Ancestry 04 - The Wizengamet Gets A Threadbare Story by Voracity2

Ancestry 04 - The Wizengamet Gets A Threadbare Story

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Ancestry 04 - The Wizengamet Gets A Threadbare Story

Augusta Longbottom looked at it and then sneered at the headmaster. "If it were not true, then you should not be affected by it." She got up to hand it to him. He refused to touch it. "You show your guilt, Albus." She forced it into his robe pocket and he glowed grandly. "Hmm. Well, that proves something I suppose." She went back to her seat.

"I'm not sure if Neville will be returning to Hogwarts after all. I may find a better school for him to attend. One where there's not plans." She summoned a family house elf. "Bring Neville here please. I need him to officially testify." The house elf left and a few minutes later Neville showed up tying his tie. "Thank you for dressing appropriately, grandson. We want to ask you questions about Hogwarts."

"If you and the Council wishes," he said with a bow towards the others. "Is this about Harry being sent by a healer to a distant family member?"

"Yes." She smiled. "What do you know of Harry Potter, Neville?"

"Quite a lot but not enough. He's a good man in the making, the same as I am. His curse scar is a horcrux. Hermione figured that out last year after looking into the diary that infected Ginny Weasley. Which we know was hidden to protect her but it'll probably come out in fuller scale now. I know his mother was the brightest witch of her age." He saw Lucius cast at Dumbledore from the corner of his eye so he couldn't say anything out loud.

"I know anytime Harry asks questions about his parents he gets blown off and any book he touches that mentions them disappears. His history book had that problem and so did all ours before the Headmaster broke it for those books alone. The Gryffindor house elf said they ended up in the basement storage area when it brought it back."

He cleared his throat. "I know that certain members of this Council are aware of certain facts on what happened but were most likely involved in them." He stared at his grandmother. "There's a great many plots going on that we've witnessed and seen falling apart because they never asked for us to follow along and we wouldn't because doing so was insulting to us.

"The same as some of us aren't stupid and knew why Sirius Black, who never got a trial," he said over Fudge's starting to complain, "broke out of jail to protect his godson, who had no idea who he was until that fateful night they met. I also know that the dementors nearly ate a few students beyond Harry but no one seemed to give a bit of a damn about us."

His grandmother stood up. "Dementors?" she demanded, glaring at Fudge and Dumbledore. "When did you run into them?"

"They were at the school looking for Black," Lucius said. "Fudge made the headmaster and school board agree. Which we did not like." He looked at Neville. "That diary, that's interesting."

"Especially with how Harry destroyed it with a basilisk fang," he said happily. "Ron told us." Lucius winced at that. He looked at his grandmother. "If this about how a healer sent Harry to a relative, which was what was in the ministry automatically filed reports in the Prophet a few weeks back, then I'm guessing a healer somewhere looked at all that. And probably got horrified.

"If a healer has to send a person suddenly out of the country to a relative.... And the Ministry reports that are automatically filed with the Prophet stated that they had to memory charm people, that speaks a lot to me about why. There's only so many reasons why healers send people to safety." He grinned at his grandmother. "Are we talking about how I've been learning from your books instead of mine because mine are full of nothingness?"

"You are?" she asked.

"Yes. I had Swifty bring me all the books for fourth year herbology. Yours had the best sections in it. Mother's had some but yours actually explained things. Swifty, please bring me all the fourth year herbology books again?" he called. The house elf did that, presenting them to him. "Thank you, Swifty. Did you save my sandwich from burning?"

"Yes, Neville son," he said with a bow. "In fridge for Neville son to eat later." He disappeared.

Neville let her have the books. He looked at Lucius. "I'm shocked Draco hasn't complained to you about how poor the books are. And about Lockhart's books. They were truly shite. Sorry to use that language but no more polite words exist in any language I'm aware of about that." A few tried not to laugh at that.

"Why was Lockhart there?" his grandmother asked.

"He was my second year defense teacher, Grams. I thought you had seen that."

She glared at Dumbledore. "Really?" She looked at the books. "Oh, that is pants about teaching, isn't it?" she admitted, frowning at the section on a well known plant. "Is that all that's taught?" she demanded.

"Madam Sprout does add in some. She has us do a lot with the plants and not a lot of bookwork. I needed information on common ailments though so I went looking."

She blinked at him, nodding. "You're taking my books apparently." He grinned at that permission. She looked at Lucius, who came over to look as well. "Is your son's this bad?"

"If it is, I can see why his mind is starting to fail toward mediocrity."

"He's been busy in the school doing other things," Neville quipped. "Doing charms on badges and the like, Mr. Malfoy."

"I heard," he admitted. "He brought one home by accident. I banished it into the woods." He flipped through the books. "Yours were much more extensive than my own year's, which would've been near your son's years, Augusta." He handed them back, looking at Neville. "Do you feel safe at Hogwarts?"

He snorted, looking amused. "Hell no! At least I wasn't one of the ones petrified by the basilisk, though it was charming we were working with and growing the proper curative herbs in my year." The headmaster was starting to complain again. "I haven't felt safe since I got sorted and the ghosts that night were whispering about which ones probably wouldn't make it to graduation and I was nominated!"

Lucius stared at him oddly. "They thought the odds of me surviving were rather poor but I've so far beat all the odds they set for me to get past fourth year. Harry they thought might make it but die soon afterward, and the divinations teacher always predicts it. None of us have been safe since we stepped into the school. I also challenge you to figure out why three first years disappeared last year in the middle of the year. Their house was told their parents pulled them but two were orphans by their own histories."

"Students have gone missing?" he demanded.

"Yes."

"No!" Dumbledore ordered. "They have not! They were pulled home by their parents!"

Neville snorted, looking at him. "Two of them were orphans, Headmaster Dumbledore. How did missing parents do that?" He stared at him. "I feel the need to turn into Hermione here. It's disturbing but oh well." He pulled out a book and wrote a note in it that uncharmed it then handed it to Lucius Malfoy.

"Please work with my grandmother on my journal, Mr. Malfoy. You and Madam Bones are the only ones with children there this year. That's my private journal from first year, first day of school, to the end of this year. I was closing it out to start a new one as I was running out of room to rant."

He flipped through it, looking disgusted. His grandmother took it to look though and nearly burst out crying. Bones snatched it to read then pointed at Dumbledore. "Chains," she ordered. Her aurors jumped to do that. "Are you putting this into evidence, Neville Longbottom?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I know exactly what I handed you, Madam Bones. I may be young but I'm not stupid." He smiled at her. "And I've seen some of the biggest dumb things ever, even outside the Slytherin house, going on around Harry Potter and myself as we share a birthday."

She flinched, staring at him. "You do?"

"We do."

"Oh, Merlin, no," his grandmother whispered.

Neville looked at her. "I made sure I won't end up being a victim, Grams. And I worked with Hermione on it too. She's aces at studying and finding little things in the library. If only some of the other boys listened. Including Harry at times." He shook his head quickly then smiled at Malfoy.

"I'm really shocked your son's letters haven't mentioned a thing about any of that. Did you even hear that students were petrified for months and still managed to pass their year? Even though they could have uncharmed them at any time? They waited until after Harry defeated the basilisk to uncharm them."

"Can you prove there was one?" Bones asked.

"Ron said the Chamber's locked to snake speakers, which we found out Harry could do in our second year as well. Bit of a coincidence really. He also said it's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. It's why she was killed. He was totally drunk after saving his sister and getting knocked out on the way, so chatted."

She blinked a few times. "Why didn't you mention this?"

"I thought for sure the headmaster had to tell at least the school board." He frowned at him then at her. "Then I realized this year that there's something preventing me from telling my grandmother about anything that went on at school. In here, such protections are removed by the needs of the truth spells on the room."

She smiled. "I had not thought of that. Malfoy, summon your son. I'll get my niece." He had his house elf grab his son. Her niece showed up with shopping bags when her aunt set off her tracker.

Draco strolled in, looking messy. "It's windy today and Mother had me helping her in the alley, Father. Is there a huge problem?" He looked at Neville, who looked gleeful. "Something at the school?" he asked dryly. This looked very interesting. He may even be willing to work with a Gryffindor to be so amused.

"Malfoy, do you have anything you've written home?" Neville asked. "I realized that there's something that's keeping us from sharing news of our years."

Draco tipped his head. "I had not thought of that but Mother never mentioned anything I wrote about." He summoned his own journal to let his father see it. "You needed that, Father?"

"I do." He snatched it to read. "Not very descriptive."

"That's for the ones who snoop," Draco said. "Do you want my real, private one?"

"Yes, boy, I do," he ordered, staring at him.

Draco smirked and summoned it to hand over. "Sorry," he said as he handed it over.

Lucius looked and it did note that his son saw him slipping Ginny that journal and made him sigh. "No, that's a mix up, son." He let Bones take it. "It had been in my possession that day because I was having it examined in Knockturn by an artifact expert," he admitted. "She ran into me and our things got mixed up. I got a pair of her socks in my pocket instead of the journal."

She looked at him then went over it. "Do you have a journal or anything?" she asked her niece.

"No because that means people can snoop. I know not to write down anything that someone can find because it could endanger the family." She sat the bags on her aunt's desk then looked at her. "But I will let you take pensieve testimony, Aunt. Under truth serum if I need to."

"I can agree to such caveats," Neville agreed happily. "Because I'd like to not have a year where we're all in danger. Which hasn't been Harry's fault except that they're coming for him and he usually has no idea why for a good while."

"He is rather clueless," Draco agreed dryly. "And annoyingly letting the muggleborn Granger help him with that."

"She's fantastic at finding research things," Neville told him. "She'll even proofread papers for us so we get higher grades. Dean and Seamus both needed that and so has Ron because their standards for papers are weak."

Draco blinked. "Really?"

"Muggle schools have different standards for writing papers," Susan Bones told them. "They have to be grammatically correct but also cite different sources in a different manner. Plus be typed, which would be a Merlin blessed godsend as my wrists keep cramping."

Her aunt stared at her. "You can't type."

"I can learn."

"True. We can make sure you learn." Her niece smiled at that. They all ignored Dumbledore trying to complain until the silencing spell hit him.

"Considering typewriters are ancient tech according to some muggleborns, that's a great thing. Now they keyboard is used for computers. They store it and print it out of a separate device so you never have to retype everything to fix a single page. I've snuck to town to look at the ones in the local library. They're very handy. The internet has a lot of plant information as well. Nothing magically related but information certainly. Some of it's bad but it's there."

Draco grimaced. "You did?"

"I won't let myself languish in plant knowledge. I need to know what's in my soil and why and what's in the water and why and how it's going to affect things like my fertilizer." He smiled. "The librarians were ever so nice to me." He glanced at his grandmother then at the other two students.

"One of our neighbor has one but she doesn't look up plant information," Susan said happily. "Hers are much more...personal." Draco looked at her. "Yes, pornography. She's into flirty little men." Her aunt moaned. "Well, there is a truth spell, Auntie."

"Point." She rolled her eyes.

Lucius shook his head. "I had no idea they had more than trading cards."

"According to the neighbor, every time technology gets better, someone always uses it for such things," Susan told him. "Movies, internet, all sorts of technology is driven and fueled by that want." She shrugged but smiled. "People want things and can't find them so they make them I'm told."

He nodded. "I just found a mistress." He looked at his son.

"I'm hoping I won't need one, Father." He cleared his throat. "Does Mother have any of my letters?"

"She may." He sent a note with the family house elf, getting a few. "Are those yours?"

He looked then shook his head. "That is not my handwriting, Father. That's much more flowery." He let him compare it to the journal.

"Someone's been editing your letters," he said, looking at the headmaster. "Interesting."

"I noticed after our second year that I couldn't say things about the problems of the year," Susan told him, looking at her aunt. "I thought it extended to letters and that surely the headmaster had to admit it to you guys because students were involved. Like the three that disappeared this last year. Two were orphans. I'm hoping they're okay but every year we go missing at least one."

"Mostly a Slytherin or Hufflepuff," Draco agreed with a slight nod. He shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chest. He felt weird working with those two but if it fixed things so he didn't have to deal with them he was fine with it. "This year's we protected the children. Hufflepuff tried I'm sure." Neville cleared his throat. "They are not great at defense spells, Longbottom," he sighed.

"No one's taught us a damn thing outside Remus Lupin," he pointed out. "We learned it from Hermione to protect ourselves for whatever as coming after Harry. Ravenclaw learned them because they wanted to and they have a group approach where everyone has a few good areas and teach the others in seminars."

"Hufflepuff do that too," Susan told him with a nod. "But they're not really encouraged to learn defense. Unlike your house that breeds people like Potter."

Neville grinned at her. "Harry said the hat hesitated so much on him because he was arguing he didn't want to be a slytherin because he had met Draco."

She burst out giggling. "Oh, sorry, Malfoy."

He waved a hand. "The hat is barmy," he said dryly. "And I was a shit that day so no wonder." He rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Anything else I can help the Council with?"

"Why is a former Dumass protecting him?" Susan asked.

Lucius frowned at her. "That's a question but there's a thought that Evans may have had one in her lineage sometime."

Neville nodded. "Looking back, yeah. It's not listed with a first name but she's listed as a Dumass by birth." He grinned at the horrified look Draco has. "Harry's a grandson if I remember right."

"Oh, that explains a lot!" he said loudly. "That last one was a cursebreaker. And Potter shows all the signs of one!" he realized. Neville grinned and nodded. "Oh, no wonder he likes the Weasleys. He might apprentice with the one that is one." He rubbed his forehead again. Susan looked confused. "One of the first official cursebreakers was a Dumass," he told her. "Emmaraude or something." He waved a hand.

"She was the first one that found out you could learn from a tomb's contents, not just loot it for artifacts. The last of the line was said to be a great cursebreaker, fairly open with sleeping around, but he learned a lot from what he found. Our personal family manager said that sometimes gifts ran in families and used him as an example when I asked about forbidden career paths for the family." He looked at his father. "You never answered."

"You'll be taking my seat," he ordered.

"Yes, Father."

"Thank you. Do learn administrative things as well, Draco." He went back to reading his son's journal. "The unflattering description, son?"

"Granger," he said bluntly, looking at him. He rolled his eyes.

"She's a genius," Neville said blandly but smiled at Draco. "Three teachers intentionally cut her grades on her to keep her out of the top seat in our year."

Susan nodded. "She got told it was for her own protection. Things came after Lily Evans for doing so and they didn't want to repeat it with her. She ranted," she said when Draco looked at her. "Loudly."

"She can get her point across when she wants to," Neville agreed happily with a smirk at Draco.

"She hits like a boy," he said dryly. Then rolled his eyes. "I paid that punch back."

"I'm sure you did," Neville agreed happily. His grandmother cleared her throat. He looked at Susan instead. "Did you do a yearmate check?"

"Already done and half of Ravenclaw's on vacation. Luna's working with her father. A few of the 'Puffs also answered when I sent them out."

"Why would you do that?" her aunt asked quietly.

"Because you guys sure as hell aren't," she shot back, staring at her. "It's our lives that're being cut short by all this. Dementors, attacks on the school, our studies being dumbed down so we don't learn enough to someday take over here." She smiled sweetly. "No one noticed a fairly famous auror had been replaced by someone using polyjuice for almost a whole year. Even though he knew half of everyone here and the headmaster. Of course we made plans to guard each other."

"That DA thing," Draco said with a nod. "Fairly wise. Slytherins do that most years, just in case. Some of our parents are that mercenary." He didn't look at his father or any other Slytherin parent.

"The only ones I didn't check on were the Weasleys. If one had went missing, we'd all know. Molly would've thrown a fit in the press like she did when Harry got sent to a distant relative."

"True," Draco admitted with a grimace and a nod. "It does make them safer."

Susan smiled. "Ginny's hell with her wand, Draco. She made herself learn after that journal thing nearly got her killed. If someone came for her, she and the twins would handle it and I'm pretty sure Ron's picked up some helping Harry manage whatever's going on this year." She looked at Neville, who shrugged but grimaced. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm doing private study with Hermione to make sure I don't die. I'm totally honest about my skills being more useful in herbology than defense but I'm damn sure learning. She sends me chapters to learn weekly, even when we're in school."

"Good idea," she said with a smile. "I asked and get the same thing. We can study together if you want."

"Please. I'm lost on how to do the anti-dementor spell. I'm happy enough but it's not coming out well."

"I've got one already," she said. "We can go over that, Nev."

"Thanks, Susan." He looked at Draco.

"I have a private tutor in my mother who's went over all of that with me," he said dryly. "Mine's fairly well formed but a bit weak still. It'll get stronger as I age."

His father cleared his throat. "You have a patronus already?"

"We all learned our third year, Father," he said dryly but loudly. "Just in case to protect ourselves and our houses!"

Susan and Neville nodded at that. "Yes we did," Susan agreed. "Most of us went to Remus Lupin to work on that. Most of us only got a filmy cloud at that time but we've all been working on it if we're smart. There's still a few in the woods." She huffed, looking at her aunt.

"They're not runaways. They're all accounted for."

"Or someone edited the books before someone looked," Susan said dryly. She smiled. "Not the first time."

"True, not the first time." She looked at Fudge, who was shrinking down away from her. Then at Malfoy, who was seething. "Mr. Malfoy, would you like to put that into evidence?"

"Yes. Though it may not look the best on my son for his attitude," he said, glaring at his son.

"No other fun to be had," Draco shot back. "And I'm following in my family's fine footsteps according to my mother." Lucius huffed but did let her have the journal.

"He wasn't as bad as the foursome with Potter was," Amelia Bones admitted. "But yes he was a lot like you, Draco." She read through it and glared at a few people in the room before putting it into evidence. Neville's was entered as well. They did a memory review from Neville and Susan. By the end of Susan's people were staring at Dumbledore and Fudge. By the end of Neville's a few were fingering their belt knives while staring at them.

Draco looked at Neville. "How do you stand that?" he demanded quietly.

"Not much I can do. It's not Harry's fault most of the time. It just comes for him due to that prophecy problem. Or just being a Potter I guess." He shrugged. "That's why none of us are close to him outside of Weasley."

Draco grimaced. "Someday we may need more than one Weasley."

"Then we have DA," Susan told him. "Because we won't let it keep going on the way it had been." She gave him a pointed look.

"Susan....oh, shit, I just thought of something," Neville muttered. He pulled something out and set it off with a message. Hermione answered with one back. "Yes, she said I can. Draco, who was the headboy in Riddle's last year?"

"Riddle himself. Why?" Lucius stiffened at that name.

"Because Snape and you both keep saying that no half-bloods are in Slytherin but he was one." He stared at him. Draco stared at him oddly, then shook his head slowly. He nodded. "Look at the yearbook, Draco. Hermione found that section our second year and went back to it our third." He smiled and nodded. "He was as muggle born as Hermione was basically."

"What?" he demanded.

"Tom Riddle? Voldemort?" Lucius demanded. Neville and Susan both moaned. He spluttered. "There's no way!"

"Look it up," Susan quipped. "Magical, almost a squib mother. Muggle father she potioned or charmed."

He stomped off to the ministry library and came back with a book. "I'll be damned." He let his son see that.

"Well," he said then nodded once. "Interesting." He looked at Susan. "Any other revelations?"

"Yeah. He has no nose," Neville said. "Harry showed us a memory of that night. He came out without a nose." He grimaced. "Very gross."

Susan shuddered but nodded. "Yes it was."

"Why don't we have one of those?" Amelia demanded.

"You did take one," Neville told her. "Where did it go? We saw you doing it in the infirmary," he defended when she glared at him. "We had to wait to visit Harry while you did it."

She blinked a few times then sent an auror to get the inventory book to find it. It was listed as not filled properly and destroyed. "I see." She slapped the book shut and slammed it on the table. "Someone has tampered with the aurors evidence files." She looked at Fudge, who was trying to hide behind Dumbledore. "Neville Longbottom, answer without threat. What happened the night of the attack on the Ministry since you were said to be here?"

"It's about time someone asked," he said, then used his wand to share that memory with the bowl. She let it be shown and a few on the Wizengamet heaved a hissy fit that nearly got Fudge killed where he was hiding. Dumbledore too. She blew a few fireworks in the air. "Quit!" she bellowed. "We will have order in here!" She looked at Neville. "Are you well enough now?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I had a healer see me once I got home without telling my grandmother so she wouldn't worry." She was sobbing. He patted her on the shoulder. "She always said I was like my father and I suppose I proved it that night." Bones slumped, staring at him. He stared back. "If you force us to do it, we will," he said simply then walked off with Susan, who grabbed her bags. "Going for ice cream so you can get back to your discussion without us hanging around. Malfoy? You're buying your own."

"Mother will buy mine," he said, following them because that was a great idea to get away from the adults right now.

"Tell your mother to take yours and go home for safety reasons," Lucius called quietly, getting a wave back from his son. He looked at Bones then at the others. "So," he said. "We apparently have a grave problem within the Ministry and the school. Whatever chaos follows cursebreakers apparently clung to Mr. Potter and is communicable."

A few laughed at that. "But it has functioned to show us some things we have been forced to ignore for years. Which meant some of our children were harmed irreparably." He stood up. "I push for immediate charges against Albus Dumbledore and Minister Fudge."

"Seconded," Augusta Longbottom shouted. She stood up too. "I will not have that around my only grandchild! You endangered my whole lineage!"

Lucius looked at her. "Yours, mine, and most of the others in the school." He looked at Dumbledore again. "Of course, the school board will also be hearing of this, even if we have to bring the ones not here in so they can't be told otherwise."

"I've sent those summons," another member said. "It's very convenient that the children can't tell us that they're in danger."

Lucius nodded. "What has happened to that basilisk, Dumbledore?"

"We cannot get into the Chamber without a parselmouth," he complained. "Or else I would have let Snape harvest it."

"The bank has a few on staff," Bones said. "I've had to ask them to translate something." She got one summoned and they went with aurors to open that doorway and take photos of that set of remains. Which were rotted but still laying there. With a journal and a lot of black goo.

The aurors took those too and samples of the goo. A phoenix appeared to cheep at them, giving them dirty looks. "Just taking evidence, Fawkes," the auror said quietly. "It'll be okay. We'll remove it."

They got it packed up to be removed and destroyed. She let the bird sit on her shoulder on the way back out to the Wizengamet chamber so they could show proof and report. She walked in. "Fawkes came to see what we were doing," Tonks said. "Seemed very amused that we were cleaning up that rotten mess." She presented the journal, the samples of goo, and the photos of the mess. "All there."

Fawkes flew up to the rafter and cheeped down at them. Amelia Bones looked then shared them around. "Anything else to report?"

"Tested the bloody spot we found on some rocks. One came out Weasley blood, undefined which one, and one came out matching Lockhart's signature."

Amelia Bones looked at her. "Someone get Ron Weasley here but warn him it's official testimony and not to bring his mother."

Tonks grinned and skipped off to do that. She appeared at the Burrow. "Ron, get dressed nicer," she called from the split open back door. "Shit got told to the Wizengamet since kids couldn't tell their parents about stuff. They wanted your expert testimony." She grinned at him. He was pale and shaking his head. "Tough, boy. You did it, own up to it. Get pretty."

"Is he being arrested?" Ginny demanded.

"Nope. Though I'm taking you in for an exam, Ginny." She stared at her. "Just in case."

"I did that. Neville and I both went to one. Just in case. I met him there when I said I wasn't sure if I should or not. He suggested I go with him. He goes yearly to make sure he actually survived."

Ron nodded. "Poor guy's on the hook if Harry's missing too," he muttered. "Let me go get dressed." He went up to put on something good and came down to his doom.

"No, Molly, they said his Da could come but not you. Didn't need you to swat him good while they needed to hear from 'im," Tonks said cheerfully. Molly scowled. "They've got Dumbledore on charges too. Fudge too." She smirked a bit. "No one heard a thing about the petrified students or missing students or anything. Because the kids were under a gaes to not tell."

Ron nodded. "I didn't anyway. I don't like howlers." He went with her. "Ministry?" She nodded, waving a hand. "What?"

"Apparate, Ron. Doubt you can't," she said cheerfully.

"But that's illegal," he said.

She smirked. "Go." He did that and she followed, walking him down there. Another one had gotten Granger, who had journals, binders with notes from research for Harry, and a few other binders too.

Ron looked at it then at her. "Really? You brought research?" She really was weird to his way of thinking.

"I was told to bring anything Harry needed me to research for him." She shrugged but grimaced. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"They found out students couldn't tell on what happened," Tonks told them, grinning at them. "And about things like dementors in the school. And missing kids."

"There's been four recently. One of the upper years supposedly got married off but her parents aren't all that happy." She handed over that thin folder. "That's what I've been keeping track of since our first year had one that disappeared in the fourth years of Hufflepuff."

Tonks looked and hummed. "Yeah, that's suspicious." She took the other books to look at. "Horcrux. Do we know what that is?" she asked her.

Hermione stared at her. "Harry's. Scar," she said simply. Tonks stiffened, staring at her. She grinned. "I've been looking at people who could safely remove one from Harry's head and there's a few specialists. I'm betting whatever relative he ended up with at least sent him to a healer since a healer sent him to them."

Tonks nodded. "Probably." She went back to looking it over. "Wow."

"Hmm," Hermione agreed with a nod. She looked at Ron, straightening out his collar. "Bit wrinkled, Ron."

"Not my mother, Hermione."

"Fine. You can look like a slob." She backed off, looking at the aurors, who smiled at that. She shrugged. "If that's what he wants. I could do a lint removal too."

Ron huffed but looked at himself and tried that. Didn't work. He tried harder but Tonks grabbed his wand and did it for him but kept his wand to look at. "It's not a perfect fit."

"Yeah, which makes you dangerous," she said. "That's a weapon, Ron." She kept it. She took Hermione's too. "Only the one?"

"I've seen things that some people have more than one but I don't."

"Cursebreakers often do," she said, looking at Ron, who grinned and pulled that one out. "Figured Bill fixed that for you." She took that one too. She frisked him to make sure he only had the two. When they were let in she walked them forward. "I took Weasley's wands because his main was broken." He put them in front of Amelia then the books. "You asked Granger to bring her research?"

"I did." She looked through it before looking at her. "All at Hogwarts?"

"No, I daytripped to France's school while we were on holiday," she said happily. "And I went to Oxford's library while Mum was at a conference up there and I was taking a college tour to see if I wanted to apply. I would've went to the one in the US when my father had a conference over there but I couldn't find information on their magical community in that area so I didn't ask to go."

"They have conferences?" Augusta Longbottom asked.

"They're dentists, ma'am. Of course they have conferences to learn about new techniques, new devices, and new medicines." She smiled. "They have to do continuing education every year and conferences fill in a lot of that need. Plus lets them talk to other dentists and orthodontists."

Mrs. Longbottom just nodded at that. "What are your plans for the future, dear?"

"I don't know yet. I've thought about medical school. I'm not sure if I want to follow my parents into dentistry or not. But I may like being a surgeon, perhaps in orthopedics."

Ron looked at her. "That's a lot of work."

"Yes it is but after talking to some people here in the Ministry I've found out that I need to be at least doubly better than you to get into the same place you could get just by your name, before they look at any skills. If I go to the magical colleges I'll need the same, if not more because being a female would get me counted down. Unlike in the muggle colleges, where it's much more equal." She smiled at him. "Half of all doctors graduated in the UK are females these days, Ron."

"Really?" He grimaced. "That's weird."

She shrugged. "Nurture versus nature for cultural things," she quipped. He looked confused. "Some things you get from your bloodlines, some you get from who raised you," she said bluntly. "Cultural things are from nurture mostly as they're how you're taught and what you learn from it." He shook his head with a sigh, looking down.

"So in the muggle world, you would've been at a higher expectation school?" Lucius asked dryly.

"Yes, I got accepted to three highly prestigious boarding schools before I got my letter to Hogwarts and Professor McGonagall told me how it was going to be of benefit to harness my gifts. I hesitated but my mother decided having them trained so I wasn't a wild problem waiting to happen would be for the best."

"She does an extra math lessons that the arithmancy teacher has to grade for her too," Ron told him dryly, rolling his eyes again.

"Yes. You need such classes to get into a good college. Or any college. You can't go to college if you don't pass your A levels, Ron."

Amelia Bones stared at her oddly. "Are you planning for in country or out for college?"

"That would probably depend on how I feel about the magical community when I graduate." She smiled slightly. "Sometimes it's really not worth it to stay here."

"Then why don't you transfer to another school?"

"Professor McGonagall stressed that Hogwarts was the only suitable school. Is there a list of other magical schools? I've asked and couldn't find one."

"There's twenty schools within the four main UK islands," Amelia Bones admitted with a nod.

"Are any preferred for math and science work? Getting into pre-med will require a good set of scores in that."

"I don't know. I'll get you a list so you can look. You may want to take an extra year. Some people do after Hogwarts to make sure they get into a good college. They leave a few days before graduation to go to their new school usually."

"Is there something during graduation that would make it unable to go?" she asked.

"There's an oath to protect the magical community."

"I think we've proved that already," Hermione quipped until Ron covered her mouth with his hand.

"Sorry." He looked at her and she quit. He let her go. "So you needed to talk about Harry?" He spotted his father and Bill coming in. "Can we close the room to outsiders?"

Amelia looked back then at him. "I doubt it'll save you from either parent yelling, Mr. Weasley. But yes we are. We've found out some things like no student can tell their parents what's been going on in the school."

"Why would we want to be screamed at for something that we had no control over?" Hermione asked. "I can tell my parents. I made the mistake of telling them about Lockhart. My mother was not amused."

"Mum met him," Ron reminded her. "She knew he was a handsome tosser who had not a clue but said Dumbldore knew best." He looked at them again. "Just about him then?" he asked happily.

"Don't you wish," Malfoy said smugly. "We have testimony and journals from Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy plus pensieve testimony from Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom, children. We wish you to fill in some things. Let's start with an easy one. Why did you take the flying car?" he asked dryly.

"Some house elf wouldn't let me or Harry through the barrier," Ron said with a shrug. "What did you want us to do? Not like we could send an owl from the train station and there's nothing for students who run late."

He blinked a few times. "House elf."

"Yes, that one," Ron said smugly, nodding. "Got Harry in trouble for underaged magic too. Same one." Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Why would he?" Lucius asked.

"Dobby was trying to protect him," Ron said. "Or so he said. I didn't really ask. Harry asked. You could ask him."

"He's safely hiding with a better family member," Hermione reminded him.

Ron looked at her. "We don't know that. Could be worse than the Dursleys."

"Harry would've found a way back by now if they were, Ron. Or at least to an auror."

"He's found one," Tonks chirped. "I asked around and found one who acknowledged they had seen him. He's safe." Everyone stared at her. She grinned and waved. "He's safe. The relative's not *nice* but he's good enough to him and letting him learn more about his family.

"Which was what he wanted to do this summer anyway." She looked at Dumbledore. "Isn't it against the law for books to disappear from being touched?" He winced at that. She looked at the Council again. "He's in the Americas. I won't divulge more."

"Maybe he'll find a good school over there," Hermione said.

"He has to be here," Ron said. "Plus any school over there would probably hate it when he's attacked this year. At least here he's got things to help him and us."

"Point. Though he could learn a lot from another school and we may not have an attack this year. It'd make the other students safer, Ron."

"True, and it's tactical but not practical and I'm pretty sure my Mum would go kidnap him from that school, Hermione," he said, staring at her. His father snorted but was looking amused.

"Does anyone know a more precise location?" Augusta Longbottom asked. "That way I can send Neville to a different school so he's safer and not seen as a spare hero?"

Hermione looked at her. "Harry left that up to him, ma'am. We expect anyone who jumped in do it because they wanted to, not because they're forced to like Harry was. We did and made the decision to stay with him, even after that chess game got Ron concussed.

"We're aware it's dangerous but it's also important because no one person can stop a war on their own. Be they a headmaster or a young boy who no one else has taught defense to. Thankfully Harry's taken that into his own hands as well." She smiled a bit.

Ron nodded. "Both of us. And history because we have to."

"And potions because at least then I'd learn more than sneering," Hermione chirped. "It does go well with chemistry work." A few, including Ron, were giving her odd looks. "I have to have it to get into college if I end up at a muggle college. It's mandatory. As are physics and calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. A number of us muggle borns take them long distance."

Ron looked at her. Then at the others. "Don't make them have us do more work, Hermione. I'd like to have some free time for myself and quidditch without homework." He glared at her. "Some of us can't do what you do."

"I don't expect you to, Ron. You've never taken algebra and when you asked and I showed you what I was doing that day you were very confused. Which speaks that I should not teach maths. If you want to learn it some day you can pick up a textbook." He sighed and moved slightly away from her shaking his head. "A good education is important," she reminded him. "The ministry proves that routinely!"

"Yes they do," Amelia Bones agreed dryly. "But back on point, children." They stared at her. "What the hell is going on up there?"

"When and in what time frame?" Ron asked. Then he grinned. "Because sometimes it's nothing and sometimes it's something and sometimes you guys just made it worse. Like with the contests." He smirked at her.

She rubbed her forehead then looked at him. "First year, what was the big, major problem?"

"Quirrel," they said together.

"He had Voldemort on his head."

"He had You-Know-Who under his turban," Ron said at the same time. He looked at her. "Quit saying his name! People flinch at that!"

"If you give him power it makes his fear grow," she shot back. "He's a boggart that way." She looked at Amelia Bones. "The teachers made tests to get to the supposed philosopher's stone the headmaster had taken from the bank to protect it. A flying test. A chess test," she said with a hand wave at Ron. "And a logic puzzle that depended on thinking things through logically but without magic." She smiled a bit. "Then Harry faced him down and he said he went to ash when he touched him."

"And something about a mirror that showed you your fondest desire," Ron added. "Harry found it early wandering one night when the headaches wouldn't let him sleep."

Amelia slumped, staring at them. "Why were you helping him with that?"

"You wanted us to let him go alone?" Hermione asked. "We are friends, Madam Bones. Friends don't let people face their deaths alone."

"We thought it was something minor and knew Harry's scar had something to do with it, but we had no real idea then what it was truly about," Ron added with a slight shrug. "Then we did and it was nasty and we both probably doubted but realized it'd probably happen again." Hermione sighed but nodded, shifting her weight. "So we kept helping when we could. When Harry and I weren't fighting." Hermione stared at him. "Don't you even start," he warned quietly.

"I'm not." She looked at Amelia Bones again. "If you were us, would you not be there?"

"Yes but I'm an auror, young lady."

"Well that doesn't seem to matter. We had one of those teaching defense one year and he wasn't any better than the one who pretended to be him. In fact he yelled at us for backing up Harry, said it was his job. I politely told him to blow it out his fake leg and then shove it up his arse before flouncing off like the girl I was." She smiled at that.

"Yeah, Mad Eye tried to nag me too. I walked off snorting and telling him that it was worse before. The chamber was nasty and dirty, and if a teacher would've done the adult things kids wouldn't have to." He smirked at his father's moan but didn't look back at him. "There's never been a teacher but Remus Lupin who did a *thing* to help us.

"Lockhart was the problem that year and we took him down to help by wand point. He got himself with my broken wand. I got knocked out before then." He shifted again, spreading his feet some and crossing his arms over his chest. It mimicked Bill's usual pissed off position. "Not Snape, not Dumbledore, not McGonagall, none of the teachers have ever stepped in front of us and suggested they could handle it." Dumbledore was trying to complain but Tonks stopped him.

"As a matter of fact, all of them pretty much fled any chance of having to do that. Even Flitwick and he wasn't really involved. He'd teach us what we needed to do, mysteriously enough charms was just what we needed to know some years, the same as herbology was, but he wouldn't do it for us. Did you expect us all to die? Would you have had this hearing if any of us had died?"

"I'd hope the answer was yes," Amelia Bones said. "But I'm not so sure after today."

Ron nodded. "And we weren't sure at any time so we did it for you too. Even when we had aurors in our third year looking for Black, they didn't handle a single thing. Not bullying or anything."

"As proven by other things, you keep putting it off for the younger generation to handle but we're not going to put that on the back of our children," Hermione added. "My child will never have to defend themselves from death eaters if I have a say about it."

"Are you planning on sending any magical children to Hogwarts?" Malfoy asked.

"Bloody hell no," she snorted, shaking her head slightly. "My children if they're magical may go to Beaubaxtons, I didn't mind their education goals as much, but they're not going to that school. Especially if Dumbledore's still there! My children will have a much happier schooling and a lot fewer bullies and no house wars..." Ron covered her mouth again so she stomped on his foot, making him swear and let her go. "Thank you! I'm not yours!" she snapped.

"Sorry, Hermione. Didn't want to hear this crusade again," he said, rubbing his foot before putting it down and getting out of reach. He grinned at Malfoy. "She's the Draco of Gryffindor. She really is." She growled and glared at him. "You are!"

"I'm going to beat you later," she promised. "We do have time to spar probably."

"Yeah, wanded," he shot back. "I'm better."

"I doubt it. I know more spells."

"Yeah but your aim can suck," he said with a grin.

"I improved with practice," she sneered.

"Children!" Arthur snapped. They huffed and turned back to face the group again. "Can I see what my son's been doing?"

"No," Amelia told him. "We'll give him a head start to go run and hide first, Arthur."

"It won't save him from Mum," Bill said, smirking when Ron looked back at him.

"If mum yells too much I'm running away to join the muggle military and I'll bring back babies eventually. She'd probably hate that more."

"Probably," he agreed, nodding. "It's nice you're taking more after Charlie even though you're acting like you have my temper, Ron."

Hermione looked back at him. "He's got a rotten temper. Yours at least seems in better control than his flying off the handle at the slightest attention paid to Harry."

"We grew out of it," Bill assured her. "I'd like to know too."

"We're giving the children a head start," Amelia Bones assured him. "If he runs off to join the military, he can apply for auror service when he gets back."

Ron grinned. "Been thinking about that."

"You need better potions grades, son," Arthur sighed.

"I can brew what I need to brew, Dad," he said without looking. "I can brew minor healing potions, I can brew dreamless sleep, I can brew contraceptives, and I can brew a lot of other things I'll probably need more often. The rest of the stuff is stuff I'll never use. I'm practical, not Hermione."

"I taught you to brew those!" she complained.

"I remember but you're a ...what do they call them, nerds," he said, looking at her, looking smug.

"Well, if women didn't have to be at least twice as good to get to the same place a man does, I wouldn't have to be such a great nerd," she shot back. "Unfortunately, your dangling and useless appendage gave you more benefits."

"She's right and you're a slacker," Bill told his brother, coming up to stand between them. "Before you have to swat him again, Hermione."

She snorted, waving a hand in the air. "I'll just let him flounder on his papers this upcoming year, Bill. He'd never get anything decent in grades without someone proofreading for him and the other boys won't."

He patted her on the back. "Charlie, Percy, and I all got very good grades. The twins get pretty good grades. I have no idea why Ron's slacking," he said, looking at his brother. "Get better grades so you can get a job too, Ron."

"Fine. I'm trying."

"Try harder," his father quipped. "Please, Ron."

"Yes, Dad," he sighed, looking at the panel again. "Sorry."

Amelia nodded. "She's right. Susan feels the same way." Ron rolled his eyes. "Okay, so second year was a basilisk petrifying students?" They nodded. "You were growing what you needed to unpetrify them in class?" They both nodded again. "Is that the usual second year plants?" she asked Bill. "You've been a student more recently than I was."

"No. They were third year ones for me."

"I'm still wondering why no one unfroze us until after Harry got the idiot snake," Hermione complained. "We could've made the potion back in December."

Bill looked at her. "You?" She nodded.

"With a note for Harry about what it was," Ron said. "It was found in her hand."

"Why didn't the teachers identify it?" Augusta Longbottom asked. "You'd think they would've realized what it was from what was going on."

Hermione shrugged. "We see a lot of that, ma'am. By the way, Neville is absolutely wonderful with herbology things. I lean on him when I need to do something in there as I don't grow anything very well." That got a smile from the grandmother.

Ron nodded. "He's been growing flowers for some of the older boys to woo with too. It's very sweet of him."

"Will you need that some day?" Lucius asked.

"Not for her," he said with a head nod at Hermione. "Anyone who wants to flirt with her just gives her a book." She reached around Bill to pinch him. "Hey!" She glared at him. "You didn't?"

"No. I didn't and flowers are sweet but I'd rather get a living plant I can kill more slowly." He slumped back behind Bill again. She looked at Lucius, who was shaking his head but looking amused. "He's grown some for the Slytherin higher level boys too. Because they're horrible at wooing. Hey, girly, come see my snake is apparently their idea of wooing." Bill snorted, trying not to laugh at that. "Said quite loudly in the great hall."

Lucius shook his head. "I'm so glad Draco has more class."

She sighed but nodded. "Sometimes. Sometimes he's a young teenage boy. Like the rest are. But they do say teenage boys will eventually grow into men. It just takes them a bit longer."

Augusta Longbottom nodded. "Yes they do. Usually by the time they're Bill's age, dear."

"Yes but he does a lot of traveling and I'd hate that," she said. "So I'd never flirt with him."

Bill patted her on the back. "I do travel and live out of my pack, yes. You know, Gringotts has places for researchers."

"College first," she said.

"We'll probably be hiring then too," he agreed.

Lucius shook his head. "Are all muggle borns like you, young lady?"

"Yes." She smiled. "And sometimes more so. After all, we had to fight for equal rights and still have to fight for them sometimes. It forges us stronger."

He nodded. "Clearly. A pureblooded girl would never have hit Mr. Weasley."

She shrugged. "He asked for it and got the consequences of his actions. His mother would've soaped his mouth. I don't have motherly feelings toward him so therefore I can't do the same thing she does."

"Mum would've swatted him for some of that too," Bill assured her. He looked at the panel. "So, what happened your third year?"

"Sirius," the kids said together.

"Ah." He nodded. "Why?"

"Pettigrew," Ron said with a smirk for him. "We never realized Scabbers was a hiding animagus, Bill."

"Excuse me?" he demanded. Ron grinned with a nod. "What was Peter Pettigrew?" Ron nodded again, this time with Hermione. "What the hell?"

"Not my doing," Ron quipped. "Someone sent him the article in the Prophet and he recognized him in the picture. He was protecting Harry." He looked at Hermione. "How did you help that year?"

"I was taking extra classes by time turner and we had to use it to go save him."

Bill stared at her. "You did what?" he demanded.

"I wanted extra electives."

"That's dangerous!"

She stared at him. "I know about the paradox principle, Bill. Really, I was safe. Then I had to teach Harry how to use one to save Sirius."

"It's damaging to a heart," he said. "If you use it too much."

She stared at him. "The mediwitch didn't say I had that problem."

"You're seeing a healer after this, both of you," Arthur ordered. He huffed. "Fourth year?"

Ron looked at him. "Did you already forget, Dad?" Arthur winced. "Yeah, that cup thingy and the fake auror and then the real auror who yelled at us for doing it with Harry." He looked at the panel again. "Then last year Harry got tortured. And a lot of other things and then we came to save the Ministry." He gave one a pointed look but Malfoy ignored it.

"Can we do a memory review with you?" Amelia Bones asked.

"No," Hermione quipped. "As I don't think that's admissible in a court of law. Because people will notice different things and pay attention to different things during an event. What I see may not be the same thing Ron saw."

"It is admissible in the wizarding world," Amelia told her. "For that very reason, Miss Granger. We won't get into anything personal or muggle related. Or your studies probably. Only the big events that have happened."

She sighed and looked at Bill, who nodded. "Fine. I suppose in that case." They got their memories shown and she winced. "I looked horrid," she complained quietly.

"We all had that growth spurt," Bill assured her, patting her on the back. "I looked like a tree more than once."

"My freckles were worse than your hair," Ron told her. She sighed but let it go. He looked at Bill, who patted him again. "Dad, I still get a head start, they said so."

"You're going to see a healer first, son, then you can hide once we go home. That way I can tell your mother and let her vent. I won't let her have a howler to track you with it." Ron sighed in pleasure.

Bill shook his head. "You'd think she'd quit after the bank fined her for sending one at me that set off a tomb's protection," Bill complained. Ron looked at him oddly then at the panel again.

Madam Bones looked at Lucius. "I'll ask you what you were doing at another event," she warned. She looked at Ron. "You have good tactical thoughts."

He nodded. "I play chess," he said with a grin.

"Going to be an auror?"

"I thought about it. If Mum wouldn't pull me out of the academy by my hair. But right now it's there if I can't make a pro team."

She just nodded. "We can protect you from your mother. She's not the first that's tried, Mr. Weasley. You can be the Mad Eye of your generation."

"As long as I don't end up looking like him with all the parts," he said, eyes wide.

"You'd better not," Arthur said.

She smiled. "That's a limited situation, Mr. Weasley. Most of us don't." He grinned and nodded at that. "Do bring up your grades though." She looked at the others. "Any other questions?"

"What's this year's trauma going to be?" Augusta Longbottom asked.

They both shrugged. "We don't know until it starts," Hermione admitted. "Then we'll research, I'll find just the right books and some extras, help Harry learn what he needs to learn while Ron helps him plan, and then we'll handle it like we do most springs."

The adults mostly sighed at that. They looked over her research notes. "Horcrux are forbidden knowledge," Augusta Longbottom said with a grimace.

"And yet, we've run into probably three," Ron said. "Journal, Harry's scar, the Quirrelmort ghoul."

"Nagini is one I think," Hermione told him.

"Hard to kill then," Ron said. "Hmm. Maybe something muggle?"

"Could work. We do have longer distance weapons than a thrown curse." She looked at him. "Ask my dad?"

"I can do that."

Madam Bones looked at him. "Ask Auror Stevens. He was British military, Mr. Weasley. I'll send him to you this week once you're out of hiding."

"I can travel and hide that way," he offered with a grin.

"I don't want your mother to get him too. You can meet him after she finds you." She looked back there. "Any other questions?"

Lucius sighed. "What if that one attacks again this year, Mr. Weasley?"

"The school'll be protected," he said. "That's what we've been training for." Hermione nodded, lips pressed together. "If they do, we'll mobilize, protect the younger kids, and then handle it. Like we have every other year. Is it going to be an attack for sure? I need to map the good places to defend the school from."

"I have no idea, Mr. Weasley, but it could be."

"Then I'll start the mapping when I get back there."

"What if Mr. Potter isn't there?"

"We only need Harry for that one thing," he said, staring at him. "To defeat the ghoulish one without a nose. That prophecy was specific that one has to kill the other. The rest of the battles get handled by the rest of us." He shrugged but still stared at him. "One man isn't a war by himself."

"Point." He stared at him. "There may be some changes. Miss Granger, you found out about Mr. Riddle?"

"Oh, yes." She dug into that binder, pulling out the paperclipped papers. "His genealogy." She let him have it with a smirk. "Not what he said he was." She went back to her spot.

He read it over. "I see." He let a few others see it. They were at least sympathetic to the Dark Lord. Not with this new information. Follow a half-blood to get purebloods on top? No! He put it down with a sigh. "Thank you for that finding, Miss Granger."

"I was going to release it to the Prophet," she quipped with a smirk. "But I figured it'd get censored. Again."

"Probably."

"The Quibbler knows because Luna does," Ron said.

"Yes, but not enough read that paper," Hermione said, sounding sad. "Which is a shame. Even if he does have some fluff things about creatures we may not know about yet he prints the truth quite often but it's often not outright stated to protect his family."

"I didn't even think about that," Augusta Longbottom said. She looked back at a few of her allies, who were writing notes to get back copies of that paper. "Well. Now we need to figure out how to not make children do our job. Don't we, Madam Bones?"

"Oh, the kids won't be on the front lines this year," she assured them. "We have aurors for that." She looked at the kids.

"Please do," Hermione said with a hand wave and a smile. "It'd be great to see a back beyond Harry's in front of us." She nodded at that. "Can we have a good teacher like Remus Lupin was again as well? The rest of the students should probably be able to pass their tests in defense too."

"Not that one but I can see there being a new defense teacher that has a clue and some balls," Lucius agreed. "Before my son has to become heroic some day."

Ron looked at him. "Aren't you Draco's father?" Lucius scowled. "I mean, he can maybe lead his house, maybe, but be heroic? Or handle a situation?" He shrugged. Lucius glared. "Being realistic here, sir."

Hermione looked at him. "Something someday will make Draco want to be the one in charge and fix things to fix his kids. He may be Minister for Magic at that time....but some day he may want to lead."

"Point. He could probably do that but not be heroic."

"Leaders have to be a bit heroic," Bill said. "Otherwise they have no idea how to lead during hard times. Sometimes kids grow up to surprise you though. I haven't seen the kid since he was tenish so don't know."

Ron looked at him. "Did you see me being heroic or leading people?"

"No," Bill said with a pat on the back and a grin. "And I still don't because then I'll beat your ass, Ron." He smirked a bit. "If Mam doesn't get you first."

"Point." He nodded. "Yeah, if we have to do it again I'm hiding like hell from Mum," he muttered. "For days on end."

"Be like Harry, end up in the infirmary," Hermione quipped. "Madam Pomfrey won't let her scream in there."

"That's...actually not a bad idea," Ron and Bill agreed. Arthur huffed at that.

They finished asking the kids questions and let them go back to whatever they were doing. Hermione said she had chemistry work to do and invited Ron to come mix chemicals because his mom didn't know where she lived as they walked out. Bill brought them both to the healer and then let Ron run to hide with a friend while he got Hermione home.

Bill smiled at Hermione's parents. "Hey, I'm Bill, Ron's oldest brother. She was good. They wanted to ask about what's been going on up at the school. Apparently there's been rumors of students not being able to tell the parents what's going on and they wanted to investigate it." Hermione's mother smiled at her then at him.

"But she proved it and showed her bum a bit about women being smart and able to do things. They're very worried that some day she'll be a doctor of some kind now." He gave her a nudge. "On the way back I made sure they hit a healer since last year had a few problems that weren't noted. They said she's perfectly fine and next year should be better now that some parents are paying attention to what's going on up there." He gave her a nudge.

"What happened that needed her to see a doctor?" her mother demanded.

"There were a few potions incidences where she got splashed and no one thought to get her checked. She and Ron both went. Harry's went where he is. The only thing they noted was one of her feet has a bit of a turn-out and it's straining a muscle in her foot. She said she's doing exercises to fix that."

"Yes, she has been for years." She looked at her daughter. "What sort of potions?"

"One was potentially poisonous, Mum."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She stared at her. "I didn't want you to worry and I felt fine afterwards. I kept track just in case and nothing happened. Ron got more splashed than I did so he had to get checked and they checked me anyway since Bill was taking us home."

"Oh, that's fine then." She shook Bill's hand. "Thank you for watching her."

"Not a problem. I'm sure school letters will be out soon, Hermione. You may need new books since the old ones seem to be dumbed down." He left.

She put her binders back in her room then came back to help her mother in the kitchen. "It was nothing, Mum."

Her mother stared at her. "Was it an abortion?"

"No!" She grimaced. "Mum, I've only groped and kissed, never gotten beyond that one boy playing with my panties. He didn't get naked, I didn't get anywhere near naked, we were outside in December! In my fourth year! Not an abortion."

"Oh, good." She sighed and smiled. "You'd tell me about that, right?"

"Yes, Mum. You're taking me for my annual exam in a few days anyway."

"Good point." She gave her a hug. "So what was it really?"

"Harry's had to handle a few bigger things and I've done some research for him. That's why they wanted my notes. That and there's a few things that have happened at the school that really aren't great. And the headmaster's in trouble."

"Sexual abuse?"

"No!" She shook her head. "Emotional, possibly physical in some cases. The house wars are getting worse and some kid got hurt. Also the headmaster never told anyone a kid disappeared. He told us the orphan was taken out of school by her parents." She winced. "So he's in trouble. A few had journals they handed over. They asked us bluntly because Harry was central to one and he's hiding."

"Hiding?"

"Yeah....um.... well...." She grimaced then nodded once. "Harry's parents died."

"I knew that from you."

"He was raised by his aunt and her husband and son. Who weren't...nice to him. Like he slept in the storage closet under their stairs not nice." Her mother looked really pissed off. "But this summer, a healer who was looking him over sent him to another member of his family. No one has any idea where and they're all pissed about that up at the ministry but he's safer according to what we know. But there's a problem that came after Harry and he handled it."

"Abused children often wouldn't trust an adult to help them with problems."

She snorted. "Mum, no adult at the school has *ever* stood in front of a student and a problem," she said bluntly. "One of the things they wouldn't let us tell you is that my second year I spent some time petrified. Like a few months." Her mother slapped the counter and stared at her. "And I'm betting you were never told?"

She shook her head. "Harry fought off the beast. I figured out what it was for him before I got petrified by it. And none of the teachers told anyone. Thankfully I was ahead so I didn't get held back. Though none of us that got petrified got held back but I did manage to keep my grades up that year." She grimaced. "But I'm okay. I got checked after that."

"Why weren't we told?"

"Well, I couldn't. The spell made sure I couldn't. I handled it okay. I did some meditative work to refocus afterwards. I dealt with the idea that I had lost a few months. I dealt with the idea that Harry stabbed it with a sword he pulled out of a hat." Her mother let out an amused snort. "No, seriously! He pulled an ancient sword out of the Sorting Hat to go fight the giant snake." She shrugged.

Her mother hugged her. "Maybe we should look at other schools?"

"Don't, Mom. I may need to be there this year. If only because some of the kids count on me being the big, nagging sister sort that can help with homework." She looked at her. "But I'm not telling you anything else from the school." She smiled and nodded. "Okay?" She left her to think on that.

"Are there cute boys at least?"

"Yes but they're not my type."

"Oh. Well, I found your father in college." She considered that, texting her husband since he was at the dental office doing paperwork. He sent back a 'she was WHAT' text. She elaborated and he came home earlier to talk to their only child and find out if they could help her get into a better school. Magical nasty beasts roaming around the school was not what they expected.

Hermione looked at her dad after more nagging. "Why do you think I didn't tell you, Father?"

He huffed. "You know you can tell us everything, Hermione."

"I know, Dad." She nodded, eating a bite of dinner. "And I would if I thought it was something that I couldn't deal with. I'm actually pretty good at handling things." She smiled at him. "You raised me to be able to handle myself and be self protective. And I am, and younger kid protective usually.
"But I won't be telling you another thing ever again unless I find someone to date up there." She stuffed her mouth again. Both parents huffed and sighed but they could let that go for now. They had a way to get a letter to that nice professor and ask her about such things.

***

Lucius looked at his son as he complained that night. He was right, Weasley was absolutely right. "You really are the Hermione of Slytherin, my son."

"Ewww!" he said, glaring at his father. "That's a horrible insult, Father!"

"Not really. She proved earlier girls have to be stronger to be seen the same as men are. She's the one that protects the younger children and makes sure they study. You seem to do the same things."

He looked at him like he was disgusted. "Did you get hit with a curse or a potion?" Draco demanded. "Oh Merlin!" He walked off shaking his head. "Mother, Father's lost his few marbles left somewhere in his ponytail. He thinks I'm like Granger!"

"I'll have him see someone to make sure he's well, son," she said patiently. "Go up to your room." He ran up there to shudder in private and whine about that very nasty thought. She walked into the study. "Really, Lucius. Did you have to insult him that way?"

He let her see the scrying from earlier. "Weasley was actually right. Draco is the smart child in his house. He's got the best grades in the house probably. He can lead the children." She sat down, looking horrified. "Though no one believes our son may become heroic some day at least."

"Oh, dear," she sighed. "At least he's not acting so spoiled."

He nodded. "Indeed. Even if he will act it at school." They shared a look then looked upstairs then back at each other. "He really does need to find an understanding wife."

"He does. I'll start looking tonight," she decided, going to find the books she'd need for that.

He relaxed and thought about the future of his family. He'd have to make sure any grandchild grew up less spoiled than his son had. Though with just as good of a mind. His grandchild will need to have a working, usable mind. The attitude change, was it a mask his son put on because people expected it of him? Was it how he was when his parents weren't watching? Or was it perhaps something up at the school changing him back into his 11-year-old self? He'd have to investigate that.

After he found a spell he used to use to flay someone's skin off their bodies from afar so he could get the headmaster for causing all these problems to his orderly little world.

***

Harry got two apology owls from friends, taking the notes to read and then huffed. "Oh, great."

Xander came in from patrol, looking over his shoulder. He let the owls rest for the night so they were safe then patted Harry on the head. "It could be worse. Maybe it'll make the other students safer."

He looked at him. "Is that possible while Voldemort's alive?"

"There's always another one waiting in the wings, Harry." He looked at him. "Like there's always another vampire with a plot." Harry grimaced but nodded. "You have to find out where to draw your lines so you don't get sucked into a pit where the only way out is death." Harry slumped but nodded. "Did you look at the schools list?"

"I did and a few looked decent. Do you know anything about them?"

"Not modern versions but some." He grinned, making them both dinner.

"Can I go out tomorrow during the day?"

"If you're very cautious."

"Will the bank not let me access my accounts over here?"

"Worry about being refitted for a wand first. Your magical signature is changed just by being here on the hellmouth, much less without the thing on your head." Harry winced at that. "But yeah, we can work on that this weekend."

"Thanks, Xander. So what exactly is a hellmouth?" He got the books to go over it with him. He was horrified. "Is there one of these near the school?"

"Near the Devon coven, not near the school." He got a map to show him where they were. He had to make a few plans of his own to get Harry back to regular reality and safer. The new school would help the most but other things had to be handled.

***

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