Early that day, Privet Drive

Detectives Daily and Hammer were assigned to investigate and report on allegations of child abuse by the Dursleys perpetrated upon Harry Potter. The house at number 4 Privet Drive, recently vacated and sold by the Dursleys, now in possession of the Goblins of Gringotts, was their first stop. The first thing they found was the cupboard under the stairs. It was infested with spiders with a sturdy lock to secure it from the outside. Although there were some cleaning supplies shoved in there, the youth bed that Harry slept on for ten years of his life was still in there. Traces of blood and tears still stained the mattress. The only concession to comfort was an old baby blanket, likely the same one Harry was wrapped in when he was first delivered to the house. Everything else on the main floor was scrubbed and polished to a maniacal degree. The back side of the front door showed evidence of having been repaired around the mail slot and repainting. The carpeting on the stairs was a bit worn on the edges of the treads as if something heavy had been dragged up and down the steps.

The upper floor told more of the story. One room showed no signs of recent occupancy. The bed was neatly made. There was a wardrobe with empty hangers, spare linen and towels. The second bedroom contained two televisions, one broken, a wide assortment of expensive looking, broken toys and a shelf full of dusty, untouched books. The closet contained some uniforms from Smeltings, an assortment of expensive trainers and an assortment of other clothing including a suit in a super-husky size. The third bedroom was destroyed. Everything left in there was bits of stuffing and shredded material.

What really got the investigator's attention though, was the fourth and final bedroom. There was a heavy-duty lock on the door, turned to secure it from the outside. There was also a cat-flap at the bottom of the door. Inside was a small bed and a dresser. The room had been cleaned and the bed made, but the bedding was old and worn, hardly better than rags. The window showed evidence of having been repaired. By the looks of it, the entire window frame had been yanked clean off the side of the house and later replaced. And there were blood stains on this mattress and the pillow too.

The detectives carefully noted and photographed everything they found, all the time seething with anger. It was a good thing that the muggles were gone or Daily might have murdered the whole lot of them.

After they were done with the house, they started with the neighbours. They hadn't seen much, but what they did see wasn't good. From about the age of four, they had seen an undernourished child, in baggy clothes, outside, weeding the garden, trimming the hedges and even struggling with pushing the reel-mower. A lot of yelling and screaming came from inside the house. There was even one incident where the living-room window was blown out from the inside, following which there had been no sight of Harry for at least a month. Some of the children wanted to be Harry's friend, their mothers insisting that Harry be invited over for a good meal, but Dudley threatened to beat up anyone that so much as spoke to Harry. Then, Harry went off to St. Brutus's, a boarding school for incurably criminal children, or so they were told, and they didn't see him much after that.

After they were done talking to the immediate neighbours, Anna said, "The muggles are going to be in a world of trouble after this. Let's meet with this cat lady that the neighbours told us used to babysit Harry Potter."

When they rapped on the door of Mrs. Figg's home, a very old woman came out, "How can I help you?"

Daily flashed her badge, "Hello Ma'am, we are from law enforce…"

She was cut off abruptly by Mrs. Figg, "No, you are not. You are Aurors from the ministry of Magic here to investigate the living conditions of Harry Potter."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, you both have your wands concealed up your sleeves and I recognise a witch when I see one", Arabella said smiling.

Anna looked shocked, "Do you mean that you are a witch? But we have no record of any other witch or wizard in this area and we have always closely monitored this area considering the circumstances."

Arabella said distastefully, "I am not a witch but a squib so you won't have any record of me. The ministry does not keep records of us. We are useless to them, aren't we?"

I mean, once they discover that we are not blessed with the abundant gifts of mother magic, they send us off to live as muggles and take no more trouble about us. So, it's not too surprising that you have no record of me living here is it?"

Hammer raised her hands in surrender, "I know what you mean, Mrs. Figg. I am a half blood. My mother who was a pureblood was disowned for marrying a muggle-born. My partner, Daily here is muggle-born. We are not the people who deserve your anger."

Arabella shrugged, "I'm not angry anymore. My own family abandoned me 40 years ago and never troubled to find out what became of me. There are almost none of them left anyway. "

Daily asked her, "If you would not consider it too much of an intrusion, would you tell me which family you come from?"

Before Figg could answer, Hammer interrupted, "You are a daughter of the Montrose family, aren't you? The second born child and only daughter to be born in the Montrose Family in about a century and declared dead around her 12th birthday. I distinctly remember my mother telling how Lady Montrose wasted away in sorrow for her daughter. Their son had joined You-know-who and was killed by Alastor Moody in the first war. Moody told me that the boy was magically very weak and all he had been able to do was fire a bone breaker which Moody batted aside and peppered the boy with a chain spell of'Reducto- Confringo- Bombarda'. He said that the duel hardly lasted for 5 seconds. Now the Lord Montrose is the only one alive and advancing in age. I would give him only a couple more years."

"Mrs. Figg, what can you tell us about Harry Potter and his treatment at the hands of the muggles?", Anna asked.

"It is a very long story", Arabella said, "So you better come in and brace up."

Bones Manor

It had been a tiring day for Amelia. The morning started with her meeting those employees of the ministry who held seats in the Wizengamot and had always supported her. Ever since Edgar Bones died, Amelia held the Bones Seat and ruled it through proxy. She was the regent of House Bones but she had also become the head of DMLE shortly after the war and it had become hard for her to juggle both the seats but the rules provided that in case of conflict like this, the said person would get 3 votes, i.e. two for the family seat and 1 for being a ministry department head.

She had a lot of friends in all the departments of the ministry and she had done a lot of favours for them over the years with the intention to collect those favours when the time came. She had a secret desire to become the minister for Magic someday and with Harry's newly revealed position and influence, the position was within reach. However, with a war at the door, she knew she was better being the head of DMLE. She was also not stupid enough to trumpet that you-know-who was back from the dead when doing so would not do her any good. Yes, she believed Harry but saw little profit in advertising her belief in what he and Dumbledore were saying. If she did the same, she would be sidelined in the ministry and her ability to do something for the cause would be severely restricted. This morning, she had a meeting with some of her friends in other departments just to see what they thought about the whole situation. There were a lot of views and it helped her sort her friends and potential enemies.

She was also paying close attention to Harry Potter, who was turning out to be a very mysterious wizard. Dumbledore informed her that Harry Potter had come of age due to his participation in the tournament and as a result of that, he had taken up his lordships. It was really a surprise to her that Lilly Potter was a pureblood witch but what astonished her was that the Peverell family magic had manifested itself in Harry Potter. If she had to believe very old journals and accounts of the contemporaries of the Peverells, things were about to go bad very soon.

Since Susan had developed a fondness for the boy, Amelia had gone to see him off on his voyage after a very tiring day in the office. When she left the Port of London, her best Auror, Gawain Robards paid her a home visit. He was quite insistent that she give him an audience. She had entrusted him to track and arrest the Dursleys so she figured that he made the arrests and was reporting now.

"What is it, Gawain? Have you heard from Hammer and Daily?"

"They spent most of the day going through that house, documenting every bit of information, and recreating scenarios that they can. Thereafter, they met the neighbours to ask questions about his living conditions. Their stories were sparse, but consistent. One neighbour, who happens to be a squib, told a lot about what went on in the household. Her statement is in the file."

"What about the muggles?"

"The muggles left the house two days ago. Nobody was able to tell us where they went. Since we cannot track muggles by magical means, I wrote to Remus Lupin to provide me the tracking device for the charms that were set upon them. I dispatched Proudfoot and Savage to track down the boy while I sent Kingsley Shacklebolt and Benedita Pires after the parents. The boy was found at the home of Marge Dursley, sister of Vernon Dursley. Marge Dursley resisted arrest and tried to assault our Aurors therefore, she was arrested with the boy. Marge is in muggle police holding pending her hearing for assaulting an officer. The boy has been sent to a school named St. Brutus's. Kingsley and Benedita had no problem apprehending Vernon and Petunia Dursley but someone got to them before us."

"What do you mean?", She asked, annoyed, "I have had a tiring day, Gawain and I am not in a mood for riddles."

"Ma'am when they entered the cottage, they found Vernon Dursley in a heap on the floor, whimpering in pain, babbling something about his body was burning, his bones were broken and his blood was clotted. A few diagnostic spells revealed that there was not much physically wrong with him, but; he was suffering the after effects of a series of rather nasty dark spells. Whatever they were, he believed that he had suffered all the torture he described and was still feeling the effects. He did have a few broken bones and his ribs were badly bruised, but that was all. We took him to St. Mungo's where he is under observation now. We found Petunia in a worse state than him. She looked like someone had viciously broken her bones and we discovered liberal use of some mind altering spells. She was taken to St. Mungo's where the Healers said that the torturer knew what he was doing because the amount of damage he inflicted on her was enough to keep her in bed for a month or so but will not kill her or permanently incapacitate her. There was a letter recovered from her person which said that she was being paid her comeuppance for her actions towards Harry Potter and that he will return for her again when she is cured."

Amelia shuddered picturing what had been done to the Dursleys. She was sure this was not the work of death eaters. They would have killed them outright. This was someone who wanted vengeance against the Dursleys for what they had done to Harry Potter. May be, someone from the Order but she could not say who. Maybe Albus can find out later. She was not sure what she would do under the same circumstances. She decided that she was not going to try too hard to find out who had done this. She instructed Gawain to take care of that part of the investigation and to keep the muggles under guard until they were well enough to be tried for child abuse.

After Gawain left, Susan entered into the parlour, visibly deflated and hugged Amelia.

Amelia realised that Susan did not need any words but some physical form of reassurance from her. As it was, they had barely spent any time together since Susan returned from Hogwarts.

After some time, Susan asked her, "Is he gone, auntie?"

She smiled at Susan sadly, "Yes Susie. He has gone to learn magics we do not have access to. It is his destiny. But don't be sad. I have firmly impressed upon his mind that the moment he returns, he has to visit you or face the consequences."

Susan, who was blushing, scowled at her, "Auntie, I did not ask you to threaten my betrothed. You should not have given fright to the poor guy. If you threaten him like this, he might be scared of you."

Amelia laughed at her, "He is Harry Potter, Susie. He does not fear anyone. It will do him some good to know that there is a witch who can intimidate him."

Seeing no response but a pink blush on her cheeks, Amelia continued, "Susie, we may fight a war soon and wars can get bloody but that is no excuse to stop living. There is no guarantee that we all will escape the war unscathed. People will die and we will not be able to do anything about it. We both know that Harry Potter will lead us in the war but you will need to stand with him, holding him and supporting him."

Susan nodded her head, "I know Auntie."

Amelia whipped out her wand and shot a stinging hex at her, "However that will not stop me from hexing you at every available moment if you forget to live your life. We will have moments which we would be able to spend with our loved ones and we must live those moments fully. The war will not last forever and I would be angry if you forget to live."

Susan nodded and then said, "So where did Harry go, Auntie? You never told me."

"Susan, you know it is a secret for the time being. However, as his betrothed you should know that he has gone to India. The man that he went with is virtually unknown to anyone. I have read references of him in journals of our forefathers but I am sceptical for he claims to have known Wildred and Edmund Bones who lived centuries ago. I believed him because he knew things which he can only know if he has lived through them. The only one who perhaps knows him is Albus Dumbledore however I am not even sure if Albus knows him", Amelia said frustrated, "the only thing that I know is that he belongs to some sort of order and comes from India. The Indians have a very rich heritage of magic. They do not have the same restrictions on magic that we do. They use magic without inhibitions of light or dark. Whatever they teach Harry Potter will definitely not be stunning spells or bone breaker curses. He will be learning magic which can kill hundreds in one go. Magic that we have forgotten or we are not able to perform anymore."

"What happened at the Port of London?"

"At the port, I saw one of their accomplishments, a ship."

"A ship? How can a ship be so special, Auntie?", asked Susan sceptically.

"The ship named Marichika is special. I have found references to that ship in old secret archives of the ministry and those records go back to the times when House of Longbottom was not even established. If it is the same ship then it is centuries old. This Order is virtually unknown but this ship is well documented until about 2 centuries ago. They have always appeared throughout the course of our history in Britain and have been instrumental in several of our wars including the Goblin rebellions", said Amelia, "the ship itself is absolutely amazing. It has ward-stones the size of boulders and is propelled magically with no mechanism whatsoever. The most incredible thing is that it can fly."

"I still cannot believe that you refused to take me with you.", Susan pouted, "I would have liked to see the ship."

Amelia smiled at her, "Would you have been looking at the ship, or a certain raven haired wizard that you fancy?"

"Auntie!", she squeaked in protest but did not say anything knowing that anything she said would not make any difference.

"Now Susie, you are to start your training soon.", said Amelia, "Are you ready for the trainers?".

"Who will be the trainers?", she asked interested.

"This is an idea which has been bouncing around since the third task. You see, I do not often agree with the head master, but he proposed that people close to Harry Potter need to be ready.", she explained, "He has a knack for attracting trouble like honey attracts flies and he thought that it would be wiser if we trained the younger children to hold their own. Nothing fancy, mind you, but enough to get them through any tight spots they might find themselves in. To that end, Susie, I have fetched the family Grimoire for you and you will start learning what you can from it. I will make time for you to oversee your training when I am able. Needless to say, this part of your training must remain secret."

Susan nodded, "Who will I be training with and who will be our teachers?"

"Professors McGonagall, Filius Flitwick and Remus Lupin have agreed to train you and your friends.", she said, "And Alastor Moody has assured me that he will make sure that you all are in top form by the time you are done with training."

"Who are the others and where will we train?", asked Susan curiously.

"The Weasley children, you, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger have been proposed initially but with time, they may bring others into the fold. The training will take place four hours a day and thrice a week. The training place is kept under the Fidelius Charm and Sirius is the secret keeper", she said, "The training will commence the day after tomorrow and will continue for four weeks. In that time, you will learn how to apply what you have been learning these last four years in combat. After all, you can't expect that knowing how to turn a match into a needle will help you much in a fight."

Susan nodded knowing that this was going to be an opportunity for her to know others who were a part of Harry's life and will be a part of her life when they eventually married. Also it will train her enough so that she would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in any battle.

"Mistress Susie", her attention was taken by her elf Tweaky, "this being in your trunk. The buggy is restless."

"Buggy?' Susan tried to think what the elf was talking about until she saw the jar that Hermione had given her. There was a bug in the jar, "Oh, she is not a bug, Tweaky."

Taking the jar from the elf, she pompously presented the jar to Amelia, "Auntie, allow me to present you my new pet, Rita Skeeter."

Amelia who was drinking a butter beer, choked on it, "Rita Skeeter! Susie, your sense of humour is simply awful. Why would you want a beetle as a pet?"

Susan grinned maniacally as she held up the jar, "You misunderstand, Auntie. I have not named a pet beetle after that gossiping hag. this bug is an unregistered animagus. A nefarious witch who goes by the name of Rita Skeeter. And I thought that you might want to know about her."

Amelia almost snatched the jar from her. She loosened the lid as she readied her wand. Placing the jar on the floor, she lifted the lid and hit the bug with a stunner before it could flee. With the hapless bug out until the middle of next week, she cast the animagus cancelling charm and the bug grew and reverted to the infamous reporter. She smirked maliciously. This was a perfect opportunity for her to exact vengeance for all the malicious liable that she had done to all of them.

"How did you capture her, Susie?", asked Amelia, curiously.

Susan shrugged, "I can't take the credit for that. Hermione Granger researched methods of magical bugging to find out how Skeeter was getting all the news about Harry and his friends. I mean she was not allowed on the grounds yet she knew that: Hagrid was a half-giant; Viktor Krum asked Hermione to visit him in Bulgaria; and other information about him. When she eliminated all other methods, she figured out that Skeeter must be an animagus. She spotted the beetle on the window sill of the hospital wing and she trapped the bug in an empty jar. A closer examination and she realized that she had seen the exact same bug in other places, including in her hair after the second task. She even had markings around her antennae like those foul glasses she wears."

"Give her my thanks when you see her, Susie", said Amelia, "Rita's days of journalism are done."

Susan knew that Rita will not be having a good time in Azkaban where she will be staying for a minimum sentence of 12 years, the official punishment for being an unregistered animagus. Add the punishment for leaking secret information she had accessed through the years by using her illegal form, and she would not be getting out anytime soon.

The wretch would get her day in court soon enough, but for now, Amelia had other uses for her. Calling her elf, she ordered Skeeter to be imprisoned in one of the dungeons which had anti-animagus, anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards.

Black Townhouse

The war was approaching faster than Molly had anticipated. It had not even started properly because you-know-who remained hidden for now but everyone had started to gear up for war. They were preparing a child to fight, for Merlin's sake. If it was her decision, she would have scolded the man who took Harry away and told that boy firmly that no matter what he thought, it was not his war. There were adults more knowledgeable and powerful than him who could fight. The Aurors could defeat you-know-who and his men as they did in the last war. Alas! That was not how things were to be. As Dumbledore pointed out, you-know-who personally sought out Harry every time and it will eventually come down to the two of them. Everybody on the side of light would either ally themselves against Harry Potter or they will fight under his banner.

At that moment, she was attending a meeting of the Order, "As Alastor had proposed, basic defence training should be given to everyone so they would know how to save themselves from harm. I propose that Mr. Fred and George Weasley, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Miss Weasley, Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Granger be trained in defensive magics."

"No, I may not be Harry's guardian but my children won't be a part of any group as you propose, Headmaster", she said vehemently, "I refuse to allow it. And I may not be Hermione's mother but I care for her as much as I care about my children and I feel that this is not the right age for her to learn such things. There will always be time to learn these things at school in their NEWT years."

"I can't speak for your children, Molly but Ms. Hermione Granger's parents have consented to allow her to learn defensive magics. It is not your place to prohibit her from the same", said Sirius as he passed a parchment to Dumbledore which was signed by Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"When will she be returning?", Dumbledore asked Sirius.

"I sent Remus with a portkey to France this morning to get their consent. They asked that she be allowed to remain with them for 2 days before we bring her back. She was very excited to learn more during vacation."

"And we are of age", Fred and George said, "You can't stop us from doing this."

"Watch me", she said. Her feral expression did not bode well for them.

But before she could put her threat into action, Bill said, "mother, they are of age and you can't stop them. And it is better that they learn to defend themselves because when the war comes we will all be in danger. You know how much Harry gets into trouble at school. It is better if all of his friends know how to defend themselves. That way, we will not be worried about them being vulnerable. It is not like we are going to teach them the Killing Curse or Fiendfyre."

"Arthur, back me up", Molly called her husband.

"Molly, Bill is right and you know it. I know you see them as little children but they have done so much already. It will be better if they learn how to defend themselves because they won't leave Harry's side. We are not going to make them killers. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had no decent teachers in their years of education other than Remus, it is only right that they learn at least some of the basic things like stunning, shielding etc. It is a miracle that the students manage to get their OWLs and NEWTs. Don't you remember Percy telling us how grateful he was that Remus was teaching at Hogwarts in his NEWTs year and he was the reason that he got an E in his DADA NEWT. We are training them only for self-defence and this will also help them in their studies."

"Fine, if nobody is going to understand then do what you want. I am just trying to save their innocence because wars take people's innocence away", she said tiredly, "I am only looking out for their interests. I am always worried for their safety but nobody is listening to me anymore. Harry told me that he loved me like he would love his favourite aunt but I am not his mother."

Black Townhouse, Lord's Study

"Hey Padfoot, what's with the hang-dog expression?", Remus asked Sirius who was in the Lord's study poring over a tome.

"I am missing the kid, Moony. But then I take consolation in the fact that he will come back armed with knowledge to defeat that monster. This time that we have before that monster shows himself is critical for us. We need this to prepare ourselves for the war that is coming. Voldemort and his followers are not yet in the open but they are approaching people, trying to recruit them and it is starting to be the same as the last war. If Voldemort does not come out in the open soon then it will be too late for the magical world to know of the danger it is in. However, I think that it is a great blessing that that we have Amelia Bones on our side and she is preparing the Aurors. She is also trying to revive the Grand Alliance and they will take care of Fudge in his turn."

"And why are you hiding in here?", Remus asked.

"The Weasley menaces have taken it upon themselves to torment me every time they can. They think that being of mild disposition, I am an easy target but they are wrong. Now they will know the fury of Padfoot. They don't know that it was always me who executed the pranks we came up with. Well until Harry returns, I am going to teach them what a real prankster looks like. They are mediocre at best and it is time that they realise it."

For the time being, his recuperation had been going very well. His health had been reaching its former state but his skills were rusty. It had been years since he had fought a proper duel. To be at the side of his godson, he would need to be at the peak of his health and skills. But something had occurred to him recently after hearing about the training program.

"Moony, when the war does come, I need to stand beside my son", he said.

"Yes and you will", Remus said, "Nothing in the world can stop you."

"You don't see the problem, Moony", Sirius said, "I am rusty. I haven't used my skills for a long time now. And I need a proper wand. I was thinking that when the training facility isn't being used by the children, may be you could bring me up to speed."

"That is a good idea", Remus said, "And I will do anything to help you. So what are you thinking?"

"I am thinking that another visit to Diagon Alley is in order. I can fetch the Family Grimoire and use it to recall what I learned of my family magic from grandfather. I mean, yes I couldn't ascend to the Lord of Black but I can use all those spells, hexes and curses effectively."

"And how do you think you will do this? I mean you can't leave Grimmauld place because Dumbledore has removed Buckbeak and sent him to the cottage and the front is always watched."

"Well, I can always ask Winky to pop me over there", Sirius said.

"Good idea", Remus said, "And may be, you can also ask Nymphadora to join you when you practice. I mean she is also a Black."

"She will not agree", Sirius said, "She is very firmly entrenched in light and won't do it. If I ask Andromeda to help me, she would oppose me with more fervour. I think I'll wait till Lord Black returns to broach this topic."

Sirius desperately hoped that Amelia would be able to secure him a trial sooner than later because he wanted to go out and do things for the order. Moony had been going on scouting missions for the order and was taking stock of the loyalty of the werewolves. They were an important factor in the war and the larger their number, the more they would augment the monster's forces. Not all of them infected with lycanthropy were evil but the way wizarding society scorned them and the way they were ostracized by the ministry with draconian laws did not give them any options really. Those laws were written during the first war by an obscure witch who was now Undersecretary to Fudge. If they had to keep the werewolves on their side or at least neutral, they would need to offer them a better deal than Voldemort would.

Ministry of Magic

Cornelius Fudge was worried. True, he was in complete denial of what Potter and Dumbledore claimed, that being that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-named was back, but, some believed and that was cause for concern enough. Then there was that Potter boy taking up the lordship of the House of Potter when he came of age. On the surface, that didn't change anything really. That Diggle fellow, current Regent Potter, always supported Dumbledore, but, looking deeper, what if that young upstart rekindled the old alliance? The kid might accomplish more than has been done since the previous Lord Potter was alive and that would not bode well for Fudge and his cronies on the Wizengamot. Oh, if only Fudge knew that between the four British houses over which Harry was lord, not just the one, he held no less than 11 votes in the Wizengamot, not to mention all the houses on the dark side that owed fealty to the House of Black. Between them, Fudges days in office were very definitely numbered.

Of course, there was Lucius Malfoy. With deep pockets and the right connections, he was the de facto leader of the dark side of the Wizengamot. So far, they had been having things all their way and they supported Fudge… for now. But politics makes for flimsy alliances. Only time would tell.

He was also convinced that sooner or later, Dumbledore will rise against him to seize power and become the Minister of Magic. And when that happened, Cornelius would have nowhere to run. Before that happened, he had to oust Dumbledore from all his positions of power. To his woe, such a thing could not be done forcefully. He would have to continue the smear campaign and find some damning evidence against the headmaster and destroy his reputation. Once that was done, there will be no outrage against him.

As for Harry Potter, he was merely a boy and still studying at Hogwarts where Fudge could influence him and persuade him to his side to discredit Dumbledore's claims that you-know-who was back. Fudge had the perfect person for the task, his senior undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge. The problem was coming up with a way to insert his agent into the Hogwarts staff. That was the purpose of today's meeting.

As if on cue, the door to his office opened and Percy Weasley entered followed by Dolores Umbridge and Irwin Yaxley.

"Minister, you called for a meeting?", Dolores said.

"Yes", Cornelius said, "We cannot permit Dumbledore to get away with sowing panic in our society. We must destroy his credibility as much as we can. And then persuade that Potter boy to confirm anything we tell him."

"You have something in mind, minister?", Umbridge simpered.

Fudge looked around at his co-conspirators, "Have you ever heard of a whispering campaign?"

They all nodded in agreement, then Yaxley asked, "How do we go about it?"

"Dumbledore has always been just a bit mad, hasn't he? And he's also getting up there in years. Let's use the angle that he's become balmy, senile and delusional in his declining years. We can all safely disregard the ravings of a lunatic. That ought to destroy his credibility and calm the fears of our people all in one go", Fudge finished with a self-satisfied smirk. "Weasley here will write an article everyday discrediting Dumbledore which will be read and approved by Dolores. We own the paper so Barnabas will have no option but to agree to our demands. And I am going to bring legislation which will give the ministry more command over Hogwarts and a way to appoint Madam Umbridge to the school."

"But if I am there, who will help you here, minister?", she asked.

"Weasley will be able to help me and he will reach out to you, if he needs any help", Cornelius said with a dismissive gesture.

"And where do I come in, Minister?", Yaxley asked.

"Lucius is already on my side but I want you to muster your other allies to vote in favour of the motion", he said, "Dumbledore has a lot of allies and we will need to negate this advantage if we are going to get anything done at all."

Green Hues

Augusta was instructing Neville, "According to the healer's instructions, Frank and Alice were kept under the influence of a potion to give them time to rest. Starting today, we are going to stop the potions to allow them to continue to heal naturally. I want you to go and stay with them during the day. So don't say anything that will excite them. And don't tell them a word about the war. We will gently break it to them when they are strong enough."

"I understand Gran", Neville said, "And I won't tell them anything about it until you say so."

Saying so, Neville flooed to the castle where Frank and Alice were sitting in two chairs and their elves were nearby hoping to catch them should they fall.

"Why are you both sitting up?", Neville asked, "the healer has prescribed complete bed rest for both of you."

"We have been resting for the last 14 years, son", Frank said, "We've had enough rest for now. If we were not so weak we would be out there, meeting our friends and family."

"Tell me about them", Neville said eagerly.

"I was two years ahead of the four known as the Marauders", Frank said, "I joined the Auror Corps before them. In the corps I made a lot of friends but my Hogwarts friends were always special. James and Sirius were such a duo that you can't help but be friends with them. Remus Lupin was such a shy person that when he was first caught doing a prank, it took me three days to believe that he had actually done it. I also knew the Prewett twins who were a year ahead of me and they were the most brilliant wizards I ever knew until I came to know Sirius and James. I miss them."

"Yes", Alice said, "We miss all of them. I still remember how the ball room of Green Hues was full to the brim with our friends at our reception. It is a tragedy with what happened to them. However, now that we are again awake and alive in this world, I like the feeling of the soft fresh air on my face, the sunlight warming me up and the magic which is singing in my veins."

Frank sighed, "Do you know what would make it better?"

Alice shook her head, "No, what is it?"

"My wand. Ash, Unicorn tail hair and 11 inches long. Even thinking about it makes my magic surge in happiness. There is nothing better than the feeling of exhilaration of my magic coursing through my veins again. I want to hold my wand, Neville."

"Father, the healer has given strict orders to keep any excitement away from you", Neville said, "Everything will be told to you with time. Please bear with us until then."

"Even if I can't use it, I still want it. I want to hold it to feel its warmth and comfort", Frank said, "I feel vulnerable without it. As your father and Lord of Longbottom, I command you."

"Sorry, father", Neville said respectfully, "The healer has forbidden me and for the sake of your health, I must agree."

"I will deal with the healer then", he said, scowling.

When Healer Lynn came to Longbottom Castle that day, Frank was waiting for her, having put on airs as Lord of Longbottom, "Healer Lynn, you have my gratitude for everything you are doing for me but I won't allow you to check on us unless you let me hold my wand."

Alice merely shrugged, "you'd better do it, Healer Lynn. Frank can be stubborn as a mule and that was one of his most endearing traits for me."

Healer Lynn asked, "Why do you want a wand so bad? There is nothing to threaten you here."

"Because I don't want to feel helpless again. I have a feeling that things are not good in the wizarding world right now and I want to be ready for whatever may come. As the Lord of Longbottom, it is one of my duties. And if you won't allow it then please leave and don't come back."

"Lord Longbottom", she said, "If I am asking you to do something, it is for your own good. Why can't you wait for a few days before using a wand again? I promise I will get you your wand as soon as your magic is stabilised."

"My mind is made up and nothing you say is going to change it", he replied firmly.

"Ok. As soon as you let me check you, I will send Neville here to get your wand and be on my way. Is that agreeable?"

Frank grinned, "Absolutely."

After she checked them over, she left by the floo followed by Neville who went to Green hues to bring Frank's wand. When he returned, Augusta accompanied him while scowling at her son.

Neville had his father's wand held across the palms of both hands, adopting the old way, he presented it to Frank on one knee with his palms extended in front of him, "Your wand, my lord."

Frank scowled at him, "Neville, you are my son. I will not have you prostrating yourself in front of me."

Neville simply smiled at his father, "I will remember that, father. Now, here is your wand, polished and shining, as you prefer it. Gran mentioned that you never could tolerate a speck of dirt on your wand. It is a pity that I failed to take care of it as you do."

"Take care of it as I do?", asked Frank, "Were you using my wand? How could you use my wand?"

It was Augusta who answered, "It was my fault, son. When Neville got his Hogwarts letter, I gave him your wand. I had no hope that you would ever be cured so I thought maybe he could connect with you through using your wand. I did not realise my folly till recently and it was thought that he was an inept wizard. It was only at the end of Neville's fourth year that Mr. Harsh Vardhan pointed out to Neville that he was not weak but he was using a wand which had not chosen him. He also gifted a family wand to your son, though I do not recall any such wand missing from the family lore."

Frank wanted to rage at his mother but her tear streaked face and the guilt in her voice convinced him that there was nothing he could say that would make her feel any worse, not that he had the heart to do anything like that.

Alice, in an attempt to dispel the frostiness of the situation, said to Neville with amusement in her voice, "What became of my wand, son? Did you not want to feel connected to me? I am sure it would have suited you well enough."

Augusta turned to her with sorrow in her voice, "Your wand did not survive that ordeal Alice. When we reached Green Hues, you and Frank were on the verge of insanity, the Aurors were there subduing the death eaters and Bellatrix was cackling like a mad woman, holding up the snapped pieces of your wand."

Alice was sad hearing the news of her wand being destroyed but there was nothing she could do about it. "I guess I will have to buy a new one from Ollivanders. Is he still around?"

Neville smiled at her, "Yes, he is still in Diagon Alley, mother. I went to see him recently and he asked me if I needed a wand. I told him that I am using a family wand."

Frank was intrigued by the tale of this wand, "What wand is this, Neville? Do you have it on you?"

Neville presented his wand to Frank who handled it carefully, his fingers touching the Longbottom motif and caressing it lovingly, "This is not an ordinary wand. This almost seems like a mythical wand. Did he tell you whom this wand belonged to or anything about the wood and the core?"

Neville who was watching his father intently nodded, "It was Harsh Vardhan who gave me this wand with a strict instruction not to let many people know that I have it and especially not to show it to the wand maker. He implied that I may not get it back if I did. Harsh also said that this wand belonged to Lord Harfang Longbottom who was given this wand as a gift from a wand maker. He said that the wood came from some 'grove of Dodona' and the core was feather of a magical owl species, Pravirkarna."

Frank's eyes widened in surprise at Neville's words, "The wand of Harfang Longbottom! This is the wand that won him such renown."

Now, Neville was intrigued, "what is his tale, father?"

Frank smiled at his son and then for some reason gave a victorious smirk to Alice, "Harfang Longbottom was our ancestor, my great grandfather as I remember. After graduating from Hogwarts, he went on a world tour, as was the custom at the time. There were some Dark Lords running around in Rome terrorising that city and the region about it. The resistance that was being offered to them was minimal. One day while Harfang was touring the country side, he ran into some of them while they were out to kill a wand maker's family. Harfang was well versed in our family magic and he annihilated all of them. In gratitude, the wand maker made this wand for him. This is one of the most powerful wands ever made. Later Harfang gained his reputation as a warrior. In the later part of his life, he was engaged in another war with a dark lord, aiding several allies when he fell in battle. His body was sent back but this wand went missing. I wonder how Harsh Vardhan got this. If this suits you my son, bear it with pride".

Today, Neville was supposed to go to training with the Weasley's and Granger. His grandmother agreed to it when Dumbledore paid them a visit two nights ago. He was supposed to wait for an elf who would come and take him to the training site. He wondered what he would be learning and who he will meet. His Gran had strictly warned him not to say anything about his parents. She said that she wanted to shock the wizarding world and he found that he liked her sense of humour.

He was brought out of his reverie with a 'crack' as the house elf Dobby appeared before him, "Dobby be taking yous to Master's dogfather."

Neville knew the elf of course. At the start of 4th year, Susan approached him after the infernal goblet had belched out Harry's name. He waited for Harry to return to the dorms so that he could tell him that he believed him. But damn that icon of jealousy, Ron Weasley. The red-head caused such a ruckus in the dorms that night that Harry could not talk to him. The next day, Susan cornered him after herbology and asked for some of his time. In an unused classroom, after raising some privacy wards, she told him that Harry was her betrothed and she needed his help. When Neville asked her why she did not tell Harry, she merely shrugged and said that she tried to approach him a lot of times but Ronald Weasley had stopped her every time. From that day, Neville met Susan in secret and they did everything they could to help Harry Potter. They had heard about the house elf Dobby and with the help of Tweaky, they found him and used him to help Harry Potter.

As Harry was looking for a date before the Yule Ball, Susan wanted to approach him but every time she tried to do so, Harry was never alone and her opportunity was missed. When Neville told her that Harry had asked Parvati Patil, Susan had felt her heart break and she did not go to the Yule ball with anyone.

Before the second task, Neville heard the trio in the library going over the clue of the egg and knew that they were looking for a way to stay underwater for an hour without dying. Neville knew the answer was Gillyweed. He waited for Harry to ask him but when he didn't they sought Dobby before the second task and told him to "borrow" some Gillyweed from Snape's personal stores. Since then Dobby held him in high regard.

"Master Neville," the elf's voice brought him out of his musings, "Yous be ready to go?"

Neville nodded and the elf passed him a piece of parchment, "yous be reading this."

Neville read the parchment,"The training facility for the members of Harrys' circle can be found at the cottage on the hill, Hogsmead."

Neville understood that he was just told a Fidelius secret. The elf grabbed his hand and disappeared.

Cottage on the hill, Hogsmead

Neville appeared at the foot of a low hill which he knew was in Hogsmead. What was missing was a cottage which was supposed to be present on it. Thinking of the Fidelius secret, the cottage appeared. Then Remus Lupin appeared beside him out of thin air, "Mr. Longbottom, this is your first test. You may consider it an initiation ceremony. You have ten minutes to reach the cottage. You may use any spells you have learned in school in the last four years."

With that the werewolf disappeared. Neville took out his wand clasping it firmly and began jogging up the hill. As soon as he set his first foot forward, he felt something grab his legs. Looking down, he saw a length of rope was wrapped around his legs and was proceeding towards his torso. He cast a finite at the rope and it fell to the ground inert. He resumed his trek and immediately noticed that it was getting cold fast. Checking around for dementors, he found none. He realised the ground around him was freezing perhaps the result of a Glacius charm. Putting his wand arm out, he chanted 'incendio' and the snow around him started melting away. Knowing that he would not make any headway if he continued to tackle little obstacles like this, he started running uphill. Suddenly a big boulder dropped into his path. While running he transfigured it into a wooden branch which he knocked aside with his shoulders. As he was nearing mid way, the ground beneath his feet opened up and he fell in, landing in a closet that locked him in. He tried to yank the doors open but they did not budge. Taking a deep breath, he used an 'Alohomora' on the door but it did not open. He racked his brains and remembered one of the advanced unlocking charms he learned from a charms book in the library. Waving his wand in the required motion he cast the charm and the door opened outwards. Climbing out, he resumed his trek to the cottage when a dog came running towards him, fangs bared. Neville recognised the dog; hell he had even played with it only to be told that the dog was famous mass murderer Sirius Black. Grinning he stooped to pet the dog, only for it to growl at him ferociously. Scrambling to his feet, he pointed his wand at the dog to stun it without another thought and continued. Next he encountered Snape of all people, threatening to test a new poison on him. Remembering his class with Lupin, he recognized that this was a boggart. Pointing his wand, Neville said "Riddikulus!" and there stood Snape, dressed like his Gran, stuffed vulture hat and all. As Neville laughed at the sight, he waved his wand again and the Boggart scarpered. The final challenge was Remus. Without hesitation, the werewolf fired off a stunner. Neville instinctively conjured a shield spell and ran through the cottage door before Remus managed to fire off another spell.

Once inside the cottage, he was greeted by Susan beaming at him and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick looked at him proudly.

"Hi Neville", Susan greeted him jovially. "You cleared the gauntlet in half the time that I took,." she pouted, "I thought the ropes were Devil's Snare and tried to use sunlight on them and it cost me sometime before I realised someone had conjured those ropes. Then I was assaulted with Glacius and I set about using incendio maxima to melt all the snow not realising that it was being replenished. I really freaked out when the boulder dropped. I wasted minutes trying to go around it while it moved to block me before I realized that I had to transfigure it. When I fell in the closet, I could not open the door and I was so panicked that I forgot all advanced unlocking charms. In sheer frustration, I resorted to a reducto and blasted the doors open. When the dog attacked me, I used incarcerous on it and then the boggart became the dark mark. I was so scared but then I remembered what Professor Lupin taught us and banished the boggart. Then Professor Lupin used a disarming jinx on me. I lost my wand but before he could use another hex I was inside the cottage."

By the time Susan finished her account, Neville was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes. A few moments later Remus joined them.

He did not say anything but he had mirth in his eyes, "Ms. Bones, your performance could use improvement. Arriving without your wand, you wouldn't be much help in a fight. But you did what we intended you to do. You entered the cottage as we had set the task to be. If any of you fails to enter however, we will not hold it against you. It will only mean that we are going to make you work harder. Now let's see how the others do."

After 15 minutes, a haggard looking Hermione entered her eyes puffy, her hair even more bushy than usual. Seeing them both she gave a small half smile, "How did you two do? I bet I failed at some of the tasks. As soon as I started, there were ropes which were grabbing my feet and I untied the knots with my hands, then in the snow, I used a warming charm on me but I did not walk fast enough and about froze. My warming charms were not good enough. When I saw the boulder I tried to go around it but it kept moving in my way so I used a reductor on it and that barely scratched it. Finally, I tried transfiguring it and changed it into a small pebble. When I fell into the closet I used the unlocking charm twice before realising that I needed to use a different charm. With that, I was able to leave. The boggart faced me and I lost it there. The boggart took Professor McGonagal's shape and started telling me that I failed everything and I freaked out there before realising that we had our exams and results were out already. Then I realised it was a boggart I was facing. So passing the boggart, I faced the dog and I was sure I could pet the dog and move ahead but I had to reluctantly stun him. Then Remus disarmed me in a cowardly sneak attack. I had to wrestle him to get my wand back before I ran inside." She huffed in annoyance crossing her arms across her chest making Neville and Susan laugh and when she scowled at them, they started laughing uproariously.

Raising his hands, Neville pacified her, "Don't get angry Hermione, we are not laughing at you. We had to reach the inside of the cottage too. Only we did not have to do as much as you. Now let's wait for others."

Ronald Weasley staggered in after 15 minutes. He looked like he had been through the mill quite viciously. When Hermione asked what he did, he grumbled, "I had to hop someway in the ropes before I remembered to cast a 'finite' and then there was snow. I ran all the way until I ran into the boulder and managed to save my face. When I found that I could not climb over the boulder, I reduced it to dust with an over powered hex. Before it could grow again, I ran away. I fell into the closet, I stopped it from closing by putting a foot in the door and then as I stepped out, I was hit with falling debris. Then the boggart turned into an acromantula but I had practice with that one. Then I saw Sirius who was going to attack me and I ran from him and ran into Remus's wand who banished me towards the door and I got up and ran inside."

As he finished, everyone was howling with laughter and Ron's face was flushed red with embarrassment but now that he thought about it, he too started laughing.

About 20 minutes later, the twins strolled into the room laughing. One of them was sporting an antler on his head, the other had hair all over his body and they were dressed like clowns.

Neville hesitantly asked, "Umm mate, how did it go with you both?"

"Neville mate, how are you?", said Gred or was it Forge.

"We had our fun on the trek", added the other.

Hermione put her hands on her hip and huffed, "Exactly how did you do?"

"One of us used finite on the ropes", said Gred

"Then we stunned hiding Professor Flitwick who was using the Glacius", added Forge, "but not before he gave us antlers."

They started taking turns to narrate, "Then we met the boulder and Professor McGonagall who transfigured Gred into a Weasel. I diverted her attention by pretending to attack her and
taking the Weasel I ran. When we were out of her range, I dispelled the transfiguration, returning him to his form. Then one of us fell into the closet and the other had to face the debris that came our way. After it stopped raining debris, the one outside rescued the one inside and then we had to face the boggart who changed into us but before it could do anything we banished it with Riddikulus. Then the Marauders banded together against us and after a brief prank war during which they changed our hair, altered our appearances, gave us hoofs, we finally got some sense knocked into our heads and we ran inside."

The others were amused by the twins experiences and the twins had been better than most of them if not the best. Ron asked finally, "where are the teachers?"

Hermione pointed at the door and replied, "Ron, Ginny is still to come through that door."

They waited for about 25 minutes but there was still no sign of Ginny. Then they heard spell fire being exchanged outside the cottage. As they rushed outside, they saw Ginny furiously firing hexes at the marauders however most of her hexes were being parried by them, while the rest were being deflected. Sirius laughed at her and anger her even more. After 5 minutes, Remus finally had enough and as Ginny was turned to Sirius, he stunned her quickly and bound her with an incarcerous hex.

After 10 minutes, they were sitting at a table with McGonagall sitting at the head. She scrutinised each of them critically before beginning, "This initiation was done to assess your quick thinking, your capabilities, your ability to perceive and your reaction to any event which you may face. Ms. Bones did not recognize the rope immediately and mistook it for Devil's Snare and then wasted time on melting the snow and then forgot the unlocking charms which we know she studied. She escaped from the closet with a reducto which would not be prudent in conditions where stealth is required. She faltered on her boggart but then she bound the dog with a incarcerous hex which was effective, but stunning it would have been faster. Finally, when she was disarmed, she ran inside leaving her weapon in the hands of the enemy. She made it inside but she failed at many points."

She glared intensely at Susan before turning to Neville, "Mr. Longbottom, you were the most impressive of this lot. You used finite on the ropes as soon as they appeared and then you made the same mistake of using incendio against the snow without trying to find the source from which it was happening. Then you faced the boulder and you transfigured it into a stick while running and when you fell into the closet, you opened it with one of the charms that we thought you would use. When you faced your boggart, you made short work of it as you have been taught. When the dog tried to attack you, you stunned it and produced a shield against Remus almost as a reflex. Then you crossed the boundary without any trouble whatsoever. You made one mistake but you were the one most prepared to encounter anything and to provide back up if you had arrived here on a distress call."

Then she turned to Hermione, "You disappointed me with mistakes on your part. You forgot for a moment that you are a witch and not a muggle. You untied the rope by hand when you had a wand with you. Then you showed some good thinking by applying a warming charm but you did not pick up your pace rather you continued walking casually. When you reached the boulder, you wasted time trying to get around it before you realised that you had to transfigure it. In the same way you wasted time in the closet thinking of appropriate spells. If you had been captured, you would have been stunned in the time you wasted coming up with the right spell. Then you faced the boggart which made you break down into tears before you realized what it was. Then you wanted to pet the dog not even thinking that it may be an enemy ruse to draw your attention. When you faced Remus, you did not even attempt to use any hex or curse on him. However when he disarmed you, you wrestled your wand out of his grasp and that is commendable."

She turned to Ron with her mouth the thinnest of thin lines, "Mr. Weasley, I am disappointed in you. It would appear that you have forgotten everything that you have been taught in school. You could not remember a simple 'finite' but you tried to get away by hopping. Then you showed some brain activity when unlike others you did not try to best the snow but ran when your legs were free. You reduced the boulder to rubble with a massive 'REDUCTO'. While this did reduce the boulder to tiny fragments, effectively removing the obstacle from your path, it used an excessive amount of magical energy, producing a large cloud of debris and a lot of noise. Not a good idea if you are attempting to arrive fresh and unnoticed. Out of the entire group, you were the only one who showed the presence of mind to put your foot in the door and prevent the closet from locking when you fell into it. But, you failed to check for hazards when you exited the closet and were hit by falling debris. You handled the boggart easily, so full marks there. When it came to the dog, you just ran from it, forgetting that the same dog had mutilated you once. You did not even see Remus who used a banishing charm on you. By luck you landed near the door and hobbled inside."

Then she turned to the twins, "you both disappointed me and made me feel elated at the same time. You are both legally adults and you did not even check to see if you could apparate inside directly. Then you both showed us the advantage of numbers when one of you finit'ed' the ropes and then you decided to find the source of Glacius and stunned Professor Flitwick who was confident that none of you would see him and got antlers in return (Flitwick chuckled) and then you both saw the boulder and went after me when I transfigured one of you into a weasel (the twins guffawed) and the other took the weasel and ran. When you were out of range, you transfigured him back and when one of you fell in the closet, the other did not try to save himself from the debris. When you faced the boggart it probably did not know that it was facing laughter embodied (the others were trying to suppress their laughter). Then you found the two adults and you engaged in a prank battle with them rather than escaping. In a real fight, it would have been fatal."

Professor Flitwick who had been quiet so far, turned to Ginny, "You proved to be the most unaccomplished of the lot, Ms. Weasley. You easily escaped from the ropes, a promising start. You slipped on the snow. Then you started levitating the boulder, a solution that none of us came up with but then you just stood there. You fell into the closet and kept pounding the doors with your fist forgetting that you could use an unlocking charm. When you finally came to your senses you used an unlocking charm. Then you did not try to fight your boggart but were rather run down by it. When Remus dispelled the boggart and you faced Sirius, you did not stun him or bind him but used stinging hexes on him which just enraged him. When Remus met you finally, instead of trying to make your way in, you engaged in a fight with him. You will need to work really hard."

Remus spoke then, "Now the first thing I want you all to do today is to follow me to the training room."

In the room, there were a number of training dummies. They were asked to use colour spells selecting one colour each for themselves and hit the dummies in the mid-section. After two hours, the Weasley twins were the winners. Then Minerva took them to task and made them revise everything that they learned in the last few years. Lastly Flitwick had them all on the ropes in duelling practice. By the evening when they were done with everything, they were bone tired.

Remus instructed them to brush up on their reading and to report two days later at 9:00 A.M. since the training was on alternate days and dismissed them. Neville took the floo to Green Hues and from there he went to Longbottom castle. It was the longest time he had stayed away from his parents since they came out of their comas and he wanted to get back to them soon. The others returned to the headquarters of the Order.

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