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As the Dursleys moved to leave with their nephew in tow they were stopped by a pretty brunette girl and her perfectly normal looking parents.

“Harry. I’d like you and your family to meet my parents. This is my dad, Dr. Marcus Granger and my mum, Dr. Helen Granger.” She looked expectantly at the Dursleys. She was sure that they wouldn’t be too rude when faced with a pair of muggle dentists.

“Uh yes. Pleased to meet you. This is my uncle, Mr. Vernon Dursley, my aunt, Mrs. Petunia Dursley, and my cousin, Dudley Dursley.”

“Pleased to meet you young Harry. Our Hermione’s told us quite a bit about you.” He looked up at Vernon with a friendly smile. “You must be very proud. Hermione told us about your nephew winning the tournament.”

“I won my Junior Boxing Tournament.” Dudley chimed in looking at Hermione prospectively. It hadn’t yet clicked in his mind that if she went to school with Harry she must be a witch only the fact that she was a pretty girl had made it through the hormonal fog.

Harry looked somewhat impressed as he noticed his cousin seemed to have slimmed down as well. “Congratulations Dud.”

“Thanks.” Dudley puffed out his chest still looking at Hermione to see if she was impressed.

She smiled politely as her father expounded on his own Junior boxing days at Eton. The adult Dursleys were unthawing as they continued to talk to the perfectly normal Grangers. 

“You were in a tournament too Harry?” Dudley finally realized.

“Yeah.” Harry replied quietly recalling the past year of forced competition in which he’d almost died several times, lost a friend, had a comrade die before his eyes and faced an enemy that had the entire Wizarding World shaking in its collectively pointy shoes. “I won.”

Hermione looked sadly sympathetic and didn’t resist the urge to step forward and hug Harry. This got the adult’s attention.

“Shouldn’t you be happy if you won Boy?” Vernon glanced at the Grangers to see if they thought this was amiss but they also looked confused.

Hermione saw that Harry didn’t want to talk about it so she quickly summarized. “It was a kind of triathlon thing. In the last competition…one of the boys, a very nice boy named Cedric, died…”

“I brought his body back. He begged me to bring his body back to his family.” Harry managed to get out but he was tensely frozen in place remembering again the green light taking Cedric’s life and the golden singing that had brought him back for just a moment. Grabbing his warm but dead body in one hand and the horrible jerk of the portkey in the other. The anguish on his once proud father’s face as he wept over his body.

“Oh my God. That’s horrible.” Helen gasped and now understood why Hermione was insisting they meet her friend’s relations. Why she was begging to be allowed to visit frequently this Summer.

“Indeed. I understand now Poppet. Hermione wanted us to meet because she wanted to make sure it’d be okay if she came to visit some this Summer and vise versa of course. We live in Crawley. Not so far away.”

The Dursley’s looked at each other with pinched lips but then they thought of how odd it would be to deny these nice normal people. How odd they would think it to keep their nephew away from his friend after such a traumatic event. “Yes of course that would be fine.” Petunia managed to smile and speak through her teeth.

Harry finally thawed and looked at Hermione warmly. “Thanks Hermione. You’re my best friend.”

Hermione smiled back. “I prefer to think of myself as your big sister actually.”

Harry stepped forward to hug her. An unusual move for him. “Thanks Sis.” He gave her an extra squeeze and whispered in her ear. “Take the Knight Bus. It’s faster. Just throw up your wand hand like you’re hailing a cab.”

Hermione nodded and her and her parents said their good byes.

Harry nudged Dudley. “Oi get your eyes off my sister’s arse.”

Dudley lightly shoved him back. “I was just looking.”

The Dursleys walked off towards their car with the boys following. Petunia was amazed at how normal it felt for once. At the moment the only strange looks they were getting was to the fact that they were well-dressed while Harry still looked like he’d fallen out of a bin. They recognized that he was only wearing the things they gave him. But the askew look Dr. Granger had given her at the difference between Harry and Dudley’s clothes made her feel a bit embarrassed and she vowed to get him at least some clothes that fit before he went to visit. Secondhand still but at least better than what he was wearing now.

Behind them the teenage boys continued to rib each other. 

Harry gave Dudley an evil grin. “Even just looking might get in trouble. She’s got a boyfriend. Big Bulgarian chap.”

“So what. He’s in Bulgaria isn’t he?”

“Yeah but he’s out of school, got a job. He could come visit anytime he wanted. He wouldn’t like someone eyeing his girl. Even took me to the side once. He was okay once he heard we were friends. He’s a scary looking bloke though. Not sure what she sees in him honestly.”

“Well if he’s ugly I got a chance don’t I?”

They were getting buckled into the back seat of the car now. Harry’s trunk was safely tucked into the boot. After first year Harry had Hedwig just fly home. The Dursley were a good deal less surly if they didn’t have to tote an owl through the station.

“I didn’t say that. I said he was scary looking. Always walking around with a scowl on his face like he’s pissed at something. The birds sure seem to like it though. They were always following him around giggling. Which he’s a sports star so I guess that has something to do with it.”

“Sports star?” Unspoken was Dudley and his parent’s question, ‘Your lot have sports?’

“Yeah. He’s a real big deal being so young and all but he was in the World Cup. My friend Ron’s a big fan. He says he’s more of an artist than an athlete. Ron’s such a big fan we thought for a while there he might be like, you know,” Harry made an expressive gesture, “all those girls following Krum around more than a few boys too if you know what I’m saying. He got super jealous when Krum took Hermione to the Ball though. More than a few were wondering if’n he was more jealous of Hermione or Krum.”

“So is he? You got a queer for a friend?” Dudley was about to say something lewd about his cousin but Harry beat him to it.

“Nah Ron’s okay. He likes girls. In fact,” here Harry started sniggering, “there was this French girl there for the tournament, Fleur. She’s gorgeous. I’m talking like movie star super model gorgeous right? And Ron he swaggers up to her right? Asks her to the Ball. She’s like seventeen and such a snob. French and all, you know? I wasn’t there but I hear he nearly slipped and fell in his own drool just from being that close to her. Apparently he garbles out asking her, she looks disgusted that a little ginger like Ron would even get close enough to breathe the same air as her. That’s when the rest of the blokes grabbed him and dragged him out of there. He was so embarrassed. We are never letting him live that down.”

For the first time in living memory Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter shared a laugh. Vernon in the front seat even let out a little snigger.

Dudley then begin to expound on some of his and his friend’s own escapades at school. Apparently Dudley and Piers had also discovered girls this year. They laughed the whole way home and Harry discovered something interesting. If he acted normal and kept his school tales to things that would have happened anywhere his relatives were less inclined to bluster about it. Dudley’s tale of Jared trying to sneak in some beer was hilariously similar to Seamus trying the same thing. As long as Harry kept things like transfiguration spells, secret passages and the Weasley twins out of the conversation things remained fine.

Once home things quieten down a bit but for once Dudley actually grabbed the other end of Harry’s trunk and helped him haul it up the stairs. He didn’t seem to notice his parents freeze as if he’d just taken hold of the other end of a stick of dynamite.

Hermione barely waited a day before showing up at Number 4. Around nine the next morning she was knocking on their door looking bright and summery in a floral sun dress and white sandals.

Harry opened the door and was nearly knocked over by her initial hug.

“Hi Hermione.” He said softly.

“Hi Harry.” 

“Come on in. The Dursleys are just finishing breakfast.”

“Alright.”

Harry wasn’t quite sure how to act with Hermione there. He’d never had friends over before. If one of Dudley’s friends had come over Petunia would make biscuits and bring them drinks but if Harry wasn’t allowed those things he could hardly offer them to Hermione could he?

They entered the kitchen. “Hermione’s here. Ummm…” Harry finally shrugged. Whether she was here or not mattered little in the face of his chores. He moved forward to continue cleaning the kitchen.

Vernon looked up at her surprised before putting his paper down. “Good morning Girl. Did you have a good trip?”

“You must have gotten an early start. Would you like some breakfast?” Petunia asked almost out of reflex.

Dudley had looked up from shoveling food into his mouth and had quickly divested himself of his bib and wiped his mouth before giving her a toothy grin.

“Good morning. It was interesting I suppose. Though I wonder where the bus driver got his license. No thank you I’ve already eaten. My parents have to get up quite early to open their practice and during the Summers I always join them.”

“Well that’s nice.” Petunia smiled pleasantly.

“Successful are they?” Vernon asked.

“Oh yes. They’re thinking of opening a third practice in either Brighton or Ramsgate.”

Vernon nodded approvingly. “Well I’ve got to be off. Golf with some business associates. Does your father golf?”

“Never as often as he’d like.”

“Good man.” Vernon gave Petunia a buss on the cheek and a hearty pat on his son’s shoulder before grabbing his clubs from the corner and leaving.

“Well I’ve some laundry to get started.” Petunia got up and left to the basement.

Dudley resumed eating but slower and more mannerly than before. He snuck a look at Hermione’s chest and arse pretty regularly but tried to keep it to a minimum which is the best that most teenage boys could manage.

Hermione walked over to where Harry was elbow deep in dishes and calmly began to pick them up and rinse them. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Alright I suppose. You?”

“Only one nightmare. A new one. I’ve begun trying to convince my parents that what they really want instead of a new practice is to move to Australia and set themselves up there.”

“How’s that coming along?”

“Not very but I’ve all Summer to convince them I suppose. You? Any nightmares?”’

“Not really.”

“That’s a lie.” Dudley spoke for the first time.

“Shut up Dud.”

“I heard you yelling last night. You woke up around two and didn’t go back to bed. I saw your light on.” Dudley persisted.

“Harry Potter!”

“Of course I’m having nightmares Hermione. There’s nothing to be done about it though so why bother.”

“Honestly. There’s plenty to do for it or are you forgetting we’re a witch and a wizard? Dreamless sleep, herb sachels, sleeping potions, occulmency…”

“None of which we can use outside of school.”

“Wrong we can’t use our wands outside of school because muggles might see it. Potions though are done inside where no one can see. There’s no silly wand waving so the Ministry can’t track it.”

“Oh.” Harry looked a little cringed then. “But it’s…”

“Don’t you even say it’s your worst subject. You do fine when Professor Snape isn’t breathing down your neck or you don’t have to watch out for Malfoy throwing something in your cauldron.”

“We haven’t covered dreamless sleep yet.”

“It’s a seventh year potion because it affects the mind but I’ve made it before without any issues.”

“When did you need dreamless sleep?”

“Third year. All the time turning takes its toll on your mind. Professor Dumbledore had to have a talk with me about using it to get extra sleep as well. I was worried they’d take it from me if they thought I was abusing it.”

“I just realized I’ve never asked. Do you still have it?”

“Of course. I only dropped Divination. I still have all my other classes.”

“Seriously. Only you Hermione.” Harry chuckled and shook his head.

Dudley finally finished and got up from the table. He cleared his throat. “Umm well Imma go over the Piers’ house.” He thought about inviting the pretty girl to join them but remembered Harry talking about her big Bulgarian boyfriend and changed his mind. “See ya later Hermione.” He blushed a bit and left though not before getting an appreciative eyeful of the shapely brunette.

Hermione frowned after him before looking at an amused Harry.

“I think my cousin has a crush on you. Good thing I told him about your big bad Bulgarian boyfriend.” Harry sniggered.

“Honestly Viktor’s a very sweet man.” Hermione put her hands on her hips frustrated.

“I’m sure he is. He certainly seemed nice enough when he took me to the side to ask what exactly our relationship was.”

“He what?!”

“Relax Hermione. He was just worried. We do fawn over each other a bit. I told him we were just friends. Like siblings and he was fine. Honestly I expected a bit of threatening or posturing and such. I’ve seen other boys do that but Viktor really is more mature than us I guess. He was very polite about it. He really does like you.”

“I know he does.” Hermione replied quietly.

“Do you like him?” Harry inquired.

“Yes but…” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Viktor’s very nice. And handsome. And kind. And intelligent. I won’t even get into the whole rich and famous part. I could do without that honestly. I feel…safe with him. Loved I almost want to say. And it’s almost unconscious how much I love on him. I told you he likes to watch me study but while I’m studying or he’s studying with me we’re also almost constantly petting on each other. Playing footsie under the library table or he’ll keep fidgeting with a piece of my hair and…” She paused again as if she’d gotten off track and was again trying to make sense of her feelings. “It’s all just so easy. What are the chances I’d get ignored my whole life to the point that my best friends didn’t even notice I was a girl only to literally trip and fall into the lap of my soulmate. That my first boyfriend would be my last, my only. It all just seems so easy. Too easy you know?”

“Magic makes everything easy.” Harry smirked. “I think a trip to the library to research how love magic works is needed.”

Hermione threw a dish towel at him. “I’m serious.”

“Sirius is my godfather. You look nothing like him.”

Hermione glared at him.

Harry laughed. “Okay okay but sometimes these things just happen Hermione. You really might wanna research it. I mean when did Krum ask you to the ball. How soon after that did Neville ask?”

“It was the same day. Then Ron later on that day. Lavender teased me saying I must have suddenly sprouted breasts.”

“So Viktor, who you told us took weeks to get up the courage to ask you, asks you to the ball and even though no one else knows suddenly everyone else realizes you’re a girl and a good looking one at that. That doesn’t sound like magic to you? Like you were under a disillusionment charm that was tuned just right to let Viktor see through it?”

Hermione furrowed her brow. “I’ve never read anything like that. But my studies into the nature of love magic hasn’t been what anyone would call extensive.”

“There you have it. Have you asked Viktor about it?”

“No. I‘ve been too afraid to point out that I’m not the most attractive girl. I’m too afraid he’s gonna suddenly come to his senses.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Hermione you are a very attractive girl. Which is why I’m wondered about magic. I mean I look at you now and it’s really startling just how attractive you are. I feel like I must have been blind. I know I heard loads of other blokes saying the same thing. Made me a bit uncomfortable to be honest because they’d go on and on about your uh…” Harry waved his hand in the vague direction of Hermione’s whole body, “and I’m like that’s my sister you berks. By the way McLaggen, he’s a year above us, might wanna steer clear of him. He’s definitely after only one thing.”

“Noted. I’ll look into it. Maybe we’ll go to Diagon sometime this Summer and see if there’s anything there.”

“Yeah. My aunt gave me some money to get some better clothes this year.”

“Oh thank Merlin. I didn’t want to say anything but Mum was quite appalled at the sight of you. I didn’t know what to say. I’d previously thought perhaps your aunt and uncle just weren’t very well off but the difference between the state of Dudley’s clothes and your own was startling. Dad wondered if you did it on purpose but I told him you always take excellent care of yourself. I told them I’d ask about it. Mum thought maybe they should report it or something.”

Petunia, who was frozen outside the door, waited to hear what her nephew would say.

“I’ve always worn Dudley’s hand-me-downs. These aren’t even really my glasses. We got the closest fit out of a second hand bin. They’ve been a bit better in recent years but it’s no secret my relatives don’t really care for me. Which is fine I stopped trying to please them when I was seven. Now the fear of magic and Sirius keeps them in line.” Harry paused a moment. “It used to be a lot worse.”

“Harry…”

“You can’t tell anyone Hermione. I don’t want anyone’s pity. And it’s no use reporting anything. You think I haven’t told people before? Nothing ever comes of it. Dumbledore flat out told me I had to remain here. I’m sure there’s some kind of magic here with my aunt that makes it safe.” Harry shrugged. “I’m used to it. Besides in three years I graduate and I’m gone. I’m sure the only reason Aunt Petunia gave me money for clothes is she noticed your mother noticing. That’s all they really care about. Appearances. So we’ll go shopping and I’ll get some nicer clothes to wear in front of your family. I’m only telling you because I know being over here all the time you’re gonna figure it out anyway.” 

Hermione looked close to tears. She just looked so damn sad for him that Harry couldn’t help but hug her. “They never beat me. The worst part was being locked up without food. And the cupboard but honestly I kind of liked my cupboard.”

“Without food?”

“Yeah haven’t you ever wondering why I’m the smallest, shortest kid in our year? I’ve seen pictures of my Da. He was much taller than me at my age. There’s potions and stuff to fix all that but I’mma wait till I’m really out of here. If I take’em at the wrong time and then get starved again they could back fire big time.”

Petunia stepped forward then. Her mouth was pinched. “I can make sure that doesn’t happen at least.”

Harry and Hermione looked stunned to see her.

“As you said appearances are everything to me. The clothes would be the first part but if people are noticing how small you are then that’s also a problem.”

Hermione looked shocked. Harry looked suspicious.

“You’re right. Dumbledore assured me when we first took you in that there was some magic involved. Some safety in keeping you. I resented you for it. I will not lie. We couldn’t move. We were so scared. We dare not have any more children. But there have been times I’ve regretted the way we treated you. It just became so easy to continue once we’d began. But it’s high time there were some changes around here. You brew your potions and I’ll make sure you get enough to eat.” Petunia kept her back very straight. Hermione looked appalled but Petunia would not be chastised in her own house.

Hermione looked about to say something but Harry stopped her. “I didn’t know that. About the moving and the children.”

“I’d have dearly loved a daughter.” Petunia pursed her lips tighter. “If you find out the exact nature of the safety we have here maybe I could finally have her. In return I’ll help you recover from our…mistreatment and once you graduate you leave and you never come back.”

“Deal. If you need it I’m sure there’s potions out there to ensure you get your little girl even.”

“There is.” Hermione looked at the woman with a very small amount of pity. “If you’re a squib and not a muggle that is. Potions don’t work for muggles.”

“I am. I asked to go to Hogwarts you know. But Dumbledore said I didn’t have enough magic. He told me I was a squib.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“They stole my sister. I just wanted her back.”

“Me too.”

Petunia nodded tightly and left.

“Well…” Hermione began.

“Yeah that was weird.”

“Harry you and your relatives have a very unhealthy relationship.” Hermione stated with some disgust.

Harry chuckled. “Yeah. But I do feel sorry for her. I didn’t know about the children part. I’d see her sometimes when we’d go buy Dudley clothes. Her looking over at the little girl’s section. I had wondered why they never had anymore. I’ll have to write Dumbledore asking about the exact nature of the wards around this place.”

Hermione looked at Harry with some amazement. “And I need to look up love magic. Not just for Viktor and me. Harry could you actually still kind of love your aunt?”

Harry looked at Hermione somewhat startled. He frowned in thought. “Yeah.” He gave himself a self-depreciating smirk. “I guess I do.”

First they wrote Dumbledore about the wards and then Hermione insisted they get started on their homework. After Hermione went home and the heat of the day had passed Harry got started on his yard work chores. Vernon came home and looked about to say something to him about them not being done but since the lawns on either side of them were also only now being mowed as well he thought better of it. Contrary to causal belief Vernon wasn’t a stupid man. 

He did however give Petunia a rather questioning look when Harry sat down at the table that evening and received an equal portion of food. She shook her head at him silently. Dudley chattered on about heading to the local gym with Piers and their friends and how they didn’t have any proper heavy bags and could they turn the basement into a small gym with speed bags and such?

Vernon warmed to this topic and neither big man noticed the silence of their dinner companions. Afterwards as they were cleaning the kitchen Harry quietly informed his aunt that he’d written Dumbledore about the promised safety. He also informed her however of the return of Voldemort and Hermione’s suggestion that if possible they get out of the country if he wasn’t defeated before Harry turned seventeen. Petunia looked if anything even more determined. She shared with her nephew that she was running close to the end of her window to have children. If they thought it would work she’d very much appreciate magical assistance to conceive her daughter.

When Harry returned to his room he was startled to find Fawkes sharing Hedwig’s perch and to all appearances displaying for her. Hedwig for her part had condescended to allow the phoenix to preen her. Upon Harry’s entrance however they separated with such pretend nonchalance that it was everything in Harry not to laugh. Fawkes presented two small identical books with a letter tucked into the middle of one with the wave of a wing.

Harry opened the book to where the letter was placed and found an entire chapter dedicated to “Blood Wards – A Family Based Protection” The book was crisp and seemed brand-new. The letter was from Dumbledore.

Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I’ve sent you a book that should have all the information you need. Your dear mother borrowed this book from me some months before her tragic demise. Upon finding what she needed within it I made her a copy as this book is so old as to not have the standard copyright spell placed on its pages. Now I have gifted her son with yet another copy. Feel free to give the other copy to Miss Granger less she steal this one away from you. You will not find within its pages the spell your mother used to protect you. Despite all my studies and the studies of several of my esteemed colleagues we’ve never been able to quite determine what combination of blood wards, charm work, potions and/or luck your mother and you had that defeated the Killing Curse. But from my correspondence with her before that night I was able to raise a blood ward based on that protection around your aunt, and yourself. Your cousin however completely lacks any magic despite sharing your blood.

It is location based and is powered solely by your own magic. In many ways this was a perfect storm scenario as powerful children such as yourself are normally bound to control your magic but with the wards acting like a siphon this was not necessary in your case. As for the exact way these wards work they are tied also to Voldemort and the malevolence he imbues in each and every one of his followers. To Voldemort and his Death Eaters Privet Drive #4 may as well not exist. It’s not quite fidelius, it’s not quite unplottable it’s something inbetween all of those. I will let you know that as you age you need to spend less and less time there to fully power the wards back up to full strength. Currently I believe staying there a mere two weeks should be sufficient should you wish to remove to one of your friend’s houses afterwards. You will take your protection with you at that time as well as leave it with your aunt.

Any other questions you have should be answered by the book you hold in your hands. Please refrain from contacting me by any means other than Fawkes. If you have a need to contact me you may call on him to deliver the letter. If you choose to spend the rest of the Summer with Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger please do inform me before you go.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry thanked Fawkes and then falling back on his bed began to read. He very deliberately turned his back on the two birds and determined to ignore any and all cooing he heard from that direction.

Harry greeted Hermione at the door again a few days later and was surprised to find Viktor Krum standing tall and menacing behind her. “Come on in Hermione. Hello Krum.”

“Potter. I hope you do not mind I have accompanied Her-mine.” Viktor winced at his continued butchery of Hermione’s name.

“Nah that’s fine. Maybe you should have like a pet name for Hermione until you can say her name.” Harry helpfully suggested.

Viktor looked at Hermione hopeful that she’d be amendable to this suggestion.

She considered him for a moment. “Alright but nothing cutesy.”

“Cutesy?” Viktor looked confused for a moment before mentally searching his lexicon of English-Bulgarian. “Ah no. Will be good name. I promise.”

“Okay then.”

“I brought Viktor with us today so we can do the spell to determine the best potion for your aunt. Is she here?”

“Yeah she’s downstairs. We’re converting the basement into a boxing gym for Dudley. Uncle Vernon and Dudley are thrilled. Aunt Petunia, eh, not so much.” Harry lead them downstairs to where his Aunt Petunia was glaring at the wood chips Vernon and Dudley had gauged out of her wooden support beams trying to hang the heavy bag.

“Hey Aunt Petunia. Hermione’s here. And this is Viktor Krum, her boyfriend.”

Petunia turned around and nearly stumbled seeing the size of Viktor Krum. He gave her a friendly smile but in Harry’s opinion it only served to increase his menacing presence, especially in the low light of the basement. He looked like a serial killer.

“Viktor’s graduated. As an adult wizard he can cast spells for us.” Hermione told her.

Seeing that made his Aunt more nervous Harry quickly explained. “Krum’s gonna cast the spell we need to determine exactly what kind of potion we need to give you for the baby. Because you’re a squib we have to make adjustments. A full strength potion could hurt you.”

“Oh well then please thank him for me.” She turned to Viktor and said loudly and clearly. “THANK. YOU.” Petunia looked relieved even happy to hear that this man was going to help her. However having heard her nephew remind her son several times over the past week about Hermione’s big scary Bulgarian boyfriend she wasn’t quite such how much English the scary looking man actually knew. He looked like a brutish thug.

“You are very welcome Mrs. Dursley. My mother need a similar potion. There are four of us boys and she too long for a girl.”

“Oh. Was she successful?”

“Very. Twin baby girls. My sisters are almost eight now.”

“Oh good. Very good.” Petunia literally looked happier than Harry had ever seen her.

“Stand still. I will cast spell now.” Viktor brought out his wand with a flick of his wrist. Harry didn’t see where it’d come from and determined to ask Viktor after this how he did that.

“Show active magic levels” Viktor articulated in something that sounded much closer to his native tongue than the Latin they intoned at Hogwarts. A weak pink light shown from his aunt’s body. It was really quite pretty. Viktor looked surprised. He waved his wand and the light faded. He cast another spell after that. “Show womb health.” Again light shown from Petunia only this time it centered and flickered around her lower torso. Mostly light purple lights with an occasional glimmer of white. Viktor nodded satisfied. “Da. You can have full strength potion and you will conceive. I thought you said she was a squib.”

“I’m-I’m not? Dumbledore told me I was though.” Petunia looked shocked and suddenly weak in the knees. Petunia walked through them as if in a dream. Harry reached forward to escort her up the stairs. Once she was seated in a kitchen chair Harry quickly went about putting on a kettle for tea. “Are you sure?”

“Da. Spell was very clear. How old were you when you were told you were squib?”

“I was twelve. Lily had just gotten her letter. She ran right over to that Snape boy’s house to show him. I was terrified I was going to lose her. Severus had always gone on and on about how special she was. About how they’d go away to school and never come back to Spinner’s End.”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other startled by her mention of Severus Snape but decided to refrain from questioning her until after she got over the shock of being not a squib but a full witch from the sounds of it.

“Ah you probably were squib then. Squib just means your magic was too low to use wand. As we grow we get stronger. Sometime since then your magic core fully developed. You are not very strong witch. Very low on the spectrum but you are witch. You could get wand. Probably do most first year spells maybe some second year.”

Petunia looked at him with such wonder. No more did she see a hulking brute. Viktor Krum might as well have been singing with the angelic choir right now.

“We were going to go to London tomorrow. Do you want to go with us? We could stop by Ollivanders. Get you a wand.” Harry offered.

“There’s QuikSpell classes too. They’re geared towards squibs although now that I hear what Viktor’s saying I guess they’re really just geared towards late bloomers. Also we could stop by St. Mungos if you have a wand. Their potions would be of higher quality. There’s an entire section of the hospital devoted to fertility.”

Petunia nodded and almost looked as if she would cry. Harry quickly put a cup of tea in front of her and she took a bracing sip. It was stronger than she normally liked it but exactly what she needed at the moment. “Thank you Harry. I would like that. I would like that very much.”

Harry thought about making a comment at that moment that now Petunia was a freak too but refrained. He remembered the moment he learned he was a wizard. He wasn’t going to ruin his aunt’s moment.

“Honestly. Where did that man get his license?!” Petunia said as she shakily got off the Knight Bus with the help of her nephew on one side and Viktor on the other. Hermione was already on the sidewalk glaring at the conductor who glared right back.

“That’s what I want to know. Honestly.” She turned on her heel and led the way into the Leaky Cauldron. 

Harry, currently sporting blonde hair the same shade of his aunt’s, made sure Petunia was steady on her feet. The hair color was surprisingly enough Petunia’s suggestion though Viktor had performed the wand work. Viktor followed Hermione closely or as he was calling her today his M alko Lisitsa ( Little Vixen) . Viktor explained it was because foxes were clever and had bushy tails but given the way Viktor looked at Hermione sometimes Harry decided he really didn’t want to know what they got up to after they went home for the night.

Viktor sported a necklace that made him unremarkable to the patrons of the pub. It was a special bit of magic gifted to him by his team manager so that he could come and go as he pleased without being mobbed. Harry had immediately asked where he could get his hands on one. Hermione was the only one without a bit of magic on her to change her looks. Despite being in the papers last year she didn’t think anyone would recognize her and as they moved through the Alley that prediction seemed to prove true. 

First stop as always was Gringotts. Harry and Hermione left Viktor to protect Petunia in the lobby while they ventured down into their vaults. Harry was surprised to learn that Hermione had a vault. Apparently a sum of money was given to everyone who’d been petrified as a form of compensation. It had come straight from the Malfoy vaults as a way to hush up Malfoy’s involvement with the whole ordeal though officially it had come from the Hogwarts Governors everyone involved knew the truth.

“Are you gonna tell your aunt about all your money?”

“Nope. Not all of it anyway. I told her I had a small trust fund that my parents set up before they died and that most of it had already gone to my tuition. Which is true. Compared to my true net worth my trust fund could be considered tiny. Dumbledore manages my accounts and everything he’s done has only grown them. Especially when you consider all the bequeaths I get for being the Boy-Who-Lived. He showed me a bank statement a couple of times just to let me know what’s going on.”

“Yeah mine’s in trust to the Headmaster as well. All of the basilisk’s victims are.”

“Where does he find the time I wonder?”

“I imagine he’s hired an accounting firm to handle everything. I’m sure managing Hogwarts funds, ours, and who knows what else given his numerous titles is several full time jobs.”

“Yeah probably.”

The first place they went because they just couldn’t see denying Petunia any longer than necessary was Ollivanders. “Ah Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Krum.” He said Viktor’s name with some suspicion. After all Viktor carried a Gregovitch wand. “And who is this?”

“My aunt, Petunia Dursley. She was a squib when my mother got her Hogwarts letter but since then her core has matured and she’s strong enough for a wand.”

Ollivander eyed Petunia curiously. “Ah yes. It’s always pleasant when that happens isn’t it?” He waved his hand and his tape measure jumped up to start measuring Petunia.

She trembled nervously but Hermione patted her shoulder and she relaxed.

“Now which is your wand hand Mrs. Dursley?”

“Umm… I’m right handed.”

“Quite so, quite so….let’s see now.” While the tape measure had spun around her Ollivander had gathered a small stack of wands. “That’s enough of that.” The tape measure quickly leap back to its place on the table. “I always like doing these wands. Previous squibs are always such difficult customers. The wand must be perfectly suited to really get anything out of it.” Ollivander looked positively delighted at the challenge before him. “Now try this one.”

What followed made Harry’s wand search look positively speedy. Petunia had begun to look completely despondent before finally getting a hold of a wand that worked. At the rush of warmth and the tearful smile on her face Harry knew she’d finally found her wand. A soft yellow glow surrounded the tip. “Lemonwood, dragon heartstring, seven inches long. Rigid. Good for minor charm work.”

“It’s beautiful.” Petunia looked at it in wonder before hugging it to her chest as if it were a baby.

“Three galleons. Would you like a wand holster or care kit?”

Harry quickly paid for the wand as his aunt was distracted. While Viktor helped Hermione pick out a wand holster Harry got one for himself and, remembering his embarrassment last year at the wand weighting ceremony, a care kit. Looking at his aunt who was still caught up in the wonder of her very own wand he got her a care kit as well.

“Aunt Petunia? Did you want to get a wand holster? It’ll keep your wand safe and hidden.” He asked her gently. He remembered this feeling as well and was loath to ruin it for her either. If he thought about it as a Slytherin he’d realize he was easing her into the magical world because it made her less likely to punish him for his own involvement in it. But honestly right now he was being a Hufflepuff and just trying to let her enjoy all the wonder that comes from discovering you too are special.

“Oh yes that would be for the best wouldn’t it?” Petunia picked out a nice holster with a floral pattern and insisted on paying for it only to be embarrassed to realize she had the wrong money. Harry quietly covered it. “It’s okay. Call it pay back for raising me.”

Petunia blushed. “I did a very poor job of that.”

Harry winced. “I’m alive ain’t I? Come on we got a lot of shopping to do today.”

They gave the clothing stores a miss until Harry could reverse his malnutrition. The potions shop saw quite a bit of business however as well as the book store. Petunia signed up for QuikSpell correspondence course there. Harry grabbed a number of books he’d seen on previous trips but had been too supervised to get before. Aunt Petunia however didn’t feel it was her place to tell him to put the gruesome books back. He did hide them from Hermione however he needn’t have. She was quite distracted.

Hermione and Viktor spend a few embarrassed minutes in the love section of the bookstore. Harry studiously didn’t look that way when he noticed Viktor push her deeper into the stacks to kiss her. Nevertheless Hermione was still Hermione and she grabbed several books on the topic anyway. Viktor looked quite smug though.

Finally they returned to Surrey while the Knight Bus took Viktor and Hermione on to Crawley. Vernon was still at work but Dudley was heard playing video games upstairs. Harry took his books upstairs before coming down to help Aunt Petunia make dinner. He found her standing in the kitchen looking at her wand in wonder.

“Are you going to tell Uncle Vernon?” He asked quietly as he retrieved the chicken from the refrigerator. 

“Yes. Of course.” She started to preheat the oven. She stared at the stove for a second. “Do you think there’s any spells for cooking?”

“I thought you might ask. It’s a little early but…” Harry retrieved a small book from his back pocket. “Happy birthday Aunt Petunia.”

She looked at the book shocked before taking it from his hands and looking up at him. For a moment it seemed almost as if she was really seeing him for the first time. Then she crumbled over the book crying.

Harry looked at her shocked wondering if perhaps the gift was a bad idea. He froze completely when Aunt Petunia hugged him tightly. He stood there like a statue. He had absolutely no idea what to do. His aunt had never hugged him before in his memory. Just about the only person whose hugs he was even vaguely comfortable with was Hermione’s simply because she didn’t really give him a choice to be weird about it. His Aunt realized he wasn’t hugging her back and if anything that made her hugged him harder. She even shook him a bit. Finally she pulled back to look at his shocked face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” And with that she ran out of the kitchen, passed Vernon and up the stairs.

Vernon and his nephew looked at each other before Vernon began to turn red. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Harry looked just as confused as Vernon felt. “I gave her a birthday present. She started crying then she hugged me. Said she was sorry and ran out. I really don’t know on this one Uncle Vernon. We were just starting dinner. It was a cookbook.” Harry shrugged. “It’s been a long weird day for her maybe she was just overwhelmed.”

“What do you mean a long weird day? You were supposed to be going shopping.” 

“She didn’t tell you?” Harry was worried now. He did not want to be the one that told his uncle.

“Tell who what?” Dudley had come downstairs hearing the ruckus. He too looking to the door where his mum was crying confused.

“Uh…Maybe you should go talk to her.” Harry suggested weakly.

“I’m not going up there until I know what’s going on. Petunia hates when I try to comfort her without knowing what made her upset. It just makes her worst. So start talking boy.” Vernon demanded.

Harry sighed. “Come on into the kitchen then. This’ll take some strong tea. You might want to get some scotch in fact.” Harry returned to the kitchen and put a kettle on the heating stove. The Dursley men followed him.

“First off how much has Aunt Petunia told you about when my mum got her letter? Has she ever mentioned writing Dumbledore to go to school with her.”

Vernon looked shocked. “Of course not. She would never…”

“She was twelve about to lose her sister to a strange world far away. Of course she did.”

Vernon was silent and considering.

“Has she mentioned wanting another child. A girl.”

Dudley looked confused and Vernon blushed. “Yes. We’ve talked about it before but with you in the house...”

“Yes she explained that. She had me ask Dumbledore for more information about the protections on the house. The wards on the house actually siphon a lot of my magic off. There was never any danger of me blowing the house up or anything. Once she heard that she asked if there was anyway magically speaking to help her conceive.”

Vernon turned redder but for once it wasn’t in anger. “Yes.” He sighed heavily. “We’ve been trying. Even went to see a doctor about it. We’re healthy but it’s just not working. Had Dudley nine months after we were wed. Never thought we’d have any difficulty with another. Maybe we waited too long?”

“A little sister could be cool.” Dudley spoke quietly.

Harry took a deep breath. “When Aunt Petunia wrote Dumbledore he told her she was a squib. That’s someone who has magic just very very little of it. Not enough to power a wand so not enough to go to Hogwarts. But potions could still work for her and there are plenty of potions to help conception, even to predetermine the gender. Yesterday Hermione came over with her boyfriend. He’s an adult wizard and his mum’s taken a potion like it before. We needed him to cast some spells on Aunt Petunia to determine the best potion to use. The spell he cast however showed that Aunt Petunia isn’t a squib anymore. She’s a witch. Sometime in the last twenty years or so her magical core fully developed. She’s not very strong but it was enough to power a wand. That’s where we were today. We went and got her a wand. Tomorrow we were going to go the St. Mungo’s, that’s the wizarding hospital, and they’ll give her the potions to conceive a baby girl.”

Vernon and Dudley looked absolutely flabbergasted. Vernon frowned but before he could say anything Harry jumped in.

“She was so happy Uncle Vernon. You should have seen her get her wand. Seen her find out that as a witch the hospital will be able to help her conceive. I’ve never seen her that happy before. Please I know you hate me and what I am but you love Aunt Petunia. Don’t ruin this for her.”

Vernon looked shocked again but finally he took a deep breath and stood up from the table. He then tentatively ventured upstairs where Petunia could still be heard crying. Harry and Dudley crept to the bottom of the stairs and listened but their voices remained quiet so finally they went back to the kitchen. Harry started working on dinner again while Dudley sat at the table. Finally Dudley got up to help. He quietly mentioned taking a home economics class this past year and Harry set him to chopping vegetables.

Finally Dudley spoke. “What made her start crying?”

“I really don’t know Dud. We were about to start dinner when she asked if there were any spells to help with cooking. I thought she might ask so while we were at the book store I grabbed a couple of books on household charms. I gave it to her and told her it was an early birthday present. Then she started crying and hugged me. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there then she started crying harder before saying she was sorry and then she ran upstairs.”

Dudley looked at him like he was slow. “You were supposed to hug her back.”

“Oh.” Harry looked stunned. Then he winced. “I just didn’t expect it ya know?”

Now Dudley looked like he was about to cry for a second. “Maybe she’s sorry for how she treated you before.”

“Oh yeah. She did mention something the other day about regretting it.”

“Sorry by the way. For my part I mean. You’re not such a bad bloke.”

Harry chuckled. “Thanks Dud. You’re not such a bad bloke either.”

Vernon and Petunia returned down for dinner where Dudley informed his mother he’d explained how hugs are supposed to work if she wanted to try again. She did and this time Harry very tentatively hugged her back with a pat on the back. She sniffled a bit before taking her seat.

They ate quietly for a few minutes before Vernon finally very gruffly said, “Sorry boy. For all the…” He waved a hand, “Easy to start. Difficult to stop. And with that father of yours and his friends pranking us at their wedding I was not inclined to think nice things about any of it. But you were just a babe. We shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“You’re certainly not the first man to hate me because of my father. That reminds me Aunt Petunia. You mentioned Snape yesterday. Tall, greasy looking fellow with a hooked nose?”

“Yes?” Petunia looked surprised he’d mention it.

“He’s my potions professor. I never knew him and Mum were friends.”

“Oh yes. For years. Right up until the summer before Lily’s sixth year they were as thick as thieves. Then something happened. I’m not sure what but I know it had something to do with that father of yours. Severus came by all summer long begging Lily to forgive him. He kept talking about being provoked and not meaning it but your mother had the most implacable temper. I even tried to talk her around once or twice, me and Mum. He was so pathetic standing outside her window in the rain crying. But she would have nothing to do with him anymore.”

“Huh?” Harry was surprised. He knew about the life debt, Sirius leading Snape astray but for the first time he began to think maybe Snape was valid in hating his father so much. “Still there’s no reason to take it out on me. I know absolutely nothing about my father besides the fact that I look like him.”

“Except for your eyes. You have Greengrass’ eyes. My grandmother’s maiden name was Greengrass and she had the greenest eyes just like you and Lily.”

“And you.”

Petunia blushed.

“Greengrass? You know that’s the name of a pureblood family in the Wizarding World? Maybe great-grandmother was a squib too. When squibs are born to magical families they usually see that they get adopted in the muggle world.”

“So magic may have always been in the family?”

“Yeah sounds like it. I’ll have to check. There’s some Greengrass girls at Hogwarts with me.”

“Are they pretty?” Dudley asked. 

“You know if we’re right then they’re your cousins right?”

“Distant cousins.”

Harry nodded and tried to imagine Daphne Greengrass’ face. “Yeah now that I think about it Daphne’s kind of gorgeous. She’s blonde and green eyed. Pretty heart shaped face. I don’t think she went to the Yule Ball though.”

“What about the rest of her?” Dudley grinned. 

Vernon chuckled and Petunia glared at both boys.

Harry grinned. “I don’t know. Most of the girls wear robes so you don’t really get to see a lot. Like would you believe that somehow most of the boys in my class completely missed the fact that Hermione’s a girl?”

“Wow but she’s.” Dudley used both hands to demonstrate Hermione’s curves.

“You get an idea of how much those robes cover then.”

“That’s the pits.”

“No kidding.”

“What’s with the blonde hair?”

“Huh? Oh.” Harry lifted a messy strand of blonde hair. “It’s so no one would notice me today. Viktor did it. Guess he forgot to turn me back. It’ll wear off tonight. Colour change charms don’t generally last very long on animate objects.” Harry felt more comfortable talking about magic subjects now. Aunt Petunia seemed to be sucking up every bit of knowledge like a sponge. Harry remembered her telling Dudley what a good student she’d been.

Dudley was the one to finally ask the question. “So Mum Harry said you got a wand today. Can we see it?”

Petunia blushed as if suddenly shy before flicking her right wrist in the manner Viktor had taught them today. The light yellow stick of wood appeared in her hand. She stroked it lightly.

“Cool. Can you do any spells with it? Can she or does she have a restriction like you?”

“Nah she’s an adult she should be fine.”

“I don’t know any spells.” Petunia said a bit sadly.

“I can teach you one right quick. It’s the first one I learned.”

“Oh okay.” Petunia looked eagerly at him.

“It’s the Levitation Charm. The incantation is Winguaridium Leviosa. You have to make the o nice and long and there’s a wand motion with it. You should practice that first. Lots of spells use it.” Harry demonstrated with his knife. “Swish and flick. Winguardium Leviosa.”

Petunia copied Harry’s movement a few times before saying the incantation and pointing to her napkin. She trembled in wonder as the small piece of cloth floated before them. Vernon looked torn between being horrified and proud before finally giving her a tight smile and patted her shoulder proudly. “Good job Pet. You’ll be a proficient in no time.”

The next several days flew by so that when it came time for Harry to leave to stay with Hermione his relatives for once were actually sad to see him go. Petunia kept reminding him to wear clean underwear and even Uncle Vernon gave him a heavy grudging pat on the shoulder. Dudley gave him a friendly punch on the arm. The boys had spent rather a lot of time together as Harry took his healing potions he began eating twice as much as Dudley normally did. His muggle cousin had insisted that he work out with him to gain some muscle the right way. Dudley had begun to look into becoming a physical therapist. Something about getting his own health back made him super interested in the body and how it worked.

Harry waved goodbye and reminded them to write him about the baby’s progress. Petunia would mainly be going to a muggle doctor unless there were weird complications. She didn’t feel comfortable navigating St. Mungos or Diagon Alley without Harry. She had gotten good enough to cast the hair change charm on him herself. They’d been mistaken for mother and son a few times while out in the Alley. 

Petunia always looked a bit odd after that but it was true. With blonde hair instead of his father’s black he looked a great deal more like Petunia than even Dudley did. Petunia even changed his hair to his mother’s red once in curiosity but remarked that he more closely favored her father, his grandfather with the same red hair. Harry finally went out and got a muggle hair kit and with Petunia’s help bleached his hair and then behind her back put bright red streaks in it. She’d pursed her lips at him and with her wand turned his hair completely blonde again every time he left the house.

Now just as he was getting on the Knight Bus she came up to him for a final hug and quietly reversed the charm causing the bright red streaks to bleed into his hair. “Be good for the Grangers and come back and see me before you go to Hogwarts.”

“I will. Goodbye Aunt Petunia.” Harry leaned down a bit and spoke to her tummy. “Goodbye Rose. Don’t make your Mummy too sick now.”

Harry waved for the half a second the Knight Bus gave him before throwing him heads over heels on to a nearby couch. Still unused to his longer limbs and heavier weight he ended up with his heels on the window and his head on the floor with his body sprawled across the couch haphazardly. With careful movements while holding on tight he finally righted himself. Luckily his trunk was already secured. Hedwig with a phoenix escort was flying to Hermione’s. Fawkes was unusually protective of his paramour.

After a week with the Grangers Harry was surprised to see them leave. Hermione had convinced them to take a cruise around Australia. 

“It was Hermione who convinced us. The wizarding political climate being what it is here in Britain.” Her mother explained airily.

“It’s against my principals to run but Hermione made a good argument.” Her father looked a bit confused for half a second as if he couldn’t quite remember what that argument was. “Besides with magical travel she’ll be able to visit us easily. That Krum fellow demonstrates that easily enough. He’s certainly over here a lot despite living in Bulgaria.” Dr. Granger looked surly at his innocently smiling daughter for a second before taking Harry aside. “As her brother…ish I’m trusting you to take care of my little girl Harry. Don’t let that big brute take advantage of her.”

Harry tried for half a second trying to imagine mild mannered Viktor taking advantage of Gryffindor Princess Hermione and just managed to stifle his chuckles. “I will sir. I won’t let Viktor do anything Hermione doesn’t allow.”

Dr. Granger frowned. He knew the slippery statement for what it was but at his wife and daughter’s frowns he threw his hands up and continued lugging luggage out to the car. 

“Now did I pack everything?” Dr. Granger patted herself down as she turned around the foyer as if anything she missed would suddenly appear before her.

“Was there anything you didn’t pack?” Dr. Granger huffed as he and Harry leaned against the doorway exhausted from all the packing out they’d done.

“If there’s anything you missed I’ll have Viktor shrink it and owl it to you with a voice activated reversal charm.” Hermione reassured them.

“Oh that’s clever. Magic makes everything so much easier.” Her mother gave them both a tight hug. After his recent practice Harry even managed to return it tolerably well.

“We’ll call you every other day until September 1 st . If you don’t answer I’ll call the neighbor to check if you’re out or not.” Her father gave her a tight hug and slapped Harry’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

Harry and Hermione stood out on the lawn and waved as they left. “Convincing went well it seems.”

“Oh yes it was much easier after some suggestion potion in their morning tea.”

Harry gave Hermione an askew look. “I thought potions didn’t work on muggles?”

Hermione gave Harry an innocent smile. “I love how that’s your question and not the moral quandary of potioning my parents for their own good.”

“Your nightmares have been getting worst not better. You did what you had to do. I’m just curious as to how you did it.”

“I was getting to the end of my rope with my Dad’s stiff upper lip, never give up attitude. So I asked Viktor to cast that reveal magic spell on them. I told them it was for research purposes after you told me that your mum and aunt were descended from the Greengrass’. They’re both squibs. After some questions and giving the thoroughly distasteful Sacred 28 book a read I figured out that Mum’s Grandmother was a Crabbe. Dad’s great great grandfather was a Nott.”

“So you come by this Slytherin behavior honestly.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Did you write to the Heads of Family like Sirius did for me?” Harry had written Sirius about the Greengrass connection. Sirius had informed him that as his guardian he’d write to Lord Greengrass to confirm the emergence of a fresh line in the Greengrass family. He also told Harry that this made him a three quarter blood instead of a half-blood since he technically had three magical grandparents rather than just two. Last Harry had heard Sirius was now in cahoots with the politically neutral Greengrass to get Sirius a trial. Apparently the push was already there from Malfoy and his goons. They were trying to get some more of their compatriots out of Azkaban. There was some murky talk about some people being in Azkaban on Dumbledore’s testimony which was now being called into question. Harry didn’t need any more explanation. Aunt Petunia had been furious once she started reading the Daily Prophet’s lies about him.

“I thought that might not go over well coming from me so I asked Sirius to do it for me. Crabbe’s thrilled to have the cleverest witch of the age in his otherwise dull family. I did get a very sweet letter from Cousin Vinny. At least I think it was sweet. His hand writing is atrocious and there were so many misspelled words I nearly went cross eyed. Nott was very quietly respectful and informed Sirius that I’ve been added to their family tapestry. Both of them have thanked Sirius and then started corresponding with me themselves. Nott seems to think he has a claim on my guardianship since he’s my father’s relation while Crabbe sent me an owl to correspond with. Apparently that’s what they do. Raise owls that is. She’s quite lovely really. I’ve named her Cassandra because I don’t think I should believe anything she brings me.” Hermione looked up from pouring Harry’s tea. “I also got a very lovingly worded letter from ‘a friend’. Reading between the lines I think given my now not so dirty blood You-Know-Who may be trying to recruit me.”

“He once told me there’s not good or evil only power and those too weak to seize it. I know he tried to recruit my mum cause she was brilliant too. Honestly I don’t think he really cares about blood. It’s just a convenient soapbox for him.”

“With a name like Riddle he’d have to be at least a half-blood himself.”

“Unless Riddle is also from a squib line. Seems to be pretty common.”

“Just us two doesn’t make it pretty common Harry.”

“Still.”

“Have any of Greengrass’ letters hinted at how beautiful his daughters are?”

Harry nearly spit his tea out. “What?! No not to my knowledge. Sirius hasn’t mentioned it. If he wrote me directly it probably got redirected. I don’t get most of my mail. Otherwise Number 4 would’ve been buried under letters by the 5 th of November. Dumbledore redirects most of it to somewhere else where it gets screened first.” Harry waved a hand. He honestly didn’t care. He had enough trouble out of his fans in person. He really didn’t want to deal with the letters from them. Especially since some of them were probably dangerous.

“Viktor has a service like that.”

“Has Crabbe or Nott mentioned their sons to you?” Harry sincerely hoped not. He liked Viktor. He’d prefer him outside of Azkaban.

“Oh yes. Numerous times. Viktor and I had to go to the Bulgaria Ministry and get a proof of love bond certificate. Once they saw that they backed off although Viktor says now they started some tentative communications with his own father. Apparently I may have some kind of dowry as a daughter of one of their houses or they want him to pay a bride price.” Hermione looked vaguely insulted. “Viktor told me that once his father casually mentioned his family’s extensive service in Magical Interpol both of them kind of backed off. Honestly knowing that the Dark Lord is out there I can’t help but think that their actions are being subtly guided by him.”

“More than likely. Some of my dreams or visions.” He corrected himself. After use of Dreamless Sleep had only dulled the effects of Harry’s nightmares Hermione had started probing until she realized they were visions. Harry had some kind of connection to Voldemort through his curse scar that allowed him to see through the mad man’s eyes. After that Hermione had prescribed Occulmancy. Apparently Dumbledore had also suggested it to her last year to deal with her continued use of the Time Turner. Now Harry slept fairly soundly but rather than stop the visions they actually seemed clearer. Fortunately the tunnel didn’t seem to go both ways. So Harry got to see a lot more torture than he ever wanted but also got to sit in on boring meetings where Voldemort talked to subordinate after subordinate about this or that. Harry no longer wondering why Voldemort had been quiet this last month. He knew. The Dark Lord was using the Ministry’s stupidity to quietly gather an army. Harry had passed the information on to Dumbledore through the now nearly constant presence of Fawkes. “Some of my visions are just like board meetings. ‘Oh Malfoy do nudge Fudge to do this.’ ‘Flint your son’s graduated right? Bring him by for a chat would you?’ ‘What do you mean he’s out of the country!? Crucio!’”

Hermione winced. “Are you still feeling the effects of his spells?”

“Not so much anymore. I can’t tell if I’m numb to it or if I’m successfully blocking it out. I found myself criticizing his technique last night. I’ll never be able to cast the damn spell but Merlin help me I know the finer points of it in such detail only Bellatrix or Tom himself probably know it better.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“Well a simple cast is just pain but depending on how you move and twist your wand you can cause that pain to happen or focus in a great variety of ways. For instance if you cast it then slowly pull your wand back while focusing on say a leg you can make it feel like their leg’s being pulled off. Personally the twisting motion’s my favorite. It offers such a great variety of options. Thumbscrews. Head presses. Spiral bone breaks.” Harry politely sipped his tea while Hermione slowly relaxed her horrified face. Knowledge was knowledge but ugh.

“Okay.” She slowly took a bracing sip of tea. “Viktor’s in training this week. They’ve gotten some new recruits in.”

“That’s where Flint is. Marcus Flint? Remember him. Big ugly bloke. He was the Captain of the Slytherin team."

“Hmmm….Oh yes. I remember his teeth. Poor thing. I heard from Lavender that it was Oliver Wood who did that to him. Wand backfire on the same kind of spell Pansy cast on me. Because of the backfire Madame Pomfrey couldn’t fix it. It has to wear off.” Hermione shuddered. “I told Mum and Dad about it and they were horrified. I don’t know if braces would have helped but they would have loved to have tried.”

“You can get Viktor to ask. Flint’s been accepted to the Vrakra Vultures.”

“Ah I see. Do you think Flint’s staying out of the country on purpose?”

“Given that Viktor’s come to see you nearly every day but Flint can’t pop back to see his father’s Lord? Yeah probably.”

“Poor Lord Flint. I guess he gets hit a lot.”

“Oh yeah but don’t worry about him. Guy’s part troll. He takes it like a stinging hex. Barely flinches. Drives Tom nuts.” Harry chuckled.

“You’re a sick man, Harry.” 

“I blame my upbringing.”

“How are they by the way?” Hermione found the Dursleys an odd mixture of horrible and pitiable.

“Good. Aunt Petunia got a good report from the doctor. She’s started taking vitamins and she’s on this huge health kick. Like I thought Dudley’s diet was bad but she’s going all organic, whole-grain, etc. etc.”

“That’s good. Some of the meals I ate with you guys made me think my arteries would explode.”

“Poor Uncle Vernon nearly cried when she declared no more bacon. Dudley however is all for it. As long as the portions stay huge that is. Dud and me have been getting along fairly well. He has his friends but at night we hang out in the gym. Uncle Vernon I don’t think really knows what’s going on anymore but Aunt Petunia’s happy and he’s looking forward to having a little princess to spoil. Aunt Petunia’s like a different person sometimes since getting her wand. She’s flying through the QuikSpell course. But at the same time she uses her magic to make the house cleaner, to bake prettier cakes than the neighbor’s wives. Appearances. That sort of thing. She’s gotten really good at the colour change spell. She wouldn’t let me leave the house with my streaks showing even if it was just to mow the yard.”

“What is with the hair colour? I only noticed yesterday when your streaks showed through that it wasn’t the charm making it blonde anymore.”

“Aunt Petunia helped me bleach it. I don’t know. It gets me kind of a permanent disguise but also cause I’m tired of people comparing me to my dad. You know last week someone at the grocery store thought I was Aunt Petunia’s son? Without my black hair I look a lot more like my grandfather. Aunt Petunia even turned my hair auburn one day and showed me a picture of him.”

“I thought you liked looking like your dad.”

“I did but the more I hear about him the more I think he must have been kind of a dick.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we get fed this version of Saintly James and Lily Potter but did you know when the Dursley’s attended my parent’s wedding Dad and Sirius charmed Vernon to bump along the ceiling like a balloon. Sound familiar?”

Hermione winced. That did sound eerily similar to the World Cup.

“And I asked Sirius and Remus about Mum and Snape being friends but they acted like Snape was this scummy little fellow who followed Mum around but according to Aunt Petunia Mum and Snape were the best of friends since well before Hogwarts and that Dad did something that came between them. When I asked what that was they said that Snape called Mum a mudblood which may be true cause Aunt Petunia told me about Snape begging Mum for forgiveness and only saying something because he was provoked.”

“Provoked how I wonder?”

“I don’t know but I know Snape and the Marauders were bad enough enemies that Sirius tried to set Snape up to meet Moony one full moon night. Snape’s been terrified of werewolves ever since.”

“That’s horrible. Wait. Snape’s terrified of werewolves yet knowing that Professor Lupin hadn’t taken his potion and we were outside he still went out to save us. He even stood in front of us when Lupin transformed.” Hermione winced. “Yeah something is seriously fishy going on there. I wish we had an impartial person to ask about what happened.”

“Yeah. Anyway not looking like my dad. If anything I hope it helps Snape like it helped my Uncle to not see my dad when he looks at me.”

“Between the hair and getting contacts you really don’t much look like you anymore and you definitely don’t look like your Dad.”

“Good.”

Through a cracked window downstairs two slightly glowing honeybees buzzed nearly silently through the house that night. One crawled under the doorway of the household’s daughter while the other found its way through the keyhole of the guest room door. From the outside of the house to the normal Muggle observer the house remained dark and quiet. Inside however was a very different story.

Harry woke up choking before he reflexively swallowed something wiggly. He’d swallowed enough spiders in his cupboard to know the feeling of swallowing an insect of some kind. He shuddered a bit and got up to go get a glass of water. A bright blue flame leap from his hand to the door knob and it blasted open before he could touch it. He heard a similar blast down the hall and quickly exited to see a confused Hermione staring at her hand in confusion.

He saw her look at him and her mouth move to ask a question but then his vision went completely white-blue and a loud buzzing filled his ears. He felt himself hit his knees and then the ground and knew nothing else for who knows how long.

When Hermione woke up her limbs felt weak and wobbly. Light from outside filtered through the hallway windows. She looked over and saw Harry still and quiet on the floor. She froze for several seconds until she saw the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Weakly she crawled to his prone form. She wove her fingers into his streaked hair. His bright eyes fluttered briefly. The phone rang in the distance.

Hermione used the wall to climb to her feet and walked shakily to the phone in her parent’s room. “H-hello.”

“Oh goodness Honey you sound terrible. Are you sick?” It was her mother calling to check on her. Harry and her must have been unconscious for almost two days.

She didn’t know what made her lie. Maybe it was because she knew that even if her parents could get to her they couldn’t help. “Yeah. Stomach bug. Harry’s taking care of me.”

“Well that’s good then. I’ll let you get back to sleep Sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you Mum.”

She heard her mother hang up but she couldn’t quite get the phone back on any of the cradles floating before her eyes. As she fell backwards she hit the only weakly standing Harry. They curled together in confused misery. Harry’s look was questioning but she could only shrug. For once she really didn’t have a clue what was going on. Harry’s eyes and mouth began to glow and her own vision whited out again as well. Together they floated in the air and there was the undeniable feeling of being taken apart piece by tiny piece and put back together again but different somehow. 

Outside of the house a woman in a white shirt wearing a dark red cross choker leaned on the light post across the street and watched the light show under the cover of the glamour she’d erected. She was joined by a smoking man in a snazzy suit and sunglasses. “They’re a witch and wizard. Hogwarts students. Gryffindor so I’d advise you to just keep walking.”

“I get to make my offer same as you Dollface. Any sight of our fellows in green?”

“One was here earlier with a bunch of sticks in his hand. Did his fortune and left.”

“Queer ass Dragons.”

She nodded silently.

“Been a lot of Bees popping up lately.”

“Yes there have been.”

He rolled his eyes and put out the cigarette on the post above her head. “They’ll be another day or so. I’m going to grab a bite to eat. I saw a little fish and chip shop down the way. Get you anything?” He leered at her from over his glasses.

She nodded. “Sure. Get me a meat pie and a soda.”

“Can do my lady.” He pantomimed an elaborate bow and this time she rolled her eyes. As he walked away he lit another cigarette.

She crossed her arms and continued to watch the house silently.

The next time Harry woke up he sat up immediately and looked around. With a wince he saw that Hermione’s parent’s room was mostly destroyed. Luckily they really had packed almost everything with them. 

Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What happened?”

Harry shrugged. “Last thing I remember was waking up after swallowing a spider or something. Something that buzzed.”

“A bee. It was a bee.” Hermione could not have said why she was so very certain it was a bee. She’d been quite soundly asleep when it happened.

“Yeah and what was with all the weird magic.” He held out his hand and it filled instinctively with the blue fire. He dropped it in shock and it dissipated. Tentatively he slowly raised his hand again and willed the fire to return.

Hermione lifted her own hand showing the blue white magic also surrounded her hand. “What is going on?”

“I don’t know but it feels good. Really good. I feel great in fact. Don’t you?” With the realization that using the magic felt good Harry realized his whole body felt good. He felt like he was vibrating with health.

“Yeah. Like super good.” Hermione got up and winced at the state of her parent’s room. She replaced the phone only to have it ring almost immediately. “Hello?”

“How’s the best little girl in the world?” Her father’s voice was surreally happy compared to the destruction of his room and the ordeal she’d just gone through.

“I’m…great.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better Sweetie. Listen this trip to Australia was the best thing we’ve ever done. We were just walking through one of these little towns and found the perfect place to setup a new practice. We’re gonna get everything we can set up here while handling things long distance. Can you close up the house before you go to school?”

“That’s great. I’m so glad. You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“It’s beautiful here Honey you’re gonna love it. Hey could you do me a quick favor before we get off? Phone charges you know? Snag my address book and give me the number of our accountant and solicitor. It should be in my bedside table.”

“Yeah sure Dad. Bedside table, address book.” She turned to Harry who catching on quickly began shifting through the debris to find said book. “Let me just run upstairs and get it.” She put the phone down and quickly set to helping Harry. Finally they found the book under the fallen curtain sham. Hermione quickly flipped to the numbers her Dad needed and relayed them to him. 

“Thanks Sweetie. You’ll be okay getting back to school and closing up the house won’t you?”

“Oh yeah. It’ll be fine.”

“Thanks Sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Hermione put the phone back on its cradle securely this time. “So that was weird.”

“Yeah. But right now we’ve been out of it for around four days apparently. I’m starving. Pizza?”

“Definitely.”

Over the next day or so they explored their new found magic more and more. They almost felt like they had to. It was like there was this pressure inside if they didn’t. It helped that the how and why felt more instinctive than anything else. They found that they could destroy or heal they could even juggle with the crazy white fire.

After two more days there was a knock on the door. A man in a snazzy suit with sunglasses stood there with a posh looking woman in a white shirt and a prominent red cross around her neck.

“Bee problem?” She asked rhetorically.

“There’s a lot of that going around.” He added. “Mind if we come in?”

They walked in as if invited. The woman started to talk after a wave from the man. “Good afternoon. I represent an organization accorded in London. A very large organization. With branches across the globe and connections in every government although we see ourselves as a…a silent partner. We pull strings. Big strings. Prime Ministers. Presidents. Chief Warlocks. Kings.. Dark days are coming. The world is in turmoil and we’re recruiting. Soldiers, agents, adventurers,…crusaders. And we offer good terms, a fresh start, a network unlike any other.” 

The man rolled his eyes behind her.

“Unlimited resources, a fantastic medical plan and a way to harness and use your incredible powers. As you’re already a part of the Wizarding world this won’t be a big transition for you but this is a unique opportunity. You have been chosen. You have been granted powers beyond what most can imagine. So you can either become an outcast in even in the Wizarding world which can barely comprehend your new powers or what you have become or you can join others like you. Take a stand against the rising darkness and embark on a journey into the unknown, into the hidden places, into the secret world. The choice as we are so fond of saying is entirely yours. But know this. Your emerging powers will attract plenty of attention.” She nodded to the man leaning against the wall of the foyer. “Not everyone is as..as accommodating as we are.” 

Again the man rolled his eyes.

“On your own you’d be easy prey. You might not last a week.” 

“Indeed. Time is ticking.” The man pushed off from the wall and approached them as the woman stepped back reluctantly. “I’ll cut straight to the chase. I work in talent acquisition specializing in a highly unconventional sector for a very particular client and they’re particularly interested in your kind of talent. Fucking stuff up, putting it back together again, altering the fabric of time and space, basic thaumaturgy.” 

The woman’s sardonic face behind him matched Hermione’s.  

“My client is only interested in the best of the best. That’s where I come in. Your talent is raw but it’s obvious. My client has the means to refine that talent and make the most of what you’ve got and I’m not talking about money.” He looked at them over his shades. “Well not just money. Protection. Power. The best parties in the biz.” He shot a leery smirk over his shoulder at the woman who ignored him. “We’re prepared to give you a unique opportunity and a chance to prove if you have what it takes to hang with the big boys. To rule the world.”

This time Harry’s face took on a look of distain. He’d heard this pitch before.

The man faltered just a bit but put on a persuasive smile and continued. “It’s up to you to grab that opportunity by the balls. Based on what I’ve seen so far you might be what I’m looking for or you might end up dead. Time will tell. Tick.” He snapped his fingers. “Tock. You have an appointment tomorrow in Brooklyn that I recommend you keep.” He handed them a card. “There’s no address. Consider this the commencement of your official interview. Find us. Oh and my client has eyes everywhere. Don’t be stupid.”

The woman rolled her eyes at the man and stepped forward. “Or if you choose my organization instead you can skip that appointment. They won’t care. They’ll probably be too high to notice.” 

He snorted at her.

She handed them a letter sealed with red wax and a white cross. “This will get you where you need to go. There are instructions inside. Use it or don’t use it that is entirely your prerogative. You won’t be seeing me again. I trust you’ll make the right decision.” She made her way to the door where the man opened it for her with exaggerated courtesy. She ignored him and stopped in the doorway to glance back at them or her shoulder. “By the way my organization is called the Templars. You may have heard of us. We’ve been around a while. Good day.”

The man pushed his glasses up with his middle finger and followed her. “Later gator.”

Harry closed the door behind them and returned the weird look Hermione gave him. “That was odd.”

Hermione got a considering look on her face as she broke the seal on the Templars letter. “I have heard of the Templars. I read about them in a book about the magical government when I was writing a report on the International Confederation of Wizards. They’re not a government. They predate most of our current governments. They stand against the evils of the world. Demons, ancient evils, things like that. Among other things. The book was super vague about them. If she was from the Templars then the other guy must have been Illuminati. Of which there’s even less information. There’s one other really big group but I couldn’t even find a name for them only that some third party is influencing people but it appears to be at complete random.”

“So they offering us a job based on us swallowing a bee? That’s weird.”

“Magic makes everything easier but also significantly weirder.”

There was a knock on the door. Harry opened the door again to reveal Viktor. 

Viktor nodded at Harry before striding forward to hug Hermione tightly. “Miss you my Little Vixen .” He pulled back to see the Templar letter in your hand. He frowned and took it from her. “When did you get this? We normally don’t recruit until after schooling is done.”

“We don’t? You’re a Templar Viktor?” Harry asked.

“Da. My whole family is. For generations we have served the Templars.”

“Then maybe you can shed some light on what’s going on. About a week ago. Harry’s first night here we each swallowed a bee…”

“A Bee!? You are Bees? This is wonderful. I was so worried about you returning to Hogwarts with Dark Lord on the loose.” Viktor hugged her tightly. “That is great my Little Vixen .”

“Okay. Wait. Back up Vik. What’s a Bee? Why is that a good thing? Why are the Templars and the Illuminati interested in us?”

“Illuminati been here?”

“Yeah a lady from the Templars came with a man we assume was from the Illuminati.” Harry handed Viktor the man’s business card. “He said they had eyes everywhere.”

“Is true.” Viktor replied surlily. “We play nice together now but Templars and Illuminati been at war for thousands of years. Only work together during times of great turmoil.”

“Don’t get so upset Viktor. We’d already decided to join the Templars before you came in.” Hermione soothed.

“Mister Money, Parties, Rule the World didn’t impress us. I’ve heard that power and those strong enough to seize it bullshit before. Taking a stand against the rising darkness? That we can get behind.” Harry grinned at him.

“Besides I look better in red.”

Harry gave Hermione a strange look for the girly comment but then he noticed she’d directed the comment at Viktor with a slow lustful smile. She licked her lips and handed Harry the Templar letter as Viktor surged forward and picked her up, carrying her upstairs. It had been a week after all.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked over the Templar letter as he went into the kitchen to make lunch. While he was there he took a final look at the Illuminati card before tearing it up and tossing the pieces in the trash.

A few blocks the man with the sunglasses tore the ear plug from his ear and glared at it. The Templar lady laughed at him. “Told you.”

“Hahaha the girl’s got a Templar boyfriend. Arrange that did you?”

“Happy accident. I did know about it before hand though. So much for having eyes everywhere.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. Anyway I believe I owe you dinner my lady.”

“They haven’t shown up in Temple Square yet.”

“But they will. Hell the big Bulgarian fellow will probably take them there himself tomorrow. So how about it. We’ll go somewhere nicer than a fish and chips shop. A little wine, see where the night leads us.”

She rolled her eyes but nonetheless took his arm. The Illuminati were at least good for a night out.

“So what are Bees?” Harry asked as they ate Indian food out of take out containers.

“Bees come from Agartha. The Hollow Earth. The World Tree is pollenated by them. Whenever there’s something that may threaten the world Agartha sends out bees to find agents to fight the sickness. These bees find individuals from all walks of life. Muggles, sorcerers, anyone may one day wake up to find themselves choking on a bee. The bees turn the people into beings of Anima. You can use great power freely and without any real drawbacks. Bees can be injured but they heal extremely fast and even if killed Agartha merely grabs their Anima at the moment of death. They are reborn fully formed at the nearest anima well.” Viktor told him before taking a huge bite of curry.

Harry looked at him rather nonplussed. “I have more questions now.” He looked over at Hermione who also looked confused which made Harry feel at least a little bit better. 

“What’s Agartha? The Hollow Earth? I’ve heard of the World Tree before but the rest of everything you said is new to me.”

Viktor smiled. “I know something my Little Vixen does not?” He was teasing of course. Viktor was a highly intelligent pureblood wizard who had completed his education and had a couple of years on his curvy girlfriend. Still Hermione was so well read that it was difficult to find something she hadn’t at least read in passing. “The World Tree grows inside the Hollow Earth. This location is collectively known as Agartha. The World Trees branches connect to all parts of the world. You could walk across the globe in seconds if you wanted to. The World Tree is the most commonly taken path open to the secret worlders. The entrances change occasionally but the old growth is pretty stable. I apparate from my home to Sofia then take Agartha to the Ealdwic station in London to apparate here.”

“Really? I thought you were just apparating here from Bulgaria every day.”

Viktor laughed. “I am strong wizard and I could apparate that far but I’d be exhausted once I got here. It’d be days until I could do something like that again. Not even Dumbledore can just apparate to ICW in Rome so easily.”

“I had been wondering because I’ve read about the theory behind apparition but I thought you were taking like an international floo or a portkey or something like we did when we visited your Ministry.”

“Most wizards would do that. The only ones who use Agartha regularly are those who are agents of the Templars, the Illuminati or the Dragon. Most of the other groups and governments prefer different routes.”

“The Dragon?”

“That must be that third group I’ve heard about.”

“Yes. We wear red. Illuminati wear blue. Dragons wear green. They deal in chaos. Very confusing fellows.” Viktor shook his head.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s get back on track. Anima? You mentioned we’re like beings of anima and can’t die or something like that?”

“Anima. Life energy. Everyone has some in them but Bees are practically made of anima with skin and hair. The bees operate like extensions of the World Tree.”

“Then why don’t we work for the World Tree? Why the Templars and Illuminati and these Dragon people?”

“It is thought that the World Tree had some influence in creating each group and that she trusts each group to have her best interests at heart so she trusts her bees to them as well. That’s why the three groups travel via Agartha. They say if you’re not part of the Big Three when you try to enter an Agartha entrance the buzzing of the bees gets into your head and drives you insane. Have you heard The Buzzing before?”

“The Buzzing? Not since we changed I heard some then.” Harry commented.

Viktor smiled and chuckled. “My Little Vixen will love this. The Bee is still inside you and it’s ancient so it’ll buzz in your ear sometimes and tell you things. I’m not a Bee but my sister-in-law is. She’ll go somewhere, like we went to this old ruin one Summer and the guide is talking to us about it when she suddenly stops and starts telling us a completely different but much more accurate history of the place. She says they always talk in the multiple because they are a hive mind.”

Suddenly Harry heard exactly what Viktor was talking about and he could tell from the way Hermione suddenly sat up that she was hearing the same thing.

TRANSMIT - initiate anima signal - RECEIVE - initiate the Enochian frequency - WITNESS - initiate the Merovingian syntax - FIAP DE OIAD - crawling roots, heavy with sizzling sap, stab your skull - DOWNLOAD - holy communion - NO PURCHASE NECESSARY - your eyes and ears hemorrhage boiling joy - MAY BE TOO INTENSE FOR SOME VIEWERS - ecstatic agony, your molecules come undone - SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED - offer expires at the heat death of the universe - FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY - the dark days cometh, absolute zero, maximum entropy - ACT NOW! - initiate Agartha broadcast - TRANSMIT - open the 49 gates! - WITNESS! - The Buzzing.

Lo? Hell? Hello.

LISTEN. You've heard us before - our voice, a prelude to a bloody nose.

LOOK. You've seen the weird geometry of our scribbling - illuminated mysteries behind the migraine. Our apocrypha is written in the plasma blood of your mobile phones.

READ US.

You've seen fragments of our grammar in the chaos patterns of bird flocks in flight - in hexagon angles - in the graffiti bleeding together on the wall - in the bioluminescent eyes under your bed - in the fanged city skyline that forms a runic rhyme when glimpsed upside down.

A blur becomes a syntax. A foreboding scrawl emerges.

You've heard shards of our voice in the phantom-radio code of a numbers station - in the roar of a crowd - in the screams of your clock - in the scrape of a chalkboard - in the snow static of a TV - in the chainsaw-decibel mating of cicadas - in the urban mythos that spreads amongst children like contagion - in the silence between lies.

White noise becomes a cadence. Words develop self-awareness. Viral. Evolving. Living poetry. Sentient language.

We. See. You. There is no turning back.

Who are we? It depends on who is looking.

Initiate King James Protocol. The code is 24 and 13 and 14. The password is "Proverbs." Transmit!

"My child, eat thou honey, because it is good... So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul..."

O sweetling, once our voice came to you so faintly. No more. Now we thunder down the varicose, fiberoptic ley lines that fill the World Tree's limbs stretching here and there and everywhere. Your anima-antenna head quickens. The Goddess Machine pulses.

She gave you strength to rend the lion. Now eat the honeyed entrails, because it is good, because it is sweet, because it is terrible. Initiate the Samson Prerogative. Out of the eater comes what is eaten, and out of the strong comes what is sweet.

We are the Education Protocol. We climb the twisted ladder of your cells; we haunt your digital text; we hide in your hat. We are the jagged teeth that trip the tumblers of your mind. You will not know our triggers. For all the world's a cypher. And everything is true.

Be not afraid. Be terrified. The dark days are here.

Our wisdom flows so sweet. Taste and see.

“Did you?” Hermione asked, frightened.

“Yeah. Our wisdom flows so sweet. Taste and see.” Harry looked seriously weirded out. He had enough voices in his head thank you very much. Voldemort was bad enough but this one. There was a sense of a being so vast and so alien that Harry’s tiny human brain couldn’t even begin in touch on the very edges of its understanding and he knew from this moment on for the rest of his extremely long life he would be nothing but a tiny eddy in the vast stream of the universe.

“Well.” Hermione licks her lips and swallowed. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“Some Bees go insane.” Viktor said quietly.

They looked at him startled.

“It’s not common and it usually happens very quickly. Right after the first time The Buzzing occurs. But you handled it well so I wouldn’t worry.”

“This is handling it well?” Harry asked incredulous.

“You are not on the floor screaming and neither one of you is bleeding from anywhere. Yes this is handling it well. Some people even come to enjoy it.”

Harry and Hermione both looked at him in disbelief.

Viktor shrugged. The worst was over in their initiation in his opinion. “Tomorrow I will take you to Temple Hall. You will meet Richard Sonnac. He’s the Head of the New Templars. Used to be Templars came from families like mine but now they’re more open to inviting others in as well. He’s the leader of that movement.”

“Okay. Where in London? Is it close to Diagon Alley?” Hermione asked curiously. Surely if it was they’d have heard of all this by now.

“Not really but you can get there from there if you know how. So I will show you how.”

Entering Ealdwic wasn’t like entering Diagon Alley. When they walked out of the tunnel into the sun the area looked like any other part of London. It was little things that revealed that this was a very different place.

When they’d first headed down Knockturn Alley Hermione and Harry had been nervous but as they walked deeper and deeper into the Alley it soon became apparent that there was a lot more going on than they’d been told. For one thing the absolute roughest looking part was at where Knockturn met Diagon but as they ventured deeper the street twisted and twined its way through the large city. There were homes here and little shops and train stations with no rails and no trains. They went underground only to walk out on to perfectly normal looking streets if it wasn’t for shops named Major’s Arcana and others. The entire time as they walked they stayed within the magical district, within, as Viktor called it, the Secret World. “Diagon and Knockturn are only the Wizarding portions of the Secret World in London. The rest belongs to the rest of us.”

“You don’t count yourself as a wizard?” Harry asked.

Viktor smiled. “I am a wizard but I am not just a wizard. I’m a Templar and this is Temple Square.” 

Harry and Hermione had to stop and stare because seeing Temple Square for the first time with the sun hitting the white building and red banners was an awe worthy sight. The guards in red near the columns chuckled at them. Normally they’d have stopped the children from going any further but they recognized Viktor as being from one of the old families. If he was escorting them everything was probably on the up and up.

Viktor starting walking up to the building with the Hogwarts students trailing behind him. They entered the richly decorated hall. The overwhelming theme of red was probably quite a bit much to most people but to the two Gryffindors it was comforting.

Taking the first right Viktor led them into a nice office with a single small desk in a very large room. Massive paintings of angels and knights decorated the splendidly appointed room. A handsome black man in a bespoke suit sat behind the desk but he waved them in. “Come in, come in. I see you were escorted. Find it too difficult to follow directions on the back of a card?” He snarked.

“They are my friends Sonnac. Be nice.”

“Well any friends of yours Mr. Krum are friends of mine. I’m sure we will get along famously. Gryffindors are you? You made the right choice. Godric Gryffindor himself was a member of our order once upon a time.” He rose from his seat and circled the desk to give both of them a firm handshake. “Richard Sonnac. So. You heeded our call to arms. You have questions but I’m sure Viktor here has already supplied you with a great deal of the answers. Any that he cannot I will be more than happy to answer. Some of them. To begin with, you haven’t strayed into some atrocious Dan Brown airport paperback. We are not the ‘Knights Templar.’ That particular appellation went out in the 1300s, along with pageboy haircuts and burning at the stake.” He paused realizing who he was talking to, “Sorry about that by the way.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Harry said.

“It’s literally listed as no big deal in our history class. Flame freezing charms. Very few of our own were actually killed.” Hermione elaborated.

“Hmmm.” Sonnac nodded. “We run a 20 th century- Well, let’s say a ‘forward-facing’ organization, but one with its strength in ancient bonds of tradition. In loyalty. In blood. And, to be perfectly frank, in a sizable private army. Our firm guidance is needed to save the world from itself. We have kept the matters of squabbling secret societies and loathsome dimensions discreet. Even you as a part of the Wizarding world I suspect haven’t heard of the Templars before a few days ago. But it may not be for much longer. Shadows are beginning to peel back across the globe. The darkest of days have come upon us. The evidence is out there if you know where to look. We are not at war but we’re creeping ever closer to it. Might will make right, and it will fall upon us to judge the correct application of might. It falls upon you, as a soldier of the Templars. Show me that you have the will, and we can teach you the way. Your remarkable powers can be honed and controlled…at least, to less disastrous effect on property values.” He returned to his seat. “There’s a private training area which we have reinforced for just that purpose. Viktor can show you the way. Come back and see me after.”

“Will we be returning to Hogwarts?” Hermione couldn’t help but ask. After all her education was very important to her.

“Of course I would never deny you an education. But make no mistake. You are now and forever shall be a Templar no matter where you are.” He looked back down at his paperwork and took up his pen again. They took that as a gentle dismissal and let Viktor lead them to a set of massive double doors.

“This is the Crucible.” Viktor pushed the massive door open easily and lead them inside. Like much of the rest of the organization red was the main colour theme. There was a bar and Templars sitting on plush sofas and chairs near the door. The main area had chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings as if this was a fancy ballroom. But what dance partners! In each section of the room horrific twisted demons were bound. They were being used as target practice. A man who couldn’t help but remind them of Mad-eye approached them. He wore an eye patch and had a heavy duty brace on his leg. 

“Christ almighty. We’ve got our work cut out for us. The Crucible is my house, and in my house my word is law. Forget your mother’s teat, from now on this is your home. ” He lead them to the center of the room were several open weapon cases lay ready. “This is where you learn to stay alive. You’ve come here an empty slate. You have potential, that’s why you were recruited, but that potential needs strict guidance. You’re a loaded weapon, and if you don’t learn to control yourself and channel your powers, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Or others. As he may have explained,” Waving a hand towards Viktor. “You have the ability to manifest anima, your life force, in the physical world. To enhance your strength, your physical attributes. To do magic. Martial magic. None of that faerie stuff. Whatever trinket you hold in your hand is merely a way to direct your powers. You have a wand. You’re familiar with its use, but it can’t channel anima. We don’t do magic wands here. Through your weapon, you channel and wield your magic. Never mind why this power has been awakened in you. You’re not the only ones, and you’re not the Chosen One.”

Harry smiled. He was probably the first person to come through here to be happy that he was nothing special.

“You’re part of an army, our army, and from now on you’ll do what you’re told. It’s the way of the Templars.”

“As long as our cause is righteous and just Gryffindors never have a problem doing what they’re told.” Hermione told him.

He snorted and then waved his arm about to reference the room. “Consider this your playground. It’s not like being out on the front lines, but its close enough. We have a choice of weapons for you to practice with. Try as many as you wish. When we’re done, you get to pick one. You’ll want to make sure you’re comfortable with your weapon. It’ll be the only thing between you and a trip to the graveyard.” He pointed to the demons nearby. “Those things are called Rakshasa, they’re basic hellhounds. We keep them chained. They used to make such a mess of the new recruits. Use them for target practice. Don’t worry, they don’t feel a thing, and they’re unworthy of mercy. Spend your time in the Crucible well. There’s no point rushing things. Out there, the demons aren’t chained up, and you don’t have me around to save your sorry arse. Go on, get started! I’ll offer some guidance along the way.”

Harry looked around and saw to his surprise several guns. He passed them however when he saw the sword. He walked over to it and tentatively picked it up. It reminded him of the Sword of Gryffindor and based on what Sonnac had said he wondered if Godric himself had once stood in these halls and picked up his first sword. He picked it and immediately felt a warm rush of power much like the first time he’d picked up his wand. He wandered over to the nearest demon and gave it a whack. The sword dug in a bit only to immediately bounce back at him. He recovered and with a buzzing in his limbs tried again. This time anima filled the sword and he sliced cleanly through the demon’s mid-section. It didn’t so much as twitch. 

The one eyed man limped up to him and nodded, “I see you favor the sword. Give her here and let me show you something.” Despite his leg brace he quickly executed a sword move that guarded all sides of his body and then slammed the blade through the head of the demon. “There give that a try.”

Harry took the sword and again felt the buzzing feeling he associated with anima filling his limbs. He executed the sword move almost perfectly leaving an after image of the glowing anima everywhere he swung. 

“Very good. Let me show you another.” The man retrieved a blade of his own and began putting Harry through his paces.

Viktor stayed near Hermione and it was with a knowing smile watched her head directly for the dark book sitting near by. 

Hermione puzzled as she picked up the leather covered book. “How can a book be a weapon?” She wondered out loud before she heard it again. The Buzzing. She nearly dropped the book in shock. Blood Magic? That was so many different kinds of illegal and Dark she wanted to throw the book away from herself.

Viktor quickly came by her side and held her. “Let go of what you’ve heard about the Dark Hermione. The lies the Ministry prints. What the wizards at Hogwarts would tell you about it. We are Templars. These are our tools. I knew you’d go directly for the book. Once you read more I know Blood Magic will be right for you.”

Hermione frowned and with a look up at Viktor for reassurance took the book and slowly returned to the plush sofas. She curled up comfortably and with nervous fingers opened her first book of Blood Magic. Viktor left her to it and headed over to the range. From a hidden holster he pulled an assault rifle and started some practicing of his own.

When Fawkes flamed into Dumbledore’s office carrying a letter at first he ignored the missive in favor of all the other paperwork on his desk. It was only after a peck on the hand that he took the letter addressed to himself in Harry’s messy scrawl.

Dear Headmaster,

I hope this letter finds you well. As for how it finds me well…

About 5 days ago Hermione and I both woke up choking on Bees. I don’t know if that means anything to you but it was a revelation to us. Luckily Viktor is a Templar and he explained a lot to us as well as taking us to Temple Square. 

Hermione’s parents have decided to stay in Australia so we’re closing her house up and staying in the barracks near Ealdwic. Honestly I think it’s mostly so Hermione can be close to the library. The Restricted Section has nothing on this place.

I’m learning the sword and chaos magic. You have to admit chaos magic was a natural choice for me. Hermione’s focusing on elemental magic and blood magic. I know we were both freaked out at first but, well, the Templars play by different rules.

We’re part of the Templar army now. Standing against the rising darkness. As Gryffindors could we do any less? Even Godric was a Templar.

Anyway since I’m staying somewhere else again I wanted to tell you and give you a heads up on what’s happened with Hermione and me.

Sincerely,

Harry

Dumbledore’s bushy eyebrows have shot up at the word ‘Bees’ and stayed there as he alternatively cursed and grumbled. Templars! Of all things. He was Illuminati himself. Viktor Krum, a Templar. That shouldn’t have surprised him and yet. 

Chaos magic and sword play. Well if there was a power Tom knew not he’d lay even money that Tom didn’t know which point of the sword to poke someone with and as for Chaos magic? The thought of Arithmancy Master Tom delving into Chaos magic was laughable.

Little Miss Granger taking up Blood Magic indeed. Well she always was rather ruthless. Perfect polite little miss. The type that’d smile sweetly as you drunk the poison she put in your tea. Muggleborn or not the girl ought to have been an aristocrat.

Beyond all that however was the knowledge that Harry was a Bee. A near-immortal Bee. Was Harry a Horcrux? Dumbledore still wasn’t sure but if he had been he couldn’t see such a thing surviving contact with a Bee. He wondered if Harry was still getting his visions. That’d be the real indication.

Dumbledore dropped his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes briefly before grabbing parchment and quill to compose a reply. He was hoping that Headquarters would be in a little better shape before bringing Harry and Hermione by. They weren’t Molly’s children but that wouldn’t stop her from enlisting them in cleaning the old house. By hand! Without magic! With Sirius the owner standing right there and not allowed to help. Honestly the woman could try the patience of a saint for all being the sweetest kindest lady he’d ever met. He really needed to see about getting Sirius a wand at least. From the sounds of it he’d have to bring Krum in on the secret as well. Not such a bad idea. The Krums had connections to Magical Interpol and goodness knows they weren’t any happier about the situation in England than he was.

At the bottom of the letter he wrote the words The Order of Phoenix is at 12 Grimauld Place with strict instructions to Fawkes that after Harry, Hermione and Viktor had read it to burn the paper. Then he sent the missive on with his love-sick phoenix. He wondered if he ought to give Harry a book on phoenix breeding before his lovely owl laid an egg. He’d grab it the next time he went to the Order. He pulled his reams of paperwork back in front of him cursing the fact that there seemed to be even more of it than before. Even with delegation and loosing several of his positions the paperwork never really seemed to lessen. With a sigh he bent to again.

Harry and Hermione weren’t surprised to find the Ancestral Home of the Blacks within walking distance of Ealdwic Station. Ealdwic Park was in fact just across the street. They trooped over there with their trunks in their pockets and mounting the steps without a thought to their welcome. Viktor had returned to Bulgaria for training again. He confirmed that Marcus Flint was very firmly staying out of England for the duration of the war. Only his father remained and he was the only heir. Neither Flint was stupid enough to risk it.

They opened the door frowning at the musky odor of the place. There was dust everywhere to say nothing of cobwebs and their new anima antenna twitched at the amount of malevolence energy and creatures in this place. The fact that as soon as they stepped inside The Buzzing started screaming in their ear drowning out the voice of the portrait on the wall. Weasley’s and various Order members including Sirius’ tumbled into the foyer to see Harry and Hermione standing there seemingly staring at nothing. Sirius was about to step forward when they snapped out of it. Harry looked at his godfather for a second but Hermione didn’t even hesitate. Blood red magic whipped around her accompanied by fire. Harry had only a moment to call up the green magic of Chaos to rip the burning portrait from the wall. Together they then stomped out the whimpering coming from what was left of the frame. A house elf appeared from nowhere to scream at them.

“Mistress! Noooooo!” the withered old house elf came at them with bony fingers outstretched and Harry didn’t even think before whipping his sword out to decapitate the old elf.

Everyone just kind of stood there stunned for a few seconds before Hermione threw herself forward into Sirius’ arms to give him a big hug. “You never have to hear her again.”

Harry stepped forward to give his godfather a firm pat on the shoulder as his arms were still full of a blubbering Hermione. “And I thought I had it bad. Your mum was a real piece of work Siri.”

“You, you, How? What? I..” Sirius shuddered for a few minutes before Dumbledore finally stepped forward. 

“The Buzzing told you some very not nice things about Walburga I suspect.” Dumbledore looked at them over his spectacles. He studied them with some interest. Harry’s letters weren’t what anyone could call detailed and he’d left out quite a bit. Then again telling your old Headmaster you’d bleached your hair and gotten contacts probably wasn’t high on his list of important news. The young man looked shockingly different from his father which he suspected was contributing somewhere to Sirius’ wide eyed wonder. He’d also filled out quite a bit and appeared to have put on a few inches of height. Quite the attractive young man. Were he about 80 years younger…oh well.

As for Miss Granger what had started last year could not be at all denied now. She was an extremely shapely young lady and if Sirius wasn’t shocked into a stupor he dared say the old dog would be quite enjoying the hug. Her hair, while still huge and bushy, seemed to have settled into definite curls instead of the wild mass it previously was and some lady had gotten a hold of her long enough to take her shopping for clothes befitting a woman instead of a girl. He could see the Weasley boys salivating out of the corner of his eye.

“To say the least. The Bees had a lot of ‘not very nice things’ to say about this house.”

Hermione sniffled and pulled away to stand next Harry and Sirius whimpered a bit at the loss leading Dumbledore to believe he may have been fringing stupor to enjoy the hug a bit more than appropriate for a man old enough to be Miss Granger’s father. “Have you considered The Raffleblag House Cleansing ritual? This place is foul.”

“Hermione! You’re underage. Besides rituals are illegal!” Mrs. Weasley jumped in. She quickly bustled over to give first Harry then Hermione a squeeze. She shot a glare at Sirius having noticed like the Headmaster him enjoying Hermione’s hug a little too much. The old dog didn’t even have the grace to blush. Her glare shot around to include her boys as well who cringed back a bit from it. She glanced down and pressed her lips together. “Quite a bit a skin you’re showing there dear.”

Hermione struggled, “It’s been hot this Summer.” She eyed the matron questioning. Was she trying to imply something?

“Besides Viktor likes her in red.” Harry teased. “So where are we staying? We’ve got to get back to the Crucible or the trainer will have our heads. Literally.”

“Right I’ll show you to your rooms. Harry you’re bunking with Ron and Hermoine’s with Ginny. What’s the Crucible? You can’t go outside. It’s dangerous.” Molly bustled around Sirius without so much as a by your leave in his own home. 

“Actually Molly I wanted to put Harry in Regulas’ old room. I got it cleaned up for him. And Hermione can go into the Black sister’s room. I cleaned it out too. Family wing you understand.” Sirius quickly linked arms with his godson and his sister and practically dragged them upstairs leaving a fuming Molly and a dead ignored house elf in two pieces on the floor. 

Dumbledore called after them. “Bring them to the kitchen afterwards Sirius. I wanted to talk to them before they go.”

“Before they go. Go where? It’s dangerous out there.” Molly put her fists on her hips and glared at the old man.

“Harry and Hermione are Templars Molly. The rules are different for them.”

“Templars!? Nonsense. Children’s tales.” She waved a hand in the air dismissively.

“On the contrary Molly. Templars are very real. Harry and Hermione were recruited only a few weeks ago.”

“What are Templars?” Ron ventured to ask. He glanced at his siblings but even Fred and George looked confused.

“Perhaps you’d be better off asking Harry and Hermione themselves about that.”

“Did they say Bees Albus?” Moody questioned. Most of the Order members looked completely confused by that question. Hestia Jones vanished the dead elf while they stood around looking at the Headmaster for some kind of answer that would make sense.

“Ah yes they did. Harry told me about it soon after it happened. Needless to say Hogwarts isn’t quite equipped to deal with the training of such. Fortunately I have a letter from a Mr. Sonnac that they’ll be fine to attend Hogwarts by September 1 st .”

“What are Bees?” Severus asked. Even he seemed confused by that statement. Enough that he was willing to ask in front of people instead of hiding his lack of knowledge. It didn’t seem that anyone but Moody and Dumbledore had any idea.

“Ah a question I believe shall never really be answered.” Dumbledore murmured before wandering back down to the kitchen. The Order followed unsatisfied but knowing their elusive leader wasn’t likely to be any more forth coming. The Weasley children tried to get lost in the shuffle but their mother quickly caught them and sent them right back upstairs.

“So this is my little brother Regulas’ room. As my heir technically you should have my room but as I’m still using it while Buckbeak uses the master bedroom…” Sirius smiled at their giggles. Especially Hermione’s. Mentally he hit himself on the nose with a newspaper. He focused on Harry instead. “Nice hair. I like the streaks.”

Harry grinned at him. “I thought I’d give a nod to Mom and Gryffindor ya know. And of course now I’m a Templar so there’s that too.” Harry was a bit worried. If there was anyone who might not understand the whole ‘I don’t want to look like my dad anymore’ it’d be Sirius and Remus.

“I like it. I… You don’t look much like James without the hair and the glasses and that’s for the best I think. I-I spent a lot of time as Padfoot while I was in Azkaban. I didn’t really get a chance to grieve you know. As a dog it was just like my master went away but he was gonna come back I just had to wait and I was sad while I waited but I couldn’t really process that James was dead you know? Then I see you and as Padfoot at that and my dog brain just went ‘James!’ so I see you again as a man and my brain, my dog brain, was so used to calling you James that I couldn’t separate and every time I looked at you it was just as hard you know. Cause you looked like James and you sound like James and then you’d do something like, hell, be rightly cautious and my brain and my dog brain would fight and my dog brain would win cause I was a dog most of the time.” Sirius ran a hand through his messy black hair and gripped it as he tried to get a handle on what he was saying and feeling. “Anyway I’m glad you look different from your dad. Now when I look at you in either form my brain shouldn’t go ‘James’ it should go ‘Harry’. Actually would you mind if I changed and got a good whiff of you. It’d help me it really would.”

“Uh sure.”

Sirius fell forward on all fours as a dog and trotted over to put his nose in Harry’s crouch and sniffed before circling around to do the same to his butt. Then he glanced at Hermione and cocked his head for a second before heading over to do the same to her.

Both teens shuffled awkwardly and gave each other uncomfortable looks.

Finally Sirius transformed back into a man. He pointed at Harry. “HarryBee, James’ pup and Hermione, Honeysweet.” He finished pointing at Hermione. “Why do you guys smell like bees and honey?”

“Cause we are Bees.” Harry started.

“It’s a long story.” Hermione continued.

“Perhaps later tonight.”

“We really do need to get back to training.”

Sirius looked back and forth at them a second before shaking his head. “Okay yeah tonight. Sorry about the crouch sniffing Hermione. I figured while I was at it I’d get your scent too. But it’s not. It wasn’t…you know, sexual. As a dog, and you’re a human. It doesn’t really cross over well. It’s weird. It’s an animagus thing. Hopefully you’ll know what I mean one day.”

“Yeah I definitely want to learn than one day.”

“Me too. I wonder if the library has any books about it.”

“I wouldn’t recommend learning from a book. One of Wormtail’s uncles supervised us. I’ll supervise you.” Sirius’ mouth twisted around his former friend’s name.

“Oh okay.”

They headed back downstairs and Sirius led them into the kitchen. “Thanks for killing Kreatuer by the way. Bloody useless elf. He’s always been violent and crazy like that. I’d have killed him myself but uh..” Sirius trailed off but Harry was quick to jump in.

“We know. That’s why I swung to kill instead of incapacitate. The Bees told us everything Sirius.”

“Everything?” Sirius looked worried.

“Everything but no details or anything. We know and we may learn more later. The Buzzing comes and goes.” Hermione explained but Sirius and the other Order members only looked more confused instead of less.

“Yeah maybe you should come us with to Temple Square Sirius. It can’t be good for your psyche to stay in this house.”

“And it’s not like either Death Eaters or Ministry officials are going to be hanging around Ealdwic.”

“Okay.”

“Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous and there better be a good explanation why these children are going back outside besides ‘They’re Templars’ before I’ll allow it.” Molly jumped in.

“Allow? Last I checked you aren’t my mother. That was that harridan these two ‘children’ finally put to rest. I’ll go outside if I please especially if it’s somewhere no one’s likely to see me. If it wasn’t for this war I’d be on a beach somewhere unplottable.”

“Ditto for Hermione and me. My aunt’s more than okay with me doing anything I want and Hermione’s parents are the same. They trust us to not take any unnecessary risks and Temple Square? Hogwarts might be safer. Might? How did Sonnac put it?”

“’Sizable private army?’ Of which we’re a part. Speaking of which we’re late. What did you need to talk to us about Headmaster? Could it wait until later tonight?”

“Ah yes. It can wait. Perhaps tomorrow. Around tea time? There’s a lovely shop down there that even Illuminati like myself are welcome in.”

“You’re Illuminati?”

“Ah yes. Mr. Sonnac’s letter was a very fine and cultured taunt at losing you to them. But as I’m sure has been explained in times of turmoil even Templars and Illuminati have been known to work together. See you then. Sirius?” Headmaster quickly shot a spell at the man. “Do make some attempt at a disguise my boy.”

Sirius pulled a strand of hair forward to see that he was now a blonde like Harry. He grinned. “Okay.”

“I’d have suggested it myself but as I am not a Templar I can’t go inviting fugitives into their back yard.”

“Or their park. Ealdwic is almost across the street from here. Come on Sirius. We’ll drop you off at the Horned God. You can try to pick up someone you’re own age. I hope I don’t have to give you the talk about Hermione’s big bad Bulgarian boyfriend too. It’s starting to get old and Hermione always, ow, hits me when I call her sweet Viktor that.”

“Oh yeah now you’re talking. Viktor Krum? Nice job Hermione. So would you say you go for older men? Ow.”

They ignored the increasingly red Molly who’d been hit with both a Petrification spell as well as a Langlock from Hestia and Severus. The two looked at each other over the woman’s shoulder and Hestia blushed a bit. Severus looked away and swallowed hard before asking Dumbledore a question about the Templars and Illuminati. 

It took Sirius all of three days to shack up with a woman with more piercings than fingers and tattoos than toes. He returned to his house only to eat and for meetings. He worked with a man in Ealdwic to eventually release Buckbeak on a preserve in the Alps. He got a wand somewhere and much to Molly’s displeasure did indeed perform the Cleansing Ritual with Harry and Hermione’s help. After that however he only returned for Order meetings. He took to the Secret World like a fish to water. With his new girlfriend’s help and Greengrass’ backing he even got a trial scheduled for September 29 th and his girlfriend was going come with him for a quick getaway if needed as she had a link to Agartha.

About a week before they boarded the Hogwarts Express something happened that nearly brought the house down about their ears. Harry and Hermione followed by most of the Weasleys came downstairs to a horrible racket. Harry was shocked to see his aunt and uncle standing in the foyer looking pale and scared. More concerning to Harry was that he didn’t see Dudley anywhere.

“Aunt Petunia. Are you alright? What happened? Where’s Dudley?” Harry quickly rushed to his aunt and led her to a nearby sitting room. “Mrs. Weasley can you get my aunt something please. She’s pregnant. This excitement isn’t good for her.”

Mrs. Weasley immediately turned into super mom as far as Harry was concerned. She seemed to apparate to the kitchen and return with an assortment of goodies and tea.

“What happened?” Hermione asked and was answered as the Headmaster swept into the room.

“There were dementors in Little Whinging tonight.”

“What?! Oh Merlin. Wait. Where’s Dudley?” Harry asked again suddenly frantic.

“I’m afraid young Mr. Dursley has been Kissed.”

“No.” All the blood seemed to drain from Harry’s face. “This is all my fault. I should have been there.”

“What does that mean? Kissed? Is my boy alright?”

“Yes Mrs. Dursley your boy is fine. Dudley has had quite a shock. He’s resting at St. Mungos for now but I imagine he’ll be transferred to a muggle hospital soon.”

“Fine!? He was Kissed and he’s fine?” Harry stood up and shouted. Hermione put her arms around him from behind and pulled him back down to the floor with her.

The Headmaster took a lecturer’s tone in what he hoped would calm everyone down if they got all the facts in a forthright manner. “Dementors ignore muggles for the most part. The only people in danger in Little Whinging were your aunt and Mrs. Figg as squibs, or excuse me, Mrs. Dursley you are a full witch now I forgot. Your cousin I thought was a muggle but apparently buried deeper than our spells can detect he did have some magic in him. This made the dementors able to take it from him. That’s what a Dementor’s Kiss does. The soul and magic are directly linked. Not many people know that. Dementors suck the magic out of a person and in a magical person the two are usually so entwined that this removes the soul as well. In young Mr. Dursley’s case however the Dementor merely sucked out his magic without any significant damage to his soul. Rather like skimming the scum off the top of a potion. He’s had a very bad fright and make no mistake his line is now cursed. Descendant of the Greengrass line he may be but never shall a magical child spring from his loins.”

“Thank God for that. Pet being able to do magic is one thing but you lot are completely nuts as far as I’m concerned. I’ll be happy if we never have another freak in the family.” Vernon Dursley looked shaken still but disgusted at being surrounded by freaks as well. It was clear that while his love for Petunia was strong enough to overcome his distaste for magic nothing else even came close.

Petunia however rubbed her hand over her stomach and looked sad. “And if little Rose apparates on top of the school house? If she grows her hair back overnight? Or shrinks the clothes she doesn’t like?”

“I..well that’s different. She’s ours and she’ll know better than to go along with this nonsense.” Vernon was quick to reassure his wife. If he noticed Harry’s flinch he didn’t comment on it.

Hermione however did look pissed on her brother’s behalf and was about to say something before Harry’s hand came up to stop her. He shook his head and she subsided though she still looked at Vernon with narrowed eyes.

Kingsley stepped through the floo just then and immediately crossed to the Dursleys. “Young Mr. Dudley Dursley has been examined and declared sound by St. Mungos. They have transferred him to a muggle hospital near your home with the explanation that he’d come within a hairs breath of being hit by a bus. His memory of the attack has been modified to reflect this and should greatly aid in his recovery from this incident. Here’s the information for the hospital. Before you go I’m gonna need a statement from Mrs. Dursley as to exactly what happened from the time you felt the Dementor’s presence to when the aurors appeared in response to your call. Do you feel well enough to give a statement at this time Mrs. Dursley?”

Petunia reached a hand out to Harry and pulled him to sit on her other side. She gripped his and Vernon’s hands tightly. “I had just taken a cake out of the oven when I felt a sudden chill. It had been pleasant all day and the windows were open so it couldn’t have been the air conditioner. The night was balmy and I thought it was very odd. I went to shut the window when I saw them. Great black cloaks floating down the street toward me. I began to hear those men in the alley again. Heard my blouse rip. My buttons pinging on the trash cans and the ground. I could almost feel his hand around my mouth. And from somewhere far away I heard Sev tell Lily about Azkaban. About the guards, the Dementors, who made you relive your worst memory over and over again. I’m not a strong witch. I’ve gotten through the QuikSpell course for adults though and read a great many of Harry’s school books. I know no spells against Dementors. But I knew the Auror Call spell even if I’d never tried to use it. So I drew my wand and shouted Via Aurors at the top of my lungs and prayed, just prayed it would worked. The memory was getting worst and I just curled into a ball on the floor and wished with all my might that Harry was home. You know don’t you? You know how to fight them.” She turned to Harry beseechingly. 

“There’s a spell called the Patronus Charm. You focus on your fondest memory and cast it. It can hold the Dementors at bay or if you’re strong enough scare them off. I’m sorry Aunt Petunia it’s a very high level spell. I can teach it to you but I don’t think you’ll get much more than mist. Better than nothing though.”

“But you can cast it?”

“Yes. I have a very strong Patronus. It takes the form of a guardian animal and mine’s a stag. I’ve fought off over a hundred dementors before. They terrify me more than anything else.” He struggled wondering if he should mention it but Petunia had shared something very personal and he felt he should in turn. “I hear Mum dying when they get near.”

Petunia pulled him close and hugged him tight. She sniffled. “When I was a young woman in the secretary pool I was walking home one night when two men grabbed me. They were going to rape me.” Then Petunia gave him a tremulous smile and turned to Vernon. “That’s how I met Vernon. He saw them grab me from down the street. He was like a magnificent bull. He rushed down the alley and knocked both of them out. He saved me.”

Vernon puffed up a bit and gave Petunia a grin before tugging her close for a hug.

Kingsley let them get the feelings out. He was in no hurry to get back to the shit storm that was the Ministry at the moment. When Mrs. Dursley finally turned back to him he finished his interview. “After you cast the Auror Call the Aurors apparated to your location within a few seconds. Jenkins and Roberts immediately felt the presence of the Dementors and cast the Patronus charm as well as a containment spell on the demons. A sweep of the area revealed your son comatose in an alley. It was a relief to everyone when he woke up and while scared was able to answer some basic questions about his name and age. I assume the others here will see that you get home safe. Thank you for your statement Mrs. Dursley.” Kingsley nodded at them respectfully and turned to finish his report to Dumbledore. The Headmaster waved his wand to put up a muffalio. “While the aurors responded instantly to the call it wasn’t logged that the attack happened to Mr. Potter’s relatives until a few hours later when St. Mungos called. The Ministry is in an uproar. While they may be dragging his name through the mud Mr. Potter is still considered a national treasure and the fact that it may have been him Kissed instead has sent waves through the Ministry. The question on everyone’s tongue is how Dementors got there. There’s a short list of people with that kind of authority and Madam Bones is going through it with a fine tooth comb. Cross that list with who would have a bone to pick with Mr. Potter and Fudge and his Undersecretary go straight to the top of an already short list. Unfortunately young Mr. Dursley is a muggle so there are already calls to hush it up because who cares if a muggle got Kissed.” Kingsley lip curled. “While Mrs. Dursley was at risk the Aurors got to her in time and St. Mungos focused on her even before Mr. Dursley. I’d like to say it was because of her pregnancy but we both know it was because she’s a witch while he is just a muggle. Anyway she’s a bit shaken up but they gave her a calming potion. Apparently she’s been seeing a muggle doctor and they chastised her for trusting ‘those butchers’. Only then did they have more than a trainee looking at Mr. Dursley. The elder Mr. Dursley wasn’t home at the time. Once Mrs. Dursley requested than her nephew, Harry Potter, be called to attend her St. Mungos called the Ministry in a panic and at that time it got logged that the Dementor’s attack happened to Mr. Potter’s family. Hestia intervened at that time and had Mrs. Dursley brought here. Diggle retrieved Mr. Dursley from his home. The poor man was beside himself with worry. Apparently Mrs. Dursley didn’t get a chance to leave a note.”

“What a kerfuffle. At least everyone is alright. Let’s get the Dursley’s home. I’ll head to the Ministry and see what I can shake from the trees.” With a wave of his wand he canceled the privacy spell. “Let’s get you home Mrs. Dursley. I’m sure you’re eager to see your son but in your condition may I suggest you have a rest and send your husband to pick up your son and bring him home.”

Mrs. Dursley nodded. She gripped Harry’s hand tightly. “Come home with us? I’d feel better knowing a wizard much stronger than me is there. You did promise to come home and spend some time with us before you went off to school.”

“Of course I will Aunt Petunia. I’ll have to be gone throughout the day. I have training in London. But I’ll be back at night.”

“We have to go get your supplies as well. And I need you to show me how to get to St. Mungos. They were upset with me for seeing a muggle doctor. I’ve been taking the wrong kind of vitamins apparently.” She petted her non-existent baby bump.

Molly Weasley spoke up now. “If you’d like dear I can come get you for your appointments. I’ve had seven myself. I could get to St. Mungos’ Maternity Ward in my sleep. When I had Ron in fact I did.”

Petunia shared a smile with Mrs. Weasley. “I would appreciate that. Thank you.”

“I’ll get Arthur to hook you back up to the floo network. That’s the best way.”

“Through the fire place? I don’t know.”

“Oh don’t worry we’ll be properly prepared this time. Set it up from your end.” Mrs. Weasley walked with Mrs. Dursley out the door and holding the woman close apparated her home followed closely by Kingsley taking a reluctant Mr. Dursley the same way. Unbeknownst to the rest he’d also alter his memory of the evening. Only Petunia, as a magical, was allow to remember the events.

“Let’s get you packed Harry my boy and I’ll take you before I go to the Ministry.”

“Already got everything.”

“Ah yes. Endless pockets still standard issue I see.”

“Not quite endless but yeah.” Harry turned and gave Hermione a tight hug. “See you tomorrow at the Crucible Sis.”

“Bright and early.” 

“Hermione we need to go if we’re gonna make the train.” Harry hung over the back of Hermione’s chair where she was curled around an extremely old, rare and if the steel bar she had holding the cover open was any indication, extremely hangry book.

“Just let me finish this chapter. I wish I could take it with me.”

“You can pop back around during Hogsmeade or hell anytime after class if you’re sneaky enough.” Seeing her turn a page as the book struggled fruitlessly against her hold he sighed and grabbed a fencing manual out of his pack. The Conductor had said there’s an Agartha entrance near Hogwarts but he didn’t know how near. Nevertheless there was no way it’d take them longer to walk from Agartha than it would take the Hogwarts Express to chug up to Scotland.

Several hours later….

“You could have told me the Agartha Entrance was deep in Aragog’s territory!”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t get a chance to check.”

Hermione was a furious entity of blood and ice as she eviscerated more and more of the beasties with every step. Harry whirled and sliced and healed with extreme prejudice as they slowly made their way to the distance lights of Hogwarts. Thankfully the entire school was lit up for the Opening Feast or they’d have been hopelessly lost in the Forbidden Forest. As they reached the edge of the webs and the end of Aragog’s territory the big spider himself perched just out of reach above them.

“Peace! Stop slicing up my children.”

“Tell your children to stop trying to eat us.” Harry growled at him nonetheless he stopped hacking at any spiders in reach but like Hermione kept a glowing green shield up around him. Hermione’s shield was less solid but more a constantly moving wave of blood blades encircling her body.

“The entrance to Agartha is deep in your territory. We want safe passage through at all times and in return we promise not to slaughter your children like you’ve seen here today.” Hermione stared down the eight eyed monster with steely resolve.

“Deal.” The spider seemed… frightened? It was weird to see something so immense and deadly like that but given that the air was thick with the smell of blood and spider ichor Aragog didn’t really have a choice. He could smell these two human looking creatures. They smelt like bees, juicy insects but he saw now they would need to be treated like wasps. Deadly and not worth it.

“Any of yours that attacks us is your loss. We will continue to defend ourselves. It’s up to you to police your kind.” Harry added when one of the larger spiders snapped it’s pincers near him.

“Indeed.” Aragog shrieked and between one blink and the next the forest was empty and eerily quiet.

“Well...that was invigorating.” Hermione said as she strode forward out of the thicket of spider webs. 

Harry shifted the sword to his shoulder and look after her with a shake of his head. “At least Ron wasn’t here. Pissed his pants last time.”

“If there’s one thing I’m glad I missed being petrified it was coming in here at thirteen to follow spiders.” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“If you hadn’t been petrified we’ve have never followed the spiders cause you knew what was happening at that point. How did you figure it out anyway? I remember looking them up during the tournament and I couldn’t find anything about basilisks petrifying people only turning them to stone or eating them.”

Hermione frowned. “I don’t actually know what book it was from. I found a torn piece of a page tucked inside my history book with the information on it. It was very peculiar. With everything that happened afterward I never got a chance to follow up on it.”

Hogwarts lights up ahead started dimming and they knew they’d missed the feast entirely. “Drat. We missed the feast.”

“That’s okay. We can get something from the kitchens later.” Harry said but nonetheless both of them broke into a run. 

“…pruning those things that need pruning…” In the silence surrounding the new teacher’s speech the sound of running could be heard. Two pairs of heavy boots with different rhythms sounded through the hall leading to the Great Hall until finally two individuals burst through the doors. 

Everyone had been wondering where the Boy-Who-Lived and his female sidekick had been. Ron had been inundated with questions he’d been unable to answer and was already in an irritated mood but that disappeared as they came closer. His stomach turned when he saw a twitching spider leg still caught in Hermione’s hair and realized the disgusting green goo liberally dripping from them must be spider guts.

“I’m so sorry we’re late Headmaster. We didn’t realize the Ealdwic station doesn’t actually have trains that lead to King’s Cross.” Hermione started explaining but then Harry picked up after her. Behind them the twins started to grin.

“And while I’d learned from the Conductor that there was an Agartha entrance near Hogwarts I didn’t realize it was deep in the Forbidden Forest.”

 “Although we now have a deal with Aragog for safe passage through.”

“So that’s handy and no Hagrid we didn’t hurt him.”

“Just a lot of his children that attacked us.”

“You have a spider leg in your hair.”

“I have a what?” Hermione said flatly and turned her back towards Harry so that he could pick the still weakly twitching leg from her tangled hair.

The pink woman in front of them that they could only assume was yet another DADA teacher was slowly turning puce in front of them. Behind her however the Headmaster was trying and failing to cover an increasingly large smile and his own quiet chuckles.

“Ewwww…We are covered in spider guts.” Harry said finally taking a good look at them both.

“Better than hellhound blood I suppose.” Hermione drew her finger through the viscous fluid coating her Hogwarts robe.

“There is that.”

“I wonder if this has any use in potions? I don’t recall anything that uses acromantula guts. Professor Snape?”

“It’s used in many potions at the Mastery level. For obvious reasons I do not have the truce you do with Aragog. Do you mind if I clean you up and collect some of that?”

“Not at all.”

“Go ahead.”

Potions Master Snape came around the staff table as several things on the table began to turn into containers for the plethora of disgusting spider guts that began to leech off the two Gryffindors. 

It was at this time the pink woman before them managed to regain herself. “Detention! Mr. Potter, Miss Granger.”

“What for?” Harry asked. He’d missed the feast before but this time he’d not damaged anything nor bothered the Status of Secrecy. What was the big deal?

“For missing the Opening Feast and taking an unauthorized route.” The woman said imperiously with a certain glee.

“You can’t do that.” Hermione looked at her as if she’d just declared they’d be having spider guts for breakfast.

“Of course I can. Little girl you see…”

“No I mean you can’t do that. According to the Hogwarts bylaws and regulations as laid down by The Founders no muggleborn or muggle raised students can be held accountable for tardiness in missing the Opening Feast or even the first round of classes. If said students have missed the Opening Feast it is the duty of the student’s Head of House to retrieve and/or save them from whatever dire harm may have delayed their arrival. It’s in Chapter 5 Subsection 3 Paragraph 7 Sentences 2 through 5.”

The woman stared at Hermione now as if she’d grown another head. “I am from the Ministry!” She thrilled in a shrill voice but once again Hermione interrupted her.

“And in Chapter 9, Subsection 2, Paragraph 10, Sentence 7 it goes on to state that at no time shall Hogwarts ever accept Ministry interference in the handing out of punishment to students unless the students in question have committed criminal acts which may be punishable by law. Being late is not a criminal act. Not one we can be punished for when we had legitimate reasons for being so and we presented ourselves to the Headmaster immediately upon arrival to explain our tardiness. The only way we could be punished is if the Headmaster deemed our reason unacceptable.”

The three turned to face the Headmaster as Professor Snape finished wicking away the remaining parts and pieces of spider bits from them.

Headmaster Dumbledore looked down on them with a beatific smile. “As the children’s tardiness stemmed from a lack of knowledge of the route they were taking and the rather blatant evidence of an attack by giant man eating spiders I think I can deem their reasons as perfectly acceptable.”

Umbridge then grinned nastily. “But they used magic before reaching the school violating the Misuse of Magic edict given to students.”

“Which is lifted on September the 1 st allowing Hogwarts students to use any and all means available to them in order to help them get to Hogwarts. Misuse of Magic edict 8, paragraph 2 sentence 4.” Hermione looked at the woman in an almost bored fashion as if to say is that the best you can do.

“Besides Underage Magic Restrictions are waved when said student is under attack or threat of death. Which we were.” Harry pointed out. “I don’t know what paragraph that is but it’s in there.”

“Edict 2 paragraph 4 sentence 3.” Hermione quoted in a bored tone. There was still food on the tables and she was rather hungry. This pink toad was holding things up uselessly trying to punish them in some way. It was almost suspicious. “If you don’t mind we’d like to get some food and get checked out at the infirmary before heading to bed. We’ve had a long night.”

Behind the Ron started building two plates of leftovers for them while Ginny started on two plates of desserts.

“Such cheek.” The pink toad started to swell again but Professor McGonagall intervene. 

“Are you injured?” She looked concerned and looked to Poppy’s seat but she had left during dessert.

“No but I figured we should stop in anyway to be on the safe side.”

“Indeed. I shall escort you.” With a wave of her wand and a nod to the Weasley siblings that had gathered the food. “Your food gathered by your friends can be eaten in the common room. Follow me.”

Harry and Hermione shot a grin at the Weasleys as they followed their Head of House out the door. Behind them Professor Snape announced that his 7 th year NEWT students who were interested in a Potions Mastery could join him in refining the ingredients gathered and his 6 th year students would be allowed to watch. As it was a weekend he advised them the refining would begin after breakfast tomorrow morning.

The pink toad in front watched the tardy students leave with narrowed eyes. All she could think was. “Foiled again.”

“You think Professor Snape would want this Basilisk corpse?” Harry asked as they finished casting various preservation spells. The beastie was still mostly intact surprisingly. There was evidence of rats trying to gnaw on it but it’s skin was truly impentratable even in death and it’s mouth had snapped closed during it’s death throws.

“Given how excited he was about spider guts. Probably.”

“Talk to him at lunch?”

“Sure. Maybe you can ask him for his side of the story as well.”

“You think that by tempting him with a giant ancient snake he can be coaxed into being polite?”

“Perhaps.” Hermione replied. She was distracted by her necklace, a round curio locket with a White cross on a red background, growing warm between her breasts. She pulled it out and opened it revealing Viktor’s face in a tiny mirror.

“How is everything at Hogwarts my Little Vixen? Did you and Harry arrive okay?”

“We had to fight our way through a pack of giant spiders but we’re fine.”

Viktor chuckled as if they were joking before growing much more concerned.

Harry wandered away from the enviable lovey-dovey chatter the two were prone to engage in. He’d never gotten a chance to really explore the Chamber before and prompted by their discussion about the basilisk they’d decided to investigate. The Buzzing since they’d entered Hogwarts had been nearly constant and both decided to roam the castle to try to get it out of their system before classes started. Besides they needed a safe space to summon bound hell hounds to continue practicing on. They’d left very early in the morning and grabbed breakfast from the kitchen. 

They completely forgot to include Ron. After his estrangement at the tournament last year there had been a persistent distance between the Buzzing Duo and their red headed friend. When he seemed to have patched things with Harry he then bungled things with Hermione at the Yule Ball. The whole thing might have blown over in the face of Voldemort’s return but then Harry and Hermione spend almost every waking moment with each other over the Summer while Ron’s letters were few and far between. Even this Summer at Grimauld Place they’d been out early and had come back late while Ron had slept in or been cleaning. 

Now as twin Bees, a phenomenon that had only occurred thirty times before they were almost close enough to fit into each other’s skin. Finishing each other sentences were the least of their problems. They’d begun to think along the same lines as well at times which was increasingly bizarre for cautious, ruthless Hermione and reckless, merciful Harry.

Harry wandered up to Slytherin’s mouth and the Buzzing began anew

Speak to me greatest of the Hogwarts four!

Such arrogance but weren’t they all in the end.

Godric drowning on swollen tongue

Rowena dying of poison drunk

From Helga brewed so confidently.

Harry frowned. Before calling out in Parseltongue. “Speak to me Slytherin greatest of the Hogwarts Four.” The mouth slowly grinded open and Harry climbed the wavy stone beard to get inside. Once there he found a large round room covered in glowing runes just big enough to have housed a thousand year old serpent. He skirted the edge of this enclosure to enter a doorway he saw on the back end. He heard Hermione following him but she paused to exam the runes more closely.

There was a den of rooms behind the snake’s room. It appeared to be Salazar’s personal quarters. There was a small kitchen, dining room, five or so bedrooms and bathrooms. An alchemist’s lab and an enchanter’s table were cluttered together in one room that was filled to the brim with the flotsam and jetsom of such arts. Finally in a round dish of a room he found the library with a surprise at its center. The center was flat with the walls of books curling up the sides like honey stuck inside a pot. A small desk with a comfy chair pulled up to it sat in the center and in that chair sat a man. His head had fallen forward to rest on the desk next to his arm that was frozen forever in the position it had stopped in. He appeared to have been writing in a journal when it happened. When Death finally came on soundless feet to slowly sooth him in eternal slumber.

Ran away or so the story says. But O sweetling the curled snake would not go far from his den. Like poison inside a sweet cherry stone Salazar dwelled into his pit. No amount of preservation charms can keep away death’s final grip.

Hermione came up to stand beside him in solemn silence. “Makes sense. If a snake could hide down here for so long why couldn’t he?”

“I wonder how old he was when he died?” Harry asked. He’d seen paintings of course. There was even a monkey like statue of the wizen old wizard in the castle somewhere. As such it was easy to recognize Salazar Slytherin. Who else would be here deep in his Chamber of Secrets? His iron grey beard reached the ground and his long hair did the same in back though the top of his wrinkled head was bald. Even his eyebrows seemed long. His face was a craggy mass of wrinkles. It looked almost like he was sleeping. They expected any minute he would take a breath and move the curled parchment in front of his mouth.

Finally they moved forward. Hermione pulled the journal from under his hand. The quill made a dry scratching noise over the parchment but the ink had long since dried. Harry moved him to sit up right. Rigor mortis was long since passed. He was perfectly preserved due to the charms in the chamber but very definitively dead. “I’m gonna…I don’t know. Put him in his bed. That’s where I’d want to be. If I was dead.” Harry picked the decrepit old man up in a bridal carry and walked out of the library. He’d seen a master bedroom earlier and he went there and laid him out on top of the covers. There was an elegant throw at the foot of the bed which he used to cover the old man from the waist down. The room was decorated in dark tapestries over stone walls. One massive tapestry depicted a fen. The morning sun shined brightly and it changed slightly as he watched. He imagined it changed over the course of a day. Another one was a family tapestry. While it wasn’t up to date it did show the Slytherin family stretching back for another thousand years before Slytherin’s time. Harry didn’t recognize any of the names but he was surprised to find Slytherin had been a Templar. The secret marking indicated he’d been was etched inside his name.

He wondered if Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had been as well. Or maybe they’d been Illuminati or Phoneians or even Dragons. What had Merlin been if anything. Harry carefully looked through the room as he mused. A wardrobe full of ancient robes and pointy wizard shoes. An end table with a book of fictional tales on it. A dresser full of bedclothes, sheets and blankets along with nightshirts. Behind a screen was a commode and a large bath tub with a faucet. There was even a sink with a faucet. Just how long had wizards had indoor plumbing? Is that why the entrance was behind a bathroom? Had Slytherin been responsible for the plumbing in Hogwarts as it was built and designed it with his snakes in mind? Who knows. Maybe it was in Hogwarts, A History.