Author's Note: I've added a brief message about backup plans for this story to my profile page.

The following day, Harry, Sirius, and Remus arrived at the Burrow.

Most of the Weasleys were planning to take a Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup first thing the following morning, though the oldest brothers were going to Apparate over later in the day. Since Harry wanted to spend the morning walking around the campgrounds with his friends, he asked Sirius if they could go with the morning group. Sirius agreed after some minor grousing about having to get up early, including the implausible claim that at Azkaban, at least the Dementors had let him sleep in.

When Sirius had learned the Weasleys were bringing two magically-expanded tents to the event, he went and bought an additional one. The three new arrivals set it up in the Burrow's back garden for them to sleep in that night, so as not to worsen the crowding inside the house. The tent was quick to set up and take down using magic, though Arthur warned them they would need to be more discreet about using magic at the campgrounds, and would have to set it up "the Muggle way".

Fred and George were delighted to have two of the four creators of the Marauder's Map staying in their back garden. For their part, Sirius and Remus wanted to hear how the two brothers had used the Map for its intended purpose for several years before passing it on to Harry.

The twin brothers were also eager to show off the product line they were developing for their joke shop, as this was their first real chance to do so. Though Sirius and Remus had visited the Burrow before, the conversation required discretion, and Fred and George intended to take advantage of their mother's attention being occupied with managing such a full house.

While this was going on outside, Harry caught up with his friends in the kitchen. Ginny brought the postcards from Harry down from her room, and Harry went through them again for Hermione's benefit. Bill and Charlie drifted into the room and joined the conversation, as their work had taken them to some of the same places.

Going through the postcards reminded Harry he needed to get something from the tent. When he returned, he set a stack of catalogs and owl order forms on the table in front of Hermione, who began rifling eagerly through the collection.

Harry explained, "Most large magical communities have a bookshop. Whenever we saw one with a large or specialty collection, I thought you might appreciate it if–"

He found his breath cut off when Hermione jumped up and threw her arms around him. She'd hugged him once already upon his arrival at the Burrow, but the enthusiasm she put into this embrace stopped just short of cracking a rib.

After Hermione composed herself and managed to drag most of her attention away from the items on the table, she gave a quick summary of her holiday with her parents in France. It turned out she and Harry had just missed visiting the country at the same time, and they agreed to coordinate their schedules if they both wound up traveling again the next summer.

Ron and Ginny said not much of note had been happening at the Burrow, other than the sporadic explosions emanating from the twins' room, and Percy becoming more unbearable than ever, thanks to his new job at the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

Percy never tired of emphasizing the importance of the work he and his boss did. When at home, he would complain about the slightest noise, and how it interfered with him getting his important work done. Not that he considered the Ministry the ideal work environment; he had grown to dread dealing with one specific employee named Bertha Jorkins, and wasn't at all happy about her recent return from a holiday in Albania.

After letting them spend some time catching up, Mrs Weasley came in to tell Ron to go fetch Fred and George, as she had chores for them to do.

Ginny caught Hermione's eye, and said, "We'll all go. We need to talk to Lupin about our summer homework."

"Er, right," Harry said. "The thing is, I've been pretty busy traveling with Sirius."

"Oh, come on anyway," Ginny said, taking his hand and pulling him along.

Hermione noted this and raised her eyebrows, but Ginny ignored the look.

The four friends went out to the tent. Upon entering, Ron relayed the message to Fred and George. The two of them grumbled, but headed back towards the house.

Ginny gestured towards Sirius and asked Harry, "He's cool, right?"

"Finally somebody notices," Sirius said, grinning and puffing out his chest.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you can talk in front of him."

At Ginny's request for a non-flammable surface, Sirius waved his wand to summon a metal tray from the tent's small kitchen.

Ginny set the tray on the floor, laid a scrap of parchment on it, and performed the same demonstration of wandless fire magic she'd shown Hermione the day before. She looked to Lupin for his reaction.

He gave her a proud smile. "Very good, Ginny. I only regret I'm no longer able to award you house points."

"Wow, Gin," Harry said. "That's great. I knew you could do it."

"Nice, Ginny," Ron added.

"Thanks," she said. "Hermione, I think we're done with the tray. Can you pick it up for me?"

Hermione reached out her hand. "Accio metal tray."

She caught the tray as it flew to her.

Harry and Ron congratulated her as they'd done with Ginny, but Sirius and Remus reacted with surprise.

Hermione asked, "Was my technique adequate, Professor?"

"I'm no longer your teacher. Please call me 'Remus'," he answered absently, staring at the tray in her hand.

"Oh. Well, if you insist, sir. Um, Remus."

He said, "And to answer your question, your technique was beyond adequate."

Sirius said, "I don't believe it. Harry didn't mention you were spending the summer with magical adults."

"I wasn't," Hermione said. "I managed it on my own, without a tutor."

"That's… remarkable in itself, but I meant to get around the Trace, so you could practice."

She frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow. The Trace can't detect me doing magic if I'm not using a wand."

Sirius frowned as well. "That's not how it works. The Trace detects all magic cast around underage witches and wizards, but not who cast it. When there's a magical adult nearby, the Ministry assumes they did it. Or at least gave permission, and were supervising."

The students turned to Remus.

Ginny was the first to speak. "You lied to us!"

"Not exactly," Remus replied. "I never said the Trace tracks wands. You drew that conclusion yourselves."

"You led us to that conclusion. You tricked me!"

"Yes, I tricked you into becoming an even more skilled and powerful witch than you were already. Or rather two such witches," he added with a nod to Hermione. "Is that such a terrible thing? For the record, I did warn you I was familiar with the fine art of clever wording, when you tried to use it on me. I even drew your attention to the fact that I had not said you could get around the Trace by using wandless magic."

Sirius observed, "Moony was always good at getting people to hear what he wanted them to without outright lying."

Harry complained, "We could have gotten in trouble with the Ministry! They already sent me one warning letter because of Dobby."

"A letter which nothing ever came of, if I'm not mistaken?" Remus asked.

"Not so far."

"No, I imagine they would prefer not to alienate the Boy Who Lived without good reason. You must recall the Minister's eagerness to reassure you everything would be fine after the incident with your aunt last summer."

"I don't trust Fudge. Not after what he did to Hagrid. We can't count on him being so reasonable the next time."

"There won't be a next time, as long as everyone sticks to practicing only with a magical adult nearby. I warned Ginny to make sure one of her parents was always home, for safety reasons. And I knew you would be spending the summer with Sirius."

"He wasn't with me every minute. What if I'd tried it while he was out picking up take-out?"

"As I told you, I knew wandless magic would be much harder for you, without an advantage like Ginny's natural gift for fire. I expected you to run out of patience before managing to cast any magic at all. Likewise for anyone else you decided to tell." He turned to Hermione. "Which brings us to you. You never mentioned having a tendency towards accidental summoning."

"I don't. I haven't done any accidental magic since I started at Hogwarts."

Remus blinked. "How much practice did it take you to learn the spell you just showed us?"

"Not that much. An hour every morning and an hour every night. Well, almost. There were a couple of days when I was too busy doing vacation stuff with my parents," she admitted, sounding embarrassed about her lapses. "I started the day I got home from Hogwarts, and it took about three weeks before I could get the feather I was using to do so much as twitch. It became much easier after that though."

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Going to be scary, that one."

Ron snorted. "Already is. I've been saying so for years." His face took on a thoughtful look as he mused, "I wonder if people will hail me as a Seer one day, when the Dark Lady Granger rises to power, and seizes control of the government."

Remus said, "Most people find it challenging to sustain concentration on a single spell for more than a few minutes, let alone to put forth such an effort day after day. Haven't you noticed the way your classmates soon get frustrated with a new spell if they fail to see at least some result in short order?"

Hermione blushed at everyone's attention on her. "Ginny managed it too," she said, turning to her friend.

Ginny shrugged. "I got smoke after maybe half a dozen tries. And that was just working on it for a half-hour or so here and there. And like you said, once I managed anything at all, it got easier. I moved on to making an actual flame, then doing it reliably. After that, it got almost too easy."

She glanced at Remus. "I may have had some trouble controlling the size of the fire I made."

"Keep practicing," he told her. "Safely."

"I will." She turned back to Hermione. "I just recently got to where I felt confident enough about my control to show anyone. That's why Ron and Harry are seeing it for the first time today. But getting something to happen wasn't that hard."

Hermione nodded, as though Ginny had proven her point. "There you go. That's what you said Professor Lupin told you to expect. If I know other people can do something, I prefer to start with the assumption that I can too, even if I have to work a little harder."

"An admirable philosophy," Remus told her.

"Thank you, but am I going to be in trouble with the Ministry?"

"Since you haven't received a letter by now, it would seem not."

Harry objected, "You were still taking a risk. You had to know we'd tell her."

"I advised you to keep it a secret."

"We couldn't keep a secret about learning magic from Hermione."

"Yes, and I took into account the possibility you would not heed my warning. As I said, I thought anyone other than Ginny–with her uncommon gift–would give up before succeeding at casting any actual magic."

"It's Hermione," Harry said, raising his voice. "Of course she wouldn't give up before she succeeded. Not with something that matters to her."

"Harry," Sirius said. "Go easy. He wouldn't risk getting any of you in any real trouble."

Remus said, "No, I would not. I understand why you're upset, but if you'll allow me to explain my reasoning…"

Harry folded his arms and nodded.

Remus continued. "First, I was confident Hermione would never violate the Statute of Secrecy, so any warnings she might receive for a bit of discreet underage magic wouldn't be too severe. I seem to remember a young witch by the name of Lily Evans getting more than one warning letter during her Hogwarts years, with no great consequences."

"My mum did magic outside of school?"

"Yes, as did your father." He glanced at Sirius. "James and Sirius both performed the Animagus transformation–another form of wandless magic–off school grounds while still underage, without anyone noticing. This led me to believe it might actually be true that the Trace would fail to detect wandless magic."

Sirius said, "I always assumed we got away with it because we were around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, with all the magic there."

"Perhaps, though the fact Hermione hasn't heard from the Ministry suggests my theory may have been correct. In any event, I wasn't relying solely on that. I knew I could count on Harry and Ginny to pass along my advice to cast some other spell before leaving Hogwarts. Then if the Ministry ever had cause to investigate, they would see the last spell cast by Hermione's wand did not match what the Trace had detected, and rule it a case of accidental magic. And if all else failed, everyone could always blame me."

"Then you would have been in trouble," Harry said.

"Not if I managed to talk my way out of it by suggesting, for example, that I was merely indulging in idle speculation about how the Trace might work, never expecting you to test the theory. I'm afraid we academics are prone to woolgathering like that."

"Okay," Harry conceded. "But it was still a risk, even if you tried to make it a small one. Why didn't you tell us the truth, so we could decide for ourselves if we wanted to take it?"

Remus looked at Ginny. "Any guesses?"

She said, "Because you were afraid I would take advantage of living in a magical household, and use my wand for more advanced fire spells–ones you don't think I'm ready to try without supervision. Though in that case, I don't get why you ever brought up getting around the Trace in the first place."

Remus regarded her gravely. "All forms of magic carry risks, and fire magic more than most. Magical fire is even easier to lose control of than natural fire. Learning the degree of control necessary for wandless magic should help you reduce these risks. And so I traded a small risk of irritated letters from the Ministry now against what I judged to be greater risks in the future."

Harry put his arm around Ginny. "You really think she's in danger from her own magic?"

"I think she is in less danger now than at the beginning of the summer. Not that you should be less cautious going forward, Ginny."

"I won't. And thanks, I guess. Even with the trickery."

"Wait," Harry exclaimed, turning to Sirius. "I could have been practicing magic around you all summer. And it didn't need to be wandless, either. I get why Ginny needed to learn it that way, but I could have been using my wand this whole time."

Sirius shook his head. "It still wouldn't have been legal. We need someplace for you to practice where no one will see you. Someplace other than Privet Drive, unless you want me wiping your relatives' memories every time they catch you. Memory spells can take a toll if you use them on someone too often. I didn't even want to suggest it after the speech you gave me about not using magic on them. And I wasn't going to risk you getting on the wrong side of foreign laws about underage magic while we were abroad."

"What about your house?"

"When we get Grimmauld Place fixed up enough for you to move in, then yes, you'll be able to use magic there. The same goes for your friends when they visit."

Hermione added, "You could have tried it without a wand, like I did."

Harry scowled, but admitted, "Alright, that's fair. We really have been busy all summer though."

Ron said, "Just to be clear, since I don't live with Muggles, I'm pretty much free to use a wand whenever, as long as mum or dad are home, right? Or Bill, Charlie, or Percy? Anyone of age?"

"As long as you don't get caught," Remus said, adding, "but you didn't hear it from me."

"Heard what?" Ron asked with a grin.

Ginny told Remus, "I still wish you'd explained. You could have warned me to stick to basic stuff."

Remus said, "I wasn't convinced you would limit yourself to what I consider safe. I've mentioned before how those drawn to fire magic often feel an urge to go beyond established boundaries, when we spoke of the mythic associations between fire and knowledge and theft. I hoped–"

"Like Prometheus!" Hermione realized. "Oh, sorry to interrupt."

Remus smiled. "Quite alright, and quite astute of you to make the connection. But as I was about to say, Ginny, I hoped the feeling of getting away with evading the Trace would help satisfy any such inclinations towards transgression–perhaps even turn those inclinations in a productive direction."

Sirius muttered, "And everyone thought I was the one who should have wound up in Slytherin."

Ginny said, "I guess I can't be too annoyed, since I assume the fact I succeeded means I'm ready for more advanced spells now?"

Remus countered, "If I said 'no', would it stop you?"

"Umm…"

He shook his head. "I could tell from our earliest tutoring sessions that diverting you from such explorations was not an option, and the best I could hope for was to guide you to be as safe as possible." He pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to her. "To that end, these are the areas where I recommend you focus your attention next."

Ginny accepted the parchment and gave it a quick scan, with Hermione peeking over her shoulder.

Ginny looked back at Remus and said, "Thanks. This is great. You knew I'd figure out wandless magic by now?"

"I thought it likely, and prepared accordingly. And you can thank me by staying safe."

"I will," she promised.

After a pause, Hermione asked, "Can we go back to what you said about the myth of Prometheus? Were you suggesting it could have some basis in fact?"

Remus said, "Myths often contain psychological truths. It just so happens that for those of us with magic, psychological truths can have physical consequences."

"That's not quite what I was asking. Is there any historical basis for myths about the powers of gods in general?"

His eyebrows went up. "Oh, powers now, is it? That's your interest?"

"My interest is purely academic, of course."

"Hmmm, yes, of course. Well, some believe that when similar descriptions of what sounds like magic show up in tales told across different cultures, it could suggest a common origin in historical fact. We have spells today which resemble abilities described in ancient legends. Others may have been lost, or fallen out of favor for one reason or another–such as being too dangerous."

"As you said, we're already learning magic that's potentially dangerous. The world can be dangerous, and we need to prepare for it."

"Yes, and I suspect I know why you're asking. You're hoping to find a spell powerful enough to defeat Voldemort."

"Do you know of any?"

"None whose existence seems credible. For every lost grimoire or object of power from some old tale, I could tell you many more tales of those who spent years searching for it without success."

Seeing their disappointed expressions, he added, "But there are also plenty of tales where the hero defeats the monster not through greater strength, but through greater cleverness. When Voldemort is defeated, I do not believe it will be through sheer power alone. Even when armed with a suitable weapon, you still must find–or create–the right moment to strike."

Ginny said, "Maybe, but sheer power would be a big help."

Remus gave her a grave look. "Even if such powers exist, stories of mortals trying to wield the powers of the gods seldom turn out well for the mortals involved."

Hermione countered with, "Though in some stories, the hero goes on a quest through a series of trials, and wins a prize they can use to do good in the world."

Ron added, "In some of the stories our parents used to read us when we were kids, the hero just sort of stumbles upon whatever lost magic he needs. Maybe there's truth in that too."

Hermione frowned. "Depending on luck isn't much of a plan."

"Maybe when things like that happen, it's not luck, but fate or something."

Harry said, "Well, that's good to know. Must be only a matter of time until something useful drops in my lap."

Everyone looked at him.

He shrugged. "I seem to wind up going through trials pretty often anyway. It'd be nice to have something to show for it, for once. When everything was over, I didn't get to keep the Philosopher's Stone, or the Sword of Gryffindor."

Ginny asked, "What am I then? Chopped Flobberworms?"

"What? I've never thought of you as some prize I won."

"Not if that's going to be your attitude about it."

"Hermione said I should never think of you as just some poor damsel in distress who needs me to rescue her!"

Hermione told him, "Don't drag me into this."

Sirius advised, "I'd stop before you dig yourself any deeper, Harry."

"Right." Harry cleared his throat. "Remus, listen, about what we were talking about before… Thanks for helping Ginny be safer with her fire. Sorry if I got a little worked up."

"No apology necessary," Remus assured him. "You had every right to question me, given that I did somewhat mislead you."

Harry nodded in acknowledgment.

"And Hermione," Remus said, "I hope you aren't too upset about getting caught up in a scheme which was primarily for Ginny's benefit, but carried a small but real risk of trouble for you."

Hermione stared at him. "Upset? Of course not. I'm happy Ginny will be safer of course, but thinking only of myself–I can still be a witch away from school!"

"Well, then you'll be glad to know that having managed one wandless spell, others should come easier. The same goes for you, Ginny."

Ginny said, "I'm hoping to learn wandless summoning by the end of summer."

"Ambitious, if you're just starting now."

"I've been practicing it for a while. And yesterday, Hermione gave me pointers on how she learned it."

"In that case, I suspect you can manage, given enough determination. But Hermione, even without all that, you are always a witch, whether you happen to perform magic on a given day or not. No one can take that away from you."

"Maybe, but I can't help noticing the way the Trace works is just one more way that having two non-magical parents puts me at a disadvantage."

"I'm afraid that's true, but that's not the goal. The Trace exists to protect both the Statute of Secrecy, and your safety. Although fire magic is uncommonly dangerous, it isn't uniquely so. The unsupervised practice of any magic can be dangerous for those still learning it. Even in magical households, parents who allow their children to practice at home generally do so only under their strict supervision. Some even keep their children's wands locked away when not in use."

The four young people looked appalled, hands going to pockets for reassurance.

Sirius told them, "You shouldn't reach for your wand when someone mentions it. That's a good way to tip off pickpockets."

Remus said, "Yes, sound advice, but the point I was leading up to is that you must not let this knowledge go any further among your fellow students. This time, I am quite sincere. No more subtle wording or deception. And yes, I do realize my hypocrisy in insisting on this, given that I have revealed things to you that Arthur and Molly have chosen not to."

He looked around, meeting the eyes of each of the students. "I have not done this lightly, as a fun bit of harmless rule-breaking. Even aside from Ginny's unique situation, I consider all four of you to merit an exception, given the dangers you've already faced, and those you may face in the future. But sharing this knowledge with other students could make them a danger to themselves. I know you've all felt frustrated at having adults keep certain matters from you. I've let you in on one dangerous adult secret, albeit in a roundabout way. Now show me I haven't misjudged your readiness to handle it."

He fell silent, letting that sink in.

The silence was broken by a series of loud banging noises outside the tent. They all ran out with wands drawn, to find Bill and Charlie merrily crashing two tables into each other in midair, supposedly in the course of moving them into place for dinner. Molly came running out from the house to put an end to the commotion, and to put everyone to work getting things ready for the meal.