Hermione Granger was perturbed. Her best friend Harry Potter had told her that Ginny Weasley had accepted the invitation of Neville Longbottom to be his date to the Macmillan Ball and this had visibly disturbed was hurting and he did not show it, but Hermione recognised it. After mulling over it for a couple of days, she had decided to confront Ginny about friend deserved some happiness after all the things that he had been through.

"Ginny, what did you do?", Hermione asked her.

"What do you mean, Hermione?", she asked.

"Harry told me that you refused to go to the Macmillan ball with him", Hermione said, "And you said yes to Neville. What is on your mind? Could you not at least wait until Harry asked you? Why did you jump the wagon?"

"Hermione, I knew Harry would ask me to the ball sooner or later. But as you know, I have never fancied any other boy than Harry ever in my life. Even when I dated Michael Corner or Dean Thomas, somewhere my thoughts were always on Harry. I realised I never got over my crush on him.I was only following your advice and I got him in the end. Last year as you all were on the run doing whatever you had to do, I started to think that there can be a world where I'd have to live without him. A world where there are other boys too. I mean in that time; Neville took up the mantel of the leader of the Dumbledore's Army and defied Snape and Carrows. He saved the students even at the cost of torture to himself. One time, they were torturing him with the Cruciatus curse and he told them to go to hell. That moment I realised that there are other people in the world who was as brave as Harry Potter, if not more than him. When you people returned to Hogwarts out of nowhere starting the battle of Hogwarts, I saw him leading the students, fighting Death Eaters, and encouraging all of stood in the face of Voldemort and told him to go to hell. It looked like there was a hero of children's story books in front of me. At that time, I really realised that I had never known Harry truly, but I hero-worshipped the boy-who-lived and what he represented because I felt the same awe in Neville Longbottom's presence when Voldemort came up to Hogwarts marching at the head of the Death Eaters. At that moment, I decided to find if what I had felt for Harry was genuine or not. It is the reason that I took up Neville on the offer of accompanying him to Macmillan ball."

"Do you want to get back with Harry or not?", Hermione asked her straightforwardly.

"I am still trying to sort out my feelings. I realise that I have much growing up to do before I can tell him for certain", she said shrugging, "We have had one short romance and we barely scratched the surface in that short time before you three went on your adventures", she said, "I am still waiting to see how this would turn out in the end."

"Ginny, I thought you'd know him pretty well by now", Hermione said, "The way you both were head over heels for each other, I thought you'd be announcing your marriage by the time Voldemort was dead."

She snorted, "That is ridiculous. Harry wants to live his life before he'd commit to anything, and I want to make a career with the Harpies before I'd consider marriage."

"You sure have plans for your future", Hermione said, "But I don't think Harry would stop you from chasing your dreams if you are worried about that."

"I know he won't", she said, "But I still want to achieve something before marrying. What are your plans, Hermione?"

"I want to work on so many things", she said, "Especially rights of magical creatures and for better treatment of Muggleborns."

"That is ambitious", Ginny said.


"Robards, I want a word", Harry said to the Head Auror before they were headed to the Court rooms.

"What is it, Potter?", Robards asked.

"What is being done about those students who cast unforgivable on students last year at Hogwarts? I have heard that they have escaped punishment."

"I have received reports from Savage who was tasked with these investigations, and he told me that in his opinion those students cannot be punished because they were only following orders."

"I don't believe a word of it", Harry said, "They knowingly used those curses and hexes on should be tried before the tribunal."

"No, they are only school children and not war criminals", Robards said, "We have found that none of them killed anyone so we can't just put them in front of the tribunal."

"I can't believe this", Harry said exasperated, "If you won't listen to me then I will go to Kingsley."

"Hold your horses, Potter", Robards snapped, "I have already talked with the Minister about it. You won't know it but a team of Aurors is already asking questions of students who were at the castle last year. As soon as the reports come in, I will issue warrants for arrest of those who deserve to be brought before the Wizengamot. In fact, Kingsley has already asked me to put together teams for the same."

"I want to be on one of the teams", Harry said at once.

"You will be", he said, "but it won't happen until we have tried Cornelius Fudge. For now, we are tracking these students and we won't let them disappear on us."

"Thank you", Harry said gratefully.

"Now run along, Potter", Robards growled, "We have already wasted time here. The Court will sit soon."

It was the last day of the trial, and everyone looked relieved that the ordeal was behind them. There were only a handful of Death Eaters left to be tried anyhow. It was supposed to go unhitched and then the Auror trainees would be free to go home for the day.

The trials of most of the hardened Death Eaters had been concluded and they were sentenced to Azkaban. Today was the day for trial of those who were low ranking Death Eaters or snatchers. The Ministry had also announced pardons for those who had been Imperiused into working for Death Eaters like Stan Shunpike and few others were in Azkaban when it was raided the second time. In a way, the trial was the end of the ordeals that they had faced and now they could move on. Harry had not spoken for any other Death Eater or was forced to give his statement in any other trial.

"Now this is the last case of these trials", said the Chief, "Even though this person was not a Death Eater nor there was any evidence of her complicity in the crimes of the Death Eaters or their associates but the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt has requested this body to try this court has been deferring the hearing of this matter until now when the moment is opportune. The next matter is Wizengamot Vs. Rita Skeeter. Prosecutor- Gawain Robards, Counsel for Defence- Barnabas Brennan. Aurors, bring the accused in."

Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom hauled her in, tied in chains, looking emaciated and suffering from being in prison for so long without any trial whatsoever. The deposited her in the accused chair which tied her in place before they left.

Brennan was a heavy thickset wizard, who had a dense moustache, a goatee and looked to be in his 50s. He had thick accent and cruel looking eyes.

Robards stood from his place, "My Lord, this woman Rita Skeeter was a journalist by profession and has been accused of spying on the Ministry, Ministry officials, prominent personalities including the late Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and many more. She wrote lengthy disparaging articles full of lies against others in order to stir controversy and trouble. She also had access to certain information which was declared classified as secret by the Ministry and hence, not available in public of her crimes is that she is an unregistered illegal Animagus who takes the form a beetle. She had used this form to spy on people and to steal information. The charges against her are being an illegal Animagus, accessing Ministry secrets, tarnishing people's reputation by spreading falsehoods against them."

"Mr. Brennan, the charges are as follows- (1) Being an illegal Animagus (2) Espionage and (3) Defamation. Do you and your client understand these charges?"

"We do, my lord", said Brennan.

"Mr. Robards, please call your first witness."

"The prosecution calls Ms. Hermione Granger", he said loudly. Harry was surprised because he didn't know that Hermione was going to be present at this trial.

Robards was talking to the Court, "My Lord, Ms. Granger is being called to testify about the fact that Rita Skeeter is an illegal Animagus."

After Hermione was administered the oath, Robards started, "Ms. Granger, tell this Court how you found that Rita Skeeter was an illegal Animagus?"

"It was actually Harry's idea", she said, "Rita was getting too much information on us during the Triwizard tournament that only a few trusted people were supposed to know. We were frustrated because we couldn't not figure out how she was doing it. It was when Harry suggested that I should look into magical means of bugging..."

"What is bugging?", asked Robards.

"Spying on someone", Hermione explained, "There are numerous ways for Muggles to spy on someone but somehow, I knew there was no way that she could have used any of those ways to spy on my research, I found that there were charms that could be cast to eavesdrop, but those charms had a limited range. I had thought that maybe she was using an invisibility cloak,but the artificial eye of Alastor Moody could see through any invisibility cloak, and it was confirmed to me that she wasn't using it either. Then I guessed that she could have become an illegal Animagus, I mean I already knew Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew had become one so it was not a long shot that she could also have become an Animagus. After watching students who were passing on information about us to her or spouting lies about the school to them, my suspicions were confirmed. I finally caught her on the night of the third task after Harry Potter was brought in the Hospital Wing from the office of the Headmaster."

"What happened after that?"

"The Ministry decided to not to believe Dumbledore and Harry about Voldemort's return and I released her making me promise that she won't be writing anything for a year."

"I tender the witness", said Robards and the Chief turned to Brennan, "Any questions for this witness?"

"No, my lord. I have no questions of this witness".

"Mr. Robards, do you have any other witnesses?", the chief judge asked.

"Yes, my lord", he said, "I am calling Minerva McGonagall, the Headmistress of Hogwarts as the next witness. She is one of the foremost authorities on Transfiguration and she was called upon to submit a report about Rita Skeeter."

In short order, Minerva McGonagall was sworn in and the Chief Judge turned to Brennan, "Do you intend to question her credentials?"

"No, my lord", he said, "the Defence accepts that she is an established authority in her field of study."

The chief nodded to Robards who approached Minerva, "Professor McGonagall, please tell the Court about your examination of Rita Skeeter."

"I was called upon by Auror Proudfoot who was conducting the investigation in the doings of Rita Skeeter to assess if she is an illegal Animagus. I cast the Animagus Revealing spell on her in the presence of Croaker of the Department of Mysteries and Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts as the witnesses. The results of the spell showed that she is an Animagus, and the report was duly signed and attested by me in the presence of the aforesaid witnesses."

Robards picked up a parchment envelope which he gave to the judge, "This is the report submitted by Professor McGonagall."

"Admitted in evidence", the judge said, "Any question, Mr. Brennan?"

"No, my lord."

"Call your next witness."

"My lord, we are not going to call anymore witnesses. The chief charges against her are of being illegal Animagus and of illegally accessing Ministry secrets", Robards said, "To prove the latter, we need to administer Veritaserum to her."

"Objection, my lord", said Brennan, "She is not a war criminal. The amendment in laws only covers those who were found to be involved in Death Eater activities. Since it has not been proved yet that she was involved in Death Eater activities therefore, you can't administer Veritaserum to her or it will be violation of her rights."

"Mr. Robards?"

"My Lord, during the last year when the Ministry was ruled by the Death Eaters, she often wrote columns criticising Harry Potter, the late Dumbledore, and she even consorted with known Death Daters like Corbin Yaxley who was appointed as the DMLE Chief during that period. In our investigation of Corbin Yaxley, we foundthat she was receiving gold regularly from the previous administration for writing those propaganda articles. Since she was actively supporting them, the law applies to her."

"But she didn't participate in any terrorist activities", protested Brennan.

"Mr. Brennan, for one to be complicit in any terrorist activity, it is not necessary for them to be wielding a wand and go around waving it and shooting hexes at people. Everyone has certain talents which they possess and use it for their gain and other's loss. The accused is a reporter, and a lot of witches and wizards believed her words. Her power is in her words and for that reason, she can't be equated with a terrorist who had killed someone, but she is a terrorist, nonetheless. We have perused all the articles written by her during the regime of Death Eaters and her views nauseate us, the hatred that she put in those words is highly contagious and she cannot be allowed to spread her malcontent views and cause tumult for the new regime. We rule against you and order for her to be questioned under Veritaserum."

Veritaserum was administered to her as Brennan fumed in Robards began his questions.

"What is your name?"

"Rita Skeeter."

"Did you take money from Death Eaters during the previous regime?"

"Yes."

"You have published a lot of Ministerial secrets which were otherwise classified as top secret. How did you access them?"

"I often went in the banned places in the Ministry in my Animagus form. A little beetle can go unnoticed by anyone, and I could even ride in coat pockets of people, and they wouldn't be the wiser. At times, I used those secrets to make others do my bidding."

"Tell us about the year when the Triwizard tournament took place at Hogwarts."

"I watched the entire tournament throughout the three tasks. I was there when Harry Potter returned at the end of the third task with Cedric Diggory's dead body."

Robards turned to the Court, "The prosecution rests."

The chief turned to the Defence, "Mr. Brennan, any Defence?"

Brennan stood and addressed the judges, "Mr. Skeeter is an investigative journalist whose job is to find out news which is being suppressed or which is lost in web of secrecy. The Ministry has a sketchy record of having kept secrets in the past, secrets which were so vital that they could have rocked our society. It had no right to keep those secrets, yet it was done in the name of Secrets Act which is a violation of rights of people. Everyone has a right to know what our Ministry is up to. Ms. Skeeter was doing what is considered a journalistic privilege, therefore, she cannot be made liable for publishing those articles. Also, the boy-who-lived or the late Albus Dumbledore are persons of influence in our society and people have a right to know them closely. Public looks up to them therefore, they cannot be denied any information in which they are interested. If we punish Ms. Skeeter for her act of publishing those articles or articles about Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore, it will take away her rights of expression and of people's right to other journalist will ever dare to do his duty in the future if Ms. Skeeter is punished for just doing her job. I rest my case."

The judges conferred with each other before the leading judge turned to Skeeter, "Rita Skeeter you have been found guilty of being an illegal Animagus, of leaking secrets of the Ministry of Magic and of defaming several prominent citizens without having verified the insinuations that you made. For your offences, you are sentenced to 20 years in a low security wing in Azkaban and 10,000 Galleons fine. If any of your estate remains, it shall be used to pay compensation to those who reputation has been harmed by you. Aurors take her away."

The aurors took her away while Harry silently cheered. The pest had got its due.

"This concludes the trial for those known as Death Eaters who worked for the wizard known as Voldemort. This Court is dismissed from this moment, and we relinquish our power back the Wizengamot and the British Ministry of Magic."

Though the trial was over, there were a lot of things left to be done and while other recruits could go home, Harry was not so lucky. Robards asked him to stay back and join him in the office of the Minister of Magic. When they reached the office of the Minister of Magic, Kingsley sat with Arthur Weasley, Savage, and Williamson.


"Harry, take a seat", said Kingsley.

After everyone was sat in their chairs, Kingsley spoke in his deep voice, "Since a warrant of arrest has been issued for Cornelius Fudge, we have decided to not to wait too long. I have been in talks with my counterpart at German Ministry who has promised full co-operation. You, Longbottom, Proudfoot, Finch-Fletchley and Thomas will be taking a portkey to Germany two days from now. The German Ministry has promised to provide Aurors to you if you need it and they are also providing you with a place to stay during the duration of this operation. We have also found about the security of his hideout. The first line of defenceis the wards which are extensive and deadly. You'll need to destroy them before you can has hired private security which I am told are mercenaries and they will need to be dealt with. And remember to lay down the wards so that no one would be able to escape from there. Since you are nouveau in these matters, Proudfoot will be your mentor. Remember to obey his word."

"What are we to do when we capture him?", he asked.

"Once you capture him, bring him to me", Kingsley said, "I will summon the Wizengamot when we are ready to try him. I don't need to tell you that you can't vote in his trial though because you'll be a witness."

"What is the status of investigation in his cases?", Harry asked.

"It is almost completed", Kingsley said, "Proudfoot and Savage have been looking into his dealings while in the office and there are a lot of questionable decisions that he made while in office. Now we come to the uncomfortable part."

"What is that?", Harry asked suspiciously.

"We weren't able to find many witnesses against him because he covered his tracks cleverly. The most plausible witness that we could get against him was the one who was the accomplice in his crimes and that person is..."

"Lucius Malfoy", Harry said with venom in his voice, "Are you really going to ask his help? And do you think he will help you?"

"Harry", said Arthur Weasley, "He has already offered to give us all the evidence that we will need to nail down Fudge and in return his want his sentence to be reduced."

"How much?", Harry asked.

"He has been given life imprisonment in the top level of Azkaban", said Kingsley, "And he is demanding 10years or less in Azkaban in a low security wing if we take his help in nailing down Fudge."

"Don't we have enough evidence to convict him without taking Malfoy's help?"

"No Harry", Kingsley said, "Fudge had destroyed every bit of evidence against him when he left Britain. And Malfoy has already helped us in convicting a lot of Death Eaters already. He had evidence against all of them."

"It looks to me that you have already made up your mind", Harry said angrily, "So why do you even need me here?"

"Because the decision to commute his punishment will not be taken pleasantly if we announce it to the public", said Arthur, "We want you to stand with us on this decision."

"No", Harry said flatly, "I hate Fudge with every fibre of my being, but I loathe Lucius Malfoy. I won't stand with you in this decision."

"Harry please", said Arthur, "I know it is distasteful to you as it is to me but there is no other way that we can get sufficient evidence to convict Fudge otherwise. We'd end up looking like fools if we catch him and he is exonerated for lack of evidence."

"Minister, I see you have already made up your mind", Harry said,"And I know you'll do what you think fit. I will do what I can to oppose you. Lord Potter-Black will see you in the Wizengamot, Minister Shacklebolt", he continued speaking, while he stood straight and his aura portrayed an image of him as if he were a lord of the old, "You'd better take this up with the Wizengamot before you decide on this approach or things may end up very unpleasantly for you."

As Harry left to leave, Kingsley called over his shoulder, "Report to Robards two days from now for your portkey, Auror Potter. You are still in-charge of bringing Cornelius Fudge in."

Harry Potter stormed out of the office of the Minister of Magic.


When he returned to Black Townhouse, he was in a foul mood. Instead of rushing to Teddy's room, he sat in the Drawing Room where Daphne Greengrass found him.

"Lord Potter, I thought we had a deal that we are going to shop for clothes. I went to Potter Manor too, but your elves told me that you'd be here."

"I am not in the mood for shopping right now, Lady Greengrass", he said, "Right now I am very angry at the Ministry and it's stubbornness to change itself."

She guessed it correctly, "Harry, something happened to sour your mood?"

Harry told her everything about what had taken place in the Ministry and when he was done, she said, "I don't think the Minister is at fault here, Harry."

"How can you say that?", Harry asked.

"He has no other option than to take Malfoy's deal. There is literally no evidence of Fudge's wrongdoings so it would be hard to convict him without any evidence whatsoever. Malfoy is ready to give the evidence, but he needs his sentence to be commuted. He has asked to be incarcerated in a low security but his offer does not specify exactly which wing so we can put him in the wing which has more security than the other wings, but it is not the top wing. If he does not want to be incarcerated in the wing nearest to Dementor Pit, let him be incarcerated in the wing which is second closest to that damnable pit."

Harry grinned, "That is indeed a great thought Daphne. Sometimes we all should think this way. But we need to punish Kingsley Shacklebolt to think that he could push over the Wizengamot."

She nodded, "We will go to meet Dowager Longbottom tomorrow. Today, you need to come with me for shopping."

Harry groaned, "Is there no way that I can talk you out of it?"

"No", she said, "We are going, and I am not taking no for an answer."


After 30 minutes, Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass were standing outside Gringotts.

"What are we doing here?", Harry asked her.

"You'll need to withdraw money for any shopping", she said.

"They gave me the cheque book", Harry said, "I only need to put in the money and stamp it with my signet ring."

She grinned, "And did they tell you if those cheques will be accepted in the Muggle world?"

"Muggle world?", he asked, "What are we going to do in the Muggle world?"

"I love wizard clothing, but muggle clothes are also comfortable and fashionable", she said, "Besides it helps to stay updated in fashion if we are to venture out in the Muggle world, so we won't stand apart from others."

"You make good point", Harry said, "How do you draw muggle money from Gringotts though?"

"Give a cheque to the teller and tell him that you'll need the money in muggle money", she said, "I have done it a lot of times."

"Let's do it then", Harry said, taking her arm and entering the bank.

Both of them failed to notice Bozo, the camera man who took a quick photo of them as they were climbing up the stairs of the bank.

The first stop for the night that they made was at a shop called Harrods. Harry had no idea about it but judging by the shop-front and the location of the shop, it was certainly costly. He knew that Vernon had shopped her at times because then Aunt Petunia wouldbrag about to it anyone who would listen.

"Daphne are you sure this is not going to burn a hole in my pocket?", he asked.

"Relax Harry", she said, "It is not as expensive as Twilfit & Tattings where we will be going after this. This is the high-end place where the elites can shop. I have been here with Tracy in the past and we loved the clothes here. And you have so much money that if you brought three wardrobes, that'll hardly make any dent in your fortune. You are the Lord of Potter and Black, you shouldn't worry about these trifles."

"Alright, Daphne", he said, "Do what you'll. I am at your mercy today."

Firstly, she took him in the section which held shirts, "Start selecting."

Harry picked up a few of them, "I think I'll take these."

She sighed and motioned for one of the helpers around, "Bring me one of those carts that you people have. We have a long shopping to do."

As he fetched the cart for them, she turned to him, "What is wrong with you? You are a Lord. Start behaving like a Lord would. Why are you so worried about money? Why are you behaving like a child who does not understand the simplest of instructions?"

"Because that is the way I was raised", he said, "My aunt never got me anything new. All I had was Dudley's castoffs. I got new clothes for the first time when i brought my Hogwarts uniform. I have never done this, okay?"

She was ashamed of her outburst, "I am sorry, Harry. I didn't realise that you were so badly hurt. I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. Now just do as I say."

He nodded, "Yes dear."

After that, Harry did only what she told him. She would handle him clothes that he would take and try before she would put in the cart. She picked up an armful of shirts for him before she insisted that he pick up some t-shirts. After that, she took him to buy him some pants and there, she would just pick one, ask him if he liked the colour and then buy it.

The embarrassing moment came when she steered him towards the section which contained undergarments.

"Daphne! I don't need your help buying undergarments", he protested.

"I know, but I am still coming. Be quick about it."

About two hours after they had arrived at Harrods, they left the store having spent so much money on clothes that Harry was sure he hadn't spent in his entire life in the muggle world.

The next stop was Diagon Alley. The alley was still deserted but a few shops had reopened, and things were starting to look promising. The new Apothecary shop had opened in the place where the old Apothecary used to be. Flourish and Blotts was open, and it was undergoing renovation as the proprietor threw out books which were clearly too dark or were useless. Harry smirked in satisfaction when he found that a small mountain of those books were Lockhart books.

He also noticed that Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes were open but there was closed sign up front. It became clear to him that the Fred was working on reopening the shop as soon as he could. May be, the shop would do wonders for him.

Before Harry could go in and inquire, Daphne steered him to Twilfit and Tattings where they were warmly welcomed by a witch who smiled at them, "Welcome Lord Potter and Lady Greengrass."

Daphne gave her a stern glare, "If I find that you have blabbed a word about it to anyone, you will definitely regret it."

As the witch shuddered, Daphne continued, "Now get going. Lord Potter here needs robes for all occasions, some expensive robes for balls and parties, some Dragon hide boots and other accessories. Be quick about it. We haven't got all day."

The witch spluttered and got on with the task. Harry endured the assault of needles, shears, and pins while he tried robes after robes. When it was all over, they had to wait for another hour as all the robes were tailored and fitted to his size. In the meanwhile, Daphne coaxed him into buying three pairs of Dragon hide boots, a jacket, and belts that suspiciously looked like they were made of the hide of a magical beast.

When they left Twilfitt and Tattings, she turned to him, "Why are you carrying all the bags with you?"

"Well, I need to take them to my home", he said.

"Harry, you can simply summon your elf and handle your belongings to him. He will take it to Potter Manor."

"You are right. I guess I am not yet used to it."

After a tiring day, they arrived back at Greengrass Manor. At the gate, Harry bid her goodbye, "Thank you for coming to shop with me, Daphne. Tomorrow, we need to go see Dowager Longbottom."

She nodded, "I will be there. Won't you come in for a cup of tea?"

"I need to get going", he said trying to avoid the invitation.

"I am not that scary, Harry", she said, "Nor Astoria is going to eat you if you choose my invitation and come in."

"I am not scared of anyone", he protested, "It is just that I haven't seen Teddy at all today and I'd like to play with him for some time before he'd go to sleep."

"Teddy isn't going anywhere", she said, "Leave the poor child be. You need to ease up, Harry. There is no one who can take Teddy away from you. Do come in for a cup of tea."

"Alright", he conceded.

When they entered the grounds, the Greengrass elf appeared to take his coat and brought them to the parlour where Astoria was sitting and reading a magazine.

She looked up from her magazine and growled, "Damn Daphne, you can never warn me before you bring Harry Freaking Potter in the house?"

"Go to your room, Astoria", Daphne snapped, "And don't return until you can remember how to behave in front of guests."

"No, no. Please stay", Harry said, "Don't go on my account."

Astoria struck out her tongue at Daphne, "See he is more understanding than you."

Before Daphne could retort, Harry spoke to Astoria, "So Astoria, since Hogwarts is closed and school won't start for some days, what do you do the whole day?"

"I read books on magical theory", she said, "I want to go to the Department of Mysteries and work as an Unspeakable."

"Have you ever been in the Department?", Harry asked.

"No", she said, "But I have heard that it is a mysterious place."

"Yes, it is a mysterious place", Harry said, "The door itself is a puzzle for anyone who doesn't know how to open it. The entrance chamber has a revolving door that would take you to different sub-departments."

"Have you been to the Department?", she asked excitedly.

"Yes", Harry said, "Six of us went to the Department to rescue someone in my fifth year. Tragically it was a trap and I lost someone very dear to me."

"Tell me about the…." Astoria began to say before Daphne cut her off, "Enough Astoria, you can ask him your questions other day. Now go and get tea for three persons."

Astoria stood from her seat, "Daph, at least tell me that you have asked Harry to go with you to the Macmillan ball."

Daphne pulled out her wand to curse her sister, but Astoria had already made herself scarce.

Harry turned to her, "She reminded me of something that I wanted to ask anyway. I know we are not dating and that it may not be right, but will you come to the Macmillan ball with me as friend?"

"Why do you ask me?", she asked, "What about the Weasley girl? I thought you two were dating each other."

"No", Harry said, "We had broken off before I went on the run, and we haven't connected since. She is going to the ball with Neville. So will you go with me?"

"I'll think about it."

Harry returned to Potter Manor from Greengrass Manor and crashed into his bed. It had been a tiring day for him.

Next morning, he sat for breakfast at the table and opened the Daily Prophet. The first page was littered with a full-page photograph of Daphne and Harry leaving Gringotts with the title, "GREENGRASS AND POTTER- IS THIS THE NEXT POWER COUPLE?"