Author's Note:

Reviews: To Pegg7: It's only too steamy to read in a public library if you show it to others LOL. Great predictions on what's coming next — can't wait to prove those of you right and wrong ;) To Sayumii: Thank you, I agree that they are at boarding school and sex, masturbation, girls, etc. would be discussed and dealt with. I did give Snape someone in my Beginning Series, but this time around, I think not — and what can I say? I like to kill off characters you don't expect me too, Krum was one of them. To Saz J: Glad it was filthy enough for you LOL. To christyannb94: It depends on the relationship and I think it's normal for Harry to go to Sirius for that stuff to some extent… he will definitely NOT be telling Sirius how far he has gotten with Ginny, nor much else, but seeing her boobs was something I like to think just kind of slipped out for him. To LilyBlack18: Thanks for leaving a review, I do agree that Zee is the perfect woman for Sirius, guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. To HPuni101: Thank you for leaving such details reviews after almost every chapter! Very much appreciated and I like to think that it's a running joke between Hinny about that first Valentine.

Thanks for everyone who wished me luck on my new job. It is much appreciated!

This chapter time jumps a bit, a few weeks have passed since Valentine's Day now.

My posting schedule: Once a week.

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 THIRTEEN:

Draco read the letter in his hand for the eighth time that day. His mother had forgone using the family owl for safety reasons, and had Binky bring the letter directly to him. The thought that she was that worried made him more than a little nervous.

Draco,

Your father tells me that your grandfather is not impressed with Theo's latest actions. The way he removed Thad from everything and cut off the Nott funds from the Dark Lord is (I quote) "intolerable". Thad isn't taking it lying down, and I've already warned Theo that he isn't planning on letting it go. He needs to watch his back and so do you. Your grandfather claims that your friendship with Theo has now reached an impasse and that you need to begin to distance yourself from him. My Dragon, do not abandon the one who is like a brother to you, no matter what your grandfather might say or do.

Please be cautious.

Mother

Draco folded the note back up and waited on the front bridge of the castle for Theo to return from Hogsmeade. He'd been attending every Saturday to spend time with Finn since the two had started dating. Draco recognized his friend by the gate and watched as the fae kissed him before he Disapparated. Theo headed back up to the castle, grinning.

"Draco!" he exclaimed as he tugged him into a tight hug.

Draco couldn't help but grin back. After everything that Theo had gone through this year, it was lovely to see him smiling. "Theo. How's Finn?"

"Wonderful!" Theo beamed. "He took me to his place in New Zealand again. We spent the day drinking wine and snogging, among other things." He bit his lip and grinned. "He spoils me."

"You deserve it," Draco noted, looking out across the bridge. "Same place he took you for Valentine's Day?"

"Yes," Theo said. "He has a little cottage there. It's warm and feels like home. We've been three times now. He said that the next time maybe we'll go to his place in Hawaii, since he can just snap his fingers and take us there."

"I like seeing you so happy."

Theo smiled at him. "I like being this happy. What's on your mind, Draco?"

"Mother wrote to me."

Theo sobered instantly and Draco hated seeing the way the happiness vanished from his face. "To me, too. We both knew that my father would want to retaliate, Draco. I knew how angry he'd be, but I did it anyway."

"Grandfather wants me to end the friendship."

Theo nodded. "So, nice knowing ya?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't be a prat." He stared out at the Black Lake as he spoke. "But I might have to pretend that we aren't friends once we go home for the summer."

"Figured as much," Theo said, looking at the Black Lake. "Your mother will have to stop writing me as well."

"Good luck with that," Draco said on a strangled laugh. "Is she sending you letters with Binky as well?"

Theo nodded. "Every few weeks, yeah."

"Father says that the Dark Lord is looking for a Seer, something about some decade old prophecy that he needs to make sense of. They found a Melusine Seer off the French coast, and..."

Theo nodded. "Are they still alive?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't think so, as Father said they didn't have the information the Dark Lord wanted. Or at least, not yet."

Theo stared at him for a long moment. "Are you scared to go home?"

Draco shoved his hands into his pockets as they headed towards the front entrance of the castle. "Not scared, no… maybe uneasy? Father is barely home from what I understand and spending more and more of his time in Croatia. Grandfather barely lets him out of his sight. Mother worries and is alone and… with me turning sixteen in June, who knows what that could mean. But it's only the end of February, and I probably will stay here for the Easter holiday anyway."

"And your aunt?"

Draco let out a slow breath, looking over at Theo. "I can't run away and leave Mother with them, Theo. She needs me there. Besides, I don't even know my aunt… not really."

Theo was quiet as they headed towards the dungeons. "You should make an effort."

"What?"

"With your aunt," Theo said. "You spent Christmas with her back in what, second year — and you've never gone back. I know that she writes to you. For Christmas, she sent you that really nice black leather satchel with your initials and the Slytherin crest, and that blue and silver striped jumper that you love. She's making an effort."

Draco shrugged. "I sent a card once or twice."

Theo stared at him. "If I had a family who wanted the chance to know me, who offered me a place to go whenever I needed it… I would do more than send a card once or twice, Draco. Your uncle works in the DMLE and your cousin is an Auror. You're always bitching about Potter being an arse, so why don't you communicate with them instead?"

"I'll think about it, okay?" Draco told him as they stepped into the Slytherin common room.

"That's all that I ask," he said, snagging an empty chair by the fire. Theo had barely sat down before Ciara rushed over, leaning over the chair to hug him. "Hi, little duck! How was your day?"

Ciara sat on the arm of the chair, beaming at him. "I mastered the Mending Charm today! Julian is still having trouble, but he's doing great with the fire spell. Mila's good at everything!"

Theo chuckled at her excitement. He reached into his robes and pulled out the small box. "For you."

Her eyes widened in excitement as she opened the lid. Inside was one flower. "Is this a ranunculus lyallii?"

"It is. Finn picked it from his garden this afternoon and asked me to bring it to you."

Ciara pulled the bloom from the box and tucked it behind her ear, a big smile on her face. "Isn't his place in New Zealand so beautiful!" She kissed his cheek and hopped off the chair. "You make Uncle Finn really happy, Theo. I love you!"

Theo hugged her tight, surprised to feel moisture in his eyes, before she scurried off and found Draco staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Draco said. "You're making your own family, do you realize that? The Weasleys adopted you, your boyfriend, Ciara, my mother… maybe what Black said all those years ago had some merit. Family doesn't necessarily mean blood."

Theo reached out to touch Draco's arm. "You and Blaise are family, Draco. Always. And no matter what happens, Norfolk is always open to you if you need it."

Draco nodded, his eyes bright. "Hey, it's almost five, you better get going to McGonagall's office if you're going to make that Floo call."

Theo stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "I'm a little nervous."

"I don't like the ginger squad, but Weaselette has a point, I'll give her that. You should talk to someone about what happened and if she thinks this Namia-whoever can help, it can't hurt."

"Na'eemah."

"Whatever," Draco said, grinning at his friend. "Weaselette introduced you the other day, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but only briefly. I haven't… this will be my first time really talking to her about… things, and tonight was when she was free…"

Draco nodded. "Good luck."

Theo waved goodbye as he headed out. He wasn't sure luck what he needed, but he did know that he needed to talk about a lot of things. Macmillan was only part of that. The problem was that he didn't know where to begin or how it would help, but he trusted Ginny. If their late night talks had proven anything over the years, he knew how much Na'eemah had helped her deal with her first year. He knew how much of that Ginny still carried with her, how much she was afraid to say aloud. He shoved his hands into his robes and headed towards McGonagall's office, wondering exactly how this was going to work and how much help it was really going to be.

But he had promised Ginny that he would try, and that was what mattered.

~ ASC ~

Lucius only blinked as the Daily Prophet was shoved in front of his face at the table. His eyes roamed over the image of the French Aurors standing around a sheet-covered body before his eyes flew to the headline.

HALF-MERMAN FOUND TORTURED AND MURDERED OFF THE COAST OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

"Someone found my present," Crouch declared, his voice full of excitement.

"Well, his body was bound to wash ashore at some point," Lucius said dryly.

"Read the article, go on!"

Lucius rolled his eyes at the eager man before him, but he flicked the paper open and began to read:

A half-merman known as River was found off the coast of the English Channel yesterday afternoon. The Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France have been searching for the known Seer for over a month after the Merpeople came to them with worries when he didn't return to their village. River, whose father was the French Magizoologist, Jean-Pierre Lesperance, was said to have the Sight.

He was last seen at the end of January and was missing for weeks on end. After almost a month, the Merpeople approached the French Ministry in hopes of getting help to locate him. After another two weeks of searching, finding his body wasn't what they were hoping for.

The body was discovered by local fisherman. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement soon connected the corpse to the missing persons case from the French Ministry. The body of River was brutalized almost beyond recognition, but part of it was recognizable.

"We believe the man responsible for the death of the former Head of the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation, Bartemius Crouch, is also responsible for the death of the Seer," Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt reported to the Prophet. "Bartemius Crouch Jr is a dangerous, strong, and loyal supporter of You Know Who, and more than capable of eliciting violent torture."

Bartemius Crouch Jr, 33, is believed to have murdered at least two people after keeping them alive for weeks while he tortured them. Crouch had previously been sentenced to life in Azkaban by his own father in 1981 for his role in the torture of the Longbottom family. Then only 18, he swore his innocence, but his father sent him to Azkaban, claiming he was guilty of more than just that crime. But what other crimes his father believed him guilty of never came to light.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement urges the public to be aware of the dangers this man poses as not only a known Death Eater and supporter of You Know Who, but a known murderer and sadist. If anyone knows of his whereabouts or thinks that they have seen him, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately.

"I'm famous," Crouch said, smiling brightly. "And a sadist, how lovely."

"Well, they're not wrong," Lucius said dryly, closing the paper. "Bellatrix was bragging that you kept that Seer alive for over two weeks."

Crouch grinned. "I could have kept him alive longer, but he'd lost his use. Besides, the Dark Lord will give me a new plaything soon enough."

"But he didn't give you any information on the Guardian."

"Au contraire," Crouch said gleefully. "I learned quite a lot about the Guardian. That abomination may not have been the Seer we were looking for, but he knew exactly who we were looking for. That's just as important, Lucius. It means that we're on the right track."

Lucius agreed that it made sense, but he didn't find it reassuring. "So what's your next move, Bart?"

Crouch smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Well, dearie, I guess you'll just have to be surprised like the rest of us."

~ ASC ~

Tonks stifled a yawn as she looked over at where Percy Weasley and Sturgis Podmore stood guard duty with her that Sunday night. After the surprise attack with the snake in December, they had decided that having three people on guard was the safest approach, but nothing had happened since then.

"So, why are you here tonight and not Bill?" Podmore asked.

Tonks looked over in his general direction. He was hidden under the invisibility cloak that Kingsley had provided the Order guards from the Auror Department. "I told you — Bill wanted to spend the weekend with his girlfriend, so we swapped."

Percy made a light coughing sound. "I think he took her to Paris."

"Wouldn't she have taken him, since she's French?"

"Probably," he admitted as Tonks chuckled.

They had a privacy bubble around them, but it still felt rather eerie to have a conversation with two people that you couldn't see. She stifled a second yawn. They had been standing outside of the entrance to the Department of Mysteries since ten that night. She'd managed a quick nap that afternoon, but now that it was approaching half past three in the morning, she was struggling to stay awake.

It was the second Sunday night shift that Bill had convinced her to trade him with. She didn't mind, not really, as last time she'd managed to kip at her desk for two hours and recharge before she'd powered through her day. The fact that she had an entire day of work before her again seemed daunting, and she wondered if she could con Higgins into bringing her an entire jug of coffee instead of just a cup. Then again, a nap sounded rather glorious if she could get away with it.

"So, since Bill and Fleur took another little weekend away for a second Valentine's Day, did you two do anything special on actual Valentine's Day?" she asked, trying to find some form of conversation to keep her awake until she found her second wind.

Podmore snorted. "My wife expected the whole shebang. I brought her roses and took her out somewhere romantic. I even sprang for jewellery. You?"

Tonks scrunched up her nose as she spoke. "We shagged."

She heard Percy blanch and chuckled at the thought that she could picture his reaction clearly despite being unable to see him.

"I can just imagine the look on your face right now, Percy, and I find it absolutely priceless!"

Percy cleared his throat. "I just think that there are some things we don't need to picture, especially when said husband is an ex-professor of mine."

Tonks chuckled. "And how was your Valentine's Day, Percy?"

"Ordinary. Not all of us are married, you know," he stated dryly.

Tonks felt a little guilty at the question. She had forgotten that Penelope Clearwater had broken up with him back in September and she honestly had no idea if there was another woman in his life. "Right, sorry."

Percy sighed. "It's just a day and it was two and a half weeks ago, is it necessary to keep bringing it up?"

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Guess someone didn't get shagged."

Percy glared at her. "No, I didn't get shagged. Look, just because you two are happily married and getting shagged left and right doesn't mean the rest of us need to be doing the same."

Podmore chuckled. "I think we hit a nerve, Lupin. Nothing wrong with being single, Weasley. I love my wife, but sometimes I miss the days of being single."

Percy sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to — I saw Penny today and she's dating a new bloke."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Percy. I know that can be rough."

"I'm over her. I know that. I don't want to be with her anymore. We weren't right for each other. It just… it just reminded me of things. I haven't even attempted to find someone new. In all honesty, I've been sticking close to home. Dad's better, but Mum is still worried. I've been keeping an eye on them and they claim that I'm hovering."

Podmore chuckled. "Parents, right?"

"I just wish that we knew more about this prophecy," Percy said, clearly frustrated. "We know that You Know Who wants it and we know that it's in here so, I don't know why we don't just sneak in and get it? Wouldn't that solve all of our problems?"

"In theory," Tonks said slowly. "But we don't know where it is or how to obtain it. All we know is that the Guardian has control over it."

"The mythical and legendary Guardian that no one knows absolutely anything about?" Percy retorted. "Seems rather sketchy to me."

Podmore spoke after a long moment. "Well, let's go inside then."

"Podmore, we can't just sneak into the Department of Mysteries," Tonks said slowly.

Podmore pulled his invisibility cloak off. "Why not? I work here. Let's go inside and take a look around. It can't hurt anything."

"And the prophecy?" Tonks asked, taking off her own cloak as Percy did the same.

Podmore shrugged. "Weasley's right, let's just take it. If we have it, You Know Who can't get it."

Tonks and Percy exchanged nervous glances as Podmore pulled open the door on his left. Before they could take a moment to contemplate whether it was a good idea or not, Podmore disappeared behind the door.

Percy raised his wand, his eyes on Tonks. "What do you reckon? Should we wait here, or follow him in?"

Tonks let out a slow breath. "Follow him. He has a point. It can't hurt to look around."

Percy nodded and stepped inside after Tonks, closing the door behind them. The second the door closed, all of the torches went out leaving them in an eerie blue light. Percy grabbed Tonks' sleeve as the walls around them began to spin. Tonks could hear his quickened breath at her side and she held her wand out.

"It's just a test."

"Yeah, but now we don't even know what door we came from!"

Tonks gave him a smile reassuring smile. "But Podmore does."

No sooner had the room stopped spinning did the door on their right pop open and Podmore stuck his head out.

"Come on, slowpokes! We haven't got all night!"

Tonks nodded at Percy and the two of them stepped into the door with Podmore, closing it behind them. This room was brightly lit in comparison. The ticking sound of clocks echoed in the quiet as grandfather clocks, tall clocks, small clocks, big clocks, little clocks all surrounded the walls. Hourglasses sat on desks and Tonks watched in fascination as the sand moved slowly and quickly within the glass.

"What is this place?"

Podmore shrugged. "The Time Travel and Space Research Centre. I can't tell you what we do in here."

"Let me guess, you study time travel and space," Tonks retorted.

Podmore only gave her a pointed look. "That's the tip of the iceberg. Unless you are directly involved in the project, no one knows what exactly they are working on. It's completely classified."

"This is where you work?" Percy asked incredulously as he looked around.

Podmore shook his head. "Not in here, no, but I found out where the Hall was the other day when I was delivering something. Stay with me, you two! The Hall of Prophecy is just through here!"

Tonks grabbed Percy's arm when he reached out to touch the hourglass and tugged him through the door behind Podmore. The room they entered next seemed to go on for all of eternity. The eerie blue torches lit up the room again where shelves upon shelves of crystal orbs sat with different coloured smoke billowing through them.

"Blimey!" Percy exclaimed, his hands on his hips. "These are all prophecies?"

Podmore nodded. "Yup. Centuries of them. The Guardian stores them here and well…"

"The Department of Mysteries studies them," Tonks finished. "Podmore, why did you agree to bring us in here? You're the one who told us that if you touch the orb it becomes translucent?"

He nodded. "It's what I thought as well, but I reckon it might be a myth. I heard some of the agents talking the other day about the prophecies and the Guardian… I think the Guardian is someone that is being teased about so that people won't come in here and help themselves. I heard one of the agents talking about it - the Guardian, that is - and it got me thinking. We just need the one prophecy after all… and if we remove it, there's no way that You Know Who will be able to get his hands on it. If the whole Guardian protection thing really is a myth then we can just take it and protect it somewhere else, like maybe Order Headquarters."

"But if it's not?" Percy asked.

Podmore stared at them. "Well, then we won't be able to pick it up, right?"

Tonks had to agree with his assessment. She raised her wand, looking down the long hall. "How are we ever going to find it in here?"

Percy walked over to the shelf, pushing his glasses up his nose as he went. "Easily. See, it's labelled chronologically by year so we just need to find the section from the 1980s."

It wasn't until they reached the row that was numbered seventy-eight that they even hit the twentieth century.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop; their footsteps echoed as the blue flames illuminated their path when they moved. With every step forward, Tonks started to feel more and more apprehensive about what they were doing. They were guarding this area for a reason and maybe it wasn't their business to sneak in and try to grab the prophecy. She had just about convinced herself that it was time to leave when she heard Percy yell, "Ah-ha!"

She looked up at row ninety-seven as Podmore hurried forward before stopping a few feet down the row and pointing up at the shelf where Percy stood.

"There it is!"

Tonks headed towards the two men and looked where Podmore was pointing, reading the inscription listed beneath the orb:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. the Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

It really was here, she thought. All this time, and the prophecy had been sitting here, waiting to be heard. She started to reach for it when a chill ran down her spine. She froze, reaching for her wand.

"What are you waiting for?" Podmore demanded. "Take it, Lupin!"

Tonks hesitated and Podmore reached forward, gripping the orb in his hand.

Except he didn't grip it.

His fingers passed through the crystal orb like it was water.

She was about to make a comment about the Guardian when Podmore screamed, his voice carrying through the hall in an inhumane echo. The hand that had passed through the orb was now starting to blister. Ice spread along his fingers, growing rapidly through his skin as if it had a mind of its own. Icicles sprung up between his knuckles, carved through his flesh like a knife and the tips of his fingers were changing colour. She smacked his wrist away from the orb and the ice stopped moving. His fingers turned reddish purple and Percy stared in horror as Podmore's pinky finger turned black.

"We need to get him to a healer," Percy said quickly.

Tonks nodded. "Send a Patronus to the backup guard and meet me at St Mungo's."

Percy only nodded in compliance as Tonks Disapparated with Podmore. By the time he got in to see a healer less than five minutes later, all of his fingers had turned a purplish black.

"What happened?" the healer demanded.

"He touched something and his hand started to freeze like frostbite. It spread so quickly! I don't know what kind of spell was on it. The icicles sprung right out of his bones!"

The healer nodded, taking Podmore into another room as Tonks let out a slow breath. Percy took her hand and led her to the waiting room, startling her; she hadn't heard him come in.

"New guards are on site. Is he going to be all right?"

"I have no idea," Tonks said honestly. "We never should have let him take us in there!"

"Why did he insist on it in the first place?" Percy asked her. "You were right. He's the one who told us it was impossible to touch it, yet…"

Tonks glanced at the closed door where Podmore was being treated. "I don't know. It was… something was off."

"Do you think someone Imperiused him?"

Tonks' eyes widened at the thought. "I don't know… I want to say no. He was with us for six hours before he even suggested going inside and we know that he wasn't cursed while he was with us. That seems like a long time to wait if he was."

"That's true," Percy said slowly. "I don't think he was cursed. He was just caught up in the excitement of the moment maybe?"

"Maybe…" Tonks said slowly. "But he did say that he overheard something about it in the department… but he didn't say what it was that made him change his mind."

"What was it, do you think? A curse?"

"An ice curse of some kind," Tonks said. "The orb was translucent when he touched it, like a ghost — and you know that ice-cold feeling you get when a ghost walks through you? I think that it was magnified and it's what set off the curse, affecting whatever part of him touched the orb."

"The Guardian placed it on the prophecy?"

Tonks scratched the side of her head. "I honestly have no idea anymore. We need to figure something out. In the meantime, no one is allowed into the Department of Mysteries again. Guarding only."

"Agreed," Percy said. "Look, I'll stay and wait for news on Podmore. Why don't you head back to the Ministry?"

"Why?" she demanded, staring at him. "I can stay."

"I thought that you had to be at the office for seven, and it's already half past six?"

Tonks frowned. Where had the time gone? She shook her as she stood up. "Let me know the minute that you hear anything?"

"Will do," Percy told her.

She left the hospital and made it to the DMLE with only a few minutes to spare. She snuck into the toilet to wash up and try to refresh herself a little, but the worry for Podmore was clear on her face. She'd only just sat at her desk and taken her first sip of coffee when Kingsley crooked his finger at her. She made her way through the bullpen and into his office.

"Close the door," he instructed.

Tonks did as he asked and let out a slow sigh. "Has there been news?"

The parchment, charmed to fly like a bird, flew towards her, wings flapping. The moment she touched it, the parchment opened, revealing the message.

Oldershaw family MISPER(S)

Report to 216 Little Crescent.

Tonks' eyes met Kingsley's. "Missing persons case?"

"You know as much as I do."

"But you think it's him?"

Kingsley shook his head. "I think that we haven't had any homicides around in years, and suddenly we learn that Crouch Jr is not only alive, but that he tortured and murdered his own father - and then there's nothing again. The French Aurors agree with me that he is most likely behind the murder of the half-Melusine called River. He was skinned alive, Lupin."

Tonks nodded. "I know, Sir."

Kingsley stared at her before he tapped the parchment in her hand. "Dennis Oldershaw, Muggleborn. He married a pureblood witch called Elaine from the Parkinson family ten years ago. She was a distant cousin of Castor Parkinson and was disowned when the family discovered it. They have four magical children, ages seven, five, three, and six months. The distress call came in an hour ago and when the officers arrived, they found the house empty, but with obvious signs of a struggle. They asked for an Auror to be assigned to the case and I want you and Higgins on it. As you know, the longer children go unfound, the less likely it is for us to find them alive."

"Yes, Sir."

"I finished your guard this morning, all was quiet on the mystery front," he told her.

Tonks nodded. "I left Weasley at St Mungo's with Podmore. He's supposed to get back to me with news."

"I look forward to hearing that report once you touch base with Andy. In the meantime, keep your head in the game and grab your partner. I want you at the Oldershaw home no later than oh eight hundred hours."

Tonks glanced up at the clock and saw that she had less than fifteen minutes to find her partner. She sighed. So much for her plan of kipping at her desk. It looked like it was going to be one hell of a long day.

~ ASC ~

Harry showed the letter to Ginny at breakfast that morning. Hagrid had invited them down to his home for lunch. Harry had a feeling that Hagrid may have heard the results of his CRAWLS test. He had no real worries that Hagrid wouldn't have passed it, but he also knew that the man's big heart was open for even the most vicious of monsters, and that could potentially be an issue.

He met Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna in the entrance hall just before lunch and the six of them headed down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was beaming at them when they stepped inside.

"Well?" Harry asked, smiling up at him.

Hagrid's grin widened and his eyes twinkled. "Passed!"

Everyone cheered as they hurried forward to hug him in delight. Hagrid wiped tears from his eyes with a large handkerchief as he thanked them for the opportunity.

"You did it yourself, Hagrid," Hermione told him. "We only set the test for you because we knew that you were already qualified."

"And we wanted to show Umbitch there was no way she could sack you, but then we got rid of that mad bint before we could rub your results in her face," Ron said. "Ow!" he exclaimed as Hermione elbowed him in the gut.

"You lot, I couldna have done it withou' ya," he declared.

Ginny smiled up at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Hagrid. You most certainly know your magical creatures."

"How did they test you?" Neville asked, taking a seat at the table as Luna poured them all tea.

Hagrid sat as well, urging them all to sit around his table. "I went teh th' Ministry 'an they tested me right there in th' magical menagerie."

"Oooh," Hermione said brightly. "So you were able to see all sorts of magical creatures!"

Hagrid nodded. He explained how they moved from creature to creature and had him demonstrate how to care for them, how to greet them and approach safely, and discuss their dietary needs and magical abilities. He'd even been given the opportunity to work with a young dragon that they'd brought in recently from Scafell Pike. She'd been a Hebridean Black and Hagrid got a little teary-eyed as he told them all about her beautiful purple eyes and how they named her Amethyst. When he'd left after the test they promised to owl him his results within the week. He'd heard back the next day.

He pulled the certificate out of his pocket and held it up proudly.

Professor Rubeus Hagrid, Magizoologist

Creature Research and Welfare License Standards (CRAWLS)

Certified by Ministry of Magic

Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

February, 1996

Everyone applauded him and he beamed.

"You should put it in a frame, Hagrid," Hermione suggested. "It would look lovely hanging on your wall somewhere."

Everyone agreed.

"Thank yeh. All of yeh. If it wasn't for yeh lot, I would still probably be in Azkaban! Yeh not only cleared my name, but yeh got me a job I love. Thank yeh."

Harry grinned widely. In his opinion, no one deserved a chance at doing what they loved more than Hagrid. "It was nothing."

Ron nodded. "Definitely. You deserve it."

Luna handed him the teacup she had poured for him. "Now that you're a real Magizoologist, you can teach us about any animal you want. Maybe we can study Jarveys."

"Luna, Jarveys aren't real!" Neville exclaimed, shaking his head at her.

Luna only stared at him. "But they haven't been proven not to be real either."

Harry could see that Neville didn't have a response to that.

Hagrid jumped to his feet and served them cream of broccoli soup with thick slices of beer bread. He filled them in on his plans for his classes now that he was officially certified and when the charm went off signalling the end of lunch, he was still beaming at them.

Harry kissed Ginny goodbye as she and Luna headed towards the forest for their class with Hagrid as he, Ron, Neville, and Hermione headed back towards the castle for International Magical Relations. He was glad that Hagrid had finally gotten the life he deserved.

No one deserved it more.

~ ASC ~

Remus came home just after lunch on Monday afternoon, preparing to spend the rest of his day grading papers until his wife came home. He only had half a day on Mondays, teaching just his seventh years in the morning, and he always enjoyed his slow start to his week. He made himself a cup of tea and opened the first assignment before he found the piano beckoning him. Leaving his work unfinished, he took a seat on the bench and let the music take over. He realized that he'd been playing for almost two hours when the knock on the door interrupted him. He was surprised to see his mother-in-law standing there.

"Hello, Andy."

Andromeda smiled, brushing the freshly fallen snow from her hair. "Hi, Remus. I was hoping to catch you at home."

He stepped back to allow her inside. "Let me take your coat. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely, thanks."

Remus made his way into the kitchen to put the kettle on. It wasn't long before he carried the tea tray into the living room and placed it on the coffee table with some fresh lemon cranberry scones. Andromeda dug her feet into the bright pink rug on the floor.

"This is so my daughter."

Remus chuckled as he served her tea the way she liked it. "It is, yes. I don't mind. I like that she adds the brightness to our home. It makes it feel like she's here even when she's at work."

Andromeda blew on the top of her tea before taking a sip. "I hope that I wasn't disturbing you. I heard you playing when I came up the walk; it was lovely."

"Not at all," he told her, settling himself on the sofa. "I was just fiddling around on the piano, procrastinating about grading papers."

She smiled. "I think it's allowed. Even professors need a break from homework sometimes." She helped herself to one of the scones as she spoke. "I was hoping to catch you alone as I wanted to ask you about Dora."

Remus raised a brow. "Oh?"

Andromeda took a deep breath before she spoke. "I know her job is dangerous and I've come to terms with that. I still worry — every day - but I trust her to be as safe as she can be. I heard that after her arrest of Umbridge, she's been tracking down some criminals... that man in the paper who murdered his wife and that robber... the ones believed to be associated with You Know Who."

"That's her job, Andy. She's a dark wizard catcher. They caught him last week and he's been imprisoned."

Andromeda nodded. "I know that. I guess I just want to make sure that she's taking precautions and that you're checking her when she comes and goes, making sure she's not cursed or —"

"— Andy," Remus said kindly. "She's a strong woman. She's smart and resourceful and one incredible Auror. Her partner is great. She has a good team. I worry too, of course I do, but we have to trust her to do her job."

Andromeda nodded. "Edward told me not to come today. He said that I was being too motherly and that you would tell me to sod off because she's a grown woman and married to boot."

"Nah, I understand," he told her. "Just knowing that she comes home to me at the end of the day is all I need."

"She's been good? Her work has been so busy that you've missed the last few Sunday dinners."

"She's good. Been working a lot of overtime on a new case, but good. She headed straight to work this morning after guard duty and I haven't seen her since last night. It's been busy and she's been working six days a week, but I'm doing what I can to make sure she gets the rest she needs."

The front door opened and Tonks stomped inside, snow flying everywhere. She put her boots and coat away and turned in surprise to see her mum.

"Hi, Mum!"

Tonks bent to kiss her cheek and Andromeda scoffed.

"Dora! You're absolutely frozen! Let me put a warming charm on you, love."

Tonks shook her head. "I'm okay, Mum. That's what I have my husband for."

She plopped herself down in Remus's lap and slid her ice cold hands under his jumper and up his back.

"Cold!" he bellowed, putting his arms around her.

Tonks grinned against his chest as she pressed into him. "Mmm, warm."

He pulled the blanket down from the back of the chesterfield and wrapped it around her. "Is this becoming a thing now when you work outside?"

"You're so warm, Rem."

He kissed the top of her head.

Andromeda smiled. "You usually run hot, don't you? I feel like you mentioned that before?"

"I do," Remus said. "My dad did as well. It's handy in the winter, right pain in the arse in the summer."

Andromeda chuckled. "I can imagine. Dora, how was guard duty last night? Did you get any more information on the Guardian?"

Tonks yawned against Remus's chest as she nodded. "A bit, yeah. The Guardian is extremely powerful. Percy and I discovered that he or she obtains the prophecies from all over the United Kingdom - and not only places them inside the orbs for protection, but protects them within the Hall of Prophecy. The Hall has over a million prophecies stored there from over the centuries."

"A million prophecies?" Remus asked in amazement. "How big is the Department of Mysteries?"

Tonks nodded, looking over at her mum. "Big, and us guarding it is smart, as we know You Know Who keeps attempting to get in, but I don't think it's necessary to continue."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "You Know Who wants access to it and you don't think it's necessary? I thought that we agreed that it was an important mission for the Order to take care of, especially after Arthur was attacked."

"No," Tonks said, yawning again. "It was important, but the Guardian has the power there, Mum. Only the Guardian is able to place or remove the prophecy from the hall. Last night, we… we decided to try to remove the prophecy to see what would happen. Podmore snuck inside, as he knows the place the best. Percy and I went with him."

"What happened?" Remus asked, surprised; that seemed impulsive, even for her.

"The Department of Mysteries is more mystery than you can imagine. If Podmore hadn't been leading the charge, we would have gotten lost in there. We ended up in this black room with twelve doors and the whole room spins before you can choose a door. Podmore knew where he was going, though. He took us through the Time Travel and Research Centre Office, the door behind it leads to the Hall of Prophecy. The orb we were looking for is all the way down in row ninety-seven. Thankfully, they are organized chronologically by year."

"So, do you have it?" Remus asked her in amazement.

Tonks shook her head. "Only the Guardian can place or remove it from the hall. If anyone else attempts it, their hands pass through the orb like a ghost."

Remus stared at her. "So you're saying that Voldemort wouldn't be able to pick it up even if he stood in front of it?"

"I don't think so. The only way that he can access the prophecy is if the Guardian gives it to him. Podmore's hand passed right through it and it froze his fingers, like frostbite frozen. Whatever curse is placed there, no one can touch it without direct access from the Guardian. We had to take him to St Mungo's and he lost two fingers to the ice. Part of his hand is scarred from the frostbite. Percy stopped by at the end of the day to update me. Podmore's heading home but… the orb cost him two fingers, Rem."

Andromeda gasped. "From touching it?"

"Yes," Tonks said, yawning so hugely her jaw cracked. "Only the Guardian can access it so us guarding it every night isn't something that we need to continue to do. Unless we can figure out how to break through the curse."

"But who's the Guardian?" Andromeda asked. "Do we have any idea? Does Podmore know?"

"King and I think that's why You Know Who was chasing that Melusine in France. He's looking for the Guardian and all he knows is that they're a Seer," Tonks told them. "I discussed it briefly with King this morning before Higgins and I were pulled away for… for something else."

"Didn't you say that the French Aurors found that Melusine in France?" Remus asked her.

Tonks nodded. "Yes. He's dead. It was in yesterday's paper."

"And it means that You Know Who hasn't found the Guardian yet," Remus said, grinning at his mother-in-law. "That is good news. It means that we can cut the guard back a bit as well, wouldn't you say, Andy? I think Dora is right, it hardly seems necessary given the circumstances."

Andromeda nodded, taking in their words. "I agree with that. I think that we need to do some more serious research on the Guardian. We need to figure out what You Know Who could have learned about them from the Melusine. Has Sirius or Albus talked to Madam Bones?"

"Yes," Remus said. "The Department of Mysteries is a mystery for a reason. The important research they do there has saved countless lives over the years and secrecy is vital to them accomplishing that, but the new department head is on board with helping out in any way that she can. Her name is Miggs, and she is interested in discussing the history of the Hall of the Prophecy, but I don't think that we're going to get much from her. From what Dumbledore said, she wants to help, but she also wants to keep it as much of a mystery as possible. The stuff they do in there is kept a secret for a reason."

"That makes sense," Andromeda said, nodding at Remus. "Is she asleep?"

Remus looked down at where his wife's face was pressed against his heart, her soft breathing making him smile. "Completely."

Andromeda chuckled. "Girl always could be out in a heartbeat. She's been up over twenty-four hours, so I won't keep you. Will you try to come to dinner next Sunday?"

"We'll be there," Remus assured her.

She stood up and said her goodbyes, letting herself out. Remus contemplated what to do with the sleeping woman in his arms before he awkwardly stood up and carried her to their bedroom. He could smell the whiff of a sleeping draught on her breath and wondered on it. He undressed her carefully, stripping her down to just her knickers before he wrapped her up and tucked her in.

He kissed her cheek tenderly before he headed into the kitchen to get dinner started. It wasn't long before he had chicken breasts baking in the oven and the vegetables grilling. He'd just served up two steaming plates when he heard distress sounds coming from their bedroom. He dropped what he was doing and hurried into their room.

Tonks was sobbing in her sleep. She was curled in a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks. He sat on the bed, pulling her into his arms so sharply that she woke and clung to him. Remus cradled her close, his hands gently running up and down her back.

It was almost five minutes before her heart rate returned to normal. Remus kissed the top of her head.

"There now, love, get it all out," he soothed.

Tonks looked up at him, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks puffy, and he bent his head to kiss her softly.

"So beautiful."

She scoffed. "I look like a pufferfish when I cry!"

Remus reached for the duvet and wrapped her up more securely in his arms. "Not at all. I made some dinner, are you hungry?"

Tonks shook her head, letting him press her close. "No. Stay here with me."

He shifted so that he was lying in the bed, holding her tightly wrapped up, her cheek resting over his heart. He ran his hand over her naked back under the blanket. He wasn't sure how long they lay there, but when she spoke he only listened.

"King made me take a sleeping draught before I left. He said that I needed to rest to — to put it behind me."

Remus continued to trail his fingers along her spine.

"There was a missing persons case this morning, a whole family in the South. We went to investigate the scene. The mother and father and the four children hadn't been seen since a distress call came from their home. The officers on scene had searched the house and property and Higgins and I picked up from where they left off. We found them just on the edge of the property four hours later. They'd been tortured and slaughtered… the little children… there was so much blood." The last word came out on a choked sob.

Remus only held her as she cried, her face buried against his chest.

When she finally quieted down, he kissed her forehead. "This is not your fault, Dora."

She opened her mouth and he covered it with his hand

"Sometimes the bad ones get away. It bloody sucks, but you're not to blame. You'll find those responsible and they're going to pay for what they did to those people."

Tonks nodded. She wanted to tell him that they suspected who was responsible and that it was only one person who had hurt them, but she couldn't get the words out. She'd been hunting him for well over a year now and hadn't found any trace of him. If Crouch Jr really was the one behind these killings, he was escalating, and she didn't know how to bring him in. The thought scared her just as much. But there were some things that she just couldn't tell her husband. It was her job and she was sworn to secrecy. But having him hold her at the end of a rough day was exactly what she needed to remember that she was still alive, that she was loved.

"King said that Higgins and I are off until Thursday. He said that we need time." Tonks turned to look up at him. "I can't be here alone for two whole days with my thoughts."

He leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Go visit your mum. She'd love to have you. I'll come home for lunch tomorrow."

Tonks kissed him. "I love you. You're too good to me."

Remus pressed her closer. "I love you too, and that's not possible."

"I have to see the departmental mind healer on Thursday. It's required. If they don't pass me, I can't go back to work."

"Dora, you know that's just a precaution. It's for your own good. Any time there's anything traumatic you have to see one, to get cleared to return to work."

Tears filled her eyes again. "I don't want to go."

Remus covered her face in kisses. "I know, love."

"I feel..."

Remus kissed her again. "Come on. Let's go take a bubble bath."

Tonks nodded and let him pull her to her feet. "That sounds good."

He slid his hands up to cup her breasts, stroking the nipples until they pebbled. "If you're lucky, I'll help you relax in other ways."

A laugh slipped out and she smirked up at him. "Never stop taking care of me."

He framed her face with his hands and kissed her for a long time. "Never." He kissed her one more time. "Go, get the bath ready. I'll put a warming charm on our dinner and get you a glass of wine."

"Oh, Rem, you made dinner and I —"

"—no," he interrupted her. "Doesn't matter. You matter, Nymphadora. Go on into the bath. I'll be right there."

Remus watched her head into the bathroom and he sighed. She would be all right. She just needed some time and he knew that King would make sure that she got it.

~ ASC ~

When Defence Club came around Wednesday night, Theo was surprised to see Professor Rhiannon standing up at the front with Lupin and McGonagall. Nyx was at her mistress' feet. Then, standing next to them was a group of four people he didn't recognize; all of them were the most beautiful people he had ever seen in his life. Two were men, one a few years older than himself, one dark and one blond. The other two were women, one with bright blonde hair and the other with hair as dark as his own. But it wasn't them that drew his attention - it was the fact that Finn was present, too. He stood at the front in black trousers and a partially unbuttoned white dress shirt, looking sexier then anyone should be allowed to look.

Draco walked into Theo; he'd froze in the doorway at the sight of his prince.

"Move, mate."

"Finn," he said quietly.

Theo moved towards his boyfriend immediately, grinning when Finn pulled him into his arms for a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping out. I wanted to surprise you," he said.

"I am definitely surprised," Theo told him. "And happy to see you."

Finn kissed his cheek. "Maybe afterwards we can spend a little time together before I head out?"

"Absolutely," Theo said as Draco and Blaise came to stand on either side of him. He let go of Finn, except for the hand he twined his fingers through, and grinned at his friends. "Finn, this is Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Guys, this is Finn."

Draco held his hand out to the fae and Theo could see that his face was carefully guarded as he spoke. "So, you're the mystery bloke that's been stealing Theo every Saturday?"

"Guilty," Finn said with a bright smile. "I'd steal him every day if he didn't have class and I didn't have to guard the realm."

Blaise shook his hand next. "So you know, we worship you for what you did to that asshat Macmillan, but if you hurt Theo for even half a second, we'll kill you, transfigure your body into manure, and spread you in the garden."

Finn chuckled as Theo smacked Blaise in the arm.

"Blaise!"

Blaise shrugged. "What?"

Finn smiled at them. "I like your friends, Theo."

"I used to as well," Theo muttered, giving Draco and Blaise angry looks.

Finn squeezed Theo's hand. "Go on, I think Rhiannon wants to get started. We'll talk after."

Theo stood on his toes to steal a quick kiss before he let Draco and Blaise tug him away. He turned to glare at his friends. "Kill him and transfigure him into manure? Really?"

Blaise shrugged again. "You can't say we don't care, Theo."

Draco snorted. "And if he treats you like you shit, we'll turn him into shit — seems like a fair price to me."

Theo rolled his eyes at them as they grinned amongst themselves and Professor Lupin called them to attention.

"Welcome. If you remember, I told you that our next class would be a little different than usual. Professor Rhiannon has come to offer her assistance in teaching you a new concept to defence. I would like to cede the floor to her."

Rhiannon moved in front of Remus to speak. "I am Professor Rhiannon and as some of you know, I teach Wandless Magic. Before I agreed to come to Hogwarts and teach, my job was Assistant to the Mage Brigit of King Talisen's Royal Court of Tara. Part of that job was to help oversee the defence of the realm. Before you today, are five of our best warriors from the Royal Guard who will be here to demonstrate and to teach. I would like to introduce Egan Kerry, Kellan Cork, Fladh Tipperary, Laoise Munster, and Prince Finley Alexander, who is the Commander of the Royal Guard."

Each one of them stepped forward and gave a little bow when introduced.

"As fae, we have magic of our own. Some of this is channelled through wands or staffs, but often we do magic wandless. One of the ways we work with defence is by using tools ancient to us and even used by Muggles. We fight with broadswords and bows and arrows just as much as with our magic," Rhiannon explained.

McGonagall gestured for the students to stand back against the walls. "The Royal Guard would like to start off with a demonstration."

The next few moments were some of the most impressive fighting that Theo had ever seen. The Fae moved like lightning.

Finn was incredible. The broadsword was almost as long as his legs and looked to be about eight centimetres wide. He moved it as if it were part of him. Theo couldn't help but lick his lips as he watched the rippling muscles in his boyfriend's arms when he swung the sword. But it wasn't just the way the sword made him look that was impressive.

Egan and Kellan were shooting arrows at him with speed and accuracy. Bursts of magical energy came from each arrow and Finn deflected them with a swing of the sword as if he was swatting a fly. Arrows vanished around him and then, just as quickly, Laoise's sword met his with a loud clang. Blue magical energy seemed to glow from his fingers as he shot her back, never missing a beat as their swords danced. The two of them continued to deflect arrows as they fought and when Fladh broke between them, two small short swords in her hands, neither flinched.

It was like watching a dance, but if you blinked, you missed something. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. When Rhiannon called the demonstration to a close, the five of them stood back, bowing to the class again. Theo could hear his fellow students whispering amongst each other and he knew that everyone was just as impressed as he was.

"As you can see, we use the weapons as our wands just as strongly as you would use your wand," Rhiannon explained. "The point of the wand is to channel your magic, to help give you better aim and better control over what you are doing. But the magic isn't in your wand, it is in you. The wand chooses the witch or wizard, this is true, but the wand is still only an instrument. In the end, you are the conductor. The swords and bows are our instruments, and we conduct them with the same power that you conduct your wands. Each weapon is unique to us much in the way your wand is unique to you. Therefore, we still have the ability to perform magic with someone else's sword or bow, but like your wand, we do our best work with our own weapons."

Everyone was staring at her as she continued.

"Finn has brought practice swords and bows from the training room forward for you today. As practice items, they are not an instrument designed towards a specific person, but designed to work for all as a training tool. However, you will find that one of them is more comfortable to you than the others. If you are interested in swinging a sword, I'd like you to line up on my left, and if you are interested in archery, line up on my right."

Theo immediately moved to the left with Draco and Blaise and he wasn't surprised to see Harry and Ron move over with him. He noted that Hermione had gone to the archery section and the class was soon almost divided equally.

He smiled up at his boyfriend as he listened to him instruct how to control the sword, how to dance with it, and how to use it with your magic. Theo moved over to the swords to choose one, surprised to find them heavier than he anticipated. Finn's hand landed on top of his.

"Not that one."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You have to choose the sword based on what feels right in your hand. It needs to have the right feel, the right length, the right weight… it should feel like part of your hand, an extension of your arm," he explained, picking up one with a silver handle on the end and passing it to Theo. "Use mine."

Theo jolted when he touched the sword. It immediately felt different in his hand. He could feel the power of it. Just like when he purchased his first wand, he could see it in his hand, see himself swinging it…

"You can feel how it pulls on your magic; feel the connection to it as if it were your wand. Do you feel it?"

At everyone's nod, Finn continued.

"The sword is your shield. You will wield it as such. Now, let's try to shoot some basic spells at Theo here and we'll see how well he wields the sword."

Theo stared at Finn, his eyes wide. "But you didn't show me…"

Finn smiled at him. "You'll see."

Draco volunteered, pulling out his wand and sending a stunning hex at Theo before he could blink. The sword moved as his wand would have and he found himself yelling, 'Protego,' surprising himself when he erected a shield around him. The stunning spell bounced off the sword as if it was a magical shield protecting him. He stared in amazement as Draco dodged his own stunner.

Finn smirked at them. "You know how to protect yourselves; this is merely another tool. Everyone grab a sword that feels comfortable. We'll go over some basic dance moves."

Finn's hand brushed his arm as he walked past and Theo discreetly checked out his boyfriend's bum. So far, this whole defence with the sword thing was pretty great.

By the time the session ended, Theo was desperate to get his hands on him. Watching Finn instruct others was so much sexier than he had anticipated. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands on his boyfriend as soon as possible.

As everyone filed out of the duelling room, Theo linked his finger's with Finn's. Finn said goodbye to his friends and let Theo tug him out into the corridor before he bent his head and kissed him deeply.

"You were great in there," Theo told him. "A natural born teacher."

Finn smiled. "It was fun. But now I want to be with you."

Theo led him down the corridor, around to a long alcove that led into a tunnel and out to the Black Lake. He pushed Finn against the stone, standing on his toes to kiss him and Finn's hands gripped his waist tightly as they snogged. Lips met over and over as Theo trailed his hands down Finn's chest until they finally pulled away to grin at each other, both breathless.

"I've missed you," Finn told him, resting his forehead against his. "I hate only seeing you on Saturdays."

"Me too," Theo admitted. "But I love writing to you and telling you about my day."

Finn stroked a finger down Theo's cheek. "I love that too. It was so hard to keep this a secret, but I wanted to surprise you."

"You definitely did," Theo told him. "How long can you stay?"

Finn kissed him again, lingering for a moment. "I have to be back at my post by midnight."

Theo slid his hands up his boyfriend's chest, linking them around his neck. "Good, that gives us a little less than three hours."

Finn groaned when Theo's lips found his neck. "Let's go somewhere more private."

Theo took his hand and led him around the corner to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and pulled him inside. Finn followed him down the stairs to his dorm room, smiling as Theo led him around to his bed. "Is this private enough for you?"

Finn pushed Theo onto his bed, climbing on top of him to kiss him. Theo used his wand to close his bed curtains and murmured a silencing charm between kisses. He loved the feel of Finn's body on top of his, the feel of his muscles, the weight of him pressing down as Theo tugged him closer. They kissed again and again. Mouths and tongues meeting, lips trailing over skin until they were both shirtless.

By the time Finn gave him the final kiss goodnight, Theo was missing him already. He walked him to the front entrance of the school, kissing him goodnight and telling him he was looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.

Finn kissed him again. "We'll go back to my place in New Zealand," he told him. He kissed Theo's ear and smiled. "And we'll pick up where we left off."

Theo blushed as he watched Finn hurry down out the front doors and he placed a hand over his trembling stomach. He couldn't wait to get his hands all over him again at the next opportunity. Theo couldn't remember the last time he had spent over three hours doing nothing but snogging, and it had been absolutely wonderful.

He whistled as he made his way back down to Slytherin, eyes peeled for Filch or Mrs Norris. Even they couldn't stop him from smiling right now.

~ ASC ~

Harry thought the Defence Club session was definitely more interesting than usual. The fae taught them how to swing the sword, using your body weight as a balancing act. The sword felt familiar, but it also felt strange to hold. He had thought it would be easiest to wield since he'd used one before both against the Basilisk and against the Horcruxes. But it was different this way.

He was taking instruction from Egan and he found the movements were precise, sharp and hard. Egan stressed that as much as the sword was being used as a conduit to his magic, it was still a sword. With every thrust and swing, Harry then had the ability to maim or kill someone. That was a little more daunting. But by the first hour, the blade felt familiar in his hand and truly like a part of him the way his wand usually did.

Egan had him use it as a shield, stopping spells and fighting close encounters. Once the hour was up, they moved towards the archers and used the sword against them.

That was something he hadn't expected. He was paired with Hermione, who as it turned out, could shoot arrows quite well. She pierced through his shield twice and swapped between her bow and her wand seamlessly. One of the sixth years attempted to intervene and Hermione took them out in moments, making him beam at her.

It was definitely an interesting class.

Rhiannon dismissed them and Remus announced that they would be adding a portion of sword and archery to their Defence Club for those interested in learning more. Rhiannon would be offering her teaching of both sword and archery at the beginning of each meeting to go over practiced moves and manoeuvres, and the duelling room would be available to any student who wanted to practice.

Harry made his way over to Remus as everyone filed out. "That was interesting."

Remus smiled at him. "I thought it would be a nice change. It allows you to be more versatile if the occasion were to call for it. Any extra help is always a good thing."

Harry nodded. "Are you going to teach the other group as well?"

"No. I think just your group for now. A group of fae from the royal guard are supposed to be teaching the Terra Troops similar fighting techniques. The wolves especially have found it helpful."

Hermione, upon hearing his words, frowned. "I read that the wolves and the fae are mortal enemies?"

Remus chuckled. "That might be too harsh of a phrase, but there has been a history of animosity. We are working to overcome it as much as we can. It's not perfect, but with the defence unit and the Ministry sanctioned changes, everyone is slowly learning to accept change."

"I'm glad that you're showing us different ways to defend ourselves, Professor. I never thought that I would find something like archery fun."

"Turns out she's brilliant at it," Ron said, making Hermione blush.

Remus smiled at them. "You all did great today. Ron, I think moving you into the Advanced class was a good decision, did you feel all right?"

"Great," he said. "I think I liked using a sword."

Harry grinned at his friend before turning back to his father. "Have you talked to Uncle Sirius lately?"

Remus' brow furrowed. "Not in a few days, something amiss?"

Harry shook his head, grinning slightly. He had wondered if Sirius had told Remus about his proposing to Zee, but obviously he hadn't. "Er, no… just wondered as he was supposed to go to Barbados with Zee, but he said something came up."

"Nothing to be concerned with," Remus assured him. "And they rescheduled. The two of them are taking a portkey out this Friday, only two weeks later than planned."

"Right," Harry said.

Remus only stared at him. "Anything else that I need to be worried about?"

"Not at all," Harry told him.

Remus nodded. "All right. You three head back to Gryffindor. The duelling room will be open if you want to do any practicing before the next meeting."

Hermione linked her arm with Harry's as they left the duelling room. "What are you keeping from Professor Lupin?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly, making her roll her eyes. "Nothing, really. Just something Uncle Sirius told me to keep a secret, but I thought that he might have told Uncle Rem by now."

"A good secret?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "The best." He dropped his voice lower, glancing around them. "He told me I could only tell Ginny, but I know you two won't tell anyone. The weekend after Valentine's Day, when he came to get me, we picked out an engagement ring for Zee."

Hermione's eyes widened in delight. "Really?"

Harry grinned at them. "Really. He was supposed to get it some time last week, but he must not have because he hasn't said anything. He said that he's waiting until Easter weekend as he wants me home with him when he asks. You can't say anything!"

"No worries, mate. Mum's the word," Ron told him.

Harry nodded, feeling a bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach again. Mrs Copper had told them the ring would be ready within the week, but Sirius hadn't said anything. He wondered what was taking so long as he couldn't wait for Sirius to pick it up. It would feel more real once his father had the ring. It was still five weeks until Easter, but he couldn't wait.

He knew that Zee's reaction would be priceless.

And then, when she said yes… it wouldn't only be Sirius who would be smiling.

~ ASC ~

When Sirius arrived at the little jewellery store that Friday afternoon, the ring waiting for him was even more breathtaking than he had imagined. He had been getting a bit worried when he hadn't heard back from Mrs Copper after the first week, but she'd sent word that she needed a bit more time to find the perfect diamond and would have it for him soon. When he'd received the owl from her that morning, he was beaming in excitement at the prospect of going to pick it up, and he was dying to see the ring.

Sirius listened to Mrs Copper explain the ring and how she made it. The ring was 14K white gold with a three carat round cut halo cathedral star diamond set into the engagement ring; diamonds outlined in a strip along both sides. He listened to her explain how she could engrave the entire inside of the ring or the bottom part if he wished, and that she only needed to know what he would like to say.

He had put a lot of thought into it. He had considered what he wanted to say. He knew that he was supposed to put something mushy and heartfelt, but that just wasn't him. It wasn't them. The ring was gorgeous and he needed the words to be just as much them as the ring was for her. In the end, he had decided to go with humorous. He chose the Helvetica typeset that Mrs Copper showed him and gave her the message.

She merely raised her eyebrow in amusement but set her wand to the task.

Ten minutes later, the ring was done and worth every Galleon in his opinion - all 3,061 Galleons, 10 Sickles and 5 Knuts worth. He examined the ring again where it lay in the blue velvet box, eyes wide before he tucked it into his pocket and Disapparated to Hogsmeade where he used Aberforth's fire to Floo directly into McGonagall's office. She only raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned and asked to see Harry.

It took another ten minutes for Harry to make his way to McGonagall's office, where Sirius carefully opened the ring box and watched his son's eyes widen.

"Wow!"

"It's perfect, right?"

Harry nodded, carefully extracting the ring to examine it. "It is. She's going to love it." His eyebrow rose as he read the words carved inside of the ring. "You really put, 'I'm in it for the shagging & I love you ~ S', inside your engagement ring?"

Sirius' grin widened. "I did. It's perfect for us."

Harry placed the ring back into the box and handed it back to his godfather. "Have you figured out how you're going to ask her yet?"

Sirius simply wiggled his eyebrows. "Don't you worry. I have it all planned. Well, sort of. A month from now, you'll be home, and we'll ask her, okay?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. "Okay."

Sirius tugged Harry close for a hug. "I love you. We're a team, remember? I can't very well ask the woman I love to marry me without our son there to cheer us on, can I?"

Harry smiled at him. "She's going to say yes."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "Yeah, I think she is. You'll be my best man?"

Harry's grin widened. "Absolutely."

Sirius grinned at him. "Jamie would be so proud of you, Harry. I know I am. Go on, get back to snogging Ginny."

"I was in class," Harry told him.

Sirius smirked. "Where you were probably daydreaming about snogging Ginny." At Harry's look, he grinned. "Zee and I will be in Barbados until Sunday night, but if you need us, we'll have the mirror."

"Have a good time," Harry told him.

"Get. I'll see you in a few weeks."

Harry grinned back at him. "Hide that in your closet vault, not your dresser drawer."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. "I do know how to do this on my own, you know."

But as he watched Harry leave, he thought that his son had a point. The closet vault was a much safer choice and not the dresser drawer that he had been contemplating putting the ring into where Zee might accidentally stumble upon it.

But Harry didn't need to know that he had been right.

~ ASC ~

Zee returned home a little late that night. She had sent word to Sirius that she would be running late, but she was pleased with the results of her excursion. They would be leaving by portkey in two hours to head to Barbados for their romantic weekend away, and she was looking forward to it. She had been disappointed to have to postpone it and thought they both really needed this little holiday away.

Not only had it been too long since she and Sirius had spent a weekend doing nothing, but it had been too long since they'd done nothing but each other. She'd ducked out of work early and spent the afternoon buying a new bikini and then she'd gone to get her tattoo done. She couldn't wait to show him.

Zee found him napping on the sofa and she smiled at the sight of him, bending to kiss his forehead. Her curls tickled his face, a small smile on his lips. Not wanting to disturb him, she hurried upstairs to pack the rest of her bag. She changed into a short halter dress over her new bikini and was admiring her calf in the mirror when he came in.

His eyes met hers in the mirror and the look in them sent desire raking through her.

"When did you get home?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes ago? You looked so peaceful having your nap."

"I was resting my eyes," he said, making her grin.

"Right."

Sirius moved towards her, his eyes trailing down her body. "You look fucking gorgeous." His gaze stopped on her leg, a brow rising. "You got a new tat?"

Zee held onto his arm as he picked up her leg to examine the new tattoo. She had gotten Lady Godiva. She'd done her panther's sleek form in a dark black outline but other than her golden eyes, she'd coloured the panther in with flowered camouflage. Purple perennials and pink tulips, red roses and blue lilacs that brightened her leg and covered every inch of the ugly burn scar to the back of her knee. Deep green vines and leaves surrounded the outline of the panther, framing the words written down either side of the panther in cursive: I Am Woman and on the other side it continued with: Hear Me Roar.

"Fuck, that's sexy," Sirius murmured, his fingertips tracing the words.

"Yeah?" Zee said. "I didn't want to look at my burn anymore so I wanted to cover it with something beautiful."

"And the Reddy lyrics?"

She grinned. "Points to you."

Sirius let go of her leg and bent his head to kiss her. "I love it. But you were sexy with the scar too."

Zee slipped her arms around his neck. "And that, Mr Black, is one of the many reasons why I love you."

Sirius slid his hands up her back into her hair. "Let's go shag on the beach."

She laughed as he let her go and picked up their bags. "Sounds perfect."

As he walked out the door, she couldn't help but think that she had never loved anyone more than the man before her. She didn't know what the future held for her, but she did know that her future was nothing without Sirius Black and Harry Potter.

End Author's Note:

The ring was 3,061 Galleons, 10 Sickles, and 5 Knuts = £15, 246 and 75 pence. As to Zee's tattoo, I wanted words to reflect her and the lyrics to "I Am Woman" to me just scream Zee.

Thank you and please review!