I'm so glad that I can finally give you the next in the series. Just know I've already read Book Six and have taken my notes. Now ... I can start to write it.

Thanks must go out to my team. My pre-reader Pienuniek and my Beta Alice's White Rabbit. I would be lost without the pair of you, truly.

I don't own Twilight, or Harry Potter, I'd be a richer person if I did. But I do so love to create my own places for them out in the world. No copyright infringement is intended.

See you at the bottom ...

Chapter Four ~ Summer Part IV

When we returned home, we found that Izeldor had not slept through the night, as I had suspected he might, but he had only slept for a few hours. In fact, there was quiet laughter spilling out of the kitchen as I stepped out of the fireplace.

"Edward? Who is in my home?" Esme asked as she looked around at me.

"That would be Izeldor. He's fallen on some hard times."

"Oh." Esme's hand came up to cover her mouth. "The gentleman you helped at your apparition test?"

I nodded. "The very same. I meant to tell you when Bella and I got to Potter Mansion, but with everything that happened at the meeting, it slipped my mind."

We heard the chair move away from the bench and footsteps coming in our direction. Our conversation paused as Izeldor stepped through the door. "Hi," he whispered as he waved in our direction as Bella stepped through the fireplace. She was the last to arrive.

"Hi, Izeldor!" she beamed. "Are you feeling better?"

Izeldor nodded. I couldn't help but smile at his shyness with her. "Much. Thank you, Miss Bella, and you as well, Edward."

I strode over to pull him into a brief hug. "I'm glad. Let me introduce you to my family. First is my brother Jasper, who is the History of Magic professor at Hogwarts, and my sister Alice, who owns Alice's Designs in Diagon Alley."

Alice waved while Jasper shook Izeldor's hand with a "nice to meet you".

"This one is our little sister, Hermione. She currently comes to Hogwarts with Bella and me." Hermione smiled with a head nod. She thought Izeldor was just the cutest. You know that "nerd, best friend, not attracted to you" cuteness. I couldn't help but softly chuckle at her thoughts. "And these are our parents Esme, who's the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts, and Carlisle, who's a healer at St. Mungo's."

"Oh, you poor boy," Esme exclaimed as she reached forward to hug my new friend. "You will stay here until you're on your feet. We take care of our own."

"But … but I am not one of you," Izeldor stuttered, pulling back to look at Esme.

"You have befriended my son, so that makes you one of us. Do you hear me, young man?" There were snickers all around at Esme's stance and the words she had spoken.

"Yes, ma'am. I appreciate it." Izeldor nodded.

"Good." Esme nodded. "For now, we all need a good night's rest, and tomorrow, we start to get ready."

The mood turned somber, at least through the family, at Esme's words. But Izeldor looked around confused. "What for?"

Carlisle huffed a breath through his nose. "Unfortunately, Izeldor, we must prepare for a war."

"Come, my friend, Bella and I will fill you in. I hope not to give you nightmares because this isn't a bedtime story." I wrapped my arm around Izeldor's shoulders and guided him to the stairs. I would take him to our suite and explain everything that had happened since our entrance into the wizarding world.

~*~UHS~*~

"I remember you from the Triwizard Tournament." Izeldor gasped a little while later. "You mean what The Truth writes is, well, the truth?"

Bella and I nodded solemnly.

"But what about The Daily Prophet? Minister Fudge says …" Izeldor trailed off as we shook our heads. "He's lying?"

"Yes, Izeldor," Bella whispered. "He's terrified. Terrified that Dumbledore wants his position. Terrified that Voldemort is truly back, and terrified of what that will mean for all of magic kind."

"But wouldn't it be better to prepare the rest of us instead of burying his head in the sand?" Izeldor very nearly shouted as he stood up to pace the length of our suite. "And to badmouth not only Dumbledore, but you, Edward, and Harry Potter too! Why?"

I leaned forward and placed my elbows on my knees, clasping my hands together as I watched my friend. "Because if he can sway the public to his opinion rather than what has been reported by us, and Dumbledore, then what we say cannot possibly be real. If everyone believes his lies, then he must be telling the truth."

"You've seen this type of behavior before?" Izeldor asked as he flopped down on the chair opposite us.

"Many, many times in my long years. He'll continue until he's confronted with the very thing he's trying to ignore."

"What can we do?"

I smiled. "Now that is a good question. We have a plan. We're fighting back. But what I want to know is … what is it that you can do?"

"What do you mean?"

Bella laughed. "You're a fan of my fathers, are you not?" Izeldor nodded. "You're a fan of potions then? You can create potions?"

"It's what I wanted to do my entire life. I excelled at potions in school, but there was nothing for me when I left. Plus, my parents wanted me in the ministry. I also found I was good with numbers and seeing patterns. It's why the ministry wanted me." Izeldor sat up straighter. "But potions is where my passion truly lies. Why do you ask?"

I smiled. "Because I, too, have a passion for potions. And I have a feeling we're going to need a lot of them. But it's not just your healing potions I am interested in. The ones for broken bones or bleeding gashes." I looked Izeldor over. "What would you say if I'd created a potion stronger than any created before. One that could cure lycanthropy?"

Izeldor froze as he looked at me. He started as he judged my truthfulness. "I would say you would be one hell of a potioneer. That I'm not sure it could be done."

I nodded. I thought he would say as much. "Bella, have you got that pensieve handy?"

"Yup. But I've added something to it. No longer will you have to dip your face into the pensieve."

"What have you done?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't known she'd been working on it. This was a surprise to me.

"Just made life a little easier." Bella smirked as she placed the pensieve down on our coffee table. I looked over the pensieve that she had been working on and realized she had taken the design of the Mirrorsieve that Lockhart had used to steal others memories and created something new. "This will create a little display of the memory you want to play," Bella said, pointing at a small flat dish that floated on the liquid. "The memories go in this part here." She pointed to a small funnel-like device on the side. "Then, of course, you tap the liquid with your wand to pull up the correct memory." Bella paused for a moment. "This doesn't need you to take the memory from your mind; this one uses a copy of your memory. So, I modified the incantation."

She looked at me. I think you need to add at least one more memory for this coming year. Obviously, you'll be adding these ones of finding Charlie's potion in the book, and then creating a stronger version of it, plus Remus testing it, as well as Rhett. But I think we're going to need yours, and possibly Harry's, memory of what happened after you both grabbed the Triwizard Cup.

I nodded at her assessment. I had a feeling this coming year was going to be fraught with trouble, distrust, and others wanting to know the truth. If we could provide that, then we should.

Bella went through the steps for copying a memory, and then left me to it as she went to take a bath. After copying the memories that I needed to show Izeldor, I let them play in order. I was awed by my girl. She had come up with a wonderful tool to show people the truth of what we remembered, and not just a couple at a time. With this device, we could show whole rooms of people what we remembered from a certain point in time.

"Merlin … my girl is good. I don't know how she comes up with these ideas." I breathed, watching in awe as the memories played out in front of us.

"She's going to be an asset to the wizarding world when she grows up," Izeldor agreed.

I snorted. "She's already rewritten part of Newt's Fantastic Beasts book by updating all the information about vampires. She's already an asset."

Izeldor looked at me incredulously before huffing a laugh. We watched the remainder of my memories about the wolfsbane potion. Izeldor shook his head. "If I hadn't seen your memories, I would never have believed it. But I want in on this. I want to help create potions that will help the wizarding community."

"And what about fighting against Voldemort?"

"Is he really back?"

I nodded. "He really is. I can show you my memory of what happened at the end of the tournament, if you want."

"Not necessary." Izeldor shook his head. "If you say he is, then I believe you. And I want to fight against him too. Maybe not directly, but I can help to provide potions that will aide in the fight. Your ideas, our passion. We'd be unstoppable in the potion arena."

"Let me talk to the others. It's not just Bella and I making up this fight. I'll talk to them soon. For now, you just rest and start to feel better," I said as I stood from my couch.

"Sounds good, Edward. I'll see you all in the morning." Izeldor gave a little salute as he walked out the door.

I sat back down on the couch and looked over the device Bella had made. It really needed a name.

"What do you think?" Bella asked as she curled up next to me and rested her head on my chest.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "It's fantastic, just like your other designs. Do you have a name for it? We need to patent it." Bella shook her head in answer to my question. She hadn't come up with anything decent yet. "I think it needs a little more work though."

"How so?"

"I don't think leaving the memories in the dish is a good idea, especially if more than one person will be using it. There should be somewhere, or something, the memories could be stored in," I thought out loud.

I watched through Bella's mind as she filtered through several different images of how she could incorporate my ideas into the design. Her mind settled on two distinct designs. One was of a beautiful, but very old-style, writing desk. Something that I would have seen my mother writing at when I was younger. This one was of a square design, probably made of maple if the color of the wood was anything to go by, and the front panel folded down into a desk to be sat at. Instead of a chair, however, she envisioned the memory viewer thing sitting on the desk part. Behind where the desk closed up were several little cabinets and drawers. It would be beautiful.

"Okay, the desk/cabinet I get, but why the box?" I hugged Bella tighter to me. The box she had thought of was made of what looked like pine. There was a design on top that looked like the tree of life and a lock in the front.

Bella sighed. "Well, I wouldn't want to be transporting a full cabinet of memories everywhere we go, even in your trunk. This way we could keep the cabinet at home inside the artefact room, which is where the viewer thing will be stored, but the box can transport it elsewhere."

"Hogwarts, for example." I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. But we really need a new name for it. We can't keep calling it the viewer thing."

Bella laughed. "I know, but I can't think of anything."

For the next little while, Bella and I played around with words, trying to come up with something that would cover what the viewer did. More often than not, we'd erupt into laughter because some were just plain silly. Eventually, we delved into using other languages, my long lonely nights coming in handy. We tried French, Italian, and Spanish before I moved on to Latin. It wasn't until I combined English with Latin that we came across one we both liked. Memovisum. A combination of Memory in English and view in Latin.

"Memovisum," Bella said out loud, testing it. "Yeah, that word describes everything this thing does."

"Good. That's settled. I'll start the paperwork in the morning while Alice is drawing her vision, and you can draw out the design for the cabinet and the box. That'll give Emmett something to do. I have a feeling we're going to be very busy this summer."

"And you have to talk to the Order for Izeldor too, don't forget."

"I won't. Now, I've managed to behave myself all day. I need to feel your lips against mine."

Bella smirked. "Guess you better join me in a more comfortable location then." She bolted from the couch and made her way to the bed. I was only two steps behind her.

~*~UHS~*~

I hadn't been wrong. The next few weeks of our summer vacation were completely flat out.

It started the following morning with Alice, Bella, and I all sitting at the dining room table with pens, or pencils, to paper. Alice was drawing every detail from the vision she'd had. From color, to location, to every scratch or mark that she'd seen. Bella was drawing out the designs for her cabinet and box to give to Emmett the next time she saw him, and I was writing out the patent for the Memovisum.

But that wasn't all we were doing.

Hermione was working on her SPEW concept and continuing to trace the origin of the original parchment. Luna was giving her a hand. Creatures were something she was very passionate about due to who her grandfather was, and she wanted to give them the best chance at a life that she could.

Neville had been in the greenhouses, but he was now back at Emmett and Rose's house, spending time with Harry. Remus, Sirius, and James were all busy working, and they didn't want Harry to be left on his own. Because he was still upset with Bella and me, he opted to spend time at Emmett and Rose's. Instead of leaving Harry to stew on what had happened, Neville joined him there. From what I heard, Harry was going to school Neville in the fine art of video games, something Neville had managed to avoid so far.

After those first initial few days, the weeks seemed to fly by. Alice and I were exhausting every text book, every map, every piece of knowledge we had gained over the last few years about Voldemort, trying to figure out what her vision meant. Hermione had been a big help because she had recognized the tiara—or diadem—on the bust as belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw. It was something I should have known because it was written about, and depicted, in Hogwarts: A History.

It certainly lent credence to Bella's theory that Alice's vision was about the Horcruxes. Because Voldemort would be arrogant enough to use famous items from the wizarding world's past to create them. To defile them.

Bella had provided Emmett with her detailed sketches for her memory cabinet and the box with which to transport the Memovisum. He had gotten to work straight away. It kept Emmett busy, which, for him, was a good thing. He could be a handful at the best of times, but keeping him busy meant that he would spend considerably less time annoying Rose.

For that, she was grateful because Rose had taken on a new role in recent weeks, thanks to a discussion with Neville and St. Mungo's. Neville's parents were stable, but there was nothing the healers could do for them at the hospital. Rose had the medical training from out in the muggle world, plus Carlisle was close by. So, after long talks with the healers, Rose, Emmett, Carlisle, and Neville, Rose and Emmett decided that Alice and Frank Longbottom could be moved to Potter Mansion. There would have to be checkups from the staff at St. Mungo's, and Carlisle would also check on their safety every couple of days, but Neville would at least have his parents closer. For that, he couldn't have been more grateful.

So, while Emmett was busy creating things for Bella, Rose was helping to prepare Potter Mansion for the arrival of the Longbottoms. But it wasn't just Rose alone. I had spoken to Opi, James, Moody, and Sirius about Izeldor. Once they had learned of his history and his passion for potions, they decided that having him building up a stockpile at Potter Mansion wouldn't be a bad idea.

So instead of Izeldor staying at Swan Manor, Moody invited him to come and stay at Potter Mansion for easy access to all the potion-making equipment. It seemed that the attack on Moody had made him a little reluctant to be on his own. For as crotchety as Moody could be, he and Izeldor hit it off straight away. It seemed that Izeldor—in the muggle world—could be called a conspiracy theorist. His latest experience with the Ministry only enforced that. So, both he and Moody had a lot in common. Whenever I made my way to Potter Mansion, I always found them discussing various theories they had about those running the wizarding world government. I found it quite funny.

On top of everything else, Emmett and Rose were also getting things ready for an inspection from the British version of Child Protective Services, the NSPCC, or the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, to see if they were ready to care for more foster children. One of the requirements was about schooling. Emmett and Rose had talked to Esme about it, and they had decided to turn one of their rooms into a schoolroom. So, if a muggle came close and observed the fact that there were children there during school hours, they would have proof that they were homeschooling their foster children. Rose couldn't have been happier about these upcoming changes.

Rose and Emmett weren't the only ones preparing for change. Just the day before, I had an unexpected, yet totally expected, visit from one Remus Lupin.

Bella was in her laboratory, and Alice had left her drawings with me as she had gone to work. I was sitting in the library when the fireplace in the lounge had flared, indicating that we had a visitor.

"Edward? Are you here?" Remus called out from the family room.

"Library!"

"Merlin, Edward, you have to help me!" Remus said in a rush as he stepped through the library door.

Ooooh, this has got to be about Tonks, Bella snickered from down below. Hmm, to listen or not to listen, that is the question. Listen!

I had to hide a smirk at Bella's thoughts. She was so much like Alice and Rose in that moment that it was really hard to hide my smile.

"What's going on, Remus?" I asked as I put down the sketches and some of the history of magic books that I was searching through.

"I don't know what to do!" he exclaimed, flopping down onto the chair across from me.

I smirked a little. "About what?"

"Tonks!"

The poor guy was looking so flustered. It took all I had to hold in my snicker. Bella wasn't holding any back because she knew Remus couldn't hear her. I schooled my features before Remus turned to look at me. "What about Tonks?"

"She's driving me absolutely crazy. Talking to me, sending me messages, asking me out on dates!"

I had to clear my throat that time. It was a good thing he'd stopped looking at me. "And what about that is causing you distress?"

"How is now the right time? We're about to head into a war!"

"How is now not the right time?" I asked, sobering up. "You're right in saying that there's a war coming. Not everyone makes it through a war; look at Frank and Alice Longbottom. If not now, then when?"

Remus stopped and looked at me for a minute. "But wouldn't it be better not to try than to fall in love, and then lose her anyway?"

Oh, Remus, Bella thought sadly. Definitely not.

I shook my head. "No. No, I would rather have known the love of my life—even for a short time—than to miss out on something so incredibly special because I was too afraid to see, or experience, what was right in front of me. Embrace it, Remus. Embrace what she's offering you."

"What's that?"

"A chance at love … a chance at happiness."

That was beautiful, Edward. I hope he takes your advice, Bella thought dreamily. My girl could be rather sentimental when called for.

"Thank you, Edward," Remus said after a few minutes of thinking. "You might be right. Besides, I'll never know what could have been if I never give it a chance."

"Exactly." I finally let out the snicker I'd been holding in throughout the entirety of this conversation. "And you need to think seriously about those children you've always wanted. Because going into this war may not be the best time for them. Is there birth control in the wizarding world?"

Remus snorted. "Who do you think gave the muggle world condoms?"

I couldn't help the surprise bark of laughter at Remus's question. Who indeed?

Remus nodded at me, shook my hand, and then made his way back to the family room to head back to the office. Once he was gone, Bella came out from her laboratory and sat down on my lap.

"That was a sweet thing you did for them. One day, we'll have to let Tonks know that you helped Remus take the chance."

I smiled before kissing her softly. "One day. But today is not that day."

"No." Bella breathed as she leaned forward for another. "Today is most definitely not … that … day."

~*~UHS~*~

"Why would a cupboard in the middle of a dilapidated old house matter?" Jasper asked as he looked over the pictures Alice had seen.

Bella, Alice, Jasper, and I were all sitting at the dining room table. We had done a lot of research since the first meeting of the Order; we'd even shared them at one of the meetings. Not much help was offered; the only ones who thought anything about them were the misfits, and possibly Dumbledore. But considering he was barely around, I couldn't get much of a read on him.

Bella was quiet as the rest of us discussed the pictures. She hadn't had much to say on the topic, but I knew she was thinking about them. She was concentrating on the day we spent at the meadow during Christmas break our second year.

"That was a fun day," I whispered, pulling Bella from her thoughts.

"It was." She smiled.

"We should do it again."

Bella giggled. "We will. But I was just trying to remember what happened after that. I can remember that we were flying home, and Athan came out to us, something about Alice seeing something? So much has happened since then that I can't quite put my finger on it."

I thought back to that time and tried to remember what had happened.

Bella and I had had a wonderful day out in our meadow, and we'd been flying back when we'd been intercepted by Athan. Alice had come home early from work because she'd seen something that she wanted someone else to see.

Bella and I had found Alice anxiously pacing the back porch. She had shown me a three-part vision, one that showed the same house we'd seen in a memory when we were researching the origins of Voldemort. The memory showed the Gaunt House—the house belonging to Tom Riddle's mother—and what had happened to her. Alice's vision, however, showed a more dilapidated house and a bedroom that had a lone cupboard. A tallboy Alice had seen Dumbledore reaching into and pulling out a ring. A ring that had once belonged to Salazar Slytherin.

"I remember that vision. It was the one where we saw Dumbledore get help from Snape about the curse on his hand from putting on the ring he found in the Gaunt House," I murmured.

Alice snapped her fingers. "That's right. Why didn't I put that together? That ring had a funny symbol on it. Let me draw it."

"Are you all right, Bella?" I asked as Alice pulled out her pencil and parchment. "You're awfully quiet today."

"Hmm, yeah. I'm okay. I just wish there was more we could do, you know? All this waiting, researching, and being on hold is exhausting. And add in the fact that they won't let us do anything because we're 'kids'! I mean, we're more likely to succeed than any of our mortal family or friends."

Jasper gave me a sympathetic look as I pulled Bella closer to my side. "They need to feel as if they have some control. If we take out Voldemort, are we really letting them fight the battle the wizarding world has had for so long?"

"But are we not part of that world?"

"We are, yes," Jasper answered before I could. "But because of our immortality, we also aren't. Besides, Voldemort was a battle they had long before we joined the wizarding world. I sometimes think we're the kids they think we are. Look at Snape, Dumbledore, even Molly. She still sees you as this little doe-eyed five-year-old who was left on her doorstep when your mother fled, and that's totally normal. All mothers see their children that way. That part will always be hard to reconcile when any of your children get in the way of danger."

I snorted. "And to deliberately put you in the way of danger, forget about it. That goes against every motherly instinct a parent has."

"Not my mother," Bella said with a bitter edge, causing us to flinch. "Sorry. Does Esme feel that way?"

"You heard the speech she gave Molly," I said, to which Bella nodded. "So, the answer to that is, yes. And it won't matter if you're fourteen or four hundred; she'll still worry about sending you into danger."

Bella sighed. "I suppose I can understand that. I know that when we become parents, the last thing I'm going to want is them going into battle, no matter how immortal they are."

My heart swelled with the thought that I would be able to have children with my beautiful girl. It was something I hadn't really had time to think about. "Exactly, sweet girl."

I leaned forward and kissed Bella just as there was a thump and a screech. We all looked up to find that Percy's owl had collided with the owl door and fallen through it to the floor.

"Hermes!" Bella exclaimed, running over to where he had fallen. She picked him up and brought him back to the table. "What's going on?"

Help … please … loud … arguing … Poor Hermes was so frazzled that he couldn't speak in full sentences.

"I don't understand, Hermes."

Percy … help … Burrow.

As soon as those words were thought, I was up out of my chair. "Bella, stay here with Alice. Jasper, I'm going to need your help. We have to go to the Burrow."

"Why do I have to stay?" Bella asked while Alice also argued with, "But I want to help too!"

"We don't know what we're facing, girls. I'd like to know that we have some backup, away from the situation, if necessary," Jasper said as he followed me to the family room. "It's always smart to have a plan B."

Bella and Alice followed us into the family room. "What can we do to help?"

I grabbed a handful of floo powder, something that Izeldor had replenished for us, and stepped into the fireplace. "Bella, I need you to contact Opi. I have a feeling we're gonna need him"

"You got it, Edward." Bella nodded.

"Alice, be prepared. We may have visitors. Let Emmett and Rose know in case something comes their way." Alice nodded as I called out, "The Burrow."

Within a few seconds of traveling through the floo network, I was stepping out of the Weasleys' fireplace to the sound of shouting, specifically from Molly. Jasper stepped out not long after me only to raise both of his eyebrows at the noise. Anyone who knows Molly knows that she doesn't like to shout at her children, or anyone for that matter, so whatever had been done must have really upset her.

Jasper and I stood there for a few moments before Percy noticed us. "Edward, thank Merlin. I need your help explaining something to Mother."

I frowned. "What's goi …"

"No. No, Percy. You will not be asking for Edward's input because he'll agree with you. I say that it's too dangerous, and you will not be doing it! I'm your mother; he is not!" Molly was pointing at her third oldest son in between pacing and waving her hands around trying to emphasize her point.

Let me take this. I nodded to Jasper's thought. "How about instead of explaining it to Edward, Molly, you explain it to me. You know I've been through the American Revolution as the youngest Major. I have a strategic and analytical mind. I can tell you whether it's a good idea or not."

It's a good idea. I heard from above me. I looked up to see that Fred, George, and Ginny were all listening to the argument from as high as they could on the stairs without being seen. George looked at me. It really is. Mum is too close to this to see. Besides, I think Fred and I are on to something to help with spying in places farther away than the next room. You'll have to see.

I nodded to indicate that I'd heard George as a pop sounded from outside, indicating Opi's arrival. I'm going to wait out here and listen for a minute, Edward. I think Jasper can handle this for now.

Arthur was looking at his wife with worry, but what surprised me was that he also thought that Percy's idea had merit. He just didn't want to make his wife any angrier by agreeing with Percy out loud. Whatever this was, it was going to be interesting.

Molly paced a little bit more, stopping only long enough to hold up her hand when Percy went to explain. She took a few more steps before pulling in a long breath and letting it go all at once. "Percy … has been offered a position as junior assistant to the Minister for Magic."

Oh … I sucked in a breath. I could see the implications of that position … and so did Jasper.

"Okay, Molly. We all know this position is a step in the direction that Percy wants to take for his career in politics," Jasper stated carefully. "What seems to be the problem with his 'promotion' of sorts?"

He's good, Ginny thought. He's treading carefully around Mum's control issues. I smirked a little at Ginny's thought. Shut up, Edward! She laughed.

Molly huffed. "Don't you think it's all a little bit too convenient, given his campaign against Albus? I mean, it's no secret how close our family is to him." Molly paced a bit more. "For crying out loud, over summer, Fudge gave Percy a complete dressing down about Barty Crouch before offering him the position."

"Not only that," Arthur stepped in. "He's been firing anyone who he thinks is in league with Albus, as well as banning everyone at the Ministry from talking to him."

"And then …" Molly dragged out, "he offers Percy a junior assistant position in his office. Doesn't that strike you as odd? On top of that, why would he want to work for someone who blamed him for everything Barty did?"

Jasper nodded, throwing Percy a wink when Molly wasn't looking. "It does seem a little bit suspicious. But that doesn't explain Percy's idea, nor why it's a bad one."

"Because he's only offering Percy the position as a way to spy on all of us! And Percy is thinking about accepting the position!" Molly almost shouted.

Percy stood to his full height, as he'd been leaning against the cupboard behind him. "To do the same, Mother. We need an in at the Ministry, and being right there as his junior assistant would give me access to all his wheelings and dealings. I would only reveal what I had to, to keep him thinking I'm on his side." Percy sighed. "The problem Mum has is that I think I should move out to maintain my cover."

"Because this thing is a really bad idea! He's going to be in danger!"

"How?" Jasper asked, standing in a relaxed position. Much like he would have done when he was in the military. But his question stopped Molly in her tracks. "How will him working at the ministry, alongside the best protected man in all of the wizarding world, be dangerous?"

"A very good question," Opi said as he walked through the door.

"Great, just great. Another one to tell me I'm blowing this out of proportion," Molly grumbled.

"Not necessarily, Molly," Opi disagreed, leaning back on the cupboard next to Percy. "Any undercover operation can have some risks, but in this situation, he thinks Percy will be undercover for him rather than for us. I'm almost positive he won't be in any physical danger."

"So why should he leave home? I don't understand! I also can't protect him if he's not here."

"Mother." Percy sighed. "I'm not a little boy anymore. I don't need you to protect me. And there's a very simple reason I need to leave. If I'm not here, I won't hear anything. If I don't hear anything, Minister Fudge can't get anything out of me. Nor can any of his underlings."

Molly opened her mouth to argue further, but Arthur finally stepped forward and laid a hand on her back. "Molly, dear, I think it's time to stop arguing. Percy's made up his mind. We need to let him make his own decisions."

"Thank you, Dad. I appreciate that. This is something I have to do in order to help defeat Voldemort. This is my contribution to stopping evil once and for all," Percy said while looking at his mother. "I understand your desire to protect me, Mum, but I'm fully grown. I'm no longer a child, even though I'll always be your child." He hugged Molly, trying to soften the blow. "Now, the next question is do I take the apartment that Fudge is offering, or do I find my own?"

"Find your own," I blurted out much to everyone's shock since I hadn't said anything since Molly asked me not to. "Izeldor was in one of those apartments offered by the ministry, and once he was no longer able to complete his job, they kicked him out. I wouldn't put it past our illustrious minister to somehow bug your apartment to allow him to listen in to your conversations."

I looked around at the faces that were in the Weasleys' kitchen to see that the only person who understood me was Jasper. "Uh … to bug your apartment means to plant discreet listening devices so he can hear you without being there. Surely, there's something like that in the wizarding world?"

"Not yet," Opi replied with a shake of his head, though his little smirk said otherwise. If I hadn't been looking at him so closely, I would have missed the way his eyes flickered up toward where Fred, George, and Ginny were seated. "But that doesn't mean the Ministry doesn't have something they've held back."

Everyone fell silent, some contemplating Opi's thoughts.

"So where should I live then? I don't have time, or the money, to look for something to live in. Let alone Muggle money," Percy said his thoughts out loud.

"That's where we can help." I smirked at him. "We have property all over the world, buying a furnished apartment in London won't be a problem. What would you like?"

For the next half an hour, we sat down at the Weasley kitchen table and discussed everything Percy would like in an apartment. He wasn't happy about the fact that we were purchasing it for him but acquiesced when we agreed to let him rent it from us. For a fraction of what it was going to be worth, I'm sure.

Once we were done, Jasper and I left to go home. We would give the details of what Percy wanted to Alice, who would then spend some time on Rose's computer searching for places to buy. I was sure it wouldn't take her long.

"What happened?" Both Alice and Bella asked the minute I stepped out of the fireplace.

I would have laughed at them if they didn't have such anxious looks on their faces. "Percy was offered a promotion working with the Minister. Molly was upset"—both girls rolled their eyes—"about not only the promotion, but because Percy thought he should move out of home, as well."

"Ohhhh," both girls said together before Bella continued, "and I bet it was that she was having the biggest issue with."

"Exactly." I nodded as Jasper came through the fireplace. "Jasper handled it beautifully with Opi because Molly knew I would side with Percy, and we managed to sort it out. So, Alice, if you could?" I handed over a piece of parchment.

Alice looked it over, noting all the things written on there. "What's this?"

"Specs for the apartment we're buying for Percy." I smirked at her. "It needs to be fully furnished."

"Got it! See you later!" Was all we got as she rushed out of the door toward Emmett and Rose's place.

"How long do you think it will take her to find one?" Bella asked, giggling as I wrapped her in a hug and picked her up.

I walked toward the table to see what other notes they had made on the vision of Alice's. "Oh, I'm sure she'll have several options lined up for Percy to look at by tomorrow. I don't envy him at all."

Bella giggled again. "No, me either. We all know what Alice is like when she's got something to show someone. What are we doing?" she asked when, after I looked at the notes, I continued to carry her from the dining room and up the stairs.

"We're taking a break from everything. I'm going to play the piano, you're going to read, and then we're going to turn on the salt lamp, lie down on the bed, and just relax. If you fall asleep, great. If not, then we can just lie there and talk. I want to be away from all the drama."

"Then that's what we shall do." Bella smiled, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "Break time it is."

~*~UHS~*~

I'd been right. It didn't take Alice long to find a list of apartments that matched Percy's specifications. And the following day, she dragged not only Percy but Jasper around to all of the addresses so Percy could choose. After seeing them all, Percy took the week to truly think about all of his options and decide on which apartment he wanted to live in. The price was part of that. He wouldn't let us spout off some random number, he wanted it to be fair and to be different for each of the apartments.

But by the following weekend, he had picked one that was midway between Kings Cross Station, St. Mungo's, and the street entrance to the Ministry of Magic. The place that Percy had wanted was in an old house that had been renovated into apartments with a central common room—much like the Hogwarts houses—and the whole house was up for sale. So instead of just purchasing the apartment, Alice purchased the whole building. To help Percy feel like he was contributing while he accepted a reduced rent, he would become the landlord for the rest of the tenants. The rest of those tenants would be other young ministry workers who wanted out of home but didn't want to accept the apartments the ministry offered. In other words, those who had read the fine print on their contracts. I had a feeling we would be buying up more of these style of apartment buildings.

Percy had picked the apartment on the top floor. It had the most room and a very simple layout. Something that had reminded him of not only Hogwarts but home. It would make his transition easier as well. He was also lucky enough to have a small fireplace, though there was another—much larger one—in the common room that could be used to travel to the Ministry if any of the tenants wanted to. Percy was completely fine with not using the fireplace; he wanted to be able to walk to work so he could experience the city he had heard so much about but never really visited. The fireplace was there as a backup, if needed.

I had a feeling he was going to enjoy living in London.

So, a couple of weeks after picking out an apartment, we moved Percy in. He didn't take much. Mostly his clothes and any paperwork he'd brought home from the Ministry. It didn't take more room that what I had in the back of the Volvo. And that had been the last time Molly had heard from Percy. He had kept in contact with me but only brief messages to let me know what Fudge was up to. And his news wasn't the only thing I was checking.

Since the return of Voldemort, I had organized to have several papers from around the world delivered to a post office box in our local small town. I wanted to be able to see what was being reported around the world because I didn't think Voldemort would hold back from attacking, recruiting, or killing those he deemed less than him. So far, nothing seemed out of place.

Reading muggle papers wasn't all I was reading. On any given day, the Daily Prophet—which was now being printed at the Masen Consortium of Printing—was getting more and more vicious with the stories they were printing about Dumbledore. But it wasn't just him; oh no, they were also trying to discredit both Harry and me. On top of that, they were trying to use my vampire status against me, hoping, it seemed, to turn me into a pariah. While simultaneously attacking Harry and attempting to turn him into a joke. It was kinda sad really.

What we all found hilarious was that The Truth was countering everything The Prophet was printing. They did a post-tournament interview with Harry and me, asking about what we were going to do over the summer and about our families. They even did a short blurb about my relationship with Bella. The Truth also posted all the things the Ministry was doing to Dumbledore. How they were trying to take his accomplishments away from him while also trying to discredit him.

On top of all of that, every little detail we could uncover about Voldemort's location and activities were printed with the express warnings to be safe when travelling out and about.

This summer was turning into a war of the words, and so far, I was pretty sure The Truth was winning.

~*~UHS~*~

The day of Rose and Emmett's inspection dawned bright and sunny. We were all excited for them to be able to take this next step in their lives. It was something Rose had always wanted—to be a mother. Even in her life before the Cullens, before Emmett.

Neville and Harry were going to be hidden in the magical portion of the house so the muggle inspector could check through the muggle side of the house unencumbered.

Alice went to work because she couldn't stand the not knowing, the waiting, to find out what the inspector had to say. Jasper was over at Potter Mansion doing some repairs of damage that had happened during the most recent summer storm. Houses that old, and that neglected, were bound to need repairs occasionally. Carlisle was at St. Mungo's, and Esme was in London doing some shopping for the upcoming school year. She wanted to add some other interesting muggle contraptions into her classroom to introduce to her students.

As for Bella and me, we were still at Swan Manor. Bella was down in her laboratory, working on making a laptop able to run off the lay lines. She had worked her magic on her iPod, so that now had a magical battery that she could use even when she was using her magic. It was the first of many muggle inventions she wanted to convert for use in the wizarding world. She was hoping she'd be able to get some mobile phones working soon. Those would take more work because they had to be able to connect and transfer sound or data, depending on whether it was a phone call or text message.

I wondered if she would be able to create her own mobile phone network, and if so, how long before she created the World Wide Web for the wizarding world. She sure was something else, and I was going to fall completely and irrevocably in love with her the minute our bond allowed us to. Of that, I had no doubt.

So, what was I doing? I was right above my Bella, in the potions room, going through the potions book Charlie had left in his trunk. I was looking for all sorts of potions that could be helpful with what was coming in our direction. I'd found a few that with some minor modifications of ingredients would be extremely beneficial.

To make sure I couldn't hear what was going on at Emmett and Rose's house, I'd turned on the bubble lamp Bella had made for this area of the house. Because it needed to cover both mine and hers, it had to be modified, but she'd made it work.

Bella was humming as she worked, and her mind was wide open, keeping me relaxed and happy. We were both focused on our tasks, and with no noise from the outside, we were completely cut off. That was until Athan and Saffy almost collapsed on the floor of the potions room.

I froze for half a second before spinning around to turn off the bubble lamp and calling out for Bella.

"What is it, Edward? I was just about to make a breakthrough!"

"Make it later, Bella! Something's wrong. Athan and Saffy are here, and they don't look so good."

Bella bolted for the elevator and made her way up as quickly as possible. By the time she got there, I'd gathered both of our owls up and placed them on a nearby lounge chair.

"What happened?" she asked, coming to a sliding stop on her knees next to me.

Cold … so cold. Not good … empty … cold. I heard from Athan.

Saffy's thoughts weren't much better. Sad … unhappy … cold … help!

"What's going on, Edward?"

I shook my head, trying to put things together. "They're both saying cold, empty, unhappy, sad. I'm not sure what they could be talking about."

Bella and I thought about the many different things that could be causing this sensation. We didn't come to any concrete conclusions.

But I was jerked out of my thoughts by Harry. Edward, help!

I tuned into his thoughts only to feel the darkness that was pushing in on Harry. I switched to Neville, only to feel the same thing. Rose and Emmett weren't faring much better. But it was through them that I was able to get a glimpse of what was happening.

"Shit! Bella, we gotta go. Emmett and Rose's place is under attack!"

Without arguing, Bella jumped up and followed me out the back door of the house.

"What are they under attack from?" Bella asked as we bolted across the back yard. I was about to answer her when we ran past the owlery, only to encounter a wall of dank, dark cold that was almost suffocating. "Is that what dementors feel like?"

"One dementor doesn't feel like that, no," I answered. "For it to be this oppressive, there has to be more."

"How many do you think …" Bella trailed off as we ran through the last of the forest between the two houses. The intense cold pushed down on us as we took that last step. We were surrounded by an almost impenetrable darkness. "Merlin's beard."

The scene we'd come across was one that was familiar, only this time it was around McCarty Manse instead of the Black Lake at Hogwarts. There were at least ten dementors floating around, all swooping, moving, and attacking the two bravest wizards I had ever seen because there in front of Emmett and Rose's house were Harry and Neville trying bravely to fight them off.

Bella's skin broke out in goosebumps as we bolted into the fray, firing Patronus Charms left and right. The dementors would fling away from the spells but, with determination, came gliding back to attack once again. Their hoarse, rattling breaths sounding as they tried to suck the very souls from us.

But it seemed the more we fought, the harder the dementors fought to take our very souls. They were more vicious than any we had come across previously. Bella and I used our speed to try to counteract where the dementors were going to attack next, but we weren't always successful, and as such, Harry and Neville started to break down under the weight of these monsters and fell to their knees. Both were panting. Both were exhausted, and I wondered how long they'd been fighting before Bella and I arrived.

We surrounded Harry and Neville as best we could as they lay panting on the ground. "How are we going to defeat them?" Bella yelled from the other side.

"Together, Bella." I held out my hand. "Remember we're always stronger when we fight together."

"Right!"

Bella and I circled around to the front of our little huddle. She gripped my hand with as much strength as she could muster. "Together."

"Together." I nodded.

It amazed me that the memory we both chose to remember as one of our happiest was last year when we kissed for the very first time. It had been slow, sweet, and one of the best things to ever happen to both of us. With that memory firmly in mind, Bella and I held our wands out.

With a circular wand movement, both Bella and I shouted out, "Expecto Patronum".

I expected the snow leopard form of my animagus. I also expected Bella's younger animagus form as her patronus. I thought they would have been stronger than when we cast them on our own. But that wasn't what we got.

No, what shot out of the end of our wands, into our combined casting of the Patronus Charm, was a Nandu. But this patronus was no ordinary one. He was huge. Standing well over my six feet with his mane completely extended, he let out a roar that made Harry and Neville cover their ears. But what was most interesting was that the dementors seemed to freeze on sight.

"Merlin's beard," I whispered, causing Bella to snicker.

Nicely said, she thought as the Nandu turned to face the dementors. He let out another ear-splitting roar as well as a stream of fire.

"Whoa …" It seemed Harry and Neville had gathered enough energy to come and stand on either side of Bella and me. We were all watching as the Nandu squared off against all ten of the dementors.

With one last ear-splitting roar, the Nandu charged the dementors. As he collided with them, his mane burst into flames. That wasn't the most surprising part, no. The best part about all of this was the fact that when the dementors hit the fiery mane, they too burst into flames.

The dementors burnt, screamed, and wailed until they disintegrated into a pile of dust right where they had been standing.

All of our mouths dropped open.

"Uh … aren't dementors supposed to be unkillable?" Neville mumbled from next to me.

"Uh huh," Harry answered.

"Then how?" Neville asked.

I shrugged, but Bella answered. "The Nandu from Newt's case. Didn't you say he thought about helping us?"

I nodded, remembering the time we spent in Newt's suitcase. He had a plethora of wonderful, magical, mythical creatures living inside his suitcase. Newt was a magizoologist who had spent his life, his career, rescuing creatures that were persecuted because they were creatures. He also wrote the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", which was used in our classes.

"He did. He told us we were special. That we'd create something never seen—new. Something that would be helpful to the world we would find ourselves in," I mused.

Harry snorted. "Well, you definitely did that."

We watched as the Nandu Patronus dispatched with all of the dementors before spinning to face Bella and me. The Nandu performed one last act, one that reminded Bella and me of the Nandu in Newt's case. He leaned down and pressed his nose to each of our foreheads.

As he disappeared, the oppressing cold from the dementors dissipated, letting in the warmth from the day. The adrenaline also dropped off, causing Neville and Harry to sway next to us. Bella and I reached out to steady them before helping them to the sitting area of the front porch of Emmett and Rose's house where we found Rose and Emmett pulling themselves—and the visiting member of the NSPCC named Jessica—from the floor.

While Emmett had come across one dementor before, he had never been in the presence of that many. Rose had never been, which would explain their reactions to having so many. What I was worried about was the reaction of the NSPCC agent. Would she stop the forward momentum of Rose and Emmett's petition for fostering?

Bella and I helped Harry and Neville inside while Emmett carried the NSPCC agent to the kitchen.

"What happened? And what were they doing outside? With those sticks," she asked when she awoke. We could all hear the fear in her voice. We could see her shaking while she pointed at Neville and Harry. Bella stepped forward to help her stand. Jessica wouldn't move from her position until Neville and Harry stepped back and leaned against the cupboards at the far end of the kitchen. Once they did, she took a seat at the center island, thanking Bella quietly when she put a glass of iced tea on the bench in front of her.

"It seems you passed out," Bella said gently, ignoring the second set of questions and hoping that Jessica wouldn't notice. "Are you okay? Feeling well?"

Jessica shook her head fast. "No. That's not what happened. I know it's not. They were doing something …" she said again as she pointed at Harry and Neville. "They waved those sticks around, and something came out of the end of them. I swear it looked like …"

"Like what?" Bella asked softly. Inside, she was panicking.

Jessica stood so fast, nearly toppling her chair over and shouted, "They looked like animals! That's not possible. Nothing in this world like that is possible!"

I heard a pop come from outside. One that was specifically reserved for when someone apparated. Then Newt's thoughts floated through my mind. Hedwig came to me in a tizzy. What's going on?

"I'm not sure what you think you saw, Jessica, but you're right, that's not possible," Bella agreed. "Are you sure you didn't dream it after you passed out?"

"No! It was the last thing I saw before that happened! And because of this, I won't be recommending you as foster parents." She shivered, remembering the fear from the dementors that she couldn't see. She could also see the disappointment on Rose and Emmett's faces, which made her pause and say, "I'm sorry. I know you two really wanted this, and I'm sure it will happen eventually, but I can't say you're ready … yet."

It was at this point that Newt stepped into the room behind her. He had figured out that this Jessica—a muggle he'd determined—had seen too much. Knew too much. He raised his wand and moved it in an intricate movement, one that looked like a brain, and whispered the word obliviate.

Jessica froze in her speech about why she wasn't going to recommend Rose and Emmett, and her face went blank. For a few seconds, we watched and waited to see what Newt was going to do.

Once Newt was done, he winked, and then stepped back outside.

"Oh!" Jessica said coming out of her stupor. "What's going on here? I thought I was just meeting with Emmett and Rose?"

We all looked at each other quickly before Rose stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You were, but Edward—our brother—decided to drop in and see how things were going with the inspection. He lives nearby. Being that he's out of school for the summer, his friends and girlfriend tagged along."

"That's so nice of you," Jessica said. We smiled but could also see the lingering trepidation in her eyes. She might not remember anything that happened, but her body did. "Well, I've seen all I need to see for today. I'll be putting in the paperwork to recommend that we approve you as foster parents. But … are you sure the only place you want to foster is from …" Jessica looked through her paperwork. "From this Middle House?"

Rose and Emmett both nodded. "We felt a connection with the children when we walked past. They seemed so … lonely. They longed to be free from there. For someone to understand them."

"Most children in orphanages do." Jessica nodded. "But if that's what you would prefer."

Both Emmett and Rose nodded to indicate that was what they wanted.

"Okay then. I'll file the paperwork at the office tomorrow." Jessica picked up the folder and slid it into her briefcase. She shook Emmett's and Rose's hand, flinching slightly at the cold. "Congratulations."

Rose and Emmett both let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for coming," they said quietly.

"You're welcome." Jessica stood, slowly but steady. "I should be going. Thank you for showing me around today."

Rose and Emmett showed Jessica out to her car while the four of us sat in silence, waiting for them and Newt.

"It will be nice to have some younger siblings," Neville mused. "I always wanted a younger brother or sister."

"'Cause Hermione, Bella, Ginny, and Luna aren't enough?" I asked with a laugh.

Neville smiled. "They're like the annoying cousins who come to visit but are glad to see the back of when they're gone."

"Hey!" Bella shouted and started chasing after Neville, who cackled as he ran away. Harry and I laughed at them because we knew Bella could have caught him had she wanted to, but she let the game go on for a few seconds before tackling him gently to the kitchen floor.

"What the hell happened out there?" Emmett asked, giving Bella and Neville a curious look as he stepped over their wrestling forms.

Emmett's question, however, brought all of that to a stop. As Emmett and Rose took a seat at the island, Neville and Bella stood up from the floor.

"Something I would like to know," Newt said as he stepped back inside and took the seat Jessica had been sitting in. The last thought she'd had as she stepped into her car was that it might be a while before a child was placed with Emmett and Rose, considering how far from civilization we were living.

"We were attacked by dementors," Harry said with anger in his voice.

"What do you mean dementors?" Newt asked with urgency. "What the hell were they doing here?"

"Tell me everything that happened." Newt looked at Harry.

Harry explained that Neville and he had been hiding out in the magical portion of the house while Jessica had been inspecting the muggle side. Both he and Neville detailed what they felt at first: the crushing cold, the helplessness, and the happiness leaking out from the world around them. They went on to explain how when they figured out it was dementors, they rushed down to stop the visiting muggle from seeing anything, but they were just too late. Emmett, Rose, and Jessica were already on the floor outside by the time they got there.

Newt was quiet at the end of their explanation.

"It still doesn't explain what the hell they were doing here!" Harry said forcefully.

"Voldemort, maybe?" I murmured, trying to think things through rationally.

There were shrugs all around because it was possible. They were the type of creatures that would thrive on the darkness that Voldemort wanted to spread. Bella snuggled into my side just as a silver-grey screech owl flew through the open window, it's wingspan so large that it was as wide as the window itself. It dropped an envelope on the table before swinging around and flying back out the way it had come.

"What's that?" Bella asked, leaning over. "Oh … it's a letter for Harry … from the Ministry of Magic."

"That can't be good," Harry whispered, leaning over to grab it. The letter jumped up like it had caught fire when Harry's pointer finger touched the envelope.

Much like the howler Ron and Neville had received, this one spoke. This letter, however, looked more like a face than just a mouth screaming at you. We all listened quietly as it began to speak.

"Dear Mr. Potter,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at fifteen minutes past eleven this morning in the presence of a muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be arriving at the place you are currently residing to destroy your wand.

Because of the seriousness of the breach under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 AM on the twelfth of August.

Hoping you are well.

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic."

~*~UHS~*~

The letter from the ministry was taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix pages 29-30 and modified for the purposes of this story.

It never is good when we hear from the Ministry, is it?

See you in a fortnight!