Midnight Duel, Midday Love
Epilogue
By Draco664
Epilogue
Nymphodora Tonks held up her hand and gave a quick signal in the pre-dawn silence. The four figures behind her halted their forward movement and quickly spread out within the grove of trees into a precise formation without making a sound.
As leader of the auror team, Tonks scanned the area in front of them around their target, an lonely old ivy-covered mansion in the Scottish highlands. The moon had been full the night before, so there was plenty of light. She turned to her second in command.
"What do you see?" she mouthed.
Cho nodded, closed her eyes for a second before slowly opening them. Only the most observant viewer would notice that they were slightly unfocused.
Cho stayed stock still for all of six seconds before blinking and turning her attention back to Tonks. "Two on patrol. Under invisibility cloaks. Over there." she whispered quietly, pointing off to the group's right.
On Tonks' left, Miles Stirling, a recent academy graduate, frowned in confusion at Cho's whisper. The more experienced auror had not even been looking in the direction she was indicating.
Tonks nodded, giving Cho an odd look. With a series of efficient gestures, she sent a pair from her team to intercept and neutralise the threat, with instructions not to use magic. Stirling shifted his weight, and slowly moved closer to the Asian witch who, despite being the second least experienced auror in the group, had quickly built such a reputation in the auror ranks that she had risen to second in command of an auror squad.
"Chang? How do you know there are two people out there?" he whispered.
"Saw them." she replied, not turning to face him.
Stirling frowned. "Under invisibility cloaks?"
She absently shook her head. "The foot falls they made on the grass."
Stirling blinked at her answer, but noticed that Tonks gave her second in command a nod and look of realisation. Before he could ask another question, two quick buzzes could be heard from the trio's right, followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the ground.
The two aurors Tonks ordered away slid the muggle stun guns back into their belts, and dragged the pair of now unconscious wizards over to the rest of the group. Tonks confiscated the invisibility cloaks and turned the captives over.
Tonks and one of the aurors she sent to incapacitate the wizards hissed. Cho and Stirling both sent her questioning glances. "Old friends?" whispered Cho.
One of the aurors nodded. "Weasley kicked them out of the Ministry five years ago, during the Trial."
Tonks nodded in agreement. "At Sirius' request. They were Unspeakables."
Stirling coughed softly. "Well, we should get going then." With that, he quickly cast a powerful binding charm on the captives.
Harry soared half a kilometer above the action with in a wide circle, his powerful avian eyes easily spotting the foot steps the men under the invisibility cloaks made as they patrolled the grounds around the manor house. He gave a quick trill of humour as two of Tonks' aurors crept around behind them, stunning them without a spell.
The wards around the house were intact.
With the immediate danger to the auror team neutralised, Harry swooped down to the large manor. It was easy enough to locate the open window all wizard homes maintained. Owls needed to get in after all.
The blood-red phoenix sped towards the open window, before flaring his wings and alighting on the sill with the silence of a ghost. Seven wizards and one witch were in deep discussion around a large cedar table, the aromatic wood filling Harry's sensitive nostrils.
Before Harry heard enough of their conversation to determine the topic, a subtle change in the air told him a ward had been tripped. Even as he mentally cursed, the eight jumped to their feet, each drawing their wand quickly.
The witch, obviously the leader, quickly started ordering the men to various tasks, ranging from destroying documents to ambush positions to give the others enough time to escape. From the wizards' lack of questions and abundance of quick, efficient action, Harry decided that this group had effective disaster plans in place.
A quiet pop, and Harry was sitting on the sill, for the moment unnoticed. With a feral smile the young man dropped down to the floor in a crouch and drew his wand, his emerald eyes alight at the prospect of battle.
Stirling raced across the field to the manor house, right on the heels of his colleagues. He would never for the rest of his life forget the incredulous look Tonks gave him as his binding spell set off one of the wards.
Mentally he kicked himself again, starting what would probably become a lifetime long habit. In his attempt to try to show that he could think for himself, he proved the exact opposite.
Tonks sprinted in front of the group, Chang right beside her. It took the group less than thirty seconds to cover the ground between the trees and the house, though to Stirling it seemed like half an hour.
He watched as Chang drew her wand and sent a Reducto curse at the door from ten metres away without breaking stride. From that distance, Stirling would have expected the door to easily shrug off the assault, but the spell hit and shattered the wooden door, allowing the group to enter the house at speed.
Over his panting, Stirling could hear shouts and screams from the level above, interspaced with explosions and flashes of coloured light.
Leaping over the remains of the door, Miles sped past Tonks and Chang, and ran up the stairs leading to the next floor. Tonks cursed under her breath and indicated with the efficient hand gestures that Chang would come with her while the other two secured the lower floor.
With the two witches on his heels, Stirling crashed through a pair of double doors to reveal the scene of a large magical battle.
One that was still raging.
Cursing in Chinese under her breath, Cho followed Stirling up the stairs. The boy was now so desperate to prove himself after his blunder that he was a danger to himself and the rest of the group.
True to form, without hesitation he crashed into and through a set of closed double doors at the top of the stairs, opening onto a magical duel.
Cho couldn't help but smile at the sight of her husband. Standing tall but anything but still, Harry Potter easily sent hex after curse after charm at his opponents, all the while moving around quickly enough that each spell sent back at him hit nothing but empty air. At first glance it appeared that he was having an extraordinary amount of luck, but it was soon apparent that Harry was simply an extraordinary duelist.
He would combine both a summoning and a banishing spell on a vase, sending it from one side of the room to the other, a seemingly useless move. But the flying vase intercepted a curse from one of his opponents in mid-air, shattering under the assault and protecting him from the spell. The flying fragments struck a second opponent, causing that wizard to scream in pain and duck for cover as dozens of tiny ceramic shards cut his hands and face.
The next second, Harry shrunk the four legs of the large table, causing the heavy tabletop to land hard on the witch who was hiding under it. By casting finite incantetum at only two of the legs on one side, the table sprang up and flipped, landing on two of the other wizards, and becoming a makeshift barrier that protected Harry from two curses.
Between all his unorthodox tactics, Harry was sending a volley of hexes and charms at his opponents, keeping them off balance and confused. Already he had disabled six of his opponents, and he was yet to be too troubled in this battle.
The arrival of the aurors caused a surge of victory to course through him, until he saw one of them raise his wand and point it at him.
Cho groaned aloud as Stirling raised his wand and cast a stunning spell at Harry. Before the spell hit, he had moved his aim to one of the others, ready to stun the next one too.
Obviously of the 'stun everyone and ask questions later' mindset.
Too bad for him then that he tried to stun someone who could read your movements well enough to know what you were going to do before you did.
Stirling had no idea what hit him when stunning spells from Harry, Cho and Tonks all hit him simultaneously.
Harry ducked a killing curse and summoned one of the large bookshelves lining the wall, causing it to crash heavily on his attacker. Flicking his gaze over the room, he noted that only the witch was left conscious, though she was groaning.
With a bony hand, the witch grasped at a pendant around her neck and muttered some soft words Harry didn't catch. A chill wind swept through the room.
Harry's foot connected sharply behind her ear, and the old witch slumped, out like a light. The chill in the air stayed. Harry turned to Tonks and Cho.
"Check the rest of the house, I think she summoned reinf-" he started, before another door to the room swung open, revealing a frighteningly familiar tall, thing being wearing a dark cloak.
The dementor glided forward, allowing its presence to dissolve will and moral. Tonks felt her mouth go dry as the unfettered dementor gracefully moved towards Harry.
Cho raised her wand and shouted "Expacto Patronum!", but with thoughts of losing Harry flooding her mind, only a thin wisp of silver vapour curled from the tip of her wand.
Mentally she screamed at Harry to move, to flee, to cast his own magnificent patronus, anything. But Harry just stood there stock still, seemingly just waiting for the dementor to approach and steal his soul.
Harry felt a curious detachment as the dementor drifted towards him. Absently he noted that after having stared a Shadow Demon straight in the eyes for almost a full minute, the sensation of a dementor's chill just didn't affect him as usual anymore.
Not that the dementor noticed. It eagerly moved closer to Harry, slowly raising its hands and pushing back its hood, exposing the sightless face and toothless maw. Almost lovingly, it reached out to grasp the sides of Harry's head, leaning forward to administer the Kiss to an unresisting soul.
Harry curled a fist and punched it in the mouth.
Hard.
With a curious squawk of total surprise, the dementor's head rocked back from Harry's strike. It fell backwards onto its backside in a rather undignified way, then completed the fall, landing on its back.
Both Tonks and Cho gasped with relief as the dementor's field of cold was dispelled in an instant. They both ran over to Harry, who was standing over the unconscious form of one of the most feared creatures in the world.
"Well, that was interesting." he said to no one in particular. Slowly, Harry drew his katana, and with a quick, practiced move, decapitated the dementor.
"I'm sorry, Love. He's new."
Harry shook his head, and let out a long breath, releasing his tension and frustration. He looked up at the sunrise, letting the burst of light from the horizon calm him.
The clean up was progressing nicely in the manor below, with several dozen ministry personnel combing the house. Harry and Cho sat quietly on the tiled roof, just listening to the bustle below.
A broad grin split Harry's face, reminding Cho of her husband's mischievous side. "Perhaps we could..."
"No." said Cho adamantly.
"You didn't even listen to what I was going to say!" Harry protested.
"When you get that look on your face, only Sirius would be pleased." she chided, fighting to prevent her own grin from appearing.
Harry sighed theatrically, and put his arm around his wife's shoulders. The pair sat in silence for several minutes just watching the sunrise.
"Cho? Harry?" enquired a familiar voice.
The Potters turned to see Tonks hovering on a broom behind them. "Mind if I join you?"
Harry gestured to the space beside him. "Be our guest."
Tonks landed gently and sat down. "Thanks. You know, being a squad leader is more trouble than it's worth." she grumbled.
"Stirling? Or the dementor?" Harry asked, already suspecting the answer.
"Yes." Tonks replied, ambiguously. "Firstly, Stirling trips the wards, then he breaks formation to get to the fight first, then the first thing he does is try and stun an ally. Not only that, he then committed the cardinal sin of dueling, moving to the next opponent when you haven't incapacitated the first." The now magenta haired witch shook her head. "I'm not sure he's cut out to be an auror."
Harry chuckled. "What are you mad at him for? Attacking an ally, or losing a duel to one? I'm guessing he'll be just as critical of his own performance when you explain it to him."
Tonks nodded morosely. "I think I'm looking forward to his appraisal less than he is." She looked up at the pair after a silent moment. "And secondly," she continued. "An unregistered dementor. The ministry thought they recorded them all, and now we find evidence that there are others out there, supporting dark wizards!" Tonks gave a quick growl of frustration.
"Ah well." she said after taking a deep breath. "The raid turned out a success, regardless. Thanks for scouting for us."
Harry waved away the comment. "Sirius didn't have me doing anything else. Molly thinks I'm training with the team and is looking after Cedric and James. It was either be an ace in your sleeve or sit at home doing nothing."
Tonks smiled. "Thanks anyway. The rest of the team are very curious as to how Cho could see two guys under invisibility cloaks from fifty yards away. Are you ever going to let it become public knowledge that you are a phoenix animagi?"
Harry shook his head. "Sirius thinks that having only a handful of people know will mean that when I help out in auror raids, I'll continue to be useful."
Tonks nodded. "Well, you've pulled my arse out of the fire more times than I'm prepared to count over the last few years. You'd best be off soon though, if you want to keep your part in this operation a secret. We've got enough evidence of sedition to put them all ten of the buggers we caught away for a long while, but since this is a secure site and you officially are not here..."
"I get it." Harry said with a smile. He stood and stretched before grabbing Cho in a tight embrace. "See you at home, Beautiful." he said to Cho, and gave her a deep kiss. "Have you set up wards to track apparition?"
Cho nodded. "I did that right away."
Harry smiled at her and blew her a kiss. "Good girl!" he said with a grin, before transforming into a phoenix and swooping away.
Molly Weasley sang softly to herself as she cooked breakfast. With expertise that spoke of countless hours of practice, she quickly assembled a massive platter of pancakes. She placed a heating charm on the enormous ceramic platter to keep them warm, and placed it on the kitchen table, ready for the small army of occupants the Burrow housed that night.
True to form, Percy was the first down. Dressed, showered and ready for the day, the fussy young man quickly ate his breakfast, kissed his mother and flooed to work. The dust had almost settled when two tousle-haired toddlers made their way into the kitchen, both rubbing sleep from their eyes.
"Good morning James, Cedric. Ready for breakfast?" she asked them.
With enthusiastic nods, the pair moved to the table. Cedric clambered over to and into his chair, while James held out his arms, waiting for Molly to lift the younger brother into his highchair.
"My, that looks delicious."
Molly and the two boys turned to see Harry, a grin on his face.
"Daddy!" the two boys yelled, before running over to him. Molly Weasley simply smiled at the sight.
With a whop of joy, Harry picked both his sons up, one in each arm. "Were you boys good for Grandma?" he asked.
Both nodded quickly, too quickly. Harry raised an eyebrow and looked over at the woman he considered his second mother. "Really?" he asked her.
Molly slowly walked over to Harry and kissed him on the cheek. "They were absolute angels, once they went to sleep." she said, giving them a warm smile.
Harry tried to look stern, but anyone could see he was trying hard to contain his amusement. "What did you boys do?"
"Jamesy gave Uncle Fred purple hair." said Cedric.
"Did not!" blurted his brother.
Cedric looked at James in surprise. "Did to!"
James shook his head with indignation. "Blue!" he countered.
Harry laughed out loud. "Ah, but Uncle Fred already has red hair, James. What colour do you get when you mix blue and red?"
James frowned in thought, trying to remember the colour chart his father had pinned to his bedroom wall at home. "Purple?" he offered.
"Exactly!" said Harry, hugging his younger son as a reward. "Now, something smells good. How about we eat those pancakes for breakfast?"
Both boys shouted their enthusiasm, Cedric tottering over to his chair while Harry inserted James into his highchair.
Once they were all seated, Harry filled their plates and they began to eat.
"How was practice, Harry?" asked Molly, taking a sip of tea.
"Fine. I tried to get away early, but with a match coming up in a fortnight..." Harry shrugged, "What can I say."
"Do you want me to keep looking after these two for you?" she asked.
Harry shook his head, a smile on his face. "Cho should be off duty soon, and I'm looking forward to a couple of days without training. We'll probably take these two young monsters and head off to the zoo or something."
"Zoo!" shouted James excitedly, banging his plastic fork's handle on the table. "Want the zoo!" Cedric nodded his agreement.
Harry smiled at his sons. "Just promise me that you'll not convince the snakes to dance for you this time."
Both James and Cedric frowned at this completely unfair restriction.
Harry turned back to Molly. "Thank you again for taking care of them."
"Oh pish posh, Harry. It was my pleasure. It is always nice to have some little ones around again."
Molly regarded the young man before her, weighing up what she was about to say. "Harry, Ginny was asking after you the other day."
Harry nodded calmly. "How is she?"
"She just finished university. She got a job with my cousin's accounting firm."
"I thought Arthur wanted her to get a job in the Muggle Relations department."
Molly sighed sadly. "He did, but she wouldn't hear of it. She hardly ever comes home any more. I think she has emotionally severed her ties with the magical world."
Harry leaned over and took one of Molly's hands. "Is she happy?"
Molly took a deep breath. "I think so, but it is hard to tell sometimes."
Harry squeezed Molly's hand gently. "Ginny is stubborn, but she knows her limits. If she needs you, she'd tell you."
Harry noticed that Cedric had finished his pancakes. "Do you want some more?" he asked his son.
At Cedric's enthusiastic nodding, Harry again placed a couple of pancakes on Cedric's plate.
Harry eyed the stack of uneaten pancakes, and the only place at the table with used plates. "Did only Percy stay last night?"
"No, Bill and Fleur are staying in Ron's old room, with their little Chantelle. They arrived late last night, so are probably going to sleep in this morning. Arthur is upstairs of course, still sleeping since he also got in late, and Hermione is staying here with young Albus while Ron is away on tour. We were up until early morning reminiscing. You know, it would be so much more convenient if you and Ron were on the same team."
Harry grinned. "Probably, but then we would see more of each other than our spouses. Hermione and Cho would feel jealous."
"I know Ron has tried to get you transferred to the Cannons, but Sirius won't let you go. What if you were to try and get him transferred to the Marauders?"
Harry gave a low chuckle. "Ron's dream has always been to play for the Cannons. If I was to get him transferred, I'd have an ex-best friend."
"Harry?" came a most familiar voice from the stairs. "Is that you?"
Harry turned to face the newcomer. "Good morning, Hermione. Sleep well?"
On bare feet, a slightly rumpled Hermione rushed over to her best friend and gave him a big hug. "I'm glad you're OK."
Harry coughed. "Why wouldn't I be OK?"
Hermione stiffened briefly. "Oh, no reason." she said lamely.
If Molly noticed the byplay between the two, she didn't react to it. Soon the rest of the family came down and helped themselves to breakfast. Once Harry and his sons were finished, Harry gave a quick kiss on the cheek to Hermione, Fleur and Molly and said his goodbyes. He gathered up Cedric and James, summoned their belongings, and flooed home.
"Glad to see you finally decided to report." grumbled Sirius as Harry stepped out of the fire.
"Granddad!" shouted the boys, pulling away from Harry to grab and squeeze one of Sirius' legs each.
"Hey! No fair!" complained Sirius. The older wizard gently collapsed backwards, allowing the pair to clamber on top of him and loudly proclaim 'victory'. Or 'vicky' from James.
With a laugh, Harry grabbed Cedric and lifted him off Sirius' stomach. Sirius sat up and picked up James. "What should we do with these two Marauderlings?" he asked his godson.
Harry pretended to think deeply. "How about we have Dobby give them a bath?"
The despairing look on Cedric's face was priceless.
Harry and Sirius sat down at the older man's desk in the hidden room after sending Dobby away with the boys for a bath. Harry rubbed the back of his neck and poured a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Hermione nearly blew it this morning." he remarked, as Sirius gathered his notes. "Came down and hugged me as if I'd been in life-threatening danger the night before, rather than just a quidditch practice."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "That girl." he said, shaking his head. "She's a think-tank to herself, and she may have come up with half the gadgets in the Unspeakable's field kit, but she can't keep her emotions in check to save her life." he sighed. "I'll have a chat with her when she comes into work."
"And Molly remarked again how much more convenient it would be if Ron and I were on the same team."
Sirius grunted. "I know. Ron apparently convinced the Cannon's manager to put forward another bid for you. I'm getting sick and tired of turning down offers for your services."
Harry smirked. "So is this a good time to ask for a pay rise?"
Sirius didn't look at him, but growled, "Don't let it go to your head."
"Do you want me to start throwing matches then?" Harry asked, his smirk still in place.
Sirius snapped his head up and looked at Harry as if he was insane. "Don't be ridiculous. Owning a successful Quidditch team that just happens to be made up of undercover Unspeakables is the most valuable tool I have. Have you any idea how many invitations I get to social events I get?"
"Half as many as I do?"
Sirius coughed. "Um, yeah, probably. My point is, having agents and the opportunity to move regularly in the social circle where the money resides is the best way to track dark behaviour, since it needs money to thrive."
Harry looked around. "Yeah, like you have such a piddling amount of that in the first place."
With a quick chuckle, Sirius finally got his notes in order. "So, what happened?"
Remus jerked awake as the massive aeroplane touched down at Heathrow. After five years of monthly flying, he could sleep from take off to landing if he wished.
Not that he wished to often. On his monthly flights, Remus always took at least a dozen books with him for some 'light reading'.
Remus stood and stretched, groaning a little as he felt his joints pop and muscles protest slightly. Releasing an "Ahhhhh!" of satisfaction, he started to gather his belongings.
Once all his reading material and toiletries were packed into his suitcase, he turned his bed into an armchair and sat back down to wait for the plane to taxi to its gate. He looked around the interior of what had been his home for the last three days.
Over a hundred people were in the process of repeating Remus' actions, packing their 'away' bags in readiness to leave the aircraft. Though this class of plane usually seated almost five hundred passengers, it had been converted at Harry and Sirius' request to carry just a quarter of that.
After all, there were only one hundred and twenty werewolves in the United Kingdom.
Remus smiled at his first reaction to Harry's plan. Packing every werewolf in the country into one place and sending them round the world three times in three days sounded crazy, but it turned out to be incredibly effective.
Since a werewolf only transformed at night over the three days of the full moon, Harry theorised that sending them around the world, 'chasing the day' as he called it, would keep them from transforming. One side benefit was the fact that there had not been a new case of lycanthropy in the British Isles in five years. If all the other magical governments adopted the scheme, they would completely eradicate the curse worldwide within a couple of generations.
The theory had been proven correct quite simply, and now every werewolf in the UK made a monthly three day trip that kept them on the day lit side of the world at all times. The logistics involved were more difficult to overcome. At least, they would have been, had Harry not started throwing around money like water.
Under the guise of a muggle 'long term scientific study on the effects of regular long distance air travel on travelers', he had bought and paid for a plane to be converted to house all the werewolves in the UK in comfort. Every month he then paid for the plane to fly round the world, staying in sunlight at all times.
The fuel costs alone were astronomical, the landing fees at the various airports exorbitant, but Harry paid them every month without blinking.
Not that Remus was worried about Harry's finances. According to his calculations, Harry only spent just over two thirds his monthly investment income on sending Remus and his fellow lycanthropes on their four-weekly trips. When Remus had initially balked at the cost, Harry simply snorted and asked what else he was going to do with the money, other than watch it pile up uselessly.
Another passenger came up to Remus and asked him to thank Harry. Remus nodded again, just as he always did. He had already thanked Harry on behalf of each of the passengers at least five times each.
The plane reached its destination, and the werewolves began to disembark. The private lounge set up for them was staffed by wizards from the Ministry, checking their documentation and designed to keep track of all the 'dangerous' lycanthropes. Once their identity was established, they would be issued a portkey to take them home.
Remus took a quick break in the bathroom to refresh himself before passing through the Ministry control. He gathered his documents together, looking not for the first time with bemusement at the photo on his papers.
It had been taken five years ago, at the start of Harry's 'experiment'. The old man in the photo had plenty of grey shooting through his hair, testimony to the stressful transformation he had been forced to endure every four weeks for thirty years.
Now, Remus looked up into the mirror, marveling at the difference. His natural hair colour had returned, and the grey had disappeared. Most of the wrinkles around his eyes were completely gone. Even when severely travel weary, Remus estimated that he actually looked his chronological age, rather than his father's. The result of not subjecting his body to the monthly ravages of his forced transformation was plain to see.
"I'll have to get a new photo, they'll stop believing it's me soon." he chuckled to himself.
Remus' portkey transported him straight to Black's Pad, where it seemed an argument was taking place. Quickly, he ran into the main reception hall and opened the wall to reveal the secret room, to see Sirius stalking around waving his arms around, while Harry sat on one of the plush chairs grinning at his godfather.
Harry looked up with no surprise to see the new comer. "Ah, here is the man at fault in person." he said with a smirk.
Remus blinked, wondering what he had done. Sirius spun around and saw his friend.
"Moony! Do you know what your protà ©gà © did?"
Trying to keep a smile from forming, Remus replied, "No, but I'm quite sure you are about to enlighten me."
"He punched out a dementor!"
Remus blinked and turned to Harry. "And that is my fault how?"
Harry replied before Sirius could say anything. "Because you taught me in my third year, and you never told me not to punch a dementor. Just like you didn't teach me not to head butt a demon."
Remus frowned, his expression darkening. "You are never going to let that go, are you? For the last time, 'not nutting a demon' has never been in the Hogwarts' Defense syllabus." He took one look at Harry's expression, then shrugged and grinned. "Well done?" he ventured, wondering what Sirius' reaction would be.
"Well done?" Sirius blurted. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
A smile started playing around the edges of Remus' mouth. "Very well done?" he offered.
Harry stood, since it looked remarkably like Sirius was about to have a blood vessel burst in his forehead. "Sirius, don't worry. I didn't cast a patronus at it because it wasn't affecting me. I was curious as to why."
Sirius spun round. "Do you stand still and watch a dragon fly towards you teeth bared if you've cast a flame freezing charm? Dementors have other weapons than their presence too, you know."
Harry nodded. "I know. All too well."
Sirius blanched and quickly bit his lip. "Sorry Harry. It's just, well, damn it, I honestly thought that all the dementors were accounted for."
Harry nodded, motioning to a set of files on one wall. "In all probability, only a handful at most could be unregistered. We just need to go back over the records, perhaps dive into some pensieves. I'm sure we can track down the time and place where this one slipped through the net." Harry took a sip of his tea. "If we find a hole in our security procedures, it may well help us identify where and when we missed it. It could also point to how many are at large."
Sirius nodded. "Alright." He took a deep breath and sighed, which quickly turned into a chuckle. "I bet the dementor was surprised. When you socked it one, I mean."
Harry laughed out loud. "It was. It made a kind of mousey squeak and fell over. I'll put it in my pensieve if you want to see it."
Remus nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that."
Sirius blinked at his friend. "Moony! You're back!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Padfoot, you have the worst observational skills in existence. Why Arthur hired you is beyond me."
"Mr. Padfoot demands an apology from Mr. Moony, stating for the record that he was under duress at the time Mr. Moony first made his presence known."
"Mr. Moony rejects Mr. Padfoot's demand for an apology, since Mr. Padfoot has proven time and again that Mr. Padfoot is unable to notice things that happen two inches in front of his nose."
Harry sat back down and smiled behind his tea cup as the pair started their bantering again.
"Dudley? Are you there?"
Dudley Dursley jumped slightly at the sight of his cousin's head in the fire in his living room. Clutching at his rapidly beating heart, he turned to face Harry. "Jeez, Potter. Do you have to freak me out every time you call?"
Harry's face twisted into a smirk. "Well, now you mention it..."
Dudley rolled his eyes and got himself under control. "So, what is so important that you need to kill me for?"
"You'd think that after five years of exposure to us freaks that you'd have become used to our methods of communication by now."
Dudley slowly shook his head. "I'll admit that there are everyday benefits to being in the magical world, but if I have to show one more of my father-in-law's underlings how much more efficient a bloody ball point pen is compared to a quill, I think I'll stuff the quill where the sun don't shine."
Harry laughed along with his cousin. "I was wondering if you and the family would like to come and visit the zoo with us today. It's been a few months since we all got together."
A smile played around the large man's lips. "Do you promise not to set a snake onto me this time?"
Harry laughed. "I promise, though I can't make any such claims on behalf of Cedric and James."
Dudley waved the comment away. "They love their Uncle Dudley. They'd never do anything to hurt me."
"I suppose so," Harry said doubtfully, "though that might be because you are their only source of muggle sweets."
"Exactly." Dudley agreed with a nod. "Tell you what, I'll have a chat with Lisa, and if she and the kids are up for it, we'll portkey to Black's Pad in an hour."
Harry nodded. "I look forward to it. See you soon."
Albus Weasley studiously sat next to his mother, a massive tome open on his lap. With a grunt of effort, the tiny boy managed to bring the book up so he could copy his mother. He loved the way her face grew intense when she started reading a book. Looking over at his mother, he tried to copy her expression, and stared deeply at the open pages in front of him.
"Good book?"
Albus looked up at his Uncle Bill, easily identifiable by his long hair and earring. Ron's son gave Bill an enthusiastic nod.
"I see. It would probably be better if..." Uncle Bill said, gently lifting the book, turning it the right way round and putting it back on Albus' lap. "It makes more sense this way." he finished with a smile.
Albus nodded happily and resumed his 'mummy-reading-face'.
A flash of fire and a subtle clearing throat got the little boy's attention. Albus turned to the fireplace to see his Uncle Harry's face.
"Hello, Albus. Is Mummy there?" Harry whispered, looking over Albus' shoulder at Bill, who was looking on, rather amused.
Albus nodded. "She's reading." he whispered back, not sure why they were speaking softly, but going along with it anyway.
"Reading, eh? Tell me, does she look like this?" Harry asked, putting on a very good impression of Hermione's 'reading-face'. Albus nodded happily. Bill snorted with repressed laughter.
A wicked smirk appeared on Harry's face. "Do you want to go to the zoo, Albus?"
The little Weasley's eyes lit up, and he nodded fervently.
"Good. Go and tell your mother you are going to the zoo. That you are going to see lions and tigers and jellyfish."
"OK." Albus turned and potted over to his mother, still wholly engrossed in her book. "Mummy? I'm going to the zoo. I'm going to see lions and tigers and jellyfish." he dutifully said.
"That's nice, dear." Hermione said absently.
Bill walked over to the fireplace. "That's cruel, Harry." he whispered, not at all disappointed.
Harry just grinned back. "That will teach her to ignore her son. Do you want us to take Chantelle too? Dudley, Lisa, Cho and I are going." he whispered back.
Bill shook his head. "No thanks Harry. Fleur has already taken her out to the beauty parlor. I just want to take a photo of Hermione's reaction when she realises Albus is gone."
Albus slowly walked over. "Mummy said OK."
Harry smiled at the little boy. "Right, Uncle Bill is going to give you some powder. Throw it into the fire and say, 'Black's Pad', then step into the fire. Got that?"
Albus nodded. "Mummy always lets me say the floo name!" he said proudly.
Harry nodded. "Good! You are very responsible. Later, Bill." Harry finished, before his head disappeared.
Bill smiled down at Albus' expectant face. The little tyke already had his hand out, waiting for the floo powder. Bill put a pinch in his hand and stood back.
"Black's Pad!" said Albus as clearly as he could, tossing the powder into the fire. He stepped into the flames.
Four adults and five children slowly wandered around the zoo. Lisa Dursley rolled her eyes as her husband gave a shout and pointed towards an enclosure containing unicorns. "Honestly, it is like having three children sometimes." she complained to Cho.
Cho smiled despite herself, daintily licking her never-melt ice-cream. She watched as Dudley scooped both his daughters up and held them over the rails. One of the unicorns uncertainly made its way over to the group, allowing the two little girls to gently pat its silky hide.
"I remember Hagrid showing us those." said Harry. "He was grumbling last time I saw him, saying that he was going to have to introduce them earlier in the kid's education, to ensure more of them could... take part."
Albus looked up at his Uncle. "What do you mean, Uncle Harry? Will I get to take part?"
Lisa swatted at Harry's arm. "Shut up, you. That's just gossip." Harry gasped theatrically and grabbed at his arm.
Cho laughed at Harry's attempt to feign injury. She knelt down so she was at eye level with Cedric. "Behold the hero of the world, boys." she said to her children. "See how brave he is?"
James and Cedric giggled at their father's expression.
"Harry James Potter!"
Harry smiled at the expected voice. He turned to see his best friend's wife storming towards him, her hair waving around like medusa's in her rage.
"Hello Hermione. How are you?" he asked politely.
Hermione looked about to explode with wrath when she saw her son. Instantly, her expression changed and she swooped down on him. "Oh Albus!" she said, grabbing her son in a tight hug.
Harry turned to his wife. "I wish I had a tape recorder. I'd have loved to send Dumbledore a copy of Hermione saying that."
"You... you... you..." Hermione said, one arm around her son, shaking a finger of the other at Harry.
"What?" asked Harry, affecting an air of innocence.
"I nearly died when I found out Albus wasn't at home!"
Lisa and Cho looked at Harry with astonished expressions. Harry turned to face Hermione's son, who was looking at his mother in confusion. "Albus? I thought I asked you to tell your mother you were going to the zoo with me."
"I did!" said Albus, on the verge of tears. "I told you Mummy!"
"Hermione?" Harry gasped. "You mean to say you don't listen to your own son?"
Hermione opened and shut her mouth, before leveling a basilisk-like glare at him. "Now listen here, Potter!"
Harry turned to face Albus, who was looking at his mother in confusion. "It's OK Albus, I'll always listen to you. And if your Mummy doesn't calm down soon, I'll teach you how to prank her all the time. I know all her weaknesses."
"Oooo, I'll get you for that, Harry." Hermione promised.
Harry smirked at her, ruffling Albus' hair. "You're saying that to a person who owns a third of the most successful chain of joke shops in the UK. Someone who has unlimited access to inventory and new, untested inventions of two of the most devious minds in the world."
"Yeah, Mummy!" added Albus, his tiny fists on his hips. "And he has me too."
"That's right!" Harry said, scooping Albus out of Hermione's arms. "He's my godson."
Hermione looked from her son to her best friend and back again. With a sigh, she said, "I give up. I can't compete against both of you."
"You see, Albus? Your mother is the cleverest witch in the world."
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Our characters.
Harry is publicly living the life of an idle rich celebrity seeker. He married Cho after he finished his NEWTs, and they have two sons, Cedric, 3 and James, 2. Secretly, Harry is an Unspeakable, in counter intelligence. He often shadows his wife when she is on a dangerous mission. Though still actively sought by the media for interviews and by companies for endorsements, Harry is very private. He allows all manner and number of absurd rumours to circulate, even starting a few himself. In the past, when a newspaper announces that he is an Unspeakable, the public shrug it off as another piece of rubbish.
Cho is publicly an auror, and has developed a reputation for both being cool under fire and for observing the most incredible detail in any situation. In her years in the field, she is yet to fail her objectives.
Sirius is still the head of the Unspeakables. He used his own funds to set up and manage a professional Quidditch team, dubbed The Marauders. Harry is his primary seeker, while each and every one of the other players is an Unspeakable, who only played as amateurs. As such, the team is moderately successful, Harry assisting them to victory more often than not. Sirius uses the intelligence he gets from his players to get an understanding of what the rich and powerful in the magical community are doing.
Remus happily took on managing both Sirius' and Harry's fortunes. He occasionally helps Minerva out at Hogwarts as a substitute professor in nearly any subject when needed. With his monthly round the world trips, he hasn't had to withstand his lycanthropic transformation in five years. He has finally managed to attain that which has been denied him all his life, acceptance within the magical community.
Hermione married Ron after she fell pregnant accidentally, and gave birth to a son, Albus, 3. Ron is a professional Quidditch player, the Keeper for his favourite team, the Chudley Cannons. Hermione is publicly known as an Unspeakable, working for Sirius in development, coming up with new and innovative ways to combine muggle and magical technology to assist the Department of Mysteries.
Dudley married Lisa two years after she finished her NEWTs. They both work for her father in the Department of Muggle Relations; Dudley teaching advanced muggle studies classes, while Lisa teaches corresponding magical theory classes to muggle politicians. They have twin daughters, Chloe and Crystal, 2.
Arthur Weasley reached the end of his time as Minister and, despite an outpouring of public support, retired. Arthur now heads the Order of the Phoenix, working with Sirius to stabilise the wizarding world. He left the Ministry in far better shape than when he was elected Minister, and for the last few months his successor has built on the foundation that was Arthur's legacy to the public.
Fred and George are still unmarried which drives their mother nuts. The WWW chain of stores is taking off overseas, leaving them little time for romantic socialising. When they do visit their family, they are generally loaded with new gag gifts and prank presents, which in turn has meant that when the twins arrive at someones door for a visit, they are welcomed in a very defensive manner.
Ginny is now an accountant. (A/N Many believe this is the ultimate punishment...) She sees her family less and less often, and is now totally immersed in the muggle world.
Draco purchased the Hand of Glory from Borgan and Burkes, and became a thief after his trust funds failed to provide him with the income he needed to live as he desired. He was finally captured after three years and is currently serving time in Azkaban. The Malfoy name has become synonymous with deceit and sedition.
Tom Riddle was finally sentenced, in what was later known as simply 'The Trial', to three hundred and twenty-seven Kisses, and to just over four thousand years in Azkaban. He was the last person ever to be administered the Kiss before Arthur Weasley entered into the wizarding world's constitution that it forever be banned as a punishment.
Albus Dumbledore is a frequent visitor in Harry's life, though is spending his retirement traveling all over the world, meeting new people, sharing spells and amassing a truly startling collection of socks.
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