on, and they headed out of the courtyard towards the main gate.
"How was the first day of term?" Hermione asked Theo conversationally.
"Quiet," Theo admitted, "Normally the kids are a nightmare on the first day. They all talk, gossip, and play. You know, they want to catch up on what happened over the summer?"
Draco and Hermione both nodded.
"But today, there were just quiet. What happened in Diagon Alley…it hurt them all," Theo said quietly, "There were empty seats in every classroom. Susan and I…we just cried into our coffee at lunch, we had to get it out somehow."
Hermione sighed and reached down to take Theo's hand, "We all hurt, Theo. But we're going to heal together, and I don't mean us as a family. I mean our community."
Draco smiled and slung his arm around her shoulder, "That's inspirational. Can I use that?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at her husband, "Sure, just take all of my best lines and don't give me credit."
Theo snorted, and Draco chuckled under his breath.
"How was your day, anyway?" Theo asked, to take the attention away from himself, "Better than mine, probably."
Hermione scoffed, and Draco snorted.
Theo chuckled, "That bad, huh?"
"Well, I spent the entire day dealing with the International Confederation of Wizards," Hermione explained, "Who were telling me that under no circumstances could we tell the Muggle press that magical communities exist outside of Britain."
"While I had three other Ministries on the floo asking me how I'd achieved this success because they wanted to emulate it," Draco said, giving Hermione an exasperated look.
"Then I had the ICW representative ranting on and on about how we could not tell anyone about what happened in the Department of Mysteries and that the 'cure' for Squibs had to remain top secret, at all costs," Hermione added.
"At the same time, I was getting bombarded with questions about how we'd saved the Squibs by every Minister this side of Europe," Draco said.
Theo snorted, "Yeah, sounds like you two had a great day. Honestly, I don't know why you wanted to go into politics."
"Some days, neither do I," Hermione admitted.
"Amen," Draco agreed.
"Although," Theo mused.
They had just started walking along the path towards Hogsmeade, where they could get something to eat at the Three Broomsticks.
Draco and Hermione both looked at Theo curiously, "Yes?"
"Although what?"
"At some point, shouldn't you tell your mum that she's a Squib?" Theo pointed out.
Hermione made a face, "No. She and my dad live in France, and we know that the ray of magic that cured Squibs only worked in the British Isles because of the wards. She's still a Squib. She doesn't need to know that her life is a lie. It would only hurt her."
"And she'd judge you for sleeping with your cousin," Draco added.
Hermione smiled sheepishly, "And there is that, yes."
Theo laughed aloud, and they carried on up the woodland path together.
- TBC -
