The atmosphere in the infirmary teetered between hope and despair. Dora did her best to ignore the girl abandoned in the corner who threatened to submerge the room into the depths of depression. The metamorphmagus was there for the other girl, who was chatting with the healer in the middle of the ward.

"Hestia," Dora greeted as she entered.

"Mistress." Hestia curtsied and gave a smile. "This one is happy to serve."

Dora blinked. "So, they found out you have brain damage then?"

"This one is quite healthy," Hestia said. "This one is ready to serve as you command."

"All right," Dora huffed. "You can knock that off. Your sister already gave up on it. In fact, she's told me off right proper like, in the Great Hall no less."

"This one has no idea what you are talking about," Hestia said.

Dora gave her the stink eye. "This isn't funny, you know."

"That is a matter of opinion," Hestia said as the healer from St. Mungo's chuckled.

"Right." Dora's hair turned green in annoyance. "What did the healers have to say?"

"They said I had an encounter with the cruciatus curse, something I could have told them."

Dora blinked. "And?"

"They gave me some potions to counter the effects."

Dora blinked a second time. "And?"

"And then I sat around doing nothing."

Dora blinked a third time. "That's it?"

"Well, I had the privilege of consuming hospital food while they continued their observations. Let me tell you, that fare is foul compared to the opening feast," Hestia stated.

Dora blinked a fourth time. "So… you are upset that I made you miss out on the opening feast?"

"Have you tried hospital food?" Hestia asked.

Dora blinked a fifth time, opened her mouth to reply, then blinked a sixth time. "I'll smuggle in some pizza to make up for it," she said after a few seconds.

"Make it Chinese and you'll be forgiven," Hestia replied.

"I see there was a reason you were sorted into Slytherin." The healer smiled at Hestia. "Though, if I were you, I would have held out for sushi."

It was the healer's turn to receive a stink eye from Dora.

"What?" he asked. "I have a friend who got full marks in Muggle Studies. Every now and then she shows up with that surprisingly tasty raw fish."

Dora sighed; she was doing a lot of that recently. She then addressed Hestia. "Do you know where the Gryffindor common room is?"

"It's not like they keep it a secret," Hestia said.

"Good," Dora replied. "Head on up; you are sleeping with Harry tonight. I need to have a few private words with our friend here."

"It's about time," Hestia said, walking from the infirmary, perhaps a bit faster than normal.

Dora turned her attention to the healer. "Any word on the professors?" she asked.

"What do you want me to say?" the healer asked as the sullen girl in the corner got up and marched from the infirmary. "They are getting the treatment they require. That's about all I can tell someone who doesn't actually have any authority to hear more."

Dora watched as the second girl exited. Then, she sighed. "You were willing to say more earlier."

"Earlier, I thought you had a position here at the school," the healer said also eyeing the exit. "Send her back in one piece if you wouldn't mind."

"Aren't Slytherins supposed to be subtle?" Dora asked, making her way towards the doors.

The corridor was otherwise deserted as Hestia made her way down it. She had a grin on her face as she imagined what lay in store for her that evening. Despite being harrowing, the fight on the train was proving to be a boon, allowing her to spend the evening with Harry. She wasn't positive how they were connected, but she wasn't going to argue with the results.

With those thoughts in mind, she may have been more than a little annoyed when a voice called out to her. "Hestia!"

Producing a sigh of her own, Hestia turned. "Audrey?"

"We're not done," Audrey said, brandishing her wand.

Hestia palmed her own wand. "There's nothing more to be said. Go back to your room and lick your wounds."

Audrey grimaced as she brought her wand close to her face to examine it with sorrow in her eyes. "What do you think they are going to do to me?" she asked after a second.

"You are in no danger in the snake pit," Hestia said. "At least no more than normal."

Audrey laughed bitterly. "Not our house mates. The Ministry. What do you think they are going to do to me?"

"Nothing," Hestia said with a shrug. "Now, be off with you."

Audrey let out a sigh. "My mother visited me at the hospital. The new Minister was less than cooperative. She's not going to let this go."

"Whose fault is that?" Hestia asked with a sniff.

The other girl continued as if Hestia hadn't spoken. "They are going to bind my magic." She said bitterly, "I'll be little better than a squib."

"After you tried to kill Flora, you think I'll have pity to spare?" Hestia asked.

"Death would be preferable." Audrey continued, still studying her wand. "You see, it's the little better part that's the rub. I won't have my magic, but I will still be a proven witch. I won't be abandoned in the muggle world. You see I'm the perfect breeding stock. No one is going to care when I'm sold off to be the wife of some wizard looking for a pedigreed heifer."

Hestia shuffled uncomfortably but held her tongue.

"Do you know what kind of life I can expect? Probably confined to a room. Most likely not going to be in the lives of the many children I'll be expected to produce. I'll be lucky if I'm allowed access to books for entertainment."

"Audrey," Hestia said with hesitation and pity in her voice.

"Shut it," Audrey said. "Like you said, there is nothing more to be said."

"What do you want from me?" Hestia demanded.

"What do I want from you? What do I want from you?" Audrey said coldly. "Avada Kedavra!" Hestia could only gape in horror as the green spell splashed against the ceiling directly over Audrey's head. "I want you to make it as quick and painless as possible," Audrey said lowering her wand to point it at the other girl. "Just make it as quick and painless as possible."

"Audrey…" Hestia hesitated. "I can't"

"You must!" Audrey snapped. "Only one of us is going to walk away from this and I'd rather it were you."

"Stupefy!"

Hestia looked at the downed girl then turned her gaze further down the corridor. "You took that rather literally," she commented.

Emerging from the shadows, Dora asked. "Seriously, hasn't she ever heard of the word 'subtle'? First the killing curses on the train, now running out of the clinic with murder on her face for all to see?"

"She may be under some stress," Hestia said with a frown, a frown that was given to lie seeing how tears started to trace down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I heard," Dora said before sighing. "Go on; go snuggle with Harry. I'll see to this."

"I can't," Hestia said raising her wand. "It would be kinder to kill her."

Dora snorted. "A little faith, please. I said I'd take care of it."

"Dora, I can't let her face that fate. We were friends once."

"I think you will be again." Dora smirked. "Can't let something as simple as a killing curse get between two besties."

Hestia gave Dora a tear-filled questioning look.

"Trust me." Dora winked.

They were sitting in the common room when the last person they might have been thinking of entered.

"Neville, mate, where have you been?" Seamus greeted the boy as he made his first appearance of the year.

"Oh! Hi guys." Neville looked around in surprise. "You weren't all waiting for me?" He glanced at the stairways leading to the dorm rooms.

"We've got a few more coming," Hermione said. "We missed you at the feast. Why weren't you there?"

Neville gaped at the new girl sitting on Ron's lap but managed to get out, "G... Gran took me to Olivander's. I missed the train."

"There's last minute and then there's last minute," Dean said. "Why'd you wait so long?"

"Actually," Neville tore his gaze away from the impossibility of Ron having a girl on his lap to stare at the apparently Slytherin girl lounging against Hermione. "We didn't plan it that way. I was all set to get on the express when a witch came up and started yelling at Gran."

"A random witch just came up and started yelling at your gran?" Parvati asked from where she was sitting on Harry's lap. Neville pinched himself. Parvati was still there.

"Well." Neville stuttered, "M . . . .m . . . maybe not yelling, but she was definitely upset. Was going on about legacy wands not being legacy wands until the original owner was deceased. Gave Gran a real dressing down. Something she was not happy about; being scolded by Bellatrix Lestrange's sister. But Gran did agree to take me to Olivander's."

"So, you got a new wand out of it," Dean said. "Congratulations."

"Wait; back up," Harry said, looking at Ron. "Weren't you using Charlie's old wand. I know he isn't dead. so, how did you manage that?"

"You don't think that old thing got that worn in just seven years?" Ron said remembering with embarrassment the unicorn hair that was way too visible. "It was a legacy wand when he got it."

"Oh," Harry said, dropping the subject.

"Anyways." Neville gestured at the sitting group. "Are there things you want to tell me? I feel I missed out on a few changes."

The group shared looks before Ron piped up. "Snape got the boot."

A few minutes later, Lavender preceded Luna through the portrait hole. "I didn't know Neville could move like that," she commented as Luna broke away and joined the impromptu performance.

"He missed the announcement in the Great Hall," Parvati said. "He's making up for lost time."

"Yes." Bahiti spoke up for the first time in a while. "That was good show. He would have fit right in. Many would have applauded his effort."

"Nah," Seamus said. "Everyone was too busy watching Taylor. She's a good dancer."

"You weren't watching her to judge how she dances," Luna said as she danced with Neville.

"Yeah," Seamus admitted. "I can die happy just dreaming of that show."

"Seamus!" Hermione gasped, scandalized.

Flora chuckled. "Do you deny that you were thinking of getting your hands on her?"

Hermione blushed. "Dora can be just as healthy when she wants to be." She said, "I have no need to exercise my creed of greed."

"That wasn't a denial," Luna noted, waving her arms in the air as she continued to dance.

It had been a summer of change for the woman who still thought of herself as Tonks. That, itself, was not unexpected since she had recently graduated. However, the changes were not going as planned, at least not according to her schedule. It was entirely possible that things were going along exactly how a future version of her sister wife wanted, as if that wasn't a major divergence from Tonk's previous agenda. She had blinked, and the next thing she knew, she was married and was sharing her man with more women than she was comfortable. To make matters worse, her partners only fit the modern definition of women and man due to legal technicalities. It was frustrating to say the least.

It wasn't true that there weren't perks to her new situation, one that she was now exploiting to help achieve her current goal. Surprisingly, luck seemed to be favoring her. The wand weigher had informed her that neither the Minister nor her secretary had left that evening. So, instead of leaving a message with him to request an immediate audience with the highest politician in the land, Tonks had rushed down to confront the secretary directly. If she were extremely lucky, Minister Bones might even make the time to see her tonight. Being the heir apparent of House Black did come with some benefits, after all.

That didn't mean Tonks wasn't taken by surprise when the secretary looked up at her approach and said, "That was fast."

"Huh?" Tonks responded intelligently.

"It hasn't been three minutes since I sent someone to go request your presence." The secretary informed her. "Thank you for agreeing to speak to the Minister on such short notice."

Tonks open her mouth to respond, thought better of it before saying, "Of course; I couldn't disregard such a prestigious invitation now could I?"

The secretary tilted her head and considered Tonks for a second. "You need some practice playing the game," she finally commented. "Well, no time like the present, I suppose." She reached out and touched a crystal sphere sitting on a small pedestal on her desk. "Minister, Mrs. Black is here."

"Thank you, Betty." The Minister's voice came out of the crystal. "Please escort her in."

On that prompt, Betty stood up and gestured for Tonks to follow. Soon, they were in a lavish office being met by a frazzled-looking Amelia Bones, who was walking toward them even before the door had opened.

"Mrs. Black," the Minister said, "thank you for coming. I apologize for the late hour, but there is a subject that we must discuss and I feel it cannot wait."

"Ironically, I too have a subject to discuss that cannot wait," Tonks said to her former boss.

Amelia frowned but motioned to some seating. "By the look on your face, I suspect it isn't good news."

Tonks nodded. "I have a favor to ask," she said, making her way toward a comfortable-looking couch. "I'm not good at politics; so, I'll just come out and say that I realize it is circumventing procedure, but I need it fast-tracked, regardless."

"A favor?" Amelia frowned as she took her own seat. "Merlin, I hate politics. As it so happens, I called you here to ask a favor of you. I suspect this is where we come to a compromise."

Tonks blinked. "That's convenient," she said after a few seconds.

"I was thinking the same thing," Amelia admitted. "You first."

After taking a deep breath, Tonks said, "I was in the Hogwarts infirmary. After I sent Hestia to the dorms, I observed one of her attackers from earlier follow after her."

"Which one?" Amilia asked with some trepidation in her voice.

"Hestia called her Audrey," Tonks said.

"Audrey Miller?"

"That is her." Tonks nodded.

With more frowning, Amelia asked, "What happened?"

"A killing curse was cast," Tonks said neutrally.

"From your demeanor, I assume no one was hit."

"Everyone is alive." Tonks said. "I stunned Audrey before she could get off a second spell."

Amelia sighed. "This complicates things. I was hoping to convince you not to press charges for her actions on the train."

"You were?" Tonks asked suspiciously. "After all of the killing curses she cast? Why would you let her off without punishment?"

Amelia sat back, thinking for a second before motioning at a pensieve sitting in a corner. "I have the memory of the incident. Why don't you give it a look? Please pay particular attention to Miss Miller's contribution to the altercation."

Tonks gave the other woman a frown of her own before getting up and making use of the pensieve. When she retook her seat, Amelia had a decanter of firewhiskey waiting on a low table.

"You saw," stated the Minister.

Tonks nodded her head. "Her first casting was reflex. She was as shocked as everyone else that she had cast that spell."

Amelia nodded in return as she turned over a pair of cups.

"Her first spell came within inches." Tonks continued. "Every other one was aimed to miss by a wide margin."

Amelia nodded again filling each crystal container with a finger of firewhiskey. "With that in mind, I was hoping to avoid having her magic bound. Since she sought to initiate a second attack, I cannot, in good conscience ask you the favor I called you here for."

Tonks tapped her chin with a finger before confessing, "The spell she cast was aimed at the ceiling."

"The ceiling?"

"She was trying to provoke Hestia to kill her," Tonks said grimly.

"I see." Amelia sighed. "She had realistic expectations for her future."

"I was hoping to convince you to expedite House Black's demands for reparations from House Miller," Tonks said.

"I see it is your House's policy to bankrupt those who give insult," Amelia said.

"If I just refuse to press charges, she's in the free?" Tonks asked after a moment's thought.

"How many know of the second attack?"

"I told every auror I could on my way here," Tonks said.

"Then that isn't an avenue we can explore," Amelia said.

"House Black demands Audrey as compensation," Tonks said closing her eyes in resignation.

Amelia looked up sharply and gave a short laugh. "That's all?"

"It will get her out of an impossible situation," Tonks said. "I couldn't condemn her to such a life."

"You could demand so much more," Amelia noted.

"There is too much of a chance that they will marry her off to raise the funds," Tonks said, "something I'm positive they'd do just to spite."

Amelia hummed. "If she is property, then her core need not be bound. The chains of servitude would meet the legal requirements for her crimes."

The Gryffindor third-year boys' dorm was crowded. Not only had they added two to their number through the sorting of the non-standard students, there were also two girls doing their best to put as little distance between themselves and Harry as possible.

"And that pretty much sums up how my summer went." Harry finished giving the abridged version of recent events.

"Only you could have girls dropped in your lap like that," Seamus said with envy. "The rest of us have to work for it."

"Except Ron," Dean reminded everyone. "You two are a lucky pair."

"So, it's not normal to be passing out girls like candy?" Kevin Bates, one of the new third-years asked.

"No," Neville said. "Even among purebloods, being made property isn't that common. Though consorts aren't unheard of, having three isn't the norm, either."

"We got a better deal than we were hoping for," Flora said, stroking Harry's arm.

"And the redhead wants to bring yer consort count to four," Kevin added. "What'd you do? Kill a dragon or sumthing?"

"No, just a Dark Lord," Dean stated.

"At the age of one," Seamus added.

"It had to have been something my mum did," Harry protested.

"Darn," Jacob, the other new third-year said. "I was hoping I could just put in an order for a blonde like that one who was dancing at the party."

"You'll have to get in line," Dean said. "Taylor isn't going to have a shortage of requests for dates this year."

"Or any other year," Ron added.

"You going to add her to your coven?" Seamus asked Harry.

"I'm not adding anymore girls," Harry said defensively.

"Not now anyway," Hestia said. "You still need to spend time with those you already have."

"He had better not think of doing anything with my sister." Ron added with a growl in his throat.

Harry gave his best mate a sideways look before saying, "I wasn't planning on it. Your little sister is safe from me. I'd never want to hurt her."

Flora snorted through her nose at Harry's words.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Nothing," Flora said as Ron scowled at her. Wherever that conversation may have been heading was cut off when the door to the boys' dorm opened and Dora all but stomped in, followed by a Slytherin girl.

"Audrey?" Hestia said glancing from one to the other before fixing hope-filled eyes on Dora's own.

"I told you I'd take care of it," Dora said looking around the room. "I'm glad you haven't decided to turn in for the night yet." She said to Harry, "I've got something I really need you to do."

"Oh?" Harry asked as Hestia and Flora reluctantly released their grasp on him, allowing him to stand.

"Yeah, I need you to step up the agenda," Dora said. "Now would be the perfect time to reconfirm the Potter - Longbottom alliance."

"Really?" Neville said, perking up. "I didn't think he wanted to do that, seeing how I'm almost a squib."

"I wasn't told anything about it until this summer." Harry angrily added, "There are a lot of things I wasn't told and everyone just assumed I knew everything they did."

"You can blame Dumbledore," Dora said. "He criminally failed to meet the minimum requirements that came with his claiming of your magical guardianship."

"I don't want to talk about Dumbledore," Harry snarled.

"Fair enough," Dora said, holding out a scroll. "Here. This is a gift you can give to Neville as way of apology for the discourtesies your enforced ignorance caused you to make."

Harry took the scroll. "I was planning on talking to you in private first," he said, turning to Neville. "I found out that we were godbrothers and that our families go way back. I'm sorry I didn't know before. I don't want you to think I was trying to snub you or anything."

Neville stood up and looked at Harry with uncertainty. "Y… y… y… you really didn't know?"

"How could I have?" Harry asked. "All I've been told before was that my mother and father died heroes and that and I looked like my father with my mother's eyes. Literally, that was all I knew about my family."

Nevile looked down, ashamed. "I… I'm sorry," he stammered. "I thought…"

"You thought what Dumbledore wanted you to think," Dora interrupted. "If there were one thing our future selves would tell us it would be not to trust Dumbledore for any reason."

"Anyways." Harry stepped with a hand outstretched for a handshake. "Neville, I am really sorry that I neglected the bonds between our families. I hope that you will agree to renew our pledges to one another."

Neville shook the proffered hand. "I'd like that." He said with uncharacteristic firmness, "The Longbottoms have always stood by the Potters, and that won't change as long as I have any say in it."

"I'm sorry Neville," Harry replied. "I shouldn't have taken this long." He paused for a second. "We should have grown up together. That was stolen from us along with so many other important things."

"A . . . are we declaring a blood feud on the Dumbledores?" Nevile asked before correcting himself. "No, you already have. That means the Longbottoms are already a part of it."

"Only Dumbledore," Harry said. "We've specifically said that his brother is not a part of it."

"He means we only consider Albus Dumbledore as an enemy, not his brother, who owns a pub and whose name I can't remember for the life of me," Dora said, nodding at the object in Harry's hand. "Give Neville the present."

"Oh," Harry said, offering the scroll to Neville. "Sorry for being a git. Hope this makes up for it and that we can be the brothers we were meant to be."

Dora let out a sigh of relief when Neville accepted the scroll.

Harry looked at her with suspicion. "Is there something I should know?" he asked.

"No," Dora said. "Just that I would never have heard the end of it if I were the one to add another girl to your collection."

"What?" the room in general asked as Neville quickly unrolled the scroll and began reading. He then looked at the girl who had followed Dora into the room then back down to the scroll.

"Whelp," Audrey said, clapping her hands together. "Looks like I'm going to be busy tonight."

"Busy?" Neville asked in surprise as the rest of the room stared at the girl in shock.

"Yup." Audrey nodded. "Not how I imagined I'd be ending my day but, eh, can't complain."

"M… M… Me?" Neville stammered.

"You are my master," Audrey stated as Neville's eyes grew wider.

"I thought you said there wouldn't be any more handing out girls as presents," Jacob said.

"Normally, no," Dean explained. "But as you can see; Harry doesn't do 'normal' very well."

"Dora," Harry said, narrowing his eyes at his wife, "I know he hasn't come out of hiding yet, but you've been spending entirely too much time with Sirius."

Dora deflated. "I have good reasons for doing what I did," she stated. "You are going to approve when you hear the whole story."

"I… but… I… busy?" Neville managed to get out.

"You should thank your friend for the wonderful gift." Audrey walked over to her master.

"Thank you, Harry," Neville said reflexively. His grandmother was Augusta Longbottom, after all.

"Just to get it out there," Seamus said, "I'd like a blonde."

"Me, too," piped in Jacob.

"Me, three," added Kevin.

"I'd like someone who doesn't automatically make me the servant no matter what's written on the parchment," Dean stated.

"I'm pretty sure that's a Slytherin thing," Ron said. "They have got to have a manual on what to do if they are made mistresses."

"It is kind of hard to believe she is the same person who was just bawling her eyes out not fifteen minutes ago," Dora noted.

Audrey shot Dora a dirty look.

"Welp, my job here is done," Dora said, heading for the door. "I'm beat. I think I'll go snuggle up next to Hermione and get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Harry asked.

"Um… well… oh." Dora dithered. "I think I'll go snuggle up next to Parvati and get some sleep."

"Good night, Dora," Harry said.

"Good night, dear," Dora returned with a wink. "I'd say, 'sleep tight,' but the twins look determined."

"Busy?" Neville opted to interject.

Jealously, the unattached boys growled, "Busy!"