Sirius was livid, far furious than Harry had ever seen him. He stormed around the living room of the flat in such a rage, his anger so swollen it seemed to fill the entire room. And it was all aimed in one particular direction.

"Molly did this! I can't believe she did this!" Sirius fumed. "She's been protecting Peter for all these years! That foul, bothersome old wench!"

"Paddy, calm down," James tried, not for the first time. "I think you're getting carried away here."

Sirius pirouetted towards James and shot him a stinking look. "How can you say that, Prongs? Peter damned Pettigrew was mere inches from your children less than half an hour ago! Do I really need to remind you how dangerous he is? Or what heinous things he might have done if his rat-teeth had gotten anywhere near Harry or Seren?"

"No, of course not. I know Peter as well as you do. I was just saying -"

"You were just saying I should calm down, when our old friend might have just hurt our kids," Sirius riled back. "And for that reason, no ... I wont calm down. Not until I've got Peter quivering under the end of my wand."

Harry felt a slithery prickle run along his shoulder blades and stab icily along his spine. He squirmed with the coldness of the sensation. He looked first at Hermione, sat protectively close to him on the couch, though quite who was doing the protecting was unclear. Perhaps they were taking turns to look after each other, because at times Harry felt both like the protector and the protected. It was a strange dichotomy.

And then Harry looked up at Sirius, still restlessly pacing, that vein in his temple dangerously close to popping and showering them all with his angry blood.

"Is Pettigrew dangerous then?" Harry asked quietly. "I thought you all said he was quite rubbish as a wizard."

James smirked weakly at him. "And what a fine cover performance from our old buddy that was. He always came across as slow and bumbling, never did especially well in class and seemed happy to be the butt of our teasing and ribbing. Looking back, that should have been a red flag for us ... we could be quite relentless with our banter, to the point of being unintentionally cruel, even to our friends."

"But Pete put up with it," Sirius took over. "You might say he played up to it, even encouraged it in some ways. It made us unsuspicious of him, which was a perfect cover for his later treachery and betrayal."

"Though he was always more powerful than he let on," James continued. "No wizard who can achieve a full Animagus transformation could ever be considered weak or powerless. I suppose we just accepted it at the time as Pete finally achieving something if he put his mind to it. He didn't want to miss out on being part of our gang, so he worked hard and managed the transformation just like the rest of us."

"But why did you all learn to change in the first place?" Hermione asked. "From what I understand, the Animagus process is both difficult and painful. So why do it?"

James and Sirius swapped loaded looks and hesitated to reply, but Lily stepped up into the silent void.

"They had a valid reason," she began, inclining her head when James and Sirius turned warning eyes on her. "What? The other day you were advocating total honesty, so I think we ought to tell the kids about this, too."

"About what?" Harry demanded. "What new secret have you been hiding from me?"

"We have good reason for this one, I promise," James replied. "But this isn't a secret to do with you ... at least it wasn't, until our other old friend started teaching at Hogwarts."

"Professor Lupin?" Harry frowned. "What's this got to do with him?"

"Well you see," Sirius took over. "Remus has a very unique ... er ... medical condition. It affects him physically, about once a month, and makes him quite dangerous."

"Like how girls become dangerous at their time of the month?" Harry queried, making Sirius snap out a deep laugh, which caused Lyra to scowl at him in pity. Hermione curled her head to Harry, lightly smirking as if to say 'how do you know about that!?'.

"What?" Harry went on. "Sally-Anne told me that something happens to girls once a month than can make them very crampy and moody. She said it was best to avoid her when Mother Nature came calling, but she didn't really explain it very well. Hey Hermione, perhaps you could -"

"No, I wont!" Hermione scythed acidly. "Ask your girlfriend to tell you all about things like that."

"My what?" Harry frowned. "Sally's not -"

"This isn't that sort of time of the month!" Lily called over sounding exasperated at the brewing argument. "But it still makes Remus Lupin very dangerous. So James and his friends did something that was, for them at least, unusually noble. To stop Remus from feeling like an outcast or a pariah, they decided to become animals, too, so they could run with him. They had to be especially big to be able to handle him."

"Ah!" Hermione sighed knowingly as comprehension settled on her. "So that's why he disappears from class during the Full Moon!"

Harry realised what was happening in the same instance. "He's a werewolf! That's what I saw him preparing for at the Shrieking Shack! And, Hermione ... that's what attacked us in the Forbidden Forest!"

Talk about saying the wrong thing. All thoughts of Peter Pettigrew were shunted to one side as Lily and James exploded into a twin rant, admonishing Harry for his recklessness. James seemed more furious about the Shrieking Shack, revealing that there was a secret entrance on the grounds to keep it secure, hidden beneath the merciless branches of the Whomping Willow. Harry, despite being in the midst of a severe telling off, made a mental note to explore that fantastic bit of information for his map when he was back at Hogwarts.

Then Lily and Lyra took over, ganging up on Harry and Hermione and bombarding them with all the dangers and inherent stupidity that there was in racing foolhardily into a Forest full of dangerous beasts and potential mass-murderers. By the time they were finished, breathless and flushed with anger, Harry and Hermione felt about three inches tall.

They apologised as solemnly as they could, promised that they would stay away from danger from now on, and then wondered just how short a time it would be before they unwittingly broke that promise ... for it was obviously as flimsy as a chocolate teapot where Harry and Hermione were concerned.

Then Harry took a stab at getting the conversation back on track. "So, Lupin is a werewolf then? How in the hell did he get a teaching job?"

"Dumbledore tends to overlook things that are seen as defects in others," Sirius explained. "Besides, everyone thinks that the Defence Against the Dark Arts job is cursed. I cant wait for the day that Snivelly Snape finally gets it ... and then really gets it. Anything could happen to him ... we could even help it along, blame some hideous 'accident' on the curse and nobody would be any the wiser. It'd be the perfect crime."

"But still a crime," Lily volleyed back, narrowing her eyes. "And I'd prefer it if you didn't encourage my son towards murder, thank you very much."

"It'd be a mercy killing, Lil!" Sirius barked in a laugh. "A mercy to the world by ridding it of that greasy git."

"I think I get it," Hermione cut across, trying to steer the conversation again. "So as Professor Lupin was a werewolf, you both became big animals to control him? But why did Pettigrew become a rat? That wouldn't help at all."

"He said it was because bigger animals were too complex for him, playing up to our modest expectations of his talents," James explained. "He then rationalised his choice by saying that, as a small animal, he could press a knot at the base of the Whomping Willow ... that stops the branches swinging and opens a tunnel in the hollow. It made sense that he would want to be useful, even if his animal form was a bit of a joke."

"James!" Lily cried in disbelief. "Don't go telling Harry how to get past the Willow!"

"Oh, right," James replied sheepishly. Then he turned to Harry as if being forced to apologise to him for something. "But don't you go thinking about testing that out, understand?"

"No, Dad ... wouldn't dream of it," Harry blinked back, trying not to smirk as his mother was boring her eyes into him just then. It was a task made all the more difficult by the impish gleam firing in his father's pupils at the very same moment.

"So yes, Peter became a rat," Sirius went on. "Handy way to slip about unnoticed now that I think about it. It made him an effective spy, allowed him to pick up all sorts of information to pass on to Voldemort. And none of us suspected a thing."

"A true rat," James spat bitterly. "One who jumped a sinking ship just like any of his natural kin would."

"And one who has also been sheltered by Molly Weasley ever since that ship sank!" Sirius cried, regaining his previous annoyance. "So let's get back to that heron-faced turncoat!"

"Look, Paddy, I know Molly was always a bit weird, especially when it came to you," James continued with a light grin. "But I can't believe for a moment that she knowingly gave sanctuary to a Death Eater."

"You don't know what she might have been capable of," Sirius returned darkly. "The Prewetts were a Pureblood family after all. Who knows what Dark leanings they might have had."

"They were Purebloods on our side during the last war," Lily reminded him. "Just like James' family and parts of your own. Remember, Fabian and Gideon lost their lives in pursuit of our cause. There was never any indication that Molly was a hidden traitor. And as for Arthur, he's a man more weasel-y than his name. Okay, he has the unfortunate habit of viewing Muggles as quaint curiosities, but that's true for at least half of the Magical population. He's ignorant and eccentric, rather than overtly bigoted."

"Then explain how Peter came to be given safe haven at The Burrow?" Sirius demanded. He turned to Harry and Hermione's confused expressions. "That's the hovel ... sorry, house ... where the Weasleys live."

"There are two rational explanations," Lily began calmly. "Either Molly didn't know that the pet she bought was anything more than a regular rat, or she did know and was sheltering Peter from the Death Eaters still at large in the world, for whatever reason she might have had to do that, whether good or bad.

"But let's consider this ... it is entirely possible that Molly simply found a rat and tried to domesticate it as a pet. The Weasleys aren't the wealthiest family, as we know, and that might have been the best she could do for her kids' needs when it came to providing them with familiars. It just so happened that the rat she found was an Animagus-in-hiding.

"And remember, only a handful of people know Peter's true story. For all we can guess, Peter turned up at The Burrow and said that the Death Eaters were after him. James and I had faked our deaths, you had played your part in our cover then literally fell out of our world during your duel with Tom Riddle. Peter might have gone to Molly to beg for help, and she took him in ... perhaps thinking it might ingratiate her to you if you ever turned up again."

"Ingratiate her to me? Why would she want to do that?"

"She'd saved your friend and she'd think you'd be happy with that ... hell, she might even think you'd want to marry her for it. Despite everything, despite her husband and kids, I still think she'd run away with you if you turned up at The Burrow with a rose between your teeth!"

Hermione burst out a stifled giggle, which she tried to hide behind her vibrating fist. Harry looked at her in amusement, as she squeezed her lips together to try and keep her laughter in. Sirius, for his part, simply made noises of nausea and distress from his place lounging against the kitchen worktop.

"Lil, you're sick! You sicken me!" he protested keenly.

"I'm just stating the more logical course of events," Lily smirked. "Peter probably imposed on her with false pretences ... he seems to have a mastery in the art of flattering his way into people's confidence. Molly saw it as him keeping his head down and safe, Peter saw it as a chance to cosy up to a wizarding family, have a comfortable life and keep abreast of developments in the world until his time came to rise again."

"But how would he have known that?" Harry asked. "I know there have been things with Voldemort that have happened in the last couple of years, but most of that has been kept secret from the public. How would Pettigrew have known for sure that Voldemort was still around?"

Then Hermione hissed from her spot next to Harry, her anger so pointed that it drew Papageno to her lap in an attempt to calm her.

"What is it?" Harry quizzed.

"Ginny, that's what," Hermione huffed. "She was possessed by Lockhart and Voldemort through those bloody diaries, wasn't she?! Pettigrew might have felt the link somehow, maybe even used it. Hey ... this whole scheme might be his idea! To set the stage for his boss to return."

"I don't follow," Lyra cut in. "Tom Riddle and the Magisterium are clearly behind all that is happening to our worlds."

"Yes, but Pettigrew wouldn't know about all that!" Hermione cried. "But what he might have known is that Riddle is after Harry and me, actively trying to get to us at school. But his minions failed ... Quirrell was thwarted, Lockhart unmasked ... so maybe Pettigrew saw his chance to step up and become Death Eater Number One!"

"Ah, I see," Sirius nodded. "So you think he wanted to facilitate Riddle's return here, or at least make Riddle aware of him so that he could be reunited with his master! And what better way to do that than by giving him the gift of his mortal enemies to welcome him home!"

"And Bella Lestrange would make a dangerous assassin," James nodded, thinking fast. "So Ginny Weasley was possessed, Peter felt Riddle's presence alive and well in her, then concocted a plan to spring Bella from Azkaban, send her after Hermione, then hope it was a gesture worthy of gaining Riddle's attention and bringing him to prominence again? It sounds like a scheme with Peter's rattiness all over it!"

"And, in that case, Molly and the Weasleys might just be innocent bystanders in all this," Lily argued fairly. "Whether they know that Scabbers is an Animagus or not."

"Or they might all be in cahoots," Sirius barked. "That's equally as possible."

He seemed eager to implicate Molly if there was even the slightest chance that she was being devious. Harry thought his Godfather might never have forgiven Ron's mother for sending him an envelope full of her most private hairs all those years ago. He couldn't blame him ... that would leave quite a wound on the psyche of anyone.

"Either way, I think we should go and interrogate her," Sirius huffed as an afterthought.

"And say what?" Lyra pointed out reasonably. "That you unmasked this Pettigrew character because a corporeal, animal-formed aspect your semi-adopted daughter's soul told you who he was? Do you understand how crazy that sounds?"

"About as crazy as the idea that a respectable family like the Weasleys would be knowingly harbouring rogue Death Eaters," Lily finished for her. "We cannot tell anyone that we know about this ... we must deal with it ourselves. The risk of exposing Hermione's true background is too enormous to ignore.

"Both she and Harry would be hunted relentlessly by the authorities ... they'd take them in to study the kids and their dæmons, showing no respect for the boundaries we all know to observe. It would be horrendous for them both. No, Sirius, I wont allow it."

Sirius swore loudly in his frustration. Harry could feel his angst and was grateful for his Godfather's unswerving devotion to his protection, but he knew that his mother was right on this one. Hermione's secret would literally flip the world on its axis if it ever came out. Harry tugged Marici, who was full-sized and at his feet, closer to his thighs, for comfort against the possibility of being violated in such a way as Lily was suggesting.

"At least now we can turn the tables on them," Harry pointed out, trying to calm Sirius down. "We know now that Pettigrew is Scabbers. We know where he is, can follow where he goes, and catch him in the act when the time comes and deliver him to the Dementors. Hey, Hermione, I bet he was the one who let Bella into Hogwarts! He was trying to get her access to us!"

"It's more likely that she was trying to free him when she attacked the Fat Lady," Hermione argued. "Thank Merlin that Neville stopped carrying around all the passwords to the Common Room on that little bit of paper. If Lestrange had found that we'd have been mincemeat, Harry."

He shuddered at the prospect, realising just how close Bella had been, and how right Hermione was. But then he frowned.

"But why didn't she kill me that night?" he pondered. "I was right there, incapacitated. She could have sunk her teeth into my throat and that would have been the end of me. Why just knock me out?"

"Because it wasn't a she-wolf that gave you a sore head that night, Harry," Sirius confessed. "It was a full-moon on Halloween and Remus' senses were as sharp as a razor. He could smell Bella's dire-wolf scent as soon as it was in the castle. Luckily, there's a potion that Snape invented to help a lycanthrope keep much of his human mind during the early phases of the lunar cycle. I understand he has been brewing it for Remus this past year."

Harry snorted at that. "Snape helping someone? Out of the goodness of his heart?! I wouldn't believe that even if someone managed to convince me that he actually had one!"

"Maybe he's using it as leverage for blackmail," Hermione considered. "Snape could certainly do a lot of damage to Lupin's reputation with knowledge like that."

"I don't believe it is either," Lily explained with an amused smirk in her eyes. "I suspect that Dumbledore is leaning heavily on Severus to brew the potion. He has a castle full of children to consider after all."

"But why would Snape listen to Dumbledore?"

"It'd be in his best interests," James replied evasively. "In any case, Remus has been taking Snape's potion. It kept him cogent enough to pursue Bellatrix on Halloween. He arrived just in time, launching himself at her as she attacked the portrait. She'd just seen Hermione enter the Common Room and she could smell blood. Unfortunately, Harry, you were just caught in the crossfire of a fight between wolves."

"And it hurt too," Harry nodded grimly, remembering the nasty blow he took to the back of his head. "But how do you know ... hold on a minute! ... have you been spying on me, using Professor Lupin as a sort of secret agent?"

"Among others," James returned plainly. "You are too mischievous for your own good, son, so we need to keep an eye on you."

"What! This is an outrage!" Harry cried, scandalised. "My own parents ... spying on me! What the hell!"

"Well, we are magical spies, Harry," Lily smirked. "What else do you think an Unspeakable does with their day?"

"Oh, I don't know, try to catch criminals?" Harry scoffed. "I bet spying on their children isn't a normal day-to-day activity!"

"On the contrary, it's Lesson One in the manual!" James teased. "Children are almost too much trouble to be worth the effort of making them, you know! Dark Wizards are easy fare compared to some meddlesome kids!"

Harry just sat and fumed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Hermione simply blushed shyly next to him, knowing that part of the gentle admonishment was most definitely aimed at her, too.

"So it was Remus who hit you that night, and he's really very sorry," Sirius quirked. "But I bet he regrets it now, what with three lion scratches down his face courtesy of little Marici here. I know ... you're not little, keep your mane on! Ooh, I cant wait to tease Moony about that over an ale or three in the Hogs Head soon!"

"It will certainly be a laugh," James agreed. "But one thing that is equally as certain is that you will not be playing miniature spy, Harry. Peter Pettigrew is far too dangerous for you to trifle with. I don't know how, but we are going to have to concoct a way to keep you as far away from Ron Weasley and his rat as we possibly can."

"How will you do that?" Harry demanded.

"I don't know, but I'll speak to Minerva when we put you back on the Express in a fortnight," James replied. "She'll know what to do. After all, if there's one thing that rats hate, it's cats."

"Of course," Hermione whispered, leaning over conspiratorially to Harry with bright eyes, "we could just feed this rat to your own familiar currently slithering around beneath the school. Though it might just make her sick!"

Harry laughed at that, then they spent the rest of the evening concocting elaborate ways to kidnap Scabbers and keep him as a rat long enough to be eaten by Harry's pet basilisk. Harry wondered where she was and how she was doing, as he hadn't been to visit her in a while. She'd like it above ground just now, it would be her sort of place, Harry thought, all wet and damp and moist.

For that evening, the rains began in earnest.

December rain was unseasonal, but not unheard of, especially in the more Southern parts of Britain, which tended to get far less snow than the North and places like Hogwarts. So nobody paid much attention to it to begin with. It alternated between steady drizzle and a sort of watery haze at first, not really causing anybody any alarm, even if it didn't seem to be going away.

It wasn't until Christmas Eve that it even became a topic of conversation.

"The Met Office is quite concerned about some heavy storm fronts heading our way over the Atlantic," Will told them that evening. "They are big and seem to have come from nowhere. The weirs are being reinforced up and down the canal network and there's a big drive to supply sandbags to low-level villages along the waterways."

"Are they expecting a big flood then?" Lyra asked. She was feeding a bottle to baby Seren, a task that she was volunteering for more and more. Sirius had noticed the new habit and seemed constantly twitchy, which amused Harry greatly as he watched him squirm under Lyra's suggestive looks.

"They must be, to be preparing as they are," Will replied grimly.

"Could this be the flood Cavalier Louis warned about?" Mal wondered aloud. "Will it be that big?"

"Who could say? But I'd suggest stocking some provisions into that canoe," Will advised sagely. "Tinned food, bottled water, a knife."

"A knife?" Lily quirked. "Whatever for?"

Will turned to her with heavy eyes. "The flood that Cavalier Louis predicted will be the biggest seen, possibly since the end of the last Ice Age. If Riddle and the Magisterium succeed, this land will be left in an almost post-apocalyptic state until the waters recede. Even the kids need to be prepared ... both to hunt their own food and to protect themselves from survivalists who may wish to rob them ... or kidnap them for trade or ransom. As hard as this is to hear, it is best to know about it now, rather than be caught out by it in the future."

"We don't need knives, we can do spells," Harry reminded Will pointedly.

Will looked at him with that fond-but-pitying expression he seemed to favour for Harry's innocence. "So I understand. But do you know as much magic as your Godfather? Does your sorcerer's school teach you how to fight with spells? For Sirius seemed pretty well tooled up ... but even that was inadequate against what we faced in the caves of Ellora."

Harry gulped at Will's dark tone. Sirius still hadn't told him the tale of what had happened in that other world, or why they had to return so quickly, only that if it hadn't been for Will and his Subtle Knife they might not have made it out in one piece. Will smiled thinly at Harry's anxious expression.

"That's what I thought. Best to err on the side of caution, I say."

So that night, Harry snuck out when everyone else was in bed and stole the longest, sharpest knife he could find in the kitchen draw, before storing it in a box in the bow of La Belle Sauvage II ... just in case.

The next day was Christmas Day, which dawned pale and wet. Harry thought it was nice to have Hermione right there to swap presents, as she bounded into his room at first light to wake him up. He knew that she was slightly disappointed that it wasn't snowing, but she made up for it by throwing a tub-full of white confetti around his room, laughing and giggling as Harry swallowed much of it in his half-woken and sleep-mussed state and wondered just how long it would take him to clean up the bits he hadn't inadvertently eaten.

When everyone was up, Sirius and James treated the party to a slap-up breakfast, which tasted much better than the confetti. Mal was the only one who didn't join in, as he'd volunteered to do the night watch and retired to get some sleep as soon as the adults were awake and cogent. He did join them later on for dinner, then was more than happy to share in a brandy or two as the adults got merrily tipsy and left Harry and Hermione to babysit little Seren.

And as Hermione watched Harry looking after his infant sister, she found a curious warmth growing inside her chest. Harry was a natural at this, that much was instantly clear. Hermione followed them with her eyes, allowing that bubble of emotion to swell inside her. She didn't know what it was that she was feeling, but it made her tremble a little as she looked on, almost as if she were intruding on something very private but had been told she could watch if she wanted to.

So she did watch as Harry walked slowly back and forth in front of the large bay window, rocking Seren gently or holding her close to talk to her about the things they could see outside. The baby listened in silence, sucking a thumb and being interested in everything. At one point Harry even appeared to be showing Seren the silvery Moon, pointing up to it and holding the baby so she could see; or perhaps Harry was introducing Seren to the Moon, such was the command and control he seemed to have in the situation, as though he were a lion in his own domain with nothing to fear from anything at all.

Something made Hermione cross to them and stand very close. As if on reflex, she lowered her head to Harry's shoulder. He tensed awkwardly, but didn't tell her to go away.

"You're really good with her," Hermione whispered fondly, adjusting Seren's blankets where they had come loose. "If Sally-Anne could see this she might get very broody ... well, if she was still your girlfriend in a few years time!"

Harry stepped away so that Hermione had to lift her head again. He looked crossly at her as their eyes met. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Saying what?"

"That stuff about Sally. Or is this just your not-so-subtle way of trying to tell me your own secret at last."

Hermione felt her entire body tauten. He couldn't know ... could he?"

"W-what secret?" Hermione stumbled.

"Oh come on, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed lowly. "We're supposed to be best friends! This is the sort of thing besties tell each other about, you know."

Hermione frowned at that. Harry didn't seem to know the secret, his light tone suggested that, but he was definitely getting at something. Hermione decided to play dumb, which was spectacularly hard considering her nature.

"What is? What sort of thing are you on about?"

Harry sighed in his exasperation. "You know ... first kisses and stuff like that."

Hermione blinked hard. Whatever she might have been expecting Harry to say, it certainly wasn't that.

"First kisses?" Hermione echoed, scrunching her brow in her confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about, Harry."

"Of course you don't," Harry smirked. His expression was playful but there was something in his eyes that suggested hurt ... he was hurting by having to pretend like this. But what was he pretending about? Hermione was frantic to know. "Look, I know I've been all moody lately, about me and Sally going tits up, but that doesn't mean you have to keep quiet just to spare my feelings. I know, you know. Besides, I'm not the jealous type ... or at least, I don't think I am."

"What do you know?" Hermione demanded, turning to him in a brisk and business-like manner. "And what do you mean you and Sally went tits up?"

"We went tits up ... she doesn't want to go out with me because I'm too scary to have as a boyfriend apparently," Harry mumbled, squeezing Seren as if for emotional support. "I bet a lot of girls will feel like that, wont they? I'll probably be on my own forever."

"But that's rubbish," Hermione insisted, sounding thrown. "Half the school saw you snogging her in the Three Broomsticks. Everyone's been talking about it."

"Everyone except me and Sally," Harry corrected her glumly. "Because we know it didn't happen. She just stuck her face close to mine, to hide me from my Mum when she came into the pub. I wasn't supposed to be out, was I? But no-one listens to me when I try and tell them the truth about rumours, so I've stopped bothering any more. They can think what they like ... and gossip till the pigs come home to roost for all I care. Turns out you cant educate pork, Hermione."

Hermione gasped lowly and stepped back in shock. "So ... you aren't going out with Sally-Anne?"

"No."

"And you didn't kiss her?"

"No, like I said," Harry confirmed, wary of Hermione's sudden eagerness for information. "But don't let that stop you telling me about how you kissed Michael Corner. I'm happy for you and I bet you're dying to give me all the details. So go ahead."

"What!" Hermione cried, utterly scandalised. "Kissed ... what! I didn't ... who said ... kissed? ... who in the name of Merlin told you that?"

Harry looked at her in surprise. She seemed outraged by his declaration and Harry's heart seemed to wake up from a slumber. He hadn't noticed how heavy his chest had felt until suddenly it was daring to be lighter.

"Well ... he did," Harry informed her, enjoying the angry expression that crossed Hermione's face.

"He what?" she thundered. "When ... what ... why would he say that to you?"

"Is ... is it not true, then?" Harry asked. He hadn't meant it, but there was hope underscoring his words. He hoped Hermione hadn't noticed it.

She had.

And she smiled slightly as her mood softened. "No, Harry, it most definitely is not true! Kiss Michael Corner? Are you having a laugh? I'd rather kiss that troll we knocked out on that Halloween night! Have ... have you been going around thinking that I did kiss him?"

"Well, he said that you did."

"And you believed him?"

"I had no reason not to."

"Apart from the fact that you are my best friend and know me better than anyone," Hermione reminded him. "What sort of girl do you take me for?"

"A girl that deserves to get a bit of attention the same as any other ... more than most, probably," Harry muttered with a blush, toeing the carpet with his shoe. "Even if it was from him."

"He's an arse, you told me that," Hermione grinned. "Why would I want to kiss that? Is that why you've been so off with me these past few days?"

"I thought you were keeping it from me," Harry confessed. "I thought I was being a bad friend, because I was so mopey after Sally-Anne dumped me before we'd even started going out, and that meant you felt bad telling me all about kissing Corner ..."

"... which I didn't," Hermione reiterated quickly. Then her expression softened further still. "So, you really did like Sally, then?"

"Yeah, she's nice. There's more to her than just a cute nose!"

"Shall I make it all wonky for you? Just as a punishment for dumping you?" Hermione offered teasingly. "I know some good spells, you know."

"No, save them for Corner," Harry chuckled back. "After telling those lies about you, I think he very much deserves a punch to the nose!"

"Oh, I'll think of something far worse than that," Hermione promised darkly. "When, exactly, am I supposed to have snogged his brains out?"

"The Music Society party, the same day I didn't kiss Sally," Harry grinned.

"Sounds like we both had a great day, then!" Hermione snickered back. "We both had fake first kisses at the same time!"

"Yeah, mine in front of my Mum and yours under a sprig of mistletoe."

"Mistletoe? I'll give him mistletoe. By the time I'm finished with Michael Corner he'll be infested with Nargles from now till next Christmas! You wait till I find him on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters ... you just wait."

It was a wait that lasted nearly two weeks, but it was time spent in a much jollier mood. Even Lily commented on how chirpier Harry seemed to be. He couldn't account for it when quizzed, even to himself, other than to assume that his eagerness to see Michael Corner get what was coming to him was a revenge worth waiting for. But, try as he might, he couldn't get Hermione to divulge any of her devious revenge schemes, so he had to make some up to keep himself occupied.

And as the rains came steadier and harder, drowning seemed a likely source of Michael's demise.

For by the time January the Third rolled around, the water levels had risen dramatically. Harry looked out across the Thames on that morning and marvelled in awe at the expanse of the swollen river. It was fast-flowing now, and had risen so high up the banks that it had nearly reached the road-deck of Westminster Bridge nearby.

When they left the flat for the car, stepping over a mound of sandbags, Harry saw just how bad things had become. The rain had settled in with a fury, falling in wild sheets rather than drops, so that the ground no longer looked solid; instead it appeared as a flowing field of dirty, bitterly cold water that churned and bobbed under the heavy wind.

And the level was still rising.

"No chance of the Tube in this," James called through the howling gale. "Just have to hope that the roads are open."

"What if the Express is waterlogged?" Hermione squeaked. The sheets of rain had lashed her hair flat to her face, where it stayed lank and unkempt. "How will we get to school?"

"I'm sure it wont be so bad over there," James replied unconvincingly. "Kings Cross isn't so close to the river. It should be fine."

But as they got there, they found that things were just as dire. Regular Kings Cross trains had been cancelled due to the flooding, with reports over the tannoy system announcing that all services on the Underground had also been suspended until further notice. Undeterred, James led the others to the platforms and pushed their way through the barriers between Nine and Ten.

"Terrible weather this," someone jovially observed as the Potter group made the platform. "Typical it had to be my turn to bring the kids back to London today. Cant wait to get back home to a nice warm cuppa."

The stranger moved on ... and Harry noticed something was wrong almost at once. He tucked close to Hermione and whispered, "The train isn't here. Maybe it cant get through the water."

"They must be trying to clear the tracks," Hermione replied confidently. "I'm sure it will be along soon."

All along the platform, parents and students were muttering anxiously. Harry soon learned that no-one could ever remember the Hogwarts Express being late, not to mention never turning up at all. There was a palpable sense of anxiety among the crowd, which only grew worse as time drew on. Parents hugged children close, as if innately aware that something wasn't right with the world.

And then all attention was drawn by a deep, low rumbling just out of sight around the bend. It grew and grew as it came nearer. Then someone yelled out, "It's the train! It's the train!" which was the signal for most of the crowd to whoop and cheer and for the excitement to ratchet up several notches.

But something wasn't right. It didn't sound to Harry like a train at all and, from the scowl on her face, Hermione wasn't convinced either.

"Harry ... what is that?"

And then there was a clap of thunder so loud that it might have split the barriers between worlds.

It was such a bang that Harry felt his knees buckle. Then there came another sound, one so awful and terrifying that Harry would recall it in his nightmares in the days to come. It was a ferocious, unhinged rushing noise that seemed to come from all around them. Everyone heard it, many covered their ears against it, but nobody was sure about what to do next.

The rushing grew louder and louder, angrier and angrier, as though a horde of rampaging giants were hurtling towards them. And then the source of the sound struck them.

At first, Harry thought a bomb had gone off, such was the intensity of the blast he heard from behind him. He turned and was startled to notice that the flickering shimmer from the magical barrier between Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and the Muggle world beyond had increased by a matter of degrees. And then he saw why -

- it was because the barrier was not there any more.

A jagged mound of stones, planks, rubble, wood, cabling and roof tiles lay there instead, all illuminated by the faint, but far vaster, light coming from what had been Kings Cross station beyond the barrier. And as Harry stared at it in shock, like so many others, a great wave surged over the top of the heap, carrying some of the debris and crashing with considerable force into the rows of trunks and assorted luggage that had been lined up on the far end of the platform.

It raced forwards with seemingly unstoppable momentum, filled up the gap between the track and the platform in barely a few seconds, knocked over the bench seating and careened towards the witches and wizards standing dumbfounded to watch its progress.

For a moment there was stunned silence, then the screams started as though a movie director had shouted 'action!'. Harry had never been part of a natural disaster before, and this first experience terrified him. By the time the tidal surge hit him it connected around his knees and he had to battle hard to keep his feet. In the panic, the wave hit Papageno and Harry had to snatch his arms out to catch him.

"Pap!" Hermione yelped, taking her dæmon from Harry's arms. "That was close!"

"What's happening, Dad?" Harry screamed. "How is water from the Muggle world getting in here?"

James suddenly went very pale. He turned to Harry in deadly earnestness.

"It's him! He's here ... it's Voldemort."

Thankfully, everyone else was too busy screaming in terror to hear. If they had, the place would have erupted in even greater chaos. As it was, the whole platform was suddenly engulfed in a sort of gale, as parents whisked their children away in gusty swirls of Disapparition that seemed to meld together into a hefty wind. But not all could go, and brave people like Sirius and the Potters, Lyra and Malcolm couldn't leave the innocent to their fates.

"Here, Harry! Take Seren! Go! Take your sister and run! Just run. We'll hold him off."

"No, Mum! I'm not leaving you!" Harry screamed. His terror was beyond his power of cognitive thought. His only imperative was to ignore his mother and stay with her to face this danger.

"Harry, go!" James cried, drawing his wand and letting its power throb a moment. "Take your sister and find somewhere high and safe."

"No, I wont -"

"Harry! Do as we say! Run!" Sirius yelled, throwing off his jacket and preparing to fight.

Then Lily tried a different tack. "Hermione! Get my son out of here! Take my children and keep them safe. I'm begging you."

Hermione seemed to grow about five foot with Lily's heartfelt plea. Tears streaming in her eyes, she turned and grabbed Harry by the arm, tugging him away as the adults raced off towards a commotion at the other end of the platform ... screams, crashes, blasts of spell fire. But the waters were so deep that it was slow, agonising work trying to get it away ... it was a bit like trying to run in a nightmare.

But they eventually reached the barrier. Harry, who had been too stunned to resist at first, suddenly came to and tried to break free and run back. Hermione gripped him tight to hold him to her.

"No, Harry! We have to go!" she cried passionately.

"We have to help them!" Harry shouted back angrily. "Let go of me!"

"No! We cant help! We cant, not yet," Hermione yelled, urging Harry back with all her might. "But we can help your sister. But only if we go ... right now!"

"I'm not leaving!"

"You are, because I say you are," Hermione growled, stepping close to Harry in her protective fury. "Your Mum gave me a task, and I don't intend to fail her. So neither will you. Now come on, we have to get back across London, back to the flat and La Belle Sauvage II ... before this water becomes so deep that we all drown!"

Harry finally gave in, hurrying up onto the relative dryness of the rubble mound with Seren bound tightly in his arms, still sucking her thumb, still looking around with fascination at everything she could see. Then Harry reached down and took Hermione's hand, helping her up to his level, before they splashed into the heaving waters of Muggle Kings Cross and towards whatever lay beyond.