BlueWater5: Severus has a support system, albeit a very small one, but it's all he really needs. He has many difficult things to face yet, still.

A5mia: I'm having a lot of fun with Dawn - She's an intriguing woman, for sure, with a very interesting past.

Zeugma412: You'll get a lot more of Dawn and her story in the coming chapters! She's a delight to write.

Author's note: This one was a fun one to write. Also, I do apologize for these last few 'build-up' chapters. I needed to establish some events regarding those four years between the first story and this one. In this one, we start delving into a few of the problems we will be focusing on in future chapters.

Enjoy!

"We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky."
― Walter Mosley

CHAPTER 5: Family Values

February 2nd, 2002

[Harry Potter]

Harry lay awake among the first rays of the morning within the twisted bedsheets; his wife sleeping peacefully beside him. Thankfully, he awoke without a nightmare which left him feeling relieved at the small blessing. After making love to Ginny that night, the last thing he wished to do was to keep her awake that morning in worry upon his nightmare-induced insomnia. Waking up without disturbance enabled him to start the morning off in a better mood so there was a small joy in that rare feat.

Glancing over at his sleeping wife, he smiled to himself.

He did not deserve her, and she was the only person in his life who made him feel content and complete. Despite how horribly cliché it sounded; it really was the honest truth. The intimacy they shared was stronger and more unified than ever, and he was thankful to be sharing his life with her for he could not imagine going through it all alone. She was his rock, his anchor. She grounded him better than anyone else could and he knew he would struggle through his days horrendously without her to support him through it all. He could not imagine lonely days without her warm presence and her cheeky sense of humor, or her dazzling smile to brighten up some of his darker days. He could not imagine waking up to an empty bed and not knowing her gentle touch and the subtle floral scent of her unruly red hair, or the sweet taste of her lips upon his. The thought alone burned through his heart and deep down, he knew he was lucky to be with her.

The thought of a possible emptiness of that within this life was almost painful to ponder.

Soon, he'll be waking her up, but for now, he allowed her to rest a little longer. He wanted to continue gazing at her lovingly whilst she slept, in this moment of serenity before the usual flurry of the day. Her freckled face appeared peaceful, and he wondered if she was dreaming. Smiling again to himself as he felt his cheeks blush and his heart leaped, he gently closed his own eyes to ready his mind for the day ahead. At that moment, he relished in the comfortable silence and company with the love of his life.

The Holyhead Harpies were up against the Wimbourne Wasps at the Semi-Final match in Manchester that afternoon. The match Ginny had been vigorously training for in the weeks leading up. The winning team would go onto the finals, so the stakes were high for the League Cup. The Weasleys would be there, and he'll finally be able to catch up with Ron and Hermione amongst their busy schedules. Harry also invited Neville and Luna, along with a very eager Hagrid, to watch the match and help support Ginny and her all-female team.

Andromeda and little Teddy would also be there, and it took a little more coaxing from Harry to convince her to join them. He knew she had been feeling a little under the weather lately and he even suggested taking Teddy for the weekend and allowing her a solitary break. However, she insisted she go and spend time with Harry and his family and support Ginny in the upcoming match. Andromeda had almost appeared jittery at the prospect of being by herself, but Harry didn't question it further and was happy they decided to join them that day.

Glancing at the clock beside him, he knew it was time to wake Ginny up so they could start the day without the usual rush. They were not always the most punctual pair, but as Ginny would encourage Harry throughout his studies, he would do his utmost best to do the same with her successful career. They encouraged each other no matter how difficult the path could be.

Rolling carefully over to his side, Harry gently brushed away a lock of red hair which had fallen almost in a tangled mess over her temple. In all his amusement, Ginny's hair had a wild conscious of its own.

"Time to wake up - " Harry whispered, not wanting to jolt her awake. He cupped her cheek with his hand and tenderly brushed his thumb across it, feeling the softness of her skin. There was a slight grumble from his wife as she stirred, until a single eye opened to reveal a hazel orb staring back at him. Harry smirked, " – Hey there, sleepyhead."

There was another groan from Ginny as she finally stretched her limbs out like a domestic cat until she rolled over to face Harry with a mischievous smile, "Mmm, good morning. What time is it?"

"Eight. Plenty of time, " Harry responded, watching as Ginny suddenly leaned across his chest, feeling her nose nuzzle against his own. She wriggled her nose and soon planted a morning kiss on his lips, "I guess we both slept well last night. First time in a while."

"Yeah, we did. Well, last night sort of done the trick – " Smirking, Ginny planted another quick kiss on Harrys lips, until she clambered her way out of bed, being careful not to trip over the mess of sheets. Ginny threw a light night robe around her as she exited the room.

Harry's cheeks flushed again, following his wife out the room, "Can't complain."

The pair of them wandered to the kitchen, where Harry went directly to the stove to make a pot of coffee. Ginny hopped onto the chair by the kitchen and watched as her husband tinkered away at the counter. "It's a shame Kreacher felt a little uneasy leaving Grimmauld Place. He would have been homely, here."

Tapping his wand at the stove, a small flame was set alite and the pot instantly began to boil, "After the incident with Teddy a few years ago, he kind of freaked out a bit. He just did not want to leave, and I don't want to, well, command him to if he didn't feel comfortable with it."

"And yet he doesn't want to be freed. Poor thing – " Ginny sighed, " – He's so attached to the history of that place, that leaving makes him nervous."

Distracted by the strong scent of coffee wafting within the kitchen, Harry began to pour the hot liquid into two large mugs and handed one to Ginny, taking the other seat beside her. The scent of freshly brewed coffee was enough to awaken his own senses, even though the caffeine alone didn't do much for him, "I don't blame him, really."

"Me neither, it's just…Sad, " Ginny responded, cupping her mug within both hands, "Maybe you should offer for him to work at Hogwarts? Maybe he might do better with other house elves."

Harry bit his lip, "I did ask him that a while ago…He just shook his head and scurried away. He's an old elf and allowing him to live a stress-free life is the best I can help him with these days. Is Andy and Teddy arriving here first?"

Quizzically, Ginny raised an eyebrow, "No, she said they'd meet us there, remember?"

Pausing in thought, Harry took a sip of his coffee. He honestly didn't remember that. When did they have that conversation? Shaking his head in his own questionable sanity, he tried to play it off, "Oh, right, yeah." Clearing his throat gently, he flashed Ginny a small smirk, "So, breakfast. What do you fancy? Eggs and bacon? Pancakes? Omelettes? Waffles? Muffins? …More coffee?"

Ginny released a snort, "This cup is my limit for today. Anymore and I'll end up catching the Snitch instead of our Seeker. Eleanor Higgins won't be too impressed with me. I already endured her foul mouth last match when I accidentally flew into her."

Harry chuckled at the memory, "Yeah, I remember that."

"Mmm…Eggs and bacon. Something simple."

"As you wish...your Highness, " Harry tauntingly grinned as he gave a cheeky bow, knowing full well Ginny would be annoyed by it.

His wife pulled a look of disgust at his choice of words, "Oh Merlin, no."

Harry laughed teasingly, with his bark causing his owl Godric to chirp in annoyance in the corner of the room. He wasn't serious of course. He loved teasing her, because he knew she had a wonderful sense of humour, "Too much?"

"I'd rather be a peasant, then royalty. Too many responsibilities. Besides, Prince sounds absolutely awful on you, I'll have you know."

"I guess Lady is off-limits, then?" Harry laughed as his wife gave a grumble of disapproval. He collected Ginny's now empty mug and placed it into the sink. "Now, go and get ready while I make breakfast."

"Seriously, next time, it's my turn, " Ginny wiggled her nose, "Though you know my culinary skills are very limited."

Harry smirked, "Go, before I tell your mum you hate cooking."

"I don't hate cooking, I'm just utterly horrendous at it. I nearly blew up the kitchen making boiled eggs last time…Merlin, don't tell mum that. She'll be willing to move in just to properly teach me cooking charms."

Harry chuckled to himself as he retrieved the carton of eggs from the fridge. Ginny soon wandered out of the kitchen to use the bathroom and soon enough, Harry could hear the water running from the shower upstairs.

The rest of the morning was spent sharing breakfast and reading another ridiculous article by Rita Skeeter in the Daily Prophet and wondering how the woman still had a career. Harry had to wonder how she concocted half of her stories as most of the words she sprouted was utter garbage. Not that it was all that surprising, due to his own personal experiences with her. Though it seems these days, she remains fixated on certain individuals and writes about them until the news becomes stale. That morning, she had written a lengthy article about Celestina Warbeck and an affair she had over fifty years ago in Romania during a tour. Rita had called her a glorified homewrecker and Harry could practically hear Molly Weasley seething all the way from the Burrow.

Repulsed by another horrible issue of the Daily Prophet, the Potters finally got ready and departed their home at Godric's Hollow. They made their way to their allocated Portkey in the small woodlands on the outskirts of the village, until they found what looked like an old Muggle bike tire nestled between a marked rock and the small half-frozen riverbed. Clasping the muggle object in unison, Harry and Ginny's world spun around them until they were teleported directly to the Peak District National Park, east of Manchester, England.

Travel by Portkey was Harry's least favourite method of travel. However, it was too far of a distance to either Apparate or travel by broomstick, and for a large volume of magical folk attending the event, the Floo Network was already clogged up and at least the Portkey system could be carefully monitored.

Once they arrived at their destination, it took a few moments despite Harry's nausea with the travel method to process what he was seeing. Surrounding the barrier, was littered with smartly clad Aurors stationed at multiple points. Some of those Aurors kept their wands raised at the translucent barrier they were withholding, sealing the magic away from prying Muggle eyes. Within that barrier, would be the Quidditch stadium along with many eager and fanatic fans.

As soon as Harry and Ginny were given access through, they stepped over the magical threshold as hundreds of magical folks occupied the empty park spaces. The pair were surrounded by witches and wizards upon their arrival, wandering the parklands in a sea of yellow, black, green, and gold. Some with erected tents and some with temporary stalls selling each team's merchandise, food, and other random whimsical souvenirs. Overwhelmed with the crowd, Harry and Ginny managed to push their way through until they reached the other end where the team's tents were located.

The stadium was noticeably smaller than that used in the World Cup in 1994. Although it loomed over the crowd in the distance, it was large enough to hold the Semi-Finals in the Quidditch League. Several broom-riders zoomed close overhead in an attempt to satisfy their pre-game adrenaline and team chants could already be heard in the distance.

Harry's nerves were definitely more dominant than his excitement.

Kissing Ginny goodbye whilst he held her for a few extra moments wishing her luck, Harry eventually manoeuvred through the crowd in order to find the Weasley's tent, which was stationed somewhere near the old well by the tree line.

Harry hadn't quite psyched himself up for that day much at all. It wasn't the game itself, as he really enjoyed watching Ginny and her team play, but it was the social jitters which often sparked a little unease within himself in recent years. Ginny knew this still happened, but not to the extent of the true dread of it all. Harry often downplayed it and shrugged it off like it was no big deal, even though deep down, he just found the public sometimes unbearable. Of course, he was still on high defence mode whenever he did leave the house, which was a common occurrence not only just with them. Although the threat had gone, there was still that small nagging feeling that it wasn't completely safe these days.

No, the Boy Who Lived would never be normal as hard as he tried to be like everyone else. Because he simply wasn't.

Eventually he found the correct tent after a few accidental intrusions into the wrong ones. Once he found the one he was looking for, he was greeted warmly by the Weasleys, along with a few other familiar additions. The moment he crossed the threshold of the silencing charm, his ears were met with a welcome relief away from the loud crowds outside. The tent itself was donned with the teams' merchandise, as gold and green banners hung from its ceiling and along its walls. In the corner beside the backpacks and overnight bags, was a large multi-compartment brown case with a WWW emblazoned on its side. George must have sold some of his products from Weasley' Wizard Wheezes for the match, with help from his fiancé Angelina Johnson.

Everyone was adorned in the dark green and gold colours of the Holyhead Harpies, with some wearing the team's vest with a large golden talon emblazoned on the front. George, Angelina, Neville, Luna, Ron, and Hermione were colored with green and gold face paint, along with little Teddy who had since bounded towards Harry upon his arrival. Andromeda was talking with Molly at the table hugging a mug of tea against her chest, whilst Arthur, Bill, and a pregnant Fleur were seated at the couch on the other side, deeply engaged in conversation.

Harry himself was treated to rounds of hugs from the Weasleys, and his friends-turned-family. It felt like a long time since he had seen everyone together, considering everyone now had such busy lives. Remarkably, they were able to aim for family gatherings such as birthdays and Christmas celebrations. He had remembered that Ron was unable to make the last Christmas due to a new lead in the case he was working on, and Hermione had been busy working alongside Kingsley in the Ministry. It was without a doubt her influence which had further shaped the latest Hogwarts curriculum adjustments to ensure they received the added benefit of the new and improved areas of magic. With the expansion of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Severus' new added portions to the schedules of his own making in Potions, it was no wonder the Headmistress had to split both of those subjects to accommodate. One teacher would no longer be able to handle the entire subject.

Since the War's end, Headmistress McGonagall had taken the experience to ensure the students will learn what they truly needed. Not that she expected Voldemort to return, but truth be told, complete and total safety was not easy to come by and they had the opportunity to arm the students with more knowledge than they had last time. The Headmistress was in no way prepared to treat this lightly.

"About time you showed up, Harry, " Ron welcomingly clapped Harry on the back of his shoulder, "George was about to start blowing our eardrums out with his ghastly singing."

"Well, don't let me spoil the fun, " Harry smirked, earning a nudge from him in return.

"Hey, don't encourage him. He's got new products that triple your voice, now. Bloody annoying, that is."

George perked up from the back of the tent upon the sound of his name, with a huge grin plastered on his face, "I'll send an extra one to you, free of charge, dear brother!" Beside him, Angelina giggled behind her hot chocolate.

"So glad I'm not home much, " Ron shoved his hands in his dark grey trouser pockets, and he turned his attention back to Harry, "It's been nice being away. I only got back a few days ago."

"Where did you go this time?" Harry wandered to the other empty couch, watching as George chased a giggling Teddy around the tent, dodging furniture as they did. Neville and Luna sat among them listening attentively to the conversation.

"Galway, Ireland. Not a bad place. I keep telling Hermione we should find a place up there, " Ron nudged lightly at Hermione's shoulder, who had since perched closely beside him.

"I told you I'd think about it. I've never been there before, " Hermione shrugged, turning her attention to Harry, "We've been trying to find a place for ages, but we've hardly had the time."

Ron glanced thoughtfully at Hermione, "Well, maybe once I'm done with the current case, I'll take you up there for the weekend. I got stuck with bloody Desmond for the trip. If I hear him yack on about the Montrose Magpies again, I'm putting in my annual leave."

"So, what was the case?" Neville asked curiously.

Ron waved his hand casually, but his expression hardened, "A family contacted the Auror office on their own son, who tortured a Muggle in broad daylight a few weeks ago. We've been trying to find him since he fled. The family claims that HE, made him do it. The kid's an unhinged lunatic, no doubt. The thing is, he wasn't bewitched or cursed – it was all his own doing."

"He? You mean Voldemort?" Luna chimed in, tilting her head slowly to one side.

Ron nodded distastefully, "Yeah. There are still plenty of secluded fanatics out there, but not all of them are actively dangerous. It just makes some of the magical population uneasy, really. But there are some, like this tosser, who is a problem."

"Sounds tedious, " Neville responded, "I don't know how you do it, Ron."

"The job is great, but the Portkey commuting around the country can be a bit of a nightmare, " Ron ran his hand through his neatly combed red hair, as he reached with his other for Hermione's hand, clasping it tenderly, "The Auror Office shove them in stupid places, I'm telling you. One time, they created a Portkey out of a gnome statue, in the middle of a garden in an estate in the south of France. They didn't realise they hid it on a private Muggle property, but we were lucky we weren't bloody caught. My senior gave 'em an earful, though. And you think I swear a lot…"

Harry chuckled, "Well, I'm glad to hear it's all going well, Ron. Being an Auror suits you."

Ron shrugged, "It's stressful of course, but I'm enjoying the challenge. My team is wonderful. Dawn is definitely looking forward to being back out in the field more often. My boss still consults cases with her."

"How is she, anyway? I mean, as an Auror?" Harry asked out of mere curiosity. His last recollection of the woman was whilst she was teaching, often catching students failing to pay attention. He hadn't really given much thought at all how she'd be like in the field. She once told her class a story of a smuggled abraxan by a group of Dark Wizards intending to practice new horrific spells upon it and managed to rescue the creature, single-handedly fighting off the enemies until help arrived. Some of her students thought she was joking, but the serious grim look upon the woman's face told him that she wasn't telling any lies about it.

"I've not seen her too much, to be honest. She's like an odd mix of Mad-Eye's bluntness and McGonagall's stern attitude, with a bit of Snape's dark humour. She's a fascinating woman, though."

"Got a bit of a crush there, Ron?" Hermione smirked, teasingly.

"Merlin, no!" Ron's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, looking slightly offended, "She's admirable, and I can learn a lot from her in the field. You'll be fine, Harry. I mean, she scares me sometimes, but once you get to know her, she's really not that bad."

Harry winced, "Wonderful. I look forward to it."

A giggle could be heard from Hermione, "She is a brilliant teacher. Besides, at least you know she is more than qualified to teach and be your mentor. She taught at the Auror academy for a few years apparently, not to mention actual Auror experience in the field to reinforce her knowledge. She's the most certified Defence teacher we've seen so far."

Biting his lip, Harry grumbled lightly, "I still wish it was Severus, though."

"I suspect he's still rejecting the offer?" Ron asked.

"…Yeah."

"Well, that's his choice, isn't it? I mean, it's not like Hogwarts was all that welcoming to him. I mean, you decided by the end that you didn't want to be an Auror anymore. He probably thought to same about teaching, least of all Defence class."

"And he probably doesn't feel all that comfortable returning after everything, in all honesty, " Hermione added, understandably, "I'll be a wreck, too, if I were him. It's a lot to consider."

"Yeah, that too, I suppose, " Harry sighed again, as he began to pick at the hem of his sleeve. He felt a little sick within, and he couldn't help but wonder if the man had ever given it much thought. The prospect of returning to a place that held so many powerful memories was no doubt overwhelming. Even for him, he knew, but nothing compared to how the man was dealing with it.

"You know already that the choice is certainly not an easy one for him, " Luna interjected softly, "He has lots to think about."

Harry gave a nod in response to Luna, but he couldn't help but feel a little disheartened about it, "Considering he's currently unemployed and wallowing in self-pity, I do hope he can see the silver lining in it all. Eventually. Returning to Hogwarts won't be all as bad as he thinks."

He heard Ron snort in response, but he knew his friend didn't quite understand that predicament, "He's as stubborn as an ass."

Hermione turned to Ron, amusingly, "It's mule, Ron."

"Same thing."

Harry sighed somewhat dismally under his breath during Hermione and Ron's exchange as subtle as he could, but he glanced away to realise Luna had noticed his change in demeanour. Perhaps most of his friends didn't realize how much that truly would have meant to him, but there were some things even he could not change.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville chatted away for the following quarter of an hour, taking the opportunity to catch up on things they had all missed. Ron and Hermione seemed to be taking things slower and have been focused more on their careers in the past few years. Ron often worked away and Hermione was working closely with Kingsley at the Ministry mainly as a member of the Wizengamot and Assistant to the Minister. Both have been trying to find their own homely abode for the past year, but it seemed to be a challenging task amidst their conflicting schedules. Harry had selfishly suggested Godric's Hollow, but Ron wanted to move a little further north. The pair of them had spoken about getting married, but they both agreed to hold things off for a little while longer. They had been engaged for a little over a year now when Ron proposed to Hermione on her twentieth birthday. They did not seem to be in any kind of rush and taking things slower seemed like the best thing for their busy lives at this point in time. And both seemed to be admirably content with that decision.

Neville, like Harry, was focused on his studies and seemed to be far more excited about starting out as a Hogwarts Professor than he was. His optimism made him a little nervous, but he was thankful at least he'd have company in the same novice level. Neville had been dating Hannah Abbott for the past few years, and like Ron and Hermione, they were taking things slow. Hannah was currently working at St. Mungo's as a Healer and still found the time to spend together. When Hannah's recent birthday had passed, he surprised her with a beagle puppy and neither of them were interested in further pursuing their relationship for a while and were happy to remain as close as they were.

If only Harry felt that creative on the relationship front.

As with Luna, she had since taken an internship as a Magizoologist alongside Rolf Scamander – Grandson of the famous author and Magizoologist Newt Scamander – and had since traveled around Eastern Europe together in their bid to discover new magical species. Like Ron, she was always exploring new parts of Britain and Europe and never remained too long in one place. Harry had received many owls from her travels and the stories she had shared with them seemed like something out of a childhood story. Well, it was Luna, but those ventures made her happy and Harry was proud of her for it regardless. Amongst his collection of photos at home, was one Luna had sent him of herself cuddling a baby Mooncalf in Norway the year before.

Reminiscing with his friends – and family – was nice. He was the happiest around those he loved, and sometimes being at home was mentally exhausting and occasionally lonely. Even with Ginny's company, the days she spent away at training left Harry wallowing in his own deep thoughts. He'd often lose his mind if left alone for too long and he tried to make the effort to at least visit someone to help him feel a little less isolated. It was the very least he could do, even if sometimes it did not seem to help all that much. But reaching out to someone, even Severus, made him a little more hopeful and optimistic about the current state of things. As much as his own life was generally going well aside from his relapses in his mental state, he knew he had to learn to truly deal with the downsides of suffering through it.

Suddenly the thought of returning to Hogwarts ignited a new surge of joy within him, knowing that he would be surrounded by good and supportive people, away from the darkness that had gripped most of his life. It gave his life further meaning and purpose. A drive to make a difference.

Eventually, once it was finally time, they all made their way to the Quidditch stands, occupying the VIP area where they found Hagrid waiting for them all in all his excitement. They all settled along the benches in their private compartment, waiting excitedly for the match to start. Soon enough the team songs from the Holyhead Harpies and the Wimbourne Wasps were being chanted in unison within the stands, as the Quidditch spectators did their best to out-chant the other. Green and gold fireworks erupted on one side, where Ginny's team flew out from the player's entrance, and on the other side, the other team did the same leaving a yellow and black trail of smoke in their wake. A loud whistle sounded from the judge's stand, and soon enough the match began.

Harry spotted his wife's number five emblazoned on her green vest, as she sped around the stands with spectators cheering with each player. He watched as Ginny swiftly made a beeline for the quaffle at the same time the opposing Chaser did. Ginny immediately dove for the quaffle, who quickly barrel-rolled out of the way of an oncoming bludger directed at her from the oppositions' Beater.

The announcer's voice boomed from the judges' stand on the other side of the pitch, commentating the heated match.

"…Mrs Potter performed an outstanding maneuver, although almost plowing into her fellow Chaser…Better luck next time!"

"Go Ginny!" Harry yelled out, along with his friends who were eagerly watching in anticipation and equal excitement. Half of the Weasley's were jumping out of their seats, with Harry cheering with the rest of them. George and Angelina' blew their whistles behind them, whilst little Teddy waved his mini pompom excitedly, even despite not having a clue about the game. The enthusiasm amongst his family was enough to earn a few innocent giggles from the curious toddler.

The Wimbourne Beater then hit the bludger, narrowing missing Ginny's Seeker, Eleanor Higgins, who hovered overhead in search for the elusive snitch. Eleanor began to yell expletives and amusing insults, getting increasingly more vocal at the opposition.

"Mr. Hart, ruthless attack there nearly sending Eleanor Higgins right off her broom! She's definitely got a lot to say! That could have been disastrous - a score from Josie Fernandez – Holyhead Harpies earns themselves ten points! - "

The Holyhead Captain and Keeper, Gwenog Jones, was almost hit by the oppositions Beater's bat, which had flown out of their hands in an attempt to knock the bludger away. She spun away on her broomstick just as the bludger and the bat narrowly missed her, earning a booing from the crowd. The bat hit the goalpost with a loud BANG and plummeted to the ground. The referee did not blow the whistle on the obvious attack and continued with the match as normal.

Ron stood up angrily from his seat, "OI! THAT WAS A FOUL, YOU TOSSPOT!"

Hermione pulled Ron back down, "Shh, calm down! Teddy's here, you know."

"…And there goes Usha Vimapoor…The Harpies are down a Beater! Oh, dear…"

"The Wasps are playing dangerous again!" Arthur huffed disapprovingly, from the seat behind. Molly looked apprehensive with George and Angelina booing loudly from the side, "I'm not going to be impressed if Ginny ends up with another broken limb again…"

" - No mercy from either team today! …And still no sign of the Snitch! Those Seekers are idle and waiting whilst their teammates are being knocked down to the pits – "

They watched as Ginny zoomed through the middle quadrant of the pitch, catching the quaffle from her teammate who had swiftly passed it over to her. Harry and his friends cheered, as they watched her score, hearing the crowd erupt in relieved cheers. Hagrid whistled loudly, amongst his thunderous claps.

The match continued on for another two hours almost becoming a close tie. Ginny, like the rest of her team, looked worn out, bruised, and battered. The Wasps were most certainly playing dangerously and even though the Harpies were ruthless opponents when the situation called for it, they at least worked a little smarter and prided themselves on wearing down their opposition instead as one of their main tactics. Unfortunately for this match, they were unable to work that to their advantage. There were several near misses and Ginny almost lost control of her broomstick at one time when she was pursued by Miss Warner from the Wasps. Harry was increasingly worried for her safety, but eventually, the Seeker of the Wimbourne Wasps had finally caught the snitch, ending the match and earning their place in the Grand Finals.

Harry's heart broke for Ginny as her team lost, but he was no doubt relieved she had come of it remarkably unscathed.

In the meantime, Harry and his friends ended up in heated debates within the stand whilst they waited for Ginny to join them. At one time, Arthur and George were equally expressing their frustration, while Ron was doing his best not to swear in front of Teddy. Andromeda sat quietly on the side smiling, as Luna tried to teach Teddy a clapping game to distract him from the erupting arguments from the stands below.

Eventually, Ginny found her way to them after the match looking tired but visibly annoyed.

"– Hey, Ginny's on her way back, " Harry yelled out over the crescendo of noise, earning a few onlookers to turn their attention on her.

Ginny frowned, as she walked exhaustedly over to them, enveloping Harry in a tender embrace, "We were ten points off!"

Harry smiled, gently prying himself away, "It was close, but you did brilliantly, Ginny. You evaded that bludger from Warner like it was nothing."

Ginny scrunched up her face, still appearing rather mad with herself, "We lost our place in the finals."

"Bugger it. I'm proud of you, Ginny. You made it this far, and you can try again next season."

"You were wonderful!" Hermione said, until her face fell, "I do hope Usha is alright…That was a nasty fall."

Ginny shifted a stubborn lock of red hair away from her flushed face which had fallen messily from her ponytail, "She broke her ankle, but otherwise she'll be fine. She's sustained worse."

"I say we meet at the Three Broomsticks, " George interjected, "Win or not, your team made it to the Semi-Final. You even did better than the Bats!"

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart, " Molly enveloped Ginny into a huge embrace, smothering her face with kisses. Ginny squirmed a little uncomfortably in her mother's contact like a child, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle earning an eye roll in return.

As George suggested, they packed up their tent and decided to meet at The Three Broomsticks. Commuting back home was a little bit of a nightmare, as they were sent a faulty Portkey which transported them to Locke Ness Lake, instead of Hogsmeade. At this point, Andromeda seemed to be feeling under the weather and decided to take herself and Teddy home. Luna had plans to have dinner with her father at home that evening, and Neville opted to stay for a short while. Arthur and Molly decided to return to the Burrow, allowing the young adults to enjoy Ginny's accomplishment with a few rounds of well-needed butterbeer.

Finally arriving at their destination, the group found an empty spot at the corner of the familiar pub, earning a few congratulations of a good game from Holyhead fans in their vicinity, who had also arrived to drown out their sorrows over the loss. Ginny had scored herself her first-ever autograph, leaving Harry to amusingly tease her about it for the evening following.

After ordering a second round of butterbeer and discussing the match, Hermione had lowered her voice so that only they could hear, "Did you hear about what happened to Bulstrode?"

Harry scrunched his eyebrows in his bid to remember the familiar name, "…Bulstrode?"

Hermione hesitated at his lapse in memory, "Millicent – The Slytherin in our year?"

"I remember. What about her?" Ginny asked, exchanging a concerned look with Harry.

Hermione soon bit her lip, slightly anxious, "She was found dead in her home a few days ago."

Harry almost choked on his butterbeer, "…What?"

"I thought you read the Prophet, now?"

"Very rarely, though. Besides, I don't exactly go straight to the obituary, Hermione, " Harry responded, but something in his chest constricted, "What happened?"

Hermione drew in a deep breath, being careful to quiet her voice, "Apparently, she was seen attending to a therapist – Healer - for a few months, but then dropped off the radar, and…took her own life. According to her great aunt who I've crossed paths within the Ministry before, mentioned that she was having difficulty ever since the War ended. She had been struggling for quite some time."

"As much as she was a pain in the arse, that's still sad to hear, " Ginny said uneasily, as she bit her lip, "Merlin, that's scary."

Harry's heart sunk deeper within his chest, feeling a little ill, "Who found her?"

Hermione paused in thought, "I think a family member went to see her, since I don't think she had any friends. She lived alone."

The group was silent for a few moments, hearing nothing but the tinkling of empty glasses from Madam Rosmerta from behind the bar, before Ron slightly cleared his throat, "Well, that's put a damper on things."

Harry felt uncomfortable, "Makes me wonder how the other Slytherins are doing. If that's how she had been feeling, what about the others?"

George shrugged, "They can sod off, for all I care."

"No, I meant more the ones who weren't directly involved with the Death Eaters, " Giving George a bothered look, Harry drew in a deep breath, "We did have some of those Slytherins fight alongside us in the end."

Neville took a drink from his mug, brushing off a bit of the butterbeer foam from his lips, "Probably feeling as badly as Bulstrode was, I must say. Surely quite a few of them felt guilty once Voldemort finally keeled over."

"Well – " Hermione sighed heavily – " I guess neither of us know how the Slytherins are faring these days. In all honesty, I'm not sure Professor Slughorn can do much for them at Hogwarts. Kind of sad, really."

"It's not all up to him, though. The Slytherins need a major overhaul, and it's their responsibility. Only they can turn themselves around, since it's their fault, " Ron said, a little angrily, "They shouldn't have followed Voldemort like a bloody herd of sheep in the first place."

"Not all of them are to blame. They need guidance, Ron, " Hermione responded quietly, carefully sliding her half-consumed glass across the table away from her, "It's been four years and if they don't get the support they need and become further isolated by the rest of the school, then they could quite possibly end up like Bulstrode. I mean, you remember some of the students when we went back…They struggled immensely. Of course, we tried to help them feel welcome, but did we really do right by them? I'm honestly not certain."

"Reminds me of that one kid a year behind us – Janus, I think his name was – We heard him bawling at the back of the library after Charms, remember? " Ginny said, turning to Harry, "His dad made him fight against us in the battle, and he didn't want to. He was a mess."

Harry nodded, swallowing the bitterness rising within his throat, "I remember. I guess I'll be dealing with that when I start this year. Things really need to change. Properly, this time."

Neville gave a small smile, "We'll help them, Harry. Whether they allow us to, or not, we have to at least try. Right?"

"Ballsy, I tell you. I definitely don't have that kind of willpower. To help Slytherins? Definitely not a job I could do, " Ron said, as he downed the rest of his drink and turned to Hermione, "Ready to go, Hermione? I'll drop you off home, before your father gets worried again."

Hermione nodded looking relieved, as she grabbed Ron's hand, "Yes, I'm ready. I have to visit my office again in the morning to sign a few documents." She turned back to the others, "It was really wonderful to see you all and we must catch up again soon."

Hermione and Ron did their round of goodbyes until the pair exited the pub leaving the others to finish off their drinks and follow in haste.

Harry and Ginny spent the entire rest of the evening at home, continuing the conversation about the Slytherins. He knew things were still tough for them during his final year. Many Slytherins were even scared to return. But neither of them realized that it seemed to be an ongoing problem. If someone like Bulstrode who was a notorious bully and a menace to other students – crumbled until the point of taking her own life – then what hope did the other Slytherins have?

He recalled one of his recent conversations with Severus – Is that also how he felt, too? So isolated to the point of not wanting to return to society because they were afraid to due to reputation? Of course, Severus had suffered far differently than Bulstrode, but being Slytherins, nothing positive ever came from it during Voldemort's reign.

Reputation be damned, Harry could not sit idly by while Hogwarts is still in the state of emotional repair even all those long years later. There was still so much work to be done and during these times they all needed to work together and finally unite as one. Not horribly divided by class and bloodist ideals as they had been for years, where prejudice could easily tear friends and families apart. No, the time of Tom Riddle is now over and if there was any hope to prevent such damaged children from either turning dark and taking lives or their own, then things needed to change.

Drastically.

Harry had to wonder how different the lives of Severus, Draco, and Tom, even that of Regulus, would have been if they only had positive influences around them in their youth. He had seen what had become of them and the struggles they later faced, just to struggle to undo the damage of their past. For some like Severus and Draco, happened far later. But there was always hope no matter how late and Harry did not want to see the rise of another dark wizard again.

Not if he could prevent it this time.