Chapter 18 - Changes are Coming

When Ginny awoke to the sunshine streaming through her bedroom window, the first thought of the morning was exactly the same as her last had been before falling asleep - her mother was visiting today.

Harry had rather cleverly offered a visit to his Italian home for the Weasley parents, knowing Ron and the twins would have to still be staying in Italy for Arthur and Molly's visit. Everyone else who was currently staying at Harry's had no trouble at all receiving parental permission to extend their holiday beyond the initial two weeks originally planed.

With both Ginny's parents visiting, Poppy had arranged for her Mind Healer to be present for that meeting too. Depending on how the visit panned out, there was also the possibility of her mum and dad having a talk with representatives from the Italian Ministry. With assurances from Bill, Poppy and Harry ringing in her ears that she wouldn't be returning to Britain any time soon, Ginny finally thought she was ready to face her mother.

Meeting up with the gang and heading down to the beach for their training was Ginny's favourite part of the day, so she was more than willing to face her mother to give Ron, Fred and George the opportunity of spending longer in Italy. Her Mind Healer was convinced training with her friends was helping Ginny more than just physically, an opinion both she and Poppy fully agreed with.

Watching as the entire gang took turns at verbally picking on Sirius, a Sirius who sported a ridiculously wide grin on his face after his first 'date' with Francesca last night, had Ginny almost forgetting what was scheduled for her later on this morning. They had finished the physical portion of their training and were just moving onto their wand work when the strangest sight any of them had ever seen banished all thoughts of training - and anything else - from their minds.

Harry's goblin friend was racing across the sand, waving his arms in the air and shouting like someone who was more than a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Seeing this very smart goblin - who always appeared so in control of his emotions - behave in this manner warned them something very bad had just happened, or something very, very good. Ginny didn't have enough dealings with goblins for her to tell whether Barchoke was currently smiling or snarling at them.

Barchoke raced straight for Harry and Sirius, shouting at the top of his voice about 'finding it!'. Both of them could easily see his excitement as everyone else soon crowded around. Knowing that anyone training here would have already been informed of what they were hunting by Harry, the little goblin took a deep breath and then passed on the monuments news.

"Lord Black employed a team of goblin curse breakers to cover every inch of Grimmauld Place before he would let Francesca or the orphans anywhere near the building. While a great many dark objects are being discovered and dealt with, the team found one object that had their dark magic scans registering off the scale. A certain locket, once owned by Salazar Slytherin, was immediately dispatched to Gringotts, with the cursed soul being removed and immediately destroyed. That's the last piece, he's now mortal."

Harry managed to mumble a question to his goblin friend. "How could it possibly have gotten there?"

Emma reacted in a totally different manner. The emotional mother pounced on Harry and Hermione with tears of relief and joy rolling down her cheeks. "I don't care how it got there, you won't have to go into that cursed cave to try and get it out now."

That started a celebration which saw all of them ending up running into the sea and acting more like a bunch of toddlers than teens - and adults. The sight of Barchoke, bedecked in his normal immaculate three-piece pinstriped suit joyously cavorting about in the waves as if he didn't have a care in the world was something that would stay with them all for a long time.

Ginny was glad that all the splashing about in the sea hid her own tears of relief, until she realised that every single one of them was doing the exact same. Luna didn't even try to hide them, rather just clung onto Neville as if her life depended on it. Harry and Hermione were also clinging to each other, though energetically bouncing about in the waves at the same time - like a strange form of demented pogo dancing. Emma was doing the rounds, hugging everyone she could get her hands on - Barchoke must have suffered that particular fate at least three times.

With thoughts of any further training that day forgotten about, they eventually sat on the beach to discuss where this left them. Barchoke was quick to bring them up to date on the steps he'd taken, before heading for Italy.

"Once we had confirmed beyond any doubts the piece of Riddle's soul had been destroyed, Bill left to inform Amelia of the wonderful news - I would expect to see them both here today at some point. That only leaves the original piece of Riddle's soul that Harry banished from Quirrell inside Hogwarts two years ago. There's a team at Gringotts trying to put some sort of timescale on how long this remaining piece of soul could exist without any other soul-jars anchoring it. The trouble is they're relying on estimates and guess work - since no one else has ever been stupid enough to create multiple soul-jars before."

Ginny had found herself bracketed by her twin brothers the instant she'd sat down. She was grateful for their support as Barchoke spoke about those disgusting things. There was a question she just had to ask though. "Does that mean Harry can just stay here and Voldemort will eventually simply fade away?"

Seeing the same thought was on everyone else's lips too, Harry did his best to answer. "I wish I could, Ginny. We know Pettigrew is off trying to help his master return, and all of us think Riddle will attempt a dark ritual to try and regain a body. Steps have been taken to try and disrupt the ritual we think will be his first choice but we also had to be very careful. If he suspects a trap, Riddle will disappear and probably choose one of the more obscure rituals available to him. If he does that, we won't know about it until a reborn Lord Voldemort starts killing people. We couldn't even chance alarm wards or anything magical around the site we think he'll use."

"So it isn't over just yet?" Fred had Ginny in a reassuring hug before she'd even finished asking her question.

It was actually Sirius who answered for everyone as he felt their previous euphoria evaporating. "What's been achieved in the last few months is nothing short of astonishing. The last war was so terrible because Voldemort appeared to hold all the cards. He's now been stripped of his finances, his most influential followers and - even more importantly - his anchors that kept him in this world. I'm not trying to belittle the task that still remains but he's mortal now. Whose to say that if Dan put a bullet into Voldemort, if he gets a body, that bullet wouldn't put him down for good."

As Sirius' words slowly sank in, Luna lifted the entire mood with one comment.

"Can it be Emma who shoots him? She's by far a better shot and we really want him gone - not clutching at his arm in shock."

Knowing the friendly rivalry that existed between the Grangers when they were shooting at targets, and that Emma had taken to shooting like a duck to water - kicking Dan's arse since day one and impressing the hell out of Remus with her natural talent - tickled a few people's funny bones.

This started off with some sniggering that soon turned to full blown laughter after Hermione's quip - reigniting the good mood that had existed mere moments ago.

"It's not as if my dad takes his shooting seriously - it's just a bit of a laugh for him. He's also well used to losing to the Granger ladies."

While all her friends had only ever seen her dad being a bit of a joker, Hermione had grown up seeing that deep level of concentration and strictly serious side of him when he worked on a patient - so wasn't surprised when her dad transferred that focus to his shooting. While he wasn't a bad shot as such, Emma could practically pick what eye she would put the bullet through - almost since completing her first session of training. Her mother's hugs though still caught Hermione out almost every time. While she absolutely relished those hugs, this radical change in her mum's behaviour - especially since she and her dad got those bracelets - was going to take some getting used to.

It was a happy group who headed back to the house on their brooms, ready for a shower and then breakfast before facing the day to come. Remus was heading back to Britain, and the orphanage. Jillian was going to be spending the day with them, helping to get everything ready for the entire orphanage arriving on their doorstep tomorrow.

-oOoOo-

Molly couldn't remember ever being as nervous as she was today. Then again, nothing in the world was more important to Molly Weasley than her children. Bill had floocalled to say he wouldn't be portkeying with them, but that he and Amelia would be dropping in on Harry later on today.

On arrival, her eyes locked in on her children immediately. The were having so much fun sitting at breakfast with their friends that none of them had noticed Arthur or her yet. Poppy had though and moved over to greet them.

She didn't miss Molly's mouth hanging open at seeing her children so happy and Poppy couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "They've actually been up for a couple of hours, training down on the beach before doing a bit of flying. Ginny's Mind Healer is adamant those sessions training with her family and friends are really helping with her recovery."

"I've never seen them looking better, or Harry looking so healthy and happy. This is easing a lot of my worries, hopefully taking with them will erase the rest. A blind person could see they're all having a great time."

"They were shopping in Naples again yesterday. We have over forty orphans arriving tomorrow for a holiday and every one of them chipped in with ideas and suggestions for making sure these children enjoy themselves. Because it's for the orphans, Sirius insisting on paying for everything, and all of them had a great day out in Naples too."

It was Harry who noticed the Weasleys first and waved the group over. As Molly approached, Fred and George stood immediately and were quickly engulfed in their mother's arms. Ron was next, though Molly gently pulled Millie into the hug too.

"I've never seen Ron happier and, although this place is beautiful, I'm sure it's more because of the company he's currently keeping."

Millie's face almost split in two with the size of grin that comment brought on. Watching that also made Harry's mind up, and Hermione instantly agreed. He stood and held his arms out in invitation, and a tearful Molly soon had both of them entwined in her arms.

"I can't thank you enough for looking after my children."

Harry wasn't having that. "Three of your sons sitting there came to my relatives house a few summers ago and ripped bars from my bedroom window to rescue me. You then took me in and allowed me to stay for the rest of that summer. For us, no thanks are needed. We were having a great holiday, and then did what was necessary to protect Ginny, that's all."

Molly was nodding but had a confession to make. "Percy left the Burrow after a big argument, he wouldn't hear a word said against Dumbledore. He's now living in Hogwarts castle and will be teaching Transfiguration next term."

Hermione let out a groan. "Did you check him for a compulsion charm?"

The look of horror on Molly's face answered that question before Arthur tried to calm his wife's fears. "It may be Dumbledore's just being very clever here. He appointed Percy's girlfriend, Penelope, as Arithmancy professor too. Both of them are already staying in the castle. Good jobs and lodgings for both of them, that would be very hard for any young couple to turn down."

Seeing how well things were going had encouraged Ginny to make her way around the table, approaching her mother with tears already in her eyes. Molly too was unashamedly crying as she wrapped their only daughter in her arms. "You look absolutely stunning, Ginny. Those clothes really suit you."

"We've been shopping in the muggle section of Naples. It's fantastic with so much to choose from. The magical section is much bigger than Diagon Alley too. Wait until you see the Institute being built behind Harry's house, it's going to be amazing."

All her fiends were beaming at Ginny after hearing that comment, they wanted the rest of the Weasleys to be attending the Institute with them. Her parents were also well aware what Ginny was up to - it wasn't exactly a subtle comment - and one glance between Molly and Arthur saw the Weasley children get an answer they were hoping for. "If Dumbledore could do that to one of my children, he could do the same - or worse - to the rest of them. None of you will be returning to Hogwarts, so we'll just need to see if we can get you places at the Potter Institute. I've heard it's quite exclusive..."

A smiling Harry immediately interrupted Molly. "Having the last name Weasley instantly grants you access, though pulling pranks could still get you kicked out..."

There was now a mass of Weasleys excitedly hugging on the terrace, though Ron and Millie appeared to be copying their best friends' moves from earlier - bouncing up and down while clinging on to each other and laughing.

Molly and Arthur were invited to sit with them and felt right at home at a table full of happy teens. That four of those teens were Weasleys almost had Molly in tears again. A few did escape when Harry offered them the opportunity to stay for a couple of days. Even his hope that they would chip in and help with the visiting orphans was an offer they couldn't refuse - both immediately volunteering to help in any way they could.

-oOoOo-

They were all back on the beach, erecting the magical tents and generally getting prepared for the arrival of their little visitors when Amelia and Bill appeared. Their demeanours demonstrated that they obviously needed to have a discussion in private. Deciding to use one of the tents, Harry, Hermione, Sirius and the Grangers sat in what was amazingly a comfortable living room under canvas.

Amelia realised this was her show and found she had no qualms about warning the people here about what she suspected might be coming their way. "Fantastic news about the last horcrux, the firewhisky came out in my office again as Bill and I shared a toast. What's got me worried though is some things I've been hearing regarding Dolores Umbridge. Sirius, she's stirring up the muck within the Wizengamot. I expect you'll soon receive a summons to appear before them regarding your plans for the orphanage."

It was a thoughtful Hermione who had a suggestion. "What if we set up a preemptive strike? Harry, do you remember we promised Skeeter an exclusive interview with your godfather? That appearing in the Prophet just before the Wizengamot demand answers should pull the rug out from under them."

This saw her receiving a quick kiss from her betrothed. "A fantastic idea, and we can still give Luna a couple more exclusives for her father. I don't ever want Rita anywhere near the Institute."

With that potential problem being so easily solved, it was clear something else must be bothering Amelia - she didn't disappoint.

"It's an open secret within the Ministry that Hogwarts is holding the revived Tri-Wizard tournament this year, with two other schools from abroad travelling to Hogwarts to compete alongside the still to be chosen Hogwarts champion."

Looking at Hermione, the information started popping into Harry's mind. "They haven't held this tournament for centuries, because a number of the contestants continually kept ending up dead. The last two champions received their awards posthumously - why the hell would they want to revive something like this?"

Nodding in agreement of Hermione's sentiments, Amelia then expressed what had initially triggered her alarm bells. "The competition is being restricted to witches and wizards who are of age..."

Hermione immediately began to share Amelia's worries. "Harry's considered of age, but has obviously left Hogwarts. How are these contestants chosen?"

Amelia had heard from Susan just how smart this which was, and was shocked at how quickly Hermione had gotten right to the heart of the problem. "Any potential champions need to place their name into a magical artefact - the Goblet of Fire. It chooses the champion for each of the schools, creating a binding magical contract as it does so."

"Oh shit! Why do I feel as if someone just walked over my grave?"

None of them thought Harry's comment was funny, nor his apprehension unwarranted. All could clearly see here's what had prompted Amelia to speak with them. Sirius found himself a lot more worried about this development than any summons for himself to face the Wizengamot.

"Bill, could Gringotts look into this supposed binding magical contract the cup creates? We could try and obtain a set of the rules for the competition but we also know that rules can be rewritten - or downright ignored - if it suits Dumbledore or Fudge's agendas."

Amelia agreed with that, but had more information to share with them. "What really set my alarm bells ringing is that Umbridge suddenly started upgrading all the tasks to lethal levels. Amos Diggory was telling everyone at the Ministry who stood still long enough that his son, Cedric, would be one of the favourites to represent Hogwarts as her champion. That was until Umbridge contacted his department about bringing Dragons to Scotland for this tournament - and that's only the first task. I think his son will currently be getting ordered not to go nowhere near that goblet."

While both were discussing the situation over their bond, it was Harry who spoke about what they had decided. "This is something we should certainly keep an eye on, just how 'binding' this contract might be will decide on how closely the situation needs monitored. It's at least a few months away though, and there's such a lot to be done before that. It goes without saying that Dumbledore would do practically anything to drag me back to Britain - if not Hogwarts castle itself. I have people looking out for me now though, so that puts us miles ahead of where we would normally be in these situations. It's now placed on our to-do list, and will move higher up the list as the date approaches - or we find out more worrying information. Do we all agree?"

That question was greeted by nods of agreement, though Dan and Emma's were rather forced. The subject was closed for the moment however when the tent flap opened and Remus led Jillian into the tent - with a stowaway.

"After hearing where I was going, this little madam parked herself outside my office door and begged to be brought along. I hope you don't mind?" The last part was said in jest as Harry and Hermione were clearly very happy to see Joan again. Their wide smiles were soon joined by Joan, now wearing a matching expression.

"I couldn't wait to see Hermione, and Harry, again."

Hermione only managed one step before Joan rocketed right into her arms. "Oh I think we could overlook this little stowaway..."

She was holding Joan while having another conversation with Harry. Emma was soon being introduced to the little witch too.

Remembering her own conversation with Dan, Emma was determined to help here. "Do you like the tent? You and your friends are going to be staying in them."

"Oh I think they are beautiful, just like everything here."

Putting Joan down onto her own feet, Hermione took the little witch by the hand. "What if we go a walk with my mum and dad while Jillian has her meeting?"

Joan wore a massive smile as she slipped her tiny hand into Hermione's. Emma offered to take Joan's other hand and the three of them stepped out of the tent, with Dan following on.

Jillian deliberately waited until they had left before speaking again. "I'm really sorry for imposing Joan on you like this but I've never seen her this animated before. When not doing an organised activity, she normally just sits somewhere by herself and quietly reads. Since meeting the people who visited the orphanage, the change in her has been remarkable. Her smile as she left here holding Hermione's hand is easily the widest I've ever seen on her face."

Through Harry, Hermione was still getting all of that. Knowing the feeling for Joan was mutual, Harry totally agreed with his betrothed's mental suggestion. "We already love having her here, she's not exactly any trouble, and we were wondering if she could stay tonight? Everyone else will be arriving tomorrow anyway so it will only be extending her holiday by one day."

Jillian had absolutely no problem with that suggestion and Harry was almost overwhelmed by the feeling of joy that returned from Hermione over their bond at hearing the good news. Bill left to meet with his family and Amelia set off to have a visit with Susan. She had already offered to sit in any meting the Weasley family had with the Italian Ministry. She was more than happy to speak with them on how the investigation was proceeding, and why the British Minister of Magic was blocking her department at every turn in order to protect Dumbledore.

Harry, Sirius and Remus proceeded to give Jillian a tour of the facilities they'd put in place, and run some of the activities planed past her for approval. She adored the tents, knowing the children would love them too. Tents opening onto a beach was a wonderful idea, though she had some safety concerns. Remus was able to ensure her that there would be at least one adult staying in each of the tents with the children, and that there were alarm wards on the tent flaps in case one of the children tried to wander off at night.

Simply watching as Joan interacted with the rest of the teens currently on the beach reaffirmed to Jillian that this was the best thing to ever happen to the orphanage. Sitting on a beautiful beach at tables under thatched parasols and drinking delicious chilled fruit juice was a very rare treat for her. Seeing Joan and Hermione share a large ice cream sundae would be an experience Jillian was sure the little witch would never forget. That this was being made available to all of the children currently in her care had Jillian thinking she was dreaming, except her dreams had never been as good as this before.

-oOoOo-

Draco was also thinking he was dreaming. He stared once more at his mother to ensure what he was hearing was actually true. Severus had insisted Draco's opinion on any union be considered before they proceeded further, not knowing this simply further endeared him to Cissi. Lucius had never thought of anyone but himself, apart from the man he had called master.

"Yes, Draco. If Severus and I married, you would have the option of no longer being a Malfoy. Severus would be more than happy to adopt you into his family."

Switching that stare to his former head of house, Draco's expression once more begged for confirmation of that fact.

"He actually has another option open to him as well. My mother was of the house of Prince but married beneath herself. That proud family is now reduced to one great aunt who only clings onto life in the desperate hope an heir can be found before she passes. I will never be considered but she would happily accept you as the answer to all her prayers. With your parents being a Malfoy and a Black, Great Aunt Ophelia would probably kiss your feet if you would consider continuing the Prince bloodline. You would probably have to blood adopt with her, though would still be our son. It would also see any legacy your mother and I leave go to any children we might have later."

Draco couldn't see any downside to this. He would be at Hogwarts with both his parents - both there as professors. No longer being considered a Malfoy would remove a massive weight from his shoulders. Even the thought of his mother possibly having more children with Severus was not a deal breaker for Draco. Dreams of teaching a younger sibling how to fly a broom were very pleasant ones. In the end, there really wasn't a decision for Draco to make.

"If you and Severus wish to get married, I would offer you both my full support on the matter. As to the Price or Snape thing, I'll happily trust your judgement on whatever you both think is best for me."

His mother then laying down the law that none of the men in her life would be involved in the war between the Dark Lord, Dumbledore and Potter was just the cherry on top as far as Draco was concerned. He'd seen what death looked like at the hands of Potter, and had no interest in any repeat lessons. changing his name would get Draco out from under this blood-feud, and no one could say anything about how he achieved that feat. His mother remarrying was a perfectly legitimate reason to lose the Malfoy name, without any accusations of cowardice being attached to the manoeuvre - or Draco himself. As discussions moved onto the 'when' his mother would marry Severus, Draco could only think that the sooner the better.

-oOoOo-

Joan was failing fast, only her determination not to miss anything was keeping her eyes open. She'd probably spoken more today, and with more people, than she would in a month back at the orphanage. Hermione then unleashed her secret weapons.

"If you go for a nap, I'll be able to introduce you to Hedwig and Crookshanks. Hedwig is Harry's owl and Crookshanks is my cat. If you get a short nap now, you'll enjoy your dinner more. Oh, did I forget to mention, Miss Jillian said you could stay here with us when she goes back to Britain after dinner tonight."

After hearing that, Joan hugged Hermione hard before releasing her grip and melting into Harry's arms. With shouts of 'see you for dinner' ringing in her ears, the little witch was almost asleep by the time they reached Harry's bedroom. She stayed awake long enough to be introduced to Hedwig and then Crookshanks jumped up on the bed to keep Joan company as she napped.

Jillian stood at the door, smiling down at the young couple and her charge. "The excitement alone will be enough to have her tired out. You just gave that young witch the best day of her life - and are planning to do he same for the rest of my charges. You can't possibly know what this means to them."

Knowing Harry wouldn't want to talk about his pre-Hogwarts years, Hermione gave Jillian something of an insight on what this meant to them.

"My Harry is an orphan who was raise by relatives, those relatives hated even the mention of the word magic. Since my Harry is a very powerful wizard, they transferred all that hatred onto him. A friend, even a kind word, can make all the difference in the world to someone who feels life has abandoned them. We know exactly what this will mean to them, and hopefully it will only be the start. We hope to change all of their lives for the better. Ambitious - yes - but that's who my Harry is. His godfather is pretty special too, and failure is simply not an option in this case."

After quietly calling Dobby and asking him to keep an eye on Joan, Harry put his arm around Hermione and led them all from his room. "You'll meet Francesca later, which is one of the reasons why we wanted you to stay for dinner. She's the architect who will work on the orphanage, and has actually just started dating Sirius. She's currently project managing the Potter institute. We've gotten into the habit of all having a quick look at how the institute is progressing, and then Francesca joins us for dinner."

Jillian could certainly understand Joan's tiredness due to all the excitement. This was turning out to be the most exciting day of her life too.

-oOoOo-

Ron was sitting quietly on the terrace, with his arm around Millie as they let their sumptuous dinner digest. They were watching Harry and Hermione walk along the beach, with Joan happily sandwiched between them and holding both of their hands. The colourful lanterns that had been set up all over the beach for tomorrow's visitors allowed him to see the trio were all having fun.

Noticing the thoughtful mood her boyfriend was in, Millie asked the question she really didn't want to. "Would you rather be down there, with them?" Millie may have said 'them', but she really meant Hermione. While the girl had been nothing but supportive of her relationship with Ron, and was quickly becoming a good friend to Millie, this holiday had seen Hermione bloom into a beautiful young woman. Millie still had some major insecurities over her appearance however, and Ron had been one of Hermione's best friends for the last three years.

"No, they need some time to themselves - or with Joan. That little girl makes both of them smile and laugh so much - they're good for each other." Looking into Millie's eyes, Ron then sussed exactly what Millie was asking him. "They are both my best friends but I would much rather be sitting here with you."

Seeing her smile didn't quite reach Millie's eyes, Ron then confessed to what he'd actually been thinking about. "I was sitting here wondering if this was actually real, or will life kick us in the teeth again. Watching a beautiful Mediterranean sunset with my arm around my gorgeous girlfriend - those things don't happen to Ron Weasley. I've been piss-poor all my life and this just doesn't seem real...ouch!"

Hitting Ron on the back of his head, Millie then asked her boyfriend if that smack was real enough for him. "I'm here, and not going anywhere. Your family is also by no means piss-poor."

Seeing Ron about to dispute that statement, Millie didn't give him time but instead cut right across his objections. "Piss-poor is a muggle saying. Tanneries used to require urine to treat the hides, so people used to save their piss and sell it to them. For the poorer families, that might be all the income they had - hence piss-poor. If you literally didn't have a pot to piss in, you were even poorer than that. By no stretch of the imagination are the Weasleys anywhere near that poor."

She then changed tact on Ron. "Look down there. Now no one in the entire world knows those two better than you do - so tell me this. Is it his gold that's making Harry incredibly happy, or the people he's with?"

It was like the theatre curtain pulling back on opening night, Ron finally got to see his friends for who they really were. "Harry usually wears clothes that are in a worse state than mine - and don't even fit him. When Harry got access to his gold, the first thing he did was spend a chunk of it on his friends. Harry could easily have arranged for some of the best tutors in the world to provide lessons for him and Hermione, instead he's building a fabulous school for all of us. People are more important to Harry than any amount of gold, with Hermione being right at the very top of that list."

Pleased that her boyfriend was cottoning on, she prodded him to go further. "And Hermione?"

Ron smiling was not the answer Millie wanted, but she was fine after hearing his explanation. "The first time we met Sirius was terrifying - and not just because it was in the Shrieking Shack. He was supposed to be an escaped mass murderer who was desperate to kill Harry. Hermione deliberately stood right in front of Harry, ready to take any curse Sirius was going to cast at him. A hell of a lot of things changed that night, but not how those two felt about each other. She wouldn't care if Harry didn't have a knut to his name, Hermione would still be right by his side."

Nodding at his understanding, Millie then laid it out for Ron. "You have a wonderful family and fantastic friends, that makes Ronald Weasley a wealthy man."

He leaned over and gently kissed Milly. "Having you as my girlfriend makes me one of the richest men in the world. You have my permission to keep whacking the back of my head anytime I forget that."

Molly was sitting on the balcony connected to the room Harry had provided for her and Arthur's stay, sipping a wonderful glass of red wine and making no attempt to stem the flow of tears that were running down her cheeks. Understanding these were happy tears, Arthur sipped his own glass as they saw his youngest son give his girlfriend a kiss.

"They all look wonderful, Arthur, and are clearly very happy. That school Harry's building is something else too. It's hard to believe that our children even had some input into the design of the building but Minerva would never lie to us. Harry's also invited us back for Christmas, we'll get to spend the holidays with them."

Passing his hanky over to his wife, a smiling Arthur had even better news for Molly. "Since the Institute will only have four years worth of students, they decided to allow parents to visit and stay for a weekend each term. They'll arrange a rota of when those visits are, taking birthdays and other things into account. I didn't want to say anything until after our visit..."

Molly finished Arthur's sentence. "..just in case we couldn't come. Oh Arthur, I could strangle Albus bloody Dumbledore with his own beard for what he's done to these children. Do you think Percy will be in any danger at Hogwarts?"

Arthur had been giving that a lot of thought so gave Molly his best guess. "Dumbledore will try to extract as much work out of Percy and Penny as is humanly possible, while paying them as little as he can get away with. I don't think either of them will be in any danger, those Quibbler articles will see a lot of people keeping a close eye on Hogwarts and Dumbledore. He would need to be really crazy to pull anything now."

That didn't exactly reassure Molly, since the young Mind Healer who was handling Ginny's case used exactly those words to describe the Hogwarts Headmaster.

Harry and Hermione were tucking Joan into a bed that had been placed in Hermione's room, the little chatterbox became quiet as Harry kissed her goodnight on the forehead.

Noticing her silence, and her nose twitching almost as if Joan was biting her young lip over something, Hermione kissed the little girl on the forehead too before speaking. "You know you can ask us anything, don't you?"

Looking at both of them in turn, Joan then lowered her eyes and her voice was barely above a whisper. "Is this what having a family feels like? Everyone here has treated me so well. This has been the best day of my life..."

Harry sat on the bed beside the little girl, trying to avoid Joan bursting into tears. "I think so. You see, I didn't have a family before this summer either - and never thought I ever would. Any family would be really lucky to have you as part of it, and I promise your name is already down to attend the Potter Institute when that time comes."

Joan threw her arms around Harry and hugged him close, smiling instead of crying. "With a wand and uniform and books...". She now had a future to look forward too.

-oOoOo-

Peter understood his future would be decided in the next few seconds. He'd found the spirit that once had been his master and was now on his knees, head bowed, awaiting any punishment the Dark Lord saw fit to administer.

He tried not to let his thoughts drift to the witch kneeling beside him. After spending over a week in Bertha's company, a Bertha Jorkins controlled by the imperius curse Peter had cast on the lovely witch, he was finding it hard to ignore the witch he now knew in the biblical sense of the word.

His master immediately quashed all Peter's lustful thoughts about the witch who'd been keeping him company by possessing Berta's body. There was zero chance of Peter even kissing this witch again, his master's face growing out the back of Bertha's head put an instant end to that. Memories of the fun he'd had with Bertha, after she'd recognised him in that inn, were now actually turning his stomach. The Dark Lord's possession of Bertha might just kill Peter's libido off for all time, if his master didn't kill him first.

"Ah Wormtail, so nice of you to find me - eventually."

Hearing his master's voice for the first time in over a decade left Peter trembling with fear. He expected, at the very least, to be punished severely. His master was clearly very angry, and an angry Dark Lord always took that anger out on others. Since Peter was now the only other person here, his master was hardly likely to cast his favourite torture curse on the witch he'd just possessed, Peter expected to feel that anger wash over him and cause a torrent of pain. He was to be shocked that the expected pain didn't materialised - Lord Voldemort had other fish to fry.

Tom wasn't angry. Instead he was experiencing an emotion that he usually inspired in others - the Dark Lord Voldemort was terrified. For some reason he couldn't explain, Tom felt compelled to return to Britain as quickly as he possibly could. There was no time for finesse or complicated rituals, a brute force possession of a witch already under the control of one of his followers was the surest way of reaching Little Hangleton in the shortest possible time.

There, he would check to see if the treasure stored at his mother's home was still safe before deciding on his next move. Something was telling Tom his treasure wouldn't be there, which was the reason for his terror. Unless that ring was where he left it, Tom would be forced into taking drastic measures.

He'd felt abandoned and alone, with that feeling growing exponentially over the last few months. Wormtail was certainly not one of his inner circle Death Eaters, he was barely competent as a wizard, but he was here - and with a vessel fo him to possess. When Wormtail's shaking hand held out his beloved wand, Lord Voldemort decided to be merciful. He cast the cruciatus on Wormtail, but only for a few seconds. It was wonderful to hold his wand once more, even if these arms were on backward.

"Come Wormtail, we must return to Britain. As you have already discovered, travelling as a couple attracts very little attention. We will continue to do so until we reach home."

His wand soon had expansion charms on the inside of Bertha's bag, with featherlite and warming charms making it an ideal way to transport Niagi along with them. That same wand then transfigured a piece of wood into a hat for Bertha, charmed so the Dark Lord could see through it.

The couple began walking out of the forest they'd entered earlier. Unlike their journey in though, they certainly weren't holding hands as they left.

-oOoOo-

Donald was having relationship problems too. Those were actually not so unusual for guards posted to the luxury island resort of Azkaban, though Donald's certainly were. All these articles in the newspapers mentioning Death Eaters and You-Know-Who caused the security at the island prison to be reviewed and dramatically increased.

This left his proposed date with the deadly Bellatrix to be simply impossible for the time being. There was one thing about Donald Carrick however, he had no problem displaying patience to get what he wanted - and Donald wanted Bellatrix badly.

He would wait until all the hoo-haa died down, this level of security couldn't be maintained for too long, and then Donald would be able to make his much anticipated move. Thinking positive thoughts like that was the only thing that got him through the days - that and knowing his patience would be well rewarded. Bellartix Lestrange was certainly worth waiting for.