Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Fifth Year (Part 5)

Diagon Alley - December 23, 2005

Hadrian and Neville were sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour happily eating their favourite ice creams. Alexander, Neville's little brother, was happily sitting next to them as he watched the people moving about the alley.

Hadrian had had to come into the alley to drop his sisters off. They were meeting up with one of their friends from the magical kids school that the Sea Cliff House had started for those to young to attend Hogwarts, or those that proved to be squibs. The girls were going to be spending the afternoon with their friend before flooing home in the evening.

Neville had had to grab a few things that he had had to special order from the herbology shop. Alex had begged to bring him along for ice cream and Neville hadn't been able to resist his little brothers pleas.

It was supposed to be a quick in and out, but Hadrian sighed as he saw that wasn't going to happen. Walking into the alley was both Hermione and Ginny, followed by who Hadrian knew were Hermione's parents. If they were spotted he had no doubt that the girls would come and harass him like usual.

Hadrian slid down a little further in his seat and let out a sigh as he saw Ginny catch sight of him and immediately make a beeline for them. He knew this was going to happen. Why, oh why, couldn't he just be invisible to certain people? Like Hadrian, Neville let out a sigh as they both heard Ginny calling out. Hadrian swore it was like she had a tracker on him.

Unbeknownst to Hadrian, Hermione also sighed softly as she saw him and Neville. She had been on her way to the bookstore and now she was going to have to pretend she liked the two boys.

She had had to argue with her parents since the moment she got home just to be allowed to come to the alley today and now they were going to have to waste some of their time on the idiot and his friend. There was no way Ginny was going to give up the chance to be seen with him publicly. And, although it would be useful for their plan, she really didn't want to waste her time pretending the boys mattered.

"Hi Harry!" Ginny practically bounced over to where the boys were sitting.

Hermione followed at a slower pace with her parents right behind her. After they had been told about what happened with that pathetic Slytherin they had been keeping her under constant supervision. She wasn't allowed to do anything fun. They were even forcing her to study at the kitchen table so they could watch what she was doing.

"Ms. Weasley, Ms Granger." Neville nodded to both girls before looking to the adults that followed them. "Sir. Ma'am."

"Hello boys." Jean smiled at the two polite young men and the little boy.

"Who's that?" Ginny questioned as she pointed rudely at Alex.

Howard Granger cleared his throat at the rudeness. "Allow me to make introductions since the girls don't seem to want to. This is my wife, Jean Granger, and I am Howard Granger. We are both dentists in the muggle world."

"Pleasure to meet you both." Neville reached out and shook Howard Granger's hand. "This is Lord Hadrian Potter-Black. I am Heir Neville Longbottom. And this is my little brother Alexander Longbottom."

Howard and Jean couldn't help but share a look when they heard that one of the boys was a lord and that another was an heir to another title. While they knew Lords existed in theory, neither of them thought they would meet one, not to mention one so young. These boys were the same age as their daughter.

"Aren't you a little young to be recognized as a Lord? I thought you had to be 18 before you could accept the title. At least, that's how it is in the non-magical world." Jean questioned in confusion.

"Exactly." Hermione huffed haughtily. She had known that there was no way Harry was allowed to hold a title. She just couldn't believe that it was her mum of all people that had that information. "You aren't 18 yet, so there is no way you should have been allowed to take a Lordship. Just because you're famous doesn't mean you shouldn't have to follow the rules."

"Look around Granger, this is the magical world, not the non-magical one." Neville sighed as he knew where the girl was going with this idea.

"Well it is true that a person must be over 18 to be able to claim a title in the non magical world it is different in the magical one." Hadrian started to explain. "In the magical world you are only required to be 11 to claim a title, but you won't be able to actively use it. For me, I claimed my titles when I was 11, but my family is in charge of managing the estate until I'm older. In the magical world I won't be able to start taking control until I'm at least 16."

"So it's different in the magical world? That's interesting." Jean had been trying to learn more about the magical world in an attempt to bond more with her daughter, but Hermione just said that it was like their world.

"Of course it's different." Hadrian replied, confusion evident in his voice. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well why would they be different? We are still in Britain." Jean slowly lowered herself onto the bench, she didn't even realize it as she was so interested in the potential discussion. While Hermione had inherited her love of knowledge she hadn't inherited her ability to listen to others that knew more about a subject and learn from them.

"Well… The Statute of Secrecy was first signed in 1689 and ratified in 1692." Hadrian explained. "So, from that point on, our societies and cultures have evolved and developed along parallel lines, but they are different.

Prior to that point there was cross-pollination of the cultures, but they had already been fairly different already. But after that we went our separate ways."

"How was it different before then?" Jean questioned.

"In a lot of different ways, but I guess one of the biggest was the treatment of women." Neville said. "At that point, in non-magical communities, women were seen as property but it was different in the magical ones. Since magic doesn't discriminate between the genders, women were seen as just as strong as men in our world. It was perfectly acceptable for women to take any job that a man would, even going so far as becoming a soldier."

"How can you claim any form of gender equality?" Hermione demanded. "Just look at your own family. Auror Tonks is elder than you, but you are the heir to the Black family even though she is more qualified. The only reason for that is your gender." Hermione had overheard the 2 Professor's Tonk's talking about it when Professor Black had refused to transfer the heirship from Harry to their daughter.

"First of all, my families internal politics is really none of your business." Hadrian snapped getting annoyed that she had the audacity to think she had a right to make decisions about anything to do with his family. "But, regardless, that is completely untrue. There are multiple reasons that she doesn't qualify for the heirship, her gender is just one.

As for the fact that the Black family is a patriarchy, it is just how the family is. A majority of the ancient and/or noble houses tend to be gender neutral in regards to the heirship, but there are those that aren't. But, for every family that is a patriarchy there is another that is a matriarchy, and there are even those that have other requirements. I mean, just look at the Prewett family, that family line follows magical twins rather than the eldest child."

"Are there really such intricate politics even within families?" Jean questioned, attempting to change the topic. She could see they were straying into dangerous territory, no one liked it when others started trying to enforce their will on their family like Hermione seemed to want to do.

"If you want to learn more about the magical world then you should try the 'Magical for the Non-Magical' book series by Diana Jordan." Hadrian suggested.

"Diana Jordan?" Jean said in confusion. "She's a fiction writer. I've read a few of her books."

"Yes, she writes fiction." Hadrian nodded. "But she has also written some non fiction. You see, while she is a muggle, her husband is a wizard and they have three magical children. Their youngest son, Lee, is a few years above me in Ravenclaw.

I think there's like… 13 books in the series. It goes over everything she found different or interesting when dealing with the magical world. So, it's things like.. The different laws, the different, and shared, histories, as well as cultural differences."

"Can we get those at Flourish and Blotts?" Howard questioned, knowing they would be getting the entire series based off the look in his wife's eyes.

"Probably not." Neville told him. "You would be better off heading down to River Run. There are plenty of bookstores there. Each one has their own theme of sorts and focus on different subjects. Plus, the prices are much better there."

"River Run?" Howard had never heard of it.

"It's one of the other magical alleys in the London area. You have to go to Shakespeare's Globe, just down from Tower Bridge. Just to the left there is a small restaurant called Swan. There is a magical section that is hidden from muggles, so you would need to go to one of the servers and request a seat in the river run room. They'll take you through. The alley stretches out toward the Tate and it's gardens."

"Why would the prices for books be cheaper there? Flourish and Blotts is far better known." Hermione questioned, actually interested now that they were talking about books.

"I must agree, wouldn't things be cheaper here given the importance of this alley?" Jean said thoughtfully.

Neville thought how best to explain for a few seconds before he figured out how to word things. "Think of it like brand name and generic. It's the same product, but the books from Flourish and Blotts has the fancy insignia stamped on the inside cover to identify it came from them while the ones from the stores on River Run don't."

"Then why is it recommended for muggle-borns to do their shopping here?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest in anger. "Are they just trying to get us to waste our money?"

"No…" Hadrian sighed knowing the girl was going to try to make this about blood status again. "The reason Muggle-borns are generally sent here is because this is where you can do everything at once.

If you were to use the other alleys then you would still need to come here to exchange money at Gringotts, as well as the fact that Ollivander's has the best wands. Then you would need to go to River Run for books and potions supplies. Morning Dew has the most affordable clothing and uniforms. And Horizon has the best trunks as well as anything else you might need like telescopes and cauldrons.

It saves you time by making it so you don't have to go running all over the city. It also helps to keep first timers from getting too overwhelmed with everything. Just imagine coming into the magical world for the first time, seeing a preserve and thinking about how it would be nice to see the wild life and then coming face to face with a dragon."

"A DRAGON?" Howard was shocked.

"Yes. The preserve on River Run has two dragons that they rescued. Along with much much more." Hadrian smiled at him before turning to his year mate with a bland look. "You are aware that not everything comes back to blood status, right?"

"You just say that because you're a pompous pureblood who looks down on everyone else." Hermione sneered.

"Hermione!" Both Howard and Jean said, shocked at their daughters blatant rudeness.

Hadrian rolled his eyes before giving her a confused look. "I don't know where you would come up with an idea like that, I am a half blood.

The way things are broken down is that a pure blood is someone with four magical grandparents. A half blood, which has the most expansive definition, is someone who has at least one magical ancestor within the last 4 generations. And a muggle-born is someone who comes from a family that is non-magical, although many are included in that definition that don't actually belong since they don't bother to look into their genealogy.

One of my grandfathers was non-magical, therefor, I am a half blood. So all that stuff about my life being easier because I'm a pure blood is complete nonsense."

Hermione was ready to start arguing with him, but an owl flew down right then and landed directly in front of Hadrian distracting him. Hadrian smiled as he took the letter from the beautiful owl before giving her a few treats from the package he had picked up for Hedwig earlier. He had been expecting this letter.

After leaving Hogwarts Cedric had gone on to join the military. Hadrian thought that it would be only sensible to ensure that those within the magical branch of the military were kept aware of what was going on. He knew that if Voldemort really was back then Fudge would be denying it until he had irrefutable proof, regardless of how many lives it cost, and Dumbledore wouldn't tell anyone with the power to really do anything because he wanted the glory of being the one to do something. To get around them both Hadrian had kept in touch with Cedric and let him know about the developments.

He had written about the murder of Moody and the suspected resurrection just after it had happened. Cedric had taken that information and passed it on to his commanding officer who in turn passed it on. In the last letter Cedric had sent he had said that he had a meeting with someone in charge and that he would be letting him know about the outcome when he could. Hadrian figured that was what this letter was about.

"Who do you know in The Black Hole?" Jean questioned, shocked as she saw the insignia on the seal of the letter.

Hadrian was slightly stunned that the woman knew the nickname that had been given to the magical military unit. "How do you know that name?"

"My grandfather." Jean shrugged. "He served with them for 40 years."

Neville and Hadrian smirked at each other for a moment before Neville turned to Hermione with a grin.

"Good news Granger, you can no longer say you are being discriminated against because you are a muggle born."

"And just why is that? I have my doubts that those in the magical world will ever stop their prejudice." Hermione sneered.

"Simple, it's because you aren't a muggle-born." Neville grinned.

"What do you mean?" Jean questioned, not understanding why her grandfather serving in the military stopped her daughter from being a muggle-born.

"Because, the 20th devision of the SAS, nicknamed The Black Hole, is the magical branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces." Hadrian looked to the older woman. "If your grandfather served with them, then he had to have been magical as only active magic users are able to join that particular unit.

This letter is from my friend Cedric Diggory. He graduated from Hogwarts last year and decided to join the military."

"There isn't a magical military." Ginny added, having been ignored for too long she wanted Harry to pay attention to her. "I've lived in the magical world my entire life and never even heard of the military, whatever that is."

"The military is a muggle thing Ginny." Hermione rolled her eyes, how could the girl be so clueless? Then she turned back to the boys at the table. "But, she's right. There is no magical military. The Ministry of Magic relies on the aurors to keep control. And since the muggles don't know about magic then there is no way they would have a magical branch of their military.

You just said it yourself, the statute of secrecy keeps our wolds separate."

"Yes, our worlds are separated, but we still live in Britain." Neville looked at the girls. "We're still British subjects, and as such, we can still choose to join the military."

"While the general public isn't aware of our world, the higher ups are." Hadrian decided he needed to go into more detail. "No Sovereign would ever willingly give up certain aspects of control over their subjects, especially at the time the statute was signed.

We were granted the right of self governance, but we are still answerable to the royal family. The minister of magic is the equivalent of the muggle prime minister. The Queen is still the head of state, and as such, she is aware of our existence. So is every Prime Minister and their senior staff. They all need to be because of when there is cross over between our worlds.

There are dragons scattered across Wales and Scotland after all, and they do occasionally end up in muggle areas. The same with trolls, ogres, and giants. Cover stories are occasionally needed."

"In recent years the bond between our two governments has gotten stronger." Neville carried on when Hadrian finished. "Changes in the Wizengamot have made it possible for more co-operation."

"So… If my grandfather was a part of this unit, then he was magical?" Jean said in confusion. "But that isn't possible. My mother didn't have magic, and neither do I."

"Just because a parent has magic doesn't mean the child will." Hadrian shrugged. "The gene for magic is dominant, but a child can still be born with recessive genes. It's like a parent with dark eyes having a child with light eyes, it's rarer, but it does happen. Non-magical children born to magical parents are called squibs."

"How would I find out?" Jean really wanted to know if it was possible that her family had indeed come from the magical world.

"The best way to find out would be an inheritance test at Gringotts. The basic test just shows your parents, but the in-depth test can actually create a family tree that can extend back up to 20 generations, it just depends on how much blood you add to the potion, and how much you're willing to pay." Hadrian said thoughtfully. "What's even better is that the goblins have recently started offering a background check.

Basically, if you fount that you really did have magical ancestors the goblins would research them for you. Nothing to extreme, but they would be able to tell you about any powerful or notable figures in your family. And it usually only takes a few hours, so you could go and get tested now, and by dinner time have all kinds of information about your ancestors.

I think it would be a good idea if you both went and got tested."

Howard wondered about that. "Why both of us?"

"Because it would let you know if you had any magical ancestors as well." Neville shrugged.

"I doubt I do. If Hermione had come across any magical Grangers I bet she would have told us." Howard looked to his daughter but she shook her head since she hadn't heard of any. "Why would you think I had magical ancestors?"

"It's just that most muggle-borns actually come from when two squib lines meet." Hadrian told him. "As for magical Granger's, I can think of one off the top of my head. I was raised by a potions master, so I know a lot about all things potions, and I can tell you that Hector Dagworth-Granger founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers in 1811."

"And just why wasn't I told about this?" Hermione demanded. She really didn't like this topic, she had loved the idea of being the only magical member of her family since it showed how much better she was in comparison.

Neville just gave her a confused look. "Because it's general information that is readily available. And, it is not our job to tell you every random thing that has ever happened in the magical world. The fact that muggle-borns can track their lineage back to squibs has been publicly known for a long time. It isn't some nefarious plot against you. The goblins have a sign recommending the inheritance tests at the money exchange, it's no one else's fault if you choose to ignore it. All anyone can do is give you recommendations, they can't force you to do anything. It's like why the school recommends phys-ed."

"Yes, I did notice the recommendation for that class on the course list. They just want you to be healthy." Howard shot his daughter a look. She might not like exercise, but it was important for overall health.

"It's not just the health benefits." Hadrian glanced over.

"What else could it be for?" Jean questioned.

"The magical core is like a muscle. And, like any muscle, it benefits from exercise. Repeatedly practicing spells can help to strengthen ones core, while physical exercise can actually expand the core, allowing you to become stronger, and it also increases your stamina allowing you to do more magic without becoming exhausted." Neville explained, he knew that neither Hermione or Ginny took phys-ed and that they both were barely average in magical strength, if that.

"That's not true." Ginny huffed.

"Yes, it is." Neville looked over to his brother and saw that he was ignoring everyone in favour of eating his ice cream like anyone smart would, Demeter was sitting in his lap so she could get a bit of his ice cream too. But, he could also see that he was getting tired since it was almost his nap time, thankfully they would be able to use that as an excuse to escape once he was finished. "They give us a test at the beginning and end of year if we want so we can see any change in our core size and strength.

While our cores naturally grow as we age, the cores of the students that take phys-ed grow faster and stronger. Plus, like everyone has said, it also helps to keep us healthy."

"Back to the other topic, do either of you know how much the inheritance test and background test cost?" Jean really wanted to know. Her grandfather had always been extremely closed lipped about his family and she had always wondered why. His father had told her his mother was much the same, but the woman had died long before she was born.

"Umm.. I'm not exactly sure." Hadrian said as he thought. "I think I heard it was 5 galleons for the basic test, 10 for the in-depth, and an additional 2 galleons for each generation you want to go back. I have no idea about the background search since I've never needed it."

"We should probably get going." Neville started to get up as soon as he saw Alex take the last bite of his ice cream. "It's almost time for Alex's nap."

"Ok." Hadrian smiled knowing exactly what Nev was doing. "It was a pleasure to meet you both." He smiled at the two adult but just nodded in the direction of the two girls as he got up. Nem, who had been sleeping around his neck until that time woke up slightly, but just stayed where she was since they were still in a crowded area and didn't want to get separated from her human incase he needed her help again.

"It truly was a pleasure." Jean smiled happily as Howard shook both boys hands. "And thank you so much for the information.

Come on girls, I want to get to the bank for that test."

Hadrian and Neville quickly moved away. Hadrian had taken Demeter in his arms while Nev picked up Alex so they could move faster.

Ginny wanted to follow the boys, but Hermione pulled her along after her parents. While dragging the other girl Hermione was annoyed since she didn't want her parents to find out if they really were connected to anyone else magical.

Gringotts

As soon as they arrived at the bank Jean went to one of the tellers and asked for the in-depth inheritance test. In total it ended up costing 20 galleons for Jeans test since she only wanted to go 5 generations back. Howard, who wanted to see if he really was connected to Hector Dagworth-Granger, needed to go back further so his test ended up being 30 galleons.

After the test was complete the goblin doing the testing told them that they both had magical ancestors. Howard and Jean both wanted the background check so ended up having to pay more. The goblin had told them that it would only take a few hours to do the check, so they could come back to the bank later that evening to learn about their magical family.

In the end Howard and Jean wanted to see about the books on River Run rather than the ones in Flourish and Blotts, and since they now both knew they were squibs they decided just to floo over. While muggles couldn't use the floo, squibs could. It was going to help make their lives much easier since they could get their home connected to the floo network so they could just floo to the platform whenever Hermione needed to get to and from school, it would save them a lot of time and gas since they wouldn't have to deal with the traffic.

It was just after dinner when Howard and Jean Granger made their way back into Gringotts Bank, their pouting daughter in tow. Ginny had been sent back to her mum before dinner. Hermione had wanted to go home, but her parents had felt that she couldn't be trusted on her own so they made her stay with them.

Going into the office all three Grangers sat down. Howard greeting the goblin.

"I shall start with Mr. Dr. Howard Granger." Goblin Fanglock said as he pulled out the file they had gathered. "As you suspected, Hector Dagworth-Granger, is one of your ancestors. As you already know he founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers in 1811. He assisted in multiple potions developments, including the revamping of skel-grow, and shrinking solution."

"So I inherit the money." Hermione actually smiled at that. She had been told earlier that squibs couldn't inherit so anything they found would be hers.

"Unfortunately there was only a 100 year patent on those potions so there is no residual payments." Fanglock told the girl.

From the records we have found, Hector Dagworth-Granger had a grandson named Eugene Dagworth-Granger. Eugene was an avid drinker and gambler, wasting what money the estate had built up. At the time of his death he had less than 30 galleons to his name, which was used to pay for his burial.

Eugene had a son, Cecil. After the death of his mother, a muggle-born named Ida Rhodes, if you wish to know her magical ancestry it will require you go further back in your family tree, when he was 19 Cecil fled the magical world. Going so far as to have Gringotts place a bind on his magic so his father couldn't track him through his magical signature.

That is all that we have been able to locate on you as your family had left the magical world."

Howard wasn't really sure how he felt about what happened. While he was proud to have had such an important ancestor he felt sad for Cecil. How bad must things have been for him to flee from everything he had ever known. Fanglock handed over a copy of the information they had gathered. "Thank you for that information Fanglock."

"And what about me?" Jean asked.

"We were able to locate much more information about your family given it is more recent." Fanglock pulled out the second folder and opened it. "Your grandmother was born Aimée Bernard in Dijon, France. She was a squib. While it was common at the time for squibs to be sent to live with muggles, your great grandparents chose to keep her. She, her parents, and elder brother, André, emigrated to Britain in 1927.

Her parents, Anna and Robard, are buried in the local cemetery where they lived in Whitby. Her brother, André, in turn emigrated to Australia shortly after he came of age. He know lives in Sydney. He had three children and now has 4 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. His information is in the file if you wish to contact him.

Your grandfather was born Earl Umbridge."

"Umbridge?" Hermione was shocked. "The high inquisitor at school is Madame Umbridge."

"Indeed." Fanglock was less than pleased at being interrupted, even more so since there wasn't a goblin alive that liked that woman. "Deloris Umbridge, former Under Secretary to the Minister, current High Inquisitor, would be your… Second cousin, twice removed.

As I was saying, Earl Umbridge was a wizard, and was a Hufflepuff when he attended Hogwarts. He married Aimée Bernard in 1934, having your mother the next year. Like her mother, your mother was born a squib.

The Umbridge's have a long history of sending any squib children into the muggle world, and when pressure was applied to your grandparents to do so with your mother they refused. Ultimately your grandparents chose to leave the magical world to raise your mother in the non-magical one. Your Grandparents chose to change their last names to get a fresh start.

On that side of the family you have multiple cousins, again, the contact information is in the file. Now, when they left the magical world your grandparents took most of their money, but they did leave a small amount sealed in their vault for any future magical's in their family."

Hermione was glad that at least she was going to be getting some money out of this. "So where's the key. It's mine."

"You are still underage." Fanglock looked at the greedy child. "You can unseal the vault with your parents permission so that we can begin investing it, but you will not be able to access it until you are 17."

Hermione was furious. "But Harry got his title when he was 11."

"A title is a different matter. Each family sets out different rules for when vaults can be accessed, and your great-grandparents left strict instructions that the money is not to be removed until the heir is 17." Fanglock said matter of factly.

"How much is in the vault?" Jean questioned.

Fanglock looked at the accounting sheet. "490 galleons, 85 sickles, and 145 knuts. The equivalent of 500 galleons total, or 2,500 pounds."

"But that's nothing." Hermione whined.

"That was a veritable fortune at the time the vault was sealed." Fanglock informed her.

"What kind of returns from investing would the vault receive?" Howard questioned on the practical side of things.

"The average return on investments is 5.38%, but there are no guarantees." Fanglock saw an opportunity to reopen a vault.

"Well, what do you want to do Hermione? Do you want to reopen the vault and let the goblins invest the money." Howard looked to his daughter.

"I want the money now!" Hermione glared.

"You can't have it now, you have to wait until you are 17." Jean kept her voice even, but she was embarrassed by the whining.

"It's mine and I want it now." Hermione turned her glare to her parents next to her. "What right do they have to deny me my money?"

"That is enough young lady." Howard snapped. "I think we will leave the vault closed for now and discuss it later. Our daughter seems to be too tired to behave properly.

Thank you for everything Fanglock."

Howard and Jean got a whining Hermione up and all but dragged her out of the bank and home.

Hogwarts, Room of Requirement - January 11, 2006

Hadrian was thrilled as he unsteadily made his way around the ROR. Just a few moments ago he had been successful in changing into his animagus form for the first time. Fred and George were still cheering for him.

The only thing he had to do now was to start to strengthen his muscles. Right now, with the way he was wobbling, it most likely looked like he was drunk.

He couldn't wait to show his family.

High Inquisitor's Office - January 14, 2006

Deloris Umbridge was staring down her nose at Hermione Granger who was on the other side of her desk. During the Yule brake her mother had gotten a letter from a distant relative. She, and the rest of her family had been horrified to have been contacted by a squib.

There was a reason they got rid of any squibs, they didn't want anyone to know they existed. But now they had a problem. The squib had had a magical child, and worse, the child knew of their connection. It would have been much better if the child never knew about their ancestry.

While she didn't want to acknowledge the child, she didn't have a choice. She needed to ensure that this girl lived up to their family name and didn't embarrass them.

At least she had magic on both sides of her family and wasn't completely contaminated. Deloris had spoken to Minerva to get a little background on her new cousin and had been slightly pleased. It was good to know that the girl wasn't just intelligent, but planned on working at the ministry. The girl didn't have the pedigree to reach the same level as she herself had, but she would make a passible employee.

But then she learned the girl had been stripped of her prefect badge. That wasn't good. Minerva had explained that it was just because Sirius Black didn't like her, but she needed to check for herself. It was the Umbridge name on the line.

"Hello Ms. Granger. I felt that we should speak given what was discovered this Yule. As you have learned you are descended from the great family of Umbridge. And, as such, you are expected to live up to that honour. And your recent actions are questionable."

Hermione growled slightly as this woman was looking down on her. "And just what actions are those?"

"It has been brought to my attention that you were stripped of your prefects badge last semester."

"That wasn't my fault. Just because I spoke up against the blatant unfairness Professor Black hates me. Professor Prince was right there with him given that his own… son is one of those that are getting special treatment just because he's rich and famous."

Deloris sat slightly forward at that. This might be useful, if she could prove bias it would help her to gain more control in the school, also, she was referring to Potter, and anything against him would be good to have. "And just what special treatment is that?"

Hermione caught the light in the other woman's eye, finally, she might have just found an ally. "It is completely ridiculous. Did you know that they have four students on the school board. I should have been one of them, but I know that Professor Black had to have done something to stop me getting the position even though I deserved it. He made sure it went to one of his favoured students. Not that I think the positions should even really exist. They're just students, what right do they have to be making the rules?

Then there's the whole Wizengamot thing. They actually allow students to leave the school whenever they want to attend the Wizengamot just because they are titled. They are just kids, but they are being allowed to sit in the government. It is completely insane.

That's one of the reasons Professors Black and Prince don't like me. Because Harry is one of the students that they let do whatever he wants and they just keep protecting him. It's why they took my badge.

I caught Harry and a few others coming back after skipping an entire day of classes, and tried to give them the punishment they deserved for it. But, like always Professor Black stopped it and protected his godson and his friends."

Deloris was outraged. "That is completely outrageous. Those children have no right to sit on the Wizengamot. They are just children."

"That's what I said. Look what they did to me." Hermione pouted.

"What else have you seen?" Deloris grinned down at her young cousin. She might dislike the girls parentage, but she might just be able to make this girl into something worthwhile.

Ministry of Magic, Department of Education - January 17, 2006

James was frustrated as he made his way into the DOE. He couldn't believe Dumbledore had been so stupid as to allow Umbridge into the school. The only benefit was that since she wasn't a teacher she couldn't limit the students education or assign punishments.

But it seemed the woman had finally reached the point where she was going to start creating problems. The day before the first of the educational decrees had been issued. But this one hadn't been any of the ones that had been issued last time. Since the school was different, she had started with one of the changes they had made.

"Please come in Lord Peverell." The head of the DOE, Regina Cole, said.

Regina had been the head of the department for over 20 years and had been hand selected by Dumbledore so James was slightly apprehensive. He wasn't sure just how strong her loyalties were to the man given that she had often supported Fudge as well.

James strode in with his head held high, looking around he spotted Umbridge sitting there already. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting Mrs. Cole."

"And just what is so important that you needed to drag me into this?" Umbridge demanded, she had finally started to make headway at the school just to be made to come here.

"I have been speaking with a number of the school governors and we have concerns about the educational decree that you passed yesterday." James told the two women.

"It is none of your business. As you well know the DOE outranks the governors so you have no say." Umbridge said smugly.

"She is correct." Regina might not have put it in such a manner, but she did question how the school governors had been handling the school in recent years.

"I am aware. We just wished to impress upon you that the DOE will be responsible for any legal fees as the school governors have no intention of approving any funding for any lawsuits. Something that I can guarantee will happen if you attempt to enforce this decree."

"Legal fees?" That got through to Regina. No one wanted to have to deal with legal fees. "Why would there be legal fees?"

"The decree states that any reason for a student leaving school grounds will need to be evaluated by the High Inquisitor. If she does not feel the reason is valid then she can deny them the right to leave the school and they will be required to stay." James reminded them.

"There is nothing wrong with that. It is a perfectly valid decree. There have been all kinds of pointless reasons given to pull the students out of school." Umbridge was more than pleased to be able to stop those like Harry Potter from attending the Wizengamot and meddling in the ministry. "After all, their education comes first."

"I agree, the students belong at the school." Regina nodded, she wasn't fond of Madame Umbridge, but this was one topic where they could work together.

"And what do you think is going to happen when you deny a parent the right to have their child come home or leave the school?" James said like they were being purposely thick. "The school governors suggest that a student not go home more than once a month, and for the most part that is followed, only in emergency's do the students go home more.

If you deny a parent their right to pull their child out then you are interfering with the rights of the parent, and that is not something anyone will just accept and stay quiet about. You have no legal right to stop a child from leaving the school if they have permission from their families.

It is called kidnapping and false imprisonment. I can tell you right now, my son leaves school one day every other month to attend the Wizengamot as he is a Lord. If you stop him then I will be pressing charges. And, with him it will be worse as you will also be interfering with the Wizengamot. An attempt to detain or deter a Lord or Lady from attending the Wizengamot comes with a minimum of 6 months in Azkaban. And that is before you get to the kidnapping issue.

I have already been contacted by the parents or guardians of other students in the same position as my son. I told them that I would approach the subject with you, but if you do follow through with this then I recommended that they file charges if their child is withheld from them."

Regina felt her heart start to race as she began to panic. This was not what she had intended to happen. She just didn't want students missing their education for frivolous reasons.

"You can't do that." Umbridge was furious. This man had no right to interfere.

"I can, and I did." James smiled at her. "While education is important, so is following the law."

"We will be looking into this. We have no intention of denying anyone their parental rights." Regina assured him as she started gathering papers. They needed to fix this before anything happened. The last thing she needed was to be drawn into a legal battle with parents.

James smiled, thanking both women for their time. As he left he made sure to send an extra large grin to Umbridge.

Room of Requirement - February 4, 2006

Hadrian was laying cuddled up in Fred and George's arms while Neville was across from them with Luna. Draco was sitting off to the side, even paler than usual. They now had the proof he needed to let him know that Voldemort really was back.

The paper that had been delivered less than an hour ago had had news that made everyone worry. There had been a break out from Azkaban. It was a little later than last time, but given the fact that his resurrection had been delayed it only made sense that the breakout was later.

There was even some slightly good news. Since the unspeakables had been releasing the dementors there was less than a dozen left. Because of that the auror department had started to assign more guards to patrol the prison. Fudge was trying to cover it up since he had no idea what was happening so no one knew yet.

The way they had it set up the dementors would patrol one floor while the guards patrolled the others, they would rotate floors every hour. In recent years they had also separated the death eaters so they weren't all in one place.

So, when Voldemort and his death eaters attacked they weren't nearly as successful as they could have been. Voldemort had had control over the dementors during the last war and was able to regain some level of temporary control. The dementors had simply moved aside and allowed Voldemort access to the cells on the floor he was on.

But, the aurors that were guarding the other floors had put up a fight. None were willing to just allow the prisoners out. And, since Voldemort was busy with the dementors the aurors were only up agains regular death eaters.

Hadrian knew in the last timeline 10 top ranked death eaters had managed to escape, but with the aurors presence they had limited that number to only three. Unfortunately one of those three was Bellatrix Lestrange. Both Rodolphus and Rabastan had been on different floors and had been caught. The aurors had also managed to capture five of the attacking death eaters.

Fudge was suppressing any mention of Voldemort, even though the death eaters that had attacked the prison claimed he was behind the attack. The only ones that had seen Voldemort were the other prisoners that were on the floor with the dementors, so the Prophet was saying that it was a scam. They said someone was trying to capitalize off the publics fear.

The Seer had had a more accurate view of what had happened, like usual. But, Hadrian had seen the look on Umbridge's face and knew she was going to try to get it banned like she had done with the Quibbler. The woman was still furious that her decree about restricting who could go home and when being rescinded only 2 days after it was passed.

But, overall, Hadrian and his friends were all worried. Bellatrix was free. Neville was afraid for his family since she had been one of those that had previously attacked them. Draco was afraid because she was his mothers sister and he worried she would go after her when she learned she and his dad had turned away from Voldemort.

Hadrian was just worried about what it meant overall. Voldemort really was back. His life was about to get a lot more dangerous and he worried about those he loved.

There was a war coming, and it could just lead to an even worse one.

Headmasters Office

Sirius was in a hurry. After Dumbledore had approached him about using Grimmauld as headquarters he and the others had been talking. They thought it would be a good idea to use one of their properties as headquarters since it would allow them to monitor everything that the Order was doing.

Like Hadrian they had had their doubts that Voldemort really had returned. While Mad-Eye had really been killed the man had had more than his fair share of enemies.

But now they had their proof. And that meant they needed to make the arrangements for the Order. Sirius had just had a meeting with the others and they had agreed to offering the Peverell Cabin.

They had specifically chosen that cabin because it was more than adequate to serve its purpose but it wouldn't cost them anything. The cabin was a two story, two bedroom place. There was also a bathroom, a living room, dining room, and kitchen, but not much else.

There was no large library that was filled with ancient and valuable books. There was no valuable artifacts that Dumbledore or his followers could steal and sell for a profit. And with the low numbers of bedrooms they didn't have to worry about Molly trying to take over and claim it as her own. The journals from last time had given them all kinds of information about what had been done to Sirius's home without his permission by that woman.

The cottage had first been built over 100 years ago so it did have old and powerful wards around it. It would keep it hidden from all those who they didn't want to find it.

When he walked into the office he saw that the Headmaster wasn't alone. Minerva, Andromeda, Ted, Nymphadora, and Molly were all there. This was clearly an impromptu Order meeting.

Normally Sirius would hate being in a room with this many Dumbledore fools, but this time it worked in his favour. He would be able to inform the ones that were the main Order members all at once so Dumbledore wouldn't get the chance to make anything up or take credit for making the arrangements.

"Sirius." Albus was shocked as the man walked into the room, he hadn't realized the door hadn't been locked. "What can I do for you my boy?"

"I'm actually here about what I can do for you." Sirius walked forward and placed a slim silver chain on the desk. "I've been speaking with Remus, James, and Severus about the need for a new headquarters for the Order. We've been going over the different properties we own and have found one that we feel would be perfect. That chain is a portkey that will bring you there."

"I still say we use the London townhouse." Andromeda said, shooting Sirius an angry look.

"And as I told you before, no. There are people currently living there and I have no intention of evicting them." Sirius kept his voice neutral.

"And just what have you found for us?" Albus was actually pleased with this turn of events. Sirius was finally starting to work with him again. Plus, he figured this must be some grand property, the Black's and Potter's were known to have some incredible places.

"We selected the Peverell Cabin. It has some extremely old and powerful wards that will be perfect for protection." Sirius told them.

Molly smiled, she was pleased. She had plans to move into the Orders headquarters with Ron and Ginny. Since James and Severus were both in the Order Harry was most likely going to spend most of his time there. It would allow Ron and Ginny to spend the summer with him. She had noticed the changes in Rons behaviour lately, and was planning on using this summer to work on getting him back on track.

"Where is this cabin?" Ted questioned, knowing that the others wouldn't think of the practicals.

"It's just outside Chapel Hill in Wales. It is bordered by the woods on the west and the River Wye on the east. It is very sheltered even before you take into account the wards." Sirius explained.

"When can we move in?" Molly asked, looking to Dumbledore rather than Sirius.

"I will have to set the fidelius, but that shouldn't take to long. You can start moving in by the middle of next week." Dumbledore twinkled.

"Move in?" Sirius had known this was coming, but even he was a little surprised by how Albus and Molly were acting.

"Yes my boy." Dumbledore turned to Sirius giving him a twinkle eyed smile. "Molly will be moving in with Ron and Ginny for the summer. It's for the best since it will ensure their protection. Nymphadora will also be staying over from time to time when she isn't working."

"We are offering a headquarters, not free housing for everyone in the Order." Sirius said slowly. "Besides, there isn't enough room for all of them.

While the cabin is large enough to allow everyone to attend meetings there is only two bedrooms on the upper floor. We figured those rooms would be useful in the case of an emergency, not so people could move in just because they feel like it. Besides, you all have your own homes, you don't need a new one."

The others were all slightly stunned by that. They had been planning on using the headquarters to house as many order members as they could. Nymphadora was still only a junior auror since she had been passed over for promotion and didn't make enough to get her own place in London, and she didn't want to live somewhere more affordable. Molly had seen this as a chance to get away from her small little flat. She had figured since it was a Peverell place it would be more of a manor or palace.

"Surely there is a larger place." Albus twinkled, he wanted access to one of the estates, and the libraries most of all. "The Order members are better off living in a secured location like the headquarters will be."

"Well, there is the Peverell Castle here in Scotland, but we didn't think you would want to use that." Sirius smiled.

"I think that might be better." Albus's grin returned full force.

While the Headmaster spoke Sirius heard both Molly and Nymphadora squeal 'castle' with glee.

"Alright, but I should warn you no one has lived there in over 200 years. There also is the issue of a dam downstream that has caused the lake to rise meaning the entire first floor has about a foot of water, and the basement is flooded.

But, and I think this is the biggest problem, since it is so old and hasn't been updated there is no indoor plumbing." Sirius smirked at that as he saw Andromeda cringe at the idea.

"There must be something better." Andromeda huffed. She knew Sirius was just being difficult.

"Look, this is what we are offering." Sirius waved towards the portkey. "If you don't want it then that is fine. You can just find your own place to use. As for the idea that you need it for extra security, the Order is a secret organization. You are not meant to be bragging you are a part of it. So, no one should know about it so you shouldn't be in any more danger than anyone else."

When Sirius went to take the portkey Albus quickly grabbed it. "This will do for now my boy. I'm sure we can work things out."

"Fine, but don't expect any of us to change our minds." Sirius started to walk towards the door before turning back for a moment. "The password is Virgo."

Once Sirius was gone Albus sat back in his seat. He was frustrated. Using a cabin wouldn't allow him enough access to the Peverell estates. He had hoped he would be able to get his hands on the invisibility cloak.

He had originally gotten it when Lily had taken James from the home in Godric's hollow, but it had been recalled shortly after. He now knew that the goblins had taken it back once they had gotten their grubby little hands on the Potter brat.

"Honestly, what is wrong with that man?" Molly was still glaring at the door. "What part of the fact that we are opposing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named doesn't he understand?"

"I hate to admit it, but he does have a point." Minerva sighed. "No one should know we are members of the Order, so you aren't in any more danger. At least we now have a place, it could be worse."

"I will check the place tomorrow and start setting up the extra wards if it is usable." Albus folded his fingers together. "It will have to do for now.

Nymphadora, I am going to need you to work harder to find out who is living in Grimmauld Place. We need access to the Black Library. And, since Sirius is being so difficult we will have to use the direct approach."

"Yes headmaster, I will do what I can." Nymphadora didn't even bother correcting her name, she knew the Headmaster would call her what he chose. "It's just proving to be difficult. Whoever it is living there they have gone to extreme lengths to hide who they are. But I will figure it out, I'm sure."

"Good, good." Albus looked back to the others. "Now, back to what Voldemort is up to…"

Peverell Cabin - February 11, 2006

All the old Order members were gathered at Peverell Cabin. Just as Sirius and the others had predicted there was plenty of room. It was a good thing since it allowed those like Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon to ensure that they were sitting as far from Molly as possible. There were even a few empty seats for any new members that wanted to join. Nymphadora was the only new member that hadn't been a part of the original Order.

To be able to attend the meeting Alice and Frank, James and Severus, as well as Sirius and Remus had had to arrange for the kids to go and stay with Narcissa. Not that she had had a problem with it, she had been thrilled to have the house full of children.

The meeting was set to start two minutes earlier, but as usual, Dumbledore was late.

At exactly three minutes past the time the meeting was supposed to start Dumbledore flooed in. He apologized for being late, saying he had been dealing with important school business. Sirius and the others all remembered that from the last time the Order was active. He always showed up late saying he had gotten caught up doing something important, it was a way for him to remind others just how important he was. But this time all he could say was school business since he had been stripped of any other important positions.

In the end the meeting was completely pointless. They really didn't have anything. All that Dumbledore had managed to figure out was that Voldemort was behind the Azkaban break out. Something that anyone with half a brain could figure out.

Unfortunately for him, Dumbledore had lost his most influential of spies, Severus. When the topic was brought up about Severus returning to his spying he had asked if the man had lost his mind.

He then went on to display his mark free arm and point out that Dumbledore had publicly declared him to be a spy. There was no way he would be able to regain his former position with the Death Eaters.

There had been a few who tried to guilt him into at least trying. Severus's response had been less than kind. He suggested that if they were so fine with him being tortured and murdered then they should try their hand at spying. Most shut up after that, they might be fine with Severus being a spy, but none of them wanted to endanger themselves.

Molly had of course been one of those that didn't care if he had been hurt and just kept saying it was his duty. When he refused she had brought up how he was endangering Harry with his refusal. James had had to physically restrain Severus at that point.

While James had been working on calming Severus Sirius and Remus had taken the offensive. They pointed out how she had no right to say he didn't want to protect his son. And that if she wanted someone to spy so bad she could do it herself.

Dumbledore had quickly called an end to the meeting at that point as he could see that Molly was about to lose her temper and that would just push Severus and the others further away. He planned on discussing the topic when they got back to the school when there were fewer people around so that he could properly use his guilt tactics, as well as a few well placed compulsions if needed.

Headmasters Office

Severus was growling in the back of his throat as he followed Dumbledore through the floo and into his office. It was the weekend, he was supposed to be at home with his husband and daughter. Instead he was here, about to have to listen to one of the old mans long winded guilt trips.

"Severus my boy. Please take a seat. Lemon drop?" Albus smiled slightly as he held out the bowl of sweets that contained the potion covered drops while he popped one of the drops from the clean bowl in his drawer into his mouth.

"No thank you headmaster." Severus didn't bother to sit, instead going to his usual spot on the wall. "What is it you want headmaster? I would like to spend at least a little time with my husband and daughter this weekend.

"Yes, yes." Albus stroked his hand down his beard as he ordered his thoughts. "I wanted to speak to you about your spying duty."

"I have already told you, I will not be returning to spying Albus." Severus couldn't help but to snap. Taking a deep breath he pulled up his occlumency shields to return his usual calm.

"Now my boy, I know that it might be slightly dangerous, but it really is for the greater good. You can help our side so much by returning." Albus turned up the twinkle, he needed this. "We need the information. It is the only way to protect Harry."

"No, Albus." Severus said, once again denying the man. "As I said earlier, there is no way for me to return. I would be killed immediately, if I wasn't tortured first. Do I need to remind you again that you publicly claimed me as a spy at the end of the last war. And that is before you even take into account what happened with the whole philosophers stone debacle.

I was involved in stopping him from getting the stone. That isn't something that he would forget. Plus, I feel I need to point out that everyone now knows Hadrian is my son. He would have no problem using me to gain access to Hadrian and I have no intention of leading that monster to my children."

Albus ground his teeth as he was once again reminded that Severus was the father of the brat. "I'm sure you will be able to make an appropriate excuse my boy."

"There is nothing that can be said. I stood against him, therefor I am his enemy. I have no intention of willingly walking to my death for you."

"I'm sure…"

"NO!" Severus interrupted what was no doubt going to be a complete waste of time and oxygen. "My position as a spy is gone. I will do what I can to aid the Order, but it will not be by spying."

"Maybe you could reach out to Lucius, or some of the other death eaters you know?" Albus tried as his eyes stopped twinkling.

"Lucius is in the same position as I am." Severus pushed off the wall. "He has had his mark removed and has gone out of his way to go against the other former death eaters. I'm sure you are well aware of the fact that he has been voting with the neutral party in the Wizengamot for years now.

He would be as welcome in that circle as I would. I will speak to a few of my old contacts, but don't hold your breath. None of the contacts that I had that are still alive were ever that high up. The higher-ups I used now know my true loyalties or are dead so I can guarantee nothing. Now, I am going home, goodby."

Albus glared at the door after the other man left the office. He was Albus Dumbledore, some lowly nobody like Severus Snape had no right to deny him anything.

While he did want to use Severus as his spy, he really wouldn't have cared if he had been killed. Severus was one of those standing in his way to getting control over the Potter brat back.

He had spent years building up the boys reputation and power base just to have his control taken away. It had made a mess of all his plans.

Harry was supposed to defeat Tom. Once he did Albus would kill the boy and explain that he was a rising Dark Lord, backed up by the truth of the horcrux. He would have gotten everything he ever wanted. The foolish little people would do whatever he said then.

But no, James just had to escape and mess everything up.

Hogsmeade - February 18, 2006

Ginny was slowly making her way around the town lost in her own thoughts. Valentines day had just passed and once again Harry had been absent from the great hall. As much as she hoped he had just skipped the meal she knew better.

Harry was cheating on her. He had some secret girlfriend or something. And that just wasn't acceptable.

Now she just needed to figure out who it was. Then she would deal with them.

Ginny couldn't figure out just why this one thing was being so difficult. Everything else had been going her way for the most part. So far her grades were just fine this year, or at least her opinion of fine. While she hadn't gotten one of the keeper spots on the quidditch team because the captain, Katie Bell, was best friends with the other two girls she had managed to get the position of seeker. She had even been asked out a few times, making sure Harry heard each time.

Everything was going her way, except for Harry.

She was just about to turn back and head to her mum's when she heard a laugh she recognized as belonging to Harry. Smiling she sped up so she could arrange a surprise meet up. She wanted people to see them walking through town together, she knew his little secret girlfriend would hear about it and break up with him for it.

But just as she was coming around the corner onto one of the side streets she froze.

Harry was there, but he wasn't alone. And it wasn't some little girlfriend with him.

It was her brothers.

As she stood there she watched as one of the twins leaned down and kissed him. Right on the lips! Then the other one did the same!

Ginny was so angry she couldn't even move. Literally couldn't move. Those stupid mind healer potions kept her still. They were designed so that when she was about to lose her temper they would temporarily restrain her to give her a chance to think things through. The angrier she was, the longer the restraint lasted.

During the Christmas break Ron had ruined one of her favourite dresses and she had ended up frozen in place for over 5 minutes. Of course once she was released she had charged after him and punched him in the face before running to her mum, but it had still been annoying.

As she watched her brothers snuggled her Harry between them and walked away, not even noticing she was there.

In her head Ginny screamed as Harry walked away from her like she didn't even exist. She felt the restraints tighten and lock her in place longer.

Hogwarts, Great Hall

It had taken over half an hour before the potions had finally allowed Ginny to move. The problem was that while it did give her time to think about her actions, all she had thought about was how she was going to make her brothers suffer. Rather than using the time to calm down Ginny had just become angrier and angrier until there really was no rational thoughts left.

She had gone directly back to the school since it was almost time for dinner. She knew where her brothers would be.

Ginny didn't speak as she stormed into the great hall. Looking around she saw her two idiot, husband stealing, brothers sitting at their table. But they were turned away from the table and talking to her Harry who was at the next table.

HOW DARE THEY!

Pulling out her wand Ginny screamed, putting all her energy behind the spell.

"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

Hadrian was chatting with Fred and George as they waited for dinner to begin. All three of them were still enjoying their residual glow from their date this afternoon.

Over the past few months he and the others had been getting more and more open with their relationship. They were even now walking down the halls holding hands on weekends, and sharing little kisses between classes.

It was kind of funny that only a few people had caught on to their relationship so far. It made Hadrian really question the intelligence of the students, and teachers, in the school.

Just as they were joking about who was going to beat who in the next quidditch game Hadrian heard someone screaming the most powerful of exploding charms.

Hadrian reached forward and pulled the twins forward toward him. Wrapping their arms around each other they ducked down and tried to take shelter instinctively.

When Fred and George heard the all to familiar voice screaming the charm they just knew it was aimed at them. Seeing the fear in Hadrians eyes made them realize just how scared he was he was going to lose them.

Each pulled out their wands and cast over-powered shield charms. They both felt as their power was added too.

Looking up they saw that the shield they had conjured together was now covered in lightning. Nem was wrapped around Hadrians shoulders with her eyes glowing with green fire as she added her power to theirs, making sure they were protected from crazy fan girls.

Up at the staff table Severus and Sirius both felt their hearts stop as they saw Ginny Weasley throw that spell at Hadrian. They couldn't lose him.

They were up on their feet in an instant, both sending stunning spells at the irate girl. They were not the only ones, every other teacher in the room was doing the same, even McGonagall. In total the girl was hit with 5 stunners plus the one that came from the school itself.

She went stiff as a board and fell forward, everyone hearing the crack as her nose broke when she hit the floor.

As the dust cleared they could see that the Hufflepuff table was completely split and a large chunk had been taken out of the Ravenclaw table. Thankfully dinner hadn't started yet so there were only a few students sitting at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.

And sitting right in the middle of the debris was the twins who were wrapped around Hadrian. The shield around them was a vivid blue with lightning bolts across the surface.

Severus and Sirius let out a breath of relief as they saw that the boys were safe. Running down they found that the few students at the table had managed to get out of the way in time. There were only a few students that were having problems with splinters in their arms as they had thrown them up to cover their faces. All students that were in the immediate vicinity were taken directly to the hospital wing.

Once the teachers had ensured their students were safe Sirius and Severus made their way up to the headmasters office. They were not about to let what just happened pass without punishment.

Headmasters Office

The argument had been going on for half an hour. Everyone was frustrated. As usual Dumbledore just kept going back to the idea that it was a slight misunderstanding and sibling rivalry. He had at first been trying to say the girl must have been cursed and forced to do what she did, but the foreign magic test came back negative, the girl had been operating under her own influence.

"It isn't just a misunderstanding or sibling rivalry Albus. She could have killed someone. If their reflexes were any slower she may have succeeded. As it is she did extensive damage to school property and 32 students had to go to the hospital wing.

If she isn't suspended I will be filing a formal complaint with the DMLE. Not only about her actions, but yours as well." Severus threatened.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Albus ran his fingers through his beard. He was ready to kill that girl. She just had to attack her brothers in the middle of the great hall, if she had done it somewhere else there would have been fewer witnesses and he might have had a chance of covering it up but not now.

"According to the school rules an attack like the one she just did requires a minimum of a two week suspension. Along with being removed from any teams or clubs." Sirius told everyone as he looked over the schools rule book. "I think it would be best if we had her out of the school before the stunners wear off. We don't know what caused this latest outburst so we can't accurately predict what she will do when she wakes."

"I agree." Was voiced by the other heads of house.

Albus looked to Minerva for support. "I feel I have to agree with them Albus. As much as it pains me to say, there is no excuse for what she just did."

Albus knew he couldn't win now, not that he had had much of a chance before this. "Fine, if you all insist. Ms. Weasley will be suspended for two weeks. I will make the arrangements with her mother."

Lions Den, Upstairs Flat

Albus and Molly were both standing in Ginny's room. Albus had brought her home a few minutes before and they were now getting ready to remove the stunners. They both wanted to know what had happened to make Ginny react the way she did.

Before removing the spells Albus was sure to spell a strong calming draught into the girl as well as put her wand in another room. Ginny had inherited her mothers temper as everyone well knew.

He had already had to listen to Mollys screaming when he had to tell her that Ginny was being suspended. It had gotten worse when he had had to tell her that the girls nose had been broken when she face planted after being hit with so many stunners. It had taken less than a minute for the healers to fix it, but Molly had acted like someone had tried to kill the girl.

Ginny came awake the instant the stunners were removed. Her eyes were still fever bright as she glared around the room.

"Ginny, Gin. My baby girl." Molly simpered. "Are you ok sweetie?"

Ginny's eyes snapped to her mother with a glare. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're at home sweetie." Molly smoothed down her daughters hair.

"Ms. Weasley, I need you to tell me what led up to your altercation with your brothers?" Albus said in a grave voice. He needed to find a way to lessen the girls culpability.

"You promised me. You both said he was mine. He is mine! I won't let them have him. WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE! HE'S MINE!" Ginny started out muttering before her voice got louder and louder until she was screaming. Even with the potions in her system she was furious.

"Ginny, please sweetie. What do you mean?" Molly tried to push the girl back down in her bed.

"Those… Those… Grrr."

Albus pulled his wand and cast an old mind magics spell that would force the girl into a more peaceful state so he could get some answers. The spell was the precursor to the calming draught, but was much stronger. It had fallen out of use because it could unbalance a person more if it was used repeatedly, but since he was only using it once he was sure it would be fine.

"Headmaster?" Molly was confused when her daughter relaxed, Ginny was known to take hours to calm down.

"A simple calming spell." Albus assured the woman. "We need to know what is going on."

"Ginny, honey. Can you tell us who you are talking about?" Molly was quiet, not wanting to agitate her daughter any more.

"Fred and George!" Ginny sobbed quietly. "Those bastards that call themselves my brothers."

"What did they do to you?" Albus questioned, if the twins had started it then he might be able to push the blame onto them.

"I saw them in Hogsmeade." Ginny's eyes flashed with her previous fury. "They were with my Harry."

"Well, they are friends." Albus was confused by the fact that that was what had set her off.

"They were KISSING him!" Ginny broke down in shuddering sobs.

"WHAT!" Molly screamed. Fury surging through her body. "HOW DARE THOSE TWO!"

"Are you sure?" Albus questioned in a panic. He couldn't have this, Harry needed to be with Ginny.

"Y… Y… Yes." Ginny sobbed out in a shuddering breath.

"But Harry is meant for you." Molly reassured her daughter. "Just what has gotten into those boys. They know Ginny is the future Lady Potter. How dare they try and steal her husband?

They are just like my brothers. Stealing what doesn't belong to them. Just wait… Just you wait. When I get my hands on those two they will regret the day they tried to steal my baby girls husband."

Molly kept muttering threats much to Ginny's joy. She was so glad that her mum was on her side. At least she knew she wasn't going to get in too much trouble for losing her temper.

Albus was stuck. He actually didn't know how to handle this. He had made contingency plans for if Harry had started dating another girl, but he had never considered the boy might be gay. All his plans revolved around girls, not boys.

As they were all caught in their thoughts there was a knocking at the door. It wasn't a polite knock, but closer to an aggravated repetitive pounding.

Seeing that Molly was still too caught up in reassuring her daughter that they would fix things to get the door, Albus walked to the door. When he opened it he was slightly surprised to see Arthur. He hadn't seen a point in telling the man what had happened so he was startled to see him. But he figured Sirius or Severus must have let him know what had happened given the fact that not only was Ginny involved, but the twins as well.

Arthur stormed his way into the flat. "Where is she." He demanded.

"She's with Molly in her room." Albus told him as he led the way.

Arthur followed Dumbledore into the room to see his daughter and the woman who had once pretended to be his wife. "Would one of you care to explain to me what happened?"

Molly's eyes shot up. Arthur was here, he was here for their daughter, maybe he could be made to see things their way, maybe he could be swayed back to the side of the light.

"Daddy!" Ginny whined. "Fred and George are trying to steal my husband!"

"I beg your pardon?" Arthur was shocked by that.

"Oh Arthur, it's just awful." Molly got up and started to move towards Arthur, her arms open for a hug but he held his hands up and backed away from her. "Fred and George must have done something to Harry. Ginny actually saw him kissing them. There must be something wrong with the poor boy. We have to do something. We can't let the twins get away with doing this to our Ginny."

"That's what this was about. Ginny almost killed multiple people because she was jealous?" Arthur asked, incredulous at the idea.

"It was just a slight misunderstanding." Albus twinkled as he secretly slipped his wand out. A few compulsions wouldn't go amiss.

"It isn't a misunderstanding." Ginny screeched at the headmaster. "They were kissing my Harry. They are trying to steal my husband."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you will stop this behaviour right now." Arthur snapped at his daughter. "Hadrian is not your husband. He is a boy you attend school with, nothing more. Fred and George didn't steal him, because he isn't yours to begin with. Other people are not property. And you can't just demand them to do what you want."

"Harry and Ginny are meant to be Arthur, anyone who has ever seen them together can see that." Molly huffed, her hands on her hips.

"As I have been telling you for years Molly, you can not just force someone into a relationship with Ginny just because you want them to be." Arthur had been horrified at what Ginny had done, even more so now that he knew why.

"Now Arthur, I must agree with Molly. Ginny and Harry are perfect for each other." Albus twinkled as he sent a compulsion at Arthur, but it didn't seem to stick for some reason.

Arthur thanked Merlin for the Prewett Consort ring he wore as he felt it heat up as it deflected a spell. "Well clearly he doesn't agree with you. If Hadrian wants to be with Fred and George then it is his choice, not yours."

"They must have just dosed him with a love potion today." Ginny said as she started to rewrite what she had seen. Harry hadn't been ignoring her on purpose, he just couldn't thing clearly because of the potion.

"No they didn't." Arthur sighed in annoyance.

"And just how can you know that?" Molly demanded.

"Come now Arthur my boy. You must see that this isn't normal." Albus twinkled as he tried again with a spell. "The boys have never been anything more than friends, and even that has been questionable. Harry and Ginny really are better together, it really is for the greater good."

"I don't know which three boys you have been watching, but it clearly hasn't been Fred, George, and Hadrian. Just so you understand, the three of them have been going out for over a year now. This wasn't just some one time thing.

Ginny is going to have to get over her obsession with Hadrian one day, because it just isn't going to happen. I have tried being nice, I have tried to go slow and explain things to her. But now I am just coming out and saying it. Hadrian and Ginny will never be together. Hadrian is gay, and is with Fred and George."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Ginny screamed. "I won't let them take him from me. He's mine, mummy said so."

"Your mother can not order someone to be with you Ginny." Arthur looked at his daughter critically. "Ginny, sweetheart, you need to find someone who can love you for you. You deserve that, it just won't be with Hadrian. But, there are plenty of other boys out there that would be lucky to have an amazing girl like you, you just need to grow up a bit."

"How can you say that Arthur. Ginny and Harry were always meant to be. Ginny will be a perfect Lady Potter.' Molly argued.

"What do you mean they have been together for over a year?" Albus questioned in shock.

"I meant exactly what I said headmaster. Hadrian, Fred, and George have been dating for over a year. They were very private about their relationship in the beginning, but they have been taking it public for months now. I'm surprised you didn't notice.

They are very happy with each other. It really is quite adorable. They are just so perfect for each other." Arthur smiled as he remembered the twins antics at Hadrians birthday that year.

"But that can't be." Molly felt herself fall into her seat. Harry was meant to be with Ginny, and instead he had been seeing the twins for months in secret.

"It is. They are happy together." Arthur assured before he turned back to his daughter. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, I can not tell you just how ashamed I was when I was informed of your behaviour. You are better than this. And I expect better from you young lady. I do not want to have to hear about you behaving in such a manner again."

"But daddy…" Ginny whined.

"No buts about it young lady. This is not the sort of behaviour of the young woman you are." Arthur's tone held a warning in it.

"Don't you speak to my baby like that Arthur." Molly snapped. "She just lost her temper, that's all. It happens to everyone."

"She fired a lethal spell directly at her brothers." Arthur looked at Molly like she was insane. "Would you take this same approach if it had been the other way around? If Fred and George had been the ones to attack? I think we both know you wouldn't. So don't try it now. Ginny is not the victim in any of this. She was the attacker, plain and simple."

"They started it." Ginny pouted.

"No, they didn't. All they did was go on a date with their boyfriend, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They had every right to spend time together." Arthur tried to explain.

"Get out of my house." Molly snarled in a low voice as she reached the end of her rope. "Fred and George started this. It isn't Ginny's fault that they are trying to steal her husband."

"Fine, I'm leaving." Arthur started to head towards the door. "I just hope that Ginny learns the error of her ways before she ends up like you. Trying to claim something that was never, and will never, be hers."

As Arthur closed the door behind him Molly glared. How dare Arthur say that to her? Things might not be working out for her right now, but she was sure they would in the end. She was a good light witch, and as such she deserved everything she wanted. And her Ginny was the same. They were going to have to show Harry the error of his ways the same way she had shown Arthur all those years ago.

Molly turned to the Headmaster like he had all the answers in the world. "What are we going to do now Headmaster?"

"We are going to have to work around this." Albus sighed as he thought. "We need Harry to break up with the twins, it is just finding a plausible reason.

If we were to try compulsions or potions right now Arthur would undoubtedly suggest having him checked and purged, so we need something else. It would be much better if no one knew, but undoubtedly by now the gossip mill has spread the story around and the students will start to guess why Ginny did what she did.

I will have to go back to the school and try and do some damage control."

"What will you say?" Molly was slightly worried, she didn't want any of this to affect her daughter any more than it already had.

"I think I will say that there was a poor interaction between potions she was taking. It would convince people that it was just an honest mistake." Albus contemplated that idea, it just might work, so long as the people he was telling really didn't know how mind healer potions worked.

"I bet that's what it was." Molly fumed. "It's those disgusting potions Arthur and those idiot mind healers keep forcing on my baby girl. They must have made her react the way she did. There is no way my baby girl would ever be so violent on her own."

Ginny just watched the two adults as they planned how they were going to make her look like a victim in all this. It pleased her to know that everyone was going to know she wasn't to blame, it was all the twins fault after all. Snuggling down in her bed she started to relax as she imagined all the ways she was going to make her brothers suffer when she got back to school.