Harry left Ginny behind at the salon to walk along Castle Street to buy a pair of shoes that he had seen earlier in the week. He had the money to buy what he wanted and, for the first time, he had the opportunity too. So he was going to buy himself the trainers that he wanted. Because he could.

He reached the shop and bought the shoes as quickly as possible, feeling immensely pleased with himself. He thought about changing his shoes immediately but decided not to. Checking his watch, he realised he had been too efficient in shopping for himself. He glanced down at his bag. He could go and buy more things. He did like spending money.

Or he could nip into the magical section of the street and buy a Daily Prophet. And some chocolate frogs. Harry's heart yearned for the thought of magical chocolate. He could buy lots, for Ginny. And he could hide the chocolate frogs so that she wouldn't eat them all before he could, as was her wont.

And the Daily Prophet would be helpful. Harry looked from side to side. The aurors were no longer obvious, but were they still there? It made Harry nervous. If he was seen entering the magical part of the street, he could be caught very easily. If they had added some sort of identification system at the entry point, he would be screwed. And Ginny would kill him if he did it without telling her.

He chewed on his lip as he looked in the direction of where he had left Ginny, getting her nails done, though he could not see the salon. If something happened, she would be alone. But if something had happened in the magical world, they needed to know.

And Harry was desperate to know. He finally turned away from the shop, sure of his decision. Nothing would happen. And, if it did, it was worth it to know what was going on.

Guilt bloomed in his stomach as he stepped onto the street, taking in the wonderful magic. It wasn't fair of him to have come here without Ginny but it was too late now. Walking as casually as he could, he headed to exactly where he knew they sold the Daily Prophet. He walked in and saw the small collection of sweets. It was hardly Honeydukes but it was enough.

He chose enough sweets and chocolate that Ginny would be excited but not enough that he would look like a freak. Then, casually, when he reached the desk, he picked up a Daily Prophet, as though it were not his main reason for being there and he had only just considered that it was a good idea.

All his pretend casualness worked because the boy running the desk didn't say a word as he left the shop and as he left the street, passing the shoe shop again and grinning at the thought of his freedom, not only to buy whatever shoes he wanted, but also to be whoever he wanted, without the whole world watching him. Perhaps this was a good-

A wave of pain flowed through Harry. He dropped his bags, one full of sweets, one just his shoes and the Prophet. He found his hands on the floor before he even realised that he'd fallen. It took moments, hours, an eternity to figure out where the pain was coming from: his head - his scar - Voldemort.

He couldn't see in front of him. There was a general murmuring around him, people there, people watching. He wasn't free. If he wasn't moaning aloud from the pain, he would have almost scoffed. How could he have thought that he was free when a part of Voldemort lived in his scar?

Edinburgh blurred away as he concentrated on his anger and on Voldemort. The cobbles faded to a dark room and he was sitting in a chair, his long bony fingers tapping the wooden edge of his chair. In front of him, a woman knelt, long messy black hair covering her face, her porcelain hands stretched out close to his feet.

"Rise, Bella," a rasping voice came from his mouth. The woman's face was revealed to be emaciated, large eyes and full lips the remnants of what had once been a great beauty. Harry remembered the days that every death eater had wanted her, when she had been the greatest prize. Looking at her now, he felt disgust rising in his stomach. Pathetic. "Where are they?"

Harry already knew the answer but he loved the way fear sparked in Bella's dark eyes, the way her hands shook. "My lord, we did not find them."

"You swore to me that you would not leave Edinburgh without Potter and his whore. Where are they?"

Harry's hand twitched for his wand, the weight comforting against his palm. Bella shrank back into herself. Harry chuckled. "You gave up," he spat, standing.

"No, my lord. Never, my lord!"

"You gave up," he repeated and then, smile widening on his face, he cried, "Crucio!"

"Harry!"

Harry's eyes flicked open and he found that he was not in a dark room, not sitting on a cold wooden throne, not torturing his followers. He blinked. The cobbles beneath him were hard and Ginny's eyes above him were soft and concerned. Harry jerked and sat up. He had been lying down on the floor. He didn't really remember falling.

But Ginny. Ginny was here.

Her eyes were not the only ones on him but he only focussed on Ginny's. "Are you okay?" she muttered. Harry nodded shakily.

"Do you have any water?" he asked, feeling his throat dry. Ginny nodded hurriedly, glancing up at the people around them as she fiddled in her bag, extracting a bottle of water. She thankfully took the lid off before handing it to Harry, as he wasn't sure if he actually would be able to do it himself. He took a long drink from the bottle, closing his eyes to savour the sensation.

"Do you want us to call an ambulance?" a woman who was peering at them asked, her Scottish accent thick and her tone concerned. Ginny met Harry's eyes as she shook her head.

"I know how to look after him," she said, glancing up at the lady and the others who were there too. "Thank you but we'll be okay now."

There were a few more pleasantries that Ginny dealt with and then they were on their own, still on the ground on the side of the road. "Let's move onto the pavement," Ginny said softly and Harry nodded. He perched himself on the curb and finished the end of the water. "What happened?"

Harry swallowed. "He knows we're in Edinburgh. Bellatrix was here. She's been searching for us."

Ginny inhaled shakily, taking Harry's hand. Harry immediately felt grounded. "Okay."

"What do you want to do?"

"Let's go home and figure it out there. Are you okay to walk?"

Harry nodded. Home sounded like a good idea but it wouldn't be for very long. How long would it be before Bella came back to find them? They would not have much longer in Edinburgh. Harry wanted to stay here. He loved it here. His throat began to burn at the thought of leaving again. This had felt like home in a way that only Hogwarts ever had. Harry squeezed Ginny's hand. At least he knew that she would always be wherever he was. They would never have to be apart again.

XXX

"The 14th August is soon," Bill commented, looking at Fleur over their lunch. She was eating a pasta dish, somehow making eating spaghetti look sexy. "Are you sure we'll be able to get everything together before then?"

Fleur nodded. "Votre maman says that she will 'elp us as much as she can. I do not want a large wedding, Guillaume. I want a fast wedding. I want to be your wife."

Bill smiled, reaching for her hand across the table and squeezing it. The waiter approached and Bill ordered another glass of juice. He cleared his throat. "The cottage in Cornwall is available for us. I checked with Mum."

Fleur positively beamed, the beauty radiating from her face. Bill noticed that other men in the restaurant were giving her looks, but he was used to that, and he knew she only had eyes for him. "Parfait. We will be able to begin our 'oneymoon straight after our wedding," she said with a teasing grin. Bill laughed.

"I think our families will have something to say about that, mon amour." Fleur's eyes twinkled.

"'Ow is Charlie coping with sharing 'is room with Percy?"

Bill chuckled into his newly delivered juice. "He is - he is coping." Fleur gave him an amused smile. "I think they both just need a girlfriend."

"Because I 'ave solved all of your problems?"

Bill grinned. "Mmhmm. A girlfriend solves all problems."

"You are the only one of your brothers with a girlfriend?" Fleur asked.

Bill considered, shrugging. "I think George has an on-off relationship with a girl from his quidditch team. Her name is Angelica. And, let's be honest, my sister will be sleeping with Harry at this point."

Fleur gasped. "Guillaume!"

Bill laughed. "I'm just preparing myself for the eventual truth! I do not believe that she and Harry will have spent so much time alone without falling in love."

Fleur chuckled. "And Ronald?"

"I'm not sure. Once upon a time, I thought he would marry Hermione. With Harry gone, I don't know how that will have changed."

Fleur gave him a scrutinising book. "You should spend some time with 'im this summer. 'E will 'ave 'ad a few difficult weeks."

Bill nodded, appreciating his fiancée's wisdom, and also her wonderfully terrible French accent. A little flow of joy came over him at the thought of waking up to that voice every day for the rest of his life. He hoped she never lost her French accent.

"What are you smiling about?" Fleur asked, tucking a piece of shiny hair behind her ear. Bill grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I just love you." Fleur smiled.

"I love you too, Guillaume."

XXX

The small cottage on the grounds of the farmhouse was idyllic. Zoe could hardly believe that it was going to be her home. It was like something from a novel, a romance novel. In the novel, she would fall in love with the man who owned the large house. However, in her case, in her wonderful case, she and Sirius would be living together from the off.

Together, she and Sirius. Zoe grinned as she unlocked the front door. Luisa darted in before Zoe could. Zoe was just so happy to see her happy to be here, even away from her Peruvian friends. The cottage was nicer than their flat and, when Zoe had told Luisa that Sirius would be living with them too, she had been shocked that it even needed saying, making Zoe think that she was more obvious about her feelings for Sirius than she would have liked.

"Okay, kid," Zoe started when Luisa had put her box and two bags onto the floor in the living room. "The guys in the main house have offered to feed us tonight, so we can come and sort out these things later." It wasn't as though they had many things anyway. Organising their things would be more about deciding what they needed to buy rather than where things needed to go.

Lu wrinkled his nose. "What are they making?"

Zoe chuckled and wrapped her arm around Lu's shoulder. "We'll see - and you'll be polite about whatever they do make."

Luisa rolled her eyes but didn't put forth any more complaints. They wandered over to the farmhouse. It was hardly a ten minute walk, far enough that they felt as though they were living in their own place, but close enough that they still felt like part of the community. Perhaps they could build more houses on the property, for safe houses. Now that they were functioning somewhat like the Order again, safe houses would always be in short supply.

They arrived at the house to the smell of curry. Zoe's stomach grumbled. A knock on the door brought Remus to them, with a big smile. "We ordered a takeaway!"

Luisa cheered as she pushed past Remus, who gave her a fond look. Remus bent down to press a kiss to Zoe's cheek. "How are you, Zo?"

"I'm well. Your lovely girlfriend here?" Zoe asked teasingly. Remus scowled.

"Don't say that word. I don't want to freak her out."

"If turning into a crazy beast once a month doesn't freak her out, I doubt the word girlfriend would," Zoe said, before copying her daughter and pushing into the house, leaving Remus frowning behind her.

She found a busy living room, with the three older Weasley brothers, Fleur and Tonks greeting Luisa with big smiles. Remus followed Zoe into the room. "We can start now!"

"You didn't wait for us, did you?" Zoe said, perching on the floor in front of Fleur, who tapped her shoulder in welcome.

"Of course we did," Charlie said with a wink to Luisa. "Remus insisted." Zoe chuckled and gratefully received some naan bread from Tonks, who was sporting turquoise hair for the day, with longer eyelashes than Zoe had ever seen on a real human.

"Am I allowed to use the quidditch pitch?" Luisa asked as she started to tuck into her korma.

"Luisa, swallow first," Zoe said, though she wasn't embarrassed as she thought she would be. She felt totally comfortable with these people. As she listened to Charlie telling Luisa that he would play quidditch with her that weekend, Zoe realised that the only niggling discomfort she had was every time she looked across the table and saw the onion bhajis sitting uneaten. They were Sirius' favourites.

But his trial date was set and he would be home soon. Home with Zoe and Luisa, like a family. Zoe smiled into her curry.

XXX

Fleur returned to the living room after having seen Zoe and Luisa out of the house, watching them until she couldn't see them anymore. She found the boys cleaning up and Tonks with her feet up on the sofa. Smiling at the scene, she took her seat back on the armchair, grabbing her white wine and leaning her head back.

"That was nice, wasn't it?" Fleur said to Tonks who hummed her agreement.

"I've eaten too much," Tonks said, rubbing her stomach like a pregnant woman. Fleur giggled. "But that was super good."

"Luisa is a sweet girl," Fleur said as the boys came back into the room. Bill perched himself on the edge of her chair. "'Ow old is she?"

Remus, with Tonks' head in his lap, pursed his lips in thought. "I think she is fourteen. She was- she was pregnant in July after Harry was born, so July 1981. So she would've been born in April or May 1982."

"Only a few months after Ginny," Charlie commented.

"Eight months," Percy said. Fleur pursed her lips to keep her giggles away when she saw Bill roll his eyes at Percy's exact behaviour. "Admittedly, it's difficult to believe that she is less than a year younger than Ginny."

Bill nodded. "I think sometimes I forget that Ginny isn't a normal fourteen year old, because she's the only one I'm ever around. She's been through a lot. She's so mature."

"Maybe that's why she and Harry get on so well," Remus commented. "And it's why they're still alive." Fleur thought that that was probably right. At their age, there was no way that she would have survived alone for as long as they had. Their support for each other must be very strong indeed, for them to be okay together.

Provided that they were still together. Fleur thought that they would be. She could not imagine that Harry would ever leave Ginny, or anyone, even if he didn't care about them as much as he cared about Ginny. "Do you think they're okay?" Bill asked quietly, not looking about the room. Fleur furrowed her brows. She had guessed that he wasn't entirely okay when he had made jokes about Harry sleeping with his sister at lunch a few days ago, but she hadn't brought it up since.

Percy frowned. "I think if anyone is going to be okay, it's Harry and Ginny. They know how to look after themselves, and each other."

Fleur smiled when Charlie chimed in with a "hear, hear". It was nice to see them getting on. Tonks reached up to stroke Remus' cheek. "When Sirius is out of prison, hopefully they will see it in the news and realise that they can come home. When he's freed, maybe they'll be acquitted too," Remus said with hope.

It was a nice thought. Fleur gave Remus as much of a smile as she could muster, but she knew that it was a false hope. If they freed Sirius, they were only going to be more determined to condemn Harry and Ginny. In a time when they were denying Voldemort's revival, they couldn't be proven wrong on two huge counts. Sirius was bad enough. Harry and Ginny didn't have a chance of being cleared until proper, real evidence was found.

With that thought, Fleur reached up to play with Bill's hair. It would be a hard few years for this family.