Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

AN: As always, thank you for the support and reviews. I'm sorry for the length between posts but I've been struggling with certain parts of this chapter and have erased and rewrote some of it a dozen times. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 12

The day at Gringotts was exhausting for Harry and by the time they were done, it was well past dinner time. Harry felt they accomplished quite a bit that day and was glad the confrontation with the Goblins was behind him. The timely arrival of Ironfist was probably the best thing that could have happened. He had been watching the whole meeting and saw that communication was deteriorating quickly. In response, he did the only thing he could and entered the meeting to stop what could very well be the end of his nation. From his talks with Harry, Ironfist still knew that Harry held a lot of resentment towards Gringotts and pledged himself to do whatever he had to in order to regain his trust.

Ragnok sighed in relief that he still had his job, his head, and the chance to right the wrongs he allowed to happen to a most important client. He also knew that he would be spending a lot of time groveling to Ironfist for collectively saving him. At the present, he was focused on the audit of Lord Peverell's vaults in order to find any and all money and items that may have been removed from it. Before Harry left the office, he had vowed to do his absolute best for Harry in the future. He was well aware that since Ironfist had to get involved, his life depended on it.

For Harry, the only thing left was the reporting of the full audit and accounting of all of his vaults. Once this was complete, they would have a better idea of the damage and would propose various methods in which they could recover the assets that had been removed from the vaults. It would be these actions which would help him make a decision on whether to continue working with the Goblins or sever the ties between his families and the bank. Ironfist promised that he would be right beside Griphook the whole time and give him the benefit of his experience. With the addition of the other houses, Harry quickly became one of their most important clients in the organization that was Gringotts worldwide.

The end of the evening found the whole group tired and hungry so in order to promote the progress they had made, Ironfist invited the two young men to dine with him. They were about to decline when he made the effective argument that it was still too early to reveal themselves and there was always the thought that people would become suspicious if the emissaries from the House of Death were seen in a restaurant eating dinner. With the logic of his argument, they accepted and had an enjoyable meal with Ironfist even if his jokes were as bad as Sirius'. It surprised Harry that the topic of business never came up. In fact the conversation was about their plans and how the Goblin nation may be of assistance in them.

**LC**

After returning to the suite, Harry and Dobby once again took to their recliners as Dobby turned on the TV. Harry stared at the cup which sat on the coffee table and considered what needed to be done. He looked over at Dobby who was staring right back at him.

"If you're going to Hogwarts to see Winky, go ahead and get the diadem from the Room of Requirement. I'll stop at Grimmauld on the way tomorrow and get the locket. Once we have those, all of Tom's anchors will be destroyed and we can take him out any time."

"How is it you know where they are?"

Harry laughed "You remember that thing Azrael did before we left?"

Dobby nodded. "Well, he kind of implanted the information in my head to make it easier. He also said something about not being Dumbledore and speaking in riddles or trying to make it into some grand quest. I think he really wants this done as quickly as possible."

Dobby laughed "Yeah, the old goat does tend to make everything a lot harder than it needs to be. So, are you going to see Megan tomorrow?"

"Of course."

**LC**

Harry and Dobby separated the next morning with both going on their own missions to reconnect with their loves and collect pieces of Tom's soul in the process. Dobby popped straight into the kitchens and immediately sought out the little elf he had left six weeks previously.

As he knelt beside her, he could tell that she had sank further into depression and was wasting away quickly. He laid his hands on her and channeled some of his magic into her core. Winky was lying there and felt what was going on around her and then felt the powerful magic enter her core. As she came out of her stupor, she recognized the magic and called out "Dobby?"

"Yes my dear. It is me."

She slowly opened her eyes to see a hooded figure leaning over her. She demanded. "Show yourself!"

He reached up and pulled the hood from his head to reveal his hybrid Potter/high elf features. She looked into his eyes and raised her hand to gently caress his cheek. "What happened to Dobby?"

"That is a story better left for a private location. I have come to take you away from here so that you can care for a family again."

"What? Who?"

"Harry and me of course."

"You want Winky as your servant?"

"No love, I want you with me. There are no servants in Harry's house. There never was."

"But Dobby bonded with him."

"Yes I did but I was never his servant. I was more his friend than anything else."

"What would Winky be?"

"Bonded to me and free of the curse that has afflicted our race. We want the Winky I love to come and take care of our family just as you have always wanted."

Winky smiled "Winky be coming Dobby. Somebody has to keep an eye ons the two of yous."

Dobby smiled down at her as he stood. "You need to get yourself ready to travel. I will be back in a few minutes."

"Dobby is leaving Winky again?"

"Only for a few minutes. I will take you away from here to where you can heal and be yourself again as soon as I get back."

He popped away to the Room of Requirement and followed Harry's directions to the diadem. As soon as he found it, he conjured a box and placed it inside. He looked around the room at all the junk and thought he and Winky could have so much fun in here. He shook off the thought and slid the box into the pocket of his robe before popping back down to the kitchen. Once there, Winky threw her arms around him and they popped back to the suite.

Dobby led her to one of the bedrooms and sat with her on the bed. "Winky, do you trust me?"

"Yes Dobby"

He reached over and pulled off her worn tea towel. He then stood and took off his cloak followed by his clothes and sat down in front of her. Her eyes grew wide as she saw his body and said "Dobby is too beautiful for Winky now."

"No you are too beautiful for me."

He reached out and placed his hand over her heart as he motioned for her to do the same. Dobby closed his eyes and started channeling his magic into her. Before long, there was a soft golden glow surrounding them as they sat there motionless for quite a while. Unknown to them, Azrael faded in and saw what one of his boys was trying to do for the one he loved and he softly touched both their shoulders. The soft glow intensified and the darkness that was the house elf curse was lifted from Winky.

Dobby looked up to see Azrael smiling down at him and softly said "Thank you."

"She will need lots of rest and your attention for a while but she will get better in time. Just be patient and let her feel your love for her."

Dobby nodded and gently moved to lay Winky down on the bed. As he staggered a little, Azrael said "Perhaps you should rest as well."

Dobby nodded as Azrael faded and then curled up next to Winky and held her in his embrace as he drifted off to sleep.

**LC**

Harry popped into Grimmauld Place and took a quick look around. It was probably the largest manor he had available but quite frankly, it was a dump and he was ashamed to call it one of his homes. He put off all thoughts of what could be done to the place to follow the magic of the wards straight down to the basement and to a corner by the furnace. He found various knick knacks rolled up in a ratty blanket that was stuffed back behind the ancient looking furnace. When he unrolled the blanket, a locket adorned with a serpent fell out and he felt the dark magic emanating from it. Like Dobby, he conjured a box and placed the locket inside. The box quickly went into his pocket but it still gave him a dirty feeling. In response, he didn't want the thing anywhere near him so he popped back to the flat where he dumped the locket out beside the cup.

Harry called out for Dobby and then went and looked around the suite, he came across a partially open door and when he looked inside, he saw his best friend naked as the day he was born holding as equally naked Winky. In his hurry to back out of the door, Dobby raised his head and grinned. "Eyes off my girl Harry."

"Sorry mate. Horcrux?"

Dobby waved his hand and the box floated up and into Harry's hand. Dobby asked "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, that locket gave me the willies. Now that we have the rest of them, I'm going to call Azrael and have him get rid of them."

"You could always pop back to the Veil and step through with them. I imagine you'll have the big bad Unspeakables pissing themselves when you walk through and then walk back out."

Harry grinned and said "That does sound like fun. Be right back."

Harry ran into the living room and pulled on his heavy cloak. He went ahead and cast the illusion on his hand and created the scythe as well before picking up the boxes and popping to the Death Chamber. To his surprise, Croaker was in the room studying the Veil.

As he approached, he had a feeling so he waved his hand and the mist dissolved into the wall of water. When he saw this, he knew that he could travel to the others without consequence as they had already told him that the ring would allow him to commune with them. If he was wrong, then he knew he would be in trouble with Azrael.

Harry now knew what it meant to be the master of death so to speak as he now had no fear of dying. He was probably the only person in the world who truly knew what awaited him on the other side and to be quite honest about it, his life there was much better than it was in the living realm. The only downside was that Megan would not be there with him and that more than anything is what brought him back.

Just as Harry was about to step through, Croaker shouted out "Lord Peverell, might I come along with you?"

Harry stopped and turned to the older wizard. "I'm sorry Uncle Algie but grandfather would have my head if I took you through."

"Harry?"

"Yes Sir and thank you for continuing the ruse. When I saw the article, I knew you had figured it out."

"It was the least I could do for…"

"I understand Sir. Grandfather spoke very highly of you as well. I guess he was right when he said you would be the first to figure it out. The problem is that if I took you through the Veil, you would surely die."

"What about you?"

"Harry James Potter was already dead when he first went through. He just didn't know it yet. It is Harrison James Peverell who walked out of the Veil and who faces you now."

"But how? What happens if you step back through? Won't you die again?"

"Surely you made the connection. This Veil is really a Peverell family heirloom from ancient times." Harry heard a voice from the Veil and chuckled. "Hold on a minute Uncle Algie."

Harry leapt through the Veil and traveled through the wormhole once again. He appeared in the same room as before but not only was Azrael waiting for him but so were his parents and grandparents.

He took out the boxes and handed them to Azrael who smiled and said "Well done. I will return them to you soon."

Lily cocked an eyebrow at him and said "Already?"

Harry smirked "Yeah it's not like it was that hard after great grandfather told me what and where they were."

Lily chided him. "Don't get too big for your britches young man. You still have the harder parts facing you."

"Aw Mum, come on. Didn't you get enough of saying that kind of stuff to me when I was here?"

Lily laughed "Well, excuse me for actually getting to enjoy being a Mum since I was denied it for so long."

James asked "Where's Dobby?"

Harry blushed as Azrael chuckled out "He was busy."

Dorea inserted herself into the conversation after giving Harry a hug. "Please tell me you have been to see Megan."

"I am on my way as soon as I tell Dobby everything is okay."

"You'd better be. You've been making that poor girl wait forever. What is it with you Potters and not manning up for your loves? Your father and grand father were the same way and I had to practically rape Charlus to get him to admit his feelings for me."

"Geez Gran, way too much information there."

She laughed but shot him a glare.

"Yes ma'am. I promise to see her today."

He turned to Charlus and said "Anyway, an old friend of yours wanted to come with me and I had to explain a few things to him."

Charlus smiled and said "I've been watching and knew he had already figured most of it out. Do me a favor, tell him to get off his ass and go knock some sense in his grand nephew's head. I'm appalled that he would not stand up for you and I have a good mind to come back and haunt Algie for it."

Harry looked at him confused before James said "He's talking about Neville who is mine and your mum's godson. You need to remember that although he had Augusta, his life has still been extremely lonely. I've watched him lately and he's beating himself up pretty bad over the whole thing with you. He needs a friend like you to give him the strength to be the man he needs to be."

Lily hugged her son and said "Much like Megan, Cedric, and Daphne did for you."

Harry sighed "Okay, I get it. I just don't understand why he never said anything in the four years we've known each other but I'll approach him when this is all over."

James said "No son. Do it now or at least very soon. He is family even if he never acted like it."

"Yes Sir but can I still prank him? I mean he violated the alliance."

"You are the son of a Marauder, I'd expect nothing less."

"Speaking of Marauders, Sirius kind of made up for his stupidity in the end even if he's still a jerk. Could you guys maybe give Sirius another chance?"

Lily replied "We will….eventually…but that is not for you to decide and he needs to learn from his mistakes. Forgiving him now would not change anything."

"He's dead, what does it matter now?"

Charlus said "It matters that we don't want him living with us and turning James back into an equally stupid jerk once again."

Lily added "Yeah, five years of that from James was enough. I beat it out of him once and there's no way I want to start all that over again. Now, go and get your girl. Oh and I never thought I'd say this but go pick a fight with the biggest bully on the block."

"Hmm…which one would that be? Dimples or Morty?"

Azrael chuckled. "Follow the plan. Deal with Morty first and then we will decide what to do about Dimples."

"Yes Sir."

Harry stepped back through the Veil and when he appeared on the other side, Croaker was still standing there.

Harry smirked at him and said "Grandfather said to keep away from the Veil. He also said to go knock some sense into Neville's head for abandoning me or he will come back and haunt you."

"Could I ask you a few more questions?"

"That'd be fine but the thing is I haven't figured all this stuff out for myself. I'm afraid my answers might just leave you with more questions."

"May I ask where you just went?"

Harry laughed "That's easy. I went to the family home."

"Family home?"

"Yes Sir. I went to the House of Death's ancestral home."

"So it can be used as a transportation device."

"Yes Sir but only for me and my family. If anyone else were to step through, well, they would just be dead."

"If that's true then that means that you have…"

"Uncle Algie, what it means is that I am the Lord Peverell. The only way that there can be a Lord Peverell is if the family magic has been reunited. Grandfather had more than most Potters but the connection was still incomplete."

"But…."

"Uncle Algie, the myths surrounding my family are just that, myths. The truth is more than you can imagine and on the day when your time comes, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you to get the answers you seek."

Harry smiled at the gaping man before popping back to the suite. When he returned, he went back to check on Dobby who roused a little at his presence. "I'm back, only Uncle Algie was there so it wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. Anyway, they've been taken care of and I've stalled long enough so I'd better go see about getting a wife."

Dobby smiled and then snuggled back into Winky.

**LC**

Harry popped out of the suite and landed on the lawn of a medium sized country manor. He took a quick look around and thought of how peaceful it was here much like being outside at the Weasleys. That thought brought back a little of the pain but he pushed it down as he walked up to the front door of the manor. He was about to knock on the door, when suddenly his stomach knotted up at what he was about to do. It took a minute to calm himself and with a deep breath he rapped on the door as he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

It was perhaps a minute later when a small house elf appeared at the door wearing a bright yellow sundress. "May I help you Milord?"

"Yes my dear, I need to speak with Lord Jones urgently. Could you ask him if he is available for a private meeting?"

Jiffy looked up at him for a minute and didn't sense any ill intent. In fact, her reading of the cloaked man comforted her as if she knew this wizard. With a bow and a wave of her hand, she invited him to enter the protected foyer before popping off to inform her master.

Lord Jones came into the foyer quickly and asked "May I help you Sir?"

Harry held out his empty hands to show Reggie he was not a threat and said "Yes Sir, I find myself needing to have a discussion with you over a private matter. Could you spare a moment of your time?"

Reggie's eyebrows rose and his voice sounded guarded. "I might have a few minutes. If you would follow me?"

Reggie stepped over to a door that led directly to his office. Just as they were about to enter, Luna floated through the room and stopped dead. Her head tilted for a second before she smiled and said "Hello Harry. You're looking a lot better. Have you finally showed up to ask Uncle Reggie for Megan's hand?"

Harry shook his head and held out his arms to her as Reggie looked on with an astonished expression. Harry softly said "It's good to see you too Luna. I've missed my best friend. The answer to your question is yes. I just hope Reggie doesn't throw me out."

"He won't besides, if he kills you, you will get to go home again."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I never thought of it that way. It sounds like a win-win for me. Maybe you could give me some of your confidence. I'm so scared right now I'm about to pee my pants."

She giggled and hugged him once again. "I'll go tell Mistress Megs you are here."

Reggie smiled at him and motioned for the door. "Shall we?"

As soon as they were in the office, Reggie said "Please take off that cloak so I can see you. You had us very concerned for a while until you showed up in Megan's dreams. It took her and Luna to convince us that it was real."

Harry blushed. "I know Sir and I apologize for everything that I have put your family through but the whole thing was quite out of my control and the dream visit was the only way I could contact her at the time."

"Would you care to explain that?"

Harry smiled "I wish I could but most of it is shrouded in family secrecy. I will say that my Mum showed me a way to speak with Megan."

"Harry, not to sound cold but Lily is dead."

"Yes Sir but then so was I at the time."

"Then how are you standing here talking to me?"

Harry chuckled. "Well Sir that is where the family secrets come into play."

Reggie shook his head. "So, the reason behind your request for a meeting?"

"To be honest Sir, I missed her pretty badly and she was my sole reason for returning in the first place. My time away has made me realize how special Megan is and how much I love and need her in my life. As I have taken up my titles, I have a year to marry or else they will be stripped from me and passed to the next generation. Sir, I…crap… I know I haven't showed it but she is my world and I can't think of living life without her. Would you give me permission to ask her to marry me?"

Reggie smiled and said "I'd like nothing better than to have you as a son-in-law now that you're actually acting like a man who truly loves my daughter. I watched you together before the third task and I thought you were well suited for each other at the time. I was even impressed at how you always considered Megan's opinion but I was concerned that you didn't love her as much as she did you."

"Sir, I can promise you that I do. I will swear it on my life and magic if that is what you require. As you know, my life before Hogwarts was not the best and showing emotion was always a dangerous thing for me to do and that doesn't even take into consideration what happened this year with the people who knew me best. All of this has left me a little guarded when dealing with others and it is a problem that I am working on but I promise you that even though I was guarded, she knew what was in here." (He finished by patting his chest.)

"Very well Harry. But know that if you ever hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down."

Harry nervously looked at him and asked "Was that a yes?"

Reggie chuckled. "Yes Harry. It was definitely a yes. I'm afraid of what would happen to me if Megan and Kathleen found out I said no. I do have some conditions; your disappearances need to stop as I don't like seeing my daughter so upset. However something you said raises a question. How is it six weeks is enough time for you to come here claiming your undying love for my daughter?"

Harry looked him straight in the eye. "It is my hope that the long disappearances are over even though the two worst ones have not been entirely my doing, I realize that I hurt Megan. I can only promise to take her with me from now on?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself son and you still didn't answer the last part."

"That is another part of the family secret but I can tell you this, it may have been six weeks for you but it was six years for me. In every day that passed, Megan was the first person I thought of when I woke up and the last person I thought of when I went to sleep."

Reggie frowned "She said that in the dream, you wouldn't see her for a while because you had other things to do. What has changed and what could be more important than my daughter?"

Harry smiled "Nothing and no one is more important than she is to me. Every day of those six years, I felt like I was missing an important part of me but what I was doing was too important for our future for me to come back any sooner."

Reggie laughed. "I'm glad to hear it son. Now, I expect you to be staying for dinner. In fact, I expect you here everyday until it is time to go back to school."

"Yes Sir. Um…do you think it will be safe to go out there?"

Reggie smirked "Of course it will be…for me."

Reggie stepped to the door and cracked it open for a second. The sight he saw caused him the quickly shut it once again. He turned to look at Harry and said "You have quite the welcoming committee out there Harry."

Harry nervously asked "Does she look mad?"

About that time, they heard a fist beating on the door and Harry started looking for a way to escape. Reggie laughed at him and then did the unthinkable, he opened the door. Before he could get it partially open, a dark haired blur pushed past and before Reggie could blink, Megan was on Harry's lap and trying to find out if he still had his tonsils.

As Reggie stood there gaping at the sight before him, Kathleen, Cedric, Luna, Cho, and Daphne walked in right behind her.

Megan had finally released his lips and they could hear her whispering and crying "Please really be here. Please don't be a dream again."

"No love, I'm really here."

"Oh baby, I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too. You're the only reason I came back."

"Wait a minute that was you who came through the Veil the other night? Where have you been? Why didn't you come see me then?"

"I…I had some things to do that couldn't wait. I knew that if I came here, I wouldn't be able to do what I had to do."

"What have you done?"

"What had to be done to try and secure our future. I'm sorry about a lot of things but none more so than leaving you and not having you there beside me to help. I owe you so much and I wanted you to be proud that I used what you all taught me to make a better life for me…for us."

"Harry James Potter, I don't want to sound like Granger but you will tell me everything, NOW."

Harry chuckled "I plan to but some things I won't be able to share just yet."

She growled out. "And why not?"

He gave her a small grin. "Well, until you answer the question I asked you in your dream, some things can't be shared."

"I'm still waiting for you to ask me properly."

Harry stood with her still on his lap and turned to where he was facing the chair he was sitting in. He lifted her up and placed her in the chair while dropping down on one knee. It was at this point that she was gaping at him that he was going to do it right here in front of everyone. The thought also flashed through her mind of the difference she felt in Harry's body. The Harry that she was with before the third task was strong but he had a wiry frame. The Harry that stood before her now was taller, more filled out, and his magic was even more intense than ever but underneath it all, she could feel and see his tenderness towards her.

He pulled the box from his pocket and opened it for Megan to see. "Megan Alexis Jones, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

She smirked. "Yes Harry Potter, I find myself wanting nothing more and have even dreamed of you asking me once. I do have one condition."

"Anything"

"I want a Christmas wedding and you have to promise me that you will never run off without me again."

Harry kissed her and said "Would you like a magical oath or will a promise do?"

She smirked "I think I can trust you enough to accept a promise. Does this mean I have to wait until Christmas to get the whole truth?"

"The whole truth is something I can only share with my wife. But there are some things I can share but we will need to discuss them in private."

She nodded in understanding and but then kissed him hard. Once they broke apart, she rose and dragged her fiancé over to the others who were standing there smiling at the privilege of being allowed to watch what had just happened. Harry was quickly pulled into hugs in celebration of his return and their engagement.

Reggie said "I think this calls for a celebration. Kat, I think we should gather the whole family to celebrate. What do you say?"

"Wonderful idea, I'll get right on it."

**LC**

Megan led the younger generation out onto the grounds where they could sit and talk. She pushed Harry down on the ground and then sat in his lap. Harry told them what he could of what had happened to him since they last saw each other and they in turn filled him in on their lives. The conversation finally wound down and they sat there and processed everything. It was hard on the teens to think about the fact that Harry had died and came back even though they had been around during the injuries he had sustained this past year thanks to the tournament. For a while, all that could be heard was the low whispers between Harry and Megan.

She finally got up and pulled Harry with her. "We need to talk about some things and will catch up with you later."

Cedric snorted "Yeah, sure you do. You just want to go off and snog."

Megan slapped his arm. "He's my fiancé now Cedric Diggory, if I wanted to snog him, I'd do it sitting right here in front of you."

They walked off with Harry's arm wrapped around her. As they strolled around the grounds, Harry told her of all his families and what it meant as far as he knew for now. She offered her opinions and helped him prepare for this evening when they were sure he would be subjected to a question and answer session. She could tell from his silence that he had something important to tell her but he was holding back.

She stopped and turned to face him. "I can tell there's something else that you want to tell me but don't want to. I'm not going anywhere and we will deal with everything together."

He kissed her tenderly. "There is a matter that I inherited when I took the Black title."

Her eyes narrowed and she said "Just tell me!"

"It seems there is a marriage contract involved."

"To who?"

"Daphne"

She wasn't thrilled with the idea but she had become very close with Daphne and said that if it had to be anyone, then at least it was someone she loved like a sister. She told him more about her summer and how Daphne had elected to not go on holiday with her family in favor of staying with Megan and making sure she was okay. She talked about how when she woke up from helping Cedric that her thrill at the success with that was quickly destroyed by the report of his going through the Veil. She told of the deep depression and how Luna had helped her by making sure she knew that the bond was still active and therefore Harry wasn't really gone. She told him that it was the only thing that gave her hope until he arrived in her dreams. Harry turned and hugged her tightly whispering apologies for leaving her behind.

Harry told her about his studies while he was away and how he was possibly ready to take his NEWTS. Megan blushed and looked down in shame as she had given up and didn't do as they had planned by taking her OWLS.

Harry hugged her. "I'm sorry baby, it's my fault and there's nothing I can ever do to make up for the pain I've cause you."

She pulled him tighter. "Did you do it on purpose?"

"No but I still hurt you."

"No you didn't. It was Riddle and this Azrael character you told me about who separated us. When I get my hands on either one of them, they are going to pay."

They heard a low laugh behind them as Azrael faded into view. Megan gasped as the Grim Reaper was now standing in front of her. Harry instinctively moved her behind him as he said "Not funny great grandfather. Do something to show her what you really look like."

Azrael waved his hand and the reaper faded from Megan's eyes and left her looking at the image Harry was accustomed to. "I like her. She has spunk just like your mother. I'm assuming that she said yes since that worked on her?"

"Yes grandfather. She did."

"Good, congratulations to the both of you."

"Um…not to sound rude but why are you here?"

Azrael chuckled "Other than hearing my name being spoken about in a threatening manner (Megan blushed) I came to return a few objects to you."

Harry smiled "Was that the only reason?"

"No, Lily and Dorea were dying to know what she said."

Harry face palmed himself and let out a groan. "That was almost as bad as the Sirius jokes."

Azrael laughed and bowed low to Megan. "It was a pleasure to meet the future lady of my family. I look forward to speaking with you again soon."

Megan stuttered out "It was nice meeting you too and I don't mean to sound rude but I hope it isn't too soon. I also apologize for that way I spoke about you."

Azrael laughed as he faded from view. Megan finally asked "Harry was that really…"

"Yep"

"How?"

"Family secret"

"Ass"

"Yes, you do have a rather nice one. I can still remember the show you gave me the morning before the third task,"

She blushed but asked. "As good as Fleur's in leather pants?"

"Told you, huh?"

"Yep"

"Bugger"

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Megs. Oh crap!"

"What's wrong?"

"Poppy"

"Don't worry baby. I already thought about her and had mum invite her tonight."

"You know, you are the best!"

"I know and you know what's even better?"

"What's that?"

"You're lucky to have me."

"I already knew that."

Harry slipped his arm around her and gave her a quick kiss before they walked back up to the house to get ready for dinner.

**LC**

As soon as Poppy stepped through the floo, Harry grabbed her in a hug and spun her around. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on but when she did, she screamed out his name and hugged him tightly to her. "Oh, my boy, I thought I lost you."

"Never Poppy."

When he placed her back on her feet, she straightened out her arms to get a good look at him. She then let go and pulled her wand and started waving it all around him.

"Yep, definitely alive. No more malnourishment. Good muscle tone. Strong heart. On my, your core had increased dramatically."

She pulled up the side of his shirt and looked at the scars from Victor's bite. She nodded her head. "The potions worked well then. You've gained a lot of muscle mass and quite a few more scars. Are those sword thrusts?"

"Yes ma'am. I trained a bit while I was gone."

"There's no way you gained all this in six weeks."

"No ma'am. It was slightly longer than that. I will explain later."

**LC**

Dinner that evening was a loud and enjoyable affair. The Jones were joined by the Diggory family, the Greengrass family, the Davis family, as well as the Moon and Chang families. Just as dinner was winding down and dessert was being served, the Delacour family was escorted in the room and was greeted warmly by the families already there. The chatting continued on for a while before Reginald stood and said "I think it is time we moved to the sitting room. I do believe someone has promised us yet another unbelievable story and I for one have been anxious to hear more of it since this afternoon."

Once everyone was settled, Reginald said "Alright Harry, tell us what you can."

Harry held Megan's hand tightly and said "As you can tell from what Reggie has said, much of what I've been through these past six weeks falls under the auspices of my family's secrets but I will share what I can."

"After Cedric was taken away, I was used in a ritual to return Voldemort to a body. Dobby came to rescue me and fought as hard as I did until he was exhausted. I picked him up and was about to pop us out of there when Voldemort hit me with an overpowered withering curse. The curse was killing me so my objective was altered by an ancestor and I wound up standing in front of the Veil. I heard a voice that I've only heard in my dreams or nightmares depending on how you look at it and she was calling me through the Veil. I knew I had nothing to lose at that point so I stepped through."

Kathleen asked "Who was it?"

Harry sighed and pulled Megan close to him. "It was my mum."

There were a few gasps when he said this and then he asked "Do any of you know the nature of the Veil?"

Lord Davis said "Most of us only know it as a one way ticket to death."

"And they would be correct. The moment I stepped through the Veil, Harry James Potter, the boy-who-lived died."

Megan hugged him close. Daphne looked confused and asked "Then what are you? A ghost?"

"No, I am me and as alive as any of you. I think Megan can attest to that fact."

She blushed but smiled and gave him a kiss. Lord Moon asked "So the last Potter died? Where does that leave everything?"

"In a better position than we were before. Harry James Potter may have died but it was Harrison James Peverell who stepped back into this world."

Jonathan asked "Peverell?"

"Yes Sir. If what I was led to believe is true, the Peverells were the Grey Lords who were on the same level as the Light Lord Merlin and the Dark Lady Morgana. At this point, the return of the Peverell name alone should have enough pull to unify the neutral faction."

Harry looked up after saying that and saw several frowns directed at him. Megan even slid back from him and stared at him harshly. He asked "What?"

Reginald coldly said "So you think that you can do that on your name alone?"

Harry blushed and then thought about what he said. When he realized what came out, he said "Oh no Sir, I know exactly who helped me get to the point I'm at now and if I remember from our discussion before the third task, I also said I never wanted to go alone again."

Jonathan said "I would hope that you had not forgotten the lessons you were given."

"If you only knew Sir, in addition to what my friends taught me, I've also had the political training I should have received growing up."

Lord Davis scoffed "In six weeks? So you're ready to take on the Wizengamot now?"

"No sir, I merely said that I have been taught. I never alluded that I had experience. That is something I hopefully will be allowed to learn from all of you."

Jean finally spoke up and asked "And just who was your teacher that could accomplish such a feat in six weeks as well as what had to be near constant physical training?"

Harry smiled "Reggie already knows this but it may have been six weeks for you but my reality was more like six years. And as for my teachers, I was taught by none other than Charlus and Dorea Potter. I think you would find them acceptable?"

Jean somberly replied "So you really did die."

"Yes Sir. The myths and legends surrounding the Peverell name are just that. We do not have the power over death any more than anyone else. What we do have is a connection to death that is more like being able to walk along beside him as a companion and as such, I was allowed to return so that I could fulfill my destiny."

He looked around the room and saw that no one was going to say anything. "I would have come here yesterday but I ended up spending the whole day at Gringotts. We managed to sort out some things and while relations between us are still strained, they are better than they were. It seems that Ironfist was watching and came in at the right moment to save the day at least for the Goblins."

Jonathan asked "You spoke to Ironfist?"

Harry smiled "I had dinner with him actually. Nice fellow but tells the absolute worst jokes."

Harry looked around at the Lords who were sitting there with their mouths hanging open. Daphne said "Ironfist never meets with wizards. It is said that he finds us distasteful."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, he told me that too. Said we smelled unwashed but he didn't find my scent that bad. Anyway, I did some tests for verification and they started handing me rings to put on."

Tracy asked "Rings? As in more than one?"

"Yes, Peverell and Potter of course but I absorbed Potter back into the line. The next ring was Gryffindor which I also absorbed back into the line."

Cedric asked "Wait a minute, Godric was a Peverell?"

"Yes, he was the second son of Ignotus. He changed his name at the same time the first son changed his name to Potter. Anyway, I met him on the other side and he is largely responsible for my body being the way it is."

Daphne shook her head and said "Wait a minute, you trained with Godric Gryffindor?"

"Yeah, he was a hell of a fighter but he would have given Rowena a run for her money in the brains department."

Reginald looked at him a minute while shaking his head. "I suppose you met her too? You're just having us on now aren't you?"

"No Sir, I never met her but Godric spoke of her often. I think he had a thing for her at one time. And to answer your second question, no I'm not having you on. But if the Gryffindor title messed with you, I can't wait to see what you're going to say when I tell you that I also claimed the Slytherin title and absorbed it back into the line."

Lord Moon said "You mean to tell me that Salazar Slytherin was a Peverell as well?"

"Yes Sir, he changed his name after his father, Antioch, went crazy. According to Godric, he was a decent bloke but was way too serious all the time which I guess I would be too if my bloodline had been cursed."

Tracy asked "If you have both founder's titles and absorbed then, what does it mean for Hogwarts?"

"Not much really, I'll have more control over the castle than Dumbledore but even though I absorbed the lines, the titles still technically exist. I guess I could use the title of Lord Gryffindor if I chose to but I'm good with Peverell. All I really did by absorbing the lines was to pull the family magic into the Peverell line to make it even stronger."

Megan smirked and said "I'm sure everyone is pretty stunned by all that. Is that all?"

Harry flashed a quick smile. "Not at all love, I also claimed the minor house of Evans just to keep my greedy aunt and her son from being able to make a claim on the legacy my mother left behind."

Daphne looked between the tow of them. "I know I'm going to regret asking but is that all of it?"

Harry smirked. "Funny that you would be the one to ask that since the last part concerns you."

She warily looked at him. "In what way?"

"I am also the Lord Black as well."

The entire Greengrass family gasped and then stared at Harry for a minute before a small smile formed on Daphne's face. "The ferret always claimed that he would be Lord Black and that I would be his eventually. At first, I allied with you just to piss him off. But as I got to know you, well things changed."

Harry smiled "Well you won't have to worry about that anymore since he, his aunt, and his mother were disowned from the House of Black and I have started the process to get back every knut they ever received from the Blacks be it loans or bride payments."

Jonathan spoke up. "While I am happy that the Malfoy's no longer have any kind of hold over us, that still leaves the fact that the contract now binds you two together."

Daphne looked over at Megan and saw that she was trying to keep her face as blank as possible to avoid anyone seeing her feelings on the matter.

Harry said "Yes it does but at the same time it doesn't."

Jonathan quickly said "I've seen the contract Harry. If you are Lord Black, then Daphne is required to marry you."

"Yes Sir that it the way the contract was written but things have changed recently."

Daphne asked "In what way?"

Harry said "Sirius left me a letter apologizing for everything and at the same time, asking me to agree to a few requests. The first was to take the title of Lord Black and do something positive with it. He also asked me to kick the remaining members of the family out."

Jonathan asked "That's all well and good but what does it have to do with the contract."

"I'm getting to that. He never really said how he knew but he was aware of my relationship with Megan along with my friendship with Daphne and decided to give me options and not trap me into a marriage that I may or may not want. He went to Gringotts and used his power as Lord Black to alter the terms of the contract."

Daphne asked "It's impossible to alter a contract."

Jonathan said "No, it isn't but the only way I know to accomplish this is by sacrificing your magic." He sat there for a minute and then looked at Harry. "Sirius did it the night he went through the Veil, didn't he?"

Harry quietly "Yes Sir, he said he owed it to me to make sure I had the life I wanted instead of what had been dealt to me so far. He said it was to make up for all his mistakes."

Lilith asked "What does this all mean?"

Harry stood and stepped over to Daphne and held out his hand. As soon as she was facing him, he pulled the Black betrothal ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. Her eyes cut to Megan who was still sitting there stoned faced.

Harry said "The choice is yours Daphne. Megan and I have already discussed it and while we never talked about there being more than the two of us, we decided that if there was to be another partner, you would be the exception and one we would happily live with."

"So you're asking me to marry you?"

"In a way yes, if this is something you want, then we would welcome you into our lives as more than a sister. Sirius couldn't void the contract outright so he altered it so that House Black was bound by it but it placed the choice solely in your hands."

Daphne asked "So you're saying that if I want to marry you, the contract will activate but if I don't, the contract will be voided and won't be passed on to our descendants?"

"Yes, that is how it was explained to me."

She stood there for a minute with everyone's eyes glued to the both of them. She took a deep breath and snaked her arms around Harry's neck and then kissed him. It lasted for about a minute until they broke apart and they stared into each others' eyes. If anyone had been watching Megan, they would have seen tear slip down her cheek.

Daphne stepped back and said "I'm sorry Harry, while I do love you both that was what I assume it would feel like to kiss my brother."

Harry laughed "That's a relief since the same thing was going through my mind. I'll inform Ironfist to permanently destroy the contract now that you have rejected it."

"Thank you brother. After watching the two of you together I can see that you share something very special and I couldn't interfere with that. It also makes me want to find the same thing for myself."

"I hope you find it but just remember whoever it is has to meet the approval of you brothers and sisters."

Tracy shouted "Damn right!"

Jonathan chuckled and added "Yes and let's not forget the mother and father and all your aunts and uncles."

Harry returned to his seat and pulled Megan in to his lap. Her reaction to the whole thing was to kiss Harry passionately to show her happiness. After a minute, Reginald cleared his throat and said "I think we've had enough examples of Harry's kissing abilities for one day."

After a smirk to Harry, she turned to her father and said "But Daddy, we've got to start practicing for the wedding. And if that isn't enough we've got to start making babies soon."

Reginald choked back a reply as everyone started laughing at Megan winding her father up. After things settled down and there was a stretch of silence, Lord Davis asked "I've got a pretty good idea but I want to hear it from the horse's mouth so to speak. Where does this put us now?"

Harry sat back for a minute in thought. He turned to Megan and said "We've talked about most of this so I hope you will jump in if it comes out wrong."

She kissed him and said "You'll do fine but I will always be right beside you to point out your mistakes."

Daphne added "As will I."

Everyone got a chuckle out of that especially when Harry faked looking hurt and saying "Thanks a lot."

Harry turned serious and said "I hope it will put us in a very good position. I feel the return of the House of Peverell will unite the neutral faction under our one banner. Not my banner but our banner."

Amos said "The loss of the Potter and Black votes from the light and dark factions should upset those factions's power base and with a little luck and encouragement, we could very easily draw more of the undecided houses into the neutral faction."

Harry said "Also if you throw in the Gryffindor and Slytherin votes, we should see quite a bit of chaos as well."

Jonathan said "The Peverell, Gryffindor, and Slytherin Houses all hold five votes apiece since they are Most Ancient and Revered Houses. Potter and Black each hold four votes as Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses. You already control twenty three votes."

"Yes Sir, but along with that, we need to add Longbottom and Bones with three votes each as Ancient and Most Noble Houses along with yours at four and the rest at three each. So far, we have forty six votes. How many more would we need to gain a two-thirds majority?"

Jonathan laughed and said "No wonder you have the Slytherin title, you are vey ambitious. I think a more realistic goal would be to get half. If we were to do that, the dark and light factions would not be able to out vote us unless they joined forces."

"Not that they ever would but the truth is, I'm extremely motivated. I don't want anyone else to have to live through what I did and I want our children to grow up in a better world. Hell, to be honest I want to grow up in a better world where I don't have Albus Dumbledore or Tom Riddle always breathing down my neck."

He saw several nods around the room. Reginald said "I for one think that is a worthwhile goal. How do you want to play this?"

Harry sat back once again and thought for a second. "I will assume my titles and since I'm too young to take my seats, I'll then name my proxies. If you are willing, I was hoping that Reginald would be my proxy for Peverell, Amos would take Gryffindor, Jonathan would take Slytherin, Lord Davis would take Black, and Lord Moon would take Potter. That way the votes would be spread out and all of you could work to secure more support for our side."

The five lords looked at each other and gave a nod to show their agreement.

Amos said "You're putting a lot of trust in us."

"Yes Sir but then you have put a lot of trust in me. I already said I wouldn't forget who was there for me when everyone else turned their backs. Even more importantly, we will soon be family and I know that family means something to all of you. I can see that in your children and the way they act with each other as well as the way they came to the rescue of a young man who was contemplating giving up his magic just to gain some peace in his life."

Kathleen said "For someone who was looking for peace, you sure didn't choose an easy path. We have an uphill battle to fight before we will ever see it."

"Yes ma'am but things are different now."

"How so?"

"I now have someone who has chosen to stand beside me for the rest of my life. How can I not fight for that…for her?"

There were several nods at what he said and then silence overtook the room once more. It was finally broken when Lord Chang asked "Since you are heir to Gryffindor and Slytherin, what are your plans for Hogwarts?"

"Honestly, nothing at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"What would happen to the Headmaster's credibility when the boy-who-lived who is also the heir to two Founders refused to attend school there due to the lack of a proper education? Or even better, what if he also convinces his 'family' to also seek a better education elsewhere as the heirs and heiresses of Ancient and Noble Houses deserve more than a substandard education."

Tracy asked "Are you now making decisions for us Harry?"

"Not at all. You are free to make your own decisions about this. The only people I have any say so over is myself and Megan."

Reginald jumped up. "I am her father and until she is married, I will make the decisions regarding her."

Kathleen reached up and placed her hand on his arm. "Sit down Reggie, yelling will not accomplish anything and I for one would like to hear what he has to say. Like it or nor, the moment you gave your permission and she said yes, she was bound to him."

"Thank you Kathleen, understand that it's not a matter of control or anything else like that. You have not lived through everything that I have and you're just now starting to see the lengths they will go through to have control over me. You're going to be taking away Dumbledore's power base in the Wizengamot and he will get desperate and do whatever he has to in order to get back what he lost. I can promise you that they will try to use any and all of you to get to me."

Cedric said "But they think you're dead."

"No, they know I went through the Veil. How do you think they are going to react when I show up on September 1st to officially withdraw from the school?"

AN2: I think we will be returning to Hogwarts in the next chapter.