Chapter 13 Christmas

Remus glanced up at the cloaked figure standing in his doorway. His hand instinctively went to his wand, which lay on the desk in front of him. It was early Christmas morning and besides the unfortunate law enforcement officials on duty during the holiday, the place was suppose to be empty. Which is why the cloaked figure was so alarming, especially since the figure's right arm was hidden under their cloak. Things had been testy after the Diagon Alley Attack. Eighteen law enforcement officials had been killed, mostly Auxiliaries but also a few Aurors and Hit-Wizards. Death Eater casualties were unconfirmed but fifteen were found dead and another dozen were taken into custody. Not to mention the dozens of destroyed stores and townhouses, and thirty-three dead civilians.

"Hullo Remus," the figured stated, lowering their hood with their left hand.

"Harry! Merlin, barely anyone has heard from you in two and a half months!" Remus cried, standing up and moving around his desk. He pulled his unofficial nephew into a hug before releasing him and running a critical eye over his appearance.

Harry was an inch or two taller then he was when he left, bringing him to around five feet ten inches. He also bulked up a little bit and if Remus had to guess probably weighed around a hundred and eighty pounds. Other then that there appeared to be nothing different in the teen.

"It's been a while Remus," Harry stated with a grin.

"What are you doing here?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's Christmas Remus. I couldn't let you spend it in your office. Come with me to the Weasleys. I want to see everyone."

"I don't know. I got this report that has to be..." Remus was interrupted.

"If you don't, you aren't getting your present." Harry jiggled the rucksack on his back. "Besides, you're the head of the being division; make some intern do the report."

Remus chuckled and closed the folder that sat in front of him. "You've convinced me. We'll have to stop off at my place so I can grab some things."

Harry waited as Remus packed up his stuff. He shifted his weight anxiously, ready to see his friends for the first time in, at least for him, four and a half months.

"Have you heard from Sirius?" Harry asked. It had only been a few weeks

"He sent a letter the other day. He's fine but bored. Apparently they're set in a stalemate at the Greek border with the main of Voldemort's force. He says Dumbledore is the only leader of the coalition who appreciates a good prank."

Harry snorted. That sounded like Sirius alright. Remus ushered Harry out of his office and then closed the door behind him. As the werewolf turned to lead Harry to the fireplaces in the atrium, he noticed something.

"What happened to your arm?" Remus asked.

Harry glanced down at his right arm, which was still in a sling from the damage Rookwood had inflicted upon it. "Quidditch accident," Harry answered.

Remus looked at his nephew with a raised eyebrow. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Nope but its the most you're going to get."

Remus inclined his head. "Fair enough."

Thirty minutes, a floo trip to the Marauder's House and a side-along apparition later, Harry found himself at the end of the path leading up to the Burrow. Remus started walking up the path and Harry, cautiously, followed.

"What about their wards?"

"The Weasleys have wards that prevent all apparition and incoming portkeys. They also have wards that keep out most dark creatures and any with the dark mark, along with all the basics, including a proximity ward."

Harry frowned, while it seemed like a decent amount, it wasn't enough. "They should have wards that prevent anyone from entering the area without a Weasley's permission."

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "I've told them to upgrade them but they can't afford too and Bill can only do so much between his job at Gringotts and working for the Order."

"Does the Order keep him busy?" Harry asked. "Last time I was around, Order wasn't doing much."

"Well I didn't sign Moody's contract so I don't know anything about it. All I know is Molly has been worrying more then usual about Bill and his work for the Order."

Harry stroked his chin in thought. Several purebloods had been found murdered in their homes over the past two months. None of the wards around the houses had been destroyed but evidence of tampering had been found. The purebloods were all discovered to be Death Eaters, lower ranking ones at that. Bill was a skilled enough Curse Breaker to be able to tamper with the wards enough to get a person or two inside a house.

"Is that you Remus?" Arthur Weasley's voice called out.

Harry looked up and saw the elder Weasley standing at the door with his wand clenched in his hand. Behind him Harry could see Bill and Charlie also standing there. They were making sure the new arrivals weren't threats.

"It's me Arthur and I have Harry with me."

"Harry?"

Mrs. Weasley came bustling out of the house despite her husband's protesting and immediately pulled Harry into a tight hug. Harry sucked in a breath as his injury sent a lance of pain shooting up his arm. Mrs. Weasley let go of him quickly and glanced at his arm.

"What happened?" she asked in concern.

"Quidditch accident," Harry answered.

She frowned at him in disapproval and quickly ushered him inside.

"Molly we're supposed to verify who they are!" Arthur protested.

"Nonsense Arthur. Harry needs no verification. Just a nice meal and sometime with family." Mrs. Weasley led Harry to the table where piles of eggs, pancakes and sausages still sat. "I was just about to wake up Ron and Ginny for them to have breakfast. The twins should be arriving any minute now. Percy was going to come but his girlfriend invited him to spend the day with her family today last minute. Apparently she's been working hard for the Ministry overseas and didn't know she'd be back until this morning."

Harry grinned up at Remus as Mrs. Weasley started filling up a plate of food for him. When the plate was set in front of him, he poured a healthy amount of maple syrup over everything and dug in. While he had plenty of eggs during his training, delicious tasting pancakes and sausages were not part of breakfast.

"Remus, you're more then welcome to have some yourself," Mrs. Weasley added as she started climbing the stairs.

"Yeah Remus, come on and eat up," Harry said through a mouthful of food.

"Don't they feed you Harry?" Bill asked, his eyebrow raised as Harry shoved more food into his mouth.

"They do but everything is focused on health benefits and not so much taste. I'm in heaven eating all this."

Mr. Weasley slowly holstered his wand but still kept a watchful eye on the two new arrivals. Remus moved forward and made himself a much smaller plate than Harry, and began to eat. What sounded like a small herd of hippogriffs was coming down the stairs. Ron appeared seconds later, followed by the much quieter Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

"Mate! Good to see you," Ron stated, slapping Harry on the back.

Harry nodded his head at Ron, too busy shoving food down his face to say anything. Ron joined him, piling tons of food onto his plate before shoveling it into his mouth.

"How is the training going Harry?" Mr. Weasley inquired. "Ron told us Amos Diggory himself met with you to convince you to train under Ministry instructions."

Harry paused from shoveling a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. "It's going good. I'm a lot better then I used to be in pretty much everything."

"Teach you anything cool?" Ron asked.

"A lot of different fighting and some other stuff like healing," Harry answered vaguely.

Before anyone could press Harry for an answer, loud noises came from the living room. Everyone made a move toward their wands before the twins came bounding into the room, smiles on their faces. Noticing everyone looking at them wearily, they just grinned wider.

"No need to be so happy to see us," Fred quipped.

"Your enthusiasm is a little overwhelming," George added.

"Ever here of knocking?" Charlie asked.

"In our own child home?" George asked.

Fred followed up with, "Never!"

Charlie made a move toward the twins but they danced out of his reach, wagging their fingers at their older brother.

"What's that you two have in your hands?" Ginny asked, indicating two metal round balls that fit easily in the twins' palms.

The twins, being who they were, decided to explain in that weird way in which they went back and forth, finishing each others sentences.

"It's a magical grenade."

The remaining Weasley's looked confused at what exactly a grenade was. Harry indicated with his hands and his mouth that a grenade was something that exploded. Looks of realization came upon their faces.

"We call it a MagFrag."

"You stick your wand into this hole right here."

"Get your minds out of the gutters Harry and Ron," Fred chastised, rolling his eyes at the snickering duo.

"Cast the spell of your choice, though only about twenty or so spells will work."

"And the gem will hold the spell."

"Until you press this button here."

"In which case the gem will be split and the magic in it will fissure."

"Which will cause the magic to explode outward in a wave of energy."

"You have about eight seconds after pressing the button before that happens."

"The patronus and explosion hexes work the best."

"They're in the final testing stage now."

Harry nodded, thoroughly impressed with the creation. It would definitely be a benefit for the Ministry to have such a device on their side. Looked like the twins had taken his advice seriously when he had visited them in disguise all those weeks ago. Mr. Weasley clapped both of his sons on the back, pride evident on his face.

"Will your department be able to make enough of those to be effective though?" Charlie asked.

"We don't make them," George stated.

Fred opened his mouth to continue but Charlie held up his hand. "None of that twin speak either. It gets annoying after a while."

The twins rolled their eyes before Fred started talking. "You guys know Lord Martin Boot right?"

"Doesn't he own several greenhouses in Merlin's Sanctuary?" Bill asked, racking his memory.

"Largest supplier of magical plants to the apothecaries in both the United Kingdom and Ireland," Remus supplied.

"Right you are Remus," George said. "Well at the urging of the Minister he created a new company called MagiCorp. What ever we invent in Games and Development, MagiCorp mass produces for the Ministry."

Nods of understanding went up around the room. The muggle world was filled with private companies creating the weapons and equipment used by the armed forces of the government. The magical world was now doing the same thing.

"Sit down for breakfast you two," Mrs. Weasley said, indicating the food still on the table.

"Sorry mom but we already ate. We were up early putting the finishing touches on the MagFrag," Fred informed his mother.

Though they didn't grab a plate, the twins did sit down at the table. Small talk was being exchanged by everyone around the room as Harry and Ron continued to scarf down their food, Ginny going at a slower pace.

"That MagiCorp building is going to be a target," Harry pointed out. "Once the Death Eaters find out the Ministries main weapons supply is coming from there, they're going to hit it hard."

"It's located in Merlin's Sanctuary with his greenhouses," Remus supplied. "With a lack of Ministry troops to supply proper guards, Diggory turned toward a private security firm from Italy to provide protection. They have several werewolves on their team, so as the head of the Being Subdivision, I was assigned to help set up the contracts with the firm. Lot of magical oaths and contracts to make sure they do their job correctly and don't betray us to the Death Eaters."

Harry nodded his head. Thirteen law enforcement officials had died during the Hogwarts Express debacle. Another eighteen had died during the attack on Diagon Alley. Couple that with the fourteen who had been assigned to join the coalition, and the Ministry's law enforcement numbers were dangerously low.

There was a lot of talk about cutting the Knights training short and using the twenty-four members to help bolster the numbers. From what Harry knew, Diggory and Russo were going over the pros and cons of the two arguments. They had planned on having the Knights train for twenty-four months with the help of the time turner, making that eight months in real time. They were only two months in, and not where they wanted to be. Harry knew a handful of men had been brought in from the United States but that was it. They weren't expecting any new recruits until the summer when the current group of seventh years graduated, and even then numbers wouldn't be too high.

There was whispers of conscription, although at this point it was all whispers. Diggory liked the idea of the Order of the Phoenix. From what Harry could understand, Mad-Eye was militarizing the Order and it was now considered a militia. Communication had been set up between Mad-Eye and Amelia Bones to help coordinate the two groups during future attacks. The Ministry had the bulk of the fighting force but if the numbers were to be believed, Moody had almost twenty members in an organized fighting force.

"Hey Ron, you ever ask Lavender out?" Harry wondered.

"Er yeah, about two weeks ago," Ron answered.

"Oh Ron, why didn't you tell us?" Mrs. Weasley demanded. "Your first girlfriend! My little boy is growing up."

The older brothers all sniggered while Ron sank lower in his seat. "That's why I didn't tell you."

"What about you Ginny? Any boys in your life?"

Harry saw Ginny's eyes dart toward him and he quickly averted his gaze. "No mum," Ginny answered.

"That's such a shame. You're a beautiful girl. Just need to find the right guy for you, that's all."

Harry felt Mrs. Weasley staring him down but kept his gaze on the table. He suspected Mrs. Weasley wanted him to end up marrying Ginny but he wasn't positive on that. Sure he found Ginny attractive and they got along but Harry wasn't so sure he felt that way about her. Not that that kiss she gave to him before he left Hogwarts helped matters any.

"How is Norbert doing Charlie?"

"Norbert?" Charlie asked, his face confused.

"The dragon Harry and I snuck to you in my first year," Ron stated.

"Oh you mean Norberta! Yeah, that dragon is a female."

Harry snorted. "Good thing we got her out of there. Otherwise Hagrid would have had her all gender confused."

Mrs. Weasley stood there with her hands on her hips. "You snuck a dragon out of Hogwarts as first years? And you never told me about this Charlie!?"

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "Wasn't my story to tell."

"Oh yeah Mrs. Weasley, Ron and I got into loads of dangerous things at Hogwarts. Remember when we willingly went into the acromantula colony and were almost eaten?"

Ron shuddered at the memory. "Don't remind me mate. Good thing the Ford Anglia was roaming the forest, or we would have been a spider's late night snack. What about when we took on that troll as first years?"

"Merlin, what were we thinking at the time. I mean, I'm glad we did for Hermione's sake but bloody hell, a full grown mountain troll."

Ron looked at his mother, who looked none to pleased with him. "Don't look at me! Harry shoved his wand up the thing's nose!"

"I was eleven," Harry protested.

Remus shook his head. "When your father and Sirius were doing something they shouldn't have been doing, it was putting itching powder in the underwear of every Slytherin. When you and Ron do something you aren't supposed to, it's some death defying experience."

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "We like to one up the previous generation."

"Let's go for a walk yeah? I need to burn off some of this food off or else I'll get fat," Harry stated, patting his belly.

"You don't have an ounce of fat on you," Ginny blurted out. When she realized what she said, her eyes bulged out in mortification and she quickly looked down.

"Giving the amount of time she's been staring at him so far, I'd say Ginny's an expert on that," Charlie teased.

The Weasley brothers all guffawed, as Harry felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

"Leave your sister alone," Molly said, waving her finger at her second oldest son.

Everyone was having such a good time after exchanging presents that no one noticed Harry slip from the room. Harry, making sure he was out of eyesight from everyone, cast a disillusionment charm over himself and slipped out the back door into the darkness. He had another reason for visiting the Weasley family. Mulciber had been spotted in the area recently and since the man was known for his warding skill, the Ministry believed the man was testing the strength of the wards around the Burrow. That was why when he and the others had been going for a walk outside, he had cast his own perimeter ward around the property, inside the Burrow's outer wards.

The more powerful wards around the Weasley household couldn't be taken down without someone noticing, mostly because powerful wards gave off a flash of light and emitted a loud sound when they went down. However, a proximity ward could be taken down easily with none the wiser. Which was why it was only Harry that knew a dozen men had entered the Burrow's property from the woods. Not Death Eaters, since the anti-Dark Mark ward was still up and not dark creatures because the wards prevented all but werewolves from entering the property and even then the full moon was six days ago so it made no sense for Greyback to attack.

Harry moved quickly across the lawn, spotting the figures as they tried to move stealthily across the open land that made up the Burrow's backyard. The men were dressed all in black, their wands clutched in their hands. It was easy to see they didn't come here to exchange presents.

Harry removed the sling from his right arm. There was still a stinging pain and the healer had warned he could reopen the wound if he wasn't careful, which is why he wore a sling, but he needed both arms right now. On the plus side, unable to use his right hand during training had improved both his skill with his left hand and his wandless magic.

Back in the Burrow, Remus frowned as he finally noticed Harry wasn't in the room anymore. "Anyone know where Harry went?" Remus asked.

The Weasleys all looked around, frowning. "Harry?" Mrs. Weasley called out.

Remus moved into the kitchen but didn't spot the teen. He stuck his head out the back door and looked around but it was too dark to see much. He was about to call out but a strange smell entered his nose. He quickly pulled his had back in and went to the living room.

"Arthur, several people are on the property. I don't know how many but I could smell them and I don't recognize any of their scents."

All the male Weasleys immediately stood up. Ginny went to stand as well but Mr. Weasley stopped her.

"Stay with your mother Ginny."

"But I can fight dad!" Ginny protested.

"If one manages to slip pass us you need to protect your mother; she isn't a fighter."

Ginny grumbled but nodded her head and sat down. Mrs. Weasley put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. She knew how much her daughter wanted to prove she didn't need the constant babying the rest of the family gave her.

Remus led the group outside, where they spread out. With a flick of his wand, Bill sent a flare up into the air, which illuminated the entire yard. What the group saw, shocked them all.

"Harry?" Remus asked.

Standing over twelve unconscious figures was Harry Potter, his left hand clutching his right arm where his wound had reopened. The Boy-Who-Lived also had a black eye and busted lip but other then that appeared fine.

"Bloody hell mate, you take them all out on your own?" Ron asked, awe in his voice.

"With the help of a disillusionment charm," Harry answered with a shrug.

"I'll go contact the Ministry," Mr. Weasley stated, casting a glance at Harry before moving off to the house.

"The Ministry isn't just training you in fighting is it?" Remus asked, looking Harry over with a critical eye.

Harry shifted his gaze toward the twelve unconscious figures and flicked his wand. Ropes burst forth and wrapped around each man, tying them up. With another flick of his wand, every wand the would be attackers had flew toward him. He pulled out a bag from his robe and directed the wands into the bag.

"You know the attack on Diagon Alley, how the Ministry was able to take down the wards so quickly?" Harry asked, after a moment.

Remus nodded his head, it had been in the press for over a week. "Of course. The Minister said he sent in someone behind the Death Eaters lines to locate and destroy the power stones and weaken the wards." Harry nodded his head as it took a minute for Remus to put the pieces together. "Wait, that was you?"

Harry indicated his still bleeding right arm. "This was a result of a run in with Rookwood. I'm being trained to accomplish things brute force can't."

Ron whistled appreciatively. "Blimey mate, you took out those three Death Eaters on the roof? The Prophet was speculating on a trained vigilante."

"Yeah. Several in the Ministry already know it was me. I wasn't taught to hide my magical signature at the time so when Aurors went over the scene, they discovered my signature in several places. Diggory had to make sure no one said anything. You guys can't say anything either."

"We won't Harry" Fred promised.

"Yeah we're used to keeping Ministry secrets," George stated.

The sound of several people apparating filled the air and everyone turned to see eight Auxiliaries appear at the edge of the wards, followed by a man wearing a plain black robe. Mr. Weasley came back from inside with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny following him.

"That guy in the black, he's come here to speak with me," Harry stated as the Ministry group moved toward them.

"How do you know that?" Bill questioned.

"I see it was as we expected?" the man in black asked, as he neared Harry.

"Expected?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her face showing it's shock.

"Reports had Mulciber in the area," Harry stated. "He's Voldemort's main ward guy. Whether it be constructing or breaking, he's the best the Dark Lord has."

"Mr. Potter," the man in black warned.

"Please Rick, these people are my family. They deserve to know." Harry turned toward the Weasley's. "Reports indicate that the Dragon Mafia and Voldemort are in the talks to set up a potential alliance between the two organizations. While Voldemort could crush the Dragon Mafia, it would take him time, followers and resources he just doesn't have at the moment, especially with his focus on Eastern Europe, so a temporary alliance is his best bet. Talks are in their preliminary stages right now, still months away from becoming anything substantive."

"What does that have to do with my family?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"As a show of good faith, one of the Dragon Lieutenants, Ridgeback, placed an attack on your family," Rick explained. "You are a prominent opponent of Voldemort and his cause, as well as your close connection to Mr. Potter, here."

"That and Ridgeback is Lysander Malfoy, cousin to everyone's favorite Lucius Malfoy," Harry added.

It was weird to see a scowl break out onto every Weasley's face at the mention of a Malfoy. It was in perfect harmony and Harry wondered briefly if they all practiced it as a family during Sunday dinners.

"And no one told us about this?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Mr. Potter here was given permission to visit you today, with the purpose of diverting the attack before it was to take place. We had a Hit-Wizard team and eight Auxiliaries as back up, in case additional aid was necessary," Rick explained.

Everyone looked at Harry, who shrugged his shoulders. "It was one of the only ways that let me visit during the holiday. I set up additional security, in case yours was circumvented, which they were, and went to handle the situation once alerted. If anything had gone wrong, I had a panic button to press to summon reinforcements."

"What does this mean for the future?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"They may try again. We can't be certain of anything at this point. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going."

Rick turned to leave with the Auxiliaries, who had rounded up the unconscious men. Everyone turned to watch them leave before turning to Harry with questioning looks on all of their faces.

"His first name is Godric, but after he got sorted into Slytherin, he started going by just Rick. He's my … handler. It's mostly just simple stuff right now, like pdating me with any information but the working relationship I have with him will expand when I enter … the field."

"Let me take a look at that Harry," Mrs. Weasley stated, moving forward, and indicating his bleeding wound.

Harry held out his arm, which was still bleeding. She waved her wand over the wound several times, stopping the blood flow and causing it to scab over.

"It's the best I could do," she said.

"It's Dark Magic. They aren't sure it will ever heal properly," Harry admitted, withdrawing his arm from her grip.

"I'll have to put up new wards. Better wards," Bill said.

"I can hire Gringotts if you'd like. It's your association with me that put you guys in trouble, I can spare the expense. I can request Bill to do it. This way he'll have the time to do it and won't have to worry about doing it between work and Order business."

"We can't ask that of you Harry," Mr. Weasley said.

"You aren't asking me. I'm offering. I'll contact Gringotts tomorrow with my request."

After a moment of silence, Mr. Weasley nodded his head. "Thank you."

Harry turned toward Ron and smiled at his friend. "Want to come with me to visit Hermione?"

"How you getting their mate? And how do you even know Hermione's at her house?"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of rope. "Portkey. And one of my assignments during the week was to meet with several of my friends under disguise and see if I was good enough where they wouldn't know it was me. I passed the test and thank god I talked you out of getting me that Chudley Cannon players robe as a present."

Ron punched his friend in the shoulder. "That was you! I really thought you would have liked that robe too."

"Ron, I hate the Cannons. You're the one who is in love with them. The Catapults are my team."

"The Catapults? How could you like the Catapults?" Ron cried out in dismay.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "They were my dads favorite team and they are from Wales, which is where I was born."

"My own best friend, a traitor," Ron muttered, shaking his head.

"You going to be fine going out to Hermione's?" Bill asked.

Harry could tell from the tone of the older Weasley's voice that he wanted to make himself their escort. Harry didn't doubt Bill's skill with a wand, but it seemed the adults doubted his ability. Not like taking out twelve guys by himself was something everyone could do.

Fred and George both snorted. "I think Harry proved he can handle himself."

"Probably better than most of us."

"He can definitely take care of himself," Remus agreed.

Harry grinned at Remus in gratitude. Remus responded by reaching out and ruffling Harry's hair, causing the teen to pout.

"Can I go mom please?" Ron begged.

"And can Ginny come too?" Harry added, turning his pout toward Mrs. Weasley.

She looked at the three teens, each of whom was giving her their best puppy dog look. She looked at her husband who merely shrugged his shoulders in a, what are you going to do, fashion.

"How will you be getting back?" she asked.

"I have a portkey to Remus' house. They can spend the night and floo back in the morning. I have to report back to the Ministry by noon, so they'll be back early.," Harry promised.

"And you're ok with that Remus?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Of course," Remus answered immediately. "Besides, it will be nice having the company, even if it is only for a handful of hours, most of which they will be sleeping. With Sirius gone the house is kind of empty, and quiet."

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Fine."

Harry stood there grinning as the door was thrown open, showing a very confused Hermione.

"Harry?" she asked.

"Hermione?" Harry responded.

"Harry!" she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"Ginny and I are here too," Ron mumbled out.

Hermione pulled herself away from Harry and looked at the other two in embarrassment. "Of course I see you two as well," she stated, her cheeks red.

Harry shook the rucksack he carried over his shoulder. "I come with your Christmas present in tow. Do you mind if we come in?"

"Of course, please come in." Hermione stepped back into the house, allowing them entrance. "We just got back from visiting my dad's sister and her family."

They entered into the foyer, Ron closing the door behind them. Ginny turned toward Harry and leaned in close to him.

"You aren't expecting an attack here are you?" she whispered.

"Negative," Harry responded with a shake of his head.

Ginny nodded her head before turning back around to follow Hermione, who shot them a weird look. She led them into a sitting room where her parents were both relaxing, in their night clothes, with a cup of tea.

"I didn't realize we were having guest," Mrs. Granger said, trying to straighten herself out with her free hand.

"Mum, dad, you remember Harry and Ron don't you? And this is Ginny, Ron's sister and a very good friend of mine."

Hermione's dad was a man of small stature with glasses, brown eyes and wild brown hair. Her mother was around the same size as her husband and seemed to be an older version of Hermione, but with hazel eyes instead of brown and tamer hair.

Mrs. Granger got up and gave them all hugs, which surprised them some what. Mr. Granger stood as well, shaking hands with Ginny and Ron before stopping in front of Harry.

"So you're the one who broke my daughters heart," Mr. Granger stated.

Harry looked at the man with wide eyes as Hermione cried out; "Dad!"

Mr. Granger laughed before extending his hand to Harry. "I'm just kidding Harry. She told us it was mutual. I'm just upset I'm only meeting you now and not when you guys were going out. I had my hurt her and die speech all worked out and I never got the chance to use it. Now who knows when I'll get the chance."

"Dad," Hermione moaned in embarrassment.

Harry laughed, shaking the man's hand. "Who knows sir, I'm sure you'll get the chance soon."

"I don't know. She spends too much time reading books. It's unnatural I tell you."

Hermione buried her face in her hands as Ron chuckled in agreement.

"John, stop embarrassing your daughter. I'm sure she'd like to spend some time with her friends without us interfering. Hermione told us you joined some kind of government program Harry."

"Er … yeah. I guess you could say its like boot camp."

"Boot camp?" Mr Granger asked. "Is that because of this Moldyshorts guy?"

Ron and Ginny snickered at the butchering of Voldemort's name. Harry looked at Hermione, unsure of what she had told her parents.

"He murdered my parents," Harry stated. "After the night of their deaths … he … went away for awhile but he came back a year and a half ago."

"What do you mean went away?" Mrs. Granger asked, curious.

"His body was killed but his soul, it lived on," Hermione explained, trying not to confuse her parents. "It roamed the Earth without a body for thirteen years."

"The soul is real?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Very real. It is the essence that makes you who you are."

"I was there, when he regained his body," Harry added. "He has an unhealthy fascination with me. And rather than sitting around, waiting for him to come at me again, I decided to put myself into training."

"What about our daughter?" Mr. Granger asked.

Harry knew the man meant about her safety. Would her being friends with Harry make her a target and put her in danger.

"I've tried to convince my friends the dangers of associating with me but they won't listen. Your daughter is a very stubborn woman."

Mr. Granger sighed. "She gets it from her mother."