There were several minutes of utter chaos in the wake of Albus' removal followed by several more of stunned silence. Eventually, Minerva had had enough, outlining their plan going forward. The shouting commenced almost immediately until, exasperated, Kingsley shot a series of bangs from the end of his wand. Alastor was the first to break the resulting silence.

"You want us to meet them?" His voice was alarmingly controlled, his face pale and pinched.

"Yes, we think that it would be best," Minerva agreed briskly.

"All of them?"

"Yes, Alastor," she bit out impatiently, trying desperately to remember that they had had their worldview turned on its head and therefore she couldn't just hex them into submission for being a bit slow on the uptake. "All of them."

"Right. And we're not allowed to hex them?"

"For Merlin's sake!" she hissed. "No! You bloody irritating man, you are not! Did you miss our explaining that they are responsible for the collapse of the Death Eaters and Tom's containment! We'll let you hex Albus if you're that desperate for target practice, or Tom, I suppose. Although the elves are torturing him by all accounts."

"The elves?" Amelia checked, sounding incredulous.

"Bloodthirsty little creatures," Kingsley mused. "I wouldn't want to cross them."

"Right. She muttered, before shaking her head, her expression leaving them in no doubt that she Just Was Not Dealing With That Right Now. The capitals were visible and made Kingsley want to laugh. Thankfully, he held it in, Amelia was as vicious as Narcissa's elves if properly provoked. Pulling herself together, Amelia glanced around the room, squaring her shoulders. "Shall we get this over with now then?"

"I'll send a patronus." Sirius agreed with a smirk.

"Don't bother, someone will need to take Aquila," Andromeda stood, looking at Ted. "Cinema?"

"Mother Bellatrix is going to Avada you," Tonks warned with an edge of worry.

"Nonsense." Andy dismissed, "She held herself back from hexing us when it was first suggested and once she's been, Aquila will be so excited that she'll accept it even if she doesn't want to. She hides it better but Bella dislikes disappointing her as much as the rest of us."

"She's going to Avada her." Tonks repeated stubbornly into the room as her parents left.

"She might try." Sirius allowed, "And then I imagine Andy'll curse her back. It'll be fine."

"Fine! It won't be fine, Sirius! It'll be carnage!"

"I forget you're a Hufflepuff sometimes," he mused. "Pain and death threats…it's our love language Cousin. Keep up."

Her jaw dropped as several people stifled laughs around the table, none of them acknowledging Tonks' pleading eyes, begging them to step in.

Their bickering was halted when the floo roared. "And so it begins," Remus whispered. In response Sirius shot him a grin, standing and opening his arms dramatically, "Cousins! How good of you to join us."

"Really Sirius!" Narcissa sniffed, running her eyes disdainfully over the assembled group and then the room in general. "Mother of Morganna, what was your mother thinking when she decorated this room?"

"That she wanted the entire house to represent the state of her soul, Cousin." he deadpanned.

"She managed that," Rodolphus muttered with a shudder,

"I quite like some of it," Bella mused, turning to Sirius, "Do you intend to keep the heads?"

"Yes!" Rodolphus barked, "He intends to keep the elf heads, Bella. Mother of Merlin."

Around the table, people were openly gaping. "I'll see what I can do about them before your next birthday," Sirius whispered conspiratorially.

"Do and I will allow my daughter to hug you as hard as she likes," Rodolphus growled. "Following that I'm sure I can convince her that you would make a wonderful moving target for her archery practice."

Sirius blanched briefly before shaking it off, "That little witch adores me."

"Not if she thinks you've hurt the elves," he shot back smugly.

Sirius paused trying to ignore the slight silver of unease as he realised Rodolphus wasn't wrong. Beside him, Remus' shoulders were shaking with badly repressed laughter, Kingsley appeared to be faring only marginally better across from them. "True enough, sorry Cousin, it would appear the elf heads are not giftable."

Bella pouted but Corban stepped forward before she could offer a counter argument, "Now we've that covered, may we sit down?" he smiled winningly, sidling up to Kingsley, wrapping an arm through his "It is safe isn't it?" he batted his eyelashes dramatically.

"Sit down," he grumbled, shoving Corban into a seat, a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.

"Well…." Minerva trailed off, all of a sudden at a loss.

"Im beginning to think we've been drugged," Emmeline Vance muttered.

"If only that were an option," Rabastan commiserated, "Perhaps after."

Lucius let out a heavy sigh, "I thought we wanted them to take us seriously?"

Bella shrugged as she sat down next to a visibly startled Alastor, throwing her feet up onto the table as she did, only just missing Fred. She bared her teeth in an approximation of a smile, making her sister sigh as she cuffed the back of her head and glared at her until she sulkily removed her feet and sat up straighter, earning herself a pleased nod.

"Next time we'll leave her at home," Rodolphus offered with a pained smile. "I promise she can actually behave."

"With the right incentive," Bast muttered before turning to his sister-in-law, "The longer you drag this out the longer your daughter is with Andy and Ted. Who knows what they're teaching her. Tolerance...equality…muggle superiority…kindness…" he grinned when Bella looked immediately alert.

"They won't teach her that!"

"Miss Granger was one of the most tolerant witches I knew," Severus mused, "One only had to watch her cope with Mr Weasley's bumbling incompetence and Potter's moodswings to realise that." Molly looked as offended as Bella which was beyond amusing for the rest of them. "And of course, she was always so very fond of the underdog."

"Absolutely not!" Bella retorted. "She'll be deadly and ruthless."

"And kind, Bella," Narcissa interrupted. "For merlin's sake, she's a child not an assassin."

"She could be an assassin. Later. In a couple of years. No one expects a five year old."

"Merlin preserve us." Narcissa turned to her brother-in-law with a pointed look. He held up his hands immediately.

"She can be kind and deadly?" he offered.

"Of course, she can." Narcissa agreed, "But we won't be using her as an assassin at five!"

"Six or seven though," Corban voiced softly, making Kingsley laugh.

"Oh you are all ridiculous!" Narcissa grumbled, and Molly relaxed fractionally, relieved at least one person appeared to be looking out for Hermione until Narcissa continued. "She will be at least of age! She'll be too young to appreciate the subtlety of certain methods before then!"

At that Remus lost his composure and howled, Sirius and Kingsley joining them. "Maybe it's not us that has been drugged?" George voiced hesitantly.

Things settled after that, Bella managing to behave under Narcissa's gimlet eye and by the end even Alastor was grudgingly accepting.

"I don't like you.," he admitted bluntly, drawing an exasperated sigh from Minerva, "But you've ended this quickly and no one else managed that. I expect to be present when you end his lordship…lest anyone get ideas about him being a viable option again."

"Of course," Lucius agreed over Bella's scoff. "In the meantime, we are waiting on an appointment with the goblins for Mr Potter, following which we should be able to proceed."

"How do you plan to secure pardons?"

"We have so far left that in Kingsley's capable hands," Corban purred.

"Stop it!" Minerva warned

"Oh but it's fun!" he protested. "He looks delightfully uncomfortable. And that blush! Adorable!"

Kingsley sighed heavily. "I've a good mind to redden your arse to the point of discomfort." he muttered. "We'll see how adorable I am then."

"Careful. I might just take you up on that," Corban parried back.

Lucius shared a look with Sirius, as Fred ventured, "Anyone else confused whether they're actually flirting or not?"

"I could pull a wedding together in a few months," Narcissa mused, wanting to grin at their startled expressions, "A sign of the new progressive world as we merge two families, each from opposite sides of the war."

"Ah that's very kind," Kingsley began, "But…"

"Purple and silver themed?" Corban checked.

Narcissa frowned, "Absolutely not. Purple perhaps. For you less silver, more…grey. Flatter. With perhaps a greyish white to tie it all together."

"We're not getting married!"

"Well no darling, you've not asked me yet." Corban smiled winningly up at Kingsley before turning back to Narcissa, "Winter weddings are always stunning."

"Aren't they?" she agreed. "If we could guarantee frost, it would be wonderful."

"Congratulations?" Amelia offered looking at Kingsley impishly. "Do ensure I get an invitation. I imagine that people's reactions will be hilarious."

"We're not getting married!"

"Of course not darling," Corban patted his arm insincerely, turning back to Narcissa with an eye roll. "If we make the colours duskier, we could push it to Spring."

Kingsley's groan could be heard loudly over Narcissa's delicate laugh "Someone stop this." he begged.

"Nonsense," Sirius dismissed, "I look ravishing in purple! You'll want that for your best man."

Kingsley's head thunked onto the table with an alarmingly loud thud. "I'm better suited to grey's myself," Alastor mused, with a rare flash of humour that had people gaping in surprise.

The next day, Rabastan and Rodolphus were quietly working on a plan of next steps in Lucius' study when the sound of the floo roaring had their heads snapping up, meeting Remus' eyes.

Realising exactly what had to have happened, both of them felt a jolt of unease. "Well?" Rabastan demanded, the strain clear on his face.

"It worked," Remus replied softly, not bothering to hide how much the afternoon had affected him. Seeing Frank and Alice aware for the first time in years had him sobbing in a way that had been both painful and freeing, the last decade's pain seeming cleansed in a way he had never dared hope for. "It'll take time, Merlin knows they've some intensive work to do before they can leave but they've been moved to a rehabilitation ward. Neville was in with them when I left." he paused, "They sent both threats and gratitude. It was rather confusing, truth be told.

Rabastan hummed, "I am…glad," he replied softly.

Remus nodded sharply, "As are we all."

"Alright Harry?" Harry looked startled as he met Remus' smiling face, clearly wondering what on earth he was doing in the common room.

"Remus! Why…is everyone…?"

"Breathe! Everyones fine. We're just borrowing you for a weekend, so pack a bag."

"Why?" he checked warily, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The dog was missing you," Remus shrugged impishly, making Ron laugh. He shoved Harry pointedly.

"Go and see Snuffles. We wouldn't want him to be lonely," his face fell briefly, "Maybe see if you can pop in and see our favourite toddler for a bit while you're there, eh?"

Offering him a slightly wan smile, Harry stood, "I'll be back in a minute."

"Sirius!" Harry grinned at the sight of his godfather as he wrapped him in a hug, "What's going on?"

"Come and sit down, Pup."

"Is this another conversation I won't like?" Harry checked warily.

"Probably," He grimaced, "but, I feel like I should start with we're fixing it. It's why you're here."

"Fixing what?"

"Your scar. It's not…entirely normal and so we're going to go and see the goblins." he blurted, ignoring Remus' exasperated sigh.

"What do you mean it's not entirely normal!"

Sirius immediately sent Remus a pleading look. With an eye roll, he sat down next to Harry, keeping his voice gentle, "You have a….small extra piece of soul we need to remove."

"I have an extra piece of soul!"

"Yes. And we need to remove it, hence the goblins."

"My soul?"

"Not exactly."

"Whose soul is it, Remus?" he demanded flatly, looking like he was bracing himself.

"Well…Toms."

Harry paled "No."

"Look Pup, we're going now. We're meeting the goblins and they're going to fix it. It'll be fine." Sirius stood, trying not to look as frightened as he felt.

"No." he repeated.

"Yes. It's going to be fine."

"No."

Remus sighed, "Harry we need to leave now. I understand that we're not giving you any time to deal with this and that's massively unfair, but the sooner we leave the sooner it's gone."

Harry froze, "We're going now?"

"Right now."

"Then lets fucking go!" he shouted, all but barreling towards the floo, muttering "Fucking bastard inside my head…."

Remus shook his head, "I blame you for this level of dramatics." he grumbled at Sirius as he passed him, hoping that Harry had the sense to wait for them on the other side.