Author's Note:
Thank you to Saz for helping me with this one!
I am posting this today as with the holidays coming up, I will not be posting another chapter until the new year.
Happy Christmas everyone and I hope everyone has an amazing holiday spent with friends and/or family. I'd say God Bless, but I am a Ginger and therefore don't have a soul so… just kidding (kind of) — Happy Christmas!
Also, I think I said in my last author's note about Harry having already seen Clevedon, but I meant, knew about Clevedon Court, as you saw last chapter, that was his first visit to his ancestral home. Thanks.
Reviews and Comments: To Miss Elyon: Thank you I appreciate the confidence boost and I know that she is just evil because no one likes working with her, but still it is hard to deal with every day. To scrappy8: Thank you! I also love the friendship between Ginny and Theo! To akshutalankar: I have no idea what Vampire Academy is so I couldn't tell you, I just picked Russian names that I liked the sound of from a baby name website. Thank you! To Guest: Yes, all photos of the Potter homes are available on my tumblr (breaniebree). Thank you! To Wolf's Scream: As a history major, that is exactly what I was thinking of, was how Hitler changed a beautiful symbol into something that is now widely associated with hatred. Thank you! To wheezing-reader: Harry's parents are Sirius, Zee, and Remus and he's not ashamed to see it that way. Tonks is to some extent, but he sees her more as a big sister than as a mum even with her married to Remus. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To Katie2001: Thank you! To boothbonesrule: Thank you! To zacnelson0628: I did not plan for it to come out for Christmas or I would have made you all wait until actual Christmas to post it lol. It's just where the year landed in my writing schedule. Thank you! To pix25: Thank you!
To Fruitcake49: I will keep writing, I am always a minimum of a dozen chapters ahead of what I am posting, so no worries there! Ernie will get what's coming to him soon. Thank you! To supersandman86: Thank you! Harry did have a very happy Christmas and he deserved it. Thank you! To FluffyGirl623: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed visiting the Potter holdings. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Yes, silver in colour, Harry would NEVER put real silver on a gift to Remus! And yes, Lady G was in Russia with them. Thank you! To Ungesund: Thank you for saying this is one of the best stories you've ever read! I am sorry I messed up your sleep schedule, but thanks for reading. To coloredwords: Anastasia is one of the best movies ever, I totally agree, but you know that in history, Rasputin wasn't actually the bad guy, right? He wasn't exactly good, true, but he really was friends with the royal family and just trying to help Prince Alexei until Prince Yusupov and his friends had him brutally murdered. Sorry, Russian history was one of my focuses of study. Yes, Theo can look, but he can't touch LOL. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Yes, he did have a great Christmas. Thank you! To Steelcode: Glad you liked my little Christmas clues, I had fun writing them! Thank you!
To ninaz08: The Horcruxes are known about by Bill, Ron, and Ginny, no one else in the Weasley family has been made aware. The Order knows about the prophecy, but only those in FUVP know about the Horcruxes, which does not include Charlie, Percy, Molly, and Arthur nor the twins as they are still in school. Thank you! To rey05: Thanks for loving Sirius and I'm glad that Zee has become a character for you to love. Thank you! To Savageness321: Feel free to leave a review on each chapter that just says Kudos, I will appreciate it just the same! Thank you! To beerandcore: Thank you! I am glad you're enjoying it and yes, I suppose I do that sometimes and hadn't really noticed so thanks. To FriendlyNeighbourhoodCatDemon: Thank you! To Szach: Thank you for saying my story is so well thought out!
To Rina1997: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying my changes and plot adjustments. I have my changes and things that do need to stay according to canon, but yes, I am trying to make it different as well. Thank you! To PurpleLotus: Thank you very much! I honestly love writing this story so I will happily share more! To Pavk9918: Nope, that's just where my writing took me chronologically. Sometimes it happens to line up with the holidays, but it's usually quite accidental. Thank you! To Grace: Everyone in Zee's family is magical except Colt Jackson and Ivan and Anya Zacarias who are all Muggles. Thank you! To Pegg7: Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so happy to hear that Theo is slithering into your heart — I see what you did there! I loved him enjoying the Weasley Christmas. Theo is very important to me and I have a lot of story for him to tell, he'll get more and more POVs as the story progresses. Guess you'll have to wait to find out about Finn, but yes, we will meet him. Thank you so much for your kind words. Lately this colleague has been making me have a really tough time so I appreciate the sentiment. Losing myself in the world of Hinny and ASC is sometimes my escape so I will keep doing my best to provide new chapters. I write this story for myself first, but I love sharing it with you as you all make me feel important and loved, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! To Kate: Thank you!
To those who have asked for pictures of anything from Clevedon Court to Norfolk Manor — it is all posted on my tumblr so please feel free to check it out: breaniebree.
My posting schedule: Once a week.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills!
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SEVEN:
The One Where Padfoot Is Informed About
Pranking Umbitch by Fred and George
Hermione was lying on her stomach, a copy of Goldman's The Princess Bride opened in front of her, as she leisurely read it for the tenth time. She had spent her Christmas relaxing with her parents and grandparents, playing the piano, and just taking some time for herself. She'd finished two books already and was happily re-reading an old favourite. There was nothing she loved more than losing herself in a story that she had read before. It was like coming home after a long day and it helped her relax.
The holiday had been great. She sometimes forgot how much she missed her parents until she came home. She'd told them all about her disastrous date with McLaggen and her father had seemed oddly pleased with the news that there were no new boys in her life. She had decided to ignore him on that front, but couldn't help but smirk when her mother had lectured him on butting in.
Hermione looked up at the tapping on her window, pleased to see Errol there, and rather surprised that he hadn't crashed directly into it for once. She hopped up to let the owl in, and then realized that she'd spoken too soon; he stumbled on the landing and fell off her desk before popping back up as if nothing had happened.
"You're an odd bird, Errol," she said, taking the letter from him.
The sight of Ron's writing brought a smile to her face. She opened the envelope as Errol eagerly drank from the water dish she provided.
Hermione,
Hope you've had a great Christmas! Ours has been pretty cool. Ginny invited Theo over and Mum basically adopted him into the family (a Slytherin, can you believe it)? She even knit him a jumper. I suppose he's a nice enough bloke. Bill and Ginny went and picked him up some time late on Christmas Eve. I guess he was spending the holiday alone and well, no one should be alone on Christmas, even Slytherins.
I wonder how Harry is doing in Russia? Have you heard from him?
So, I wanted to write to you and tell you about Dad. I didn't think you had heard, but in case you did, I don't want you to worry. Dad was injured during an incident while bird watching the night before Christmas Eve. Luckily Sirius was with him and got him to the hospital on time. A giant snake bit him and took a good-sized gash out of his arm (wrist to elbow). But he's doing well, despite his attempt at Muggle stitches (do Muggles really sew themselves back together? Seems completely loony to me!). He's resting and plans to go back to work after the holiday. They found the antidote in time and were able to heal his arm (there was something about the bite that wouldn't heal in the beginning). Sirius saved his life and we're all incredibly grateful to him. Of course, Mum and Dad won't really say what Dad and Sirius were up to. But after talking to Harry and Ginny (who wheedled more out of Sirius) we have a pretty good idea. It seems the snake was a familiar one and there was a woman with him, who Ginny thinks might have been the mum of a certain Italian Slytherin. I'll explain more when I see you.
Anyway, nothing else new is going on. I hope you are enjoying your holiday. Mum loved her present, by the way. She kept raving about how sweet it was that you gave her a gift that she can enjoy all year. It is kind of cool that every month she will get two new romance novels along with a surprise. She loved the blanket and the candle that came with her gift. The mini tool set for Dad was a hit as well. He immediately started telling us what all of the tools were and what they were used for (I think you better explain them to him as I'm pretty sure some of them were wrong). Unless Muggles really do use clobber bats (Bill said it's called a hammer, but Dad insisted clobber bat) to dig in the garden. The book you bought him on carpentry will definitely come in handy. He was very excited to read it and bored us with the details of how to build a table. Mum is worried he's going to build one the Muggle way now.
Have you heard from Desi? It's their first holiday without him and I thought maybe you might have written to each other. Well, Fred and George invented some pretty wicked fireworks (according to Ginny) and they plan to kick them off soon to welcome in the New Year. See you at school next week.
Ron
Hermione smiled as she rolled the letter back up. Bird watching? She frowned slightly. Ron had to mean Order business with that, and she wondered how a snake had bitten him. Did Ron mean that it was Voldemort's snake with a Death Eater? That would make the most sense, as Mrs Zabini had been one of the Death Eaters that Harry had seen in the graveyard. But why would they be together? She was glad to hear that Mr Weasley was going to be all right, as she had always rather liked the Weasley patriarch. She looked up when a shadow fell across her open door, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hi, Dad."
"Jellybean," Greg said. "Mum and I are thinking of going ice skating and then out for some hot chocolate before the firework display. Want to come?"
Hermione jumped to her feet. "Yes, please."
"Letter from your friends?"
"Ron," she told him. "He said that his dad was bitten by a snake, but that he's doing better, and will be going back to work soon."
"A snake?" Greg asked in surprise. "Where?"
"I'm not sure exactly," she said carefully. "But it sounded quite serious."
"Do you want to go the Burrow and check?"
Hermione smiled gratefully, moving into her father's arms for a hug. "No. Ron told me that he's doing okay, but thanks for the offer."
Greg dropped a kiss to the top of his daughter's head. "You're welcome, Jellybean." He gestured towards the book in her hand. "Now come on, we can play Inigo and Fezzik's game on the way to the Tower rink."
"Mum hates it when we do that."
"Maybe," he said with a smirk. "Feed your cat."
"Dad, we aren't starting already!"
"Steady."
"Dad!"
"Bad."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I hate you."
"Love you too, Jellybean."
"I am not your jellybean, but your queen," Hermione replied quickly, making him laugh.
She was glad that she had come for the holiday, but as she followed her father down the stairs to put on her boots and coat, she couldn't help but think about Ron's letter. What had Mr Weasley been doing for the Order and why had there been a snake present? It left her with more questions than she had answers.
Hermione shook the thoughts from her head and slid her boots on. Right now she was home and she was going to go ice skating with her parents and then watch the firework display in London to welcome in the New Year. She'd worry about everything else when she got back to school. Her friends would fill her in when she got there.
Jean pushed a pink toque over Hermione's ears and she smiled at her mum, attempting to shove her bushy curls beneath it. "Thanks, Mum."
"Drum."
"Greg, don't start with that silly rhyme game!" Jean said in exasperation.
Hermione winked at her dad as she put her gloves on. "Lame."
"Reclaim."
"Misname."
"Fame."
Jean rolled her eyes as she headed outside. "I abstain."
Greg grinned widely. "And she's back in the game!"
Hermione giggled as she followed her parents outside. Yeah, she was glad to be home.
~ ASC ~
Draco was nervous.
He found himself fidgeting throughout most of the day, unable to sit still. He had known this moment was coming for months, but now, having it before him, it still seemed rather unreal.
Tonight he was going to meet Lord Voldemort.
On his father's orders, he'd dressed in his best robes. His hair was done and he looked his best as he adjusted the gold watch on his wrist and made his way downstairs. His parents were in the parlour sitting on the sofa holding hands as his grandfather scowled at them. His grandmother sat with her legs crossed in the chair, staring ahead with a blank expression.
"Draco!" Abraxas boomed, gesturing him forward. "About time you made it down here."
Draco nodded and took a seat on the sofa between his parents when they shifted to give him room.
"Now, when the Dark Lord arrives you are to treat him with respect, Draco. He is our Lord, and he expects us to treat him as such. You are to bow to him."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Lucius' hand touched his back and he felt slightly reassured by it.
They waited ten minutes as Abraxas lectured them on not disrespecting Voldemort and making sure that Voldemort would not have any doubts that the Malfoys were an honourable family. A family who would never not support him — in all of his endeavours.
The knock on the front door made Draco's heart jump into his throat and it was only a moment before his aunt pranced into the room. She wore a low cut black top and black pants under her cloak and her dark curls, highlighted in silver, tumbled over her shoulders. As always, it gave him a jolt when he saw her, as she looked so much like her younger sister Andromeda — but the differences struck him just as fiercely. The kind eyes, the soft face, and the love (that still both surprised and confused him) that he always saw in Andromeda was replaced by manic glee in her older sister's expression. He recognized the man behind her as his uncle, though he had never officially met him. Blaise's mother came in next with Blaise, and Draco felt a little calmer at the sight of his friend.
And then the man behind them entered with two more men who he didn't recognize. He knew immediately that the man at the front was Voldemort. His eyes held a reddish gleam, just like Theo had told him, along with his pale skin and lack of nose, made him look both monstrous and terrifying.
"My Lord," Abraxas said reverently, bowing before him.
Isla stood from her chair to do the same, offering her hand to the Dark Lord, who kissed it. Lucius bowed next, followed by Narcissa, and Draco dutifully bowed before the wizard.
"My grandson, Draco," Abraxas told him. "He's fifteen and one of the top students at Hogwarts."
Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"
"Yes, my Lord," Draco said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded.
He did what his mother had told him to do. He moved his thoughts around in his brain, keeping them locked away tightly as he replied, while maintaining an air of absentmindedness. He felt the probe for only a moment before it disappeared. He understood what Theo had meant; the probe was powerful, but Lord Voldemort didn't care enough to delve deeper. Draco hoped he never gave him a reason to look deeper any time soon.
"It's an honour to meet you, my Lord. My father and grandfather speak highly of you."
Voldemort nodded, dismissing him. "Abraxas, let's go to the dining room. I wish to speak of our plans."
Draco let out a slow breath as Voldemort turned and left the room, Blaise coming to stand next to him. "So, that happened," he whispered.
Blaise kept his eyes on his mother as he spoke low from the corner of his mouth. "Mamma offered me to him, but he refused. He said that we'd speak again when I was old enough to serve him properly. He thanked my mother for her kind offer."
"Boys, follow us into the dining room," Narcissa ordered. "The Dark Lord wishes for you both to be present."
"Maybe they'll learn something," Abraxas said, his eyes narrowed as he stared at them from the doorway. "Get a move on. It's rude to keep our master waiting."
Draco followed his mother into the dining room with Blaise behind him. He was pretty sure that there was nothing he wanted to learn here, but the news of Blaise being too young reassured him. He was safe.
At least for now.
But as his grandfather's gaze followed him inside, he wondered if safe was really the right turn of phrase as he stepped into a room full of people he didn't trust. His gaze met the steely eyes of his grandfather, and he did his best to keep his expression blank, taking a seat at the table between his parents.
He was safe, he assured himself. But nonetheless, the feel of his mother gripping his fingers under the table made him feel better, safer, as he turned his attention to Lord Voldemort and waited.
~ ASC ~
Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend when she came into the train compartment on the seventh of January. He kissed her, grinning widely as she looked up at him.
"Hi."
"Hi," she replied, smiling. "How was Moscow?"
"Amazing," he said honestly, tugging her to sit with him on the bench. He put his arm around her as Ron came into the compartment followed by Hermione and Neville.
He filled his friends in on Moscow and his Christmas, telling them how he'd explored all of the Potter Estate holdings.
"You have your own house?" Ginny asked in amazement.
Harry nodded. "I do and it's quite lovely, actually. I put Dobby in charge and he seems to be pretty pleased with it. He showed up yesterday to tell me everything that he learned and what he wants to do. I told him that I trust him and if it was possible, he looked even happier than normal."
"That elf is completely batty," Ron said as Hermione elbowed him. "Ow! He is!"
"Nah, Ron's right, Hermione — Dobby is batty," Harry admitted. "But he's a great elf and smart. It was Uncle Sirius' idea to put him in charge, and it not only helps me, but gives him something to do while keeping him busy with work, which is really all he wants."
"Well, I suppose that is true," Hermione said carefully. "It sounds like you had a fun and informative holiday. It's nice that Sirius is letting you take on so much of the responsibility."
"I agree. I feel more informed, that's for sure. He set it up so that my lawyers send me reports every fortnight to help me keep track and to understand everything. Uncle Sirius says that he'll go over the first few with me and if I have any questions after that, I only have to ask."
"Sirius set up the same for me," Neville told them, scratching his chin. "He was really helpful and I feel much better about Cumbria after talking to him. Even Gran seems more impressed with me lately. She says that I am really stepping up to my birthright."
Hermione smiled at him. "It's nice that Sirius helps you like that, Neville."
Neville nodded. "Sirius is great. He's always been great to me. I used to wish he was my dad too."
Harry smiled at his friend. He knew how much his godfather meant to Neville. Sirius and Neville exchanged letters every few weeks and Harry knew how much Neville cherished that relationship.
"Anyway, it all came together well and when we got back, Grandma and Grandpa were at the cottage. They took a portkey to surprise us. Grandpa said they are staying two more days to visit with Zee before they head back to Georgia."
Ron yawned so big that his jaw cracked. "You were able to see everyone then, that's great. We had Theo for Christmas."
"He was all alone," Ginny replied. "Bill and I went and got him on Christmas Eve."
"Good," Hermione said. "No one should be alone on Christmas and from what you've said, it seems like he's been going through some tough times."
"It was nice," Ginny said. "I'm glad he came."
Hermione nodded before she turned to look at Ron. "We have to do rounds."
"I wish that we didn't have to patrol. A nap would be great about now."
Hermione stood up, slapping Ron's knee. "But we do. Let's go, Ron."
Ron gave his friends a look as he followed her out and Neville chuckled.
"Ron is a surprisingly good prefect."
"Right?" Ginny agreed as the compartment door closed behind them. "Who would have guessed it."
Neville stretched his arms up over his head before he stood up as well. "I'm going to head to the loo and then see if Dean and Seamus are around. Be back in about twenty if you want to snog and get it out of your system."
Ginny stuck her tongue out at Neville as he closed the compartment door behind him with a grin. She turned and climbed into her boyfriend's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hi," she said, leaning in to nip at his jaw.
Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her closer to him. "Hi."
Their lips met softly — once, twice, three times — before Harry pulled away. "I have a present for you."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "You already gave me a Christmas gift."
"I did," he admitted, reaching into his pocket to pull out the small box. "But then I found these at a market in Moscow and wanted you to have them."
"Harry," Ginny whispered as he handed her the box. "I don't need gifts."
Harry leaned in and nipped at her lips. "Indulge me. Besides, technically I'm a few days late for our two month anniversary."
Ginny smiled as she carefully lifted the lid on the box, eyes falling on the earrings. "Harry," she breathed softly, lifting them from the box. They were bronze broomsticks about an inch in length and at the top of each broomstick were glittering lapis lazuli stones shimmering in bright blue. "They're beautiful!"
"I saw them in the market and I could picture them on your ears. They're nothing fancy or anything — mmph," he said as her lips covered his.
"I'm not a fancy kind of a girl," she pointed out.
Harry reached up to play with the three silver hoops she wore in each ear. "It's part of what I like about you."
Ginny reached up to shimmy the bottom silver hoop out of her ear and slid one of the broomsticks in; Harry watched in fascination, surprised that his palms were sweating. Who would have thought that watching a girl put an earring in could be sexy? Once they were dangling in her ears, she leaned in, and kissed him again.
"They're perfect. Thank you."
Harry leaned his forehead against hers, his green eyes on her warm brown ones. It was so easy to get lost in all that chocolate, he thought. Her tongue moistened her lips and his eyes dropped to her soft pink mouth. "I'm crazy about you."
She grinned, her eyes on his. "I'm crazy about you, too." She kissed him. "But no more gifts for no reason. I don't need them."
Harry slid his hands slowly up her back. "But I'm super rich, remember?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do you think that I care about that? You know that I'm only with you for your arse."
He snorted, making her eyes twinkle in glee. "Uncle Sirius says that I have to be careful now because I'm getting to the age where people are going to start listing me as the Potter Bachelor."
Ginny slid her hands into his hair. "Oh, really? Will I have to fight hordes of girls for you?"
"Maybe a few blokes as well," he teased.
Ginny stared at him for a moment, her fingers continuing to gently run through his hair. "I'll keep my eyes peeled. Harry, in all honesty, I know that you have money. I know that you are going to have a lot of it one day… do you think that I'm only with you because of that?"
Harry slid his hands into her hair, playing with the loose crimson tresses at her waist. "Not even for a second. Besides, you already admitted to me that you're only with me for my arse."
Ginny kissed him. "Good." She reached out to play with the broomsticks in her ears. "But I love these, thank you."
"You're welcome," he told her.
"Now, I think that you should kiss me before Neville comes back."
Harry smiled slowly, that delicious smile that sent quivers down Ginny's body. "Gladly."
And when his lips touched hers again, she thought about how much she loved the feel of them… and then her brain shut off and she lost herself in the sensations of kissing Harry.
~ ASC ~
Ginny left Harry and her friends in the train compartment a few hours later. She weaved through the train to head to the bathroom, but when she spotted Malfoy flirting with Padma Patil, she stopped behind them. Padma gave her a look of annoyance as Malfoy turned to look at her.
"Weaselette, Patil and I are busy, scurry off," he said dryly.
Ginny merely crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I want to talk to you. You can flirt with her later."
Padma hurried off and Malfoy frowned at her. "What do you want?"
"Theo spent Christmas and the last few days of the holiday with us."
"Well, that's marginally better than being alone, though I imagine the stink of your hovel may have influenced his brain," Malfoy retorted.
Ginny rolled her eyes. He really was a git and if it wasn't for the fact that she knew he cared about Theo, she'd consider hexing him more frequently. "He wouldn't talk to me about Macmillan, but I think that there's something wrong that we're not seeing. I don't believe that he would date him — even in secret."
Malfoy nodded, his eyes on her now. "On that, we agree."
"Harry told me that he broke his nose, but I don't know if it was enough to keep Macmillan away from Theo."
"Blaise and I are going to shadow him more closely," Malfoy told her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We're not going to give him a chance to be alone outside of Slytherin and maybe that will deter it from happening."
"If he is hurting him, I want him punished."
"Looking for vengeance, interesting," Malfoy drawled, leaning against the wall of the compartment. "What did you have in mind?"
Ginny stared at him. "I didn't say that I wanted vengeance. I just don't want him hurting Theo anymore. I want to make sure that he's protected from him. We both know how capable Theo is of defending himself, yet he lets Macmillan hurt him, and I don't know why. Why isn't he fighting back? Something else is going on, Malfoy."
Malfoy crossed his arms in front of his chest again and grinned, making his pointy face look surprisingly handsome. "Maybe it's not. Maybe Theo really is just role playing with the git. He can protect and defend himself just fine."
"But he's not," Ginny hissed angrily.
"Protected and defended… you think that we should do it for him? Is that what you're saying?"
"I think that we need to make sure he doesn't get hurt again," Ginny told him. "Stop the chance of it happening again."
Malfoy stared at her for a moment. "Would you dare to take that arse on if the opportunity arose?"
"Dangerous words to say to a Weasley, Malfoy. We don't back down from dares easily."
He snorted. "I'll be doing my best to protect and defend him, Weasley — I can promise you that. When he's with you, I'll expect the same. Deal?"
Ginny's eyes met his as she extended her hand to him. "For Theo."
Draco stared at her hand before he accepted it. "For Theo."
Ginny just hoped that they were able to keep him safe because if the opportunity arose for her to defend her friend — she wouldn't hesitate one minute in hexing that prick until he was a puddle on the ground.
No, she wouldn't hesitate one bit.
~ ASC ~
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville made their way down to see Hagrid at the end of their first week back. Hagrid was more than happy to see them and eagerly invited them inside for tea, asking about their holiday. Hermione told him how she had a nice quiet Christmas with her family, how her grandparents asked her to play a piano performance, how she and her parents watched the firework display in London to welcome in the new year, and how she was anxious for her house elf legislation to get presented to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
Neville talked about how he and his grandmother had visited his parents and then how he had practiced duelling against his grandmother and lost every time. Ron explained that his dad was doing better since the snake attack and how he had played Quidditch outside with his family. Harry told him all about Moscow and his travels throughout the Potter Estate holdings.
Hagrid listened attentively, offering them fresh chocolate chip biscuits and rock cakes along with their tea. He scratched his scraggly beard before he spoke.
"I did get yer letter 'Arry, 'bout takin' th' CRAWLS."
"We thought that it would be good for you," Harry said.
"And what do you think, Hagrid?" Neville asked him. "It would definitely get Umbridge off your back and make it so that no one could question your ability to teach the subject."
Hermione nodded. "Newt Scamander made it so that education was not required to pass the test. It's all about your knowledge of how to care for magical creatures, not school testing."
"And we already know that you're great at that," Harry interjected.
Hagrid beamed at them. "I think tha' it sounds like a great idea."
Ron's eyebrow rose. "Really? Great!"
Hagrid nodded. "Dumbledor' agreed an' has a magizoologist comin' out ter test me next week."
"That's great, Hagrid," Harry exclaimed. "You'll do brilliant!"
"You four are always lookin' out fer me," he said brightly.
Harry grinned at him. Hagrid was one of the kindest people he had ever met. He deserved this. And he would be lying to himself if he wasn't also looking forward to rubbing the results in Umbitch's face if she went after Hagrid again.
He just wished that he could do something to help the other professors as well.
~ ASC ~
Ginny met with Draco again soon after classes began. They had agreed to meet before lunch in one of the study halls on the second floor to see if either of them had managed to get Theo to talk to them. He closed the door behind him when he came in, and Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Has he said anything to you?"
"Not a word," Draco admitted. "Blaise and I have barely left him alone. A few times Macmillan's been nearby, but he hasn't tried to approach him or anything. Blaise thinks that maybe Potter's muggle duelling tactics scared him off."
"Well, that's a small plus," Ginny told him. "Every time I see his pompous face I resist the urge to pick up my wand."
"You and me both," Draco said hotly. "I heard a rumour that you cast Bat Bogeys from Corner's prick last year; is that true?"
Ginny only raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."
Draco moved to take a seat in the chair across from her. "Well, since it seems Macmillan's prick is the main problem here, why don't we team up to do something about that?"
"About his prick?" Ginny asked apprehensively.
Draco nodded. "Among other things. I don't know if you know this, Weasley, but a man's cock is his most precious limb — and a prick like Ernie? Oh, he's extra proud of his tiny cock."
Ginny stared at him. "I made bogeys travel through Michael's blood stream and emerge from the head of his penis in flying bats that attacked him."
"Painful?"
"You tell me."
Draco's hands automatically rested over his crotch. "It's a start."
Ginny stared at him. "As much fun as that sounds, it's not my style to plot revenge on people. I'm not going to needlessly hex someone out of the blue, even if they deserve it. I pranked Vane for what she did to Harry last year and that was far enough."
"Afraid?"
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "Gryffindors aren't cowards, Malfoy. I don't attack when someone's back is turned."
Draco's face flushed. "I thought that you wanted to defend Theo."
"I do," she said carefully. "But I'm not going to go around attacking people in the meantime. Defend and attack are two very different things. Harry broke Macmillan's nose and it seems to have deterred him. Let's just keep our eyes on him and maybe Theo will tell us the truth."
Draco stood up, tucking the chair back under the table. "Letting your boy-toy fight your battles. Some Gryffindor."
Ginny glared at him and bit her tongue as he turned to leave. She did not let Harry fight her battles for her. This was Theo's battle and as much as she wanted to jump in and curse Macmillan with every vile curse known to man, she understood his need to handle it himself. She wasn't going to let Malfoy pressure her into attacking the prefect, but if the opportunity arose, she couldn't say with absolute certainty that her wand would stay locked in her holster either.
She bit her lip as she dipped her quill in her bottle green ink. Of course, she could always break his nose with her fist as well. Not that she would, unless he prompted her to. All she knew was that he had better not hurt Theo again or else she wasn't sure if she could keep that promise.
~ ASC ~
Theo opened the letter from Smith at breakfast that morning and his smile faded.
Dear Theo,
Due to a scheduling conflict, Praetor Samuels has had to move our meeting back to Monday, the 29th of January, at twelve sharp. This is nothing for you to worry about. It was an error in his schedule and nothing more.
I would still like to meet with you in Hogsmeade on the twenty-first to discuss our plan and what is expected from you. In the meantime, I will be meeting with Praetor Samuels to go over your case and I might have more news for you when we meet. Write back when you can.
Sincerely,
Franklin M. Smith
Smith & Davis
Theo crumpled up the letter in his hand as Blaise put a hand on his shoulder.
"You all right, mate?"
He nodded, looking over at his friend. "Yeah. My appointment with the praetor was changed until the end of the month. It's just frustrating. I thought that by the Hogsmeade trip it would all be over — but now I have to wait another week."
"I get it," Blaise said. "But it's still happening, Theo, and that's what's important."
Theo knew that, but it still made him angry. Morrigan landed in front of him, and the sight of the owl calmed him a little as he reached for the letter.
Dear Theo,
Ciara spent the holiday talking all about you. The more she spoke about your loyalty to your friends and your kindness, the more I thought about what you asked me a few weeks ago. I know that I already told you my thoughts on your friend's situation, but I have thought about it some more, and would like to speak of it again. It sounds to me like your friend is very much trapped between a rock and a hard place. This demon who is blackmailing him and forcing him to do something against his will, must be punished for his crimes. No one should be forced to do something against their will, no matter how small.
I have heard back from your lawyer thanking me for my letter. I was honoured to write it. You have been nothing but kind to my niece, and writing to you is very enjoyable for me. Tell me about your holiday. Did you have a tree? We put a large one up in the throne room and decorated it with dancing balls of light surrounding the walls with smaller trees. We danced all evening in the throne room in a grand Yule Ball. It was lovely.
I hope yours was the same, and please let me know if there is anything else that I can help you or your lawyer with in terms of your legal battle. I think that I can say with certainty that you are a good friend and I would be honoured to help you in any way that I can.
Finn
Theo read the letter a second time, feeling reassured by the words. It was the second time that Finn had brought up the blackmail, and his stomach clenched nervously at the thought. He had written to the fairy prince, not thinking as the words tumbled out of him — tumbled out to a stranger, someone who didn't quite know him, and someone who wouldn't know the truth behind his words. But Finn's advice was the same: Get out.
His fists balled at his side. He would get out, he promised himself; he just needed a few more weeks.
The twenty-ninth couldn't come soon enough.
~ ASC ~
Sirius headed to Remus' office where he was scheduled to meet Fred and George. They had written him asking to meet, claiming that they had something important to talk to him about. He showed the letter to Zee and told her that he assumed it was something joke shop related, but now he wasn't so sure. Wouldn't they have just put that in the letter?
He shrugged, letting himself inside. He smiled at the twins who were sitting across from Remus.
"Hi, Weasleys, Moony," he said, closing the door behind him.
Remus stood up. "Padfoot. I'll let you three talk. I'll be in the staff room if you need me."
Sirius nodded as his friend left. He moved into Remus' vacant chair and turned his attention to Fred and George. He noticed that George was growing a bit of a beard, distinguishing the two men, as Fred remained cleanly shaven.
"What can I do for you two?"
Fred cleared his throat. "Remember that space we were looking at in Diagon Alley?"
"Yeah. You said that it looked great and that you were going to check it out a second time?"
Fred nodded. "It is great. But we want something bigger. The owner agreed to rent us the entire building — all three levels, plus a back office, a sizeable workshop, and storage area in the basement."
Sirius' eyebrow rose. "That can't come cheap. "
George shook his head. "No, but we can afford it. We had enough to put a down payment and the space is ours as of the first of February."
"Congrats!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Yeah," George replied. "We're pretty pleased with it, but the thing is, the rent is steep. We know that we can handle it once we get business rolling in, just by what we've already sold here."
"Do you need a loan?"
Fred shook his head. "Absolutely not! You've already gone above and beyond what we ever could have asked of you, Sirius. We're ready to get started. We have enough product made to last us through the first two months of business. We asked you here today to let you know of our plans and because we want to formally cut you in."
George passed the parchment across the table. "This lists you and Harry as our silent partners. Harry made us cut him down to five percent, but we won't let you do the same. Ten percent is yours."
"That's very generous of you, but —"
" — No," Fred interrupted. "It's yours. We won't take no for an answer. With as much as you've helped us get our feet off the ground, it's yours."
"Thank you," Sirius said sincerely. "But I haven't done anything other than help set you up at Gringotts. You two have done all of the hard work. I think that you're going to be incredibly successful businessmen."
"We hope so," George told him.
"So, you'll open shop… when do you think? Did you talk to McGonagall about leaving on the weekends?"
Fred and George shared a look. "We'll get there. Promise you won't say anything?"
Sirius looked hesitant, but then he nodded. "Not my secret to share. But if you two need anything please let me know."
"We will," Fred told him. "We have a new invention that we'd like to show you."
"I'm intrigued," Sirius said.
George opened the box he held and passed it across to him. "Don't take it out — it's not small."
"A portable swamp?" Sirius read in amazement as he looked at the colourful packaging.
Fred grinned. "It's a fifteen by fifteen swamp. It's full of smells, creatures, and swamp plant life than can be placed anywhere at any time. The magic of the swamp holds everything inside and essentially works as a roadblock."
"We were thinking of putting it at the top of the stairs leading to Umbridge's office."
"Wouldn't a vanishing charm just get rid of it?"
Fred shook his head. "Oh no! If you vanish it, the size of the swamp doubles."
"And if you try to remove it, the smell gets stronger."
"If you try to levitate it, it bubbles and boils over."
"And if you try a combination of any of the three, the animals escape and leave mini swamps wherever they escape to."
Sirius laughed. "Ingenious!"
"We've been putting nifflers in Umbitch's office, as they terrify her. We're trying to steal all of her jewellery just for shits and giggles," George explained. "We swapped her tea cup at breakfast to a nose-biting one."
"She's been slipped all of our sick-inducing candies since before the holiday."
"And every time someone is called to her office for any reason, they buy a prank item from us first. She's been turned into a canary multiple times and had uncontrollable nose bleeds."
"It's been an endless stream of rotten luck really," Fred said sadly.
Sirius chuckled. "Rather unfortunate indeed."
Fred nodded, scratching his hand; Sirius frowned.
"What's that on your hand?"
Fred held it up to show him. Cut into his hand in a choppy writing it said: I must not pull filthy tricks.
"Umbridge caught us sneaking canary creams into her dessert stash. She made us write lines with this quill and it cut open the backs of our hands."
Sirius grabbed both of their hands to examine the writing. "This is dark magic. Did you go to the hospital wing?"
George shook his head. "No, it just happened yesterday. We have some stuff we've been using. We've also invented an entire line of first aid items just because we need them for the injuries we sustain during product testing."
Sirius nodded absently, but his mind was already going into overdrive. A quill that forced someone to write in their own blood? How was that possible? It sounded like dark magic to him, and he didn't like it one bit. If she was using dark magic on the students, she wouldn't just get fired — she'd be arrested. She couldn't actually be that stupid, could she?
"Writing with a quill that cut open your hands? That's a jinx of some kind and definitely very dangerous. You can't let her do that again," Sirius insisted.
Fred nodded. "She got sick pleasure out of watching it. George and I stayed and wrote our fifty lines, but then we filled the bottom draws of her desk with fireworks."
"She hasn't figured it out yet because, trust me, our fireworks are good; the whole school will know the moment she opens that desk."
"But we figure she rarely goes into the bottom drawer, so it could be a while."
"You two are bloody brilliant," Sirius said honestly. "But that quill is a serious thing! You two are of age, which doesn't make it okay, but if she is using this on children, we have a serious problem."
"When is your meeting with that education bloke?" Fred asked him.
"Not until the last day of the month," Sirius replied. "But you can rest assure that I will be looking into this immediately. Get Pomfrey to look at your hands and make sure it won't scar. Dark magic is tricky like that. Has she made anyone else write lines?"
Fred shook his head. "No, we were the first. She was rather proud to show us her quill. She told us that we were the first ones to have the privilege of seeing how it worked."
"And she hasn't assigned anyone else detention," George explained.
Sirius nodded. "I suppose that's something. I'm going to look into this. Keep a close eye on her. If anyone else has detention with her, tell McGonagall."
George nodded. "We will. In the meantime, we'd like to start moving our finished product out of Number Twelve and into our new shop. The owner said that we can start storing things as of next week, but it's not ours until the first."
"Anything you need. I'll have Kreacher help."
"Thanks, Sirius."
"Yeah, thanks for everything," Fred said.
"Have you told your parents yet?"
They exchanged looks.
"Not in so many words, but Dad kind of knows," George told him. "Mum is just Mum. Once she sees the shop, she'll come 'round."
Sirius nodded. He had a feeling that they were right about that and he knew that Molly and Arthur were going to be incredibly proud of their sons when they realized what businessmen they had raised. Anyone could see that they were brilliant and that this venture of theirs was going to be extremely successful. He was just honoured that he could help them in any way at all.
~ ASC ~
Hermione hurried out of the castle, tugging her scarf closer around her neck. She had gotten distracted in the library and was now dangerously close to being late for Care of Magical Creatures. She was running down the hill when she tripped and went flying over a root. She braced herself to hit the ground and gasped in surprise when strong arms gripped her from behind, tugging her back against their warm body.
"Hey, careful there!" Ron exclaimed, his hand on her waist as he steadied her.
"Thanks," she said gratefully as she regained her balance. "What are you doing? We're going to be late!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "I was looking for you, Miss I Can Never Be Late To Anything Ever Or The Entire World As We Know It Will Implode!"
Hermione stared at him. "Being tardy is just rude."
Ron grinned and linked her arm through his. "Let's head down the hill a bit more slowly, yeah? Being tardy is much better than breaking your neck because you tried to run down recklessly."
"I wasn't being reckless!" Hermione insisted, tugging her arm away so quickly that she stumbled again. Ron's arm returned to her waist, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."
"What's with you?" he asked her, reluctantly letting her go. "You've been clumsy all day! You spilled your cereal at breakfast, and you knocked your ink pot over twice in History of Magic."
Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes as the wind blew it haphazardly around her face. "I'm nervous. I can't stop thinking about how they're going to react!"
"What are — oh, right!" he said, sneaking a look over at her. "Zee's presenting your legislation today to her department."
Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "What if they hate it?"
Ron hesitated before he spoke, grabbing her elbow to steer her away from the root sticking up through the light snow. "Some of them might, yeah. It's a lot of change that you're asking for, and it's not just about bringing the Ministry on board, but the house elves, too. I think that a lot of them are going to love it, Mione. It's well researched and thoughtful, and you are trying to bring good changes to the world."
"Really?"
"I still think that you're a little mad, of course," he said, making her grin. "But yeah, really."
She stumbled again and his arm snaked out around her waist; the sensation made her stomach clench nervously as warmth radiated through her. She'd spent a great deal of time over the holiday thinking about Ron and that kiss. She'd been trying to put it behind her, but the warmth that Ron always had drew her in. He could be so caring and sweet sometimes, and Hermione loved that about him. As a friend of course, she told herself.
"Look, I know telling you not to be nervous isn't going to do anything — but don't be nervous. These things never happen overnight and as soon as the meeting is over, Zee will send you an owl. For now, let's get to class and you pay attention to not tripping over everything. Okay?"
Hermione nodded, letting him steer her onto the beaten path. "I can do that."
"Good," Ron said as they approached Hagrid's hut where Neville was waving at them.
Hermione smiled. "Hi ,Neville."
"Hermione, Ron. Thought that you might have gotten lost in the library."
"Only for a second or two," she said, making him laugh.
The three of them hurried over to where Seamus and Dean were standing just in time for Hagrid to start the class. Hermione thought that Ron had a good point. Even if they loved it, nothing was going to happen overnight. These things took time, and like Carthaginian had said in class before the holiday, change had to work its way up. One voice may get the ball rolling, but it still took a while to steer the ball in the right direction. If today wasn't the day, they'd try again, because Hermione knew one thing: She wasn't giving up.
~ ASC ~
George headed up to McGonagall's office that afternoon, a determined skip in his step. He was just about to knock on her door when he heard her voice raised in anger.
"How dare you accuse me of such things! My relationship with Sirius Black is none of your business!"
"He was your student, Minerva," the falsely sweet voice answered through the door as George moved closer.
The response was muffled so he reached into his pocket for an Extendable Ear, something that he and Fred had recently invented to try to hear more about the Order of the Phoenix from Percy and their parents, so far they hadn't gotten much, but the ears were still a great concept. He slipped the ear under the door and the voices became as clear as if they were standing before him.
"Sirius Black is a respected member of the Wizengamot and of the Hogwarts Board of Governors; if he is looking into you, Dolores, it's for a good reason."
"You put him up to it! I am doing nothing but good work here!"
"Are you?" McGonagall's replied coldly.
"You are the Deputy Headmistress! It is your job to assist me as needed!"
"I don't believe that is my job, no," she responded. "Weren't you just telling me yesterday afternoon that it is my job to teach Transfiguration, and that I have absolutely no business doing or assisting in anything not related to my subject?"
"Well, I —"
"— So, no, I am not sure how I could help you, unless of course, it is related to the subject of Transfiguration."
Umbridge huffed. "Someone is playing pranks on me, and I strongly suspect the Weasley twins."
"Have you any proof?"
"No, I don't have proof — but they have to be behind it!"
"Even if they are, without proof, I can't help you."
"They turned me into a canary!"
McGonagall's silence was deafening.
"I got better."
"Dolores, you are here to inspect our classes and how well we teach the curriculum. Our personal lives are not your concern, nor your business. I suggest you stick to your task at hand. However, as Deputy Headmistress, I am declaring that you are no longer permitted to give students detention. If you feel they deserve it, assign them detention, and send them to me."
"But the Weasley twins are putting nifflers in my office!"
"Where would they even get nifflers?"
"From Professor Hagrid!" Umbridge exclaimed.
"So, now you are accusing a professor of helping them?"
"I never said that he was involved, only that he has the nifflers…"
"Dolores, again, unless you have proof, I won't allow you to continue to give them detention. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some marking to do for my NEWT students."
George moved away from the door just in time as Umbridge stormed out of the office.
McGonagall saw him standing near the door and raised her eyebrow. "Can I help you, Mr Weasley?"
He carefully tugged the flesh-like string back into his pocket as he walked into her office. "Actually, I was hoping that we could help each other?"
McGonagall's eyebrow rose higher. "Really?"
George nodded, closing her office door behind him. "No one likes that woman, that much is clear. Her inspections are complete bullshit and we all know it."
McGonagall gestured for him to take a seat. "Your point can be made without swearing, thank you. As to the Department of Education, they sent Madam Umbridge and Madam Raffigan here to inspect the new classes along with the old ones to make sure that Hogwarts is up to date when it comes to teaching educational standards. They have every right to be here and to be doing so."
"Well, Raffigan is now the professor of History of Magic so her inspections are out, leaving that foul woman who is too much of a bigot to look seriously into the educational standards," George declared.
McGonagall tapped her fingers on her desk. "What are you proposing, Mr Weasley? We both know that you and your brother are behind the unfortunate incidents that seem to keep befalling Madam Umbridge."
"Are we? I don't recall…"
At her look, he grinned.
"Professor, Fred and I finish school in a few months, and we plan to open a joke shop. I don't think that this is a surprise to you. We've rented a location in Diagon Alley and we plan to be spending our weekends there getting things together. I know that we don't expressly need your permission to go as we are of age, but I thought that you should be informed nevertheless."
"I'm glad to hear it. You both will be very successful, but you also know that most of your products will be banned from this school," she said sternly, making George smirk.
"And you know that when you ban it, our business doubles."
McGonagall huffed and he grinned.
"Umbridge is a problem, Professor, and I know that Sirius Black and the Board of Governors are working to get her out of this school, but I want to propose to you that you might turn a blind eye to some of the stuff that may happen to her in the meantime."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow again. "I cannot in good conscience allow you to play tricks on her, George Weasley."
George shrugged. "Like you said to Madam Umbridge, Professor: You need proof." At her look, he continued. "Fred and I will be signing out every Friday after dinner and won't be returning to the school until Sunday night." He passed her a business card prototype. "Here's where we'll be if you need us."
"Very well," McGonagall told him. "But if I do find proof, you will still be punished."
George grinned. "Only if we get caught."
McGonagall's eyes twinkled at him as she pursed her lips. "Good day, Mr Weasley."
He whistled as he left her office and crashed directly into someone as he turned the corner. He threw his arms out to steady them, but the whiff of citrus and coconut made him freeze.
"Angelina?"
"George! Merlin, you scared me!"
He grinned. "It's Fred, actually."
Angelina only looked him up and down. "Nice try, George."
"How do you always know?" he asked, genuinely curious. "No one else can ever tell us apart aside from Ginny and Professor Lupin, and usually only our parents if they look close enough."
"You do have a beard now," she pointed out.
George ran his hand over the soft red fur on his face. He'd only had it for about a week and often forgot about it. "Oh, right."
Angelina smiled. "But you also have a crooked smile and this tiny scar over your right eyebrow from where that Bludger hit you when we were twelve."
He ran his hand over the scar; he'd forgotten it was there. It was barely noticeable. "I guess. You can hardly see it."
Angelina only shrugged. "Where are you coming from?"
"McGonagall's office. I heard Umbitch saying inappropriate things to her."
Angelina shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "That woman has to go! This morning she told me that it looked like I had snakes in my hair."
George frowned, reaching out to tug on one of the long braids. "I like the red and gold beads at the end. How do you make it so intricate on the top of your head like that?"
"Looking for hair tips?"
George tossed his head back; his shaggy red hair fell into his eyes. "Think I could pull it off?"
"No," she said on a strangled laugh. "Did you tell McGonagall that you and Fred got the location?"
He nodded, smiling when she hooked her arm through his. "I did. We're of age, so us telling her that we're leaving school on the weekend is more of a courtesy than anything. I think that she's pleased, though. She told me that all of our products will be banned at Hogwarts."
"Seems fair," Angelina told him. "They aren't exactly distraction free."
George ran his free hand over his chin. "I'm not sure if I like this. I just wanted to see if I could grow one, to be honest."
Angelina reached up to stroke his chin, wrinkling her nose. "It's prickly."
"Yeah, I think I'll shave it off before bed tonight."
"George?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you plotting?"
His slow smile only made her eyebrow rise. "Plotting? Why would you think I was plotting something?"
"Oh, I don't know… seven years of knowing you, maybe?"
"Let's just say that I'm tired of listening to Umbridge talk to people like they are beneath her. Fred and I don't need to be here, Angie. We have our careers just waiting for us…"
"You're not going to leave?" she asked in surprise. "George, we only have a few months left of school."
He shrugged. "We'll see how the next little while goes. After all, there's nothing here to give me a reason to stay."
He stepped through the portrait hole, missing the look of anguish that crossed Angelina's face at his words.
~ ASC ~
Hermione opened the letter from Zee during dinner that evening, turning to her friends as her eyes flew across the parchment.
Harry reached for his pumpkin juice to take a drink before he spoke. "So, what does Zee have to say? How did it go?"
Hermione's eyes continued to roam the parchment before she read it aloud.
Dear Hermione,
As you know, yesterday was the departmental meeting where I was planning to share your proposal. I presented it to my department and there were many mixed reactions. Some people thought it was brilliant and about time someone decided to try to change things and others… well, they think it's complete rubbish. The thing is, it got everyone thinking, and that I think is the most promising start.
The Office for House-Elf Relocation and the Being Division were particularly interested in the idea of hiring a house elf to represent the house elves, and it sparked a lively debate between the departments. As of right now, nothing is being done to make your legislation a reality, but the word is out there and I am going to work as hard as I can to make sure that the word stays on the list of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. We'll be having another meeting at the beginning of March and both the Being Division as well as the OHER have made plans to further discuss the proposal among themselves. They will bring it up at the next meeting.
This is all a good sign, Hermione.
These things take time to implement, and if I'm honest, I think the place we are most likely to get our start, is with the promotion of a house elf representative. I'd like to start there, and it's what I'm going to press for. Maybe even two or three house elves who can work together in the Being Division to establish order and rules. We're going to take it one step at a time and move from there.
Your work was excellent, and when I explained that the work was that of a sixteen-year-old Hogwarts student, people were impressed. In fact, the department head was extremely interested in your work, and made note to potentially discuss a career in the Ministry with you after you sit your OWLs. If that is something that you might be interested in, we can discuss it come September. Amazing work, Hermione. Thank you for letting me be part of it.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Zee
Hermione was grinning from ear to ear as she clutched the letter to her chest. "Oh my! The Head of the Department is interested in me! Me!"
Ron grinned at her. "Of course they're interested in you! Who wouldn't be, with a brain like yours?"
Her cheeks flushed at his comment as Ginny leaned in to hug her. "They actually listened!"
"Zee is quite persuasive," Harry told her. "She would have made them listen. That's great news, Hermione! Really, it is. You should be proud of yourself."
Hermione stared down at the letter again in awe. Her legislation was being discussed in the Ministry of Magic! Hers! It was more than she ever could have dreamed of. She clutched the letter tighter in her hand as she looked up at her friends.
"Save me some food, I have to go tell Mum and Dad!"
Ron only shook his head as she ran from the Great Hall, the letter still clutched tightly in her fist. "You think she could at least eat first."
Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. "She's too excited, and she should be. She's the brightest witch of her age and the Ministry of Magic is potentially looking to recruit her for a job. That's incredible! Her parents are going to be so proud of her."
Harry nodded in agreement. "Hermione's passionate enough to make real change happen if she wants to."
Ron stared after her for a moment before he caught himself. "If anyone's going to change the world, it will be her."
"Speaking of careers," Neville said, helping himself to a chicken breast from the platter on the table. "Did you see we're all scheduled to start career advice with McGonagall this week?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Career advice? I heard that. Blimey, I don't know what I want to do!"
Neville shrugged. "McGonagall has pamphlets that she's supposed to be handing out in class to give us some ideas."
"Well, easy for you, Nev. We all know that you're going to write your PLANTS and be a Herbologist," Ron told him.
Neville flushed. "Maybe… I mean, I don't really know, do I?"
Ginny turned to look at Harry. "You still want to play Quidditch?"
"Sure. I mean, it would be brilliant," he admitted. "But it's not exactly easy to get into the leagues professionally. Wood's still on a reserve team, but he did attend the Premier Quidditch Training Camp in the summer. I heard that's the hardest part, is to get a tryout for that. I don't know. I should have a backup plan, right?"
Ginny squeezed his hand. "It's your future, Harry. You can do whatever you want."
He knew her words had truth in them, but it was more of a scary thought than he wanted to think about.
End Author's Notes:
DISCLAIMER: That is a little parody from Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well — I couldn't resist.
The Princess Bride is one of my favourite books of all time so it was fun to add it in here.
I promise to be back in the new year after the crazy business of the Christmas holidays with a new chapter for you all.
Thank you for reading and please review!