CHAPTER Twenty-two

Hermione had just finished the run she went on each morning. She was wiping down with a towel. Harry came up after just finishing and leaned her back and gave her a kiss. She looked up "Mr. Potter what right do you have to entice me so?"

Harry grinned "Love, my love of you is my right."

Hermione smiled back at him "Ahh, I see." She removed her top and then said very sexily "but if you get me all excited then I must demand that you finish the task. She removed her shorts and stood before him fully nude."

Harry was smiling "You know the old you would never have done this. We could be caught with our knickers down."

Hermione pulled his shirt off and then tugged his shorts down "I care not what other people see or believe about me. I want you now and I will have you." She stated to him simple.

Harry was surprised, happy, and thrilled by the changes in all of the girls… not girl's women, his women. Life was very good.

The Black Bahama island was a private island discovered in the 17th century by Arturis Black, Sirius Great-Great grandfather. He immediately placed it under a fidelus charm and warded it before placing a large mansion on it. Each succeeding generation had added to the plantation and they mostly grew sugar cane and sugar beets for making Rum.

The last Lord Black decided to install a still and make his own brand of Rum which then sold in America. The entire operation was run by Goblins and house elves who had been increasing the island land mass each year. When it was originally found it was a four mile by two mile strip of land and its closest neighboring island was some twenty miles away.

The Goblins and elves now had increased the island to encompass a twenty mile by twelve mile and the neighboring island was only five miles away. With runes to make freshwater, cattle brought in from the mainland, other live stock and a fairly good farming operation, the island was self sufficient with very little effort.

Harry often took his broom and flew around the island looking at various features. He did stumble across a very beautiful looking area with a pool created by a waterfall. It had no beach to speak of so he decided to make one. With help from the elves he created a small beach area and he was able to create a small structure for keeping out of the sun.

When he showed the girls they instantly fell in love with the place and Daphne decided that a little bungalow, three or four bedroom was perfect so she asked the goblins to help the elves build, furnish, and ward it. The girls and Harry started staying in the house and visiting the adults every few days.

One morning Harry and the girls were frolicking in the water when Sirius, Dan, and Emma showed up. Sirius looked at the place and fell over because it was a perfect little oasis.

Harry smiled at him "We do good work don't we?"

Emma looked around in awe "In my mind this is what I had envisioned that paradise would look like."

Daphne smiled "You should see the house. It is nothing fancy but it has everything we need." The adults went inside and looked around. When Dan opened a door he found a stairs and in the cellar they had turned it into a full library study. Off to one side they had created a dueling room and a small gym. Sirius was floored with this as well.

"Harry this is wonderful you have everything you need." Sirius told him. Sirius suddenly got a smile and then went outside. When he came back he was laughing as he pushed everyone out the door. Above the house was a new sign the said "Potter's Retreat." Sirius then handed him a Deed for ten acres in every direction around the house and the waterfall. "This is your place now Harry and I think what you have done is perfect."

Harry hugged him and thanked him. Gabby walked up and smiled "Harry perhaps a little vineyard over there and within five years this place could be making wine."

Fleur suddenly looked with surprise "Yes, Harry you should do this. The wine will be some of the best ever produced."

Harry looked at her "A vision?"

Fleur grinned "Oh, yes!"

Harry bowed and said with happiness "Welcome to Potter's retreat a home away from home. Would you care to spend the night?"

Emma just laughed "You couldn't drag me away. They had a very good day and evening with a dinner served out on a covered patio.

When 2 September came they had been out exercising as Harry developed an obstacle/ running course out in the lush jungle terrain. When they returned Hermione picked up a Daily Prophet and then spit her juice out when she saw the headline.

THE BOY WHO LIVES IS SHOT OF US!

Harry was smiling as he walked in to fix breakfast for all of them. When he came out a few minutes later Daphne kissed his cheek "Harry that was utterly brilliant and it will totally destroy Albus and all his plans."

Harry chuckled "I know for a fact that he got all of our results from the owls yesterday. From what I have heard he was not very happy. If we had been at Hogwarts he could have had the top four scores in all of Europe, as it is, Hogwarts got no credit at all."

Hermione then looked at him "So yesterday he found out we have received serious training, today you destroyed him and basically told all of Britain to save themselves or they are doomed."

Gabby grinned "You basically made him the scapegoat for all that had happened to you and the reason why you wouldn't help them."

Harry turned a little irritated "Actually Gabby I placed the blame for all that occurred at the person who deserved it most. He was the one that placed me in those situations. Without him the minor players would never had the opportunity to do what they did."

Daphne crossed her arms "He is quite right. Harry was not the only one affected by all of this. Every student at that school suffered because of what he allowed to happen and he failed to help. I would still be in Slytherin and under Malfoy's thumb without changes being made."

Sirius came by later that morning with a big smile "Ah I see that everybody has enjoyed the paper today." Harry set his tea down in front of him.

Daphne smirked "It was bloody brilliant. It is about time that some of my finer Slytherin traits rubbed off on Harry."

Fleur retorted back "Yes, it is not like you rub your finer points all over Harry anyway." This caused all of them to laugh as Daphne blushed.

Harry sat down with a smile "So we have 28 days until we take our NEWTS and have you been able to acquire that company we wanted?"

Sirius smirked "I have obtained proxy votes for 20% from key families and we own between us another 41%. As of this morning I am the President of the Board of Director's.

Harry rubbed his hands together "Excellent! Who is going to be the new Editor?"

"Remus took his new position along with Tonks as his busty assistant editor at 9 AM this morning." Sirius replied. Sirius laughed "Every reporter was surprised that his first order of business was to fire every pureblood on the staff. He then hired two squibs and eight muggleborn as reporters."

Harry was grinning "So phase one of winning the hearts and minds of the masses is in place."

Hermione had been watching this and seemed miffed "Do you mind telling us what is going on?"

Harry winked at her "I am getting there but I have to be compared to the four smartest women on the planet that make being brilliant look easy. I am allowed to gloat when I look brilliant one time in five years."

Fleur laughed "You sir are so full of it! You know that is not true you are just as smart as we are."

Harry chuckled "I know but I like teasing Hermione every now and again."

Hermione had crossed her arms and was tapping her foot rapidly. Harry gulped and then leaned forward "With Sirius's help and funds we were able to acquire controlling shares in the Daily Profit. With Madam Bones being installed as the Minister, the ministry was no longer demanding they print their agenda.

Sirius then continued "Problem was that the pureblood message was still being printed and articles were slanted towards that effort. So we took that venue away from them and now we can put our message out and hopefully start printing the truth about some of the corruption that is still out there."

Hermione responded "With Madam Bones in place I thought that it all stopped."

Harry shook his head "Hermione I love you but all she can do is reduce it and not allow it to continue when she knows about it. What she can't do is be in every department to correct it. A lot slips through the cracks. The Purebloods have had a century or more to install their people in key positions."

Sirius snorted "Right now to get a business license and to own a business in Diagon alley, if you are not pure blood the application keeps getting lost, they make those applicants go through more hoops, pay more in fees, etc."

Fleur responded "That is not fair."

Harry added "Sirius and I cannot even rent one of our buildings unless we get a license to do so. We own, between us, 40% of Diagon alley and 25% of Knock turn alley and of course they have strict rules for issuing a license for that."

Daphne then spoke "Of course they would need to control who created a business which a makes people and families money. Money equates to political power and control of the Wizgenmont and the Ministry."

Hermione scowled "That is not fair."

Harry smiled "I know princess and that is why we are going to start exposing it so everyone knows and Amelia can take care of the corruption."

Harry looked at all of them "After NEWTs we are returning to Hogwarts. We are going to work in the background and be unknown entity to begin turning the political system into a fair one. We are also going to start going after the remaining death eaters."

Hermione looked at him "But you said you were shot of them."

Harry sighed "Because people need to quit depending on one person to solve all of their problems. How do you think Albus Dumbledore was able to do what he did? They let him."

Hermione smiled at him "I knew you couldn't stay away and do nothing." She smirked at him "Besides we just went through all this training for nothing if we don't go back."

Harry grinned "Precisely!"

Sirius smiled "Harry is being very Slytherin because he intends to make an attack on three fronts. First, changing the public's perception and opinions of government, the loaning of money to allow people to gain economic independence, and the last way is to give them the freedom to change their economic livelihood."

Daphne grinned "Between you two I know you have a considerable amount of money and combined a big voice that can be used to make things much better. If you get even half of these things accomplished then people will not be so afraid to speak up."

Harry smirked "Don't forget we have some very good allies with considerable wealth."

Gabby asked "With your allies how much wealth do you control?"

Sirius laughed "Enough that when the ten families went to the Goblin king and demanded he stop loaning money to certain families or else we would remove our money somewhere else…"

Harry rubbed his head "he not only listened but put an edict out."

Daphne asked "Why would he do that?"

"Because we offered him a more lucrative deal that would force the purebloods to come to our coalition to get the loans at a higher interest rate which we then split with the Goblins."

Daphne grinned "You got the Goblins as our allies?" Daphne focused her eyes on Harry "You sir are getting sexier by the minute."

Hermione sighed "Ditto! Brains and a body to match I won't be able to restrain myself."

Fleur quipped back "Not like you restrain yourself now anyways."

Harry rubbed his fingernails on his shirt "I know my lovelies you may adore my magnificence this evening in the bedroom."

Hermione jumped him with Daphne following closely behind her as they kissed him and then smacked his head. Hermione winked "You cheeky man you."

They spent the next two weeks studying eight hours a day and revising their notes for the NEWT exams, another two hours of physical exercise, before an hour of combat training. They left on 20 September for France and the Delacour estate where they would go to Geneva and the ICW test center for their NEWT exams.