Disclaimer- I own nothing. Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating this magical world for us to play in.

a/n: First off, a big thank you to my amazing beta The Ghostly Minion. If you have already, check out is stuff. He is an amazing writer. Second, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I have to admit; this chapter was a lot of fun to right and I have been dying to post this. I know people have been complaining about Harry and Hermione fighting and also about how Hermione has been acting lately. I get it, and I just wanted to let you all know that I am fixing that as we speak. Hopefully, that will all be explain in the next chapter or two.

Chapter 22
"Normal speech"
Thoughts
'Mental Conversations'

Unknown Cottage-

Lucius Malfoy sat at a small table in a dirty one room cottage. Pouring over the next part of his plans. He always loved playing mind games before his kills. Granted he wasn't as bad as his sister in law, Bellatrix Lestrange, he was still close to the top. He heard a knock at the door, but didn't bother to answer. There was only one other person who knew where he was.

Albus Dumbledore came striding into the cottage with an evil aura surrounding him. Albus hid the cocky grin behind his grandfatherly expression. "How are the plans coming along?" Trying to cover the eagerness in his eyes with his trademark twinkle. Dumbledore started to look over Lucius' plans and frowned. "What's wrong Dumbledore, can't stomach it?" sneered Lucius.

Albus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You really shouldn't have sent that howler. We now have lost the element of surprise. I can guarantee that the security will be ten times greater now that they know you are going after her."

Lucius jumped up from the table and all but shoved a finger in Dumbledore's chest and said, "You put too much stock in the half-blooded bastard and that damn mudblooded bitch."

Dumbledore slapped his hand away and drew himself up to his full height and said, "The boy is no longer under my influence. You also seem to be forgetting who he has surrounded himself with." Albus was about to rip into the death eater when he felt his skin tingle. Muttering under his breath, he moved towards the door and said, "I have other business to attend too. Mark my words Lucius, you will meet several additional wands if you go there. Your plans won't end how you expect them to, and I seriously doubt that you will be leaving in one piece."

The Burrow-

Molly Weasley was keeping herself busy for the moment with two separate love potions, a loyalty potion, as well as three different types of biscuits and a cake. As soon as she saw the letter from Gringotts, she sent the kids out to the quidditch pitch. When the last of her babies were outside, she cast several notice me not charms over her potion area, she sent word to Dumbledore that she needed to speak with him urgently. Once the message was sent, all she could do was wait.

The cake was put in the oven first, and once the cauldrons were set to stir, Molly set out to make a pot of tea. Just as the tea was ready, Albus walked through the door without knocking. There was no reason really. He knew that Molly set up wards to alert her of who was at the door. What neither of them knew was that the twins perfected a listening device that was as small as a button and tethered to a sheet of parchment that recorded all the conversations. The twins realized that they could run out of paper and decided to charm it so that never happened.

"What seems to be so urgent Molly?" Asked Albus as he got to the table, barely concealing his annoyance at being pulled away from his tasks. Molly floated over two cups of tea and pulled out a letter. Molly made sure the cups were all set before handing over the letter. When Albus took it, he immediately saw the Gringotts seal. On the outside, Albus was his normal calm, cool, and collected self. However, on the inside he was seething. Albus opened the letter and quickly read it to himself before he decided to read it aloud:

Dear Molly Weasley nee Prewitt,

We at Gringotts wish to inform you that due to several questionable deposits into your vault, your assets have been frozen and your account is currently being audited by our most senior account managers. During this process, you will be unable to access your account. Since your son, Ronald Bilius Weasley, also has the same questionable deposits, his account has been frozen as well. However, due to him being a minor, this letter will also be considered as notice of our intentions. We will notify you with our findings in a few weeks time.

Bloodflag, senior account manager.

At this point, Albus was truly pissed. How dare those creatures treat a pure blood like this. Molly and Albus sat in silence for a moment before a very angry Molly said, "I should storm down their right now and demand to know the meaning behind this. How dare those filthy beasts try to do this to a pure blood." Molly was as red as a tomato at this point and added, "Mark my words Albus, those filthy beasts will pay for what they have done."

Albus tented his fingers in front of his face while Molly was ranting. Once he saw the color started to recede he said, "You will do nothing. We first need to find out why they are looking into the account." Albus stared at the letter and added, "I wonder if someone tipped them off."

Molly sat a little straighter in her chair and asked, "Do you think Harry found out about the money?"

Albus waved Molly off and said, "The boy has nothing to do with this."

Molly started to turn red again and started to say "If not Potter than wh…." The shock was suddenly written all over Molly's face, it was as if a light bulb suddenly turned on. "This has that damn mudblood written all over it! I knew that wench was too smart! I thought you said you took care of her!"

"There were some unseen complications." Albus replied with as much acid and disgust in his voice he could muster. "I will handle this. You will do nothing. I have several plans in motion and I will not have you jeopardizing anything." Albus pushed a little of his magic into his words to stress his point. Molly instantly paled and gave a short nod. Realizing the time, Albus went to stand and said, "I will go to Gringotts. In the meantime, I will transfer some funds to the Weasley account. If Arthur asks any questions, simply tell him that you have been helping Poppy replenish her potion stock for the impending school year. As for the situation with the mudblood, that is being handled as we speak."

Longbottom Manor-

Harry was very surprised that Hermione didn't try to argue with him as they left the house. He was about a step behind Amelia and Susan as he was thinking of everything that has happened since the summer began. "A knut for your thoughts?" asked Amelia who stopped a few feet from the door.

"I'm just thinking about how crazy this summer has been." He replied.

Amelia chuckled and said, "That it has. Is anything in your life normal?"

Harry gave her a dazzling smile and replied, "That would be asking too much."

Susan was the first to reach the door. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure her aunt and Harry were close by before knocking. They only had to wait a few minutes before Neville answered the door. Both Susan and Neville's faces lit up when they saw each other. Before they could greet each other, Amelia stepped up and said, "Heir Longbottom, I hope you are well" as she gave him a small bow of her head. Neville returned with a deep bow and replied, "Lady Regent Bones, Heir Bones, it is a pleasure…" As Neville stood, he saw someone standing behind them who looked fairly familiar and said, "Harry? Is that you?"

Harry stepped forward and with a bow said, "Heir Longbottom, for today's visit I am Lord Potter. Once we settle in, I hope we can return to being informal since we are all friends here."

Neville stood in the doorway with his mouth hanging open for a moment before his senses came back to him. He cleared his throat and said, "Of course. If you all would please follow me." Neville stepped to the side and held his arm out to motion everyone in. Once everyone was in, he started towards the front parlor and said, "Harry, I mean Lord Potter, what happened to you?"

Before Harry could reply he heard a woman say, "Neville, there is no need to be rude. I know you were raised to have better sense than that." The group rounded the corner, and as they entered the parlor, they came face to face with a formidable woman. "Good afternoon Lady Regent Bones, Heir Bones. It is a pleasure to see you again" greeted Augusta as she was starting to stand from her chair.

As the group got closer Neville said, "Grandmother, I would like to introduce you to Lord Potter."

Harry walked to the center of the room and gave August a deep bow and said, "Greetings Lady Regent Longbottom. It is an honor to finally meet you."

Augusta was slightly shocked at the formal greeting but didn't show it and replied, "Well met Lord Potter. It is nice to finally meet you as well. To what do we owe the pleasure?" August motioned for everyone to take their seat.

"Normally I would dispense with the formality; however, I am here on house business." Harry replied.

Augusta sat a little straighter in her chair and said, "Perhaps we should send our Heirs away so that we could discuss things more freely."

Neville and Susan both went to stand but were quickly motioned by Harry to stay where they were. "I know this isn't normal, but I would for them to be present for this." Harry waited a moment before going on to say, "I have a couple of things I wish to discuss with you and your Heir. First, I have recently taken up my lordship and have been learning of my family's past alliances. Besides our alliance with the Bones Family, I have found that the Potters and the Longbottoms have always been close. In fact, after reading my parent's will, I found out that Neville's mother is my God Mother. Tell me, have you recently received a notice from Gringotts?"

"No we haven't. When did they send it?" asked Augusta.

Harry looked over to Amelia before looking back and saying, "They sent it at the beginning of the summer. Director Bones, is there a way to check if there is any type of mail repelling charm and any other blocks?"

"Lord Potter, what are you suggesting?" asked an aggravated Augusta.

"Lady Regent, I have recently learned of several blocks that have been placed on me as well as my wife. Before you ask, I am married and have a soul bond with Hermione, a class mate of ours. The only reason I am freely discussing this with you is because you are an ally of the House of Potter. All I have said or will say must never leave this room." Harry paused again for Augusta to accept his terms before continuing, "While I was at Gringotts, I discovered a plot to steal from me, amongst other… issues. I know this is a lot to take in, but this is not the reason why we have come. I plan to start seriously training soon and have come to ask Neville to join us."

Neville was stunned to hear this and replied, "Why would you want me to train with you? I can barely cast a simple charm." Harry frowned at hearing Neville talk about himself like this and felt his anger spike slightly that his grandmother said nothing to counteract this.

"I think you are more powerful than you know. Let's conduct a little experiment. With your wand, I want you to cast a simple Lumos." Neville looked over to his Grandmother before taking out his wand and casting. Then end of his wand barely lit up. Harry went to hand Neville his wand and was about to ask him to do the same thing, when his wand actually shocked Neville's hand who in turn pulled his hand back and yelped. Harry mentally sacked himself and said, "I'm sorry Neville, I never realized that would happen. Perhaps Susan will let you use her wand quickly." Harry gave Susan a pleading glance before turning back to Neville and seeing the confused look on his face he added, "I promise to explain everything in a moment. Could you please try the same spell for me? I want you to do the exact same thing."

Neville cautiously took Susan's wand and let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he realized that he wouldn't get shocked again. He quickly cast Lumos. This time, the light was so bright that it filled the room. "NOX" screamed Neville. As soon as the light went out, Harry saw Neville's mouth open wide and after a quick glance around, he saw that Amelia and Augusta had the same look on their faces. "Well then, I believe that settles it." He chuckled.

Augusta was the first to somewhat recover and managed to get out, "What?" She cleared her throat and went on to say, "I believe you promised us an explanation. From what I saw, it looks like your wand is made from two different woods and I know for a fact that it was only one before."

It was Harry's turned to be shocked. He gave himself a brief shake to bring him out of his stupor and said, "I did say that I would explain everything. But I must warn you again that what is said here is not to be repeated except to those who already know and in privacy." Harry was all business now. "Where to begin" he said quietly to himself.

"I find it best to start from the beginning Lord Potter" replied Augusta.

Harry sat back in his chair and gather his thought. After a moment he said, "You should all get comfortable, this could take a while."

Back in Surrey-

Hermione was still a little upset that she couldn't go with Harry to Longbottom Manor, but did understand his reasoning. She managed to wander back into the library to look for a book to distract herself. She heard, "Hermione" as she was searching the selves. When she looked up, she saw her mother was sitting on the sofa near the giant bay window. Hermione saw her mother motion for her to come and join her. As she got closer, she kept practicing the breathing exercises that Luna shower her earlier that day. "How are you feeling? Are you still in pain" asked her mother as she sat next to her.

"I'm still a little tired, but thankfully only a little achy." Replied Hermione. "I'm honestly a little upset that I can't use magic until tomorrow. How are you feeling mum?" Hermione was skillfully trying to avoid the elephant in the room. Emma knew exactly what her daughter was up to and wasn't going to let that happen.

Emma sighed and said, "Besides feeling bloated and being an emotional wreck, physically I'm all right. Look honey, we can skirt around the real issue all you like, but the problem will always be there." Emma saw her daughter stiffen slightly and that she started taking very deep breaths. "Hermione, I want you to know that I…" Tears started to sell up in Emma's eyes and her breath caught in her throat. ""I loved your father deeply and I always will. Do you think that I am betraying him? Do you think I am trying to replace him?" Emma waited for a few minutes to see if Hermione would say something. Seeing that Hermione just kept her head down, realized that this wasn't going to happen. Emma lowered her head, trying to conceal the hurt in her eyes, and said, "Is this about me being with another woman?"

As Hermione looked over, she reached and gently took her mother's hand and gave it a quick squeeze. After taking another deep breath she said, "Mum, I want you to know that I don't have a problem with you and Narcissa. Yes, I was a little upset at first, but I just want you to be happy. It will just take time for me to get use to this. I know it doesn't help when my emotions are all over the place . I really don't recommend anyone going through puberty in only a few days instead of a few years."

Emma relaxed a little when she heard her daughter was ok with everything, well mostly ok. "Oh my little humming bird." Hermione looked up to her mother's face and saw the relief in her eyes. She gave her a bone crushing hug. When they pulled apart Emma said, "There is something else I want to tell you." She saw Hermione looked puzzled and quickly went on to say, "Luna mentioned something to me after she healed you. I'll have to admit that I find Luna to be a lovely young lady. Interesting, but very lovely."

"Mum, stop stalling. What did Luna say?"

"It's about your father." Hermione stiffened hearing this. "He went to Luna, that is how she knew you were injured. Luna also told me that your father was ok with my relationship with Narcissa, and that he wants me to be happy." Both had tears running down their cheeks. They two witches clung to each other as much for support and as to offer comfort.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, causing the house to shake. Hermione jumped up and instantly had her wand at the ready. Both women looked around and saw flashes of light coming through the windows. Narcissa came running into the room. "Emma!" she called in a panic.

"Cissa, what's the matter?" asked Emma as Narcissa was crossing the room.

"We need to leave. Lucius is trying to gain entry." Before either could stop her, Hermione took off at a run.

"Hermione!" called Emma who tried to run after her daughter, but ended up running into Narcissa's arms. "We need to stop her!" she screamed.

Draco went running past the door and out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother and said, "I'll go after her. We need to go out the back."

Narcissa was pulling Emma at this point. "We have to get Hermione. I won't leave without my daughter." Emma almost managed to pull free, but Narcissa was ready. Thankfully they ran into Remus who had Hermione in his arms with Luna, Draco, Sirius and Tonks following close behind.

"I have just sent word to Kingsley. The Aurors will be here soon." Said Tonks as she was looking around to make sure everyone was accounted for. As they walked, they managed to form a protective ring with Emma and Hermione in the center. Narcissa was next to Emma and Sirius was next to Hermione. The group was being led by Remus, and Tonks was bringing up the rear with Draco and Luna in front of her.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Asked a cold voice. As the group got closer to the center of the yard- which happened to be their portkey location since the wards wouldn't let them leave from the house, Lucius appeared just in front of where they needed to go. With his trademark sneer he said, "I will deal with you later Narcissa. I am feeling … Generous and will let you watch as I finish what I started." His eyes flicked from Emma and Narcissa to Hermione who had a fire burning deep within her eyes. "You however will suffer greatly. I will save you for last. When Potter comes for you, he will have to take away the pieces in bags." Sirius snarled as Remus cast a stunner at him that was easily blocked. "Can't fight your own battles mudblood?" he sneered.

Hermione silently called for Fawkes and Eilidah. 'Get my mother and the others out of her.'

'We need to get you to safety as well. We promised Harry that we would look after you' replied Fawkes.

Dobby, Bess and Dro suddenly appeared and Dobby said, "We need to get you to safety mistress" as he tried to reach for Hermione. Lucius tried to cast a killing curse at Dobby, but before it reached him, Fawkes flew in front of it and forced him to have a burning day.

That was the final straw for Hermione. "ENOUGH!" she screamed while drawing herself to her full height. She drew on her full power and cast a protective bubble that surround the entire group. Sirius and Remus tried to reach for her, but found that they couldn't get past her shield. "Get everyone to safety. I will take care of this…Scum." She hissed that part, sending a small shiver up Lucius's spine.

"How dare you speak to me like that you filthy little bitch" Lucius sneered, trying to hid the shiver.

"I SAID ENOUGH! You will not spout those lies! The blood that runs through my veins is older than Magical Britain you fool!" Hermione replied as a golden aura began to surround her within her shield. Lucius cast a bone crushing curse that hit her left shoulder and arm, but from the way she moved you couldn't tell. She just kept walking towards him. He started to panic and sent another towards her legs, which managed to connect with her right leg. Not even flinching as it struck, she cast a reducto at the ground in front of him. Lucius stumbled backwards trying to avoid the debris. He tried to cast a blood boiling curse, but before it reached her, she simply waved her hand and it disappeared. Lucius wasn't expecting this much power. He was scrambling to get away, but found his legs wouldn't move fast enough.

"What's wrong Lucy? Not used to people who fight back?" snarled Hermione as she cast another banishing charm. He barely had enough time to raise a shield, but it immediately shattered from the force of Hermione's spell. She saw a window of opportunity and silently cast a spell she was saving specifically for him. When it connected, he turned as white as a ghost and said in a tone slightly higher than usual, "Mark my words you little bitch, you will pay for what you have done!"

"AURORS!" called several voices. Lucius's scowl deepened. Knowing that he had to get away he said, "This is not over. Your days are numbered!" He decided to cast one last curse, but sent it towards Emma instead. Hermione saw the slash of his wand and saw a purple flame head towards Emma. Summoning all her strength, Hermione cast her own spell and managed to redirect the curse to the ground in front of Emma. When Hermione turned back, Lucius was gone.

Once she realized everyone was safe, all her strength and magic left her, and she fell to the ground. "Hermione!" screamed Emma who was trying to get to her daughter. Narcissa waited for the barrier to fall before letting go.

Emma quickly got to her daughter's head, and fell to her knees, gently taking it into her lap. A large black dog came trotting up and sat at Hermione's side. Narcissa, Draco, and Luna came up to join them as Tonks and Remus were speaking to Kingsley. Hermione looked into her mother's eyes and as everything was beginning to grow hazy and start to fade said, "Promise me you won't call for Harry." Sirius laid down and nudged her hand with his snout and whined slightly. "Please, don't tell him yet. He has to finish what he has started." Hermione started to fade slightly.

"Hermione" Emma called softly, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, as she watched her daughter start to close her eyes.

Hearing her mother call her name, Hermione opened her eyes half way and said, "Mamma, I'm just a little sleepy."

Emma watched as her daughter fell unconscious. "Cissa! Cissa Please! Help her!" she begged as she was trying to shake her daughter awake. Draco gave her a hug and held onto Emma as Narcissa was running a few basic scans.

After a moment Narcissa said, "I don't have the skill to heal her. We need to get her to safety and call for a healer."

Remus came walking up to them and said, "We can call Poppy once we get to where we are going."

"Remus, do you happen to know what curse Hermione cast at Lucius that made him pale?" asked Tonks as she and Kingsley were at the final spot Lucius was standing.

Remus looked over confused and said, "Not a clue. Why do you ask?"

He saw Kingsley pale and as he held himself and said, "Remind me never to piss off Lady Potter."

Tonks gave an uneasy chuckle and said, "Well, I believe we should be calling Lucius Lucy from now on."

Remus paled as he realized what she meant as he looked down at an unconscious Lady Potter. He gave a loud gulp and said, "This one is very much like Lily." Sirius gave a soft woof in agreement.