"Harry . . . just to be clear, why are you going out with Susan Bones?" Hermione Granger said carefully.

"She's nice and smart. We're friends." He shrugged.

"When did this happen? You weren't hanging out at the end of school. I thought you would of been at Privet Drive, waiting to get picked up." Hermione shrugged, looking over her shoulder, well aware that her parents were only a couple of feet away. "I was kind of waiting for you to send Hedwig." She admitted with a shrug, a slight blush grazing her cheeks, as she looked away, embarrassed.

"Hermione, you can say his name. I'm not an idiot." Harry gave her a look, as her parents dinner party guests voices raised. "Besides, I don't think I'm going to be waiting around for The Order at all." "What does that have to do with anything?" Hermione hissed, keeping her voice down.

"Dumbledore. He's my magical legal guardian, and yours also. He's been lying to me, evading questions, purposely committing slightly illegal actions concerning me . . ." Harry trailed off, caught up in his thoughts. "Though I don't know why. "

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked."Those are very serious charges to commit Dumbledore of. Are you sure?"

Although she still held a reverent view of authority figures, after her last few years as Harry's friend, and the fight in the Ministry, she was less reverent, and more thoughtful, and had accepted that they could make mistakes and be abusive of their power.

"Hermione, he didn't inform me of my title and he purposely mislead me into believing that I had to legally stay with the Dursleys, as well as telling me that all of the money I owned was in my 'trust vault'." Harry said firmly, his face pleading for help from his best friend.

"Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed, before reopening the door, and leading her friend into her room.

She sat down on her bed, patting the area beside her as she looked at his face for confirmation. "Harry. . . do you have a title?"

"Yeah, I just said that." Harry rolled his eyes, wanting to deal with more pressing matters.

"Harry, you're from the Potter family. You're the sole heir. The fact is, even if your parents wishes specifically stated that you were to be left with your aunt and uncle, tradition would forbid it. It's highly against the law." Hermione looked at him seriously, grasping his hand in her own.

A cold chill ran through Harry's body at that. "So you mean . . . I'm not allowed to stay with my uncle and aunt?"

"No. A Lord being brought up by muggles is . . . .so illegal and just wrong in the Wizarding World that I can't even think of a way that he could of had it passed." Hermione bit her lip, as her face drained of colour.

"Hermione. . . how do you know this?" Harry croaked out hoarsely.

"I don't know . . . I think . . .in third year. I was . .. in the library. Lord Beloven a Rune Master. I went to look -" And suddenly she found her voice cut off, and Harry found himself experiencing something grotesquely similar to his third year with Sybill Trelawney. "The Locolatus Hydrangea is a type of fungi that's misnomer is entirely unrelated to it's origin, state, or qualities. The Inca's and Amazons both possessed a type if this plant, though one was used for healing and the other as a weapon. It was discovered -"

Hermione was abruptly cut out of her trance as Harry shook her and she blinked three times. "I. . . what's going on?" She asked faintly. "Why's everything spinning?"

"Hermione . . . you just started talking about some plant. When you had been talking perfectly normally before about Wizarding nobility. Why?" He asked her, clearly frightened for his friend.

"I .. .. I don't know." She stammered, for once at a loss for words.

"Do you want to go to St Mungos?" He asked anxiously. "Or a muggle hospital? I can call your parents?" He offered quickly.

"No. . . it's fine. I. .. I think that you can be very suspect of Dumbledore. And I would check your bank accounts. As your magical guardian he would have access to your vaults." She gave a worried look, as colour slowly returned to her cheeks.

"You think he might of stolen from me?" Harry asked, suddenly seeing red. "But why, isn't the Dumbledore family pureblood? Wouldn't he have enough-"

Harry was abruptly cut off by a loud Crack!

"What was that?" Harry jumped up, his wand in his hand, as Hermione reached for her own. He headed to the window of Hermione's room, close to where the sound had appeared to come from., and spotted a figure in long black robes, making his way to the front door. Wizards robes.

Harry immediately grabbed Hermione. "We have to get out of here. There's a person in black robes. A wizard in black robes."

"Harry! My parents, Hermione made to leave the room, before Harry caught her arm.

"They aren't Death Eaters. They don't want to harm your parents. They want to harm me or . . . you." He said in sudden shock, as he seemed to realise something before even Hermione.

Suddenly they spinned out of Hermione's room, with only their wands and leaving behind the Grangers and the member of the Wizarding World.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked breathing heavily in excitement, and panic.

"The Longbottom Manor." Harry said unconcerned, as she took in the pretty and regal 'house'. "We need to tell Lady Longbottom that-"

"I already know." The woman walked into the parlor. "You think that anything happens in this house without me knowing about it?"

"Of course not Lady Augusta." Harry said calmly, already used to the Lady and her mannerisms. "Now I need to talk to you about something serious. When I was at Hermione's home a man appeared. He Apparated. And I know for a fact that Dumbledore and the Order put Disapparation and Apparation charms around the block so that no one could -"

He was cut off by Lady Longbottom holding up a hand, a hand that Harry had long ago learned to obey. "I think that you have had too much of an excitement for one day, and it is of my opinion that you should send Miss Granger to a room to sleep immediately. The magic and stress has obviously caused her great discomfort over the course of events. I would have Ezza set up a room, however that would take a few minutes and I have a feeling that Miss Granger, although I am sure is formidable at her worst of times, is about to faint, so Lord Potter, if you would send her to your room for some sleep?" The Head of Longbottom House stopped Hermione from protesting, and with the slight compliment the Lady had paid her Hermione was happier to go to slep than she would like to admit.

"Hermione! You're awake!" Harry exclaimed cheerfully as the girl in question walked downstairs the next morning, wearing a simple set of white robes that had appeared at the end of Harry's bed, after she had woken up naked.

She gave a faint grin, although she was faced with the sombre view of two Longbottoms and a Potter early in the morning.

"Yeah . . ." She trailed off.

"Well are you going to join us or not?" Augusta Longbottom snapped, draining her glass of bitter pumpkin juice.

Hermione quickly sat down between Harry and Neville, the two boys hiding a grin at the thought of even Hermione Granger being frightened by Neville's elderly grandmother.

"Now, Lord Potter and I have been discussing some things and we face some issues. Professor Dumbledore appears to have committed some incriminating acts, specifically concerning you and himself." The Lady referred to Harry, whose face (along with Neville's), had suddenly turned grave. "He appears to have taken advantage of the both of you and his position as Head Master and legal guardian. It is our belief that he has performed memory charms on the both of you."

"Me-memory charms?" Hermione let herself stutter, her face paling and suddenly feeling woozy.

"Yes. Now normally if a curse, charm or spell used to influence another is performed on someone with the Trace, by another who does not have the Trace on them the matter is investigated by the Ministry. The circumstances concerning this may be if it was a Healer performing the spells, for example, an Obliviator, or another Ministry official that receives permission to use spells like that on regular occasion. Unless it's your magical guardian." Lady Longbottom emphasised. "So seeing as you displayed the number one symptoms of someone who was recovering from magical memory loss, we stand to belief that you have been obliviated, and it stands to reason that Harry has as well."

"Why do you say that?" Neville asked as Hermione struggled with her anger and Harry took her hands in his own, massaging them.

Lady Longbottom let out a huff. "You've told me enough about the girl, she would of told Lord Potter immediately about her discovery. Miss Granger cares about him immensely." She sniffed as Hermione gave a faint smile at the Lady's assessment of her character.

"My point is, when Lord Potter becomes emancipated in fifteen days he will be able to not only be out of Dumbledore's control himself, but get Miss Granger out of his grasp." The Longbottom woman gave a slight smile, as if she had been planning it all. "Although in the mean time the two of you will have to stay in the Manor, for I fear that the horrible toads of the Order will be lurking."

Neville let out a smirk at the insult and derogatory term she had applied to the Order, while Hermione attempted to argue. "My parents need to know where I am. They are my legal guardians and my parents and they have the right to know where I am."

"Miss Granger was I inaccurate with my assessment that you were an intelligent witch?" Hermione blushed at that, as Neville's Gran continued to remind everyone of McGonagall. "If you were to go back, chances are that you would be playing right along with their plans! However, even if you did somehow manage to escape them and meet your parents successfully, what makes you think that your parents would not simply be forced to tell them what had happened to you. You know yourself that Dumbledore is a Master Legilimens. Do you really want to endanger them?"

And with that she stood up and exited the room.

An hour later Hermione sat on Harry's bed, as Neville and Harry sat on the chair and floor respectively.

"Susan's gonna be coming round a bit later." Harry commented offhandedly.

"Oh really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "The beautiful and charming Sue Bones?"

"Shut up." Harry said, throwing a pillow at her, as Neville gave into his laughter and the Boy-Who-Lived's friends guffawed with laughter. "I'm serious, she's bringing Hannah or someone."

"Hannah Abbott? Isn't that the one Neville-" Hermione was cut off by Neville's hand over her mouth.

"Shut up Hermione." He gritted his teeth, his blush so bright he could of passed as a Weasley.

"Neville do you like her?" Harry asked in shock, though as he reflected, Neville had appeared quite enamored by the girl.

"She's . . . Hannah. Everyone likes her." Neville tried to play it casual.

"Not like you do." Hermione gave a nymph like smile. "You loooooove her!" She uncharacteristically teased, resulting in Harry laughing, feeling lighter than he had in nearly a year.

"Guys!" A voice called, as it appeared to be coming closer. "It's Sue. Are you in Harry's room?"

Harry called back, informing her they were, and that he would go get her, only for the door to open.

To Hermione's surprise not only did the lovely Susan Bones appear but also a certain young Lord.

"Theodore!" Hermione exclaimed, before pulling the white robes down, as they had hitched up past her creamy white thighs.

"Miss Granger." He crossed the room, reaching for her hand and drawing it to his lips, in the manner of the Lords that occupied high society galas and balls.

"It's Hermione!" She scolded, her face in a light blush.

"Of course Miss Granger." Theo said almost . . . teasing her.

"Harry!" Susan exclaimed as the two intellectuals were left in their own world of intelligent banter. "Hannah actually can't come to our little shopping trip, though I have extended an invite to a friend of yours. You need robes!"

"Yeah . . . umm, actually Hermione is coming, though she might need some clothes as well. I think she's going to be coming to some of these balls as my . . . date as I can't leave her alone." Harry said, receiving a frown from Susan, who had been previously very vocal about the illicit actions Dumbledore had faced. (That was probably a side effect of being the daughter of the Head of the DMLE).

And with that he found himself having to explain to her and Theodore exactly what had happened and Lady Longbottoms suspicions.

Hey everyone! Now I'm sorry but for this chapter I may not have gotten back to everyone who reviewed, due to technical difficulties!

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