Harry Potter Happily Ever After

by PotterFanSteve

HEA follows Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and their family and friends from the day after the war through to the Deathly Hallows Epilogue. The New Marauders picks up this story from the end of HEA, and continues the storyline with their kids and friends.

34. Thirteen is a Lucky Number

Chapter Thirty-Four - Thirteen is a Lucky Number

Ask any Muggle, and they'll tell you that thirteen is an unlucky number, and that means that 2013 was bound to be a bad year for the world. Of course, these would be the same Muggles who said that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012, because according to the Mayan long calendar, that was the last day for the universe.

Last time Harry checked, the universe was still plugging along weeks after the twenty-first, and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. They had dropped the kids off to catch the train back to Hogwarts on Sunday, and this morning, Harry was making breakfast for Ginny, Lily, and the boys, and he'd been thinking about the year ahead.

The Institute's expansion into the Muggle world with ReVive was going to be a big deal, and the expansion Witch Investments had planned would also be great for the Wizarding World. Both were going to create more new jobs, helping more families out of poverty.

Mum had told them at Christmas that the Property division was building two Wizarding Malls that would be ready this coming summer in time for back to school shopping. One would be right in Diagon Alley, where they were taking over all of the empty stores down one of the side alleys, and turning them into a multi-level Mall that would have one hundred and ten stores. The other one was going to be in New York City.

Every store space had already been leased, including a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, a GamePortal, a FashionKnut, and the all-new WitchWear, Jewel Magic, and an as yet unnamed spa that would specialize in Witch makeovers, all from Witch Investments.

The Phoenix Foundation had another twelve residences under construction that would be opening at the end of June. The progress the foundation was making was phenomenal, and he was proud of all of the staff and volunteers who made everything possible. This year, Harry would be stepping back from what was once again becoming too big an operation for him to manage without tying up all of his time. The Phoenix Foundation's Junior Account manager, David Matthews, had been promoted, and was now 'in the loop' with the other Senior Account Managers. He would now be in charge of the Foundation, and Harry had time freed up to spend with his own family, and with the kids from the Residence. Ginny and the kids came into the kitchen for breakfast, and he left his musings behind, and started dishing out breakfast.

Harry may have freed up his time to be able to spend more time with the kids, but it seemed everyone else was busy. There was always new and exciting research going on at the lab for Ginny and the others. Fleur, Mum, and Penelope worked hard making PBP Investments, the Investment Partnership, and Witch Investments the continuing success stories that they were by making great business decisions, and surrounding themselves with other great Witches and Wizards.

Owen had the GamePortal stores continuing to grow, and now had a huge percentage of the market share for every product he sold. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes grew right along beside the GamePortal stores. George and Lee now exclusively did product development, while Marietta and Cho managed the business. None of them needed to work in the stores anymore, although the girls tried to make it to every store at least once a year.

Marauders Paradise continued to be busy, and Gabrielle was already building more suites. This time they were going with two thousand more suites that could accommodate ten thousand more guests. Hopefully that would be enough for the next five years before needing to grow again, but at the rate that PBP Investments and the Phoenix Foundation kept growing, they could be full again in only three years.

Harry found nearly everything that everyone else was doing interesting and exciting, but he wouldn't have traded his playtime with the kids to be doing any of those jobs instead.

Teddy and Stewart had shopped in Hogsmeade on their last weekend there before Valentine's Day, having politely, but firmly told Isabelle she was on her own for the morning because they had other things to do. She came with them on some of the weekends to pick up things for both herself and for Victoire, who wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade until next year, but she'd stay and keep Victoire company on other weekends, and the girls would just give the boys a list of what they needed.

She was in town somewhere this weekend, and they had to keep an eye out for her, so that she didn't find out what they were shopping for. By the time they headed back to Hogwarts, they had everything ready for a Valentine's Day that they both hoped their girlfriendss would always remember.

This was Isabelle's first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend, and she had no idea what to expect. Her first surprise came at breakfast when both she and Victoire received Owl Posts carrying roses for them. The boys took them to a picnic lunch, where they each got a box of their favourite chocolates, and then after dinner in the Great Hall, the girls were each given identical presents that looked like small thin books. Uncle Harry had helped them get Kevin to paint portraits of each couple, one for each of the girls. Kevin, as always, had done a wonderful job, and Isabelle and Victoire both loved the pictures.

"I wonder how he's able to do this?" Isabelle had asked the others. "He's only met me a few times, and only saw Stewart and I together that day at the Burrow, yet he's captured us perfectly in his painting."

Victoire had shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. "Everything I've ever seen of his is this good. You've seen the one at our house of Aunt Gabrielle, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny have quite a few of his portraits and those amazing island landscapes." Isabelle nodded, and turned to Stewart.

"Thank-you. I haven't got any previous Valentine's Days to compare this one to, but I think it's been perfect." She gave Stewart a hug and kiss, and smiled at him. "Now let's go get our books. The Professors didn't give us the day off from homework." The other three teens got up from where they'd been sitting, grabbed their books, and headed for the library.

Penelope was in the sitting room of their townhouse, with Frederica on her lap, watching her son Nicolas as he played with his cousins. Percy was playing with them too, and she couldn't help but smile. He was so serious most of the time, but could be so gentle with his son and nieces and nephews when he just let go of that pompous political face that he wore almost without exception any time there were other adults around.

James, Al, and Lily were here for the night, as were Rose and Hugo. She and Percy were taking a turn at the Valentine's Day babysitting that his parents and Harry and Ginny had done over the past few years, while the other couples went out for the night. Having a son had certainly helped to mellow Percy out a bit, and he was like his father in that he was free with hugs and kisses for Nicolas. He'd sometimes get hung up on teaching him rules, but he was never harsh or critical, and she thought he was turning out to be a pretty good father.

Percy looked up and saw her watching them, and smiled at her. He was pretty darn cute when he smiled like that. Too bad they had a house full of kids tonight. They still lived in the townhouse that his parents had gotten them when they were married, and she loved the place. When she'd gone to work for PBP Investments, she had decided that she wouldn't tell him everything about her incentive. He thought her wage alone was pretty impressive, and she didn't really have a way to explain her incredible income without compromising Harry's trust, so she had quietly reinvested nearly her entire incentive each year, and built up a pretty impressive investment portfolio of her own.

They could both retire for the rest of their lives right now if they wanted, but Percy had dreams in politics, and she loved her job, so she just left everything alone, and maybe someday when they were both ready to get out of the rat race, she'd tell him that they were a lot wealthier than he could have ever imagined.

"You know," she told the others, with a smile, "I do believe there might be some special Valentine's Day cupcakes and ice cream out in the kitchen for anyone who might be ready for a night time snack about now." That had the kids, including Percy, running for the kitchen. She stood up, still holding Frederica.

"I guess we better get in there before they've eaten them all," she told her adorable niece, giving her a hug. Frederica giggled and hugged her back as they followed in the wake of the cupcake stampede.

Harry and Ginny were cuddled close in their bed. It had been late when they'd left the dance. Ginny had to work in the morning, and Harry would have to pick the kids up right after breakfast from Penelope and Percy's house. They'd had a great day, and going with their family and friends to the Valentine's Day dinner and dance had been a fun way to finish up the day.

"Thank-you," he whispered in Ginny's ear, kissing her neck.

She turned her head and smiled at him. "For anything in particular?" she asked, and Harry smiled too.

"For saying 'yes' fourteen years ago, and for helping make this another really great day," he answered.

She rolled over and put her arms around him. Looking into those soft green eyes that made her melt, she pulled him close and kissed him. She closed her eyes, and let herself fall into one of those spectacular kisses that still left them both dazzled even after all these years. She smiled at him again.

"I think I've decided that your day isn't over yet," she whispered before kissing him again.

Isabelle was sitting with Victoire out in the cold Quidditch stadium, watching their boyfriends play in the game that the Gryffindor team had against Hufflepuff. She couldn't say she was really a fan of Quidditch, although she'd made an effort to learn about the game so she could at least talk about it intelligently with Stewart and Teddy.

Gryffindor had this game already won - it was just a matter of by how much now, depending on which team's Seeker caught the snitch. Teddy had already scored seventeen goals - no, make that eighteen. Stewart had knocked two of the Hufflepuff players out of the game. She didn't understand how such a gentle person could play a position like Beater, but maybe that's where Stewart diverted any anger or frustration he was feeling - by taking it out on defenseless bludgers.

The crowd cheered as Teddy scored number nineteen, and then suddenly the game was over when the Gryffindor Seeker dove and caught the snitch. The two wins put Gryffindor's team in first place so far in the Quidditch Cup standings, and all of the students in their House were fired up and ready to celebrate. Victoire pulled her sister to her feet.

"Let's go give them their victory hugs, then get back to the common room and get warm by the fire," she suggested. Isabelle didn't need to be told twice. At least the last game was in May, and they could watch it without freezing.

Through the spring, Harry and Ginny were sent regular updates from all of the kids. They sent gifts for Victoire's thirteenth birthday, Isabelle's fourteenth, and Teddy and Stewart's fifteenth birthdays. Lily turned five in May. Gryfffindor won the Quidditch Cup, winning their final game against Ravenclaw to have an undefeated season, while the other three House teams each won one game.

The Cannons made the playoffs with a fifteen-win, five-loss record. James had his eighth birthday, and the Cannons squeaked through their quarter and semi final games to reach the finals, where they pulled together to blow out the Arrows to win the League Championship.

The last day of school came around, and Harry and Ginny went with all of their kids to pick up their six students. Lisa was sure she'd done great on her NEWT's, and this was her last ride on the Hogwarts Express. Megan had also let them know that she did not plan on returning to Hogwarts for her seventh year, and so before they left for Hogsmeade Station, both girls had taken an extra few minutes to just take one last look around Hogwarts.

Harry and Ginny loaded everyone and everything into their sedan, and headed for the Residence. Today, they were going to begin the summer holidays having a meeting with Susan, Lisa, and Megan. Teddy, Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle would keep an eye on James, Al, and Lily for the hour or so they would be busy with that.

Susan had given both girls a warm, welcoming hug when they arrived with Harry and Ginny. The five of them sat in her office now, and after they were done with the small talk, she began their meeting.

"We're getting together this morning to discuss your futures, and what you each want to do now that you're finished school," she told the two girls. She turned to Megan first.

"You've decided not to return to Hogwarts for your seventh year, and since you are over seventeen, it's your decision to make," she continued, and picked up a sheet of parchment from her desk. "I understand from this letter that you've been offered a position working for Gabrielle Whitby at Marauders Paradise. Were you going to accept the offer?"

Megan nodded. "I'll be heading there on Sunday afternoon," she confirmed. Susan put that parchment down and picked up another.

"Every child that lives at any of the Phoenix Foundation Residences has funds set aside for their expenses, and also to help them get a good start when they become adults and move out," she told both girls, and handed this second sheet of parchment to Megan.

"That is a letter from Gringotts Bank, where those funds were transferred into an account for you earlier today. I'm sure Gabrielle has an apartment ready for you when you arrive, and this will help you get started with paying rent, getting furniture, and having money while you get started with your new life."

Megan was very surprised, and the amount of money was going to make it much easier for her than she had ever expected. "Thank-you, Susan," she said happily. "Thank the people at the Foundation for me too. I don't know what would have happened to me if I'd had to stay in that orphanage all of these years, but I know for sure things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Susan got up, went around her desk, and gave Megan a long hug. "I'm really proud of you, Megan. You're going to do great at Marauders Paradise, and I'll have the bonus of getting to see you at least one week a year too."

She sat back down again, and turned to Lisa, smiling. "You've been recruited by Marauders Institute, and I'm guessing there's no question as to whether you want to go work in their labs with Ginny," she said, and Lisa laughed.

"No question at all," she agreed.

Susan handed her a letter too. "Since I just went over this with Megan, I won't bother repeating myself," she said. "On Marauders Paradise, there are apartments for the staff to rent, but in your case the Institute doesn't offer that as an option. Because of that, you can stay here through the summer while you decide where you want to live. Ginny has told me that she's going to help you with that, so I'll leave it up to the two of you, but if you need any assistance from us here, there is help available for you." Lisa took the parchment, and nodded.

"Thanks, Susan," she said gratefully. "Please add my thanks to the Foundation, for everyone here, and the volunteers that made these last six years so amazing. Megan's right - if it wasn't for this place, both of us wouldn't have had nearly the same opportunities we have now." She got up and met Susan for her hug. "And you'll see me around here, because I'll be signing up to volunteer once I get someplace to live, and get settled in to my new job." When they were both seated again, Susan motioned toward Harry and Ginny, smiling at them.

"We don't normally involve volunteers in these meetings," she told the girls, "but Harry and Ginny have a special interest in both of you. I was sure that you wouldn't mind if they sat in, and they also wanted to give each of you a graduation gift." The girls both turned their attention toward Ginny, who was smiling at them happily.

"Harry and I are really proud of both of you," she said as she handed an envelope to Megan. "We know the Foundation has a generous fund to help each student when they get started, but we want to help you out too. I'd like you to wait until later to take a look at that." Ginny handed Lisa another envelope. "Ditto for you. I'm looking forward to working with you at the Institute. It's going to be a lot of fun."

The girls gave each of their Mentors a hug, and then the meeting was over. They gathered the rest of the gang, including Carolyn, and headed out for an end of the school year celebration lunch.

Ginny and Lisa went to the lab after lunch, while Harry took the rest of the teens and kids to the Cottage. The boys played outside for most of the afternoon, and Megan apparated over to the Residence to get a head start on the packing she needed to do for her move to the island that was coming on Sunday. She opened the letter that Ginny had given her while she was there, and had needed to sit down on the bed for several minutes while she had herself a good cry.

Harry and Ginny were both volunteers for the Phoenix Foundation, and they worked with all of the kids, but they had spent literally hundreds of hours with Lisa, Stewart, Carolyn, and herself. They'd been welcomed in their home, stayed overnight there, and they had taken them shopping and on vacations. Even after all of that, they did something like this for her, and she expected, for Lisa too. She hoped that she'd be able to make them proud of her to thank them.

Lisa looked around the lab while Ginny was off going over some work with one of the other researchers. She'd be starting here full time on Monday, and knew for certain that this is where she belonged. Last summer had been like a curtain being opened for her. At Hogwarts, she was ahead of all of the other students - by a lot, and even ahead of several of the Professors.

Here she was going to be working with Ginny and Hermione, and Natalie, who were all at least as smart as she was, and she had found her home, and knew this is what she was meant to do. The separation from Megan was going to be hard, but they both realized that they had different dreams, and certainly different abilities. Lisa knew that Megan would be happy working at Marauders Paradise, and she'd get to see her for two weeks a year down there, and hopefully Megan would come here on her vacations sometimes to see Lisa too.

She had a minute, so she opened the letter Ginny had given her, and sat down in surprise. She was going to be paid very well as a researcher, and this gift from Harry and Ginny was a down payment on a house, and then furnish the house kind of gift. When Ginny came back into the lab, she got pounced on with a giant hug that had them both laughing when they nearly fell over.

Harry was cooking dinner while the kids were outside playing. There were going to be thirteen at the table tonight, and he smiled - there was that magical number again! They were coming up on half of the year being over, and not a single unlucky thing had happened.

The twelve new Residences were opening today. Two more Residences opened in China, one in India, one in Pakistan, and one in Japan. In the Middle East, there were new Residences in Palestine and in Egypt. There were three more in Africa - in Angola, in Mozambique, and in Nigeria. In the west, there were Residences now in Honduras, and Uruguay. By the end of the year, there would be twenty-four hundred new children in their group of kids, and there were already twelve hundred new staff and managers. Today alone, they were bringing over seven hundred school age students into those twelve residences, and changing their lives. He'd hopefully get to meet some of those kids at the end of July.

Bill and Fleur were the first to arrive, and Harry got them each a glass of wine. Isabelle and Victoire had come inside with them after greeting their parents in the yard, and they were now all sitting together at the kitchen table, happily talking about school, and what would be happening this summer.

Fleur and Ginny had gotten together with their sisters-in-laws, and they had decided to hire the girls to watch all of the kids for the summer. The Cottage was selected as the location for the babysitting service so that Harry, Winky, and Kreacher could help if needed. The girls would have six full-time, and one part-time kid - Frederica would come when Marietta was working, and whenever she was away travelling with Cho. Ginny had told Harry that she, Hermione, Penelope, and Marietta were going to split the sixty galleons a week they were going to pay the girls - and they would have thirty galleons a week of it for their three kids, or just a little less, depending on how often Frederica was over.

Ginny and Lisa got back from the lab just ahead of Megan's return from the Residence. Lisa had given Harry a big hug when they'd come in, and Megan hugged both he and Ginny when she'd arrived, both girls thanking them for their graduation gifts.

The kitchen was filling up with hungry teens and children while Harry was finishing up cooking their meal. The table was quickly set, and the platters and bowls of food floated over to the table as they all sat down to eat. There was excited conversation throughout dinner as the kids talked about jobs, tomorrow's shopping trip, and the summer that was now gloriously opening before them.

After dinner, Bill and Fleur took their daughters home with them. They'd meet everyone in Diagon Alley in the morning for the shopping day. Lisa, Megan, Stewart, and Carolyn were spending the night at the Cottage, and Teddy was with them for the next two weeks while Andromeda took a vacation. Harry went outside with most of the kids to play until after dark, and Ginny, Lisa, and Megan stayed inside, wanting to talk. This would be the last night they would really have to hang out together before Megan left for Marauders Paradise, since she'd be staying at the Residence on Saturday night to finish packing and getting ready to leave on Sunday.

Ginny was really proud of these two young women, and thankful to have gotten to be a part of helping them out. She let Harry and the older boys get the kids ready for bed, and handle bedtime stories. They didn't come back downstairs, so they must have decided to let the girls have their space. It was nearly two in the morning before the three women decided to go get some sleep. Ginny tried not to wake Harry when she climbed into bed, but he woke up and took her into his arms.

"You did a good job with them, honey," he told her quietly. "They've both turned out to be wonderful young women."

She hugged him tightly. "I know they are. I kinda just wish they hadn't grown up so fast on me. It seems like hardly any time has passed since we first met that shy, giggling little first year girl the day the Residence opened."

Harry kissed her tenderly. "Megan will be in good hands with Gabrielle, and you'll have Lisa at work with you every day. You'd better get some sleep, though. The young of our little pack went to bed hours ago, and they'll be up early."

Harry and Bill took Teddy and Stewart to get new clothes for work, since they'd both grown a couple of inches over the past year, and the girls were doing the same, picking out summer and work clothes. They got together for lunch, and then went to Diagon Alley for the afternoon. Lisa and Megan apparated back to the Residence when they were done shopping for the day. Lisa was going to spend the evening helping Megan with her packing and having one last night together before Megan's big move on Sunday.

Stewart and Carolyn were spending another night at the Cottage, so they went home with Harry and Ginny. Victoire and Isabelle headed home with Bill and Fleur. They were spending the rest of the weekend at home before they'd be coming back to the Cottage on Monday morning to take care of seven kids.

Ginny had used Translocators to send Megan's things directly to her new apartment before she, Lisa, and Megan left for the island. Megan had a long morning of goodbyes with friends and staff from the Residence. She and Susan were both crying when they hugged. When they arrived at Marauders Paradise, Gabrielle was waiting for them with hugs and kisses. Ginny had been to Megan's apartment already, so she and Gabrielle each took one of the girls in tow, and apparated across the island to where the staff apartments were located. They took the girls into one of the buildings, and led them up to the third and top floor. Gabrielle handed Megan a key, and pointed out her new home.

"It's all yours, Megan," she said, smiling brightly at her newest employee. "I hope you like it."

Megan was smiling too, and she was excited. This was her very own place! She had loved the Residence, and Hogwarts, but this would be the first time in her whole life that she had a home of her very own. Her eyes grew wide when she opened the door. She'd expected to find an empty apartment, waiting to be furnished and decorated. What greeted her, instead, was a hallway that opened up into a large sitting room that was already furnished with sofas and chairs and tables. One of Kevin's landscapes hung on one of the walls.

She hadn't really paid attention on the way up, but there were patio doors that opened up onto a balcony that looked out over the sandy beach and sea that the apartment complexes were built next to. Lisa walked in behind her, and put her arms around her friend.

"Wow. I might just need to reconsider lab work after all," she told her friend. "This is really spectacular."

Megan was crying again, and Lisa handed her a few tissues. They all walked in, and Gabrielle pointed out some of the features in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms. There were two bedrooms, both furnished. Her master bedroom had another sliding door onto the balcony that ran the length of her apartment, and there was a wonderfully comfortable looking king-sized bed. The kitchen was small, and there was a dining room next to it with a table that seated four. In the hallway going to the bedrooms, there was another one of Kevin's paintings - this time a portrait of Lisa and Megan. She and Lisa had stepped out onto the balcony to take a look, and Lisa whistled softly.

"My, My," she said to Megan, "look at all those young men out on that beach!" Megan laughed an hugged her.

"I'm still jealous that you're going to get to work with Ginny all the time, though," she told her friend. She smiled as she looked out at those boys on the beach. "I might be able to get over it with a view like that to wake up to and come home to every day, though," she added. Both girls laughed, and they went in to give Gabrielle and Ginny more hugs.

They left the apartment, and Gabrielle showed them around the place. There were ten buildings in this complex, and each one had thirty apartments. She told them that about half of the apartments had married couples that lived and worked here, and so this complex had around four hundred and fifty Witches and Wizards living here. There were three other similar complexes nearby, and this part of the island was pretty much kept just for the people that worked here.

When the tour was finished, they headed back to the resort for lunch, then Ginny and Gabrielle went to spend the afternoon with Kevin and Michael while the girls went back to the apartment. They started to unpack Megan's things, but after about fifteen minutes of looking out at that view, they decided that Megan had the rest of her life to unpack and settle in, while they only had the afternoon to hang out together, so they got changed into swimsuits, grabbed towels, and headed for the beach.

Somehow, Harry had managed to free up so much of his time, that he suddenly had nothing to do. Isabelle and Victoire were taking care of all of the kids during the week, and so once he was finished feeding them breakfast, he had the rest of the day to himself. Teddy was spending the first two weeks of summer with them, but he and Stewart were again working as game testers during the week. He went to the Residence two mornings each week, and was at the Cottage to help with lunch each day. The rest of the time, he took advantage of the break and just relaxed.

He did keep up with everything that was going on with PBP Investments, and with the Phoenix Foundation, but both were being well cared for, and didn't need his help. He also would pop over to the island or somewhere else quiet to spend a morning or afternoon experimenting with his magic. He didn't study magic like they did at the Institute, but he was interested in what he could do. It was on one of those afternoons on the island that he had one of those breakthrough moments that happened to him sometimes - like when he'd made Ginny's remembrall.

After doing lunch with the kids, he'd gone to the island, and had been sitting on the beach, using his magic to look into the workings of a portkey. He had been thinking about the different ways that Wizards and Witches moved around in the Wizarding World. Most adults could apparate over certain distances - limited by the power of the Wizard or Witch. The Floo Network was a way for both young and old to get around, but was, in Harry's opinion, an inconvenient and often dirty way to travel.

Portkeys were great, except that they were limited to a single destination, and return point, because of the limitations of the Portus spell. He'd stopped at that point, and just sat there, stunned at the simplicity of it all. Well, simple in principle - not in the power that would be required to pull it off. He stood up and brushed the sand off of his clothes. He was going to need help, so he spun slightly, and apparated to Marauders Institute.

Ginny had seen that look in Harry's eyes before when he apparated directly into her lab. Exactly the same look he'd had after the WWVN spell was finished, and he'd taken Hermione and herself to meet with his account managers, and several other times. She noted the bits of sand still on his clothes and realized that he'd also apparated the thousands of miles from their island - something that still left her a little scared and a lot awed of what he could do. He didn't waste time with pleasantries this time either.

"Can you get Hermione, Natalie, and Lisa together, then get Fleur and Bill to watch the kids for, I'd say, two days?" he asked. "I need the three of you to come on a getaway to the island with me. Ron and Owen can come too if they want, but they probably won't see their wives much." Ginny smiled at him.

"That big?" she asked, and Harry gave her a hug.

"I wouldn't dream of spoiling the surprise," he told her with a grin, his eyes flashing with excitement. "How long do you think it'll take?" Ginny laughed.

"Why don't you go ahead, pick up supplies, and get some food ready for about two hours from now," she suggested. "When we're ready to go, we'll meet you at our place on the island. Is there anything we need to bring with us?"

Harry thought about that. "I don't think so yet. We'll need a couple of days of brainstorming first, so probably just lots of parchment and some quills and ink."

Ginny gave him one last hug. "I'll see you in a couple of hours then," she promised.

When the girls had arrived at the house, Harry had food ready for them, and they all sat down at the kitchen table. He'd negligently waved his hand and whisked their bags to their rooms - including the one that flew out of the house and the kilometre or so to Hermione's house. Hermione stared at him in astonishment.

"How did you -" she began to ask, and Harry waved her off. "Ginny can tell you some other time," he said with a smile, and they could all tell that he was still fired up about whatever it was he wanted to have them work on. He put the sorry looking portkey he'd been playing with earlier on the table, and motioned that the girls should grab some food while he continued.

"I was sitting on the beach a couple of hours ago, playing with this portkey," he told them. "I was thinking about how we Witches and Wizards get around - portkeys, Floo Network, and apparating being the three main ways - not including things like the Hogwarts Express, brooms, or the Knight Bus." The girls had all nodded.

"Most Wizards can only apparate over short distances, since it's dangerous and unreliable for anyone to do it over long distances, which is where the Floo Network, and portkeys come in." They again all nodded, and he smiled at them.

"My perspective is probably a bit unique," he said, and then paused for a minute. "Ginny, has Lisa been through her confidentiality stuff yet?" Ginny nodded, and he smiled at Lisa. "Consider the rest of what's coming to all be confidential," he told her, and Lisa smiled back at him, nodding her understanding.

"Ginny already knows that I can apparate anywhere in the world," he continued, and smiled ruefully as Hermione, Natalie, and Lisa just stared at him incredulously. "So I was wondering why everybody couldn't get around like that, besides because of the obvious limitations of power. Portkeys are one way to travel long distances, but only have a single destination, where I can essentially go anywhere that I've been to at least once. Floo networks have limited locations, but underage Wizards and Witches can use them - and portkeys too for that matter." He looked at them with that boyish grin of his.

"Over the next couple of days, we're going to make a new way to travel," he told them. Hermione was the first to speak up.

"I take it you have an idea," she told him. "What is it?"

Harry laughed. "I'm glad you asked! But it'll be more fun for me if you all answer some questions first." Hermione and the other women all laughed too. He was such a kid sometimes!

"How do our WiComms make the calls and qm's go to the right people?" he asked first, but before they could answer him, he continued firing off questions. "How does the WWVN connect to every receiver and broadcast the shows? How do GameWizards connect to play games with other GameWizards? How do Translocators correctly deliver their packages to any destination, anywhere in the world?" The four women stared at him, and Lisa beat the others to the answer this time.

"Oh my! But that's so - simple!" she said, understanding why Harry was so excited. He laughed, his eyes sparkling.

"Give the new girl an 'Outstanding!'" he said happily. "What we need to do now is work out the best way to make it work, build it, and then sell it. That's why you're all here." Ginny got up and hugged him. Hermione, Lisa, and Natalie had already started talking excitedly.

None of them got very much sleep, and Harry was able to help with some details they discussed, but mostly he did the cooking and cleaning, and let his favourite group of geniuses do the arithmancy, spell and device development. They hashed out the complex issues involved with keeping Muggles from seeing Witches and Wizards from popping out of thin air, and how to make sure that no collisions occurred with other people or with objects at the destination point, and what they'd need to 'power up' the system. When they left for home on the second day, they were a very tired, but excited group.

The girls would be working on this new project for months, but there were also a lot of other things happening. Ginny helped Lisa find and buy a house, then furnish it. Teddy was back with Andromeda after her vacation, until the trip to Marauders Paradise. Rose had her seventh birthday, Art turned ten, and Harry would now be a practically ancient thirty-three at the end of the month.

Lisa and Megan hadn't exactly been much work for Harry and Ginny during the Phoenix Foundation's week at Marauders Paradise, but their growing up and starting their own lives did mean that Stewart and Carolyn were the only kids they had for this trip to the island, and Stewart didn't require any chaperoning.

Victoire and Isabelle were there with Bill, Fleur, and the two younger girls from the Residence who had been assigned to them for the week. Lisa had volunteered too, and had been assigned one of Carolyn's friends, a quiet little girl named Brianna, who already knew Lisa from the Residence. Lisa and Ginny were still so fired up about their project, that for the first time, they both spent the mornings in the labs that were on the island, so they could keep working on the project.

While they were doing that, Teddy, Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle would help Harry with James, Al, Lily, Carolyn, and Brianna. Ginny and Lisa met them all for lunch, then the four teens would have the afternoon to themselves while Harry, Ginny, and Lisa would entertain the younger kids. They all met up again for dinner most nights, then played together for a few hours into the evening before the teens would again head out for the dance club or other games.

Brianna and Lisa spent one day with Megan - on her day off, and Harry and Ginny had the little girl stay with them one night so that Lisa could spend the night at Megan's place. The week had seemed to have just started, and it was over. One of the residences in India had won the Phoenix Cup, and they'd closed the week with another great banquet and talent show. The next morning, they said their farewells to Gabrielle, Kevin, Megan, and Michael, and then they left for home, one more exciting Marauders Paradise adventure finished, and loads of really great memories to take with them.

Teddy was back with Andromeda until the last week of the summer, when he'd be staying with Harry and Ginny. He and Stewart were still testing games at Marauders Institute, and still got together a lot to practice Quidditch. Harry would see him at the residence sometimes on his visits there, and he came home with Ginny for dinner a few times.

Victoire and Isabelle were doing a great job with the kids. They had games and activities planned for them every day, and they still had an outing day each week that Harry would help them with. Those trips included a day at the mall, an afternoon on the island, a museum visit, and a play day at the park. They also went to the Residence one afternoon a week to play with the kids there. Harry was going to have a tough act to follow when the two girls went back to school.

When Hogwarts letters came, Teddy found out that he was made Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He and Stewart were starting their OWL year, and with that added responsibility, he was going to be a very busy young man this year. Stewart was going to be even busier, since he'd have school, Quidditch, and Prefect duties. Isabelle and Victoire would be in fourth and third years respectively, and they had both kept their promises, and done even better in school that they had done before, with nothing but O's and E's on their reports.

This year, the shopping trip was a lot different, with the opening of the new Mall that the Property Division of PBP Investments had built. There were businesses from all over the Wizarding World that had come to Diagon Alley's new Marauders Mall, and the selection now available was amazing. Harry and Bill did the rounds to pick up books and supplies first, and Harry bought Owls for both boys to reward them for their Prefect and team Captain achievements.

The girls had gone straight for the mall, and the thing that Harry liked best was that they probably weren't going to have to go into Muggle London to shop, since these stores had an awesome selection of the latest fashions for the girls. There were also, finally, some mens clothing stores that sold something other than robes now too, and they took Teddy and Stewart through those stores, picking up clothes for the school year.

The four teens were all fitted for new robes, and then it was time for lunch. After eating, Teddy, Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle were let loose to wander the mall for the afternoon, while Harry, Ginny, Bill, and Fleur stayed with James, Al, Carolyn, and Lily. They looked through all of the new stores there, which ranged from places that carried practical household products or furniture, to exotic crafts, art, or unique products from different countries around the world. They even found one store that had several of Kevin's paintings in it, along with works from many other artists. That store had two fewer of Kevin's paintings when Ginny and Fleur were done there, and a very happy manager.

The mall was very busy too, and it was obvious that it was going to be a big success, with Wizards and Witches coming from not only throughout England, but also from Europe and even further away. There had been grumblings from some of the store owners in Diagon Alley that the mall would take away their business, but that stopped after that first weekend, when those stores just ended up getting even busier than they'd ever been before.

Stewart stepped through the wall onto platform nine and three-quarters, pushing his trolley ahead of him. This year, there was an Owl cage on top of his trunk, and he kept moving along, excited to be heading back to school. Working this summer testing games again had been a lot of fun, and the week on the island had been great, but he was actually looking forward to school, and Quidditch, and getting to see Isabelle every day.

Teddy was right behind him by the time they found a car that didn't look too busy yet. They were just starting the goodbyes with Harry, Ginny, James, Al, and Lily when Isabelle and Victoire caught up with them, followed by their parents. Stewart couldn't help but smile when he thought of Bill and Fleur as Isabelle's parents. Bill was tall and handsome - and had one of the coolest jobs out there, and Fleur was beautiful, and was the CEO of a big company. Stewart had once had a huge crush on Victoire's mother, and back then hadn't even been able to talk whenever she was nearby.

He and Teddy finished their round of farewells, then got their own trunks and cages on the train and helped the girls with their things too. Stewart had to go to the Prefect car for his first meeting, and so he quickly threw his robe on with the Prefect badge, and headed out while his friends settled in for the long train ride to Hogsmeade Station.

The four adults and three kids watched the train pull out of the station. Bill was supporting Fleur, while Ginny was doing the same for Harry, since it was the Weasley in-laws that were the mushy basket cases every time their kids left for the school year.

"Let's go grab some lunch before some of us head in to work," Ginny suggested. "We can try out one of the new places in the food court at the Mall."

She received three enthusiastic votes from the kids, and they left the platform and headed for Diagon Alley. Harry and the kids spent the rest of the afternoon there after lunch when Ginny, Bill and Fleur went off to work. Mum had done some pretty cool things here, and there was a play area for kids, with all sorts of activities for children to do while parents were shopping.

The kids played there for a while, and they checked out the new GamePortal store, and tried out a few new games that were exclusive to the Mall stores here and in New York for the first month. They decided to buy one of those games. There was an exotic pet store that they went through, and Harry would not get the lizard that James thought would be a great pet. They went back to the Cottage late in the afternoon, and the kids went off to play while Harry started working on dinner.

Late in September, Harry was brought into the lab to help them create the new TransPortal system. He had been told that nearly every Witch and Wizard at Marauders Institute was going to be helping, and he spent the entire morning with Hermione patiently teaching him what to do. They had already set up ten TransPortal test stations, and when Hermione was confident he was ready, they got everyone set to go, and began the lengthy spell that the girls had developed that would link the power from thousands of Witches and Wizards to Harry.

This time, there was no 'Coming Soon logo or accompanying sound. There had been a lot of power released, though, and Harry knew without having to be told that what the girls had designed had worked. He talked them into letting him be the first test subject, convincing them that if anyone could deal with potential problems, it would be him.

There weren't any problems, though, and the very first trip on the TransPortal system was to the lab at Marauders Paradise, where he was greeted by Gabrielle with a bright smile, hug, and kiss. He picked up four dozen roses, then went back to the lab in Chudley, and handed out the flowers to four ecstatic women. He then tested each of the other nine sites, and the personal TransPortal devices that would let a Witch or Wizard access the system from anyplace.

To do that testing, he apparated to a few random locations around the world, and then used the TransPortal devices to travel to one of the test terminals. They had decided to create fixed destinations, but there would also be no limit on how many fixed destinations there could be, so there could eventually be one at every home and every business someday.

There were safeguards built in to keep anyone from getting hurt, and they would also be keeping it a private system, so the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be able to screw it up with a bunch of stupid regulations and restrictions. Wait until the Wizarding World got to see this! Harry was told they would be ready in time for the Christmas sales season. Marauders Institute would make money from the personal devices, the TransPortal 'stations', and then there would also be a one-sickle usage fee, which was tiny compared to the cost of other transportation means, and that cost would be the same to any destination.

Ginny, Hermione, Natalie, and Lisa were so busy during the fall they seemed to spend more time at the Institute than they did at their homes. They were all taking a day off, and were spending it at Witch Investments' SpaMagic getting the full day treatment. It was already the middle of October, and only a couple of weeks away from the TransPortal system going public. Luna had been advertising it, and had created a media buzz that gave them every indication that this would be at least as big as WWVN had been.

The manufacturing division had planned on having one hundred thousand terminal stations and five million of the personal TransPortal coins ready, but Luna had quickly told them to go to running twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week, and doubling those numbers, plus double that again through the end of the year. She had never been wrong when estimating sales, and the changes were made. Nobody complained about the extra work, because they all expected they'd see the results of their effort come incentive time over the next couple of years.

As Ginny was getting a massage, she thought about the day Harry had come into the lab and dragged the four women to the island to give them a place away from all the daily distractions where they could start working out the whole thing. He might not be the most brilliant Wizard out there, but he did have a knack for seeing things differently than other people did. This was a good example, and so was the amazing Phoenix Foundation. How could a girl resist him when he was such a unique and compassionate person, and was so darned cute too? Lisa pulled her out of her musings.

"Ginny, how would you girls feel about putting one of these places right next to the labs at the Institute?" she asked. Ginny laughed.

"I'd be all for it, except that none of us would ever get any work done," she answered, and Mandy laughed too.

"Sorry, Lisa," she told her brightest new researcher. "I love the idea, but your proposal is denied."

Lisa sighed dramatically. "Oh well, it was a nice thought. Proposal number one in my fledgling career and I'm already 0-1. Good thing my second proposal is going to blow you all away." Ginny lifted and turned her head to look at the youngest woman on their team.

"What proposal would that be?" she asked.

Lisa smiled at her. "I'll tell you all about it after we get through all of this work with the TransPortal in a couple of weeks," she promised. "You're gonna love it." To Mandy she added - "Since Ginny here was a senior manager at eighteen, I guess I can't beat that, but hold a spot open for me, 'cause I plan on making your management team before I'm nineteen."

Mandy laughed. "Anyone here willing to put a little bet on that with me?" she asked. Fleur laughed at her.

"Not if it means betting against her," she answered.

Teddy thought he had a pretty good team this year. He had their Seeker back from last season, and he'd caught the snitch in two of their three games last year, and in the other game Gryffindor had been so far out in front that it hadn't mattered. Their captain last season, who had been one of his fellow Chasers, had graduated, so they had to fill that opening, and found a great new first year student to take that position.

The Keeper from last year was an automatic, and nobody had bothered to tryout against him, since he'd played so well last season. Stewart made the team again, as did the other Beater and Chaser from last season. The other thing that had Teddy excited was that they also had a practice team that was filled with players that could step in anytime in case he or any of the other players were out with injuries or illness.

He had spent hours this summer with Uncle Ron, getting him to tell him all about how he'd worked with his team when he was Captain here, and as an assistant coach for the Cannons. Ron was always happy to talk Quidditch, and Teddy had mostly shut up and listened. The man might be a little on the obsessive side of things when it came to the game, but he knew everything there was to know about playing it, training for it, and planning strategy for it.

Victoire and Isabelle weren't always that impressed with Teddy and Stewart being gone for practices so much, but they tried to be patient, since they thought the boys were pretty good when it came to everything else, and it never hurt your status in the school to be the girlfriend of one of the House Quidditch team players. All of the students had lots of homework, but the fifth and seventh year workload was quite a bit heavier, and Teddy and Stewart were up late every night studying to keep up. They could all go into town on the Hogsmeade weekends now, so this year those trips were a lot more fun for the two couples. They may all be working hard, but every day was also definitely a lot of fun too.

The TransPortal system was now operational. Luna had pre-sold, and set up over ten thousand terminals to retail stores, and to places like the Ministry of Magic, and resorts like the Emerald City Centre and Marauders Paradise. The TransPortal coins flew out of the stores, and they nearly sold out of both, even after doubling production. The Manufacturing Division picked up the pace even more, and managed to keep the stores stocked through the rest of the year.

There was one nearly immediate casualty of the TransPortals, and that was the nearly complete end of the Floo Powder industry, and a few jobs at the Ministry of Magic for people who had worked in that department. There didn't seem to be very many Witches or Wizards who missed the soot and smoke, thouogh, and nobody had talked through the floo network since WiComms went on sale.

Harry and Ginny took the kids to go see Teddy's first game as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had sat with Victoire and Isabelle in the Gryffindor section of the stands and cheered their team on. Teddy had seen his Godfather in the stands with his girlfriend, and he'd played an inspired match. He scored nineteen goals before his Seeker caught the snitch, ending the game. Their whole team had played great too. The Keeper had only let in seven goals, and the other two Gryffindor Chasers had five and four goals respectively. Their Beaters had knocked the Slytherin players completely off their game, and two of them completely off their brooms.

Teddy and Stewart got to spend a few minutes with Harry, Ginny, and the kids before they had to leave for home, and then he and the rest of the team got changed, and headed for the Common Room, where Teddy and Stewart were especially looking forward to a fun evening with Victoire and Isabelle, and enjoying the party that was already going on without them.

Harry hadn't slept very well during the night, and it was still dark as he was sitting at the kitchen table early in the morning, drinking a coffee. The Owl Posts arrived, and he quickly opened up his annual package from Fleur and began to go over it.

Dear Harry,

I'm sure that you expect that this year was exceptional. We would have agreed with you based on our expectations from the Muggle launch of ReVive and the various other projects we had going. Exceptional doesn't even come close to what's happened, even with only one month of sales of the TransPortal devices.

The work the Phoenix Foundation did this past year was also incredible. Your reports include the Annual Report for PBP Investments, the Annual Report for Phoenix Foundation, and my incentive authorization letter. When you have reviewed the reports, and approved the incentive letter, please return it with this Owl.

Fleur Weasley

CEO - PBP Investments

Harry got up and refilled his now empty coffee cup, then continued with the financial report.

Annual Financial Report - PBP Investments

Year Ending November 30, 2013

Beginning Balance PBPI: 18,858 million galleons

Beginning Balance PF: 1,799.5 million galleons

Beginning Balance - IP: 11,359.5 million galleons

New Investment: 1,000 million galleons

Total Beginning Balance: 33,017 million galleons

Profits:

Marauders Institute 7,800 million galleons

Property Division 1,500 million galleons

Goblin Ventures 650 million galleons

Witch Investment 200 million galleons

Other Investments 350 million galleons

Total Profit 10,500 million galleons

Less incentive (40 percent) 4,200 million galleons

*Pending approval of projected incentives.

Profit after incentives 6,300 million galleons

PBP Profit 1,971 million galleons

PF Profit 1,971 million galleons

IP Profit 2,358 million galleons

Ending Balance PBPI: 20,829 million galleons

Phoenix Foundation: 3,770.5 million galleons

Less Expenses: 1,800.5 million galleons

Ending Balance - PF: 1,970 million galleons

Ending Balance - IP: 14,717.5 million galleons

Total Ending Balance: 37,516.5 million galleons

Harry was impressed, but then he was impressed every year. The first few years might have been passed off to good luck, but not fifteen straight years of the constant growth that had happened with his investments. He stopped at that thought. Had it really been fifteen years? Actually, it was just over fifteen and a half years. He took another sip of coffee and continued on with the Foundation's report.

Annual Phoenix Foundation Report

Year Ending November 30, 2013

Financial Report:

Beginning Balance: 1,799.5 million galleons

New Revenue: 1,971.00 million galleons

Total Expenses: 1,800.50 million galleons

Ending Balance: 1,970.00 million galleons

Phoenix Foundation Program Expenses:

Residences: 720 million galleons

Vaccine Program: 5 million galleons

Goblin Programs: 120 million galleons

Food Program: 150 million galleons

Housing Program: 300 million galleons

Work Program: 495 million galleons

DREAM Christmas: 10.5 million galleons

Total Expenses: 1,800.5 million galleons

Phoenix Foundation Program Statistics:

Program Persons Aided Cost Per Person

Residences: 7,400 22,000 galleons**

Vaccine Program: 1 million 5 galleons

Goblin Programs: 35,000 3,450 galleons

Food Program: 750,000 200 galleons

Housing Program: 30,000 10,000 galleons*

Work Program: 198,000 2,500 galleons*

DREAM Christmas: 105,000 100 galleons*

Foundation Activity Summary:

Including the vaccination program, the Phoenix Foundation helped nearly 5.2 million people over the past year. Twelve new residences were opened, and fifteen new ones are under construction. We continue to build thirty thousand new homes each year. We provided food to seven hundred and fifty thousand families, reaching about three million people with just that program alone. The plans for the next year are to continue to expand the food and Work programs.

We are going to implement a needs assessment for the Residences before continuing with new facilities. It has been over fifteen years since the war ended, and we are seeing a trend where there is a significant reduction in the number of Wizarding World orphans, and where they are located, so before we approve new builds, we need to make sure they're going where they are going to be needed, and we will also be able to forecast the future needs better than we have to this point.

Once again, everyone that works and volunteers at the Foundation should be very pleased with what they have accomplished again this year, and we are excited about what we are sure that we will do in the coming year.

David Matthews

Senior Account Manager – Phoenix Foundation

Harry read over Fleur's incentive letter, approved it, and sent it back to her with the Owl. He got up, filled a third cup, and started cooking breakfast. The sun was just coming up, and Ginny and the kids would be happy to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. The kids were already eating when Ginny came downstairs, ready for work. Harry set a plate down for her, and a coffee. He'd taken her package off of her Owl Post so that the Owl could return, and so she read Harry's reports, and then opened her package.

Dear Ginny,

Marauders Institute continues to lead the PBP Investment group with incredible results. The ReVive being sold into the Muggle World, and the amazing TransPortal system were a significant reason why there was such a large increase in sales and profits. The gaming division continues to be strong, and the media and advertising revenues also continue to grow strongly.

I am pleased to let you know that your incentive has been approved, and that a transfer of seventy-eight million galleons has been completed to your account. I have included your Witch Investments financial report with this package, and they also had exceptional results for the year. You are welcome to contact me should you have any questions about your incentive or the financial report.

Molly Weasley

Account Manager - PBP Investments & Witch Investments

Annual Financial Report - Witch Investments

Year Ending November 30, 2013

Beginning Balance WI: 795 million galleons

New Investment: 300 million galleons

Beginning Balance PBPI: 530 million galleons

New Investment: 200 million galleons

Total Beginning Balance: 1,825 million galleons

Profits:

Manufacturing: 217 million galleons

Retail: 450 million galleons

Total Profit: 667 million galleons

Less Incentive 167 million galleons (25 percent)

Profit: 500 million galleons

WI Profit: 300 million galleons

PBPI Profit: 200 million galleons

Ending Balance WI: 1,395 million galleons

Ending Balance PBPI: 930 million galleons

Total Ending Balance: 2,325 million galleons

Ginny was smiling when she finished her reports. She handed them over to Harry to look over, and started eating, since she'd only taken a few bites while she'd been reading. The kids were finished breakfast, and had run upstairs to get ready for the day and to play for a while. Harry sat down next to Ginny and gave her a hug.

"You, and everyone else at the Institute did a great job this year," he told her, "and Witch Investments did amazing too." Ginny hugged him back.

"Thank-you. Just imagine what next year will bring," she promised, and Harry smiled.

"I've heard some rumours that there is something new in the top secret lab for next year. Want to give me any clues?"

Ginny laughed. "Nope, but it will definitely be big, and it's Lisa's top secret project this time, not mine, although she is letting me come and play in her sandbox." She looked at her watch. "Speaking of which – I'd better get there. We want to get a lot of work done before the party this afternoon." She kissed Harry, and then ran upstairs to give the kids each a hug and kiss before heading for the lab.

When she got to the lab, Lisa was already there working. "Please tell me you went home last night," Ginny asked her young friend. That was still a new transition for them, going from something that was closer to mother-daughter to co-workers and friends. Lisa smiled.

"Yes, I did," she assured Ginny. "I went and got a few hours of sleep. I'm just having too much fun with this, and I just go home and end up thinking about it anyway." Ginny put her arm around Lisa.

"What do you want me to do this morning?" she asked. They both got down to work, and a couple of hours later, it took Natalie several tries before she got their attention.

"Lisa, Mandy wants to see you in her office in fifteen," she told her. "I can work with Ginny until you get back if you need me to."

Mandy was smiling as Lisa came into her office. This was going to be fun. "Come on in and sit down," she told the young woman. When Lisa had sat in one of the chairs across from her, Mandy began the meeting.

"Natalie, Hermione, and Ginny all had high praise for your work on the TransPortal system, and we're all impressed with your current project," she began, picking up a few pages of parchment from her desk, and handed them to Lisa.

"I'm not ready to make you a Senior Manager yet, mostly since I don't have any open positions, but I hope that you'll accept this position, effective today."

Lisa read over the offer and contract. She was smiling when she signed the agreement and handed that page back to Mandy. "Thank-you, Mandy. I'll do my best."

Mandy smiled too, and handed her an envelope. "Welcome to management, Lisa. This is your incentive letter from Gringotts," she said, indicating the letter. "Our parent organization managers personally reviewed and adjusted the amount you received, based on your just over five months working here, and the value they've placed on what you've done so far." She waited for Lisa to open and read her letter, anticipating her response. She couldn't help but laugh at what Lisa said, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Mandy, I think there must be a mistake on this letter," she said, and looked up when she heard Mandy's laughter.

"No, it's absolutely correct, Lisa," she assured her. "I have to check every incentive that goes to each person at Marauders Institute myself." She stood up, and went around her desk to give Lisa a hug. "You deserve every bit of it too. Now I have a question for you."

Lisa had been hugging her back, and stepped away. "Okay, shoot," she said.

Mandy was still smiling, her eyes sparkling. "Are you having fun yet?" Both women laughed.

"I was having fun playing in the lab," Lisa answered. "I haven't even figured out what you'd call this, but it's way beyond fun."

When Lisa got back to the lab, Ginny and Natalie were both smiling. "So what's next, boss?" Ginny teased her, standing at attention.

Lisa laughed. "As you were, soldier. What's next is that we'll keep going the same as before, and we both know that the 'boss' thing just means you have less paperwork, and I have more," she suggested, and Natalie laughed too.

"Maybe that's true for Ginny, but certainly not for me," she told Lisa. "Since you brought it up though, weekly reports are on my desk on Monday mornings, monthly reports are due the fifth day of the next month. Budget reviews are done every quarter." Lisa groaned and Ginny and Natalie laughed. "Congratulations on the promotion, Ms. Top Secret Project Manager," Natalie added, giving Lisa a hug. Ginny hugged her too.

"Let's get back to work before we have to stop for the day and go to the party," she told Lisa, and Natalie left them so they could get back to their project.

The DREAM Christmas campaign started on the December fourteenth weekend. Marauders Institute had quite a few fewer families registered this year, down by over one thousand. This was good news, though, since it meant that the other programs in England, at least, were making a difference, and fewer families needed as much help as in previous years.

Ginny and Harry worked the Marauders Mall on the first weekend, and were taking the second weekend off this year. During their two days, though, they found one hundred and seven dreams to help make come true. With fewer people needing help this year, they were able to wander around a bit, and were happy to see some other families they'd helped in past years out shopping, and now obviously able to take care of themselves thanks to the Phoenix Foundation's help.

Harry was at King's Cross Station already when the train pulled in to the platform. James, Al, and Lily were there too, and Teddy, Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle got off the train to a small mob of fans, or a mob of small fans to be more precise, ready with hugs and kisses for their favourite students. They headed straight for the Cottage, because Teddy and Stewart were going to be staying there for the whole Christmas break this year. Grandma Andromeda was going on vacation again - this time with a Wizard gentleman she had met on her summer vacation.

Teddy had met Robert a few times over the summer, and had liked him, but he'd said it was weird having Grandma 'dating', and did not think it was the slightest bit funny whenever someone suggested that he and Victoire could go on a double date with them. He planned on never mentioning to anyone what he thought about the one and hopefully only time he'd walked in and saw them snogging in the sitting room. He didn't have any problem with getting to spend the whole holiday with Stewart, with being at the Cottage, or with gettin to see Victoire every day.

When they had dropped their things off at the Cottage, they went on to Chudley, and had lunch with Aunt Ginny at the Diner. The teens hadn't heard about Lisa's promotion. Ginny had brought Lisa with her to join them all for lunch, and they had thought it was funny when she kept referring to Lisa as 'the boss'.

They mostly talked about school while they ate. Victoire and Isabelle had tried to talk work with Ginny and Lisa, but couldn't get a hint out of either woman about their top-secret project. When they left Ginny and Lisa at the Institute, they used the TransPortal to go to the Marauders Mall, where they did some Christmas shopping for Bill, Fleur, Ginny, and most of the cousins.

Another TransPortal trip took them back to the Cottage, and Harry sent them off to play and relax, complete with drinks and snacks, while he started cooking. Bill and Fleur were joining them for dinner tonight, and Harry had wine on ice for when they arrived. Ginny was only minutes behind them, and the kitchen was soon filled with happy voices of parents, teens, and kids talking and laughing, each of them happy to be back together for the holidays.

This was going to be a busy weekend, with shopping on Saturday, and the Weasley family Christmas - once again on the island this year - on Sunday. On Saturday, Harry spent the morning shopping with Teddy and Stewart, helping them with girlfriend presents, and starting on the list of gifts to get for the men and boys in the family. Ginny and Fleur were off with Isabelle and Lisa, and this time James, Al, and Lily were left with Winky and Kreacher so the parents could do a little uninterrupted shopping for them too.

Bill had planned on going with Harry, but had been called in to work for some emergency - someone had dragged out an old family Christmas heirloom, and had found out the hard way why it had been packed away so carefully. Harry and the two boys quickly picked out jewellery for each girl, and then bought bottles of perfume at another shop. Harry suggested that small gifts for Bill and Fleur, and 'Grandma and Grandpa Delacour' might be a good idea too, so they picked up four more gifts. There was enough time before lunch to check out what was new at the BroomCloset - the boy's newest favourite store in the Mall.

They had lunch with the girls, then Harry, Ginny, and Fleur set the teens loose, and they went on to pick up presents for the kids during the afternoon. They weren't doing the DREAM Christmas today, but called in one of the volunteers that were helping today when they found one family that needed their Christmas DREAM granted. They had stopped at the WitchWear store for some outfits for Isabelle, Victoire, and Lily.

Harry talked with Diane - who was now the store manager for this store, while Fleur and Ginny shopped around. Diane had been offered the manager's job here a few months before the Mall was to open, and from what Harry heard from Ginny and the other Witch Investments partners, was doing a great job. Her kids were all happy, and she would neither confirm nor deny the rumours that there was possibly a certain Wizard that worked somewhere in this Mall who had been seen in her company on occasional lunches and dinners.

When several outfits had been selected and paid for, they moved on, adding quite a few bags to Harry's load before meeting up with the teens again. It was late in the afternoon when Harry and Ginny took the two boys home with them, and Fleur, Victoire, and Isabelle went to their house. The three kids were certainly interested in what their parents had been shopping for all day, but would just have to wait until Christmas to find out, since Ginny had locked everything up safe in a closet, with an unbreakable lock charm on the door.

Harry, Ginny, and the kids left for the island just after lunch on Sunday. Teddy and Stewart were in charge of entertaining the younger kids until the others started arriving, and Harry and Ginny were cooking the main meal today, so they got straight to work. The family dinner was going to be beachside, and casual this time, but there was still a lot of jobs they needed to do to get everything ready.

The other members of the family started arriving, all of them looking forward to a day of fun on the sand and water. The Delacour family was all coming too, as were Andromeda and Robert. Hermione dropped by Harry and Ginny's house and visited with them while Ron went on ahead to the beach with Rose and Hugo. The sounds of the jet-skis firing up and heading out into the lagoon let them know that more of the family was now out there playing.

"Ginny," Harry said to his wife, "why don't you go down to the beach and give them all an early present? That way they can play with their new toys all day today. I've got this under control for now." Ginny gave him a hug, grabbed Hermione, and headed for the beach.

He and Ginny had picked up ten AquaBikes to have here for the family. Harry heard the shouts of surprise from the lagoon, and knew that Ginny must have popped over to where the AquaBikes had been hidden, and Translocated them to the lagoon. Mum and Apolline stopped by on their way to the lagoon, having gone for a walk along the beautiful pathways, and there were periodic visits from some of the others while Harry worked.

They had Christmas dinner close to lunchtime, island time, and Ginny had returned with Gabrielle and Kevin in time to give Harry some help with getting everything set up at the beach. Dinner was set up on a large buffet table, and everyone filled plates, then found beach chairs to sit in, or sat at the tables that were scattered around the area.

Harry had decorated a tree nearby, and everyone had been dropping off Christmas presents under it all morning. The gift exchange started after everyone had finished eating, and it was probably one of the fastest in Weasley family history. It wasn't that the kids didn't love their gifts, or that there weren't as many or more than any other year, it was just that it was a beautiful day, and with the whole afternoon still ahead of them, nobody wanted to be sitting around all afternoon unwrapping presents when they could be out on the water playing with jet-skis and AquaBikes, or swimming, or just soaking up the sun on the sandy beach.

The Delacours were sitting with Bill, Fleur, Harry, Ginny, and Mum and Dad later in the afternoon. Apolline was talking with Fleur about taking the girls back with them to France until Bill and Fleur came over Christmas Eve day after work. She had been watching the girls playing with Teddy and Stewart.

"Why don't we take those two boys with us too?" she suggested. "I have a feeling that our grand-daughters would be much more interested in some quality time with us if those two young men came too." Mr. Delacour smiled at his wife.

"And I won't be outnumbered either - that's always a bonus," he added.

Harry and Ginny agreed, and they called the four teens over. The chance to have nearly three days in France, two of them with no parents, and getting to all be together was a no-brainer decision. The 'parents' would Translocate their bags to the Delacour house when they got home, and when everyone was getting ready to leave the island, Harry and Ginny went home with two less boys.

When they got back to the cottage, they put the bags together for each boy, added a third with their Christmas presents, and the ones they'd bought for everyone else who would be at the Delacour's for Christmas, and sent them to France, confirming their arrival with Victoire by WiComm. It was well past midnight when they finally got a tired bunch of kids into bed, and were able to go to bed themselves. Three more sleeps 'til Christmas.

Susan had two 'special projects' for Harry and Ginny this year on Christmas Eve. They had let the kids go play, and she'd asked them to join her for a short meeting in her office.

"I want to ask you two to help with a new brother and sister we've just had come to stay with us," she told them. "You know we normally deal with kids that are in orphanages," she added, and they both nodded. "These kids were left with family members who were supposed to take care of them after their parents died. We found out they were being abused by those people when two medical reports were added to their Hogwarts records." Susan handed Ginny a file. "I wanted to speak with you about this alone first, because when we intervened, we found out just how horribly they were treated."

Ginny was reading the report in horror, and was crying when she handed it to Harry. He didn't cry as he read the report, but it did hit him close to home. He had never told his wife, or anyone about what his life had been like before Hogwarts. He'd never been seriously physically abused like these kids, but a lot of the rest of the information on those pages could have been straight out of his own life. He looked up when he heard Susan continue.

"When I saw that report, I stepped in with the foundation, and took the kids away. Those morons that called themselves these kids family were going to make a fuss until we threatened them with a stay in Azkaban as a reward for their years of 'loving care' of the kids." She looked at Harry, knowing that this story would be very personal for him.

"The kids are twins - Aaron and Arianna Ryan. They're ten years old, and will turn eleven next year. As you saw in the report, they were stuck in that hell for the past four and a half years. Aaron will barely talk to anyone except his sister, while Arianna has become so timid that she jumps at even the slightest hand gesture that comes near her."

There were tears in Susan's eyes now too. "I'm hoping you will make these kids your next 'adoptees'. They're going to need a lot of love and support to work past what they've been through." Harry stood up. He didn't need to discuss this with Ginny - they both knew they'd help these kids.

"Why don't you introduce us to them, Susan," he suggested, and smiled a bit grimly. "Any chance we could take another look at a year or two in Azkaban for that Aunt and Uncle? Maybe Ginny could give them a two or three year long bat-bogey hex for Christmas." The girls smiled at him.

"It's a really nice thought, Harry, but I think we'll have to settle for having the kids safe and away from them," Susan told him regretfully.

Aaron and Arianna both had sandy blonde hair, and light brown eyes. Arianna had long curls, and Aaron's hair was shorter, but curly too. When Susan introduced Harry and Ginny, they had been sitting in their Common Room - there were one, or sometimes two sections that were set up to keep families together, and they had rooms next to each other in this section of the dormitories.

Both children had heard of Harry Potter, and their surprise at meeting him overcame a little bit of the constant wariness they had with everyone. Susan cleared the Common Room, and left them alone to get to know each other. Harry and Ginny talked with the children for a little while about how they liked the Residence, and how they were settling in. They were both very nervous. Arianna answered quietly for both of them every time, and Aaron would not say anything, staying close to his sister, and looking down at his hands. Harry needed to bring the two of them out, and he decided that telling these kids the 'secret' he'd kept from everyone he loved was the way to do that. He moved off of the sofa, and sat on the floor in front of the kids so he could look at each of them.

"You have both been through some really awful things during the last few years," he began in a soft, gentle voice. Neither child looked into his eyes, but looked down at the hands they held in their laps. They didn't acknowledge his comment at all.

"There isn't likely anyone else here at the Residence who knows exactly how you feel, but I do," he continued just as quietly. They both looked up at him in surprise at that, but it was also obvious that they were skeptical of his claim. This was Harry Potter, how could he possibly understand what they'd been through ever since their parents died.

"Can you keep a big secret?" he asked them. "Something that nobody else in the whole Wizarding World knows?"

They exchanged glances with each other, and then Arianna answered for them - "Yes," she promised.

Harry nodded, but he wasn't smiling. "Good. Then I'm going to tell you a story that not even Ginny knows about me." He saw the look of surprise on her face out of the corner of his eye.

"Everyone knows that I'm an orphan, and how my parents died," he began. "Quite a few people know that I was sent to live with my Muggle aunt, uncle, and cousin. A very few know that I wasn't treated very well by them." He paused, and looked at each child. They were both looking straight at him now, and he had their full attention.

"What nobody else knows, and I hope you'll keep secret for me, is that I was treated a lot worse than 'badly'. Until I was brought to school at Hogwarts, I lived most of my life in a tiny, dirty cupboard under the stairs of my uncle's house. My cousin was allowed to torment me my whole life. When I was old enough, I was practically their slave." The kids were fascinated. Harry didn't look at Ginny - he didn't think he'd be able to continue if he did.

"After I started at Hogwarts, I was made to go back there for every summer holiday. My cousin and his friends would beat me up. I was made to cook and clean. Sometimes I was locked in my room and they'd feed me through a flap in the door - just enough to keep me from starving." He could see that both kids saw that he did know what they'd gone through.

"Ginny and I helped to start this Residence because I hoped that someday other kids wouldn't have to go through what I did. I'm really sorry that you weren't found before all of those bad things happened to you, but I want you to know that you'll never be hurt by anyone like that again. Not here, and not when you go to Hogwarts starting next school year." Arianna looked at him for a long moment, seeing the sincerity in his green eyes.

"We're so afraid," she finally whispered. "They told us they'd take care of us too. They took all of Mommy and Daddy's things, and then they were so horrid to us." Harry held out his hand to her.

"Have you heard from the other kids that they each have volunteers that help them?" he asked, and Arianna nodded. "Susan has asked us to be your special volunteers, and if you'd like it, we would really like to do that." She slowly reached out her hand to place it in his.

"I promise you're going to be safe, and everything is going to get better now, sweetie, and I promise that we'll be here to help both of you." Ginny gently put her arm around Arianna. Harry finally looked into her eyes, and there were tears there, as he knew there would be.

"How would you two like to come and meet our kids, and maybe Harry can show you what a horrible GameWizard player he is," she suggested. Aaron tried not to laugh, but a little one still escaped, and there was the tiniest of smiles on his lips. Harry stood up.

"What do you say, Aaron?" he asked. "Feel like watching some of the other kids beat me at GameWizard, or are you one of those GameWizard Masters, and want to do the honours yourself?" Aaron couldn't stop the laugh this time, and he quietly took Harry's offered hand. He still didn't say anything, but it was a start. Arianna took Ginny's hand, and the four of them left the Common Room together.

Susan smiled as she saw Aaron and Arianna introduced to James, Al, and Lily, then watched Harry, James, and Aaron go play a match on one of the 3D GameWizards. Aaron even whispered something to Harry two times while they played, and he had just the faintest hint of a smile on his normally serious face. It only took one of Lily's hugs and smiles to draw a reciprocal hug and smile from Arianna, and she and Ginny sat on the floor, and joined the little group of kids that Lily, Al, and Carolyn were playing with.

They were playing dolls, and Al, mimicking what he'd seen his father do so many times, would cover his eyes whenever the dolls were getting changed, and he would hide the TeenWizard doll when he was changing it's outfits so that the girls didn't see him without clothes either. By the end of the evening, Susan was confident that Aaron and Arianna would finally be ready for that first big step - starting to believe. She also knew that Harry and Ginny would stick with the kids, and as surely as they knew how bad it could be, they'd now get to find out just how good it could get. Harry and Ginny were getting ready to go home for the night. Aaron and Arianna both looked sad that they were going.

"We'll be back here tomorrow after lunch for the big party, and you'll have a busy morning," Harry had told them. "We'll be able to spend all afternoon and evening with both of you and with Carolyn." He knelt down in front of Aaron. "You take care of your sister, and Carolyn for me while I'm gone." Aaron stepped closer, and let Harry hug him, which really surprised Arianna, and she hugged Harry, Ginny, and Lily.

James smiled at Aaron. "Practice up your GameWizard World Cup Quidditch in the morning," he told his shy new friend. "We'll have to do better the next time we play Daddy, or he'll start thinking he can actually play those games or something." Aaron laughed, and Harry smiled. What a great start to Christmas!

Harry had checked with Susan before leaving as to the presents that had been purchased for the two kids. He'd managed to get Aaron to tell him what they'd like most if they could have anything for Christmas, and he'd told Harry that they'd like to have their own 3D GameWizard and GameWitch portables. Susan had told him that they hadn't been able to get anything out of either child, and that wasn't one of their presents. He told her that he'd take care of it. When they got to the Cottage, he put in the late night call to Owen. They were still up, since they were in Toronto with Natalie's family for Christmas.

"I need a big favour from you and Valerie, Owen," Harry said after they'd finished with the pleasantries. "Can you get me a 3D GameWizard and a GameWitch, fully loaded, and send them to me using a Translocator?" He saw Owen nod in his WiComm. "I take it you have a couple of little DREAMS you need to take care of at the Residence," Owen answered. "It's still pretty early here. We'll pop over to Valerie's store and get them now. I'll have them on your kitchen table by the time you've got the bedtime stories finished."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Owen. Thank Valerie for me too, and wish everyone a Merry Christmas for us, and give that wife of yours a hug and kiss too." Owen laughed.

"Then you better make that a bedtime story and a lullaby, so I can take care of the hugging and kissing part of your order too," he told Harry before ending the call.

Ginny had wrapped up the two new game systems after they'd arrived, and the kids were in bed. She and Harry each had a glass of wine while she worked, then headed for bed themselves, knowing the kids would be up early and wanting to open the presents which were now under the tree. They were snuggled into their warm bed, and Ginny had her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about all of that stuff before tonight?" she asked him softly. She was still nearly overcome with the unbelievable pain his own family had inflicted on him.

"For a long time, it was because I was ashamed," he told her quietly, "and it was humiliating to me. I didn't even tell the kids nearly half of it. They'd give me stuff like dog biscuits or dirty old socks for presents. I spent my whole childhood being told I was worthless. Later, it was just because I didn't want to think about it. You never forget, though, and sometimes it's really hard - like tonight when I was reading that report." Harry trailed off, and Ginny hugged him close. There were tears in her eyes again, and she leaned in and kissed him.

"You're going to be okay too, Harry," she told him. "I promise I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you ever again." Harry smiled at her, tears in his eyes too.

"My hero." He kissed her, and held on tightly as he released some of the emotion he'd kept bottled up for all of these years, and Ginny, gentle and soothing, held him until he finally fell asleep.

Aaron and Arianna were waiting for Harry and Ginny when they got to the residence after lunch. They walked right over when they saw them, and shyly allowed Harry, Ginny, and Lily hug them both. Carolyn had run over to Albus, and she was also hugging all of them - except James, who absolutely refused to get any more girl germs than he absolutely had to.

When he got a moment, Harry gave Susan the two extra gifts for the kids. She was never surprised at any magic he was able to pull off - even late at night on Christmas Eve. They played with the kids all afternoon. Aaron and Arianna were introduced to Teddy, Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle when they arrived at the Residence from France.

The boys made a special effort to make Aaron feel welcome with them, and while the younger boy remained quiet, he would join them when he was invited to play a game, or in whatever they were doing. Aaron was a little unsure of what to make of two more orphans - one of whom was the Captain of a Hogwarts House Quidditch team, and the other a Hogwarts Prefect and a Beater on the same Quidditch team.

He watched them with Harry too. It was obvious that all four of these teens loved Harry and Ginny a lot, and that they were loved right back. He thought it was pretty special that he and Arianna were the only two people besides Ginny who knew why Harry cared so much about orphans - the real reason. They were all called into the dining hall, and he was amazed by the way the presents were delivered to everyone.

Arianna sat beside him, and they'd gotten several presents each. One of his packages had a new outfit for him, and another had a toy dragon, but when he saw the 3D GameWizard in his last present, he started to cry he was so overwhelmed. Harry had been waiting, and gently waved Arianna off when she was about to console her brother. He knelt in front of the boy, and put his arms around him.

"This is just the start, Aaron," he said quietly. "From now on, almost any dream is possible for you." Aaron put his arms around Harry. He couldn't talk, so he just held on for a long time. When he let Harry go, Ginny handed them both some tissues.

"Why don't you open the rest of your presents too, Arianna?" she suggested. A few moments later, it was her turn to cry, and she went straight to Ginny, who picked her up in her lap, and held he close. She pulled her locket out, opened it, and showed it to Arianna.

"Harry's really good at giving presents. He gave me this locket, and look what it can do." She held it in her hand and concentrated on two people that she loved. When Arianna could see herself in one mirror, and Aaron in the other, she looked up into Ginny's eyes.

"All I have to do is think about people that I love, and their pictures appear in the mirrors," she explained. "And now I have two more pictures I can look at anytime I want to." It took Arianna a moment to process that, and then she was crying again, and holding on to Ginny tightly.

Teddy was hanging out with Stewart, Victoire, and Isabelle during most of the afternoon, and through dinner. They'd had a great couple of days at the Delacour's house in France, and thanks to Uncle Harry, he and Stewart had earned some bonus points with the gifts they'd brought. Victoire had loved the matching earrings and necklace set, and the perfume. Isabelle was equally thrilled with her bracelet from Stewart.

He looked over at Uncle Harry, who was sitting with Aaron beside him at the table. Teddy smiled at the sight of them. His Uncle had obviously found another couple of kids that he was going to 'adopt', just like with Stewart, Lisa, Megan, Michael, and Carolyn. One of the other boys had filled Teddy and Stewart in on the new kids, and Teddy was glad that his aunt and uncle would be helping them. He and Stewart had both decided that they'd do everything they could to help Aaron and Arianna too.

After dinner, they all sat down to watch the Christmas show that some of the kids now put on every year. Teddy loved the skits the best, and some of the music was good too. Aaron and Arianna stayed right with Harry and Ginny the whole evening, making Teddy think about Lisa and Megan. He saw Lisa last Friday, but Megan was down living in Marauders Paradise now. He thought he should probably send her an Owl Post to see how her new job was going, and how she liked her apartment. You never know - maybe when he was done school he'd like to live and work at Marauders Paradise - it was a pretty nice place.

He and Stewart played with Aaron, James, and Harry for a while after the entertainment was over, and then headed back to the Cottage with them, with promises to be back for a visit to the Residence on Friday. The boys had presents for Harry, Ginny, and the kids that they hadn't been able to give them earlier, so they exchanged gifts when they got home. They'd gotten James the Intermediate Wheezes Inventor's Kit, and Al liked the set of books they'd gotten him. Lily immediately put the little cashmere sweater on, and gave them both hugs.

"That's why we got you the sweater, Lily," Teddy had told her. "Now you're cuddly and super snugly too - perfect for hugging!" Lily giggled at them, and climbed up in Ginny's lap. Her Mum hugged her too.

"Yep, definitely super snugly all right," she confirmed with a smile.

During the rest of the Christmas Holiday, Teddy and Stewart stayed at the Cottage. They needed to do school work some of the days, and they practiced Quidditch at least every other day over at the Residence. Harry would spend as much time as he could with Aaron and Arianna, going there with Teddy and Stewart, and making a few extra trips too.

Aaron was just starting to talk a little bit toward the end of the holidays. Susan and the rest of the staff were amazed at the change since the kids had met Harry and Ginny. The kids, including Victoire and Isabelle all went to the New Year's Eve party at the Residence with Harry and Ginny this year, and it was a lot of fun. They got back to the Cottage by around eleven o'clock. Victoire and Isabelle were spending the night so that Bill and Fleur were able to go out for the night with friends.

They all helped put the younger kids to bed, and then they went into the sitting room to talk quietly and watch the New Year's midnight celebration on WWVN, live from London. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny went off to bed too just after midnight, leaving the two couples to snuggle on the sofas and watch a late night movie together.

Teddy didn't know if it was some girl thing, but when the movie was over, it was apparently his and Victoire's turn to leave the other couple alone in the sitting room to say goodnight, since she stood up and took his hand to pull him to his feet. He held her hand as they walked upstairs, and to the door of the bedroom that she and Isabelle were sharing tonight. Victoire put her arms around Teddy, and looked into his eyes with those amazing blue eyes.

"Happy New Year, Teddy," she whispered, and then she pulled him into a kiss that left his legs feeling like he needed a dose of skele-grow, and his mind pleasantly blank - floating in some wonderful place of pure love and joy. When she let him go, she was smiling at him, and that smile dazzled him even more.

"Good night," she said softly. "Thank-you for a really great year." Teddy didn't let her go yet, instead looking into her eyes and smiling happily. He kissed her again, a long, tender, unspoken 'you're welcome'.

The students would be heading back to Hogwarts on Sunday, so Harry took their four students to Diagon Alley, and the Marauders Mall on Thursday to take care of the supplies they'd need for the coming year. The boys finished up their homework on Friday, and after Ginny was done work, they took the gang to the island for the night, coming back late on Saturday night. Bill and Fleur took the girls there too, and they had all enjoyed one last blast of surf and sunshine before getting back to school and work.

Everyone went on Sunday morning to King's Cross Station to see their students off to Hogwarts again, and as Harry watched the train pull away from platform nine and three-quarters, and Ginny put her arm around him, he wondered if he'd ever get used to watching the kids leaving like this. He was pretty sure that he never would.