When he heard soft footsteps crunching toward him on the frozen grass, Harry slowly turned and looked for the first time at who was approaching.

The Headmaster, with Fawkes on his shoulder, Daniel, Marie and Moody were all quickly walking, or in Moody's case hobbling, toward him. Each of them had their wands drawn and pointed toward the body on the ground.

Marie was the quickest and reached Harry first, grasping him by the shoulders as her eyes looked down at his torn jumper and the cuts and gashes she could see on his skin with worry. "What were you hit with?"

Harry looked down at his injuries. "I'm not sure, it was a black, cloudy spell. It went right through my shield and when it hit me it turned into thick, barbed rope." He reported in an oddly calm voice. "I'm okay though, they didn't cut that deeply."

"Cursed rope," Marie muttered under her breath with a worried frown. "How long was it on you for?"

"A second or two, not long," Harry told her.

"Thank Merlin," She breathed in relief.

"What have you found, Albus?" Moody's voice sounded from behind him, and he turned to find the Headmaster crouching beside Riddle's body. Dumbledore had his white wand held in his right hand and pointed at the body whilst his left was pulling a brown-leather book from an inside pocket of Riddle's robes.

Harry recognised the book instantly, as did Daniel and Marie if the gasps from behind him were any indication. The Headmaster stared at the book for a moment before he placed it down on Riddle's chest and went back into the robe pocket with his hand. After a moment, he pulled out a folded piece of parchment with a drawing of Hogwarts on the front which he turned this way and that as he inspected it.

Harry frowned and stepped forward when he saw the parchment, coming to a stop just behind Dumbledore's shoulder as the man unfurled the parchment and revealed the contents.

"That's the Weasley twins' map," Harry said, staring at the dots on the map that indicated the five of them clustered together with Tonks a little way off.

Dumbledore stowed his wand and picked up the book before he straightened and turned toward Harry. "You are certain?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Daphne and I saw them with it last year. We were able to get a good look at it, we didn't show up on it because of-," He paused and glanced at Moody. "Well, you know."

Daniel and Marie had followed him to the body and were looking at the book in Dumbledore's hand. "That's the book," Marie said when she spotted it. "The one I saw in Dobby's memory."

Dumbledore nodded once as he removed his wand again, running it along the length and width of the book. After a moment, he spoke of his findings. "This book," He paused as he turned it over, seeing the small inscription at the bottom. "This diary held, until only minutes ago, magic of the foulest kind. It is gone now, but traces still remain."

"Do you know what it is?" Moody asked as he looked down at the book, whilst his magical eye was flickering between Daniel, Marie and Harry.

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "I do not, but I will study it further until I do."

Suddenly thunderous footsteps sounded from behind them and they all turned to find Hagrid running toward them from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. When he reached them he spoke quickly, slightly out of breath as he looked down at the body at their feet. "Wha' happened? I heard-" He broke off when his eyes found the severed head. "Tom Riddle!"

"You know him, Hagrid?" Harry asked interestedly.

Hagrid turned his wide-eyed gaze to the boy, nodding quickly. "Y-yeh, we were at school together. Nasty piece o' work. He-he's- it's him, Harry, it's You-Know-Who!"

"Harry is aware of his true identity, Hagrid, but the question which at present remains to be answered is how exactly Tom is here now," Dumbledore said before he turned from the large man to face the corpse again. With a wave of his wand, two blankets appeared in the air before they began to wrap themselves around the two parts of Riddle. As the Headmaster was hiding the remains from view, Moody turned and began to hobble toward the prone form of Tonks to check her for injuries.

After his inspection was complete he revived the pink-haired witch and she shot up into a sitting position instantly, her eyes wide. "What-where-"

"You were downed, lass." Moody rumbled as he reached down to pull the frowning Tonks to her feet. Once standing, she seemed to suddenly remember what had happened and her eyes widened.

"Harry, where is-" She started to ask in a panicked voice.

"I'm here, Tonks. I'm okay," Harry called from behind Moody, who stepped to the side so she could see him.

Tonks sighed in relief before she looked past him at the covered body on the floor. "Is that-?"

"It is. Potter here killed him," Moody told her in a growling voice as he fixed both eyes on Harry. Tonks' frown deepened as she looked from the body of Riddle to the second-year student.

"He...killed him?" Tonks asked, turning her head to her mentor. "But shouldn't we-?"

"That will not be necessary, Miss Tonks," Dumbledore spoke from behind Harry, causing them all to turn to the man. "All will be explained when we adjourn to my office." The Headmaster said before he angled his head to face Fawkes, who had remained on his shoulder. "If you would, my friend?"

The Phoenix trilled once in acceptance before he glided over to the body, landing with one leg on Riddle's chest and the other on his head before he vanished with a flash of fire and took the remains with him.

The group waited patiently for Fawkes to return, and when he did, flaming into view back on the Headmaster's shoulder, the man beckoned for them all to gather around him. Once they had, he turned to Hagrid.

"Forgive me, Hagrid, but I think Fawkes would struggle to bring you along as well," Dumbledore said to the man apologetically.

"Tha's okay, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid said with a wave of his hand before he turned to Harry. "Yeh're alrigh'?"

Harry smiled reassuringly at his largest friend and nodded. "I am, but thanks, Hagrid,"

Hagrid nodded back, wringing his huge hands together. "Yeh know where ter find me if yeh need me." With that, he turned and plodded away back toward his hut. Once he had gone, Dumbledore turned his head up to look at Fawkes again, but before he could speak the Phoenix trilled and transported the six of them back to Dumbledore's office.

As soon as they arrived, a blonde missile shot across the room toward Harry. When she reached him, Daphne clamped her hands on his shoulders as she looked him up and down, her eyes widening when she saw the cuts and gashes on his torso.

"What happened?" She asked quickly, lifting her face to look at his.

Harry's smile was a slight grimace as he answered. "He hit me with a cursed rope spell, but I got out of it." He told her gently. Daphne's eyebrows knitted together in a worried frown as Harry looked over her shoulder toward the other girl in the office. "He's gone."

Astoria stared back for a moment before she gave him a small, satisfied smile. "Good."

Harry smiled back at her but before he could speak again he was distracted by the Headmaster, who had conjured a blue, ethereal Phoenix from his wand. The man was staring into the eyes of the Phoenix, completely silent, before it turned and glided through the wall of his office.

Noticing the questioning looks from all but Moody, he helpfully explained what he had just done. "I have sent word to the four Heads of Houses and requested that they gather their students in the common rooms to check if any are missing from those that remained behind for the winter break. Unfortunately, I suspect that one of those students was involved in this, though to what extent remains to be seen."

After he had finished speaking, Dumbledore turned and walked toward Harry. When he reached the boy he gave Daphne a thankful smile when she stepped aside, leaving him room to check the boy's injuries.

"Do you think he might have allies in the castle?" Moody asked Dumbledore as he was beginning to heal a gash running along Harry's ribs.

Dumbledore waited until the gash began to close under his watchful gaze before answering as he moved on to the next. "Undoubtedly he did, but I do not think he had any knowledge of them. No," The Headmaster shook his head. "Any help Tom may have received would have been coerced, or forced."

"Who is Tom?" Tonks asked her mentor as she took a seat beside Astoria.

"Tom Riddle, Miss Tonks. He was a student here fifty years ago," Dumbledore explained as he ran his wand over the last of Harry's injuries, receiving a grateful smile from the boy. When he had finished, Daphne took charge and led Harry by the arm toward the seats beside Astoria and Tonks, who was frowning again.

"How was a student who attended fifty years ago here today?" The woman asked in a confused tone.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to answer, but before he could do so an ethereal doe, much like the Headmaster's own Phoenix, floated through the wall, startling the three children as it passed them. The doe continued until it was directly in front of the Headmaster before its mouth opened and it spoke in the voice of Snape.

"One of the second-year students, Millicent Bullstrode, is missing."

When it had finished speaking the doe dissipated into nothingness as the Headmaster jumped to his feet and quickly pulled the twins' map from his pocket and laid it out on the desk before him to search for his missing student. It only took him a few moments to find the four common rooms filled with students and the faculty either in their personal quarters or the staff room, and only a moment more to realise that a portion of the castle was missing from the map.

"Fawkes, please take me down to the Chamber," The Headmaster asked of his companion. The Phoenix trilled his assent and glided from his perch to Dumbledore's shoulder, quickly transporting the pair of them from the room in another flash of fire.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence descended upon the office in the Headmaster's absence, but it was broken by Tonks after a few minutes of waiting when she cleared her throat and turned to her trainer, a look of confusion on her face. "What's going on? Who is Tom Riddle?"

"Voldemort," Moody spat with an angry frown.

Tonks shook her head in denial. "That's what Harry said when he first appeared, but it can't be true. You-Know-Who is dead."

"He is now," Moody answered, turning both of his mismatched eyes to the boy sitting before the desk. Harry met his gaze unsurely, wondering what the man thought of what he had done to Riddle. As he came under Moody's scrutiny he heard Daniel and Marie both step forward to stand directly behind him supportively.

Tonks paled even further as she too turned to Harry with a look of shame. "Harry, I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I could have gotten us both killed."

Harry broke his staring contest with Moody to turn to Tonks, smiling reassuringly at her. "It's okay Tonks. I know it was hard to believe, but you still tried to protect me."

Tonks closed her eyes tightly and winced. "Yeah, tried."

"That's what you get for not taking a potential threat seriously," Moody growled, turning his head to the woman beside him. "What have I always told you?"

Tonks opened her eyes as she answered, a pained look on her face. "Constant vigilance."

"We'll discuss this further when we get back to the office," Moody promised. Tonks nodded her acceptance, her pained look transforming into one of trepidation.

When neither of them spoke again, Daphne turned to the boy beside her. "Do you think she'll be okay?" She questioned quietly, her thoughts returning to their missing yearmate.

Harry quirked his mouth as he answered. "I hope so, but I doubt it. Remember Quirrell?"

Daphne nodded with a worried frown and silence descended upon the office again. After another few minutes of waiting, a flash of fire attracted all of their attention as Fawkes flamed back into the office with Dumbledore in tow. The look of grief and sadness on the old man's face was enough clue to them all that he had found Millicent Bullstrode.

"Albus?" Moody questioned as the Headmaster walked wearily to his seat, dropping into it heavily as he shook his head defeatedly.

"Miss Bullstrode has perished," He told the room in a thick voice. "I have asked Severus to send for her parents. They will arrive soon, and I will have to tell them the dreadful news." He lifted his head then and met Harry's eyes. "I must know what happened."

Harry nodded his head numbly as he stood and walked over to the Pensieve. He lifted his wand to his temple and retrieved his memory, everything from the moment they had stopped on the grounds and he had sensed Riddle to the adults arriving when he was dead.

When he had finished Dumbledore rose to his feet again and walked slowly over to the Pensieve, followed by the rest of the room. When they had all gathered around the stone basin, the Headmaster gestured for them all to place their hands on the ridges of the bowl. When they had done so, he took out his own wand and placed it in the center of the swirling liquid memory, and within seconds they were all pulled in.

Together, they watched as the three children and Tonks discussed Harry's ability to sense magic, earning the boy a speculative look from Moody, and watched as Riddle emerged from the boathouse. The memory continued as Daphne and Astoria said their goodbyes to Harry, leaving the boy alone with the Auror and the approaching Riddle. They watched the short exchange between the two boys before Riddle had struck Tonks down, and finally, they watched the battle between the two unfold.

When the memory ended and they returned to the Headmaster's office all eyes turned to Harry, who was frowning to himself. "I shouldn't have done that," He said lowly before he turned his eyes to Dumbledore. "I shouldn't have killed him."

"Why not, Harry?" Dumbledore asked in a neutral voice as he gazed back at the boy.

"Because now we don't know what really happened, how he managed to be here. If I hadn't killed him you could have questioned him." Harry responded, shaking his head. "He was disarmed-"

"Literally," Astoria snorted.

"-and wasn't a threat anymore. I...I wanted to kill him, but it wasn't the smart thing to do," Harry finished his self-examination in an unhappy tone.

Dumbledore inclined his head minutely to the boy. "While that may be true, I do not blame you for it, Harry. I can understand why you did what you did."

Moody nodded from beside the Headmaster, his eyes resting on Harry again. "Aye, you did well, lad. Very well. You'll learn from this in the future - it's always best to take them alive, if possible." He told the boy, respect evident in his voice.

Harry was still frowning as he looked from the Auror to Dumbledore. "What will happen now, sir?"

Dumbledore sighed and turned to return to his seat, gesturing for the rest of them to do the same. The two parents and two Aurors remained standing, but when the three children had taken their seats he answered. "Miss Bullstrode's parents will be informed of her death, of course, and I will have to inform the Board of Governors."

"What of the Ministry?" Daniel asked, receiving a bark of laughter from Moody.

"As I am here, the Ministry is already aware, or did you forget that I am Head Auror?"

"I remember," Daniel responded in a hard voice but said nothing more to the man, instead turning back to Dumbledore. "Do you have an idea as to what happened?"

The Headmaster nodded his head, steepling his hands under his chin and sighing. "I do. Miss Bullstrode's body was...a husk. Her lifeforce had been siphoned."

"Possession," Marie said in understanding, a sad look on her face as she thought about the poor girl's fate. "The diary?"

Dumbledore nodded again, sighing heavily as he reached out and plucked the diary up from the desk. He opened it to the first page and turned it to them. Squinting, they could all see the faint 'T.M. Riddle' written on the centre of the page. When they had all seen it he then turned the diary to show the back, where they could read the small, gold lettering embossed at the bottom.

'Winstanley's Bookstore & Stationers, Vauxhall Road, London'.

"The orphanage Tom grew up in was also stationed on Vauxhall Road. There is no doubt that this belonged to him, though what foul magic he used that allowed him to leave an essence of his young self within is unknown to me." Dumbledore explained as he placed the diary back down. At the same time, the ethereal doe returned, floating through the wall toward the headmaster.

"The Bullstrodes are here." Snape's voice spoke, and when it had finished the doe disappeared.

Dumbledore sighed as he got to his feet, his eyes turned to Daniel and Marie. "Are you amenable to returning tomorrow? I must attend to the poor girl's parents."

"Of course," Daniel nodded as Marie ushered their children to their feet. "Please let us know if there's anything we can do."

"Thank you," Dumbledore responded as he led them toward the fireplace. "Until next time."

The family said their goodbyes to the Headmaster and Tonks before they departed one by one back to their home. When they arrived, they all took a moment to look at each other before Marie sighed and nodded her head toward the direction of the living room. "Come on, we'll need to explain ourselves to the Delacours."

The rest of them nodded and began to follow her from the room, but Harry was held back by Astoria. When the other three had left the room, she stepped forward and engulfed him in a tight hug, burying her head in his chest.

As Harry lifted his own arms to return the hug Astoria spoke. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry smiled down at her. "You don't need to thank me, Tori."

Astoria lifted her face to meet his eyes, smiling slightly from one side of her mouth. "I suppose not, I guess that's just what big brothers do?"

Harry had to quickly swallow down the lump in his throat as he nodded. "Yeah, that's what big brothers do."

After Harry and Astoria had joined the rest of the household in the living room and taken their seats Daniel began to explain to the curious Delacours what had happened.

"I must ask that you keep what we are about to tell to yourselves, is that acceptable?" He started, receiving agreeing nods from the oldest three. "Voldemort is not dead."

Marie took up the explanation. "We thought he was, but apparently Dumbledore has always suspected he was not, and it was confirmed last June when Harry met him."

"And fought him," Daphne piped up.

"And beat him," Astoria joined in.

Harry rolled his eyes at them. "Barely."

"And," Marie continued after glaring at her children for interrupting. "He faced him again today, at Hogwarts. Or at least, a younger version of him."

Patrice, Apolline and Fleur looked stunned, while little Gabrielle merely looked confused as her fledgling grasp of the English language was insufficient to allow her to understand what was being said.

"This is true?" Fleur asked from her place beside Daphne on their settee. "You have faced him? Twice?"

Harry met her eyes and nodded seriously.

"Merde," Fleur breathed out, her eyes wide.

"Are you certain it was him?" Patrice questioned, looking between them all. "Could it not be a pretender?"

Marie nodded before she shared a look with her husband. Daniel sighed and removed his wand, pointing it toward the open doorway. Moments later, the Pensieve floated lazily into the room toward the man.

Plucking it from the air, Daniel got to his feet and placed it on the coffee table before he turned expectantly to Harry. The boy nodded and took out his own wand and, for the second time that day, began to remove his memories and place them in the bowl. When he had finished Daniel added a memory of his own before he gestured for the rest of them to join him.

When the Delacours all got to their feet and stepped closer to the Pensieve Daniel frowned as he glanced down at Gabrielle, believing that the contents would likely frighten her. He opened his mouth to say something but, to his surprise, was beaten to it by Astoria.

"Gabrielle, let's go to my room. You can teach me some more French?" She suggested to the little Veela, who quickly nodded her head with a beaming smile.

"Oui!" Gabrielle agreed, stepping away from the Pensieve and taking Astoria's hand and began to lead her from the room, excitedly babbling. "Le français est vraiment très facile à apprendre, bien plus facile que votre langue étrangère..."

When Astoria closed the living room door behind them the sound of Gabrielle's happy chatter was muted and they all returned their attentions to the Pensieve. After each of them had placed their hands on the rim Daniel tapped the side with his wand and they were all transported inside Harry's memories.

First, they watched Harry's first meeting with Dumbledore in the upstairs room of the Leaky Cauldron when the man expressed his belief that Voldemort had not perished on Halloween 1981, and had revealed his true name of Tom Riddle.

Next, they watched snippets of Harry and Daphne's first year at Hogwarts, including meeting Serana. To Harry's surprise, none of them seemed to judge him for being a Parselmouth, but when he thought about it he really should not have been.

Then, they watched the full confrontation at the end of the year when Voldemort had fully possessed Quirrell and made his bid for the stone. When they reached the point where Harry was held under the Cruciatus Curse the Delacours all gasped in horror. Harry glanced at them and saw that both Apolline and Fleur had tears in their eyes while Patrice had turned a sickly colour.

The next memory, when Dobby had come to France to warn them on Harry's birthday, was the memory that Daniel had provided, followed by brief scenes of Harry learning of each attack throughout the current school year, finishing with Astoria's.

Finally, they watched the fight with Riddle, and the aftermath in Dumbledore's office. When the memories had finished and they were deposited back in the living room the three Delacours all sank down into the closest seats, blank expressions on each of their faces.

"I know that they were hard to watch, but they were necessary for you to understand," Daniel told them as he swished his wand, vanishing the contents of the Pensieve.

"'Hard to watch'" Patrice repeated, shaking his head. "That is a...what is it..."

"Understatement?" Marie suggested lightly.

"Oui," Patrice nodded weakly.

"I do not understand," Apolline began, rousing from her thoughts. "Why have you not fled?"

Daniel chuckled. "To be honest, that was our first instinct when Harry first told us what Dumbledore suspected."

Apolline frowned. "I do not see what is amusing. You now know for certain that he is alive and is attempting to return, and your son has been forced into facing him twice."

"Is this why you are not teaching him how to duel, but how to fight? You are preparing Harry to fight him?" Patrice asked, looking shrewdly between the Greengrass couple.

"I swore I would kill him, and I will," Harry spoke up, causing both Patrice and Apolline to turn to him. "He killed my parents, he tried to kill me, and I knew he would try again if he came back. He already has, as you saw."

Apolline shook her head. "Why does it have to be you? You are a child, Harry," She said, holding up a hand to placate him when he looked unhappy at her words. "I do not mean to belittle you, but you must understand that it is not your job to fight this madman."

"I know it's not my job, but it's what I want. I will do everything in my power to end him, with or without anyone's help. I'm lucky that Daniel and Marie have been teaching me, or I might already have died." Harry responded earnestly.

Patrice and Apolline still looked disagreeable to the notion and they both looked as if they were about to continue trying to dissuade them when their own daughter spoke.

"He is right, Papa, Maman," Fleur said, looking between them both. "If...if someone took you both from me I would want to kill them myself, I know I would. It wouldn't matter how old I was."

"Me too," Daphne added, turning her eyes to her own parents. "There'd be no other option."

Patrice and Apolline both deflated, nodding their heads, because when they both thought about it they realised that they would feel the same way about their own parents.

Harry gave Fleur a grateful look and she smiled back at him before she turned to Daniel and Marie. "I hope you do not take this the wrong way, but could I please duel Astoria during our next session?"

Marie cocked her head at the French girl. "Why?"

Fleur grinned. "Because she knowingly goaded me into a fight against a boy capable of beating a teenaged Dark Lord. I believe she deserves retribution."

That evening, after they had eaten and their guests had retired to their rooms for the night after assurances that they would celebrate the New Year the next day, the Greengrass family remained in the living room together.

"So," Daphne began, breaking the comfortable silence in the room. "What's the deal with Moody? Why does he seem to hate you?" She asked her parents, looking between them both before quickly adding. "More than most people do, I mean."

Daniel sighed and sat forward in his seat to take up the explanation. "Because he believes that I betrayed him." He started, causing all three of his children to quirk their heads. "After I graduated from Hogwarts in '69 and received my N.E.W.T. scores I joined the Auror Training Program almost immediately. The program is incredibly testing and intrusive, and it takes three years to complete. During the first two years you are put through a multitude of aptitude tests, both of your magical abilities and your character. Most applicants don't make it through this period, some because they chose to leave due to the difficulty or they failed one of the tests and were dismissed, but those that did manage to endure would then spend the final year of the program learning from a Senior Auror, one-to-one."

"Like Tonks is doing with Moody now?" Harry asked, receiving a nod from Daniel.

"Just like that. Exactly two years after a candidate signs up for the program the entire force will gather to test and question the candidate and, if one of them is particularly impressed by them, they will take them on as their protege." Daniel continued.

"What happens if none of the Aurors want to train them?" Astoria queried.

"Then they have failed and their time in the program is at an end," Marie spoke up with a shrug. "When your father and I did our training the Auror force was almost five hundred strong. If, after two years of day-in, day-out training you can't even convince one of them to take you under their wing then you are clearly not up to scratch."

All three of the children nodded, seeing the logic in it. Daphne turned to her father with narrowed eyes, a suspicion in her mind. "Was it Moody who chose you?"

Daniel nodded, his eyes distant and a faint smile on his face. "It was. He had been an Auror for over twenty years by that point and already had the reputation as the greatest dark wizard catcher this country had ever seen. He was a great man, a good man, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life when he chose me. For the next year I was with him damn near every day and I learned an incredible amount from him. Once the year was up, I took my final test and aced it. I was a full-fledged Auror."

"What happened next?" Astoria asked as she shifted in her seat to lean her back against her mother's side.

"I was on my own now, and Moody took on a new protege, but I would partner with your mother when it was needed," Daniel responded, smiling at his wife.

"I passed my own test a few weeks after your father," Marie added as she stroked her hand through Astoria's hair.

"They let you work together? Even though you were a couple?" Daphne frowned in surprise.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't think the higher-ups were happy about it, especially when we got married a month later, meaning we were both away for two weeks for our honeymoon. But I think Moody and Dearborn advocated for us so nobody tried to split us apart."

"Who was Dearborn?" Harry asked, turning to Marie.

"Caradoc Dearborn, my trainer. He was killed during the war.," Marie explained solemnly. "One of the many Aurors that was killed. Too many."

All three children winced and gave her sympathetic looks, Astoria having to angle her head around to face her mother. "What...what was it like?" Harry asked gently. "The war, I mean."

Marie was quiet for a long moment as she pondered how best to explain it, continuing to stroke Astoria's hair all the while. "As you all know, the war started in '75, but it had been building for at least a year before that. Attacks on muggle settlements, the odd disappearance or murder of muggle-borns, and murmurings amongst the old families that soon things would change. It was concerning, but we figured we'd catch those responsible rather quickly and put a stop to it." Marie began, before snorting ruefully. "We had no idea of what would come, but it became clear in January 1975 when the town of Wexhall was decimated by Him."

Daphne and Astoria both nodded along but Harry frowned. "Where's Wexhall? What happened there?"

"It used to be a town in the Yorkshire Dales, but it's gone now. He destroyed it, he and his Death Eaters, completely and utterly wiped it from the face of the map. We discovered later that almost twelve thousand muggles lived there, but in one night they were all 'purged from this earth'" Daniel explained, shaking his head. "That's what he said when we arrived. He made a grand old speech about the changing of our world, how we would take back our land from the 'filthy muggle blight' and invited us all to join him."

The children all had shocked looks on their faces. "They wiped out an entire town?" Harry breathed out in a quiet voice. "Twelve thousand people?"

Marie nodded. "The Muggle Minister had to be informed, and I think they explained it away as an awful natural disaster, but everyone in our world knew what had happened. Attacks picked up in frequency after that, and more muggle-borns were murdered either in their homes or in the streets in plain view. Half-bloods, too, but not as often."

"Many joined him, the darker Pureblood families mainly, but many more did not and took a stand against him. People signed up to join the Aurors in droves, and at first, we found success against the Death Eaters. Until those who stood against him began to go missing or were killed in their homes in the dead of night, too quickly and viciously for alarms to be raised." Daniel recounted, his eyes distant as he stared into the fire opposite him. "The bastard was smart. Those who stayed out of the war were largely left alone, but those that stood were targeted. People began to fear what would happen to them, and their families, if they did the right thing."

"As the war progressed," Marie continued. "We'd come in to work and it would be noticed that someone was missing, so people would go to their homes to look for them." She paused to swallow heavily, shaking her head. "I can never decide what was worse: finding them, or at least what was left of them, or finding nothing. You'd be left wondering what had happened to your colleagues, your friends, and hoping that their end had come quickly." She paused again and sighed heavily. "All too often, you would eventually find out what happened to some of those who had simply vanished. You'd find yourself fighting a Death Eater, and when they spoke to cast a spell you'd have the horrifying realisation that the voice of the person trying to kill you sounded strikingly familiar."

Marie looked at her children's horrified faces and smiled bitterly. "People you trusted, that you counted as a friend, would join him. Maybe they'd been threatened, or perhaps they'd always had the inclination, who knows? We caught a few spies amongst those who had joined after Wexhall, as did other Departments, but I'd bet all the gold we have that we didn't even catch a third of them."

"So that's why Moody seems to hate you more than most people?" Astoria asked. "Because he believes the lies about you and has taken it personally?" When her father nodded she scowled. "How? He knew you! Didn't he ever ask?"

Daniel sighed. "As I said before, Moody had been an Auror for over two decades by the start of the war. All of those who defected and joined him were those he would have known personally and likely trusted. What was one more after years of betrayals?" He shook his head heavily, clasping his hands together tightly. "A lot of the ones who joined him were people I never thought would, but they did. Like my brother and..." He paused then, sharing a look with his wife before he shook his head and moved on. "It likely didn't take much for Moody to believe I had done what so many others had, with all the supposed evidence against me." He said instead, shrugging his shoulders wearily. "I sent him a letter once the war was over and I had recovered, but he never answered."

The room fell silent as the children all thought about what they had been told. Harry thought about his own parents and how they had been betrayed by Sirius Black, who was supposed to have been their friend - apparently, what had happened to them was not uncommon during the war.

When ten minutes of silence had passed Daniel and Marie shared another look before the man clapped his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet. As he stretched his back he spoke to his children. "Come on you lot, it's getting late. Time for bed."

Together, they all trudged up the stairs, calling goodnight to each other on the landing and entering their own rooms. After a quick shower, Harry got changed into his pyjamas and climbed into his bed, but before he could extinguish the lamps he heard a soft knocking on his door.

Daniel and Marie, both dressed in their own bedclothes, entered when he called out and quietly closed the door behind them. They walked over to his bed and climbed atop it, sitting on either side of Harry.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Marie asked from his left side as she wrapped her arm around him, pulling him into her.

"I'm...okay," Harry responded after a moment, frowning lightly to himself.

"You don't sound sure of that, kiddo," Daniel said lightly.

Harry's frown deepened as he tried to find a way to express how he felt. "Like I said before, I know now that I shouldn't have killed him so that he could have been questioned." He started slowly as he absently fiddled with one of the buttons of his shirt. "And I feel guilty about that. But...I don't feel guilty about the act itself. Killing him." He turned his head to his right to look at Daniel. "Shouldn't I?"

"Harry, that was You-Know-Who you killed. He may have been a younger version of him, but he was no less of a monster. He attacked six people, including our Astoria, and had just killed a girl minutes before he met you." Daniel smiled and shook his head. "No, you shouldn't feel guilt for doing what you did. We're proud of you and you should feel proud of yourself. You did the right thing in the moment."

Marie reached out with her other hand to grasp his chin, gently turning his head to face her. "Harry just imagine if you hadn't been there. He'd have escaped Hogwarts and been out in the world to do who-knows-what. How many people would he have killed? Tom Riddle grew into the worst Dark Lord there's ever been, and that wouldn't change just because he found himself in a different time period."

Harry stayed silent as he thought about what they'd said. After a minute he nodded and smiled at them both. "Okay, that makes sense. I was worried that I didn't feel what I thought I should."

"We understand, kiddo," Daniel told him reassuringly, reaching out to ruffle his hair for a moment before he slid off the bed and got to his feet. "We'll leave you to your sleep, but you know you can come to us if you need to talk."

Harry smiled at the man and nodded as Marie bent down and kissed him on the forehead before she too got off the bed. Together they walked to the doorway before calling goodnight to the boy.

When they had left he extinguished the wall lamps with a wave of his hand and settled into his bed. After the day's events, he felt exhausted and it only took him mere minutes to fall into a comfortable slumber. So comfortable and needed was it that he never heard his bedroom door open once again, nor the soft footsteps padding toward him. He was only awoken when the other side of his mattress dipped down and jostled him as another body climbed into his bed.

When she had gotten under the covers Daphne quickly slid close to him, nestling her head into his shoulder and laying her hand on his chest. "Are you okay?" She whispered as he wrapped one arm around her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Harry breathed back. He tried to focus his eyes on her face in the darkness. "Are you?"

Daphne was silent for a long moment before she shook her head imperceptibly. "No, not really."

Harry made a noise of alarm in the back of his throat. "What's wrong?" He asked urgently.

"You were in danger, again, and I couldn't help you," Daphne answered despondently. "I feel useless."

"You're not useless," Harry responded quickly. "Not at all."

"I hate having to leave you," Daphne said in a small voice. The hand that was lying on his chest tightened into a ball, scrunching up his pyjama shirt. "I know why you have to send me away, but it still hurts."

Harry reached up to take her hand in his. "I'm sorry, Daph."

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault I feel like this. It's just something I have to deal with, because let's face it, this will happen again."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe not, maybe things will be normal from now on." He mused hopefully.

Daphne snorted. "Harry, somehow I don't think your life will ever be normal."

He chuckled, smiling to himself in the darkness. "As long as you're with me, I don't care."

Daphne stared at him for a moment in the darkness before she suddenly moved forward and kissed him soundly on the lips. After a few seconds, she broke off and whispered happily to him. "Happy New Year, Harry."

After Harry had breathlessly whispered the same in return, she said nothing more and rested her head on his shoulder. Eventually, the two of them fell asleep arm-in-arm, peaceful and content. The next morning, Marie opened Harry's door to wake him and had to pause when she saw the blonde hair sharing his pillow. Sighing, she stepped out of the doorway and silently closed the door behind her just as her husband was stepping out of their bedroom.

When he spotted her he began to smile wryly. "Let me guess, I need to go and retrieve Daphne?"

Marie nodded and grinned. "Take a picture first."

After breakfast the next morning they received another summons from Dumbledore and, after apologising to the Delacours for once again having to leave them, they Flooed one-by-one into the Headmaster's Office again.

The man himself stood to greet them as they entered and Harry saw that he was joined by Professor McGonagall who stepped quickly toward him.

"Harry, are you well?" She asked, concern evident in her eyes as she looked him up and down.

Harry smiled at her and nodded. "I am, but thank you for asking, Professor."

The Professor narrowed her eyes for a moment as she studied how truthful he was being before she nodded and gave him a smile. She gestured with her hand for him to take a seat and he did so, quickly being joined by the rest of them. Once they were all seated they all turned their attention to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore leaned his elbows on the front of his desk, steepling his hands under his chin as he looked at Daniel and Marie. "Thank you for coming so promptly. Now, before we resume the discussion regarding your children returning to Hogwarts, I am sure you would like to know what I have learned."

Daniel nodded. "Very much so."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I am afraid that all I really have is guesswork regarding what magic allowed Tom Riddle to possess one of my students and return to corporeal form, but I do believe we can surmise what happened. As was reported to you during the summer by the House Elf Dobby, the diary was passed along to one of the students who brought it into the school."

"Millicent Bullstrode," Marie said, nodding along.

The Headmaster shook his head somberly. "While Miss Bullstrode was undoubtedly the last student to own the diary, I do not believe she was the first."

"Why is that?" Daniel asked.

"Because of this," Dumbledore answered as he reached into a desk drawer and removed the Weasley twins' map. "I took the time early this morning to pay a visit to the Weasley family home. Molly and Arthur are old friends of mine and graciously allowed me to speak to Messrs. Weasley. They swore that the only students they told of the map's existence were their friend, Lee Jordan, and their younger sister, Ginevra."

"We knew about it," Daphne said, indicating herself and Harry. "Someone else could have spotted them with it."

Dumbledore inclined his head toward her. "Perhaps, but they reported that they were always very careful to only use it out of sight of others. They would know if another was close enough to see them with it just from looking at the map itself. That you and Harry were able to get close enough to see it and study it was only due to Harry's cloak."

"What if another student was in possession of an invisibility cloak?" Marie questioned with a frown as possibilities raced through her mind.

Dumbledore stood then and walked to a coat rack in the corner of the room. Lightly, he plucked a shimmering cloak from it and offered it to Professor McGonagall, who dutifully took it and wrapped it around herself. When she had disappeared from view, the Headmaster pointed to the map and Marie stood and stepped toward the desk, picking it up.

"She shows up," Marie reported, glancing from the map to the spot where McGonagall had disappeared. Dumbledore nodded and reached out again for the cloak as the Transfiguration Professor removed it. Once the cloak had been hung back up, Dumbledore returned to his seat and folded the map back up after murmuring a quick passphrase.

"As I told him when I returned it to him, Harry's cloak is special. I sincerely doubt that there is another cloak in existence that would hide someone from this wonderous creation." Dumbledore explained as he hung the cloak back up. As he returned to his seat, he took a moment to fold the map back up after murmuring a quick passphrase.

"Who made it?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he shook his head lightly. "We will get to that, Harry," He promised. "As I was saying, from everything they told me, I suspect that another student, a student that had prior knowledge of the map and young enough to be taken in by it was in possession of the diary. At least for a time."

"How old is Ginevra?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"Miss Weasley is a first-year student," Professor McGonagall responded promptly.

Daniel and Marie both nodded. "You have not shared your suspicions?" Marie asked the Headmaster, who shook his head.

"As I was leaving their home, I had the chance to speak to her for a short period and she seemed blissfully unaware of her potential involvement. I did not see the need to report my findings and cause her, or her family, undue stress." Dumbledore explained, receiving accepting nods from the two parents. "Moving on, I believe she was possessed by a shade of Tom Riddle that remained trapped inside his old diary. The opening of the Chamber and the attempt to control Serana, and the subsequent attacks, were perpetrated by him."

"I...I was attacked by You-Know-Who?" Astoria breathed out, eyes wide. "How am I not dead?"

Whilst the rest of her family winced at the thought, Dumbledore answered. "I believe that, until he regained a form of his own, his power was unavailable to him and he had to 'make do' with that of whoever he was controlling.'

"And when he came back, he had his full power again?" Marie questioned, her eyes darting toward Harry. When Dumbledore nodded she turned back to him. "Is he definitely dead? The diary doesn't have any shade of him left over?"

"It does not," Dumbledore responded. "I checked it thoroughly and only lingering traces of foul magic that once was remained."

"Do you have any idea who Dobby's master might have been?" Daniel asked.

Dumbledore hummed. "I have a few suspicions, but unfortunately none that I could prove."

"And the body?" Marie continued. "Riddle's, I mean."

"As normal in appearance and make-up as any other," Dumbledore reported with a frustrated shake of his head. "Until I have more time to research there are very few answers I have for you."

Daniel and Marie both sighed heavily, unhappy with the lack of answers. "What of the Ministry?" Daniel asked after a moment.

"I spoke with Cornelius briefly in the evening and informed him of Miss Bullstrode's demise and that the perpetrator had been killed whilst attempting to flee the castle. That is all he, or anyone at the Ministry with the exception of Alastor and Miss Tonks, knows of what has happened. After our meeting here I will return to the Ministry and give him a full accounting." Dumbledore told them.

"Will he believe you?" Daphne questioned, causing all eyes to turn to her. "About who it really was?"

"He will, Miss Greengrass. His remains can be cross-identified with photographs that exist of him during his time at Hogwarts, as well as testimony from those who knew him, including myself. That it was him at all can be proved by who he eventually became. If any were capable of leaving an imprint of themselves in a seemingly innocuous diary that could possess and attack students, eventually killing one, it would be him." Dumbledore explained patiently.

"And I'll be okay?" Harry asked suddenly. "I won't get in any trouble with the Ministry for what I did?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Harry, you will not. In fact, I am rather sure that once he learns that it was you Cornelius will likely try to change the law regarding Order of Merlin recipients to award you one personally."

"What law?" Harry asked interestedly.

"The law that states that only those of age can receive one, though it likely will not be a shock to you that you are already on the list to receive one the moment you turn seventeen," Dumbledore told him, smiling crookedly from one corner of his mouth in mirth.

Harry blinked. "That actually is a shock, sir. I never even thought about it."

Dumbledore continued to smile for a moment before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and steeping his hands under his chin. He looked rather seriously at Harry before he spoke. "Regardless of your guardians' decision on whether or not you will return to Hogwarts, I would like to award you with the Special Award for Services to the School. Your actions last year and this more than qualify, Harry."

Whilst the Greengrasses all turned to him, smiling widely, Harry merely looked concerned. "There isn't a ceremony or anything, is there? Also, what exactly is this award?"

The serious expression dropped from the Headmaster's face in an instant as he laughed heartily, leaning back in his chair. "No, Harry," Dumbledore answered. "The award itself is a simple golden shield that will be placed in the school Trophy Room so that future students can see it and marvel at your accomplishments."

Harry nodded and looked first to Daphne beside him, who was beaming widely, and then to Daniel, Marie and Astoria, who all had encouraging looks on their faces. Shrugging, he turned back to the Headmaster. "Thank you, sir. I'd be honoured."

"You have more than earned it, Harry," Professor McGonagall assured him with a proud smile.

"Quite," Dumbledore agreed. "Now," He said, turning to Daniel and Marie. "Regarding the matter of your children returning to our hallowed halls-"

"We discussed it last night between ourselves," Marie interrupted, nodding her head toward her husband. "And we both agreed that had the events of yesterday not happened, we would have remained firm in our decision. But," She turned then to focus her attention on her children. All three had perked up in their seats with hopeful looks on their faces. "Now that the danger has passed, we will allow you to return."

"Really?" Astoria asked quickly. "You mean it?"

"We mean it," Daniel assured. "We still have some concerns that we would like to be addressed, but we know how much you all want to come back." All three nodded their heads quickly at his words.

"If I may ask, what are your concerns?" Dumbledore requested to know. "I promise I will do my utmost to allay them."

"Firstly, we would like regular updates from you, or Professor McGonagall, regarding our children - how they're getting along with their classmates, their performances, any potential issues and whatnot," Daniel started.

"That will not be a problem, I can assure you," The Headmaster informed them as Professor McGonagall nodded her assent.

"Next, we need to discuss Snape," Marie continued, her eyes glinting dangerously.

Dumbledore sighed, nodding his head wearily. "I expected this. I have spoken to Severus at great length regarding his poor conduct and he has been warned, thoroughly, that I expect drastic improvements. If he does not, I will have little choice but to end his employment here come the end of term." The Headmaster reported unhappily.

"I don't understand why you haven't already sacked him, or why you even hired him in the first place," Marie said bitterly. "The man was a Death Eater, Dumbledore, he's as vile and evil as all the rest of them. He doesn't have a shred of decency, not to mention he's an awful instructor."

"Surely there are other candidates for the post?" Daniel asked as he took his wife's hand in his, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it with his thumb to calm her. "Couldn't you get Slughorn to come back?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Horace is enjoying his retirement far too much to entertain such a notion. No," The Headmaster repeated, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, the potential replacement of Severus would need to be someone new to the post." His eyes lingered on Marie for a moment, which she quickly noticed if her narrowed eyes were any indication.

Before she could say anything, her attention was diverted to her husband when he rested his hand lightly on her arm. "What do you think, dear?" He asked her. "Can we accept allowing him the rest of the year?"

Marie's nostrils flared but she remained silent for a moment, thinking it through. After a moment more, she turned to her children. "What do you reckon?"

Daphne and Astoria both shrugged in response, instead turning to Harry. The boy frowned to himself as he pondered the question before he looked up at the Headmaster. "Do you really think he'll change, sir?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment before he answered. "I do, Harry. Severus is...a complicated man, but I do trust him. I would like to offer him this one last chance to change his ways."

Harry nodded and turned back to Marie. "The rest of the year isn't that long, really. And if he doesn't get better, the Headmaster has already said he'll sack him."

Marie sighed. "Fine, if you're all okay with it?" She asked again, receiving nods from her children. Nodding, she turned back to the Headmaster. "Then we will wait and see. Hopefully, you are right and he will change." Marie said to the man, though she sounded like she very much doubted it.

Dumbledore smiled relievedly at her. "Thank you. Was there anything else?"

"Only one other major concern," Daniel said, rejoining the conversation. "Lockhart. When we were making plans on how to continue our children's education, we were appalled to hear that all they had learned in his class was how to embellish."

That got the biggest reaction from the Headmaster, who sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. Reaching up, he removed his half-moon spectacles from his nose and rubbed the bridge of it wearily. "I understand your concerns, but I am afraid there is little I can do. He was the only applicant for the post."

"Is that why it took so long for the book lists to be sent out?" Daniel asked, receiving a nod from both the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. "What are you going to do next year?"

"Next year?" Dumbledore asked amusedly as he placed his glasses back on his face. "Gilderoy has signed on for two years at a minimum."

"Come off it, Dumbledore," Marie scoffed. "He'll be gone at the end of the year, it's been that way since before even I was here. Come on, what's your plan next year?"

Dumbledore chuckled again. "I had hoped to perhaps entice Alastor to the post. He confessed a year or so ago that, once Miss Tonks had passed her final test, he would likely retire. However, after yesterday's events, he believes that the darkness will return sooner rather than later, and I doubt that he will leave his post any time soon." The man sighed again and shrugged his shoulders. "I have spoken to a few old friends, and one is less resistant to the idea of teaching here than he has been in the past. Hopefully, he will agree to take up the post next year." Dumbledore paused then as his eyes flickered to Harry, a small smile playing on his lips. "Which reminds me, I do believe I promised to tell you of the map's origins earlier?"

Harry sat up eagerly, an action mirrored by the two girls on either side of him. Dumbledore chuckled as he rose from his seat and walked around the desk, plucking the map from it as he did. When he reached the front, he leaned lightly against the wood and held the folded-up map so they could all see it.

"Last night, after I had returned from the Ministry, my mind was still much too active for sleep so I took the time to study this map. It is a rather ingenious creation, as I have said, but I had little idea of how it worked until I visited the Weasley household this morning. Fred and George Weasley, after being assured that they were in no trouble, were kind enough to explain to me how it worked. The map requires a passphrase to activate it, and another to wipe it clear, and both are rather difficult to guess. Whilst in their company, I tested both, and when first saying the passphrase to open the map, I discovered something very interesting." The man paused to clear his throat and looked down at the map in his hands. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

As they watched, a detailed drawing of Hogwarts appeared on the middle of the previously blank parchment before writing began to appear above it and a red four-pointed star took up the centre of the drawing of the castle.

'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs are proud to present The Marauders Map'

When she read the names Professor McGonagall gasped and lifted a hand to her mouth as Dumbledore continued to explain to the clueless family what this meant. "It came as rather a shock to me that I did in fact recognise all four of these monikers. When we used to gather during the war, four young men would often refer to one another by their nicknames - Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."

"This explains so much," Professor McGonagall whispered under her breath, a sad smile playing on her lips as she stared at the four names.

Dumbledore lifted a finger to indicate the name 'Prongs'. "Do you know who this is, Harry?" When Harry shook his head, Dumbledore smiled gently at him. "Prongs was the nickname given to James Potter by his friends. Your father, Harry."

Harry felt a rather strange emotion whirl in his chest as he absorbed the information and found his eyes staring at the nickname written across the front of the map. "My Dad made this?" He questioned breathlessly as he resisted the sudden urge to reach out and take the map from the Headmaster.

The man seemed to notice his desire as he held the map out to the boy, who took it reverently. "He did, Harry. Your father was a brilliant wizard, as were his friends, and it does not surprise me one bit that they could create this magnificent piece of magic."

Harry nodded as he stared down at the map in his hands. Almost unconsciously, he traced his father's nickname with his index finger. Beside him, Daphne placed her hand gently on his elbow in support as she turned to the Headmaster. "Who were the other three, Professor?"

"Wormtail was the nickname of Peter Pettigrew, Moony was a man called Remus Lupin, whilst Padfoot..." Dumbledore trailed off, exchanging an uncomfortable look with his Deputy.

"Was Sirius Black. I already know he was supposed to be my dad's best friend," Harry finished for him as he looked up from the map. He smiled widely and gratefully at the Headmaster. "Thank you for telling me, sir. I know I have his cloak, but to see something he made himself is...amazing."

"That is quite alright, Harry," Dumbledore responded happily. "The phrase to wipe the map is 'Mischief Managed'."

It seemed that for the passphrase to work the speaker had to actually be holding the map, as it remained activated in Harry's hands until he murmured the words himself to wipe it clear. Once it had, Harry sighed and reached out to hand the map back to the Headmaster, but frowned in confusion when the man lifted his hands and refused to take it.

"The map is yours, Harry. I am sure it would please your father greatly to know it was in your possession." Dumbledore told him with a wry smile. Beside him, Professor McGonagall groaned.

"For Merlin's sake, not only did you give the boy the cloak but now this map? Are you trying to make him follow in his father's footsteps? I cannot and will not endure another!" The Scottish witch bemoaned to the Headmaster, who looked innocently back at her.

"Certainly not, Minerva, and I find the accusation hurtful. I am merely returning the boy's birthright to him." He responded airily.

Harry snorted at the exchange but shook his head. "Thank you sir, but it doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the twins. It was stolen from them, they should have it back."

The Headmaster shook his head lightly. "Fred and George are perceptive young men, and they noticed as soon as I read the names that I knew who they were. I told them who Prongs was, and that he was your father. They both immediately said that had they known they would have given the map to you themselves and asked me to give it to you. I happen to agree with them - the map is yours, Harry."

Harry swallowed thickly "Thank you, sir,". When Dumbledore simply smiled in response, he looked back down at the map in his hands and muttered the passphrase. When the map activated, he opened it and began to study it - as did Daphne and Astoria, who both leaned in closer from either side of him. He saw them all gathered in the Headmaster's office and saw that, where the entrance would be were the words 'Turkish Delight' which he quickly realised must have been the password, which he confirmed by quickly finding the Slytherin common room and seeing that the password, 'Pewter', had remained the same from when he had last been here. He could see pockets of students gathered around the castle - some in the Great Hall enjoying a late breakfast, some in the library studying and others simply roaming the halls, enjoying the return of their freedom now that the danger had passed.

When all three children lifted their heads and exchanged excited looks, Professor McGonagall groaned again.

"Perhaps it is time for me to join Horace in blessed retirement."

The rest of the meeting passed rather quickly and soon the family had departed the office and left the Professors behind. Both were delighted that the three students would be returning and promised to keep Daniel and Marie updated regularly as promised - though Professor McGonagall had shot her employer a filthy look and wondered aloud how exactly they were supposed to keep tabs on them now that they had access to an invisibility cloak and a map that allowed them to avoid whoever they wished.

They celebrated the New Year with the Delacour family, having been too tired and worn out the day before to do so. Marie and Apolline cooked a wonderful roast dinner for them all before they gathered in the living room for a night of fun and games - much needed after the previous day's events.

Two days later it was sadly time for the French family to depart, though there were tentative plans for a joint holiday during the summer where they would hopefully not have their time together interrupted.

The remaining time before the children returned to school was largely spent in the training room, but rather soon it was the morning of the 11th of January and they found themselves gathered on Platform 9 3/4 where the Hogwarts Express waited for them.

"You'll be good?" Marie asked her children as she hugged Daphne, her eyes focused on one in particular.

"Of course we will, what do you take us for?" Astoria said in a hurt tone as she stepped away from her father's hug. "Wait, don't answer that." She continued quickly when Marie was about to do so.

"Oh look, there's Tracey," Daniel said as he looked down the platform, spotting the brown-haired girl awkwardly standing near her mother and a man who must have been her father. They all turned to watch the awkward and brisk goodbye and, after her father had lifted her trunk on the train for her, they both turned and left the miserable-looking girl alone despite it being another five minutes before the train was due to depart.

"Poor Tracey," Marie said softly to herself, though the rest of them heard her. "Is your other friend here? Luna?"

The three children all looked around quickly before Daphne spotted her at the back of the train. "Over there, the little blonde girl with her dad."

Daniel and Marie both looked over and the woman snorted when she spotted Luna's father, who was hugging his daughter goodbye. "Xeno hasn't changed a bit. Still as fashionable as ever."

They watched as Luna stepped away from her father's embrace and got onto the train with an uncharacteristically sad expression. Daniel and Marie both frowned as they turned away from the scene and looked back at their own children. "Both of your friends looked very upset." Daniel pointed out.

The two sisters shared blank looks before Daphne exaggeratedly gasped. "Oh no, we forgot to tell them that we were coming back to school!"

Astoria clapped her hand heavily against her chest, her mouth agape. "What fools we are! It will come as such a shock to the poor dears when we walk into our compartment!"

Daniel and Marie both snorted and turned to Harry, who rolled his eyes. "Daphne hasn't let me anywhere near Hedwig for the last week."

Both sisters glared at him. "You'd have ruined it." They said at the same time.

Marie chuckled and drew him into a hug. "Then you'd best get on the train quickly and cheer them up." After a few seconds, she pulled back from the boy, though she kept her hands on his shoulders. "Promise me that you'll try to have a normal term, dear."

Harry pouted. "It's not my fault, things just keep happening." When Marie looked unimpressed, he sighed. "Fine, I'll try."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Marie lamented dramatically before she released him. "Go on, go and meet your friends."

Harry gave her a soft smile before he turned and stepped away toward Daniel, who also hugged him. When they broke apart, the man took the three shrunken trunks from his pocket and passed them to the boy.

One by one the three children stepped onto the train, calling out "Goodbye, love you," to the couple, who happily responded in kind before they all began to make their way toward the back where they knew Tracey and Luna would be waiting in 'their' compartment.

When they were outside the door, they saw that Tracey was sitting beside the younger girl with her arm around her shoulders, their trunks both sitting in the middle of the compartment. When Astoria quietly slid the door open, they heard the two of them speaking.

"We'll be okay, Luna," Tracey tried in a light voice, despite the unhappiness evident on her own face. "It'll be sad at first, but we'll stick together. Maybe we'll make new friends?"

"Are you replacing us that quickly, Trace?" Astoria demanded in a hurt voice from the open doorway, causing both girls' heads to whip toward them. "And here was me thinking what we have is special!"

Tracey gaped at them all while Luna began to smile prettily. "I-I-what are you all doing here?!"

"Catching a train to school, what else?" Daphne responded with a grin as she stepped into the compartment, closely followed by Harry and Astoria.

"But I thought you weren't coming back?" Tracey said, looking between them all with quickly watering eyes.

Harry shrugged with a happy smile. "Well, we didn't want to leave you two, did we?"

"That's very nice of you, Harry," Luna said as she rose from her seat. Harry opened his arms and she happily stepped into the offered hug. Tracey's watery eyes evolved into full-blown happy tears and she too jumped to her feet, quickly wrapping her arms around Daphne who was grinning happily.

Astoria looked between the two hugging pairs with a light scowl. "What am I, chopped liver? Where's my hug?"

She was ignored as Tracey sobbed into Daphne's shoulder. "I was so worried about being in our house without you two! I didn't want to be alone again," Daphne patted her shoulder comfortingly while behind them Astoria snorted.

"Oh, so all that talk of 'don't worry Luna, we'll make new friends' was a complete load of dragon-dung, was it?" She snarked lightly.

Tracey didn't even lift her head as she responded. "That's why you're not being hugged."

"Fair enough," Astoria conceded with a mild look, though she smiled when Tracey stepped away from her sister to hug her.

"I missed you too, you git," Tracey said happily. "Are you okay? Everything's healed?"

"Yeah, everything's fine now," Astoria responded.

"Good, because I'm going to curse you - I know this was your idea."

"You know me so well."

During the course of the journey, the three of them shared the tale of what had happened on New Year's Eve with their friends. Both girls were shocked, though as they had already been told of the 'stone incident' they both believed it.

When Harry showed them the map, Tracey began excitedly spouting potential uses whilst Luna cocked her head at it. "The Chamber does not seem to appear, Harry."

"No, I guess my dad and his friends never found it,"

"Perhaps you could update it?" She suggested, which meant the five of them spent the rest of the trip sitting together on one bench huddled around the map as they discussed how to do so. Their ponderings were interrupted when the train arrived at its destination and soon they were crammed into a Thestral-drawn carriage where it was quickly resumed.

When they arrived at the castle they made their way into the hall, splitting up and heading to their respective tables. Harry and Daphne noted with amusement the unhappy look on Malfoy's face when he saw them, though they sobered when they saw the grief-stricken look on Parkinson's. The girl had usually sat with, and partnered with, Bullstrode and it hit them that the two must have been friends.

The Feast passed quickly and the students were all soon heading back to their common rooms. While the majority of their house remained in the seating area, catching up with one another, the three Slytherins made their way toward the corridor containing their rooms. When they arrived, they all paused when they saw that their side of the hallway now only contained four doors rather than five.

As they were staring at it, they heard a quiet sob behind them. Turning, they saw that Pansy Parkinson had followed them into the corridor and she was staring at the missing space where Bullstrode's room had once been.

There was none of the usual haughty arrogance of a witch who believed herself better than all around her on Parkinson's face as she turned from the wall to look at them all. Rather, she looked just what she was - a grieving, heartbroken young girl.

"H-her Mum told me what happened," Parkinson said in a broken voice. "That s-she was killed."

None of them knew what to say to the girl, but it seemed not to matter as she continued anyway, her watery eyes focused on Harry. "T-the Ministry say you killed him, the one who hurt her."

"I did," Harry confirmed in a quiet voice.

Parkinson swallowed heavily and audibly as her hazel eyes met his green. "Thank you, Potter."

Harry shrugged with one shoulder. "I wish it hadn't been necessary."

Parkinson's bottom lip wobbled violently and her eyes rapidly watered. She turned sharply away from them to hide her tears and quickly stepped toward her door. Opening it, she stood in the doorway for a moment, her back toward them all, and responded in a mournful voice before she closed the door behind her.

"So do I."

The three of them spent the night talking in Daphne's room to such a late hour that the next morning they all overslept, meaning they only had enough time to run to the Great Hall and grab a slice of toast each before they had to race toward their double Transfiguration lesson with the Hufflepuffs.

After the lesson had finished and they were meandering down the corridor away from the classroom, Tracey reached into Harry's robe pocket and began rummaging around in it.

Harry stopped walking and gave her a funny look. "Any particular reason why you've decided to mug me? Amateurishly, at that."

"We've got two double periods and lunch, let's use the map and explo-AHA!" She exclaimed in triumph as she retrieved the map, despite the fact it had been the only thing present in his pocket.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," She quickly recited, grinning when the map activated. "So, where to first?"

Harry lightly plucked the map from her hands with a fond grin. "First, I want to find the twins and thank them."

"Boring but understandable," Tracey mused as she and Daphne both leaned in to help him look for them.

Three sets of eyes roamed around the map, checking each of the more populous areas of the castle before Harry spotted them first. "There they are, in the Gryffindor common room with their brother and..."

He trailed off and lifted the map closer to his eyes, blinking heavily. He read the name that was almost on top of Ronald Weasley's thrice as a horrible sinking feeling seeped into his gut.

He knew, he just knew, not even a day after making it, that his promise to Marie to try and have a normal term was already broken.

"Daph...why is Peter Pettigrew in the Gryffindor common room?"

Yeah, yeah, I know it's been a while.

I have reasons.

Mainly, my brain has been refusing to work for weeks, which surprisingly makes it rather difficult to write an entertaining, coherent story. Who knew?

That said, I don't think this chapter is particularly entertaining or coherent but it's the best I've got at the moment and I wanted to give you all something before it reaches my last hiatus of two months.

This chapter has been written over short bursts since the last one was posted, which means it's probably a bit disjointed as I prefer to write all of it in one sitting so I have my flow, but ah well. I'll probably go back over the coming days once this is posted and re-do bits of it like all the others.

Thank you all for your response to the last chapter, it's great to see you all were as happy about Riddle's defeat as I was writing it.

The fucker hurt our Astoria.

Hopefully, you all enjoy this one, leave a review and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!