Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and her licensees.

A/N: This story is H/Hr. If that is not the ship you sail, abandon ship and find another captain. In addition, I do not particularly like Ron or Mrs. Weasley and this story reflects that. There is slight bashing, but mostly comeuppance. Also, if Dumbledore can do no wrong in your eyes, it would be a good idea to stop reading. While there is no bashing, there is questioning of his decisions.

Reviews are lovely and constructive criticism is as implied, constructive, but flames will be use to line my birdcage.

Chapter 9

Harry looked at Hermione who still had a tight grip on his arm. Using the only hand he had access to, he rubbed his ears. Apparition was not going to become his favorite mode of magical transportation anytime soon and using Side-along made the feeling of being squeezed through a tube worse.

"It worked," said Hermione looking around.

The tone of shock in her voice surprised Harry. "Did you think that it wouldn't?" he asked.

She shrugged. "It isn't a common practice and I don't really know why."

The back door opened and Heather walked forward and hugged them both. "I'm glad to see you made it without incident."

Another figure appeared in the garden and everyone drew a wand.

"I'm thankful that you waited to see who it was before you started cursing," said Gwendolyn setting down Harry's travel case. "I don't fancy getting hexed today."

"Why don't we move inside? Mum, Remus, and Tonks are here waiting for you," said Heather.

The group entered the house and Harry took in the sparse decorations and furnishings.

"Mum, where did everything go?" asked Hermione.

"We have a bit to talk about, head to the study."

"How does it feel to be finally free of the Muggles?" asked Tonks when Harry and Hermione entered the room.

Harry frowned a bit and sighed. "It's something that I've wanted for a long time, but now that it's happened, it feels strange, somewhat anticlimactic. We just got on a broom and flew away. Ten minutes later, Gwendolyn landed in an alley and Hermione Apparated us here."

Hermione slipped her hand into his and nodded. "I was expecting for there to be more of a fuss. From what we could tell, there was just the lone Death Eater keeping watch about half a kilometer away. You would think that for someone trying to keep a low profile he would have done a better job on his Disillusionment Charm." She then looked at the gathered faces and asked, "Did something else go wrong?"

Heather chuckled at her daughter. "No, little one, Marge has moved already, so we don't have to stay at headquarters."

"Oh, that's good isn't it," replied Harry. He sat in one of the armchairs. Instead of just conjuring her own, Hermione sat on Harry's lap.

Tonks laughed and said, "Yes, it's good, but it isn't clean. In fact, it's filthy. By the looks of things, those dogs had run of the house, but the forty photos that she had of that pig of a boy are all gone. There isn't any normal food in the pantry, just stale or opened things, all the cookware and crockery are gone. No clothes and no telly."

Remus looked a bit sheepish and said, "We did take the liberty of moving some of the more foul odored items into an adjacent meadow. Some of it was Lily's and I suspect that she took some of Lily's things with her, but there is no real reason to go after her for it."

"Winky has been there all day and as we finish boxing things up, Dobby has been kind enough to take them over," said Heather.

"Are we taking everything?" asked Hermione as she looked around.

"Taking everything from the house seems prudent and we don't really know what we need just yet." Heather smiled at her youngest daughter and said, "And considering that you won't be coming back here or wherever we go after when it is over, everything of yours should go anyway."

"Oh," Hermione blushed. That was true, she hadn't thought about it.

"Are the dogs gone? I'd forgotten to ask," said Heather.

"They are now," replied Tonks. "She left what looked like several runted puppies to die in the kennel. They're alive, so I took them to my grandparents to turn them in at an animal shelter."

Harry frowned. "She usually had Colonel Fubster drown them."

"He didn't seem the type," said Remus. "Not that I knew him or his wife well, but once Lily found out she was a witch, Mrs. Fubster took her to Diagon Alley, let her use their Floo, helped her along, that sort of thing."

"Is he a Muggle?" asked Hermione.

"That was the impression I got," Remus shrugged, "or a squib maybe. It was never said one way or another."

Harry started to chuckle and said, "Imagine what Aunt Marge would say to know that Colonel Fubster's wife is a witch."

Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip then asked, "Wouldn't Aunt Petunia know?"

"Not necessarily," said Professor McGonagall who had been sitting in a chair looking through a photo album. "Mrs. Fubster might have been advised of Lily doing accidental magic. It isn't uncommon for the Ministry to notify anyone registered in an area, especially with as rural and isolated as they were, should there be an emergency, but she wouldn't have been able to make herself known to the family until after Lily received her Hogwarts letter because of the Statutes of Secrecy. As I recall Mrs. Dursley is quite a bit older than her sister, she might not have been around."

"Aunt Petunia didn't know," stated Harry. There was no way she knew.

"What time are leaving to go see Gran's cousin?" asked Hermione.

"She's coming here," said McGonagall. "She will be here at sunrise."

Heather looked over at Hermione and said, "Little one, your room still needs to be packed. There is a trunk on your bed, it should hold everything."

Hermione stood and taking Harry by the hand, the two of them headed up the stairs.

Everyone dispersed leaving Heather alone with her mother. The older woman opened the photo album on her lap and stared at a younger image of her daughter holding a red headed baby.

"Why didn't you at least tell me? She is my granddaughter and you kept her from me."

The man in the photo stopped caressing the cheek of the baby and looked up at Heather. He blew her a kiss and waved. "That was new. He's never done that before." She smiled and blew one back to him.

"Heather."

"Were you really speaking to us then, Mum? Do you really want to know? I can tell you, but you will have to deal with all the information."

"I should have known."

Heather looked at her mother and said, "We slept in the same bed every night for as long as I can remember, once we were old enough to change beds. Dad was who knows where, with whomever, doing who knows what. You were trying to run the business and we both know that as much as you love us, you don't get a lot of pleasure out of being a mother."

"That is not true I-"

"You were browbeaten into an arranged marriage and you neither liked nor respected the man and he was unfaithful. There are very few good qualities about him and you know it. Still, I'm grateful for the gold, so he wasn't completely worthless as a human."

"He was a bit of an arse."

Heather chuckled at her mother's use of the word. "The children would call him a wanker and don't act shocked, you teach teenagers ten months a year, there is very little I can say that you haven't heard fifty times by 1 October."

"They are colorful from time to time."

"Mmmm. Dumbledore was our head of house, as you know. Hamish couldn't sleep in the dorm. He had the most horrible nightmares. That was before we realized that he was a bit of a seer. More often than not that first week a prefect would wake me up and I would go comfort him. We started sleeping on the common room sofa at that point. After a month, Hamish was given his own quarters and Dumbledore told me that if I needed to be with him, he had no problem with it. My dorm was over crowded anyway. There were nine of us in my year. I never bothered with the second bed, we just used his.

"Obviously we were ignoring that Dad, and you to a lesser degree, forbid us sleeping in the same bed. Eventually we got older and did what adolescent girls and boys do, but instead of having to go find someone, I woke up cuddled up with someone every morning. We had been pleasuring each other for a while and then we became lovers at sixteen." She watched her mother recoil at the idea.

"You didn't know you were fated at that point."

"Gold light the first time we really kissed, we had a clue. It wouldn't have mattered. We had already decided what we were going to do. We were going to leave the country and raise our family away from Britain. Then Isobel left, Dad died, and we got a wonderful letter from the Ministry that made our relationship okay. It made sense and reason out of everything that we felt for each other and prevented us feeling ashamed of wanting to be together. However, you still didn't accept it, Mum. You had listened to him for so long that you tried to hide our notification. Were you ashamed of us? Embarrassed by our relationship?"

"You did your bonding ceremony without me. You didn't even tell me until a week later. And then it was 'Oh by the way, we got married and completed our bond.'"

"The way you were acting, we didn't believe that you really wanted to attend. You acted as if it was a bother for us to visit. You would leave the room if Hamish so much as kissed me, much less acknowledging the fact that we were indeed lovers. So just what was I supposed to think about how you would react if I told you I was pregnant? Dad was gone and so were Hamish's natural parents. You are the only grandparent that our children have and quite honestly, we didn't want our child hurt by your attitude. We had gone back and forth about saying something when Hamish had a dream." Heather shrugged, "From there it was an easy decision. I have two beautiful daughters with him. Knowing that I was pregnant with Hermione was the only reason that I did not follow him in death and I came close, have many times. Putting my little girl on that train for the first time about did it. When I hold my girls, it makes the pain almost bearable and now my baby is fated to someone, someone who has as good a chance living past the next five years as he does dying. I have to knowingly allow her to risk the type of emptiness that I live with everyday."

McGonagall closed her eyes and shook her head. "Mum was not exactly happy with my decisions when it came to you."

Heather snorted at the understatement. "Yes, that was a nasty bit of shock at her will reading wasn't it? You do know I didn't ask for it."

"I know and it is probably better that it went to you in the first place. It is more fitting. I've never really embraced my heritage as you have. The few times Rowena has chosen to speak to me, she's let me know just what her views are on the subject also." The older woman looked around and then said, "I'm sorry that the decisions I have made in the past caused you not to trust me and because of that I've been alone for a long time. I will do what I can to help you."

"I know. I need to ask you about Harry though. With Delores coming into the castle, I'm not sure how frequently we will have to talk. I... I need to know why most of Harry's skills are self taught." Seeing the look on her mother's face she hastened, "I'm not saying you or Flitwick didn't do your best, but that's it. From what I have been listening to his Potions skills are barely O.W.L. level, he was allowed to take Divination, and I don't think I have to mention Defense. Then his fifth year when someone needed to teach him Occlumency, he was sent to Severus Snape. Is there a reason that he didn't go to you, his head of house, someone that he trusted? You are a very good Occlumens, Mum. I know, I've checked." She smirked at her mother.

"It is like Dumbledore twisted and worked things so that boy would have absolutely no self confidence. Crouch's orders or not, Dumbledore, who knew that Sirius Black was Harry's godfather, was head of the Wizengamot and he allowed him to be put in Azkaban without a trial." Heather let that sink in for a moment. "Hermione was right. Amelia would have caught on to that and run with it."

"Heather, I don't think that-"

She was interrupted by Heather who said, "He told him the prophesy thirty minutes after Sirius died. The other night, Hermione told me that Dumbledore took Harry to his office and told him the prophesy. So not only was the last person that he believed loved him killed, he thought it to be his fault. Dumbledore then made him feel guilty by reminding him that all of his friends were in the hospital wing because he took them with him into the trap. After all that, he choose that moment to unloaded the contents of the prophesy on the boy. Why the hell wasn't that child sat down a week or so after fourth year was over and explained the situation? It is because Dumbledore was convinced that Harry wouldn't live. That he could get rid of the Horcruxes and then Tom could kill Harry. Someone, perhaps he or I, but probably Hermione avenging Harry's death, would confront Tom and kill him. Their being fated might have worked well into his plans."

"It didn't seem like it at the time."

"Severus Snape! I knew James and Lily. Not well, but I knew them. It was common knowledge that Severus hated James and from the letters I received from my daughter the past six years, that man has been a menace to the wizarding community for the last sixteen years. He had no business teaching regardless of his skills. He did nothing more than foster the hateful attitude and spread the pureblood diatribe while he was here. Albus Dumbledore had a duty to educate the children of magical Britain and instead he abused his position and employed substandard teachers so he could keep an eye on them. Snape, Trelawney, and Binns have no business in a classroom and if Dumbledore felt he needed to protect the two of them, he should have come up with something better. What I don't understand is why you allowed it?"

McGonagall sat there open mouthed at the dressing down she just received from her daughter. The problem was there was not anything that she could really say to refute the sentiments.

"There is something that you can do for me," said Heather. "I need you to do something with Hermione's and Harry's files at school, their magical assessment scores. When you get back, purge them, falsify them, whatever. I don't know what Harry's is, but if he produced a Patronus third year, it has to be high and I know what mine is and I know that Hamish's was. I presume that our daughter would be similar."

"Hers is higher than Hamish, he and Potter are close. Her score is on par with yours. In fact, it is the highest we've had since you were there. Potter is second, then there is a good amount of space before our top cluster of students, past and present. He's almost a year younger than Hermione, so with that taken into account, I doubt there is much difference. He's just never been as, shall we say, studious as she is. First year, Albus locked a door, Hermione got through it with an Alohomora."

"Really?" Heather was quiet then asked, "That wouldn't have been the door to the Cerberus would it?" Only Albus Dumbledore would guard a trap door leading to a series of caverns under the school with a Cerberus.

McGonagall nodded. "He was most intrigued. With her mannerisms and how much she looks like you, I thought at times that perhaps she was Isobel's daughter or granddaughter. I wonder how long it took him to figure out that she was yours."

"You could always ask? I however might hex his portrait so I won't be going near him anytime soon."

*~*HP*~*

Hermione led Harry into her room and said, "I don't think we should risk you using magic here, just in case."

"Probably not a good idea," said Harry. "I can box up the smaller things and then you can move them into the trunk along with everything else." He said the last while pointing towards the wall of bookcases and the other furniture.

After a half hour Harry said, "I know we talked about your mum being afraid of collateral damage and everything, but how does the Ministry even know where you live?"

"A couple of reasons really: Gwendolyn had to register and the Ministry requires that you give an address, so she did. This is the address that the school has for me and Crookshanks is a Kneazle, he had to be registered and so the ministry has it too."

"Why does he need to be registered?"

"He looks different enough from a cat that a Muggle might notice." Hermione shrugged and looked at the orange animal stretched across her bed. "Obviously the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has never seen some of the breeds of Muggle cats, but I got an owl last year telling me to register him or turn him over, so I registered him. Mum told me at the time that it was dodgy, but it wasn't like I had a choice."

"I suppose it might have been legitimate, but that's McNair's department and we both know where his loyalties lie."

"And if he knows where I live, it's another reason not to be here. Besides, it's only three bedrooms. Once I left for Hogwarts, Gwendolyn took Mum's room, Alwyne went in to theirs and I share with Mum when both of us are here. I guess she could sleep in with Alwyne, but there just isn't enough space."

Harry nodded. He was thinking back to when he first asked about the Fidelius Charm. "If we hide the house with the Fidelius, then how would the neighbors be at risk?"

"Magic can't remove the known existence of the property unless we make it Unplottable and I think people would notice if the house disappeared one day. If McNair tells Voldemort where I live and he came to call, he wouldn't be able to find the house, but using deductive reasoning, he'd know about where it is and could either put someone out to watch for us or torture the neighbors."

"I see what you're saying," said Harry. "This way when he does come to call and he finds the house deserted, he'll just burn it down and hopefully leave everyone else alone."

"I think that's why we're moving everything out."

At half past six the following morning, a tall woman in pure white robes with long black hair appeared in the yard. McGonagall went out to meet her. "Hello, Sorcha. We appreciate your willingness to do this."

"I would like to meet with the children before, just to make sure they understand what it is that they are doing. I know that with that murderer seizing power we don't have the luxury of putting it off, but it would make me feel better and if they have any questions I can answer them."

"We are finishing up the last of the moving, so everyone is inside."

"Do we have what we need?"

"Hermione is wearing Heather's robes and Potter had a set of dress robes that were rehemmed over the weekend," said McGonagall. "They also have soul bonding rings. I haven't seen them personally, but a competent person purchased them, so I presume that they are correct."

The druid priestess allowed herself to be shown into the house and she smiled at Heather who gave her a hug. "Thank you for coming, Sorcha. I know that you are busy and appreciate you taking the time to do this for us."

"You might as well dispense with the formal pleasantries, Heather; I know what you are really like. You were at school with my goddaughter and dragged her into your messes."

"Well, it was fun to watch."

Hermione came up to her mother and encircled her arms around her waist. "What did you do Mum?"

McGonagall sighed the sigh of the long suffering and explained. "Your mother would have been an inspiration to Misters Weasley, although she never turned a corridor into a swamp nor did Peeves ever take orders from her. She would have fit right in with that little band that James, Remus, and Sirius made. There were times that I was thankful that you, Hermione, were otherwise occupied with whatever adventure Potter was dragging you in to. I'm not sure Gryffindor tower would still be standing if the two of you teamed up with the twins. I made the mistake of bringing them up to the headmaster's office once thinking that Professor Dumbledore would be able to frighten them into behaving. They got into a long conversation with Professor Willpot's portrait, who then started grading them on the success of their pranks, told them that they were amateurs compared to another pair that had gone through fifty years before. I think it was more of a throwing down of the gauntlet than anything else." Everyone chuckled at McGonagall's indignation.

Tonks licked her lips and said, "I mean this with the utmost respect, Minerva, but what exactly made you think that Dumbledore would frighten them more than you?"

"He was the headmaster," she said simply as if that was enough.

"I think what Tonks is trying to tell you, Mum, is that fear of the woman was much greater than fear of the position."

McGonagall looked shocked, "I let them get away with all kinds of things." She looked at Remus, Harry, and Hermione who had all been in her house.

"Yes Minerva," said Remus, "but he let us get away with more." He then looked at Heather and said, "Is it really true that you are the student that hexed Professors Maxwell's portrait?"

"Yes. Hamish and I had just returned to school for our seventh year and we were head boy and girl. Therefore, we were having our pre term meeting with the headmaster and our head of house and we informed them, as a courtesy, that we had completed our bond over the summer. Maxwell went off on how unnatural it was, the crime against nature, you name it and quite frankly I didn't want to hear him anymore, so after both Hamish and I threatened him and Dumbledore stunned him a few times, but he would jump to a different frame and start shouting from there. The occupants would try to shove him out, but it didn't help. Finally, we removed all the hexes and ignored him. Just when he said something particularly foul about my future children, I hexed him. It's been fifty years; he has about fifty to go."

"Heather," said McGonagall in exasperation.

"Don't ask me to, I don't know how. Besides with that evil toad attempting to take residence of the heads office, be glad that he can't share secrets."

Panic appeared instantly on Harry's face and he said, "Heather, can I see you alone please. Please, it's important."

"Sure sweetie. Let's go in here," Heather indicated the office. There weren't any chairs left. They were moved into the room that Richard designated as the restricted library. The one that was now housing all of the books from Grimmauld Place. She charmed the walls and windows and said, "What's wrong?"

"The portraits. They are going to tell Umbridge about the Horcruxes. Voldemort's going to find out that we've been hunting them."

Heather pulled the panicked teen into her arms and said, "Oh, sweetie, no. It's okay. I promise. That isn't the type of secret that I was talking about. The castle won't let that happen. The portraits in the headmasters office are different than the one's in the rest of the castle. Although I would presume that all of the portraits of Grandmother, Grandfather, and Helga are the same. They aren't just an animated portrait or one that someone has left an imprint. The average painting possesses its own magic. Even those that line the walls at Hogwarts are more like the average painting than the headmasters and headmistresses. Those use the magic of the castle to serve and they serve at the will of the castle herself. It has fallen to dark wizards several times in the past and will again in the future. The castle will not allow the portraits to cause harm to itself or share secrets. As soon as Mum gets back, we will send her to the headmaster's office to speak with Grandmother to make sure. Besides, I am sure that Dumbledore enacted a secrecy charm when it comes to the Horcruxes. He was a manipulative old coot, but he wasn't stupid by any means."

"Oh, okay." He pulled himself away and allowed Heather to lead him back to the other room.

"Hermione, Harry, if I may have several minutes with each of you individually," said Sorcha. It might have been worded as a polite request, but it was definitely a command.

Heather nodded to her daughter who stood and walked into a back room where the two of them had a chance to speak. They were alone for ten minutes when Hermione came out and sent Harry in. "Don't worry, it isn't painful. She just wants to hear how close we are and what your reaction was at finding out we were fated. I told her about the love potions and it took a couple minutes for her to calm down."

Harry nodded. He didn't do well talking to strange women on a good day, much less one that was judging whether or not he was good enough to marry Hermione.

Harry didn't find the conversation as painful as he thought and she was helpful in sorting out his feelings not only for Hermione, but also about the direction his life was taking, and how to process the sense of betrayal that he felt from the Weasleys.

"Let's go back and join the others Harry."

"Oh, um, sure."

The two of them headed back into the living room and Harry waited with Hermione while Heather talked to Sorcha. She listened for several minutes nodding often. Finally, she grinned and ducked her head. After saying something that caused the druid priestess to chuckle and shake her head Heather said, "Hermione, Harry, if you are sure about this, if you are ready, then we are ready for you."

Looking at each other they both nodded and Harry said, "We're ready."

"Good, let's begin," said Sorcha.

The group walked outside and stood in the back garden. The morning dew was still visible on the flowers and the morning sky still had a pink tinge that was laced with several wispy clouds.

Richard was there with the family camera taking pictures. Hermione looked like dream with her hair done in loose curls cascading down her shoulders. She had on a light bit of make-up and her mother's wedding robes. Harry was wearing his dark green dress robes from fourth year that had a strip of satin added over the weekend to make them longer both in length and on the sleeves. They were a bit tight through the shoulders, but not too bad.

Sorcha spoke for several minutes about love and commitment. How patience and compassion were the keys to a successful relationship. She then took both rings from Remus and inspected them. Nodding she handed one to Hermione and the smaller of the pair to Harry. "Place the ring on each other's finger and present me with your left palms please." Both rings were slipped on and the teens held out their hands she made a cut across each of the palms. Sorcha then asked them to clasp their hands and said, "Don't release until I tell you." They nodded at her. "Harry. Hermione. Please repeat after me. With this ring, this symbol of our vow, I bind my heart to your heart, my magic to your magic, and my soul to your soul, forever and eternity."

As Harry and Hermione began to repeat after Sorcha, the air turned a pearly color. When they said they bound their hearts to the other's, a gold ribbon wound around their hands, a second ribbon appeared when they bound their magic, and lastly a third ribbon wrapped around them as they bound their souls.

On the word, eternity there was a blinding gold light and the ribbon disappeared. "So mote it be." Sorcha turned their palms over and inspected the cuts. "Congratulations. The tradition is for you now to kiss."

Harry smiled at Hermione and cupped her cheeks in his hands. He leaned forward and gently met her lips with his.

Sorcha looked at Remus and Tonks and the wistful look in their eyes and said, "I can do you too."

"We can't get married," said Remus. "I'm... I'm a werewolf. It isn't legal."

"I wasn't aware legalities dictated a matter of the heart and obviously no one here has issues with your condition. I presume that the lady is aware."

"Very."

"I have married your kind before. The current Ministry might not recognize it nor might the one after, but magic will." She pulled out an ornate pocket watch and said, "I have several appointments I must get to this morning, but Minerva knows how to find me when you are ready. Personally, I find sunrise the best time of day for a wedding. I like the symbolism."

Remus approached the priestess and said, "So you wouldn't mind? You would be willing to marry us?"

"Of course. It isn't the law that binds two people in marriage it is their own magic. I just know better than most how to conduct it in ceremonies like these. If it would make you feel better, go see that Muggle that Heather is taking the kids to next week and have him perform a ceremony that the Muggle government recognizes. Then it is legal too." She smiled at him and after a short wave to everyone, she left.

Hermione looked at Harry and asked, "Did you say something Harry?"

"No, but I..." he looked at Hermione and shook his head as if he was hearing things.

It was Heather's uproarious laughter that got their attention next. Once she had finally gotten a hold of herself she grinned and said, "There might have been one or two things that I failed to mention and obviously someone wasn't as thorough in her research as she normally is."

"It wasn't that," said Hermione indignantly. "There wasn't really anything in the Hogwarts library and there wasn't anything at Flourish and Blotts, it's absolute rubbish as far as a bookstore goes, I've said so for years and since we were with Gran she didn't want to take the time to run over to... to... Oh," Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth and grinned.

Harry heard Hermione's thoughts and realized that it was something that Heather didn't tell them thinking by mistake that Hermione had done her normal level of research on the subject. Not that it would have changed things for them, but it would have been nice to have a warning. Then he realized what had Hermione so surprised. "You own a bookshop, that one in the back next to the twins shop, Inkblots. You must know Fred and George."

"I do," said Heather, "as well as I can. I recognized the name, but couldn't really introduce myself as Hermione's mum. Business has been better since they moved in. Increased foot traffic and they give me free samples on occasion."

"How did you meet them?" asked Harry.

"They've come in for years, ever since they were old enough to escape Molly. They like my selection of joke books better than Flourish and Blotts and so they asked before your fifth year if I knew if the owner was willing to rent the space next to mine. The business I had leased it to prior ran scared at first telling of Voldemort and since at that point I knew who they were, we worked out a deal. I was surprised that they had enough gold to pay rent and we worked out something for the deposit and such."

"That was Harry's money," said Hermione. "Harry owns ten percent of the store. He gave them his Triwizard winnings."

"I tried to just give it to them, but they insisted on a partnership," explained Harry. "So are you ninety-one or ninety-five?"

"Ninety-five."

"Heather?" McGonagall asked. "You own a bookshop?"

"The building was a wedding present from Hamish, with the proviso that one of the stores was a bookshop. He didn't think he would be able to afford to keep me in books otherwise."

Harry looked over at his new wife and suddenly felt kinship with his deceased father-in-law.

"It was just something for us when we left the Ministry. Alistair's older brother, Phil, manages it, always has and I go in once a week or so to do inventory, book keeping and such. Lately Gwendolyn and Richard have been keeping track of things for me. I do well. Flourish and Blotts has the Hogwarts contract, but the Ravenclaws and students like Hermione won't shop there. I supply many of the smaller schools, they use different books than you do, and I also have an extensive home school catalogue." Heather shrugged.

Dobby popped in and handed everyone a cup of tea. "Good mornings masters and mistresses. I is removing all the bad wizards things at masters other house and burnings the heads and the screaming portraits like Mistress said to." Dobby shook his head again as if not believing that a house would get that bad.

"The wizard with the spinning eye came and was asking Dobby who he was. I is telling him that Kreacher is dying and that Master Harry Potter sir is asking Dobby to clean for him. He mentioned something about secrets and I is telling him that I promised Master Harry Potter sir that I would not be telling anyones anything. He still is wanting to talk to Professor McGonagall ma'am abouts it, but said I is cleaning well and making good tea and scones."

"I will speak with Alastor, Dobby," said McGonagall, "not to worry. I really should be going. I have things I need to do at the school before that, what did you students call her?"

"A toad. Angelina contemplated transfiguring her into one and leaving her in the owlery, but decided that it would make the owls ill," said Harry.

"She does look a bit like a toad. Well I will need to get back before that toad woman arrives." McGonagall hugged Heather; it was obvious to everyone that she was not comfortable with the physical contact. "Dobby, is there anything else you need to do today at headquarters or are you headed back to Hogwarts?"

"I is almost finished moving Mistresses books. I is putting them all in the room that Master Richard is saying is the restricted library, but Dobby is wonderings about the hidden books."

"Hidden books?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes, in one of the bedrooms there is being books hidden under the floorboards," the elf explained.

Thinking they might be lads magazines owned by Fred and George, as Heather knew they bought them from time to time, she asked, "Did they have pictures of naked girls?"

"No Mistress ma'am, they is being about potions."

Hermione frowned and said, "What room was this, Dobby?"

He went on to describe the room that Molly used every time she stayed at headquarters. Hermione looked sick. "She used my own books to find the recipe."

Harry pulled Hermione into a hug then said, said, "All of the books, even the hidden ones regardless of where they are. Except the ones that the Order is using, I guess Professor that you, Remus, or Tonks should go with him to point out what is Order stuff. Just move all the books, Dobby, get any notebooks and journals that are in the library too."

"Dobby bes doing it." The elf left.

"I'll go with him and if Alastor is there I'll be able to speak with him," said McGonagall.

"Mum, do you have that Galleon I gave you?" asked Heather.

McGonagall looked at Hermione who was looking on in interest and said, "You are more alike than you could possibly know. I have it and I will make sure that I don't spend it. If I don't see you before, I will see you on the thirtieth."

Tonks had popped over to the Ministry to see what happened over the weekend, returned and said, "Scrimgeour has locked himself in his office and is not seeing anyone. Basically, he has not prevented any acts that have happened in the last week, much less the last few days. They say that going to the funeral was the only time he's come out since he left Hogwarts right after it happened."

"Why doesn't he just run," asked Harry.

"That would be a little cowardly," said Remus.

"Given how he's acted since he became Minister, I'm not sure he isn't one," said Harry.

Deciding that they had more important things to do then tout Rufus Scrimgeour's attributes, Heather said, "I believe that the two of you had things you wanted to do this morning."

Hermione nodded and said, "The bank and then tents. Like we used at the World Cup. If something happens and we need to hide somewhere else or something, then a couple tents might be a good idea."

"We aren't going to be able to come back for a long time. This might be our last trip to Diagon Alley for a few years," said Harry. He looked over at Alwyne who was waiting patiently to be told what was going to happen next. He knew what it was like not to have Christmas presents under the tree. He didn't want that for her. "Maybe a couple bags of Gobstones too."

"Well we should probably bring one of the handbags," said Heather led the group that was left back inside and went to one of the trunks lined against the wall. She pulled out a nondescript black handbag.

"Handbag?" Harry asked.

"Most adult witches carry them, especially for shopping trips. It works just like a travel case or trunk, they just hold a bit less and are easier to carry," she replied.

"It will hold quite a bit," said Hermione. She looked at her sister and said, "Gwendolyn can you go under the cloak with Harry and we will Apparate directly into Mum's store. Mum can take Richard and I'll go by myself."

"If you see any of the Weasleys tell them you are going on holiday Hermione, and just getting a book to take with you," said Harry.

"Right. Okay."

Looking at the group standing in her kitchen, Heather said, "One more look around to make sure we didn't miss anything and then we should go."

She walked around the house one more time alone and something familiar began tickling her senses. Drawing her wand, she ran into the kitchen.

Just as Heather walked out of the room, a figure slowly materialized in front of them. Harry, Hermione, and Gwendolyn drew their wands, with the latter pulling Alwyne and Richard behind them. The figure put his hands in the air and grinned at them. Harry thought the man looked very familiar and was trying to place him when Heather ran into the room. She stopped short and her eyes went wide with recognition when she saw him. He smiled at her and said, "I was expecting a warmer welcome, love."