Harry Potter and The Shades of Grey

by Ravenwood240

Harry has lost his strongest supporter and has to chart his own course. Someone is going to make him an offer he can't refuse, even if it feels like dealing with the devil. STATUS Change: This story will be finished as written... The other SoG will be renamed and changed.

4. Shirts, Shopping and Secrets

Oops. I accidentally uploaded the wrong rewrite of this chapter, so here is the final version. There are only a couple of minor changes, but they will be important later. Pay attention to Mrs. Longbottom and Blaise, and they have the biggest changes. I also added something to the shirt, something I forgot the first time around. Now, back to the story.

Chapter four is here, and it's far too long, but Harry has just three months to create his organization, and a million things to do. Since we didn't finish the day here, there will be changes to the outline I gave last chapter. It will be two weeks or so before chapter five, as I have to put out a chapter of Prophecy before then.

Shirts, Shopping and Secrets

Harry landed on his back exiting the Floo at the Burrow and picked himself up. He heard sounds in the kitchen and headed that way. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley turned, surprised. "Harry! What are you doing here? Is everything all right, dear?"

Harry smiled at the woman who had become a second mother to him. "Everything is fine, Mrs. Weasley. I just need to talk to Ginny and Ron."

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a sharp look. "Are you going to fix whatever you did to Ginny?"

Harry blushed. "I hope so. I have to talk to her."

"You'll have some time, Ron went into the village for me and he'll be gone about an hour."

Harry smiled at her. "Where is Ginny?"

"She's in her room." Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Don't you do anything forward, young man. I'm trusting you."

Harry blushed and turned toward the stairs. He started up them and missed Mrs. Weasley's final comment. "Good luck." Mrs. Weasley was aware of Ginny's feelings for Harry, and she thought Harry was the only Wizard good enough for her little girl, after she finished school of course. Preferably, several years after she finished Hogwarts. Maybe even a decade afterwards.

Harry came to Ginny's door and knocked. "Come in." Harry pushed the door open. Ginny was sitting at the little desk that looked out over the garden. "I told you. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, Mum."

"Pity," Harry said, "and here I was with an apology all ready, too."

Ginny stiffened and spun in her chair. "Harry? What are you doing here?" Belatedly, she blinked and frowned at him. "An apology?"

Harry nodded and sat on the edge of her bed. "You were right. Pushing you away is not the way to keep you safe. Half of the school knew we were dating, and just being a friend of mine is enough for the Death Eaters."

Ginny frowned at him. "I believe I made those points on the train."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I know. What can I say? I'm a little slow sometimes." He grinned suddenly. "Although, I believe you might have expressed yourself a little more forcefully than I did."

Ginny blushed as she remembered her temper tantrum on the train. "I was very angry with you."

Harry looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Really? I never would have guessed."

Ginny frowned at his flippant tone. "Harry, I still do a very good Bat-Bogey Hex," she warned him, fingering her wand.

Harry sighed, his mood changing suddenly. "And you'll probably be using it on me in a few minutes. But before you do, I want you to hear me all the way out, please."

Ginny frowned at him, but tucked her wand under her leg and laced her fingers together. "I won't make any promises, but I will try to listen to what you have to say."

Harry took a deep breath and started telling Ginny about everything that had happened since they parted on the train. He told her everything, including Pansy's offer about his virginity and his response. Harry blushed a great deal during that part, but got through it. He brought her up to date and showed her the second Basilisk fang knife. He told her about the changes he'd made to his plans, noting her happiness that he'd be back for the next school year.

When he was finished, he sat back and waited for her questions or hexes, whichever she chose to use. Ginny looked at the knife, her thoughts running at high speed. Her first desire was to hex Pansy and Harry, but having to think about all the things that had happened to Harry over the last two days was muting that.

"So Parkinson has made an offer to be your concubine. What does that entail, exactly?"

Harry was unable to repress a shudder. "She would share my bed until she was with child and then I would support them both until the child was ten. The child would be mine after that, and she would leave."

Ginny shivered, her face twisting in disgust. "That is the most cold-blooded thing I have ever heard that was not evil."

Harry nodded emphatically. "I agree. I have a couple of other options, and this is the one I would prefer." Harry outlined his plans for the next year, as they had been changed over the last couple of days.

Ginny looked at him. She thought she knew why Harry wanted to do this, but she asked anyway. "Why do you like that option, Harry?"

Harry sighed, looking over her shoulder, at something only he could see. "I have a few reasons. One, I like her, and I think you'd like her as well, if you two can get past the whole Gryffindor vs. Slytherin thing. I could even grow to love her, one day, but you are in my heart now, and forever. If you would prefer either of the other two options, say so. You have first claim on me." Harry sighed and looked at Ginny. "I can't do what she wants, but she came to me for help. This is the best way to do that, within my limits.

Ginny frowned. "This is a lot to think about all at once, Harry. May I have a bit of privacy to think about it?"

Harry stood up and started toward the door. "Of course. I have to talk to Ron about the changes in the plan for next year and ask him about doing a few things for me this year anyway."

Harry had his hand on the door when Ginny spoke again. "Harry, I have not been kissed yet." Her voice held a hint of threat and laughter at the same time and Harry smiled.

Harry opened the door to Ginny's room a few minutes later, smiling foolishly. Kissing Ginny was far better than arguing with Ginny. He'd have to remember that in the future. He went downstairs, feeling better than he had since he left Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley looked at him as he entered the kitchen. She saw the smile and suppressed one of her own. "So, have you fixed the problem?"

Harry nodded, his smile fading. "Yes, but the last two days have been extremely busy, and I have a whole new set of problems." He looked at her, remembering something Ron had said once. "You came from one of the older families, didn't you, Mrs. Weasley?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, I was a Prewett, before I married Arthur."

"What do you know about the family group called Windenmere?"

Molly looked up from her cooking. "Are you getting involved with them, Harry? You need to be careful, they're a bit different from the rest of the Wizards."

Harry grinned and blushed at the same time. "That much, I've already figured out."

Molly sighed. "So you are involved with them. Right. The first thing to remember is that they will always put their extended family group first, no matter what. If it appears that they are doing something else, there's something wrong." She looked at Harry. "Their customs are different from most families as well. They are far more liberal about nudity and sex than anyone else you will meet in the Wizard world." She saw Harry's face as he remembered the feel of Pansy in his bed. "You've already noticed that, I see. A lot of the more traditional Families won't let their children near the Windenmere families, for fear they'll be corrupted."

Harry looked confused. "Corrupted? By nudity?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "You've never seen some of the more traditional families at home. Some of the older families feel that Queen Victoria was too permissive."

Harry blinked, and stared at her. "They feel that Queen Victoria, of the Victorian Age, was too permissive?" He shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

Mrs. Weasley shrugged. "Customs differ, from group to group in the wizard world. The Zabinis, for example, have six daughters, none of whom will attend school. They will be taught everything they need to know about running a manor at home, so that they do not get exposed to ideas or learning above their station as Ladies."

Harry stared at her, shocked speechless for a minute. He read the truth of her words in her face and shook his head. "Every time I think I have heard the weirdest thing Wizards can come up with, I find something new and even weirder."

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "It's not a common attitude these days, and very few of the families believe in it these days, but there are a couple of them left. The Windenmere families get a lot of the runaways from those families, simply because they don't care what you were before you became a Windenmere." She frowned at Harry. "How did you get involved with them, anyway? The last I knew, most of them were hiding from You Know Who, or on his side."

"Yes, I know," said Harry absently, as he thought about what he'd heard and how to use it. "Excuse me, Mrs. Weasley. I have a lot to think about. I am going to sit in the garden for a bit."

Harry sat near the roses and thought. He had fame. He didn't like that much, but it could be a tool. Voldemort was using his fame, or infamy rather, to intimidate the entire nation. If Harry could negate even half of that fear, and get some of the people fighting back, his job would be a lot easier. He had a few ideas about where to start, but he would need serious help, professional help later on.

He tabled those thoughts for later and went to the next problem. From what he understood, money was another of those things that he wouldn't have to worry about after his birthday, and money was another form of power. Trying to buy the Daily Prophet was an exercise in that, but if it didn't work, he'd turn the Quibbler into his voice, as he had with Rita's interview. He had a couple of other ideas about what to do with this power, but again, he'd need help with it.

Physical power. Now that was going to be a problem. Harry had maybe two dozen people he could count on to fight, and to have a good chance of coming out alive. He had to change that, even if it meant hiring the Goblins as troops.

Harry sighed. His biggest problem was going to be the Wizard world though. Harry had seen the rampant racism in this world, against anything that smacked of less than perfectly Wizard, and he hated it. Harry was going to drag the Wizards into the twentieth century about that if he had to personally kick every wizard in the country in the ass to get his point across. His starting point though, was going to be the House divisions in Hogwarts. The Houses would barely talk to each other, and that was the starting point for some of the racism.

Harry felt a presence next to him and he looked up as Ginny sat down. She stared at him seriously for a minute. "Do you really think I'll like her?"

Harry smiled at her as he took her hand. "I think you will." He told her what they had done to Harry's relatives. "And it was all her idea. She's got a wicked sense of humour, much like the girl that painted Ron's room in the colours of the Holyfield Harpies."

Ginny smirked as she remembered Ron's expression when he found the glaring orange of his beloved Chudley Cannons transmuted into the blue and silver of the all Witch Harpies. "He still believes that was the twins."

Harry grinned and turned serious again. "She's got some strange ideas, she'll do things that will make us wonder how dark she is, and there's something wrong with her, she keeps flinching when you get close to her face, but she's as good as any Gryffindor I know."

Ginny nodded, thinking over what Harry had said. "I can't say I'm entirely happy about sharing you with anyone, but I'll try it for you. I do have one condition though. If it's not working out, we tell her and let her become a member of your families like you did with Blaise and Daphne."

Harry smiled at Ginny, hugging her gently. "I can live with that. Are you sure you are willing to do this? I know Pansy and I both have different feelings about, um, er." Harry stopped, unable to say the word in front of a girl.

Ginny watched him for a minute as a smile grew on her face. "Sex, Harry. The word is sex." She frowned at him. "What do you mean, both of you?"

Harry was still blushing. "I was raised by Muggles, remember? Muggles have vastly different attitudes about multiple partners, same sex pairings and other things than Wizards do, or at least the Wizards I know, and she's part of the Windenmere group."

Harry frowned as he looked over her head at something only he could see. "The Wizard world as a whole is decades behind the Muggles in many ways. That is one of the things I want to change. There has to be a way to combine some of the more enlightened attitudes of both worlds." Harry looked at Ginny. "Of course, Wizards are ahead of Muggles in some ways. You don't have racism, at least not any based on the colour of your skin."

Ginny frowned at Harry. "Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself? You still have to deal with Tom."

Harry nodded. "I know, but planning for the future makes me look far more confident than I am, and that will only be good for the public." Harry laid out a few more of his plans, until his stomach rumbled, surprising a giggle out of Ginny.

She stood up and offered a hand to Harry. "Come on. Mum will never forgive you if you leave hungry."

They walked into the Burrow and Ginny gravely informed her mother that Harry's stomach was complaining of hunger. "Since we all know that Harry would starve before complaining," she finished, smiling impishly at Harry.

Mrs. Weasley had sandwiches on the table for them so fast that it seemed almost like magic.

Harry and Ginny continued to discuss his plans for the summer as they ate. Mrs. Weasley listened to them as she did some baking. She frowned but didn't say anything until Harry was telling Ginny the details about adopting Blaise and Daphne. "You Know Who is going to be very upset with you, Harry," she commented worriedly.

"He's always upset with Harry." Ron had come in the kitchen in time to hear that comment. He grinned at Harry. "Hello, mate. What are you doing to annoy him now, besides existing?"

Harry grinned at the three of them, and couldn't resist the urge to say, "This week, I'm adopting people he's told to do something they don't want to do, and next week I'm going to really twist Moldywart's knickers by stealing a bunch of his Death Wankers." He watched them all as what he'd said sunk in.

Ron raised an eyebrow at the adoption line, and went fish-eyed at Moldywarts, and ended by staring at Harry with his mouth open.

Molly Weasley didn't show her emotions quite as badly as Ron, but her face was decidedly pale as she kneaded the bread dough. "Harry Potter! You will not use that sort of language in this house."

The three teenagers looked at Molly with smiles. Harry's smile was tinged with a hint of slyness. "But it's OK if I call him Moldywarts, right?"

Molly frowned at him. "Would you really stop if I asked you to?"

Harry sighed. "Probably not," he admitted, "we have to do something about his grip of fear on the Wizards, and if I can get his true story out, and show that he can't do anything about me insulting him, that would help a lot."

Ron was frowning. "Harry, how can you trust You Know Who's followers? They're worse than Slytherins, and most of them were Slytherins."

Harry glared at Ron. "I was nearly a Slytherin, Ron." Harry told them about what the Sorting Hat had told him. "Would I be untrustworthy, had I gone to Slytherin?"

Ron was frowning at Harry. "You didn't go there, though. You went to Gryffindor." He looked stubborn. "You can't trust anyone that was in that house."

Ginny glared at Ron. "Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor. He wasn't the most trustworthy person, was he?"

Harry stood up. "Thank you for the sandwiches, Mrs. Weasley. I've got to get back to Hermione and Tonks right now though, so I should be going."

"Mum, may I go with Harry?" Ginny wasn't hopeful that her mother would agree, but she had to ask. She wanted to meet this changed Pansy Harry was getting to know. "He's going to be with Tonks and Hermione all day, and in Diagon Alley, around loads of people."

Molly's first thought was to say no. Then she looked at Ginny and Harry. This was the first time Ginny had come out of her room unless ordered to since they'd come back from Hogwarts. She thought about it some more. Hermione was a sensible girl and Tonks was an adult. Surely they couldn't get into too much trouble in Diagon Alley.

"Mum, I'm going with Harry also. We can keep an eye on Ginny easily enough." Ron hadn't planned on going with Harry, but the look of mute entreaty on Ginny's face was enough to sway him.

Molly sighed. "I expect you to stay out of trouble, both of you. Harry, I want you all back in time for dinner."

Harry smiled. "I'll have them back on time, but I have to be back at the Dursley's by then. I'd love to be here for breakfast, if you don't mind though."

"You know very well that you're welcome here at any time, Harry." Molly smiled at the boy that she thought of as a son.

Ginny smiled and hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mum." She hurried upstairs to get dressed.

Harry looked at Ron. "You have any plans for this summer, mate?"

"No, I was going to wait and see what we were doing." Ron looked at Harry. "I assume that something has changed though, and you have something for me to do."

Harry nodded. "I do have something for you to do, but it's going to be work and you may not be able to start for a few days. I still have to talk to Mr. Lovegood about the Quibbler."

Ron frowned. "What would I have to do with the Quibbler?"

Harry just shrugged. "Whatever Mr. Lovegood had for you to do, and examining the people that come in and work there. I may need the Quibbler, like I did before, and I need to know that it's safe, both to use, and from harm."

Molly frowned at Harry. "You're going to have Ron there to keep an eye on the place? What if something happens?"

Harry stared at Ron. "Then Ron will use the Portkey I give him to find help." Harry saw the look that crossed Ron's face. "If he doesn't, I might have to stop using his services, since I won't be able to trust him to do what he's told."

Ron blinked, staring at Harry. "I've been your best mate for six years, and you'd drop me for doing something you'd do?"

Harry sighed. "It's different now, Ron. I have a very limited force at my disposal, unlike Professor Dumbledore, who had the Order and almost anyone he wanted, because of who he was. With my limited numbers, I can't afford to lose a single person. If we do fight at all this year, I'm going to pick the time and the place, insuring as much as possible that I have the advantages across the board."

Ron frowned, but he had to agree that Harry's resources were minuscule compared to Professor Dumbledore's. "I don't like it, but I'll use your Portkey, as long as I get to return with the reinforcements."

Ginny came back down the stairs and the three teens said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley. They Flooed to Mr. Sharpstar's office, landing in a heap on the floor.

OoOoOoO During Harry's absence; Hermione and Pansy OoOoOoO

"So, we're in agreement?" Pansy looked at Hermione, waiting for her response.

Hermione frowned, seeking a flaw in the other girl's logic. "It does seem to be an acceptable solution from our viewpoint. I can only see three things that would make it unacceptable. First, we have to make Harry stop seeing me as his sister."

Pansy grinned. "Give me a couple of days to soften him up, and then we'll gradually introduce him to the Family customs." Pansy gave Hermione a sharp look. "You know something about the Windenmere families, don't you? Why haven't you said anything to Harry?"

Hermione shrugged. "My source is two hundred and twenty years old and is the only thing I have been able to find in print. It may be wrong, slanted or things might have changed. I don't give out bad information to Harry."

Pansy shook her head. "Let me guess. You read a book called 'The Windenmere Phenomena; An Inside Look', didn't you?" At Hermione's nod Pansy frowned. "It's fairly accurate, but things have changed slightly, and there were some things the author never learned, simply because he wasn't one of us."

Hermione cocked her head and looked at Pansy in consideration. "Ever thought of writing a book about the families of your own? You would be a great source, and you would know everything you could or could not say."

Pansy rubbed her eyes. "Granger, this obsession you have with words and books has to be unhealthy. What were the other two problems you see with our plan, before Harry gets back?"

"Ginny may not be willing to share Harry with either of us." Hermione said simply.

Pansy sighed. "We can work on that as well, it may simply take a bit longer. Ginny has shown enough Slytherin qualities in the last couple of years that I'm not worried about that. We can reason with her." Pansy grinned at Hermione as she used her thumb to push her hair back. "I'll bet you didn't know that she was the one that charmed the library books to be blank for a day last year, did you?"

Hermione stared at Pansy. "No, I didn't. How did you know?"

Pansy smirked. "She had to have somebody's help, and since he was a Slytherin, Ginny didn't bother asking him for help. She set him up and blackmailed him into helping. After they were done, she told him that she'd hold the evidence against him until she was out of school, then she'd destroy it, if he kept quiet about the prank. From what the Slytherin spies in the other houses have been able to discover, she's been responsible for three or four good pranks each year since her second year, and nobody can prove a thing."

Hermione was gaping at Pansy. Pansy smirked again and closed Hermione's mouth gently. "How do you know about the prank, if her accomplice isn't talking?"

Pansy sighed, and for just a minute there was a flash of pain in her eyes. "All of Slytherin spies on each other. We have to, in self-defence, if nothing else. I have to know what the others are doing, so I can counter them, if it would affect me. I know a great deal about everyone in Slytherin, I simply have not had to use it, as I've been hiding behind Draco since first year."

Hermione nodded, but left that statement alone for a minute while she thought about it. She was beginning to see some possibilities for next year, things that they could do that Harry would have to know about. "The last problem I can think of, is Harry himself. "What if he's simply not interested in what we're offering? He might have certain moral objections."

Pansy smiled. "That is absolutely not a problem. Once we have Ginny on our side, do you really think Harry would refuse all three of us anything we really want? If it was evil, he would, but this is not evil."

Hermione and Pansy looked at each other while they thought about it. Hermione's smile had a decidedly sneaky air, and Pansy's smirk matched it well. "Let's do lunch, shall we, darling," Hermione said in a vapid voice.

Pansy gave her a sharp look. She leaned over and whispered something in Hermione's ear that had the Gryffindor looking as if she'd just found out that Professor Snape was a male Veela. Pansy grinned at her. "So, you had better not make any offers you're not going to follow through on."

Hermione stared at Pansy. "You mean that? You've done that?"

Pansy frowned at her. "I know it's different, but why are you so surprised? It's not that uncommon, and I know Lavender Brown at least has done it, so you can't be completely unaware of the possibility, even if it's not discussed in polite company."

Hermione flushed crimson. "She's done more than try it. Her bed often has two heads in it in the morning. At least she casts a good silencing spell at night." Hermione studied Pansy thoughtfully. "Is it really that much different?"

Pansy smiled, lost in a memory. "It's better in ways, and not as good in others. It all depends on your tastes. I want something a bit different, but that's another story."

Hermione nodded slowly and Pansy could almost hear the thoughts running through her head. Before Hermione could vocalize any of them, Daphne stepped out of the Floo. She stepped over to Mr. Sharpstar and handed him a parchment. She sighed dramatically as she did. "Oh woe is me," she said in an obviously false despair, "my family has disowned me, since I won't follow the Dark Lord's bidding." She smiled. "That doing so with help protect them from his wrath is just a bonus."

She came over to the corner where Hermione and Pansy were sitting. Daphne looked at them and at where they were sitting, close together. She sighed again. "Pansy, you're plotting something again."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

Daphne sat down on another stool. "First, she's got that 'I know something you don't' look. Second, she only sits in dark corners when she's plotting and last, Pansy is always plotting something. It's just her nature."

Pansy looked injured. "I don't plot that much," she protested weakly.

Daphne choked and started coughing, strange coughs. "coughnudepicturescough," was followed by "coughglowinghappypeoplecough" and Hermione looked at Pansy, who was blushing.

"Nude pictures and glowing happy people? Are there things going on in the Slytherin dungeon that the rest of the school doesn't know about?" she asked with a smile.

Daphne smirked. "Someone," she said with a pointed glare at Pansy, "traumatized the entire house by creating a picture of Flint's shower in the common area." She shuddered dramatically. "That prat's body is even uglier than his face and his singing reminds me of the sounds of mating Howler monkeys."

Hermione shivered. "That's all I need to know about that." She frowned and bit her lip. "I'm going to regret asking, but what about the other one?"

Daphne and Pansy laughed. "I found an old spell, designed to keep kids from... experimenting with sex. It turns you and your partner a glowing colour if you have sex." Pansy grinned. "It also turned you colours if you're the only person having sex... like Malfoy." She grinned again at the memory. "It took the house three days to figure out how to remove the spell."

Hermione snickered. "You mean Harry was right, calling them Death Wankers?"

Both of the other girls flinched. Hermione just shook her head. "Get used to it. Harry doesn't believe in giving in to fear of a name, and after facing the real thing in the Ministry, I am beginning to understand what he means. It's only a word after all."

The other two looked at each other. "It's not the word that scares us, it's the response that Voldemort will have when he finds out what Harry is calling him these days that scares us," Pansy said. "Harry might be able to shrug off a Killing Curse, but I can't."

They turned as the fire flared again, and Harry flew out, followed in quick succession by Ginny and Ron. The three of them had barely stood up when Blaise stepped out of the Floo, and stepped away from it quickly. "My father is coming, and he's not real happy."

Harry stood next to Blaise and the other Gryffindors lined up with him. They had barely gotten ready when the fire flared and a large man stepped through. He saw Blaise first and started toward him with his wand out. "What do you," he stopped suddenly, faced with six very steady wands. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had been joined by Pansy and Daphne.

"Sir, I believe your son would like to talk to you. I would prefer that it be politely done." Harry was polite and calm, but his wand didn't waver in the slightest.

Mr. Zabini looked at the wands and lowered his. He looked at the people facing him and focussed on Daphne Greengrass. "You!" he snarled, "You've corrupted my son."

"No," Daphne said serenely, "I've saved him. When all of the people that follow V-Voldemort are gone, Blaise and I will be raising little Montroses in the country somewhere." Daphne had stammered a bit over Voldemort, but she finished it without stopping.

The older Wizard seemed to quiver. "You little bi."

"Father!" Blaise snapped, even as his wand came out, "finish that word and I will curse you."

The older man looked at all the wands facing him and put his away. "You're my son, and my heir, boy. I can't allow you to go off like this. Our Lord won't allow it."

Blaise shook his head. "Your lord, father," he corrected. "For seventeen years, you've tried to make me like you, but I am not you, and I can't walk the path you want me to walk. I will marry Daphne, and I will not follow your lord."

The older man sighed. "Not much I can do about it here, is there? I don't suppose you'd come home and discuss it over dinner?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "And be in the dungeon by dessert? You have taught me better than that. I will be Blaise Montrose by sundown, father and married as soon as Daphne and I have our house head's permission. You might want to disown me before that happens, so you can say you didn't have anything to do with it."

Mr. Zabini looked at Daphne. "I didn't think your father would allow you to ignore the Dark Lord."

"My father disowned me, but I found a house that doesn't care about what the snake wants. I am certain that we will be allowed to marry soon."

Mr. Zabini finally looked at the other people in the room with him. He focussed on Harry, his eyes doing the little slide up to his forehead. "You're Harry Potter. I should have known you'd be in the thick of this somewhere. The Dark Lord is going to kill you for this, Potter."

Harry smiled wryly. "Blaise, how many times has Moldywart tried to kill me?"

Blaise frowned. "First year, was second year him as well? OK, third year, you got a break, but he was back fourth and fifth years, and again this last year, but you were secondary. Counting the first attempt, when you were a baby, he's tried to kill you six times."

Harry nodded. "And am I dead?"

Blaise laughed. "If you are, Potter, please give me the name of your undertaker. You look really good for a dead man."

Hermione looked at Harry. "Actually, Harry, Moldywart has tried to kill you eleven times total, unless there is something you have forgotten to tell me."

Harry turned to Hermione in surprise. "Has it really been that many times?"

Hermione nodded and started to detail each attempt, but Harry interrupted her. "I'll listen later. Right now, the Zabinis have the floor."

The elder Zabini looked at the group of kids. "You're not going to allow me to take my son, are you?" The question was obviously rhetorical and everyone remained silent. He looked at the only other adult for the first time. "You're a Solicitor, aren't you?"

Mr. Sharpstar admitted he was. "Fine. You can bear witness that I disown Blaise as of this instant." He looked at Blaise. "I did my best for you, boy, as I saw fit and I'll make no apologies for that. You know that this will put us on opposite sides of a war, don't you?"

"I know, and I had planned on just hiding and hoping either Professor Dumbledore won, or I died of old age before the Death Eaters found us, but now I'll see what Harry wants."

Harry frowned. "I will do my best to keep Blaise out of the fighting, but as you know, Sir, he seems to be quite stubborn."

The elder Zabini gave a sharp barking laugh. "You have no idea." He studied Harry for a long minute and a sly smirk crossed his face. "Blaise, you might want to hang around this Floo for a while. I think you may receive a few visitors."

Blaise stared at his father, recognizing the signs easily. "What are you up to, father?"

"When have I ever told anyone what I was doing, boy? You'll figure it out over the next couple of days, I imagine." He sighed, and for a minute he seemed twenty years older. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

Blaise shook his head slowly. "You simply chose to follow Voldemort, and I can't do that. Even if I never actually killed or tortured anyone, I would be condoning it by helping, and I can't do that. Other than that, you were a good father." Blaise's voice was quiet and compassionate as he looked at his father.

The elder Zabini turned to the Floo and looked over his shoulder. "You were a good son, and you've become quite the man, Blaise. The Dark Lord aside, I approve of your marriage, and I'll be there if I can. I may be in disguise, but I'll try to be there when you get married. Make sure you send me an invitation." With that, he stepped into the Floo and said something none of the others understood. An instant later, he was gone.

Blaise spent a minute staring at the fire. "He was never evil, as much as determined to be on the winning side, no matter what side that was. Voldemort was clearly winning when father joined him, and father never goes back on his word, once he gives it."

Harry frowned in thoughtful consideration of the scene they had just witnessed. He hoped that not too many of the enemy were merely misguided rather than truly evil. He knew what he was going to do with the Bellatrixs and Snapes, but stupid, trapped or misguided was another story.

Harry spoke to Mr. Sharpstar quietly for a minute. When he was done he turned to Pansy. "I cannot agree to your request, Pansy. The future Mrs. Potter feels as I do, that being a concubine is nothing but legal slavery, and wrong."

Pansy nodded. She hadn't really expected anything else. Harry's next words did surprise her though. "If you will allow me to bring you into the Montrose or Potter house, however, I have received an offer to court you."

Pansy frowned. Marriage to some idiot was not in her plans, unless she could use him, or he was strong enough to control her. She looked at Harry. "Who's this suitor?"

Harry smirked at her. "Harry Potter, head of Houses Potter and Montrose has talked to one Lord Black, who would court you."

Pansy grinned. "I see. I suppose I could at least meet with the gentleman, and give him a chance."

Ginny was staring at Pansy and Ron looked confused. "Who's Lord Black?"

Ginny sighed. "Harry is Lord Black. He's also Baron Potter and the head of House Montrose."

Ron blinked. "I thought you and Harry were dating."

Harry sighed as he looked at Ron. "We are, and we will continue to date. Ginny will marry Harry Potter, and Lord Black will date Pansy."

Ron shook his head. "But they're both the same person," he protested.

"Ron," said Ginny, "just don't worry about it. I know what Harry's doing, and I agree for now. If it becomes a problem, we will discuss it between the three of us." Ginny reinforced her point by glaring at Ron, silently daring him to say anything.

Ron frowned but remained silent. Hermione was thinking about it. "Ginny will marry Harry Potter and become Baroness Potter I assume, Pansy with be Lady Black, but what about the Montrose head?"

Harry shrugged. "He'll be a bachelor." Harry turned to Mr. Sharpstar. "Sir, would you start whatever paperwork is needed to adopt these three, so we can finish this today?"

Hermione coughed. "What? Did you withdraw your offer to me? I was looking forward to being a Black."

Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry." He turned to Mr. Sharpstar. "These four, I mean."

Mr. Sharpstar looked at the group. "Mr. Zabini will become a Montrose, Miss Greengrass will be a Black, as will Miss Granger, correct?" He looked at Pansy. "And what family name do you want, Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy thought about it for a second. "I'll be a Potter. That way, I don't have to change my monogram until I get married." She smiled at Harry to let him know she was only joking about that.

Harry smirked. "It's a pity Malfoy isn't going to be at school this year. I would love to see his face when Pansy shows up as Miss Potter." He thought for a second and smiled widely. "Not to mention Snape's face, when he found out he had a Potter in his house." He looked wistful for a minute. "Maybe we should send him an owl."

Mr. Sharpstar sat at a desk and started working. Harry sighed, thinking about all the things he wanted to do. He frowned. It was simply too much right now. Hermione sighed. She'd seen that look on Harry's face before. "Harry, sit down and start at the beginning."

Harry looked at her. Hermione was sitting at a desk and had her quill and parchment ready. Harry grinned. "Put it all down in writing, organize it and then make a plan," he quoted Hermione talking about their school work.

He sat down. "Right. First we have to counter Voldemort's hold on publicity. We have to get our side out to the public." Harry went on, discussing all the possibilities and things he'd been thinking about since Professor Dumbledore died, and that had become possible in the last few days.

The rest of the group listened, making the occasional suggestion and offering ideas from their point of view. Harry listened to all of them, using the ones he liked and explaining why he didn't use any he didn't like. Hermione was kept busy writing until Blaise's stomach growled loudly.

Harry looked at the time and the others. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it was. Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron for a late lunch."

Mr. Sharpstar had been quietly listening to Harry's planning. He liked what he heard, but it was going to be dangerous, despite all the precautions Harry was insisting on. "Mr. Potter, the papers are ready for you to sign."

A few minutes later Harry smiled at the others. "Welcome to my families," he said quietly.

Pansy smirked. "Does this mean you're buying lunch?"

Harry sighed in mock sadness. "Not in the family five minutes yet and already she's asking for money." He made a show of checking his pouch and looking at all the people around him. "I think I can afford it this once."

Blaise sighed. "That's good," he said with a quiet smile. "I'm so broke now, I couldn't pay attention."

Daphne looked at him and then at Pansy. Pansy snickered. "He's lying," Daphne said.

"I know," Pansy agreed, as the two girls teased their friend, "his lips are moving."

Daphne's eyes lit up and she started to say something but Blaise interrupted her. "They don't need to know that, Love," he said hastily as his cheeks turned red.

Pansy smiled innocently. "You mean that Daphne considers you a particularly adroit and capable oral lover?"

Harry and Ron closed their eyes, while the girls looked at Blaise with a considering gleam in their eyes. Blaise flushed a deeper red and crawled under the table. "You talk too much, Love," came a strangled voice from under the table.

Hermione smiled slyly. "You do realize," she said curiously, "that hiding under there makes it look as if you're after more of what she's talking about?"

Thump! "Ow!" Blaise crawled out from under the table, rubbing his head. Gathering the tattered remains of his dignity around him, he looked at Harry. "Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron, shall we?"

Blaise ignored the giggles and whispers of the girls all the way to the pub.

OoOoOoO The Leaky Cauldron OoOoOoO

At the pub, Harry went to Tom, who was always behind the bar. Harry had spent a couple of weeks living here before his third year and he was very glad of it. Tom had lost the hero worship of the Boy Who Lived, and treated Harry like any other good customer. "Hello, Tom," Harry greeted him, "have you got a corner table for us?"

Tom smiled at Harry. He'd made a great deal of money renting out the room Harry had stayed in and he was always glad to see him. Not just because being friends with Harry was a money maker, but because he was friends with Harry. "For you, Harry, always."

Tom led them to a table and took their orders for lunch. After he was gone Harry had Tonks cast a silencing spell around the table. While she was doing so, Harry watched her with a frown. "Tonks, you've been very quiet. Is something wrong?"

Tonks frowned. "You could say that. While you were at the Burrow, I talked to Pansy about the Dursleys." She looked at the people around the table. Hermione, Ginny and Pansy looked angry, Harry was simply resigned and Daphne and Blaise were puzzled. She turned back to Harry. "How much of it is true?"

Harry sighed. "Seeing as I don't know what she said, I can't say. If she implied that living with them was hell, she was understating the situation."

The three that didn't know about Harry's life with the Dursleys stared at him in shock. Tonks frowned at Harry, wondering if he was exaggerating the problem until she heard Hermione's muttered comment. "Bloody gits. I wish someone would make them as miserable as they made Harry."

Tonks frowned again, not at Harry, but thoughtfully. Hermione almost never cursed, and she was one of the most peaceful people Tonks knew. If she was wishing harm to the Dursleys, it must have been terrible for Harry.

Pansy snarled. "Those mice will pay for what they've done. I just need the right response, since Harry won't let me use the curses they deserve."

The others looked at her. Ginny frowned at Harry. "You should just let us handle it," she said fiercely. "Pansy and I will be more than glad to take this minor chore off your hands."

Pansy smirked. "Of course we will. Harry's going to be busy saving the world. He shouldn't have to deal with such a small affair."

Hermione grinned at Harry. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them. If they get too extreme, I'll stop them." Harry sighed in relief, until Hermione's next words. "After all, we don't want the Dursleys to die before we're finished with them."

Harry stared at Hermione in reproach. "I can take an hour out of my schedule to deal with them after I come of age. Tonks even knows what I'm going to do to them."

Tonks smiled as she remembered what had had told her and nodded. "I do, and it's acceptable. I'll say no more about it."

Ron was quiet, watching the Slytherins with a suspicious look on his face. Harry had been watching him and finally sighed. "Would you excuse Ron and I for a minute?" he asked the others. "I think he's about to vent, and I'd rather he didn't do it publicly."

Harry stood up and motioned Ron to follow him. They went outside, and stood in the alley. "What's on your mind, Ron?" Harry was positive he knew already, but he was hoping he was wrong.

"How can you trust them, Harry?" Ron demanded. "They're Slytherins, sneaky, snivelling little worms. Have you forgotten Snape and Malfoy this quickly?" Ron looked at Harry. "Not to mention all the others? Goyle, Crabbe, McNair, all those people who's folks are bringing them up as good little Death Eaters."

Harry sighed. He'd been right, Ron was only upset about them being Slytherins. "Ron, being a Slytherin doesn't mean that they are automatically Death Wankers. There are a good many people in that house who are not Voldemort's followers. Can't you at least give them a chance to prove themselves before you condemn them?"

Ron looked stubborn and folded his arms across his chest. "Harry, Parkinson was a member of Malfoy's group for six years and caused us no end of grief. What more do I need to know?"

Harry was about to reply when he remembered the orb in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at it. Ron saw it and paled. "How did you get a prophecy, Harry? Who's it about?"

Harry shook his head. "It's not a prophecy, it's a gift from Professor Dumbledore. I think I can ease your mind about the others with it." Harry explained as much as he knew about the aura sight. "So, it should allow me to see how light or dark they are." Harry pulled out the letter from Professor Dumbledore again. He looked at it with the orb in one hand.

To use this orb, simply hold it in your wand hand and say "absorbere". There will be a moment of blurriness and then it will fade. To use this new talent, all you have to do is allow your eyes to slip out of focus. The blurrier your regular vision is, the better you will see your target. I will assume that you can guess that the person will be more likely to be evil by your standards as their aura darkens. I personally never used this type of sight, preferring to allow a person's actions speak for themselves. I do understand that you may feel that you lack the experience to judge people and might wish to have the help this can offer. You do need to understand that using this sight indiscriminately may cause you to see some things you would rather not know. In example, what would you do if you found Miss Granger or Miss Weasley to be dark? I urge you to think long and hard before you use this, Harry. Once you have used it, you will never be rid of it, until you go on the next great adventure, which I hope is a good many years away.

Albus Dumbledore

Harry stared at the orb, weighing his choices. In the end, it was the memory of Professor Dumbledore's final moments that decided him. Professor Dumbledore had been right about Malfoy, but wrong about Snape and Harry simply couldn't afford to be wrong even once.

Harry looked at the orb and cast the spell that would make it part of him. The orb glowed brightly for a second, making Ron turn away and Harry close his eyes. When he opened them again, the globe was gone and Harry felt a momentary tingling behind his eyes.

Harry used a trick Hermione had shown him during fifth year to relieve eye strain and Ron changed. He became a human shaped mass of swirling clouds, looking for all the world like a storm cloud. Ron's aura was a light shade of grey with a white spot centred in his chest and a dark spot right next to it. Harry couldn't decipher the aura and he frowned. For now, he would use Ron as the baseline for his sight.

Harry told Ron to return to the other while he went to the bathroom. In the bathroom, he found a mirror and unfocused his eyes again. Harry was not very surprised to see that his aura was much darker than Ron's but the larger white spot in his chest did surprise him. Harry also had two black spots in him, one that slowly swirled around the area of his chest and one that didn't move, on the right side of his forehead.

Harry went back to the group and looked at them. They were all eating, but stopped when Harry sat down. Hermione sighed. "What have you done now, Harry? You've got that look again, the one that says you've done something not quite kosher."

Harry blinked, staring at Hermione. "Am I that easy to read?" he asked her.

"Harry, I've known you for six very intense years, and every year you are involved in something strange. That, mind you, is strange for Wizards, where the inside of something can be larger than the outside and people can change the physical nature of things by pointing a stick at it and saying a word. Most Muggles wouldn't even believe what you do each year. I would hope that by now, I would know when you're doing something that your Muggle-raised mind thinks is a bit weird."

Harry sighed. "I swear, between you, Ginny and Miss I Spy On Everyone over there, I'm surprised I have any secrets at all." Harry looked at Tonks. "This is not for anyone to know that is not here, Tonks. If I want someone to know about this, I'll tell them." Harry read the indecision in Tonks' eyes. "It's harmless, Tonks, and Professor Dumbledore gave it to me. But, if you don't think you can keep it a secret, just step out of the silence spell for a minute, and that way you can honestly say you don't know anything about it."

Tonks looked at Harry for a long time. On the one hand, Harry was still a minor, involved in intrigues and battles that should by all rights belong to far older Wizards. On the other hand, Harry might be a minor in years, but having an insane Dark Lord trying to kill you every year tended to make one grow up fast. Tonks had been very impressed as she listened to Harry map out his strategy for the next year or so. She looked at Harry and bit her lip. "The Order doesn't have a leader without Albus," she said quietly, "right now they're trying to run it by consensus and it's not working very well. I don't think Professor Dumbledore ever thought about it outliving him."

Harry smiled slightly. "Welcome to the Order Without a Name." He looked at the group and told them about the aura sight he had now. "So, if none of you mind, I want to look at each of you, just to see what people I can trust look like."

Ron and Ginny were the first to agree, with Hermione and Tonks right behind them. Blaise and Daphne looked at each other and shrugged before agreeing. Pansy bit her lip and studied Harry. "What are you going to do if you see something in one of us that you don't like?"

Harry sighed and thought about his own aura. "You'd have to be very dark indeed, to be a person that I wouldn't work with to defeat Moldywart, and I just don't believe anyone here is that dark."

Pansy used her thumb to push her hair back while she stared at Harry. "Go ahead," she said quietly.

Harry nodded and used the eye strain relief exercise Hermione had shown him. The group became the same swirling masses Ron had become earlier and Harry took a minute to look at each of them.

Hermione was a lighter grey, with the white spot in the centre of her chest and no dark spots.

Ginny was about the same colour as Ron, but her white spot in her chest was larger and whiter than Ron's, more like Harry's. Her dark spot was smaller as well, but a bit darker.

Tonks was darker than Hermione, but not as dark as Harry, and she had a dark blob that was larger, while her white spot was a bit smaller.

Harry raised an eyebrow when he looked at Daphne. Her aura was the lightest one in the group, without any dark spots and a white spot that nearly covered her chest.

Blaise was slightly darker than her, but still one of the lightest in the group. He had no dark spots either, and his white spot matched Daphne's.

Harry saved Pansy for last, half afraid he would see something that would ruin his plans to ally with her family. Pansy was a dark grey, but no darker than Harry himself, although her dark spot was slightly larger and darker than his. Her white spot was medium sized, compared to the rest of the group, but far whiter, almost pure white.

Harry came out of the aura sight and thought about what he'd seen. He grimaced as he realized that he'd been surprised to find out that a a pair of Slytherins had cleaner auras than the Gryffindors. He had fallen prey to the house bias that he had been chiding Ron for earlier.

People were people, and ambition in and of itself, was not a bad thing. Ambition only became a problem when it was coupled with a lack of morals and a willingness to do whatever it took to gain the object of those ambitions.

"Harry," said an impatient Ginny, after the party had watched Harry think for a few minutes, "would you mind terribly sharing your impressions with the rest of us?"

Harry blushed as he looked at all the curious faces. "Sorry, I was sorting out what I'd seen and trying to make sense of it. I can tell you that Daphne and Blaise are the lightest people here, and Pansy and I are the darkest."

Ron frowned. "What do you mean? You're not dark, Harry."

Harry frowned as he thought about it. "Professor Dumbledore wrote that I would see people according to my standards and I think us being darker simply means that we would do things to accomplish our goals that the rest of you would not."

Hermione frowned. "If this is a subjective sight, then as your ideals change so will the sight."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Hermione, I don't think my opinion of Death Wankers will change that much in the next year or so. We can worry about that later."

Ron was still thinking, staring absently at Blaise and Daphne. The rest of the group was watching Ron struggle with the thought that a pair of Slytherins were the best people here, by Harry's standards. Ginny was openly smirking at him and the three Slytherins were barely hiding their amusement.

Finally Ron sighed. "I should have known that this would not be easy. Complications seem to like Harry. Every time we try to do something simple, like sneak a Dragon out of Hogwarts, something has to happen to make it more difficult. Why should this be any different?"

Pansy smirked at him. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm the darkest one here."

Ron snorted. "Great. My best mate and a Slytherin are leading the fight, and they're the darkest people on the light side. That makes me feel so much better."

"This is possibly the strangest thing I've seen since the Ministry. Four Gryffindors, two Slytherins and two young ladies I don't know sitting under a silencing spell in broad daylight. Something going on that we should know about, Harry?"

Eight people turned to look at the speaker. Neville Longbottom and his grandmother were standing there watching them. Neville was smiling slightly and his grandmother was frowning at him. "I see three Slytherins, Neville. The only one I don't recognize is the young lady with curly hair there. Introduce us, Neville."

Neville nodded. "This is Harry Potter of course, and the two redheads are Ron and Ginny Weasley. The young lady sitting across from Harry is Hermione Granger, and the two attached at the hand there are Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass." Neville looked at the two he didn't recognize. "I don't know the other two."

His grandmother frowned at him. "You should know the one sitting next to Harry, Neville. Use the family traits."

Neville frowned and the group could see him murmuring something to himself. He blinked and stared at Pansy. "You're a Parkinson, aren't you? But there's only one Parkinson in Hogwarts right now..." He trailed off and they could see him coming to a conclusion. "This just gets more interesting by the minute." He stared at Harry, obviously waiting to hear the story.

Harry grinned slyly. "Allow me to correct your introductions, Neville. Some things have changed. This young lady to my left is Pansy Potter, and the two joined at the hand are Blaise Montrose and Daphne Black. The frightfully intelligent one over there is Hermione Granger-Black. The young lady you don't recognize is a friend who has been known to have pink hair."

Neville was staring at Harry in something close to panic. "Harry, tell me you're not married to Pansy."

Harry choked. "Not yet," he said with a straight face, looking earnestly at Neville. "I have to marry Ginny first."

Neville blinked, searching Harry's face for signs that he was being put over on. "Harry," he finally said with a sigh, "do you ever do anything the normal way?"

Harry started to say something and then stopped, frowning. "I was going to say sleeping, but nightmares and dark lords invading your dreams aren't normal." Harry grinned at Neville. "No, I don't think I do."

Neville's grandmother looked at Harry. Harry looked back and saw a bit of why Neville's grandmother scared so many people. The older woman was staring at Harry as if her glance alone would open Harry's head and give her all his secrets. Her eyes held an high intelligence backed by an indomitable will. He waited for her verdict.

"Neville," she said suddenly, "I think that you can stay and find out this story. Be back at the house for dinner. I will be very interested to find out what Mr. Potter has planned for the Montrose house, since we are related slightly." She looked at Harry. "Neville has learned a lot from you, Mr. Potter. If you need anything over the next year or two while you deal with Mr. Riddle, let me know."

Harry looked at her in shock. "You know his name?"

The older woman's lips turned up in what might have been a smile, although it looked foreign on her face. "I was a seventh year when he was a first year. I still remember him getting his foot stuck in the stair and the three night he spent cleaning toilets for his language."

Harry stared at her. "Old Moldywart had to clean the toilets?" The smile on his face was uplifted, like a knight faced with the Holy Grail. "I have got to get that in the paper. 'Dark Lord cleans bathrooms.' That will defuse some of the fear." He looked at Neville's grandmother with a smile. "If you happen to remember any more stories like that, or know someone that would, I'd like to hear them."

Neville was still stunned by Harry's name for Voldemort. "Did you just call You Know Who Mo."

He was interrupted by his grandmother. "Neville, what have I told you about that?"

Neville blushed. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." He looked back to Harry. "Did you just call Voldemort Moldywart?"

Harry smirked. "Hermione thinks they sound like a punk rock band. Moldywart and the Death Wankers."

"Mr. Potter!" Harry jerked as Mrs. Longbottom snapped severely at him. "That language is inappropriate in the presence of ladies."

"Sorry, Mrs. Longbottom," Harry said, flushing.

Pansy looked at her watch and then at Harry. "If you want that little problem of yours fixed today, I have to be going. I'm also going to need some money."

Harry frowned at her for a second, and then realized that she meant to meet her contact and get them to ignore the under-age magic restrictions on Harry. He looked around and thought. "Pansy, add Ginny, Neville and Luna." Harry thought quickly. The rest of the people that had been in the Ministry with him were of age or about to be so he didn't worry about them. Was there anyone else that he might need this summer? He sighed, thinking about some of the things he wanted to do. "Add Colin Creevy to that list as well."

Pansy wrote the names down and shook her head. "What horrors are we unleashing here?" She took Harry's money pouch and was gone through the Floo in an instant.

The rest of the Gryffindors stared at Harry. He sighed again. "We're going to take a page from Moldywart's book and put ourselves in the paper regularly. He's the only photographer I know that I can control."

Hermione was staring at Harry. "Harry, where did you get all these ideas about publicity?"

Harry grinned wryly. "Uncle Vernon, actually." He reached under his robes and brought out a book. Hermione reached for it. Harry smiled as he let her have it. "I happened to see a program on the telly while I was looking for news last summer about the advertising and ads of a political race. That made me think and Uncle Vernon had that book on the shelf. I took it and read it, several times. It's not like I had much else to do."

"'Influencing People and Controlling Public Opinion,'" Hermione read. "A Guide to the Practices of Professional Politicians," she continued. She frowned. "I think I remember this book. There were complaints about the legality or morality of a lot of the tactics in the book."

Harry shrugged. "Since I'm not planning on using any of these ideas in the Muggle press, I'm not worried about that," he said bluntly. "I will make sure that we're not going to get arrested by Wizards, but that is all I'm going to worry about."

Hermione looked up, a frown on her face. "Harry, you're not going to publicly insult Voldemort, are you?"

"Like Moldywart and the Death Wankers isn't enough?" Pansy nodded at Harry as she sat down and Harry smiled. He could do magic now without anyone knowing.

Harry nodded as he answered Hermione. "Often and loudly. I want him concentrating on me, not on the hunters or attacking defenceless Muggles."

Tonks groaned in mock disappointment. "There goes my nice quiet summer." She grinned at Harry. "Thank you, Harry. I think the Weasley twins will be happy about that as well. The Order has been quiet since Albus died."

Harry nodded. "I thought that might be the case, since you mentioned them running the Order by committee. Committees rarely get anything accomplished." Harry pulled another book from his robes. "'Effective Leadership In a Fast-Paced Organization' has taught me a few things as well. It was the only other book on the shelf that sounded useful." He handed it to Hermione. "I read it to help with the DA, but it will work in the new Order I'm building."

Ron looked up. "Why are you building a new Order, Harry? I would think that the old one is good enough."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know most of them, and they all have the same problem. They followed Professor Dumbledore. He was older, more experienced and had a reputation that worked. I am too young for many of them, like Mrs. Weasley and too unknown to most of them. I need people that will do things for me without wondering if it is the way Professor Dumbledore would have done it. There are also some people I don't want in the new Order."

Tonks snickered. "People like Fletcher, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Fletcher, Mrs. Weasley, and a few others that have problems with my age, as well as anyone that will not follow instructions. I will keep my people alive, even if I have to resort to ganging up on Death Wankers and Muggle weapons."

"No, you will not." Several people said it at once. "Harry," Hermione said, "the prohibition against using Muggle weapons is the only true death sentence the Wizard world has. Every culture in the Wizard world agrees on that. No weapon that is not muscle powered may be used."

Harry blinked. "Wait a minute. You collapse a bridge with magic, killing a dozen or more people and get a jail sentence. But use a Muggle firearm, to kill one person, and they kill you?"

All of the Wizard born nodded. "Harry," Pansy said quietly, "not even Voldemort will break this rule. Any magic, even the Unforgivables is preferred to using any weapons not powered by the user's muscles."

Harry frowned as he rubbed his eyes. "Wizards, I swear." He shrugged. "It was only an idea, so it's not that big of a deal." He thought for a minute and smiled. "That only applies to using it on Wizards, doesn't it?"

Pansy nodded slowly. "Yes, why?"

Harry smirked. "I'm going to show my Slytherin side and keep it a secret for now."

Ginny leaned over and whispered in his ear. Harry turned bright red and stared at her. Ginny only smiled and looked at him smugly. "Yes or no?"

Harry stared at her, his face going through an amazing range of expressions. He sighed, smiling warmly at Ginny. His heart was in his eyes as he answered her. "No."

Ginny blinked, and smiled at him. "I wasn't expecting that," she confessed, "but it was the right answer."

Daphne was watching Pansy. Pansy was watching the two of them with a frown. She'd told Daphne that she was worried that capturing Ginny would give Harry to the Death Eaters, so Daphne knew exactly what was bothering Pansy right now.

She also thought she had seen a flash of envy when Harry first smiled like that at Ginny. It was an open smile, filled with love and joy, and not the kind of smile any of Pansy's lovers would have given her. Slytherins would never be so open.

Well, some were, but not the crowd that Pansy had been with for the last six years. Daphne grinned as she thought about the plans Pansy had for the upcoming school year. Slytherin was going to resemble an ant hill being kicked. Repeatedly. Daphne was looking forward to being in Slytherin this year for the first time. She came back to the conversation as the talk turned to the trip.

Pansy was grinning at Hermione and Ginny. "So, Hermione guides us in Muggle London and Muggle fashions while we make sure Harry looks good enough to eat."

Harry groaned and hid his face. "I was hoping you'd forget about the shopping trip."

Pansy poked the jacket Harry wore. "Do you really want to wear Dudley's cast-offs with this?"

Harry looked down. "Fine. You win. Let's get this over with."

In the end, Pansy, Tonks, Hermione and Ginny chose to go with Harry while Ron had something to do at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and Blaise and Daphne chose to go back to Mr. Sharpstar's office and see what Mr. Zabini had been talking about.

Neville went with Harry, since Harry informed him that he'd get the whole story if he kept Harry company while the women tortured him.

The shopping group bid the others goodbye and was about to start Flooing to Hermione's house when they heard someone call Harry's name. Harry turned and smiled. Luna Lovegood was dressed in robes of bright sky blue and had her wand tucked behind one ear. "Harry, may I speak to you for a minute?"

Harry nodded, relieved to be putting off the shopping trip for even a bit longer. Luna looked at the others. "Hello Ginny, Hermione. Are you helping Harry again?" Luna then looked at the other two. "Hello Tonks, Parkinson. It's a bit unusual to find a Slytherin with Harry."

Everyone stared at Luna. "How did you know who we were?" demanded Tonks. Pansy just sighed. "Why do I bother?" she demanded. "Everyone can see through my glamour."

Luna looked at Pansy. "You're not wearing a glamour." Luna frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose a Nix Jox could have eaten it." Luna made that statement in the same voice as she had said hello. "Harry, my father asked me to ask you about some strange reports coming out of the Ministry. It seems that some people have been formally removed from their families, and at the same time, three other families have picked up new members who have the same first name as the ones being removed. Since at least two of the families getting the new people are yours, father thought you might be able to tell us what's going on."

Harry sighed. "I hadn't realized it would be public this quick. It's a long story, Luna and I need to talk to you and your father anyway, so ."

Pansy interrupted him. "Forget it, Harry. You are going shopping with us right now. If Luna wants to know what's going on, she can just come with us."

Everyone looked at Pansy. "Is that really a good idea?" asked Neville.

Luna looked at Neville. "Why can't I come?"

"Luna, we're going into Muggle London, and you're not exactly dressed for it."

Harry sighed. "Enough. Hermione, we need to go by your house anyway, can you loan her something that will get her by for the day?"

Hermione examined the younger girl for a minute. "Yes," she said, "but my bras won't fit her."

Harry and Neville blushed. "We didn't need to know that, Hermione." Harry said severely.

Hermione looked at Harry. "You don't know anything about women, do you? Without a bra, she'd going to attract attention, as large as she is, and attention is the last thing we want."

Neville looked at Luna in confusion. "She's shorter than I am."

Luna walked over to Neville, facing him so that he was the only person that could see the front of her. Opening her robes, she said, "Hermione means large this way."

Neville was completely frozen for a minute as he looked at Luna. Then his eyes nearly popped out and he turned bright red. Spinning around he shut his eyes tightly. Luna gave his back one of those dreamy smiles that always seemed to grace her face, giving her an otherworldly air. She closed her robes and turned to the others. "I can work that out, Hermione. I would like to see London."

Harry was smirking at Neville. He had looked just like that when Pansy had flashed him, just yesterday. Harry tapped Neville on the shoulder. "You can open your eyes now. She's covered again."

Neville turned around, watching Luna carefully, as if she would attack him at any moment. "She wasn't wearing anything under there, Harry, not a thing." he said in a low voice.

Harry turned to look at Luna again, raising one eyebrow. He knew Luna was a bit odd, but that was more than Harry wanted to know. Neville was still watching Luna, but a new look was in his eye, one of speculation. "She's really quite pretty. How come we never noticed?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't ask me about women. I'm lost there," he admitted. "Ask me about dark lords and defending yourself against them, but I'm fairly clueless about women."

The girls were whispering, with Pansy and Hermione telling Ginny something that made her blink and look at Hermione, who blushed. Luna was simply listening. Harry frowned as the three girls turned to look at him. Ginny and Pansy were nearly smirking and Hermione was red-faced. Somehow, Harry just knew that he was in trouble.

They didn't say anything though, and the group Flooed to Hermione's house without further interruptions. Hermione's mother jumped as people began popping out of the fireplace. Since the first person out was Hermione, she relaxed. "Hello, dear. I swear, I will never get used to that."

Hermione smiled fondly at her mum. "That's what you said about magic, but you seem to have overcome that quick enough." Hermione hugged her mother. "Mum, this is Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Pansy Potter, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Tonks."

Mrs. Granger was a tall woman with brown hair that fell gracefully to her waist. It was tied back in an elaborate French braid that looked elegant, and her warm brown eyes examined everyone there. She paid particular attention to Harry. "Hello, Harry, I've heard quite a bit about you, and it's nice to finally meet you."

Hermione blushed again and herded everyone up to her room. Harry had always imagined that Hermione's room would be a bed and wall to wall bookshelves, with a desk for doing her homework.

Hermione's room was nothing like that. It had the bed of course, but there was only one bookshelf. There was also a desk, with a computer on it and several pictures, of both Muggle and Wizard styles. One wall had several more shelves on it with various mementos and knick knacks on it, as well as several larger pictures. Harry blinked at one of them. It was a picture taken in the common room and showed Ron and Hermione talking to Harry. The figures in the picture were huddling around, occasionally looking up to see if anyone was listening. What surprised Harry was that Hermione had kept that picture, as the picture Hermione would reach over and hit Ron in the shoulder with a look of annoyance as Harry just grinned at them.

He remembered the conversation, during their fourth year, as they discussed the final task and how Harry was going to deal with it, but since Ron had made a comment about Harry that had been typically Ron, Hermione had not talked to Ron for two days. It was not the kind of memory Harry would have thought Hermione would have kept. Harry still thought of the incident with amusement, as the look of combined shock, pain and confusion on Ron's face as he said "What did I say?" repeatedly had been funny.

Hermione was outfitting Luna for Muggle travel and when she handed Luna a pair of pants, Luna just dropped her robes, causing a choked sound from Neville and Ginny's giggling. Harry only sighed and turned back to the wall, reading Hermione's many certificates of scholastic achievement in the Muggle world, until Pansy came over. She looked at the wall for a second. "She really is brilliant, isn't she?"

"She mixed a PolyJuice Potion in second year that got Ron and I into the Slytherin common room," Harry said with a smile.

Pansy blinked. "And I thought I knew all the things you'd been up to in school. I never knew you'd come visiting us. What were you doing down there?"

Harry grinned. "You're the sneaky one, figure it out," he challenged her.

Pansy frowned at him and thought about it. "Second year? That was the year everyone got petrified," she mused. "We never did get the whole story. Let's see. The Heir of Slytherin was trying to force the Muggles out, and you killed a basilisk." She frowned at Harry. "You were being accused of being the Heir, because you could speak Parseltongue, but we knew you couldn't be the Heir. No Heir of Slytherin would have gone to Gryffindor." She stopped, thinking furiously. "That's what you were after," she exclaimed triumphantly, "the name of the Heir of Slytherin."

Harry smiled at her. "Very good. We tried to get Draco to admit he knew who it was, but he didn't have a clue."

Pansy snorted. "Of course not. Draco hasn't got the twisted mind required for plotting. He's too egotistical."

Harry was about to say something when he realized one of Hermione's pictures had fallen over. He picked it up and was transfixed, a huge grin breaking out across his face. "Colin was there," he said, emphasizing the word was, and Pansy frowned until she saw the picture that Harry held, and then her laughter surprised the others.

Everyone came over to see what Pansy found so funny, and as Harry showed them the picture Hermione blushed. The rest of the group laughed as they watched Mad-Eye Moody bouncing an albino ferret in the courtyard at Hogwarts. "Hermione, I thought you said that this was wrong," said Harry mildly.

"My opinion might have changed since then. I have another one, I was going to give it to Ron as a gift."

Harry cocked his head as he stared at Hermione. "I hope you got me one."

Hermione's face went blank and she spoke in a neutral tone. "You can come over and look at that one any time you want."

Harry studied Hermione curiously. He'd known her far to long not to know when she was avoiding a topic or question.

Pansy and Ginny exchanged glances. Ginny crossed to Harry, taking his hand and putting the picture back on the shelf. "We're ready to go, Harry, and to be completely honest, I can't wait to see you in something that fits."

Hermione had made a call after getting Luna dressed in a pair of Muggle jeans and a blouse, and the result was waiting for them when they went downstairs. A man with a strange suit on was talking politely with Mrs. Granger.

He looked up and smiled. "Which of you would be Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised her hand and then pointed at Harry. "He's the one paying for this trip though, I just happened to call."

The man looked at Harry and his eyes widened for a minute, and then he shook himself. "Harry Potter? How do you do? I'm Stephen Kingsman, and I'll be your driver today."

Harry turned to Hermione, who anticipated the question he was about to ask. "It's kind of a secret, Harry. The Muggleborn have started networking, keeping an eye on each other and helping out where they can. Mr. Kingsman is starting a Limousine company, and I thought it would be easier to use him than travel by the underground or taxi all day." She blushed. "Plus, having an adult Wizard on the spot to help Tonks can't be a bad thing either."

Harry nodded. "How come I don't know about this network?"

Hermione blushed again. While she was trying to find the words Mr. Kingsman spoke up. "What Miss Granger is trying to say, is that she started the network, mostly by accident. She was emailing or writing every Muggleborn Wizard and Witch she could find,trying to make sure that we knew that Voldemort was back and targeting our kind." Mr. Kingsman smiled at Hermione. "It just sort of grew from there."

"Harry, you knew about Voldemort, so I never had to email or write you about it, and I didn't say anything at school for fear that someone would overhear and tell Malfoy."

Harry shrugged, and patted Hermione's shoulder. "Just drop me a newsletter or whatever you get. I can use the network as well." He frowned, thinking about something. "In fact, I can use a couple of people very soon."

Pansy stood in front of Harry and placed her wand tip under his nose. "Shopping. Now. Harry, go."

Harry almost went cross-eyed trying to look down at the wand tickling his upper lip. "Well," he said carefully, "since you seem to be a little impatient." Pansy lowered her wand and smirked at the others. She was about to say something when she was hit with a tickling hex.

Harry helped her up a minute later with a smile. "Pansy, never pull your wand, unless you're going to use it. If you do point it at someone, make sure you leave them in no condition to do anything when you walk away."

The group that had been in the DA grinned as Harry delivered a lesson on one of the first things they had learned. Pansy nodded and suddenly her wand was back, pointing at Harry.

Before Harry could say anything, she was kissing him, long and hard, with her tongue dancing in his mouth. Just as he started to respond, she pulled away and walked out, leaving him blinking and stunned. "Like that, Professor Potter?"

Harry shook his head and looked at his friends, who were studiously trying not to laugh, except for Ginny who wasn't even hiding her delight. "I'll have to try that in a DA meeting one of these days," she said.

Harry gave his card to Mr. Kingsman who charged the amount to hire the limousine and they set out for 458 Oxford St, home of Marks & Spencer first. They had been planning to go to Harrods, but Mr. Kingsman suggested Marks & Spencer as it was closer and somewhat cheaper.

The trip quickly turned into exquisite torture for Harry. Ginny asked Pansy something about the way Pansy had kissed Harry, and Pansy showed her, using Harry as the example.

Ginny then had to try it, and show Pansy another trick. Having two pretty girls trading his face between them was pleasant enough, but the audience limited what Harry wanted to do after kissing both of them a dozen times.

Pansy was smiling and Ginny and Harry were a little dazed when they pulled up in front of the store. The group piled out and went inside. As they were getting out, Mr. Kingsman spoke to Harry in a low voice. "When you get in there, if something is really bad, say no, no matter how many of the girls gang up on you. Also, buy something you like, just because you like it, even if all of them hate it. You should always have something that is just yours." He winked at Harry. "Us men have to stick together."

The next three hours were a nightmare to Harry as he tried on dozens of things that the girls would pass judgement on. He did say no to one thing. "Pansy, I don't care how sexy it is, I'm not wearing anything with a string in my crack, period."

Harry also bought a set of clothes for him. When Hermione tried to talk him out of it, he looked at the girls. "Ladies, I like it, and I think it will be nice to have, when I go hunting for certain prey. If it's not there when we pay for this stuff, you can pay for it all." The girls looked at the pile of clothing they had chosen for Harry and sighed.

When the damage was done, Harry gave each of the three girls some money. "Ladies, I know I was a prat during this. To make up for it, that money is for you to spend on you. Go get whatever you want." He jerked his head at the limousine. "While you're doing that, I'm going to fill Neville and Luna in on the new plans."

Harry waited until the girls had disappeared back into the store, and told Mr. Kingsman what he wanted. The limousine pulled away a few minutes later.

Harry was standing outside the limousine when Hermione, Ginny and Pansy came back out. Luna was sitting in the back scribbling on a paper and Neville was examining the gift Harry had given him with apprehension. "You're going to get us all killed, Harry."

Harry saw the girls coming and grinned. "Watch this, Neville." Harry tossed his jacket in the car and waited. The three girls came closer and Ginny was the first to react. Her laughter echoed as she read Harry's new shirt.

The front of the shirt had large red letters that read;

Moldywart and the Death Wankers!! Coming soon to an Azkaban near you!!

The back of the shirt had a list of known Death Eaters and the date they went to Azkaban after their name. Some of them, like "Ferret" Malfoy and "Snivelling" Snape had 'Coming Soon' after their names and the ones that had escaped, like Bellatrix "Batty" Lestrange, had 'Returning Soon' after their names.

The only name that didn't have an Azkaban date by it was Tommy "Ridgil" Riddle, who's column simply said RIPieces.

At the bottom of the shirt was a smaller line, one that said: "This tour brought to you by Harry Potter and the Order Without a Name."

Ginny read the shirt with interest. "Harry, what does ridgil mean?"

Hermione smirked at Harry. "I told you it sounded like a band."

Harry grinned at Hermione and answered Ginny's question, surprising giggles out of her and Hermione.

Pansy just stared at it and closed her eyes. "You're going to get us all killed."

Harry grinned at her as he reached into the limousine and tossed each of the girls an identical shirt. Ginny was the first to dive into the car and start changing her shirt. Harry looked at the other two. "Come on, Hermione, show that Gryffindor side of you."

Hermione sighed. "You just had to put it like that, didn't you?" She joined Ginny in the car.

Harry looked at Pansy challengingly. "What about you? We have a Ravenclawish Gryffindor, a Hufflepuffish Gryffindor, a Slytherinish Gryffindor, and a couple of Gryffindors. Can you be a Gryffindorish Slytherin?"

Pansy was about to say something when Luna came out of the limousine. "Don't forget the Gryffindorish Ravenclaw, Harry."

Pansy eyed the shirt Luna was wearing and groaned. "Give me the bloody thing. Being less Gryffindorish than a Gryffindor is a good thing. Being less Gryffindorish than a Ravenclaw is not." Pansy climbed inside and soon everyone was wearing a Moldywart shirt.

Mr. Kingsman looked at them and sighed. "You are going to take those off before you return to Diagon Alley, aren't you?"

The next stop was another Muggleborn Wizard, who worked as a Muggle tailor. He watched Hermione, Pansy and Ginny arguing about fabrics and colours for a few minutes and murmured to Harry, "which one of the ladies has the most say?"

Harry sighed, grinning at the girls. "what am I doing, and what day is it?"

The tailor looked at him for a minute and smiled. "If this is a day in your life, lad, I'm glad I'm not the Boy Who Lived."

Harry thought back to the times Moldywart had tried to kill him. "I prefer this day," he said quietly, "even if I've spent hours shopping." The last word was delivered in a tone generally reserved for puppy abusers, child molesters and drunken American tourists.

Pansy looked over at him. "Be nice, Harry, or we'll take you with us when we shop for us."

It took the girls nearly an hour to pick out everything they wanted Harry to have and by the time they were done, Harry had already been measured and they left after Hermione gave the tailor her number, so that he could call when the suits were ready.

It was far too late in the day to do any of the other things Harry wanted to do, so they left the limousine at the Leaky Cauldron, after Harry got Mr. Kingsman's number. They walked to Mr. Sharpstar's office, intending on using the Floo to get Ginny and Neville home.

Along the way they stopped at Ortha's Optics and got Harry's new glasses, which came with a scroll detailing how to use the various charms built into them. Harry had been impressed when 'Roger' put the Muggle and Wizard glasses side by side and tapped them with his wand. A second later, the only way to tell them apart was to look through them, as all the scratches and dings of normal wear and tear appeared on the new ones.

Harry was absently trying some of the charms on the glasses as they walked to the Solicitor's office and up the small stairway. They went inside and despite his preoccupation, even Harry noticed something different.

There were nearly thirty people standing in the office, packed into every place in the room that didn't have books on it.

Blaise and Daphne were close to the door and Blaise smiled brightly at Harry. "Hello, Father Montrose. They followed me home. Can I keep them?"

OoOoOoO

One house point for anyone that can tell me who those people are, although I think it's obvious.

Last Chapter, I put an outline in the notes. Just ignore it. It's not going to happen that way. I'm already adding a chapter to finish today out, and Harry has twenty-two things that he has to do before he goes back to Hogwarts.

For those of you wondering where Moldywart is in this story, remember that it's barely been 48 hours. Moldywart doesn't know what's going on, yet. Harry is going to enlighten him in a way that might cause a few temper tantrums. (It's foolish, but it's also just what a teenager coming into his own would do.)

To all of you that read, and said something, Thank you. I would answer your comments here, but doesn't appear to like that. (Which I find silly; if you don't want to read the Author's notes, don't. Of course, they may be worrying about space. One Author's note is small... one million Author's notes begins to take up a lot of space.)

To all of those of you who read and didn't review; I'm not going to beg for reviews, but I would like to know what you think about it. Good, bad or indifferent, that you put anything down tells me that I have moved you, one way or another. Like most people that write things for other people to read, I like to know that what I do makes you feel something, even if it is only a short escape from the pressures of your day.

By the way, for those of you that don't know, Webster's unabridged Dictionary defines Ridgil as;

ridge·ling (rijÆling), n. Vet. Med.

any male animal, esp. a colt, with undescended testicles.

Also, ridgÆling.

Also called ridg·el, ridg·il (rijÆÃl).

1545–55; perh. RIDGE + -LING1, from the belief that the undescended organs were in the animal's back

In other words, an immature beastie, like... oh say a piglet. I think Moldywart will love it, don't you?

Raven