Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To Nightwing2013: Zee is going to miss his dream visits, but I think it was important for him to come to her once more, to see the twins, and that be the end. Lucius is lost and right now, knowing Draco is alive is all he has left to live for. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you. I figured we could use some laughter and Fred walking in on Percy seemed like a good start. To Queen Helen: Thank you! Ginny being a fangirl over Jones is just so realistic to me. Haha, Percy being tied to the bed made you choke on your breakfast! To Seriously Sam: Professor Longbottom, he knows what's up. Draco has earned parsnip status? Nice. Haha, Percy likes to be wined and dined first. To ANewRanger: Canada is much better! I agree! To alix33: Granny Minnie, love it! To elin2002: Oh, don't worry, Fred will!

To Dianne: It was fun to give Percy a bit more than being a prudish nerd lol. More happy stuff to come, so no storm yet, but it is coming. To SkiGirl21: Thanks, always happy to help learning LOL. To Wolf's scream: Ginny is definitely Harry's first priority! Haha and no kinky prison for Tonks! To FoxEarsAK: Interesting theory, but no one will be attacking his trial. To DeadFish37: I am seriously going to have Hannah and Neville get together the way I want, so possibly? To Steelcode: Sorry to make you cry again! To pix25: They always do lol. To Slifter19: Me too! To ratafia: Thank you! I'm glad it's the best random fanfic you've found. To Mackie919: It was heartbreaking, but an important part of the story.. To PURAB: Astoria will come in but not anytime soon. To Famine2: Thank you! It always makes me feel good when I hear someone couldn't put the story down!

To JamesTKent: Thank you! I enjoy writing Auror Tonks and I love the relationship between her and her mum. To Harshinilii: Thank you for claiming this is one of the "best pieces of literature" you've read! One day, I will hopefully write an original book but that would entail finishing it and well… that's been 20 years in the making lol. We will see Althea again soon and we hear from her in this chapter, actually. To CarpenL: I agree. We should feel bad for him because he is finally doing what he should have done years ago. To Bumlewis: Happy to have you appreciate something random like the character development of Lucius Malfoy LOL. And haha, I made you appreciate and anticipate Percy smut, you're welcome! To Tiegdalewills15: Haha, just you wait! I'm going to make you fall in love with someone you'll never expect! Just give me a few more chapters! And yes, Hannah and Neville will be happening soon. To coloredwords: Thank you! I enjoyed doing the research to write it up for Azkaban. Haha, Blaise and Draco get slapped a time or two. I have plans for them slowly forming in my head.

To tim2604: Sirius will always be obsessed with her body! Even in death, he will always love her. Neville is quite a bit oblivious, yes. Our shy boy is unsure. To HpF2: Perfect Prefect Percy likes a little bondage, what can I say? To AQuickRead91: Tonks is very much alive yes. To Harry: I like Harry as an Auror which is what he wants in this story. To Leapyearbaby29: Draco's wand was with the Death Eaters. To ResaThee: Thank you! I enjoy giving insight into characters, allowing us to learn more about them, and about why they make the choices they do. To GryffindorHealer: Haha! See! It makes sense for Percy, doesn't it? Audrey will definitely handle the Weasleys no problem once she meets them! Thank you! I enjoyed adding Dante's Inferno to the mix, to help me build the crypt the way I saw fit. To briana_t: Haha, definitely not the way Fred wanted to meet Audrey, no. To Raindrops & Flowers: Hannah grew up with a mother who didn't appreciate her and when Kevin showed an interest, she leaned towards it because she saw it as an escape too. Thanks for reading!

My posting schedule: Bi-weekly.

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 SIXTY-TWO:

When Harry opened the mirror, the last person that he expected to see was one of the twins. It always took him a moment to distinguish which twin, but this time it was made easy when Fred's arm extended to show George sitting next to him with Angelina in his lap.

"Hi, Fred," Harry said, his brow furrowing as he tossed his wet towel towards the hamper. "This is a surprise."

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eleven. He'd just finished showering and had changed into his pyjama bottoms to get ready for bed. The last thing he expected was to be mirror called by the twins.

George waved from the sofa. "Fred claims that he has something important to share."

"With me?" Harry asked. "Should I be worried?"

Fred shrugged. "Only mildly traumatized. Where's Ron? We tried his mirror first, but he didn't answer."

"He's just finishing up in the shower," Harry told him. "I can get him."

"Do," Fred insisted.

Harry held the mirror in front of him as he moved into the boy's bathroom calling for Ron. Ron was standing in front of the mirror in a towel, drying his hair with another towel. "Your brothers."

Ron raised an eyebrow as he rested a hip on the counter. "What do you two want? Hi, Angelina."

Harry held the mirror back so that they could both be seen. "What's going on?"

"I have been traumatized!" Fred exclaimed. "Scarred for life! Shook!"

George rolled his eyes. "He's been saying this intermittently all day with no explanation. Ang and I are over it."

"You haven't seen what I've seen!" Fred insisted, visibly shuddering. "It was just horrifying… disturbing and yet… not."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

George elbowed his brother. "Will you just spit it out already? What happened yesterday?"

Fred shuddered again. "I went to get my jumper at Percy's new flat after you and Angelina went out. I thought maybe we'd go out for a pint, toast his new home, you know, have a nice time. But he wasn't alone."

"The mysterious Audrey?" Ron guessed.

Fred nodded. "She's lovely, very beautiful, but that's not what was horrifying."

Angelina's lips twitched. "Oh Merlin, you walked in on them shagging? Bloody hell, he's your brother! It's not like you haven't walked in on George and I!"

Fred shot her a look. "Not just shagging, Ang. I could deal with simple shagging!"

"What was it then?" George asked. "Were they doing the nasty against the wall? On the table? What?"

"He was on all fours, arms tied to the bed, and she… she was spanking him! Spanking him on the arse! On his bloody arse! Can you believe it? I'd poke fun at him if I wasn't so incredibly traumatized!" Fred exclaimed, rather dramatically.

Ron snorted. "Spanking him?"

"Harry? Seamus that said you were in here," Ginny said, poking her head into the bathroom.

"Ginny! I'm not dressed!" Ron exclaimed, covering his chest with his arms.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, grow up, Ron! Your naughty bits are covered."

"Tell Ginny to leave!" Fred bellowed from the mirror. "She's too innocent to hear about this!"

"Fred?" Ginny questioned, coming around to look into the mirror. "Did you just say that I'm too innocent to hear this?"

"I just meant that there's some things that my little sister doesn't need to know!" Fred explained.

Ginny slipped her arm around Harry's waist and leaned into his side. "Oh, really? And what perchance is too dark for my innocent ears?"

Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "Fred walked in on Percy getting spanked by Audrey."

"Harry!" Fred shouted, his eyes wide. "The sanctity of brotherhood means you don't share this with our little sister!"

"Please," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "As if I haven't seen worse from you lot over the years. Remember that time I found you in the bathroom and you tried to convince me that you were actually polishing your wand?"

Fred's face flushed. "Well, you shouldn't have just barged in!"

"You should have closed the door properly!" Ginny shot back.

George held his hand in front of Fred's face. "Now, now, children, let's behave now."

Fred scoffed. "Ginny doesn't need to be privy to Percy's sexual depravities! This is a boys only chat!"

"And what am I then?" Angelina exclaimed.

"I outvoted him," George said, kissing her cheek.

Angelina smiled. "Good."

Fred rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that us blokes talk about things that birds don't need to hear about, especially Ginny."

Ginny snorted. "Don't 'especially Ginny' me, Fred! Remember back in my first year when I had that secret about Percy that he didn't want me to tell anyone? He was getting a blow job from Penny in a dark corner of the library and I happened upon him. He turned tomato red and made me promise not to tell anyone. Lucky for him, I didn't even fully understand what I saw at the time. Need to or not, I've seen more than I've ever wanted to."

"So, what we're saying is that Percy's always been adventurous then," Angelina interrupted, looking pensive. "Blow jobs in the school library, getting spanked and tied up… that's interesting. I never would have guessed, with how uptight he normally is."

George wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Tightly wound to the bedposts more like."

Fred made a vomiting motion behind his brother's back as Angelina snickered.

Harry made an awkward sound. "Er, do we really need to be discussing Percy's sexual preferences?"

Ron nodded from next to him. "I agree. I like my happy bubble of not knowing. Let's go back to that."

"Exactly!" Fred exclaimed. "But once you've seen it, Ron, it can't be unseen!"

Angelina chuckled. "So, Percy was being spanked, what's the big deal? Was it against his will or something?"

Fred's face heated. "Er, no, he definitely seemed to be rather enjoying it. He kept claiming that he'd been naughty and she was um, calling him 'Mr Weasley.'"

Angelina burst into laughter, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to muffle the sound. "Sounds fun."

George grinned. "Going to let me spank you, darling?"

"No," Angelina said. "But maybe I'll spank you."

Fred made a vomiting motion from next to them. "You lot don't get it! I walked in and was greeted to a full freckled moon with a few ginger hairs! He's definitely not manscaping down there!"

Ron snorted. "Manscaping? Really?"

"I'm just saying, Ron, a little work down there goes a long way with the ladies."

Ginny laughed. "Merlin, Fred, is this really why you called?"

"Scarred for life, Ginny! Now get lost, you don't need to hear about this!"

"Neither do I," Harry admitted. "And yet here I am."

Fred's eyes narrowed. "Why is Ginny in the boys bathroom anyway?"

"Because I was looking for Harry and Seamus told me that he was in here," Ginny responded.

Fred looked at his watch. "It's almost eleven, you should be in bed."

"I wanted to kiss my boyfriend goodnight."

"You shouldn't be in the boys dorms," Fred lectured. "Harry, do we need to have a chat? Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Because I was getting ready for bed when you called," Harry told him.

"And I can take of myself, Fred Weasley!" Ginny exclaimed. "And don't even think of having a chat with Harry because what we do or don't do is our business! Even if I want to tie him up and spank him while I call him 'Mr Potter.'"

"Stop it, Ginny!" Fred exclaimed, covering his ears. "I'm already traumatized!"

"Agreed," Ron said, his eyes on his sister. "What you and Harry do with your own time is on your business."

"What do you think, Harry?" Ginny asked, sliding her hand up his chest. "Want to spank me?"

"La-la-la-la-la-la!" Fred cried, his fingers in his ears.

"Enough, Ginny," George said. "We get it. You're not a child."

"No, I'm not, and I'd appreciate it if you lot didn't treat me like I am. If Harry and I want to go have crazy monkey sex all over the castle, we will," she declared.

"Er, but we're not," Harry said, quickly. "I mean, we haven't, um…"

Fred cackled. "Is ickle Harrykins still a virgin? How sweet!"

Harry's face turned red. "I just meant, er…" He cleared his throat loudly, "So, Percy likes to get spanked, huh?"

"You know, Nevra, no one likes blue balls," George teased.

Ginny leaned into Harry, her eyes on the mirror. "I have a mouth, don't I?"

No one spoke for a full minute.

Harry's face turned even redder before Ron finally sputtered next to them.

"Ginny!"

Ginny's lips curved, eyes on the mirror. "So, you met Audrey then, Fred?"

Fred's mouth opened in shock before he closed it again. He was still staring at his sister as if he wasn't sure quite sure whether to respond or not. "Yes."

George cleared his throat before he turned to his twin. "Other than the freckled full moon, how was the witch?"

"Peng," Fred said, looking pensive. "Great body. Not sure what she sees in Percy, but to each their own."

"A freckled full moon, eh? Have you not checked out your own arse in the mirror?" Angelina asked.

Fred shot her a look. "This masterpiece? Daily."

George snorted. "Was she just using her hand?"

"Nah, she had this little paddle thing. He was really into it," Fred supplied. "I almost threw up in my mouth."

Ron nodded. "Did Percy catch you?"

"Do you mean did he notice when his bedroom door suddenly opened and someone shouted 'gah, my eyes!'? You know, Ron, I think he did," Fred said, thoughtfully.

Ron grinned. "And?"

"He wasn't even embarrassed!" Fred exclaimed. "He just went on about how what he does in the privacy of his own flat is his business and not… oh, I see."

Angelina shook her head in amazement. "You are something else, Fred."

Fred grinned. "But the ladies love me."

"Because he manscapes," Ron said, making George burst into laughter.

"Oi! You're just jealous because the ladies love this gorgeous bod! Just last week I met this bird in Flourish and Blotts. Her name was Dayla and we got a little naughty in the erotica section," Fred said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Angelina pushed Fred away from her and George. "Go keep up on your manscaping and leave us alone."

Fred laughed as he moved back into the view of the mirror. "Later. Now the question is, should I tell Bill or Charlie next?"

Ron grinned. "Definitely Charlie. He'll find it the most amusing, especially with Mum and Dad staying with him. He probably could use a good laugh."

George nodded. "And Percy?"

Angelina smiled. "I think it's time we get to know this Audrey Mayfair. Percy has kept her very much to himself."

"Well, if she's spanking him all the time, maybe he's worried he'll get punished. Or, not punished?" Fred asked, looking pensive. "Not sure how that works."

"Shut it, Fred," Angelina said. "I just think that we should reach out to her. Maybe George and I can double date."

"So, what, I'm excluded now?"

"Find a girlfriend," Angelina shot back.

Fred pouted. "I don't want a bloody girlfriend."

"Then who the fuck are you manscaping for?" George asked him.

Fred merely held up two fingers before the mirror went blank and Ron snorted.

"He's mental, honest. Kind of funny about Percy though."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, pretty funny."

Ginny stood on her toes to kiss Harry. "I really did just want a kiss goodnight."

Harry pulled her up against him as he deepened the kiss.

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed. "Some of us don't need to be sick before bed."

Ginny made a rude hand gesture behind Harry's back at her brother before she slid her hand down to cup her boyfriend's arse.

Ron groaned. "Come on!"

Ginny kissed Harry once more before she looked over at her brother. "Spoilsport."

"Goodnight," Harry said, hiding a smirk as she left.

Ron shook his head. "Can I just get changed for bed now? No more talk about any of my siblings' sex lives and that includes you, Potter."

Harry tucked the mirror into the pocket of his sleep pants before he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just an innocent bystander here."

"Right," Ron said, his eyes narrowing. "As long as I don't need to hear anything else about you and Ginny doing, you know, stuff, we're good."

"Same goes for you and Hermione," Harry said.

Ron nodded, his cheeks heating. "Right, er, goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," Harry said, leaving his friend to finish getting changed in the bathroom and crawling into his own bed.

Sometimes he forgot how much he loved the Weasley boys like they really were his own brothers. The sanctity of brotherhood, Fred had claimed. He couldn't help but grin as he shifted his pillow into a more comfortable position and put his glasses on the night table with the mirror and his wand. When he fell asleep, he still had a grin on his face.

~ ASC ~

Seamus woke up all wrapped in Dean's arms and smiled into his pillow. He hadn't even felt his boyfriend crawl into bed with him, but he certainly felt him now. He shimmied out of Dean's arms, watching as Dean merely rolled onto his back. The four poster was barely big enough for them, but they made it work. He loved waking up next to his boyfriend. He let his eyes travel down Dean's body, admiring the lean form. Dean was all long limbs and gangly arms and Seamus thought he was beautiful.

He hooked his thumbs into the waist of Dean's pjs and slowly tugged them down, making a soft sigh of appreciation when his cock popped out. Then he bent his head, planting kisses over it. He licked and tickled the foreskin, watching it retract the harder Dean became. He watched those dark eyes flutter and meet his and then Seamus took him inside his mouth. Dean made a soft grunting sound as Seamus pleasured him. His fingers gripped his boyfriend's hair as he came and Seamus happily cleaned him up.

Dean sighed as Seamus kissed his way up his chest. "You're the best bloody alarm clock I've ever had."

Seamus chuckled. "And don't you forget it!"

Dean opened the bed curtains to glance at the clock, the sounds of their friends snores still evident. "A little early. We still have an hour until we have to get up for class."

Seamus pulled his own pyjamas off, pumping himself in his fist. "I'm sure we can find something to do in the meantime."

Dean sat up and pulled him towards him, kissing Seamus' cock before he urged him to turn around. When his tongue slipped into him, Seamus gripped the sheets on either side of his boyfriend.

"Ooh, yes!"

Dean's tongue stroked him, flicking in and out in a way designed to drive him mad. Seamus picked up one of Dean's hands, sucking his fingers. When he let go, Dean pushed one of those fingers inside and Seamus shuddered.

"You like that, Seam," he whispered. "Do you like it when I play with your arse like this?"

"Yes!" Seamus moaned.

Dean pressed a kiss to his balls as his finger moved in and out in a slow and tortuous fashion. When he added a second finger, Seamus squealed. Dean removed his fingers, stroking Seamus' cock lovingly. "Let's go take a shower. I want to take you when you're all wet and slippery."

Seamus jumped up eagerly, tugging his pjs back on and it was only a few minutes later before he was pressed against the cool wall of the shower, the hot water beating down on them, and Dean was deep inside of him.

"Godric, that feels bloody amazing," Seamus cried as Dean gripped him in his hand. "More."

Dean's lips pressed against his neck as his fist began to pump him. "I love you, Seam."

Seamus turned his head to meet Dean's lips as he came. He cried out in his boyfriend's mouth, hands flat against the wall as the pleasure assaulted him. Dean kept pounding him for almost another minute before he finished, peppering Seamus' neck in kisses as he rode him. When he turned him around to kiss him passionately, Seamus rested his face against his chest.

"Who would have thought I'd love having you bugger me so much? You've made me into a wanton tart, Thomas. I've become an absolute tart."

Dean nipped at his boyfriend's ear. "I love your arse."

Seamus whimpered as Dean squeezed it. "You make me really happy, Dean, you know that, right?"

Dean's eyes met his before he kissed him deeply. The hot water beat down on them as they kissed and when he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against his. "Ditto. I really love you, Seamus. How often can a bloke say that he's in love with his best mate?"

Seamus reached for the soap to help his boyfriend wash up as he spoke. "I love you, too."

Dean smiled as Seamus washed his chest. "I finished Katie and Jason's engagement portrait last night."

"You did? Why didn't you show it to me?"

"Well, probably because you crawled into bed, climbed on top of me, and snogged my brains out."

"Oh? I did do that, didn't I? Maybe if you'd tell me how good my new muscles look, I wouldn't feel so self-conscious."

Dean ran his hands over Seamus' flat stomach where the beginning of abs were coming in. His constant workouts with the Gryffindor Quidditch team had really done wonders for his body over the last few months. "You don't have a single self-conscious bone in your body."

"Sure, I do! Now, tell me how sexy I am."

Dean chuckled, his hand moving down to soap up between Seamus' legs. "I like your chubby cock and chubby arse."

"I don't have a chubby cock!" Seamus exclaimed, indignantly.

"Twice as thick as mine," Dean said as he washed him. "Chubby arse too, I like that. Gives me more cushion when I shag you."

"Arse."

Dean grinned. "Now, if you'd stop being so bloody vain, I can tell you that the portrait looks great. I think I really did them both justice. Katie looks beautiful and I think that I captured Jason's eyes just right; the way he looks at her, so full of love. It's interesting, isn't it?"

"What is?" Seamus asked as he rinsed himself off under the hot spray.

"That both you and your sister fell in love with sexy dark skinned blokes?"

Seamus let his eyes wander down Dean's body before he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Not my fault we both love big black cock."

"Oi!" Dean said as Seamus stepped out of the shower laughing.

"Come on, with a body like his? He's made of solid muscle and almost as tall as Ron. You know Jason's packing."

Dean rolled his eyes as he shut off the shower and followed Seamus out to dry off. "How come all of our conversations somehow come back to cocks?"

Seamus wrapped a towel around his waist and brushed his wet hair back with his hand. "So many answers to that and so little time. Hurry up and get dressed so we can get some breakfast and you can show me this portrait of yours. I bet Katie's going to love it."

Seamus turned to hurry into the dorm just as Harry, Ron, and Neville were stirring awake and he thought that his day was starting off pretty damn well. After all, what day wasn't going to be good after a morning shag.

~ ASC ~

When Charlie said goodbye to his parents at the end of January, he felt both relieved and saddened to see them go. Having them around the last few weeks had been more help than he'd expected and as annoying as his nagging mother could be, having his mum clean up the house was also a blessing. His ice box was now full of homemade meals to last him more than two months. Molly Weasley was quite simply the best.

Arthur had spent his time on the reserve with him, meeting his friends and the dragons. When he wasn't with his son, he was snuggling his granddaughter, his blue eyes alight in joy. The two of them had helped him set up the nursery and get his place more settled and organized. They'd painted the room like a cloudy sky and arranged the crib by the big window. Molly helped him turn the big window seat into a change table area. They found a nice rocking chair at a flea market along with a huge wardrobe which they painted in bright jewel tones to match the bedding. It had a fairytale theme to it that he liked and he thought Aydin would love it. Molly had even taken the time paint flowers and vines on her bedroom door. He couldn't have done it without his parents' help and was so grateful that they had taken time to come to Romania with him.

Charlie snuggled Aydin into his shoulder as the portkey took his parents home and he kissed his daughter's cheek. "Just you and me again, kid. But we got this, right?"

Aydin merely yawned in response.

"Good talk," Charlie said as they headed inside.

By the time he put her down in the cot in her new nursery, he was tired. She fell asleep quickly and he thought that was a blessing as he felt tired and wanted to sleep, but he had work to go over. Since he had been part of the team detailing the plans to have a dragon safe area in Britain, he was stuck with applying for all of the permits pertaining to it.

Not that he minded, it was work for a good cause and anything to help keep dragons better protected meant that Charlie was more than willing to throw himself into it a hundred and ten percent. He finished the last of the permits just as midnight struck and he wiped sleep from his eyes. He checked on Aydin before he grabbed a quick shower and was just drying his hair with a towel when she stirred. A glance at the clock told him that it was time for her to eat again.

Charlie cradled her against his bare chest, looking down into her wide blue eyes as he made a bottle up for her. Once they were sitting in the chair and she was eating, he watched her.

"I didn't plan on you and Merlin knows the thought of being a good papa is very scary," he said as her hand tapped his wrist. "But Godric, I don't know think I've ever loved anyone so much as I do you. You're the most precious little thing in my life, Aydin Dora. I love you and I will always be here to take care of you. I'm going to teach you everything I know about dragons."

She cooed in response.

"Papa will show you how to feed them and to take care of them. And one day, when you're older, Papa will show you how to ride one," he promised.

The stars twinkled through the window as he lifted her up onto his shoulder to help her burp.

"You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. Papa will always support you, but you can't date until you're thirty, okay? No, make it forty. That seems much better."

Aydin's hand touched his cheek and he kissed it.

"Deal, baby girl?"

She gurgled and belched loudly. Charlie kissed the top of her head.

"Perfect. That's a promise if I ever heard one. I'll remind you of it when you get older."

Aydin fussed until he put the bottle back in her mouth. Charlie held her close as he fed her, eyes on her soft skin, sweet lips, and wide eyes. The soft red fuzz on the top of her head shimmered in the dim light of the lamp.

"Papa's working on ideas to get the dragons to help fight the bad wizard. I want to use them to fly on and to help fight from the skies. Of course, it's not as easy as people think it is. Dragons aren't meant to be used by witches and wizards. We have to befriend them first, get them to trust us. Dragons don't just let anyone fly on their backs. It takes skill and trust. Dragons are smart and they can read people better than people can read people," Charlie told her. "It's one of the things I like most about them. They're powerful, intelligent, and dangerous creatures. Breathing fire is only one of the ways that makes them dangerous."

Aydin stared up at him as if she understood every word and Charlie tilted the bottle a bit to help her get the rest.

"I'm helping the Department for the Reconstruction and Cooperation with Magical Creatures in the Ministry of Magic back in England. I want people to know more about how to keep dragons safe, to keep them protected. Zee's helping. She's a great magizoologist and Harry's step-mum. You met her once. I'm sure we'll see more of her since your Auntie Ginny is hopelessly in love with Harry. She's too young to be so in love, that's why you're going to wait until you're forty. Okay, baby girl?"

Aydin's eyes fluttered and as he pulled the bottle away from her lips, she slept peacefully in his arms.

Charlie smiled down at her, feeling content. He knew that no matter what happened from this day forward, Aydin was the best thing he had ever done in his life. He'd created this amazing life and he knew that his life was better for it. He kept his daughter snuggled into his shoulder as she slept, working out his ideas in his head. By the time he put her in the cot and climbed into his own bed, he fell asleep with dragons on his mind and a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

Harry opened the letter curiously when it arrived for him at breakfast. He didn't recognize the owl and wasn't sure who would be writing to him with an owl he didn't know. The bell charm went off before he could read it and he shoved the letter into his books to read after class.

He forgot it was there until he reached his dorm just after dinner and it fell out of his book. Harry sat on his bed as he pulled the parchment from the envelope, glancing at the cursive curiously.

Dear Harry,

I apologize for not writing to keep in touch, but I imagine that you're still reeling a bit from the death of Sirius. I miss him very much. He was a penpal I miss more than I can possibly express. He was a wonderful friend and confidant over the years. He's missed by many people. My brother, Apollo, still talks about him quite a lot. He and Medea wish they'd made it back to England at least once more to see him before he died.

Xander and I are still in Greece and we're doing very well, as are Apollo and Medea of course. The kids are getting big and growing more every day. Niko and Nilo are playing football in a local children's league. Phoenix loves to swim. Basil and Bryony are running around like little demons and little Calla is walking. But I didn't write to you to make small talk.

I don't know if Sirius ever mentioned this to you, but when I went to school, I attended Durmstrang Academy. One of my favourite professors and personal mentors was Professor Dante Dragomir. He taught Dark Arts at Durmstrang. I know what you're thinking, a Dark Arts professor, that's not someone who you'd want to meet, but he was an incredible man. He taught that the Dark Arts were a subject one shouldn't fear if taught correctly. It was about light and dark magic and working them together for the better. He taught me a lot that I use today as a healer. Knowing and understanding dark magic helps me heal dark magic in ways that those who haven't studied it, don't have the same skill level. I still work predominantly with children, but I've opened a new ward in our hospital specializing in strange and unusual ailments where I see people of all ages. But that's me getting off topic. Even though Dark Arts was the name of the subject, defence was also a large part of the class. Dragomir is a brilliant wizard and one who I still correspond with to this day. He's a gifted professor and published author.

That's why I'm writing to you now.

Dante wrote to me, telling me that he has recently been visited by two wizards named Selwyn and Carrow. They claim that they need his help in channeling a dark magic spell to pilfer control and free will from someone with a mind too powerful to be broken by an Unforgivable Curse. He's a powerful wizard and they insisted that he speak with them about what they're looking for. He promised to do some research and get back to them by the end of the week.

He wrote to me to tell me that he's worried about what they're looking for. There is something that can do this, but Dante says that it's old and very dangerous magic. Uncharted territory. He wrote a paper on the history of it and its potential capabilities; how it was used for evil among some of the darkest wizards throughout history. It doesn't control someone like an Unforgivable Curse, but it does far worse. It controls their magic and allows the user to render the victim completely powerless until they give that control back. Dante says that he won't give them what they need as he knows how dangerous a curse like this can be, but he's worried what will happen when he tells them no.

Dante says that he plans to let the Aurors know of the visit, but he's concerned. I hope that he's able to stop them from gaining access to such a horrible curse, but if something happens and he can't, I thought someone over there should be aware of what plots are afoot.

Please let Xander and I know if there's anything that we can do from our end.

Much love,

Althea

Harry read the letter twice, frowning as he did so. Althea was obviously concerned about her friend and he could understand why. It sounded like this wizard knew some form of spell that Voldemort didn't but clearly wanted to know. Something he felt that he needed. That wasn't exactly a reassuring thought. Harry wondered just how dark this curse was and what exactly Althea meant by control and power. He couldn't imagine anything being worse than an Unforgivable even knowing what other kinds of curses were out there.

He tucked the letter in his books and made his way downstairs into the common room. Ron and Hermione were sitting on the sofa. Ron's arm casually draped over Hermione's shoulders as she held a textbook on her lap. Ron had one open on his lap too, but wasn't reading it. He didn't see Ginny and figured she must still be with Colin in the office of the Herald.

Harry sat in the chair across from them and Ron gave a head nod. "Hey, want to pretend to study for Charms with me?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "You're supposed to be actually studying!"

Ron shrugged. "Er, I am. Definitely!"

Hermione looked like she was going to start lecturing so Harry cleared his throat.

"Hey, do you guys remember Althea?"

Hermione frowned, turning her attention to Harry. "The healer?"

Harry nodded. "Her husband's the one who, you know, removed the thing," he said, dropping his voice to a whisper before he mumbled the Muffliato charm.

Ron scratched his long nose. "What about her? She was an old girlfriend of Sirius', wasn't she?"

"Well, more of an old shag turned friend was how Uncle Sirius described her, but yeah."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's a little rude."

Harry grinned. "But true. He always claimed that he'd never really dated a woman until Zee. He considered her a good friend. Anyway, she wrote to me about one of her old professors. She must have told Uncle Sirius about him as she mentioned she considered him a mentor of sorts, but apparently Dragomir's been visited by Carrow and Selwyn."

Ron's face went slack. "What does he teach?"

"Dark arts," Harry said. "Althea went to Durmstrang, but she says that the class wasn't only learning the dark arts, but more of a knowledge of them for defence, similar to our own class. But this bloke is really knowledgeable in the history of the dark arts and is a published author."

Hermione frowned. "They still learned some dark magic. Viktor told me some of it made him feel weird, but their professor never forced them to do anything that made them uncomfortable."

Harry nodded. "Well, apparently Dragomir knows something that Voldemort doesn't." He passed them the letter and Ron and Hermione immediately read it.

"Blimey, something worse than an Unforgivable?" Ron said, his eyes meeting Harry's. "What could be worse than that?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "And Althea must be pretty worried if she wrote to me. She must think this information is important."

"I agree," Hermione said. "If the Death Eaters get their hands on something like this, it could be really dangerous. Not just for Professor Dragomir either."

Ron nodded. "If this Dragomir bloke knows something that dark and going off the stuff that Voldemort wrote in his diary… it could be really bad news."

"Have you and Dumbledore talked any more about the diary?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. He'd finally filled Ron and Hermione in on the diary over the holidays when they'd been at the Burrow. Neville and Luna were up to date now as well and whereas the four of them found it interesting and horrifying, there really hadn't been anything else that they could say on it. Hermione was insistent that Dumbledore had to have some kind of reason for them to be reading it other than insight, but Harry told her if he did, Dumbledore hadn't shared it.

"No, nothing since we finished reading it. As I told you, when Dashwood went missing we assumed that it was the start of his original plan and then when she turned up dead well… there's still so much that we don't know."

"Dragomir is one of the better professors from Durmstrang," Hermione told him. "Viktor spoke about him often. He considered him fair, intelligent, and someone that he could trust. He wrote to him for advice during the tournament."

"I got that impression from Althea's letter as well," Harry said. "She considers him a mentor and a friend. She's clearly worried about him and if Death Eaters have approached him, it's definitely something that we need to worry about. I'll speak to Papa and see if the Aurors were notified like she said. He might know more."

Ron nodded. "Mate, it's so bloody cool that your grandfather is the Head Auror in the Russian Ministry. You totally have an in when it comes to the Academy."

Harry shrugged. "If only it worked like that, Ron. Tonks said that they only accept the best of the best and we need to work hard to get in if it's what we want. Papa can only guide me so much."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You're Harry Bloody Potter, trust me, you'll get in."

"Are you going to show the letter to Dumbledore?" Hermione interrupted.

"Yeah," Harry told her. "But I want to talk to Uncle Rem about it first."

He took the letter back and told them that he'd talk to them later. Then he made his way to Remus' office. He found his father giving detention to three first year boys who looked like they were working on their homework.

"Harry," Remus said when he came into the room. "What can I do for you?"

Harry glanced over at the boys before he slid the letter across the desk. "I received this today."

Remus' eyebrow lifted before he looked over the letter, a frown line appearing on his brow. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Me neither," Harry told him. "I'm on my way now so I'll let him know."

Remus nodded, his eyes still on the letter. "Tell me how it goes. Stop back here when you're done and fill me in. I want to speak to you about these Saturday detentions you've been having."

Harry frowned. "How did you hear about those?"

"Snape mentioned it when McGonagall asked him why he'd taken over a hundred points away from Gryffindor in one week."

Harry sighed. "I snapped at him and then I spent two whole Saturdays scrubbing the potions room and the storage room."

"As I said, come back," Remus said, quietly. "And we'll talk about it."

Harry nodded and headed out to meet Dumbledore for his next lesson. If he was honest, he was surprised that Remus hadn't found out about his detentions until now. The incident had been almost two weeks ago and Remus was usually pretty on top of him about those things. Harry suspected that there was something else going on to have kept him from noticing and he was going to ask his father about that later tonight.

Remus wouldn't be too happy when he learned that Harry was still in detention for the next three weeks either. Snape definitely hadn't let up on him in that sense.

He found Dumbledore sitting at his desk as usual and took a seat across from him in one of the comfy armchairs.

"Good evening, Harry," Dumbledore said, placing his hands on the desk before him.

"Good evening, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Tonight I was hoping to work more on some spells."

"I'd like that, Professor," Harry told him. "I was hoping to ask you something before we get started on that. Do you know a Professor Dante Dragomir?"

"I do," Dumbledore said, his brow furrowing. "He's a very intelligent wizard who teaches at Durmstrang."

"I think Voldemort might be after him," Harry said, explaining the contents of Althea's letter.

Dumbledore frowned. "His work does sometimes cross into dangerous territory and anything with the study of the dark arts can be worrisome. Have you reached out to Mikhail Zacarias?"

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. I was going to after our lesson. Everyone calls him Misha, Sir, not Mikhail."

Dumbledore smiled. "I don't know him well enough to have been given that honour. Please let me know what he says concerning Dragomir. It's never a good sign when Voldemort shows an interest. We need to be cautious."

"Forgive me, Sir, but we've been cautious and he's still out there, causing more chaos and destruction."

"We must continue to show caution and to wait," Dumbledore told him. "I know that's frustrating and I know that's not what you want to hear, but alas, it is the only advice I can give for the moment."

Harry swallowed down his anger. He was getting tired of waiting. He was tired of just sitting around and learning about the horrors and atrocities that Voldemort was committing or allowing others to commit in his name. He wanted it over, but when he thought about it, a lump formed in his throat. Over meant that he would have to kill him and Merlin knew that he wasn't ready for that. He didn't know if he would ever be ready for that.

"Now, let's work on what we practiced the last time and see if we can put a spin on it," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded, pulling his wand out. "Can we start with the lightning, Sir?"

At Dumbledore's nod, he rolled his shoulders. It might not feel like much, but this was still something and he felt that it was better than doing nothing at all.

~ ASC ~

Zee read the letter in her hand in interest. Oliphant had kept her updated on a weekly basis, but since she was in fact on maternity leave, she wasn't expected to go back into work until next year. Oliphant's weekly updates included the changes on the house elf legislation, which Zee then kept Hermione up to date on. Hermione herself was writing to Lou Bannerman with her thoughts and ideas on the legislation and he was happy to hear her thoughts. Zee felt that was good for Hermione as well as for the department.

Oliphant told her about the animals, kept her updated on their habitats, on the different environments, and the animals that had been returned safely to their homes. The thing that she loved most about the menagerie was that it was only a stopping ground for the magical creatures to heal, to rest, to be studied, and then they were returned home. It was a safe place and knowing that they wouldn't be kept trapped there made all the difference in the world.

As to the letter in her hand, she was intrigued by what it contained.

Zee,

I have an applicant who has applied to work freelance with the Menagerie, but they are asking to only interview with you. I've explained that you're on maternity leave, but they've been insistent. As you can see below, the resume is quite impressive for someone so young. Let me know what you think.

Goldwin

Zee opened the other envelope to check out the resume of the person and frowned when she saw that there was no name. It merely said Mr RNS, but as her eyes roamed over the list, she had to agree. His resume was quite impressive.

He'd written his OWLs at Hogwarts before accepting a transfer to Koldovstoretz School of Magic to work with the renowned Professor Pasha Pahtanov who had been one of her own mentors on magical creatures and her head of house in Cikavac. After studying with Pahtanov for a year, he'd spent his summer working on the reserve in New Zealand before returning to Hogwarts to finish his education. He'd written his NEWTs, then his CRAWLS before spending a year abroad working in Argentina, Brazil, Africa, and Antarctica. RNS had six letters of recommendations from renowned magizoologists from all over the world all claiming that RNS was an amazing worker and that he deserved to be hired on.

He has a great work ethic.

So nurturing and gentle to every creature he comes into contact with.

Always does the best for the animals.

It's not a job, it's a way of life.

Incredible photography skills when it comes to magical creatures; captures the moments of their life like a story. He would be a great asset to the new Department for the Reconstruction and Cooperation with Magical Creatures.

He has ideas on how to build menageries that can be taken on the road. He's skilled. He's responsible. He's full of new ideas.

The words intrigued her. Who was this mysterious man who only went by his initials in life? Zee wrote into Oliphant, asking her to set up a coffee meet for the next week.

She had no idea who this young man was, but she wanted to meet him. He sounded like the exact kind of young, fresh agent that they needed in the DRCMC.

~ ASC ~

Remus stepped into his home that night and smiled at the sight of his wife sprawled across the sofa. Her mouth was half open as she lightly snored, a throw blanket over her legs; she looked like she was wearing one of his jumpers. She was drooling a little and he thought that it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. He snuck in quietly, not wanting to disturb her as he put his case away and took off his boots and cloak.

Then he headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. The leftover chilli from the night before seemed perfect so he heated up two bowls with his wand and buttered some bread. He'd just put them on the table when Tonks came into the kitchen yawning so hard that her jaw cracked.

"Ooh, food!"

Remus leaned against the island and just grinned at her.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You. You're adorable."

"Rude. I am an Auror: Both powerful and badass, not adorable."

"An Auror who drools in her sleep and has her hair sticking up in every which direction?"

Tonks ran her fingers through her messy hair. "I don't drool."

Remus' smile grew. "If you say so."

She moved over to where he stood, gripping his shirt in both hands and pulling his mouth down to hers for a long searing kiss that left him breathless.

"There!"

"There what?" he asked, his hands gripping the counter behind him.

"Just there," Tonks said as if it explained everything before she sat at the table.

Remus bent over her, lips pressing against her neck as her head fell back. His hands roamed down to cup her breasts through the jumper she wore, firmly stroking as he left bruising kisses down her throat.

"You'll leave marks," she moaned. He pulled back a little and her hands fisted in his hair. "I didn't say stop."

He chuckled and continued to snog her senseless for a good five minutes before he pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Eat. We'll finish this later.

Tonks' mouth was swollen from his and she nodded. "Oh, we definitely will."

Remus smiled as he sat across from her. "How was your day, dear?"

Tonks' look made him laugh out loud. There was nothing that she hated more than when he called her dear in that tone.

"I don't know, dear, how was yours?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

He smirked as he helped himself to the chilli. "Pretty standard. We had a staff meeting about the missing students. McGonagall wants us all to pay closer to attention to the students who were left behind. She's worried about what they might be going through considering."

"She has a good heart. I bet those kids are thanking their lucky stars."

Remus shrugged. "Possibly. Dumbledore told us another student, Isabella Shafiq, has been married off as well. He received word from the Ministry on her."

"I thought Snape said that she was going to marry Zabini?"

"But he's missing, presumed dead, so she married Rodolphous instead."

"Lestrange!" Tonks exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He's already married to that mad woman!"

Remus nodded. "Yes. He took a second wife. Snape said that it was because Bellatrix hasn't given him a child."

Tonks scoffed. "That's a blessing for all of us!"

Remus agreed with her on that. "Other than that, there's nothing new. Harry's been busy with Quidditch and his studies. Apparently ever since Slughorn had that party, the old man has taken to pulling Harry aside at every opportunity to chat. He seems to want to be in his good graces."

"Mum says that he's harmless. An old charmer with an amazing Potions skill. He's very sociable and apparently a hopeless romantic."

Remus nodded. "I always liked him. He never paid me any mind, though. He fawned over Lily like she was an angel and James too, when he found out that he was the son of Fleamont. Until James basically told him that his dad would never show up to one of his parties, then Slughorn stopped."

"I never had him. He retired before I was a student, or semi-retired considering he's back."

"I think that he's itching to teach more," Remus admitted. "He's apparently been weaving himself into Snape's classes more and more, giving advice, asking to guest lecture. He likes doing a bit of potions with Defence Club, but I think he needs a bit more to stay busy."

"Maybe," Tonks agreed.

"How was your day?" Remus asked. "Anymore surprises?"

Tonks shook her head. "No, nothing more than usual and no surprise packages for once, but I did spend most of my day in court for the trial of Lucius Malfoy."

"Ah, right. How did that go?" Remus asked.

He'd forgotten that his trial was starting this week. It was pretty high profile as well. Everyone wanted to know more since he'd been a follower of Voldemort. Not to mention he was the first Death Eater they had really captured since the escape from Azkaban and he would be the first Death Eater to have a home in the new Azkaban Crypt.

"His lawyer is good," Tonks admitted, "but Malfoy knows that no matter what he's going to be spending time in prison. They did manage to knock the murder of Thaddeus Nott down, claiming that it was in defence of a minor. Lucius claims that he killed him in order to stop him from killing his own son. Harry claimed this was true when Kingsley asked him to confirm after the Department of Mysteries, as did Neville. Their reports from that night have been taken in as evidence. They weren't spoken to again, but their reports were brought up once more as testimony."

"The rest?"

"He was charged with matricide on Isla Malfoy, but charges were dropped down to voluntary manslaughter because he immediately turned himself in. His lesser charges involving following Voldemort and being an official Death Eater are being taken into consideration over the next week based on the information that he's provided us."

"How long do you think he's going to get?"

Tonks hesitated. "Not as long as he should, but to be honest I feel bad for him. My guess is if they drop the murder charges down, thirty to fifty years. Otherwise he's looking at two hundred and fifty. It's a minimum of a hundred years for committing one murder and he has two that he's admitted to under his belt."

Remus nodded. "I guess we'll see then."

Tonks finished up her chilli. "He has released a lot more information on Crouch. His insights there are even more chilling than what I already knew. That man is severely disturbed and deranged. He might even be worse than Voldemort."

"You'll catch him, Dora," he said. "I know you will."

Tonks sighed. "But at what cost? We're pretty sure that he's responsible for Narcissa Malfoy. It's his signature. There's no one else that we know of who takes such sadistic glee in his work. He enjoys torturing."

"You'll catch him," Remus repeated.

Tonks levitated her dishes to the sink along with Remus' as they began to wash themselves. Remus pulled her to her feet and led her into the living room. She curled into his lap like a contented cat and he kissed the top of her head.

"Something else worrying you?"

"No," she said, resting her cheek over his heart.

He ran his hands up and down her back. "Want to go take a bath?"

Her eyes met his and he saw the twinkle there. "What kind of bath?"

"I was going to say a relaxing one, but I see that you have something else in mind."

She hopped up and held her hand out to him. "I do. Worried I won't change your mind?"

The jumper she wore fell to the floor where she stood and he grinned.

"Absolutely. Convince me."

Tonks' shirt came off next and he swallowed, eyes on her braless breasts as her hands moved to undo her trousers. "Convinced yet?"

"I need more convincing," he teased.

Her trousers hit the floor and she stepped out of them, wearing nothing but white and blue striped knickers and he licked his lips. It amazed him that every time he saw her, he was even more enraptured than the time before.

"Take them off," he said."

Tonks shook her head. "Not yet."

He followed her to the bathroom, watched her get the tub ready; add the bubbles. He came up behind her, ducking his head under her arm to suckle a breast.

"I'm trying to add bubbles and fill the tub."

"Are you?" he asked as his mouth sucked the peak into his mouth.

He spun her around as she finished and her fingers began to undo the dress shirt he wore. By the time Tonks had his shirt off, Remus already had two fingers inside her knickers.

"Rem," she murmured, kissing his chest.

Her hands pushed his shirt off and he reluctantly removed his fingers to pull his arm free before putting them right back. Tonks' fingers undid his belt, shoving his jeans down, followed by his boxers. Remus stepped out of them as his fingers picked up pace. He wrapped her legs around his waist, slipped a third finger into her, and a knock sounded on their front door.

"No," Tonks said, shaking her head. "Don't you dare stop!"

Remus pumped them in and out quicker and her teeth bit his shoulder. He gripped her bum tightly as his fingers worked her and the knock on the door grew louder as Tonks came, crying out his name as she did. He kissed her.

"I'll see who that is. Rest in the tub."

Tonks sat on the edge of the tub, her legs like jelly as Remus pulled his jeans back on and went to answer the door. He smiled at Ted and Andromeda.

"Hi."

"Hi," Ted said. "Sorry to drop in unexpectedly."

"It's fine," Remus said. "Come in. I was getting changed from work. Nymphadora just got in the bath."

Andromeda touched her husband's arm. "We can come over another time."

"No, it's fine. I'll let Nymphadora know that you're here. Make yourselves at home."

He headed down to the bathroom and smiled at the sight of his wife floating in the bubbles.

"Where's that wine, Mr Lupin?"

"I see someone is content."

"An orgasm will do that to a girl. Get in here."

"I'd love to, but your parents are here."

Tonks pouted. "It's like they know we're having sex and decide to come over at that precise moment."

"Could have been worse," Remus said, bending to kiss her. "Remember that time in your flat when I had my fingers in you and your father walked in?"

Tonks grinned. "Don't try to tell me you were embarrassed by that! You were ready to bite the head off of anyone who disrupted us. And if I remember correctly, before you turned around to see who spoke, you inserted a third finger!"

Remus nipped at her mouth. "I didn't hear you complaining."

"Oh, I most certainly wasn't," she said.

He kissed her once more before he stood. "Get dressed and then come out and see what's going on. My fingers will have to play with you later."

Tonks shook her head. "No, later I want your cock."

"Greedy," he said, smirking. "But whatever you say, Mrs Lupin."

He left her in the bath, moving to the bedroom to find a jumper before he returned to the living room. Andromeda and Ted had opened wine and Remus smiled.

"Good, I'm glad you saw the wine."

Ted nodded and passed a glass of the red to Remus. "How's work, Remus?"

"It's good. I was just telling Nymphadora how different it is in my two classes. They're so much smaller and quieter, it's an adjustment."

"Have there been lots of questions about it?" Ted asked.

"Not as many as I expected if I'm honest. I think some of the students are starting to take Voldemort more seriously. For a lot of them, he was just a name they grew up with or just heard of last year. He's a faceless, unknown entity that doesn't directly affect them. Seeing so many of their classmates and friends disappear... I think it's starting to sink in more."

Andromeda nodded. "It's so heartbreaking. Those poor kids."

"I agree. But for some of us, it's not a surprise, it's more of what we remember happening before. The disappearances, the mysterious deaths, the little spree attacks. It's like history is repeating itself."

Tonks came out of the bedroom in black tights and one of Remus' jumpers. "Mum, Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Can't we just pop in and see our daughter?" Ted asked, standing up to hug her close and kiss her cheek

"Of course," Tonks said. "Ooh wine. I think we have chocolate biscuits that would go great with that."

She smiled at her mother when Andromeda followed her into the kitchen.

"So, you and Dad were just what, in the neighbourhood?"

"No, but we wanted to see you. Was it a bad time?"

"No, but a warning might be nice next time."

Andromeda bit her lip. "We interrupted, I'm sorry."

"Well, only a little," Tonks admitted. "At least in Remus' case." At her mother's look, she grinned. "I finished."

"Dora!" Andromeda exclaimed, laughing.

"Well, I did," Tonks said, grinning at her mum.

"You're lucky your father went straight to the kitchen. I found your clothes on the living room floor. Obviously we interrupted more than a bath." At her daughter's grin, her own lips curved. "I sent them to your bedroom."

Tonks' cheeks flushed. "Thanks, Mum."

They brought the biscuits into the living room and Tonks sat next to her husband, handing him a chocolate one.

Ted helped himself to a biscuit as he spoke. "Dromeda says that there's no more news on anyone following you?"

Tonks shook her head. "No. We know someone is, but they're always careful and they make sure that there's other people around so that we can't find then. I don't think they're a threat, just observing for the others who do mean harm. It's more annoying."

"But still serious," Ted said. "It's not something that you can sweep under the rug and ignore."

"She knows, Edward," Andromeda said, reaching for her husband's hand. "Our daughter's a smart woman."

"Gets that from her mum," Ted said.

Andromeda squeezed his hand affectionately. "And her dad. How's Harry adjusting to school? Does he miss the babies?"

Remus smiled. "Yeah, but he talks to Zee pretty regularly with the mirrors. He's quite enraptured by them. He's adjusting back to school well. He has however, been spending the last few weeks in detention with Snape."

"What did the git accuse of him now?" Tonks asked.

Remus' lips pursed. "Actually, this time, Snape was in the right."

He'd barely finished explaining what happened when Tonks choked on her wine.

"Oh my fucking God! Harry did not say that! He did not tell bloody Snape there's no need to call him 'sir!' I wish I'd seen his face! That's priceless!"

Remus' lips twitched. "Well, obviously Snape didn't take too kindly to it."

Tonks was still laughing. "I'm sending him a gift!"

"Nymphadora, he doesn't need encouragement," Remus lectured.

Tonks took his hand in hers. "It's Snape, Remus!" At his look, she grinned. "You think it was brilliant, don't lie."

"I think he has that same sassy mouth that Lily did and yes, it was funny. But he's still in detention."

Ted chuckled. "That's a difficult spot to be in, the father who needs to show him he was wrong and the prankster who wants to laugh."

Remus grinned. "I don't think I conveyed it well considering I laughed when he told me. It happened over two weeks ago, but I've been so wrapped up in Nymphadora's work, I missed it. I haven't been paying enough attention to Harry."

"Harry is fine, Remus," Andromeda assured him. "He's almost seventeen and perfectly capable of looking after himself. When he needs you, he knows where you are."

Remus agreed with her on that. "I know. Sometimes I can't believe how fast he's grown up. He has Ginny now and well, she's become his world and that's how it should be."

Tonks leaned in and kissed his cheek, making him blush. "What else did Harry say to Snape?"

"That was the juicy bit," Remus told them. "But he did hear from Althea."

"Sirius' ex?"

Remus nodded. "Voldemort might be after a professor from Durmstrang."

Ted frowned as Remus finished explaining what Dragomir's paper had been about. "I think I read that paper. It was part of a conference, five or six years ago, that my department attended in Leeds. I remember because his paper came up in the conference and people were questioning how it connected to the detection and confiscation of counterfeit defensive spells and objects. The wizard at the time said it was important because he discussed improper magic use and the use of the Imperius, both physically and mentally. It was quite fascinating."

Remus tapped his fingers on his knee. "Harry told Dumbledore and spoke to Misha. Misha said that he would communicate with some of his Aurors to coordinate with the Bulgarian Ministry and go from there, but Death Eaters in Bulgaria is still something to look into. Not just for Dragomir either," Remus said. "We really don't know how much of a reach Voldemort has and if he's recruited people from other countries, it could be even more dangerous."

Andromeda nodded. "Another thing for us to worry about."

Ted kissed his wife's hand. "One day at a time, Dromeda. It's all we can do."

Remus didn't think his father-in-law's words were that reassuring even if he knew that he was right.

End Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading. I'm sure some of you noticed already, but I will be uploading bi-weekly now as opposed to weekly. Between work and writing and keeping up, I just think it will be better for me to keep to a more consistent schedule for myself and my beta. Thank you in advance and I'll see you in two weeks!