Chapter 65 - Perspectives

The following morning, Neville stumbled out of bed and blindly found a bathroom, somehow making it work for him despite his mind feeling wrapped in cotton and the unfamiliar layout. The blast of cold needles of water digging into his unprepared skin woke up him quite well, thank you, and he quickly adjusted the temperature to a much warmer one, his chattering teeth calming down slowly.

As he showered, he considered everything that had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours. If you had asked him the previous day if he would be standing there, showering in Harry's sprawling home and about to share breakfast with his parents, he would have denied it outright. He might even have decked the fool who asked it for daring to probe his wounds like that. Now, he was about to do just that, well, as soon as he finished enjoying this luxuriant shower.

Once he was dressed in fresh Muggle clothes that had been laid out on his bed, he wandered out, finding his Mum and Dad waiting for him.

"Er, hi." He said lamely, face already reddening.

"Hello, Neville. No need to be embarrassed, honey. This place is a bit too big to navigate if you don't know it yet so we thought we would accompany you to breakfast. If that's all right with you." She added.

"Yes! I, oh Merlin, yes, Mum." Neville babbled, getting a flash of pleasure from her at the name. Frank opened the door for his wife and son, then led the way, letting Alice take up the conversation as they wandered out to the kitchen. Now that they were together, Frank had less reason to want to 'return' to a home he hadn't seen in nearly fifteen years, one where his son had failed to be loved and treated the way he ought to be.

On second thought, maybe he did have reason to return after all.

Alice absently reached out and touched Frank's shoulder, recognising from the tension there the direction of his thoughts and wanting to spend time with their son rather than getting vengeance on his uncaring relatives.

Over breakfast, Neville was brought up to speed on everything. He heard how the Longbottoms had recovered, about the testing that confirmed their state of mind, and even the fact that they had gotten to know Harry. Neville was less surprised than he thought when he learned that it was Harry's suggestion that had brought them together after all this time.

Afterwards, while Frank went off to talk to Amelia Bones and Alice was escorted into the day spa for a quick treatment, Neville took the opportunity to speak to Harry.

"Harry, I can't tell you what this means to me. If I could do anything to help you I would."

"Don't worry about it, mate, I know-"

"No, I mean it!" Neville steadied himself as he desperately tried to recall the Oath he wanted. His stern grandmother was definitely a champion of the old ways including the various formal and binding Oaths that governed the older style of alliances and associations.

Harry stayed quiet, seeing Neville was already regaining his balance. He knew that if he were in Neville's shoes, he'd want him to let him get himself under control.

"Harry James Potter, I, Neville Francis Longbottom, hereto pledge thee my troth, to make your enemies my own, as your sworn vassal, my liege, for as long as I draw breath." Neville was proud he had got that all out in one breath and without mucking up the words.

For his part, Harry had listened in mounting horror. "Neville, mate?"

"Yes, my liege?" Neville replied, his pride vanishing as the words came out of his mouth.

"Nev, what Oath did you intend to swear? I recognise that one, barely, from some of Sirius' history books and I'm pretty damned sure that wasn't the one you were after."

"I- My liege, I only wanted to show you that I would help you out whenever you needed me. Oh, shit! Gran's gonna kill me!" he moaned.

"Well, you did that and more, mate. That was the Oath to bind someone as a vassal, not just to pledge support. I don't think there was a standard Oath that would do what you had in mind, though."

"I guess that's why I was having such trouble remembering one, my liege." Neville grimaced. "Am I going to have to keep doing that, H- my liege?"

"Oh, yeah. Neville, from this day forth, you are not required to address me as your liege." Harry said it quickly. "Sorry, mate."

"No problem, Harry." Neville replied and smiled. "But what are we going to do?"

"Well, there's a way to get you out of that Oath, but you're not going to like it. I know I certainly don't!"

"What's that?"

Harry sighed. "To stop you drawing breath. It would satisfy the conditions of the Oath, releasing you, but-"

"But I'd be dead!"

Harry nodded. "Yep, just long enough to stop the Oath, then we'd resuscitate you. I could do the medical procedure myself but it's a big risk if I get it wrong and not something I'd want to try unless we have to. Oh man, we're screwed."

"I-I," Neville paused, hating more than ever his stuttering and nerves. "If it's all the same to you, Harry, let's not do that. I don't want to die."

"Good, then it's settled. Now we just have to survive our families." When Neville looked scared, Harry lightly punched his shoulder. "Buck up, Nev, I'll support you, and I know we'll get through it. And look at the bright side."

"What bright side is that?"

"Now, you don't have to worry about your Gran. That's my job."

Surprisingly, that actually worked. Neville put his shoulders back, and they headed out to the spa, finding Alice bonelessly relaxed as she reclined against one of the chairs. Harry absently told Neville to take a seat, raising one eyebrow as he did so immediately, then pulled up one of his own. Taking advantage of her current state, Harry broke the news to the witch gently. Her reaction was immediate.

"What?!"

"It was an accident, Mum!"

"I believe him, Mrs Longbottom. Part of his Oath was that he swore to be honest to me."

"Oh, Neville!" Alice groaned. "Harry, you won't mistreat him, will you?"

"Not on my li-.. that is, I won't." Harry had bitten off that last word after the most recent evidence that he needed to watch his tongue. "As I mentioned to Neville, there is a way that might release him from it, but it's very much a last resort, I'm afraid."

"And what's that?" Naruto asked from where he was still rubbing Alice's shoulders, trying to reduce her tension.

"The Oath remains in effect as long as Neville draws breath. If it went ahead, the idea would be to stop him breathing long enough for the Oath to cease its hold of him, then bring him back fully."

"Stop his- Kill him? Turn my son into a soulless husk?" Alice was horrified by the suggestion.

"Not at all. Plenty of people alive today have stopped breathing, even had their hearts stopped for a time or ripped out and replaced. They have gone on to live their lives without a care. No, that isn't the reason I don't want to risk it. The procedure would likely cause at least a little brain damage, or worse if something went wrong. Your son is a good friend and becoming a fine wizard. I don't want to risk him losing who he is if there's another choice."

Alice nodded, then sighed. "At least there is one good side to this disastrous Oath."

"What's that?"

"Now, he cannot swear another without your permission. You will make sure he is more careful in future, won't you, Harry?" Alice asked, looking sternly at her godson.

"You have my promise."

Harry's assurance wasn't enough to wipe away her worries, but it helped a little. "Thank you."

Not sure just what to say, Harry bowed to her.

Alice sighed in resignation. "I really should have expected something like this after everything else I've seen since you all fixed Frank and me."

"What do you mean?"

"I suppose I couldn't have expected the oath, but life around here is very different and I never seem to know what will happen next. You and your parents display powers which defy everything I know about magic yet most everyone acts as if they're perfectly normal. You have established a harem, collective, whatever you want to call it with dozens of women of all different ages and yet no one bats an eye. Even some of your own mothers - having more than one mother is just another thing - seem to be trying to find their way into your bed!"

Laughter slipped from Harry's mouth. "I'm sorry, Mrs Longbottom, I don't mean to laugh," he said, attempting to stem her indignation. "I understand my family is weird. We do things differently than just about anyone could imagine. They have an entirely different set of morals than anyone else I've ever encountered, but we really aren't all that different at the core. Or maybe we are.

"My parents are heroes, Naruto most of all. A lot of children grow up thinking that of their parents. I knew it to be true. In their lives, they have saved princess, won wars, overthrown despots, changed nations and an entire world. When they took me in, they didn't just give me love and a home, they tried to teach me to be a hero too. They pushed me to excel, taught me to stand up for myself and how to make friends.

"But my parents are also ninjas with a wicked sense of humour. We tease each other and play pranks but it's all, always, in good fun. One of their enduring lessons is to never stop seeing what's around us, not just so you can be prepared to defend yourself but so you don't ever forget the beauty and joys in life.

"It is a lesson I still sometimes struggle with but their teaching has saved my life a dozen times. Sure, they tease me about my relationships with girls and try to make me blush, but I know they love me and are proud of me. Where you see my mothers trying to get into my bed, I see them playing a game we all know the rules to. And the first rule is that none of them will ever get in my bed. I know it. Dad knows it. My mums know it. And the Jewels all know it. Even their over the top praise of me is part of the game we all play. Dad plays his part too, like when his Angels praise my skill in, er, things, he happily takes it as a mock challenge to surpass me. It's a way of flirting with him as much as anything else. And afterwards, they're all happier.

"I love my family. Even if I wanted to, I could never deny them something that makes them happy. Yes, my parents are weird but I love them all the same. If that means putting up with them forgetting clothes or their crazy antics in exchange for parents who took me in and gave me everything, it was a trade worth making."

"What about the way they left you to face the dangers at Hogwarts?" Alice was curious. She could never let her own Neville face have the things Harry did.

"They trusted me to handle it. All along, they've made no secret of wanting to make me the best person I could be. Not just some overgrown kid who has skills and abilities, but someone who can face the world as it is and make it a better place. As I grew up, they have let me handle more responsibilities as I showed I could be trusted with them."

"Surely it wasn't all training?!"

"You have met my parents, right?" Harry chuckled. "No, it was a really fun childhood. Especially once I learned how to make Shadow Clones! That increased the amount of time I got to play games with every additional clone. They encouraged me that I could do almost anything if I worked hard enough."

"No wonder you ended up in Hufflepuff." Alice muttered as Harry's fingers found another knot of tension.

"That and it was a bit of a prank." Harry agreed. "Besides, I wanted to be with my friends, not separated by the Houses. I'm not sure I'm a hero, though."

"You are. Or was it some other young man who did all those amazing things?"

Harry blushed and said nothing, letting his fingers keep up the massage of the woman as they both processed the conversation.

Alice groaned and sat up when it was over. "Thank you, Harry. Would you please send in my husband? I'll need to discuss a number of things with him."

"Yes, Mrs Longbottom. And you're welcome."

He tapped Neville's shoulder, using his new-found power to help his friend escape the tense situation, while he sent a clone to get Frank Longbottom as promised. While Neville's parents dealt with the news, Harry put on an action movie for them to watch.

Things settled down eventually, especially as Neville's parents saw Harry looking out for their son like a big brother, and the shock wore off over time as normality reasserted itself. True to his word, Harry made sure that Neville had a great time during his visit. Getting Fay to drop by for one afternoon helped restore the Gryffindor's spirits, too, quickly leading to a squealed "Yes!" when Neville asked her to be his girlfriend.

While things had certainly started with a bang, Neville had to admit that it was his best ever holiday.

Unfortunately, not everyone shared Neville's outlook.

The self-styled Lord Voldemort had decided that his forces, especially the newer recruits, needed to be bound to him in shared bloodshed, not just the Dark Mark. To that end, he had decreed each week to attack a Muggle village. A list had been drawn up of suitable targets, small enough that his Death Eaters would have overwhelming force and isolated enough that there was no real danger that the Muggle response would come in time to do them any good.

After that, the names were picked at random from villages across Great Britain and Ireland. If the village chosen was close to the last one, its name was put back and another drawn in its place. While none of the filthy Muggles could really stop his forces, he didn't want to get bogged down in any sort of confrontation that would leave the Aurors at his back.

As such, the PM was under pressure to stop the attacks on law-abiding British citizens, and he was putting pressure onto Madam Bones, when he could spare the time to meet with her, that is. Between his own schedule and the secrecy required for the meetings, Amelia had managed to evade most of the appointments. What could she say? That she knew about the attacks and was trying to stop them? Prime Minister Major already knew that much and it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but she couldn't give him what he wanted, not while the perpetrators were covering their tracks.

The tensions between their governments were rising again, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

While Daphne was staying at the Compound with the rest of the Jewels, watching Harry massage a moaning Susan Bones, her mind wandered to that problem.

She knew that the Clan, including Harry, wanted to get proactive. That meant going after the suspected Death Eaters, capturing all of those involved last time and putting them through the wringer to find out everything, then attacking every Death Eater and unmarked supporter, wiping them off the face of the Earth.

The problems with that approach were many. Firstly, Amelia was dead against it. It was a violation of civil rights and a terrible way to treat innocent people. There was also the backlash from the general public as well as the Wizengamot to consider.

It would also take the gloves fully off, a declaration of war on the Death Eaters, and would prompt them to retaliate however they could.

On the down side, by waiting, they left the initiative in the hands of the Death Eaters, and the death toll was mounting. It was getting harder to justify holding back when people were dying.

They needed some way to pressure their enemies into cutting back, and Daphne's mind brought up the Daily Prophet. Her father was the designated representative of the Potter Alliance which owned the paper, and he was more involved than he had been before the fake articles scandal. That meant that he would be perfect for this task.

"Harry," she called quietly, smiling as one of him came over and sat by her. "I was wondering, why don't we use the newspaper again for this? I mean, we want to stop the attacks but we can't go in wands blazing."

Harry nodded reluctantly. "Well, you know how I feel, but go on."

"A big part of the problem is that too many just don't care if Muggles die. Even if we published the figures, many would just shrug their shoulders, or worse feel good about the numbers. What we need to do is to change their attitudes, make them care about the deaths of strangers."

"And how do you propose to work this particular spell?"

"By linking the deaths to the Statute of Secrecy. We point out that every time someone is killed, it's putting every witch and wizard at risk of a vengeful world. We play upon their fears."

"That could backfire, you know." Harry warned her. "And wouldn't that jeopardise the goal of reintegrating wizards and witches into society?"

"I know it could backfire, and we may have to find a way to make the threat seem real, I think, just to get it to work at all. But we can't drop the secrecy while wizards are killing them or they will attack. They won't have a choice."

Harry nodded. A retaliation by the regular British would be inevitable if they knew who was attacking them. It was obvious.

"Ok, we can suggest it, but I would like to make the plan safer before we go ahead with it. Still," Harry added, "it is a good idea."

Daphne grinned. "Do I get a reward?"

"I think we can do that." Harry took her hand, leading her over to Nym and then leading the pair of them to Daphne's bedroom. Inside the room, 'Yes, this was definitely a reward,' Daphne thought, her second orgasm crashing over her. 'But then, every day is a reward,' she thought to herself, unable to speak with her mouth full.

The articles got published, fear-mongering pieces pointing out how these irresponsible wizards were endangering everyone's families. The reaction included a spike of anger at the Death Eaters at last. That pulled the Clan back from considering an extreme reaction of their own to the appalling apathy the so-called Wizarding World had been showing to the deaths of fellow human beings.

While the Death Eaters themselves were more likely to scoff at the threat of Muggle revenge than to believe it, they weren't immune to the opinions of other wizards and witches. They had to respect the threat from their fellows who would not look kindly upon them for risking everything they had.

This wasn't enough to stop them following the commandments of their master but it did mean the so-called Lord Voldemort scaled back his attacks, putting his minions through more training instead. Somehow, they were still unable to locate the vast majority of the adult Muggleborns. The Dark Lord was pleased, however, that one of his followers was able to follow orders.

It had taken far too long for him to manage it, of course, but the whining excuses about the new security measures did make some kind of sense. After all, with Amelia Bones now in charge and able to effect change on a greater scale and with the authority and legitimacy of being the Minister to support her plans, increased security was to be expected.

Still, she had her limits. She couldn't be everywhere or know everything, and there were more subtle uses of the Dark Arts, even the Imperius, than most wizards dreamed.

Voldemort's minion had been instructed in one such use, casting the curse from behind on a Mudblood who then cast it upon a mid-level Ministry worker. That worker was compelled to carry out his normal routine except for trying to find a way to grab the addresses of a number of Hogwarts students, particularly the ones in the Boy-Who-Lived's rather large harem.

After months of delay, months where the curse had to be recast a number of times and their victims' minds repeatedly assaulted to smash down any resistance that regrew, it was done. His investment of time and personal training had paid its first dividends.

He had the locations for the homes of five girls close to his nemesis.

He sent out five pairs of Death Eaters to the areas who would make their own way there then Apparate back to Malfoy Manor, their memories extracted so the Dark Lord could create Portkeys. That done, Voldemort summoned Malfoy to appear before him in his throne room.

"Lucius!" he hissed.

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius maintained his outward calm.

"Who are the best of my forces to infiltrate the Muggle world and stay there to observe my next targets?"

Lucius considered the matter. "There are a number who are fair in the art, my Lord." And he rattled off the names as ordered. In his mind, he held the clear reservation that none of them were perfect so he was afraid to recommend them more highly, lest he be blamed for their failures. His Master was just as skilled with torture as ever.

"Very well. Have them study the Muggles, their habits and patterns, so that I have all the information to create the perfect plan." Voldemort ordered coldly.

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius bowed himself out of his Master's presence, already planning to track down the names of the targets. Asking Voldemort for such a thing would only anger him, reminding him of his fallibility, and that was far too likely to lead to pain.

Within the hour, Lucius had found the people he needed and extracted the information. All he needed now was to wait for the observers to arrive for their new mission.

Over the next weeks, teams of Death Eaters watched their targets in shifts, huddling under Invisibility Cloaks purchased with Malfoy gold and eating food from the same source, building up dossiers on the families. Using Omnioculars and making sure to keep up their silencing and notice-me-not spells, the teams kept the chance of discovery to a minimum.

Though the students had returned to school, the Dark Lord still didn't attack. He needed this to succeed and he demanded more information first to plan it out.

In the interim, more villages were attacked leaving no witnesses.

The holidays went well for Harry and his friends. Neville had solidly connected with his parents for how short a time they'd had together, and he set up a barrier around them at the station when it was time for the students to return to the Scottish castle.

As predicted, Amelia had pushed through the paperwork without opposition since her opponents didn't know they needed to do it, getting Frank and Alice reinstated as active Aurors once again, and partners, and incidentally regaining custody of their only son.

Neville was ecstatic about that, especially when his father had told him, "Neville, you don't have to return to Estate Longbottom if you don't want to. Your mother and I are still trying to decide just what to do about your grandmother, but you won't be subject to her abuse again."

Neville had opened up to his parents, eventually accepting that, no, good guardians don't allow children to be dangled out of windows. Nor do they send Howlers to their children at Hogwarts and humiliate them, or any of a host of other things he had gone through. It was only their love for him that convinced him he was worthy of love, though it was an ongoing process.

The reunion of the family unit with the older generation had been postponed. Frank wanted Neville far away and safe before he confronted the old vulture who had preyed upon his son. Augusta Longbottom had tried to report Neville missing, only to find that the Ministry wouldn't accept the case, saying "He is safe where he is." Indeed, Neville had answered letters from the woman confirming that, but he had refused to come home.

In the end, the holidays had ended before Augusta could get anything done, and, feeling betrayed and ignored and alone, she didn't go to see the train with all the students. If she had, she might have seen two people walking around and ruffling the hair of a formerly pudgy and shy boy. Then again, she might not.

The Clan were very protective of children.

Back at Hogwarts and settled into their classes again, Harry and his friends were furious at what they had read in the paper.

COPYCAT STRIKES IN GERMANY!

Underneath that headline, the article went on to describe the brutal murders of a family of Muggles in Bavaria, snatched from their home and then tortured and killed in the same way as 'unknown persons' had done in England. The International Confederation of Wizards was 'concerned about the rising violence and the risk of exposure' but doing nothing. Really, the organisation was even more toothless than the old League of Nations. It had no troops of its own, no money to raise any, and no authority to enter any member nation's territory. It was just a fancy debating house for wizard diplomacy, a place that looked important while the real work was done in private clubs and so forth, places that made Apolline so successful with her assets.

The proposals from some nations were also worrying. Rather than crack down on the known bigots in their societies and putting them under duly earned suspicion, these laws would make it harder for a Muggleborn witch or wizard to stay current with the changes in the regular world, making them stick out even more, and reinforcing the xenophobia. Harsh punishments were being touted for wizards interacting with their non-magical neighbours unless they could prove they didn't compromise the Statute of Secrecy. Supposedly, this would make any of the killers criminals but it was obvious they were already breaking the law by killing innocent strangers.

The real people punished by this would be the Muggleborns and their families, having to choose between their relationship with their families or staying on the right side of the new laws.

Harry made a note to see what would be needed to defeat these vicious proposals. Bribery and blackmail were tools he was willing to use. Assassination would have to wait. He really didn't want to upset Amelia.

Over the next couple of days, dozens of students in the Potter Alliance approached Harry and the Jewels. They expressed their own outrage over the proposals, asking if there was anything they could do to help oppose them. The general answer was to send letters to their parents and to the Daily Prophet about the issue. They would be making sure that their society was aware of the problem and forming the grass roots support of efforts to defeat these ideas at home and abroad. At another level, the Foundation and their allies would use other means at their disposal to defeat the changes.

By now, the Alliance's economic power had extended tentacles of influence overseas. In large part this was thanks to people like the Greengrass family and their business opening doors, but also because they had actively looked to seize new opportunities. Using that economic leverage, and some well-placed articles in the foreign papers, they had already helped galvanise a boycott of businesses run by the bigots behind the problem. This also improved the profits of their competitors, people who were members of the Potter Alliance.

Soon enough, the proposals were dead in the water without having their proponents doing likewise and Quidditch was returning to Hogwarts.

Draco had taken to heart the lesson on the importance of cunning. He had also learned that the Summoning Charm was a far more important spell than he had thought possible before that painful morning. While he was still stung by the humiliation of losing his Prefect badge, he had taken to staying in the shadows more since that Blood Traitor Headmistress and the two Halfbloods had challenged him like that.

And so, Draco had a cunning plan for the match ahead.

When the Ravens and the Snakes faced off against each other, and Hooch blew her whistle, Draco flew up high above the pitch, lazily flying in circles to 'look for the Snitch' while really he was waiting for his accomplices to do their work.

Draco had approached a couple of Seventh Year Slytherins, both male, both known to be sympathetic to the Dark Lord even if they weren't as proud about it as Draco, and both from respectable lines that had fallen on harder times. He had paid each of them fifteen Galleons, as much as their families earned in a week, to purchase their services.

"I want you to disrupt the game." Draco had told them, masterfully covering his sneer at their poverty. "Use the Summoning Charm, make the Blood Traitors crash into the ground. Filth like them don't deserve to fly. The worse they're injured, the better. You'll get more money if you impress me."

Sadly for Draco, his acting skills were in no way up to the task of covering up his superiority complex and both older teens had bristled at his cavalier manner of treating them like servants. Still, they were Slytherins.

"Of course, Mr Malfoy." The older students smoothly assured Draco. "You can trust us."

"See that I can." And with that, Draco turned his back on the pair. He didn't bother to check that they would do what they said because he was a Malfoy and his father would see to it that they would be punished. Unfortunately for his plans, he neglected to consider what would happen if the older pair had a protector of their own, the same Dark Lord his father served.

Thus, while Draco was up in the air, circling around, he watched eagerly for signs of the Ravens getting their wings clipped. After an hour with barely any movement, he began to realise that he had been betrayed. He hadn't been trying hard, not wanting to risk being hit by mistake or implicated in the injuries he 'knew' were coming. Free from Draco's presence, Cho had been able to interfere more with the Slytherin Chaser team, her agility and improved awareness making her hard for their Beaters to stop.

It was not a tactic without its downside, which was that it allowed Malfoy free rein to search, something he belatedly realised he needed to do for real since the hired help had failed him. Much to his mother's disappointment, Draco had failed to bring up his class ranking far despite putting in more effort, but he had managed to improve in Quidditch.

That's what led to Malfoy being the one to catch the Snitch (unopposed) in a rather long and boring match, while Cho had assisted her teammates to score an impressive two hundred point victory despite him.

After the match, the Slytherins engaged in one of their favourite activities, shifting the blame.

The Beaters blamed the Chasers for not making the most of the times they had the Quaffle. The Chasers blamed the Beaters for not keeping the Ravens off them. They all blamed the Keeper for failing to stop the shots on goal, while he blamed Draco for taking so long to beat Cho to the Snitch when she wasn't even trying.

Outside of the team room, however, they tried to present a united front before their peers lest they all go down together.

When Draco went to confront the traitors who had taken his money, he did so alone, and was quickly Obliviated of the transaction so that he couldn't blurt it out and get them in trouble with the Headmistress. It was a dishonest end to a dishonest affair.

Voldemort threw down the paper in anger. Not a single one of his Death Eaters had been willing to tell him in person, leaving it to the Daily Prophet to inform him of the news that was already rocking their world.

Frank and Alice Longbottom, feared Aurors beyond their years, were back.

Worse, it looked like they had even more reason to go after his minions than ever. That was hardly a surprise after dear Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers attacked them in their home and left their son effectively an orphan. Especially when the three had been sprung from Azkaban by his minions.

He summoned his Inner Circle, letting them sweat for fifteen minutes before announcing coldly. "I know about the Longbottoms. Now, we need a plan to deal with the news. For the moment, call off the raids on villages. I do not trust the new recruits to do something even that simple without leaving evidence behind. No, it is time for more training. Lucius, you will see to it that they have everything needed to sustain them as they train full time."

"Yes, my Lord." Malfoy was already calculating how this would further diminish his fortune and how many Muggles he would need to use to rebuild it.

"Mulciber, you will have another task. You are to lead the attacks on my enemies in the so-called Potter Alliance. They grow in numbers by the week and I will not allow them to threaten my glorious cause. Come to me by the end of the day with your plans.

"Bellatrix," he continued, "you will oversee the veterans for now. Make sure they know the price of failing me."

The named witch shivered in pleasure, nodding quickly but remaining in place even after the others were dismissed. Together, the pair talked more amicably, not between equals but between master and beloved servant.

Elsewhere in Great Britain the reactions were just as powerful.

Augusta Longbottom refused to believe it. She stormed into St Mungo's and then to the permanent care ward, Healers and nurses trailing behind her like a comet's tail.

"Where are they?" She turned around after spying their beds empty. "Where are they?!"

"They were transferred over a month ago, Madam Longbottom." The Chief Healer replied in place of the senior nurse, having run in on seeing the chaos this old witch was bringing to his nice, orderly ward. "Now, you will have to leave. You are disrupting my Hospital and that puts my patients at risk."

"Not until you tell me where they are!" Augusta snapped at the wizard. "They were my son and daughter-in-law, my family, and I have a right to know where they have been taken!"

"Orderlies!" As the poor staff came to remove the old battleaxe, he explained further. "Madam, they were transferred out on the authority of the Minister for Magic to another facility. To my shame, they could do what we could not and restored their minds. Now, get out!"

As the orderlies moved to grab her, she almost went for her wand but instead put her head and shoulders back. She walked out with as much dignity as she could salvage, her stern visage keeping the young things from laying a hand on her.

As soon as she reached the Apparation Point, she turned and left with a 'Pop!' that echoed her displeasure at being ejected, her destination the Ministry Atrium. She bounced off the protections on the place, redirected to the in-bound Apparation Point instead, and forced her anger back into its cage as she was forced to submit to the security screening like a common witch. She even had to hand over her wand to be tagged!

This was her mood when she told the wizard at the desk that she was going to see the Minister.

"Do you have an appointment?" The wizard, an Auror there on 'light duty' after breaking an ankle pursuing a thief, asked, not the least friendly to the obviously angry woman.

"No, I do not, not that it matters. I will see Madame Bones or I will have your badge."

In response, the Auror simply pressed a button under his desk, silently summoning the Duty Squad. Less than ten seconds later, they arrived. "What's up, Hawking?"

"This witch wants to see the Minister, Lee. She says that she doesn't need an appointment and claimed she would have my badge if I didn't give her what she wants."

Lee chuckled. "No chance of that. Well, Madam Longbottom, why don't you come with us and we will sort this all out?"

"I demand to see the Minister right now!"

"On what grounds?" Lee's voice and face hardened.

"She has kidnapped my son!"

"That is a serious accu- Wait, did you say she kidnapped Frank?"

"Yes!"

Whatever responses Augusta had expected, tears of laughter were not on the list.

"That would be quite the thing, wouldn't it, Hawking?"

Hawking nodded while Lee added, "I can tell you right now that she has done no such thing, Madam. If you will come with us, we can clear this up shortly."

Augusta was unwilling to be mollified but seeing the six Aurors, all with their wands ready to hand, she realised she had little choice. At least they allowed her to keep her wand. They led her deeper into the Ministry, away from the Minister's office, ignoring anything she said about it, and to the DMLE.

With Aurors in front and behind, she was taken to the very back of the DMLE, a quiet empty room with a few chairs, and directed to take a seat. They closed the door behind them with the squelch of a Locking spell and the ping of an alarm being set, not willing to let an outsider roam about unsupervised.

Ten minutes later, now aware that she was trapped and at least a little afraid that the Minister had gone mad and was going to get rid of all of her family, the door opened and her mind blanked. The sight before her was impossible!

Frank and Alice had come in, their eyes full of intelligence and awareness. More, they were clearly upset with her.

"Hello, Mother." Frank growled at the woman.

"Hello, Mrs Longbottom." Alice added coldly.

"But, Frank?!" Augusta was trying frantically to think again. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, it is, no thanks to you. We know you were the one who was stopping our treatment despite Nev's pleas."

"But what they were claiming was impossible! No magic could fix you. I tried to find a way, any way, at first but I, I-"

Alice interrupted, putting into words what her mother-in-law could not. "You lost hope. That's why you abandoned us to that place. We were already dead to you and 'the dead do not return'. That's it, isn't it?"

Augusta glared at Alice. "Yes! How was I supposed to know that it would work when dozens of other remedies failed?!"

"You were supposed to try, Mother. You were offered a new treatment at no cost to the family, one that could save your son and give Neville his parents back fully. What did you have to lose? If you had taken the first offer, we could have had more time with our son, and if it had failed? You would have lost nothing."

"It would have hurt Neville!" she protested.

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you? I'm proud of my son for surviving it all but what in Merlin's name were you doing? He's told us about being pushed off a pier and being dropped from an upstairs window by Uncle Algie! What possessed you to encourage those attacks on my son?!"

"They- they.. we were afraid he was a Squib!"

"So what?! He is still family and killing Squibs is still a crime. Or had you forgotten all of that along with whatever trace of parenting you once had? I am ashamed of you! Really, you made life hellish for our Neville instead of caring for our boy. That stops right now. You are not to see or contact him unless he contacts you first. Are. We. Clear?"

"How dare you, Frank! You're still my son and I will not be spoken to like that!"

"Yes, you will, or you will be charged as an accessory after the fact to the attempted murder of Neville Longbottom, as well as for your years of child abuse. You can thank my wife Alice here that you are even getting this chance." Frank replied as hard as iron. "She seems to think that your actions can be excused in a way as an attempt to do the right thing, however flawed."

"And I don't want my Frank to go through the pain of seeing his own mother thrown into Azkaban." Alice explained. "However angry he, we, are at you, he does still love you, else he wouldn't be so disappointed in you."

That was what really cut Augusta down. "Azkaban?"

"Repeatedly allowing Algie to attack Neville, Mother. Always telling him how much of a failure he was, how he would never measure up to me. Merlin, woman, were you trying to destroy your own family?"

"I didn't think-"

"Yes, Mother, that was perfectly obvious. However," he sighed, "there has been plenty of that going around for far too long. My Alice here insists that I offer you another chance because, despite everything, you are my mother. I can do that, I think, if you truly make progress in mending your ways. Despite your best efforts, Neville is becoming a fine young man. Alice and I will raise him, now that we can, and if you convince us that you have truly changed, we may allow you to see him again. 'Uncle' Algie never will. In fact, he has already been charged and his trial is next week."

"He's my brother!"

"And Neville is my son, your grandson. He had done nothing to deserve any of that, while Algie is an adult and supposedly knew right from wrong. I might have been willing to settle for having his magic bound and a sentence of house arrest, but he didn't need magic to nearly kill my little Neville time after time, did he?"

Augusta slumped. "You would really send your own family to Azkaban?"

"I would kill him myself but the law applies to me too." Frank told her. "For what he did to my own family, to your only grandson, he deserves no less. I'm yet to be convinced you shouldn't join him there."

Other reactions to the Longbottoms' return were more positive, taking it as a sign of hope in tense times. Rumours abounded that it was due to Ancient Magic, Dark Magic, Light Magic, Technomancy, Oneiromancy, just about anything short of aliens, which it technically was. The article in the Daily Prophet just mentioned it was the result of recent developments in medicine and that there was nothing illegal or Dark about it, backed up by an implied promise that the Longbottoms would swear an Oath to that effect.

Behind the scenes, despite the speeches praising the restoration of two fine Aurors, the Wizengamot was angry and fearful, aware at last that they were losing power and respect by the day. It was too late for them, not that they could admit it, but they were already becoming irrelevant and the only parts of the Ministry that remained relevant were the DMLE and Magical Sports and Games. For everything else, the Lily Potter Foundation could meet any witch or wizard's needs.

Working in Diagon Alley, several of the Jewels' clones ran a quick inventory.

"You know," Jennifer said, "I'm really impressed by how quickly sales have grown."

"Vraiment, I mean, really?" Angelique was curious. "We have still yet to sell more than a dozen dresses in a day."

"I know," Jennifer replied, unconcerned, "but between the profit margin on them and the low running costs, we're already in the black. But that's besides the point, my point was, we're managing to sell to people who looked like they stepped out of the Middle Ages, to my eyes. Sorry, that's what these robes look like, so old-fashioned. And here we are, trying to update their wardrobes by a few hundred years."

Nym frowned thoughtfully, glad her makeup hid her base form's resemblance to her mad aunt. "It's not entirely fair to say they're centuries behind, there has been change in fashion over that time."

"But they're still robes, and most witches felt like anything else was too Muggle, at least before we opened this shop. I love Harry, but I thought he was a little mad to think we could make a profit on this side." Jennifer sighed. "It just shows I should have trusted him more. After all, he lives on both sides full time."

Fleur sighed, too. As much as it hurt her pride, sometimes, she knew that her world had fallen behind and was no longer even trying to keep up. That was why spell researchers like Angelique had become feared like they were.

The other girls sensed her feelings, pulling her into a group hug. "Merci, I needed that. Ooh, a customer!" She grinned as their heads all turned to the front of the shop, slipping out of their embrace and heading to the entrance.

"Welcome to Bewitching, official outlet for Foxy Lady clothing!" she announced with a flourish, glad that as a clone, she had no Allure to make dealing with the female customers harder.

Narcissa Malfoy entered the strange shop under a glamour, wanting to see more of this business that dared to overturn conve- Her thoughts broke off and her aristocratic eyebrows raised in astonishment at the sheer variety on offer. Everything from well-made robes in a modern cut through to clothes she couldn't even identify, it was all there on rack after rack, held on strange triangular bits of not-metal.

As she browsed, she held back the sneers she might have enjoyed showing as herself, and after a few minutes it became easy. While the girls working here weren't proper Purebloods, they were quiet, efficient and perceptive, guiding her to the correct sizes, even offering useful suggestions as to which pieces would match her current disguise.

Glancing around, she made sure she was the only customer in the store then drew her wand casually and waved it at her own head, dropping the disguise. "And what would you recommend for me now?"

Fleur smiled, noting the slightly different shade of blonde hair worn in the style of the Blacks. "Milady, for you, I would recommend something more chic. Only the finest, no?"

From there, she was guided toward the back of the store where the more expensive items were kept, each girl bringing out one or two at a time for her inspection. Narcissa had to admit to herself, there were some exquisite items here. The workmanship was very fine, far finer than she had seen in years, in fact, and the prices were more reasonable than she expected, nothing over a thousand Galleons yet. She smiled more warmly than intended, settling down to enjoy herself, even treating the staff as something far closer to equals than would ever be the case otherwise.

After picking out a few evening gowns, she went into the changing room, taking advantage of the full length mirrors and clear, shadowless lighting that allowed her to see herself from every angle. This was what shopping should be. When she picked up later that the store used Muggle ideas for this, she grimaced then had her first doubt of the childhood belief that they were good for nothing. 'After all, if they have such good ideas about the important things in life, perhaps there are some worth saving.'

She stepped out into the store proper, taking a turn to give the clothes a further evaluation, nodding to herself, when her eyes caught on some black lacy numbers in a corner. "What are those?"

"Ah, those are the Wicked Witch lines by Foxy Lady." Fleur replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "Something for those with the most discerning taste and an understanding of discretion."

Curious, she wandered closer, confirming that these were undergarments, but of a cut and style that was new to her. On an impulse, she gathered up a few pairs and wandered back into the changing room, grateful that the shop girls made no sign of noticing. Inside, her hands shook a little, but in a moment of daring, she put on the first one, so sheer that she couldn't help but feel sexy for the first time in years. She even posed before the mirrors, smiling as she saw she still had it.

She tried the next, and the next, and all of them shared that wondrous quality, even as the fit was not up to her standards of tailoring. That was scarcely a surprise, of course, for clothes that hadn't been adjusted for her, but it did leave her disappointed. A small frown was still on her face as she walked out.

"Milady?"

"Oh, the quality is quite nice for off the rack, but I can't imagine these styles being more than a passing fancy without a better fit."

"Would Milady perhaps have time for a personal fitting with our master tailor for the perfect wardrobe?" Angelique's offer was somewhat naughty. She knew it would be a good prank on the proud woman and her family, and perhaps on Harry, too, to have the Boy-Who-Lived with his hands all over Mrs Malfoy.

Her interest piqued, as she had never found quality anywhere close before, "Yes, yes, I do believe I shall. I am available on Wednesday at ten o'clock."

"How wonderful, he is free Wednesday and I am sure he will be able to satisfy you thoroughly." Angelique replied. "For now, has anything caught your eye sufficiently?"

It would be inaccurate to say that the Dark Lord was inactive. He was working harder than he had ever done before, in fact. He only had so much time in a day and there were always more things brought to his attention than the day before, or so it seemed at times.

This was entirely Lucius' fault, of course. If he hadn't assembled that coalition in Voldemort's name, then Voldemort would not have given so many the Dark Mark, gaining power over many more families in the process, and Voldemort wouldn't have had so many Death Eaters running around causing problems with their failures to meet his own high standards of competence.

Now that he had so many under his command, wizards and witches he could torture remotely at a whim, he was trying to train them into an effective force. After all, he had failed the last time to take over Magical Britain. He refused to fail again. And after that, he would need the manpower to invade Europe.

In the shorter term, however, the self-proclaimed Dark Lord Voldemort was ramping up the pace of training in preparation for a simultaneous attack on a number of targets. The first wave would be a distraction, "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," where fifteen random Halfbloods and Muggleborns put under the Imperius and forced to don Death Eater garb would Apparate into Hogsmeade and fire a bunch of spells into the air.

Once they had drawn attention and the available Aurors, the true attack would begin.

Before that, however, Voldemort had one other important task. Using his best glamours and charms, he imitated the appearance of a Ministry worker and unmarked supporter, heading into the Ministry building and taking the quickest route to the Hall of Prophecy. While the other wizard's wand was a bad match, he still had his own if necessary. He only had to cast the Imperius five times and Notice-Me-Not charms fifteen times before he was at his goal, striding confidently along to find the right shelf.

There! He picked up the Orb and listened to it in the cathedral-like silence of the nook, absently cast silencing spells keeping his work secret.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... The Dark Lord will suffer threefold so long as he opposes the Chosen One."

Voldemort put the Orb back and snuck back out of the Department of Mysteries, unaware of the silent alarm he had triggered when he lifted up the faked Prophecy Orb that Harry had suggested be made. As he slipped away, he considered the full Prophecy he had finally heard.

A surface reading of the Prophecy would counsel him against doing anything more to that blasted Potter. However, Voldemort imagined he had a deeper understanding of the text which suggested to him that he could continue his efforts at conquest as long as he recruited the boy to his cause. His experience that Halloween night had taught him the power of the ancient sacrificial ritual, one powered by desperation and love. It might also have been a sign that the Prophecy was already acting through Lily Potter to protect the baby.

He shook off that line of thought. 'Prophecies are meaningless,' he decided. 'I refuse to abandon my path to glory for the ramblings of a pathetic lush!'

As he entered the Atrium, he found his supporter, returning the wand, and exited the Ministry. He had attacks to launch.

Narcissa Malfoy took another critical look at herself in the mirror, something she did more and more in the last few years, pulling and twisting to examine every inch before reluctantly stopping. 'I have put on weight' she complained mentally. It was true. She had added all of half a pound to her frame and it had gone to her bust, not that this mattered in her current state. 'It is all those Merlin-damned feasts the Dark Lord insists on holding, using OUR money to pay for it all, and there is no way I can skip them all.' She shivered at the thought of the punishments Voldemort would unleash for the disrespect.

Still, she had to get going. Dressing in some of her finest robes and garments, she turned on the spot Apparating to Diagon Alley and strode down it, trusting to others to get out of her way. The crowd in the Alley was fairly light at that time of day so there was enough room and to spare.

She checked no one was watching her before heading into Bewitching and striding up to the counter. "I have an appointment." She announced without preamble.

Michelle gave her a playful smile. "Indeed, Mrs Malfoy. If you would go on through, our finest master tailor will be with you in a moment."

Narcissa was curious about the smile but dismissed it as irrelevant, walking to the back of the store and following the signs. After a few turns, she entered a moderately sized room with soft yellow lighting and a tune she couldn't identify playing in the background. A sign on the wall read:

"Welcome to the Royal Suite here at Bewitching. We hope you enjoy your stay as we create for you the perfect wardrobe for all occasions. In order to assure your privacy, we have a policy that..." While Narcissa's eyes dutifully scanned the rules and conditions, the rest of her didn't care. The wording was all standard enough, she thought, and said that she could talk about how well she liked the experience or not, but could not divulge details and had to obey reasonable instructions. Practically all the long-standing businesses in the Alley did something similar to ensure no competitor could steal their secrets.

Nodding in acceptance and knowingly binding her magic to the contract, she took one of the sinfully comfortable lounges, reclining and her eyes drifting closed almost immediately, relaxing. Thus it was quite a shock when she heard a young man's voice.

"Mrs Malfoy?"

"Please, call me Cissy." She replied warmly, still not opening her eyes, feeling too good to worry.

"Cissy, then. Would you like to begin the fitting? We are pleased to offer you our full service, including clothes made only for your unique style and beauty, every stitch, every thread, made by hand and only for you from only the finest of materials. We believe that nothing beats a hands-on approach and a personal touch. During your stay, you can partake of whatever refreshments you wish, including a chocolate mousse guaranteed not to break even the most stringent diet, a speciality of ours. We also offer full spa treatments at your leisure including, but not limited to, massages, hair stylings, pedicures and manicures to help bring out the best of your natural beauty." The tailor's voice was somehow familiar to her, though she couldn't put her finger on it, but she was easily distracted by the range of services on offer.

"You guarantee your chocolate mousse, do you?" She asked with amusement.

"Indeed. If you have any unwanted effects, Bewitching is prepared to compensate you to the tune of up to a hundred Galleons." The amount of compensation made available impressed Narcissa.

"And if I should require treatment?"

"Any reasonable expenses will be covered by us. We are that confident." Harry knew he was laying it on thick, but it was true. A calorie-neutral dessert was something many women would kill for, or at least cheerfully maim. Normally such indulgences were reserved for his Jewels and the rest of the clan, but given that Mrs Malfoy was in the Royal Suite, he felt obligated to oblige. He was treating it all as a big prank on the Malfoy men, just as he knew his Jewels were by putting her in this special room reserved for those who held a place in his heart.

He would be having words with them later.

"Well, perhaps I will try it later. For now, why don't you get started, Mr..." Cissy opened her eyes and was shocked. "Mr Potter? Aren't you supposed to be in school, Mr Potter?"

"Why, yes I am, Cissy." Harry shot back with the cheeky smile his Jewels loved. "I am also your personal tailor for this. You were promised the best, after all."

"Prove it," she replied with an arched eyebrow.

"Naturally." Harry decided to give her the works. She was paying for it anyway and the chance to prove the haughty woman wrong was also appealing, as was getting one over on that ponce Draco. He started off with a light massage on her right arm, just enough to get her comfortable again, while she looked over various fabrics and clothes that displayed his skills. Within ten minutes, she was stripping for him down to her undergarments, eager to see if he could do for her what he had already done with the ready to wear clothes in the main part of the shop.

Harry smirked behind her as he measured every inch of the older beauty. His father would be so very proud. The Jewels watching through hidden cameras shook their heads at how rapidly Harry worked, bending Cissy this way and that, making her take all sorts of poses nude for him without a word of protest. Nym was especially studying the images, wanting to try out a new form for Harry later.

The proud Narcissa made a return when she tried on the first of the new lingerie an hour later. She turned this way and that, examining herself in the full mirrors that had shown themselves on cue. Yes, she was very pleased with the effect, flattering, concealing but revealing, and more comfortable than she had ever experienced. Her eyes were drawn to her personal tailor, briefly wondering what other talents he had hidden before she caught herself, her eyes just short of staring at his groin. 'No! Merlin, what is wrong with you, Narcissa Black? He's in the same classes as your son. Plus he's the enemy of the Dark Lord and an outspoken opponent of our traditions. Even if he is handsome- Argh'

No other sign of her turmoil was visible, and Harry was tactful enough to make no sign that he had spotted it. As the hours passed, Narcissa was convinced that it was still one of her better ideas to get the fitting, despite the incident. She found herself even repeating those naughty thoughts, safe in the assumption that Harry would be just as bound as she to keep everything confidential even if he had noticed her interest.

Naturally, Harry had indeed noticed. It was impossible for him not to when he was the one to remove her panties from her and spotting the glistening curls. Again, he was proud of himself though he kept his actions entirely professional. Well, there were those times he made her bend over or caressed her round buttocks, ostensibly to make sure that the fabric was draping correctly and so on.

He really could be such a tease because of his parents and their training him in seduction, particularly Ino-mum and Kurenai-mum.

Plus, while Narcissa would be entirely bound to keep their sessions private, Harry was under no such restriction. The contract merely required that he make a reasonable effort to provide her with a good service. The Clan weren't stupid enough to write any contract that wasn't entirely in their favour.

By the end of her session, she had tried on dozens of clothes of all types, been pampered and massaged practically into a coma and revived with a delightful assortment of light refreshments. She was amazed to discover that she had spent practically the entire day in the surprising boutique (no longer a mere 'shop' in her mind), and almost begged for another appointment the following day. Feigning reluctance, Harry allowed himself to be talked into it, meeting at nine the next morning.

Narcissa showed up the following day as they unlocked the door to open, wearing the same lingerie she had purchased, eager to get more of a good thing but having to hide her excitement behind the usual Pureblood stoic mask. The Jewels celebrated their prank with Harry using the profits from the Pureblood woman's purchases.

Thank you for reading. Again, if you have questions for me, you need to enable PM's for me to answer them.