Chapter 50 - Aftershocks

The next morning, the headlines splashed across the Daily Prophet told the wizards and witches of Britain "Boy-Who-Lived Lives Again!"

Albus Dumbledore had spent much of the night before contemplating the amazing story. Oh, he believed that Voldemort had got himself a new body, recognising the fragment of the ritual used. No, he didn't trust the news that young Harry had managed to take out the risen Dark Lord. Harry was just a boy, no special training from any wizard of note. While Albus liked individual Muggles like those nice quiet parents of some Muggleborns, without magic he couldn't respect them. In truth, it had been greater than half a century since Albus had really got to know any of them beyond "Muggle, male, father of witch in Ravenclaw" or kept up with the Muggle world. He just didn't have the time! As such, he couldn't imagine Harry being able to defeat the Dark Lord in combat, even by accident. Perhaps especially by accident, for didn't the prophecy say Harry would have a power? To Albus' mind, that meant it had to be a deliberate action using that power.

He might have been more accepting of the boy's story if he had been privileged to see it happening. However, even the ancient wizard recognised there was little chance of Harry handing over the memory of the incident without any trust between them.

Instead, he was afraid that Voldemort was only injured and would lie low for a time, building his power and establishing a foothold in the hearts and minds of those soon lost to the Light. It was what he had done last time and that strategy had all but conquered Britain for him without ever taking on the Aurors and Hit Wizards in a straight fight. No, his forces had employed terror against the weak and helpless, striking at night in small groups and cutting off support by taking out their Floo connections. Albus was afraid he would be forced once again to build up a group to oppose the dark, forced to see people who looked up to him go out to save people and never return.

Making a note to delegate even more of his duties as Headmaster onto Minerva's plate so he could get time to plan things out properly, Albus chewed his breakfast thoughtfully. Really, mealtimes were one of the few times he had left to himself away from caring for the Wizarding World.

Throughout the day, students came up to ask Harry what had happened, wanting to know more than was covered in the article. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, Harry gave them what they wanted, painting the scene with his words better than the writers for the Daily Prophet could.

He described the use of Gryffindor's sword, which he had worn openly though none of the judges called him on it, to cleave through the hedges, the exhilaration he felt after dodging the Occamy's attack, the surprise at the sphinx's aborted run at him, the satisfaction of reaching the Cup, turning to disorientation and dismay at being Portkey'd out of Hogwarts to he knew not where.

The horror and rage of seeing Pettigrew who had been waiting for him, stealing his blood for a potion or ritual, triumph at escaping his bonds and turning the situation on the wizard who had betrayed James and Lily. The relief that washed through him at returning to his friends and family.

Harry had stitched together a coherent story from the events that made up the public record and he told it well. It ended with him coming back to Hogwarts after giving his statement and prisoner to the DMLE, 'letting the professionals get on with their jobs,' while he unwound with his friends.

The evening copy of the Sunday Prophet contained the news that Bartemius Crouch, who had been heavily involved in the irregular inclusion of a fourth student in the Tournament, had been arrested on charges including repeated use of the Unforgivables and perverting the course of justice by arranging the escape of his Death Eater son. A statement from a DMLE source said that it was expected for both father and son to face trial soon and that they believed the evidence against the pair was very strong. The senior Ministry official had been found, beaten and bloody, trapped in his own home in the same room where he had imprisoned his son for over a decade.

Buried toward the back was a statement from Minister Fudge how he was surprised by the revelations and would allow the DMLE to do their job. His attempt to cover himself from the bad press was mediocre at best and it was clear that the Potter Alliance weren't going to help him do it.

The editorial and letters to the editor contained questions about how long Fudge could remain Minister with all these scandals and the persistent rumours of bribes from certain sources. Recognising his parents' style, Harry had to admit they did good work. Not a word in the letters was actionable as such and with a fair-minded witch firmly in charge of the DMLE the Minister wouldn't be able to launch any spurious legal actions against them.

The campaign to unseat Fudge had begun in earnest.

Late that evening, Harry had a visit from Amelia Bones. Curious, he asked why she had come to Hogwarts.

"In all the confusion and chaos yesterday, no one remembered to give you your winnings." Amelia replied with a smile. "When it was brought up, I volunteered to bring it myself. I needed the break from working on a bloody weekend and I'm always happy to see you and my Susan." A knock at the door and Susan came in, hugging her aunt and snuggling at Harry's side.

"The Ministry is in uproar at the moment and Bagman's disappeared completely. There are signs he's left the country, rather than stay to face the wrath of the goblins who seem to feel he cheated them by betting on you." The light in her eyes told him that Amelia didn't like the overacting former Quidditch star. "With him gone, no one had any better claim than anyone else to make the visit and since we can't hold the kind of public spectacle Fudge would love, I was the senior most person who wanted the job."

She handed him a sack with a big Galleon sign on the side of it, making Harry chuckle at the symbolism, and Harry was reminded by the force of his earlier Oath. "Sorry," he grimaced, "I didn't think my Oath to give away the money would hit so quickly or feel so uncomfortable." Harry immediately started dividing the money into three piles, making sure the amounts were evened out then putting them into separate bags. With a "Be right back!" he created a clone to stay with Amelia while the real Harry went for a quick run through the castle. He found Cedric in the Hufflepuff Common Room and handed him one sack with a note to explain, then dashed to the Durmstrang ship out on the edge of the lake.

Slipping in past the meagre protections, Harry knocked on the door to Krum's cabin. A minute later, the surly Bulgarian opened the door, looking out suspiciously. "Viktor Krum?" Harry asked to confirm the young man's identity. "Here you go." He passed over the money, amused when he saw Viktor's eyes widen.

"But?!"

"I gave my Oath, remember? Now, I have to go and give Fleur her reward." Harry's double entendre flew over the surly student's head as his English was still not up to the task. A second later, Harry was gone and Krum was left holding a bag full of money in the corridor of the ship. Krum realised his vulnerability and ducked inside his cabin, securing 'his' prize.

Harry found Fleur in the Room of Requirement with the other Jewels as he'd hoped. A quick handover and he gave a sigh. "Ah, better. That'll teach me not to make hasty promises, I hope! I much prefer not to be forced into doing things, even by my own magic."

Fleur smiled and shook her head, setting down the money in favour of kissing Harry. "Zat is my true reward."

The Jewels heard from Susan about how pleased her aunt had been to see Harry. The smiles Susan gave them told of her hope to have her aunt around more often as the newest Jewel. Harry would be very good to Amelia, and Susan only wanted the best for her.

The return to classes was a relief to Harry. It meant that the school had less time to pester him or his friends for a second, third or fourth retelling of his story. The articles in the paper also worked to take attention back off him as well as getting them thinking.

While Harry had been given an exemption to his exams due to the task, he chose to sit for them anyway, wanting to get a measurement of his progress. Some students couldn't believe anyone would voluntarily sit exams they didn't have to, but the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs generally liked it.

Outside Hogwarts, the British Wizarding World was in chaos. The younger Crouch had been dosed with Veritaserum and forced to divulge what he had been doing at Hogwarts. The news was kept tightly under wraps that he had been in contact with an embodied Voldemort whose plan he had followed. Amelia shifted deployment patterns and priorities, justifying it with plugging the demonstrated security holes. The extra work and stress saw her making yet more visits to meet Harry and getting massages, allowing her to think clearly again.

Her colleagues and rivals in the Ministry had no such advantage, feeling the strain more and more as the days passed. Ludo Bagman had indeed skipped the country and his deputy had already stepped into Bagman's shoes while he waited for his appointment to be confirmed. Crouch was gone, Arthur Weasley was a non-entity in Ministry politics and Lucius and the other politically minded were fighting over the scraps as positions opened up, lobbying to get their people promoted.

Dumbledore was scrambling to shore up his own shaky position after the hit to his reputation. Failing to spot the difference between a young, Death Eater escapee and his long-time friend, retired Auror Alastor Moody, despite a year in close proximity, cast significant doubt upon his abilities. He was also trying to seek allies as he reformed the Order of the Phoenix, his militia group the last time Voldemort was active.

On the same day classes resumed, the Daily Prophet added more letters to the editor, this time including ones that weren't penned by the Clan but genuine voices of protest against Fudge from the common witch or wizard.

The following day, much of the Alliance met at the Kitsune Compound to discuss everything. Top of the agenda was Voldemort's brief rebirth, followed by the Death Eaters who had kidnapped and tried to murder Harry Potter.

Once everyone was on the same page and knew what had happened, the Clan threw open the discussion, deliberately including everyone and inviting all ideas.

Predictably, not everyone had the same ones.

"I say since we know the identities of a number of these 'people' that we take them out." Liz Granger said. "They're murdering people because of how they were born, not for anything they have done."

"We can't do that." Amelia's clone argued. "Without proof or trials? What does that make us?"

"People fighting a war." Liz answered.

Anko shook her head. "That's not the best way to go about it, though." When Liz turned to her looking betrayed, Anko gave a grin that made Liz and others shiver. "No, if you want to go that path, first we question them, find out everything they know that we can use. After that, if they're still useful and if we can keep them securely, we keep them alive. Otherwise we kill them off quickly and cleanly."

Seeing the shocked faces, Anko nodded. "Exactly. It's cold, brutal, callous, horrible, all of that and more. That's the path you would be going down if you want Total War."

Hinata chimed in next. "At the other end of the spectrum, there is trying to treat them as ordinary criminals, taking them in for trials, not taking special measures to keep them from breaking out, and trying to break them out of their social conditioning. It's 'nicer', sure, but it risks the enemy escaping or using more lethal tactics. There aren't that many DMLE personnel to begin with and a small number of ambushes by them would tip the balance severely in their favour."

"Worse," Naruto added grimly, "there's a certainty of casualties among innocent people, both regular and magical, if we take that approach. There is a middle ground, though. We don't have to decide between going in and slaughtering them to the last woman and child or going into it as auxiliary police and getting too many of ours killed."

"We do agree that this should be treated as a war, specifically a civil war, the nastiest kind." Tsunade's presence was palpable as she let her true wealth of experience out. "Traditionally, fighters in wars are extended protections like paroles and honourable treatment only when that is reciprocated. If one side will never honour it, then their opposition has no ethical reason to give its enemy a better go. There may be sound practical reasons such as for propaganda or diplomatic purposes but that's all."

"In short," Anko summarised, "what they do to us or to innocents equals what can be done to them. That's what the laws of war boil down to because that's where they're stable."

After that beginning, they settled down and discussed various goals and methods as an alliance. The Clan were willing and able to use all the sneaky, horrible and devastating tactics and strategies if it came down to it but they wanted to do this as bloodlessly as possible. If nothing else, it would help post-war recovery.

The people who were raised in the regular society were more inclined towards a lethal response than the 'light' wizards and witches but also towards enforcing improved standards once the conflict was over. The people raised in the Wizarding society saw things more in terms of cycles and balance rather than progress and change.

It was refreshing in many ways to see the divergence between the societies laid out like that. While both sides naturally preferred the one they were raised in, the magical one was the one causing the problems so those raised in it found it harder to justify rejecting 'Muggle' ways.

At the same time, neither group as a whole were comfortable with the more bloody options. Things like torture for pleasure or intimidating their enemy were ruled out to everyone's relief. Interrogations would be done by Veritaserum first and foremost. Anyone found to be resistant or have taken the counter-agent would be liable to handed over to Anko's tender mercies for more physical persuasion if they didn't have time to wait for their resistance to crumble.

More generally, despite the difficulty, the Clan would try to station some of their own clones on defence, concentrating at the start on the Alliance first, including the Lily Potter Foundation's employees. Since the LPF's people were housed in the same town, that simplified defensive requirements. These people had signed on with the Clan so the Clan were responsible for their safety.

Once they had their homes fully warded, a task made easier by the lightning techniques providing power, they could use their remaining force to put pressure on the enemy, starting with shadowing their movements. Building up their knowledge of enemy movements and resources, even making sure their lists of players were up to date, were all essential tactics in the struggle to come.

As a by-product, it would help guide Amelia's own forces to individual Death Eaters and the evidence against them and also important, reduce the collateral damage. If they could, they would get the Death Eaters trials, convicted and sent to Azkaban without having to let other innocents suffer.

If innocents started paying the price for their soft tactics, they would have the plans in place to adjust them, taking the gloves off. This would likely come as a surprise to the Death Eaters, too, given the pacifism of the 'light' under Dumbledore. That surprise should translate to success in the conflict. It would also play better with international observers if they could position themselves as the good guys as well as the recognised government.

The Clan hated giving up the strategic initiative like this but if they wanted to defeat the philosophy as well as the Death Eaters, they needed to make their opposition irrelevant and alive to appreciate their loss. They would settle for saving the children from that philosophy and call it a win but the best outcome was more ambitious. They wanted to strip their families of respect, power and wealth and shake up the society, allowing them to control the way the pieces that made up this isolated society reformed.

Reforming the society was the real goal, anyway.

This Dark Lord was a short-term problem from what they could see. If they had to, the Clan could swat him down but that carried the danger of uniting too much of the Wizarding World against their non-magical neighbours. While too many regular people would die, the wizards and witches were simply too badly outnumbered and far too out-gunned to win. Worse, they had no experience with the kinds of long wars that had tested modern nations. Any battle of attrition would go against them and new technologies meant their secrecy was in jeopardy.

Even without a Dark Lord on the board, the Ministry of Magic was heading on a course to its own destruction. Eventually, 'those Muggles' would find out about the casual mass assaults on Her Majesty's subjects and respond violently.

The Clan's solution was to make sure that people didn't want to go on a witch-hunt by making the witches and wizards better neighbours and better people generally.

That was their ambition with the Lily Potter Foundation, not that they had told Harry as such. Through the company, they were getting into position to render the Ministry irrelevant. Right now, the Ministry couldn't hope to stand off their combat division, Darwin's Lifeguards. That wasn't enough for the Clan, however. The project would be considered complete when it had sufficient power to stand against the Wizarding World as a whole long enough to destroy the Statute of Secrecy. By that time the other nations' wizards and witches would be too busy with other things to press any attack.

Ambitious as always, the Clan. Patient, too.

The Alliance meeting didn't sort out everything in the one day, of course. Something they realised the following day was that many of their plans would work better only if they had enough of the magic-restraining handcuffs or something that did the same job. Everything from training to capture to securing prisoners could benefit from it, as well as sharing out bloodlines to new people starting with Harry's Jewels.

That same day, an event took place that would reshape their world. For a change, this had absolutely nothing to do with Harry, the Jewels, his friends or any of his allies. No, a single Third Year Slytherin girl was walking down to the Dungeons with her friends to pick up some books from her trunk, not really paying attention to where she was going when another student came the other way, certain in his arrogance that the group would make way for him.

Crash! and he fell all over her, cursing her verbally rather than with his wand as he got to his feet and tore a strip off her before going on his way, not even looking back at the girl he had crashed into, ruining her robes and trampling on her bag, crushing the ink bottle inside and staining her belongings.

No, Draco didn't even bother to wait for a response. She wasn't from any family of importance, her line wasn't as pure as his and she was younger than him so obviously not his equal magically. He was in no mood to listen to her bleating, turning around and heading back to his beloved mirror to repair his hair.

Juliana Ogden seethed at the nerve of the bastard. Her friends, after checking for hidden observers, bent down and helped her clean up but there was nothing they could do about her ruined clothes and homework. She silently swore she would get revenge on the Malfoy scion. Reviewing the files of people who owed her a favour or could be convinced to help her, she seized on the Weasley twins. There was no love lost between the families and those twins could always be counted upon to help sow chaos and mischief.

As soon as what little repairs could be done were completed, Juliana grabbed her book as planned, heading out with her friends. She left a note with one of the older Slytherin girls who would contact the Weasleys for her. An 'accidental' meeting before dinner and her order was placed: one 'extra-strength' love potion, to be delivered after dinner.

A second contact was used to distract the ferret at breakfast from his meal. A quick Confundus had him looking away and the deed was done, the spell cancelled before his clique could notice the lapse. A low-powered Healing spell designed to make patients eat the horrible hospital food sealed the deal. Malfoy swallowed the sausage and had a dopey smile on his face as the spell ended.

Now, all Juliana had to do was wait for her fun.

Ah, there she was now.

Across the Great Hall and unaware of the mischievous look sent her way, Romilda Vane took her seat next to her boyfriend, the Gryffindor Seeker. Ronald, for his part, smiled at the girl as he pushed in her chair for her then took his own. Romilda smiled back at the boy she had tamed only to turn her head sharply at the commotion.

"I must- I must have her!" Draco groaned. He didn't know why he had never noticed the black-haired beauty before. Sure, she was a stupid Gryffindor but he was sure that would be no issue once he had shown he was the better wizard than that stupid Weasel.

He vaulted the Slytherin table heroically, grinning even more creepily than Gilderoy Lockhart. At least, he tried to vault the table. Wizards as a rule were fairly unfit creatures since their magic allowed them to live lazy, sedentary lives. Draco had started off worse than most since his family had a house-elf to make things even easier on themselves. His place on the House Quidditch team did some repair to his general fitness and taught him how to land however, so rather than anything serious he merely tripped and rolled on the floor without breaking any bones.

He got up, hurrying over to this never-before-noticed angel, heedless of the food and even cutlery stuck to his robes. For once, Draco Malfoy looked far worse at mealtimes than the entire Weasley family combined could manage.

With his hair stuck in weird angles and sauce dripping from his ears, he was confident he could win the fair maiden before him, trying to get to one knee and slipping on the stones instead. The sloppy remains of the mashed potato were stuck in the treads, turning the floor to a giant skating rink for the pureblood wizard.

Draco headbutted his own knee, nearly howling at the pain as he instinctively bit down on the thing poking his face so painfully. Before Draco passed out, bleeding, dishevelled, disgusting, he shouted out "I love you, whoever you are!"

For once, Minerva was not the first on the scene. That wasn't all bad, however, as it allowed Snape to detail Goyle and Crabbe to take their employer to the Hospital Wing and to instruct Pomfrey to check Malfoy for potions.

That done, Snape was turning around, prepared to unleash a torrent of point losses and detentions on every Gryffindor in sight. Sadly for his blood pressure, Minerva was ready now.

"Mr Weasley, Miss Vane, what can you tell me of all this?" Her no-nonsense tone worked as usual to get her Lions talking.

Looking at his girlfriend, Ron went first. "I don't know, Professor McGonagall. I had just held Romilda's chair for her when I heard M- Mr Malfoy shouting something." Ron corrected himself, seeing the warning glare on McGonagall's face. "He came over here, falling all over himself he was, headbutted his knee and shouted out his love for someone."

Romilda nodded hastily. "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, I can't tell you any more than that." She gasped loudly. "He was coming here, wasn't he, and he wanted to profess his love- for me?!" Romilda became physically ill at the thought. "Eww!"

For a second, her gaze locked with the Potions Master who had been waiting for just this chance. With a silently cast Legilimens he had blasted through her mind's natural barriers, adding a blinding headache to her problems, and forced her to relive the event again, then tried to force her to remember being the cause of it. Since the girl was innocent, his search was neither quick nor pleasant, interrupted by Minerva getting between them to look at the suddenly pale student. Severus recovered his normal sneer and stepped back, considering the memories he had endured.

There was nothing in her mind that would lead to her being responsible and no trace of a Memory Charm on her. Someone else had done this, but whom could he blame. His mind instantly went to the demonic Weasley twins though he had no intention of trying to read their memories just yet. He still wanted to vomit at seeing the bitch's memories of Ron out of his school robes.

Ron put an arm around Romilda's shoulder, using the advice from that book he nicked from his brothers. It seemed to work, calming her down. Snape repressed a shudder at the sight and stalked away, robes billowing as he went to hunt down some antacid before starting an investigation into just who was foolish enough to risk his ire. Practically the entire school full of dunderheads should know that he protected the Malfoy brat when he could.

The Weasley twins were still laughing like hyenas and Minerva's lips thinned as she felt the urge to turn them into a matched pair. The trouble with dealing with them is they found jokes just as funny no matter who made them so you couldn't know just by that if they had planned whatever trouble was caused each time.

Satisfied that her Lions were unharmed and safe, Minerva looked around, trying to see any evidence as to just what in Merlin's name was going on. Over at the Hufflepuff Table, Harry gave her a slight nod.

He would help her out.

Juliana matched her response to those around her in an effort to cover her satisfaction. To Harry, watching for any sign of acting, the slightly stiff performance and the delay induced by copying made her stand out in his eyes. However, he also knew it was unlikely she would be able to brew any such potion or cast any spell to have that effect. She was guilty but there were others involved.

As always, the Weasley twins were likely suspects. At the same time, they weren't the only ones capable of the feat or likely to help Juliana.

Once Snape downed the antacid, he made a Floo call to Malfoy Manor, requesting permission to visit since Lucius was still persona non grata at Hogwarts for his part in the Basilisk attacks. It was granted quickly and Snape stepped through.

"Your son has just made a laughing-stock of himself." Snape stated bluntly. "In the Great Hall with everyone watching, he tried to claim a witch as his. This witch is two years below him and already interested in one of the Weasley brats, their youngest son Ronald and young Draco's rival in Quidditch. He didn't even know her name much less know her circumstance.

"He tripped over the Slytherin table as he tried to vault over it, slipped on the stone floor as he continued to approach the pair, and passed out, covered in filth, after screaming like a little girl from having bit his own knee. Currently, he is in the Hospital Wing and will be physically healed soon, I have no doubt.

"However his reputation is shot and I am sure that was the intention of whoever did it. It wasn't the young witch, mind you. She was horrified by the thought of a match between them. Clearly, Draco was slipped a love potion, one of the lesser ones than Amortentia." Snape's summary was brutally honest but that was what Lucius needed to get the information.

"You will find them, Severus. You will find whoever did this to my family then I will have Fudge send them to Azkaban for this outrage!"

"Lucius, dear," Narcissa interjected patiently, "Fudge can't do that when the use of love potions is legal. Especially not when he is on such shaky ground himself."

Lucius took hold of his anger and forced it down so he could try to think. "I still want to know who did this." 'Lord' Malfoy ground out and Narcissa nodded. "And I don't want there to be a next time. Narcissa, contact some of your acquaintances. It may be legal now but it won't be legal when I'm done. We are purebloods. We deserve the Ministry's protection from attacks!"

Neither of his listeners pointed out that Lucius had been busy undermining the Ministry for decades. To them, that was fine and just but the Ministry still had to protect them from others.

Narcissa headed to the Floo and got on her knees, an enchanted pillow under her as she settled in for hours of politicking. She was quickly able to get some votes together from those who already followed her lead, in Lucius' name naturally, but that left her far short of the necessary total.

Calling some of the rest, she was turned down viciously when she mentioned that such protections would only be extended to right-thinking wizards and witches of good standing. Narcissa was about to give up when one of them mentioned that it was only that which was the sticking point. If the law applied to everyone, then they would support it as long as the details could be worked out.

Lucius was angry at that counter-proposal but Narcissa eventually managed to get him to make that concession. He didn't have any current plans to use the potions on anyone, and he could buy his way out of trouble again if he did. Narcissa made him see it was a small price to pay. That it took her hours to get such a sensible concession spoke volumes about how pigheaded the man could be.

She despaired at getting him to truly understand politics and his son was even worse.

Calling back their allies and the neutrals, she arranged for a session to be called a week after Hogwarts released their students. That would be enough time for everyone to read the proposal without being able to screw it up too badly.

After dealing with that pompous Umbridge again, Narcissa finished her day and called for a drink.

Harry had investigated as he had silently promised Minerva and he slipped into her office shortly before curfew.

Raising an eyebrow at her guest, Minerva offered him a seat.

"Thank you. First, I was never here." Harry smiled. "I'm currently in the Hufflepuff Common Room talking about the next year's Quidditch team with Professor Sprout. As for the incident earlier today, I can confirm that the Weasleys brewed the love potion that caused Malfoy to act that way. However, they didn't do it as a prank."

When Minerva looked at him with disbelief, he continued. "No, really. They were paid to do so by another student. From what I've heard, said student was the victim of Malfoy trampling all over her, ruining her clothing and homework because he didn't care to look where he was going or who was in his way. He cost her at least fifteen Galleons and she had to redo a number of assignments due to the incident.

"She couldn't go to Snape to get him punished since he wouldn't do anything to Malfoy. The girl is from a 'lesser' family so it would be bad politics. She couldn't go to another teacher because that would be making her humiliation even worse as everyone found out, though I'm not sure she would have tried even then. Instead, she got the potion from the twins who sold it no questions asked and had him dosed up, sending him straight at Ron Weasley's girlfriend. Everyone knows of the feud between their families."

Harry sighed. "I hate those potions." Harry said quietly but passionately. "I also hate that according to the current rules, she didn't even do anything serious. The potions are fully legal and she didn't brew it or even touch it before it went onto Draco's plate. She couldn't have predicted any injuries either."

"No, but she did engage in reckless behaviour. Do you have anything I can use as proof?"

He shook his head. "No confessions, no evidence she touched anything incriminating, only the story from the twins that it was her."

"You're right, I can't use that without them admitting their own part. Still, I can keep an eye on her in class. She may slip up, earning a detention."

Harry snorted. "I doubt it. She's a fair little actress like most of the Snakes."

The exams finished, end of year homework was assigned and the students blew off steam in their usual ways. Lots of excited talking about summer plans, more public displays of affection or antipathy and a more relaxed air filled the castle. The exception to this, as ever, was Severus Snape. In short order, the sour man had discovered the same things Harry had although he had used mental and physical violations of privacy to confirm events instead of eavesdropping.

Juliana Ogden was safe from Snape's outrage, however. She had been favoured all year so for her to suddenly receive ill treatment would call attention to Snape's own crimes and Snape hadn't lasted so long by being sloppy. He had given the information to the Malfoys as promised. It would be up to them how to respond. While Draco fondly imagined himself immune to censure, despite the evidence, Lucius knew better than to provoke old Tiberius Ogden's wrath by harming a hair on his granddaughter's head.

Harry was ambivalent about the whole affair. While humiliating Draco was appropriate given he had done so to Juliana first, the means she had used sat very badly with him.

Once Draco had been released from the Hospital Wing, delayed by purging him of the traces of the original potion, he tried and failed to restore his dignity. Gryffindor students used cushioning charms on themselves and just rammed him in the corridors if he failed to give way politely. Ravenclaws used Cheering Charms and revulsion jinxes to make him move out of their way. Hufflepuffs teamed up in groups larger than his own. Worst, the Slytherins pitied him, openly offering him sympathy for his troubles.

Draco had never been so glad to leave Hogwarts.

On the train ride to London, Draco hit on the brilliant plan to show off his political talent by visiting each compartment and letting them gaze upon the perfection of pureblood breeding. Gathering his minions Crabbe and Goyle, he started off visiting everyone when he hit upon a tiny flaw in his brilliant plan.

None of the peasants wanted to talk to him.

The Gryffindors pulled wands on him quickly as they told him to leave. The Ravenclaws he couldn't find after he annoyed the first few and the Hufflepuffs just locked him out with spells even a First Year could break. Draco did manage to overcome those but found they had used them as alarms rather than serious defensive measures. By the time he broke in, they were already casting tickling and dancing hexes on him, forcing him to retreat.

How was he supposed to show his superiority now?

Down the end of the train, the Potter Alliance, Hogwarts Chapter, was having a meeting.

Thanks to the inclusion of some of the older families, especially those who produced the occasional Slytherin or Hufflepuff, these students had been granted a good foundation for learning how to keep secrets. Their loyalty to each other meant they were owed the true story, or at least as much as Harry knew about it. Therefore, he had taken the time to explain what he thought had happened, even the brief rebirth of the bastard who killed his parents.

"Just wow." Ernie summed it up for most of them. "I mean, I know you're not lying about it but I hope you understand that just once I wish you were lying or wrong."

"What gets to you more, mate?" Justin asked. "The bit where Riddle managed to survive death the first time? Or The bit where he tried to kill Harry?"

"The bit where Harry just killed him with something as simple as throwing some knives at him, I think. There were rumours that Riddle might have found a way to cheat death in his dark magic, so him coming back is bad, scary, but not impossible. Especially after Harry already dealt with his shade in our first and second years. And him trying to kill Harry makes sense, doesn't it? Harry is a threat to his reputation and his plans."

Justin nodded. "I can see that. I don't know about you but I am going to be putting in more effort on my combat practice. If any of those Death Eaters come after my family, I want us to survive."

There was a rumble of agreement from the guys at that and Harry gave Justin and Ernie a smile for their efforts. They had planned before the meeting to bring this up so they could help focus people on what needed to be done.

"Thanks, guys, that's what I wanted you to see. You don't need to have the best spells or the most power since Merlin himself. You do need to keep your head down and stay safe if you get attacked. Call the others. If there are more attacks, they'll need the warning. If there aren't, they'll be able to help you. Likewise, if you get those calls, let your parents know, and call the next on the list." Harry had a serious manner as he reminded them about the basic preparations.

"We will all have our parts to play, BUT it won't all be life and death, I assure you. We still have a number of parties planned. Is everyone still able to come to my birthday?" A wave of nods and Harry grinned. "Great, I'm looking forward to it." With the serious stuff out of the way, drinks were passed around and the movie began.

The Jewels had been having their own meeting in the next compartment. Angelique and the Cranleigh based young ladies had snuck aboard the train at the station, taking turns under the Invisibility Cloak. This train ride was a chance for several hours together uninterrupted by the outside world, a chance they seized with both hands.

"So Aunt Amelia has been spending much of her time with Harry, anyway. How do you think we can get her to acknowledge her feelings?" Susan asked.

With eyes all looking her way, Angelique blushed. "I am sorry, ladies, I do not zink zat I can offer much help. I had about given up on finding a man. Madam Bones cannot use ze same way so zere will be no repeat of it. That's a very good thing, however I am left without good advice. Maybe if she took a holiday?" She was clutching at straws and she knew it. Nym gave her a quick hug and smile for trying despite her nerves.

Tracey and Sophie gave their own supporting smiles before Sophie explained gently. "With the campaign against Fudge under way and gathering momentum, Susan's aunt will be busier than ever as she prepares for the election. That isn't even mentioning what she has to do with the conflict against Lucius Malfoy and his 'good friends'. She won't be able to take a holiday any time soon."

Tracey added "I think the mounting pressure may see her seeking out even more massages to cope. I know those massages helped some of us come to like Harry more. I can't picture any girl who wouldn't want his hands on her after one of those divine sessions."

Susan sighed half in memory, half in dismay. "But she's already getting them almost daily. If they haven't worked before, why would they now?"

The Hufflegirls piled on Susan, putting her at the centre of a group hug. "It's okay, Susan. Amelia doesn't have to join if she isn't ready or doesn't really want to join. We know," Hermione soothed, "you want the best for her. You love her, after all."

With damp eyes, Susan nodded. It was her fear that she would fail and her aunt would miss out on something wonderful.

"I do, and I know she loved the stories I shared with her about Harry, too. Plus, since I've started sharing, she's taken to caring more about her appearance. She even dropped that grey hair glamour she had on her hair. I overheard her bodyguards moaning about having to share the eye candy. But she still won't admit to me that she wants him." The girls hugged her longer and Susan buried her head in Hermione's bushy hair.

The love she felt from the others went a ways toward soothing her fears, and the other Jewels gave her the time she needed to pull herself together.

"Speaking of her appearance." Lavender trailed off.

Jennifer picked up the thread. "Why haven't we thought about getting her into Harry's clothes?"

"I do believe we had been talking about just that." Tracey snarked.

"We hadn't talked about her wearing them, though. I'm sure Harry would be happy to give her a fitting." A number of the girls blushed remembering some of their own more fun experiences.

"I think it was hearing about Angelique that prompted her to work on her looks." Sue Li offered. "The knowledge that there were other ladies out there who were still able to find the man for them, I mean."

"And Harry's clothes will make any woman look good, let alone a sexy lady like Amelia." Sally-Anne added. "Don't forget the full spa treatments he includes. Such a talented man, our Harry. He apparently learned very well from his father."

The rest of the ladies agreed having enjoyed that benefit of having Harry as a boyfriend, the icing on the cake so to speak.

In an obvious change of subject, Daphne mentioned one of the other candidates the Jewels had considered for joining them. "You know, Astoria has been surprisingly patient lately."

Luna laughed lightly, "I know what you mean. I can't remember the last time she pestered one of us to join up immediately."

Daphne nodded. "I'm proud of her, really. She has been very mature about all of this, though I get the feeling that she's planning something. She's far more of a Slytherin than I am."

Tracey smirked. "Don't sell yourself short, Daph. You're still more cunning than half of our House."

"That's not really saying much." Daphne smiled as she dismissed the praise. "With so many kids of Death Eaters in our House, the bar was lowered enough even Draco made it."

"It's okay, Daphne." Hannah hugged the girl. "You'll always be a Hufflepuff to me."

"As long as I'm a Hufflegirl, too, I'll be ok." Daphne promised, laughing.

Testing the waters, Hermione brought up Diana. She had been proposed near the end of their discussions after Angelique joined. Looking much like an older version of Daphne, she was a real bombshell and all the girls could feel her presence when she wanted to make herself known. Beneath the mask, however, she was much more personable and Daphne had been telling her about her life as one of Harry's girlfriends. The Jewels had given her their approval too, if she ever applied.

"It's still too soon, Hermione." Sophie replied for Daphne. "Even without the possible backlash for choosing a partner so much younger than her, tradition says she has to wait at least six months before she can be seen in public with another man. And there's still no guarantee she's even thinking about Harry that way."

Nodding, Hermione brought up other girls that the Jewels had considered like the Flying Foxes, older women like Hestia Jones and even Professors McGonagall, Vector and Sinistra and some of the younger girls they knew like her little sister Athena and Fleur's sister Gabrielle. Not all of them were considered to have the right stuff by any of the Jewels or to be mature enough or close enough but they had fun with the discussions, even throwing in suggestions for other girls who would get Harry hot.

It was a short time of giggles and smiles and some catty comments before Nym turned the conversation to lighter topics and signalled the clone standing guard outside that Harry could return any time he was ready now that the private part of their discussion was over.

His arrival was welcomed with open arms (and legs) by them, catching up on kissing that they had missed in the hour they had been talking. Harry knew he would find out what they had been saying, just as he knew they needed to know they could keep secrets from him. It made it a more powerful symbol of their love when they told him anyway.

At home, with the expected party in full swing and the parents of his Jewels present, Harry ran into an unexpected snag. Gabrielle Delacour had been trying desperately to get permission from her parents to stay in England rather than returning to France to go to Beauxbatons. She got sympathy but little support from her sister or the other Veelas. While Harry Potter was just what Veela myths were made of, there was no way they were going to allow a barely eleven year old girl to join a harem. Veela or no, Gabrielle was still too young physically and mentally for that even if she was certain otherwise.

Amelia, Diana and Liz were having a quiet chat about their favourite topic, one Harry Potter who was a never-ending source of surprises. One of the biggest in a way was that he was keeping all their girls happy, even in bed, and their girls had told them all the saucy details. The green-eyed wizard had even featured in some of their dreams, something that made Liz feel guilty.

"I still can't believe I did that." Liz blushed. "I mean my own daughter was getting me turned on with memories of what Harry did to her. Can you imagine letting any man tie you up before using that tongue?" She groaned as her mind made sure she did just that.

Amelia blushed as well. For some reason the idea of letting a trustworthy man have such control over her felt liberating and exciting. "I can't believe I watched little Nym Tonks turn into me as Harry took her. Then he took her back there. We were so very drunk that night but I couldn't look away."

"It was the same for me, Amelia." Diana said, squeezing the other woman's hand. "You weren't the only one turned on by that spectacle. Daphne's told me more this year about sex than I knew was possible."

The other ladies nodded and took a drink, finding the room hot for some reason.

"And that tongue!" Liz whispered against her will. With that, they finished their drinks and called for fresh ones.

Over by his parents, Harry blushed. For whatever reason, the three ladies hadn't even shut the door and his hearing had picked up on hearing his name early on in their talk. Worse, he knew his parents had likewise heard every word. Anko licked her eyebrows and winked at him.

Harry felt like putting his face in his hands but that would be conceding defeat. Instead, he extended his own tongue in response, nearly giving into the urge to lick her eyebrows too but settling for his own. Anko grinned and the other Angels laughed at her getting her own tactic turned around on her so easily.

Harry Potter was really growing up.

Thank you all for reading. Thanks again go to my hard-working betas Cloud Zen (894440) and Daisy Duck.