Ancestry 07 - The Bank ::sigh:: by Voracity2

Ancestry 07 - The Bank ::sigh::

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Ancestry 07 - The Bank ::sigh::

Harry looked at Hermione once she finally got free of the family vacation and met him at the Leaky. "I have to sign off on the family artifacts."

She looked at the index. "That's not a lot. Why are there no pictures mentioned?" She looked at him. "Your family's house didn't burn."

He blinked a few times. "I don't know. I didn't think about that."

"Have you been there?"

"No. I'm not sure I want to."

"Okay, well, we can go look at it. By now it's got to be in disrepair if no one took it over." She made notes on what a few things she knew were. "My father has that from his mother." He nodded. She went with him back to the bank. Harry diverted them to avoid the Weasleys shopping and she giggled at that. This was not something Ron could help with. They went together and Harry got shown to the same office. "Hermione had a few questions."

"The things gathered by whoever, no pictures?" she asked.

"We have no idea," the goblin admitted, staring at her.

"Is the house just sitting there so Harry could go get pictures of his parents?"

"As far as I know it is. Why?"

"Because I'd like more family photos," Harry admitted. "I have a few." He looked at the list then pointed. "What is that?"

The goblin looked then sighed. "It's a locked box we cannot open. It's sealed to the seal. Once you sign that we can hand it over."

"Is that all that was taken?" Hermione asked. "Because Dumbledore's been hiding his things for years. The cloak shows that."

"We have not found anything but we did not search the school. If it's entailed to the family then there should be an index or a way for the family magic to find it."

Harry considered it. "Like Aunt Allisandra said about the library?"

"Probably."

"Did the Potters have one?"

"I have no idea, Mr. Potter."

"Okay. Where would I go to figure that out? Is there a family home like the ...big, shiny house?"

He considered it. "There is. I have no idea how you'd get in. It's been sealed to your father's magic."

"Okay. Where is it?" he asked.

The goblin looked at him. "You weren't told that?"

"No. I haven't been told a single thing about the Potters over the years really. What everyone assumed happened but nothing else. Some school stories from the ones who sent me photos. Stories from Remus Lupin. Would he know?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "We can pull the Potter file to share with you but you are underage and need a guardian."

"Can Remus do that?"

"No, he's a werewolf."

"Who's his guardian right now?" Hermione asked.

"Well, according to the judge in LA, it's an auror out of the San Diego office," Harry quipped. "That's how they got my scar fixed."

The goblin looked at him. "They took you to a custody hearing?"

"They had to so I could get treated. Do I have a guardian in the magical community beyond my aunt?"

"She wouldn't be counted." He frowned. "I do not know. I need to pull that file to look at it. Remus Lupin may know which is your magical guardian."

"Can we take a meeting with him and that file?" Hermione asked with a smile. "That way we can all go over it to help him?"

"Yes, I believe we can," he decided. "It would be the most smart idea in this case."

"Who's my magical community guardian?" Hermione asked. "And why don't I know anything about that?"

"You're muggle born, you don't necessarily have to have one, Miss Granger."

"Yet my parents were never consulted about any medical treatment I needed or about my grades."

The goblin looked at her. "Did you need some medical attention?"

"I was petrified by the basilisk for a few months."

"Oh, I see."

"I've also had to get some treatments for bigger injuries."

"I have no idea. I will look that up at the same time."

"Brilliant, thank you," she said with a smile. "Does Harry have to call that auror?"

"We shall. They can transfer it to a local one."

"I'd rather they not since they're all corrupt," Harry admitted. "We can probably floo him during the meeting? So he doesn't have to travel?"

"That's an idea we can do. We have in the past. That would also let him sign it over to whoever was reasonable." He blinked a few times. "We'll do that tomorrow?"

"I can send a message through the floo to him," Harry agreed happily. "Thank you for the help. I know I'm trying."

"No, this is things that must be figured out." The two teens left together. He went to tell the higher ups. They were amused but he was correct that something fishy was still going on.

Harry looked at Hermione. "We were spotted."

"That's fine." She smiled as Mrs. Weasley showed up. "Hi. I'm just helping Harry with some paperwork."

"Harry!" She smothered him in a hug. She pushed him back to look at him. "What happened to you!"

"A specialist took care of the curse."

Ron looked at him. "Really? How?" He looked at Hermione. "You couldn't figure out how."

"A specialist doctor in the States," Harry told him.

"Oh, no! You had to go to a healer?" Molly demanded. "Why wasn't I told?"

Harry didn't ask her why she would've been told. "The nurses were great and so was the auror who sat with me and gave me ideas. Like changing schools."

"Why would you? You'll graduate Hogwarts like your parents!" she demanded.

He stared at her. "If I'm there the next attack'll happen there." She gasped at that.

"Thinking tactically that makes sense but it doesn't guarantee a non-attack," Ron said.

"Which is why I haven't changed yet. I'll see how things go for the next few weeks," Harry told him.

"Where did you go? Everyone was worried sick!" Molly said.

He stared at her. "The healer I was seeing here had to send me to someone in the family when people burst in to grab me from them. She sent me to a cousin."

"No one in this community knew a thing!" she complained. "It couldn't have been!"

"I apparently have cousins elsewhere, Mrs. Weasley. Actually Bill might know that one. He'd been a cursebreaker at one time." Ron gave him an odd look for that. "But he was pretty nice. Got the aurors to tell the ministry that I was safe if they asked. The auror got me to the healer to handle the curse scar. And the curse in the scar." He grinned. "It's fine. He's an interesting cousin. He told me about some of my mother's family since he's from that side."

She stared at him. "She was a muggle born, no magical family."

"She wasn't. She was the daughter of a magical. Who wasn't her mother's husband apparently, but that happens." She huffed at that. He shrugged but grinned. "But I'm handling some stuff from the family stuff so I've got to go back to my rooms to look over the file again."

"You're coming with us," she ordered.

"I've got a room at the Leaky and I've got to be back here tomorrow," Harry told her. "It's easier if I'm nearby. It also means that I don't have to deal with people who want to annoy me like reporters and neither do you." He glared at a nearby reporter. "Really?"

She ran off at Ron and Hermione's glare and Ginny pulling her wand. He grinned at Molly again. "I'm perfectly fine there and I check in with Hermione every few days, Mrs. Weasley. Really, it's good for me. Stepping out of the usual things has made all sorts of things apparent. It's like me being sent there uncovered some chaos hiding underneath."

Hermione nodded. "It did. Neville and Draco both worked together to get things exposed at the school." Ron gave her an odd look. "The suits against Fudge and Dumbledore both came from what they told their relatives. And about how we couldn't have told our parents anything."

"That's to protect children like you from exposing your parents to more of the community," Molly said firmly.

"And the fact that Neville couldn't even tell his grandmother about anything going on at the school?" she asked. "Neither could Ron or Ginny or the twins."

"That was more not telling than couldn't," Ron admitted, but got out of the range of swatting. "But she's right. That came out in the court cases, Mum. That's why I had to testify too."

Hermione nodded. "Me as well."

"I did but it was at the trials," Harry admitted. He looked at her. "That truth serum wore out probably twice as fast as it did on the others."

"Really? Even the other one?"

"Yeah, even that one."

"That's interesting. I guess it's because you're able to throw off an imperious. That was listed."

"Yeah, the healer there said so too." He looked at Molly again, who was glaring at him. He grinned to ease it some. "It's fine. I had to testify about people stealing things from the family. I wasn't the one in trouble." He walked around her. "I'll see you in a few days, Mrs. Weasley." He punched Ron on the arm, making him wince. "Tell Bill my cousin Xander said hi."

"I can do that." He rubbed his arm, watching them walk off talking about what else they had to check on with the file from the house. Hermione had ideas, she usually did. He looked at his mother. "It's good for him to handle things, Mum, and you know Harry's responsible. He was the one cooking and cleaning for years with his aunt."

"I still don't like it. He's too young. He hasn't even finished growing yet!"

"By the stuff in the papers on the trial he won't be," George told her. "That's one things the healers in the States found, that his growth was stunted." He walked off with his siblings to protect them. His mother was going to start ranting soon and they needed to be out of view of her and others. He looked at Ginny. "What're you still missing on your list?"

"Just two books on the updated list," she said.

"Me too. The new defense text," Ron said. "At least it's an older book so there's no shortage of old copies." He wouldn't mention he'd read it over Harry's shoulder in fourth year.

Molly followed them to get that book for her children and then take them home so she could tell Arthur to go talk to that boy of hers and bring Harry back to the Burrow where he belonged.

***

Harry nodded at the auror on the floo when he walked in the next day, Hermione in the hall for now. "Hey. I'm okay."

"That's what I expected you to be. We saw the trials, Harry." He grinned. "Good job."

"Thank you." He sat down so he could see them both and let the banker have the easy access to the doorway if he wanted. "So, why just me first?"

"The matter of who your legal guardian is," the banker said. He looked at the auror. "We've looked at the statement from the US courts. At that time his magical guardian was listed as his only remaining known relation on his mother's side, Alexander Mikal Dumass."

"So Cousin Xander," Harry said with a grin. The auror gaped. Harry nodded. "Yeah. He got cursed. Deaged. But it's a huge secret."

"He was here to go over the honor debt," the banker admitted. "Hopefully the shield over him can be removed somehow soon." He looked at that auror. "Even with the order, it has not changed his guardianship here in the magical community. As he's an heir only one of the family can be his guardian. Unless he asks or our courts intervene and even then he could stop that by his own request."

Harry nodded. "I was hoping it wasn't Dumbeldore since he had my vault key and things from my family. Especially with that horror story in the press yesterday."

"He may have wanted to be but he was not and had illegal custody of your key, Mr. Potter." He stared at him. "Who do you want to be your magical guardian?"

Harry looked at the auror. "I'm not sure who to trust here. Any of them could use me."

"True," he said with a nod. "And anyone you knew well enough would be too young to do it anyway so it'd go to their parents. Can he be emancipated?"

"Yes," the goblin said with a nod. "That's a reasonable alternative in his case. Especially as most think that his grandfather is dead. However looking at that lineage there was a shock. He had another daughter and son. The daughter is older and in Belgium. The son is your potions professor."

"Eww," Harry said. "He hates me. My dad used to bully him and he can't separate the two of us in his mind."

"He may try to petition for legal custody as he is your uncle."

"And I'd deny that so damn fast," Harry said dryly. "Because the man hates me. Also, I'm about to be a sixth year. In the non-magical world I know I'm about of age to be able to handle my own legal matters."

"Wearing that family ring means that you're of age and were at fourteen," the auror told him. "Especially as an orphan, Harry."

Harry nodded at that. "So I can file for emancipation?" he asked the banker.

"Yes you could." He handed down the paperwork. "He'll need to sign it as well."

Harry read it, frowning and showed the auror. Who laughed and shook his head, ripping it up. "I don't think he liked that third clause that would endebt me to the bank."

"There is a waiting honor debt," the banker noted.

"Yeah, from me," Harry shot back, staring at him. "After all, you guys knew who was supposed to be able to get into my vaults and let others get into it without checking." He stared at him. "You guys also knew that my grandfather wasn't cursed when I was orphaned and didn't say a thing about it to my grandfather or to the courts. Because if I had been given to my grandfather he wouldn't have been cursed."

"No, he probably would've been at home taking care of you," the auror agreed. "Instead of in that tomb." The goblin winced at that. "So I think for now I'm going to stay Harry's guardian legally." He grinned. "As our courts overruled yours."

Harry nodded. "I don't think ours can overrule that. Hermione?" She came in and sat near him. "Can our courts overrule the US courts about who my legal guardian is?"

"No. Not without a huge fight and an international incident. Especially not with your cousin still being alive." She nodded at the auror.

"I'm the auror that has legal custody of him, Miss Granger. He told me about you."

She grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you too and thank you for taking care of Harry for us."

"It's not a problem. Though he's fully able to do it on his own." He looked at the kid.

"I think it's the height thing," Harry said.

Hermione tipped her head to look at him. "Actually I do feel more protective of you because you're shorter than the other boys," she admitted. "Though not motherly by any means."

"That's good. I'd hate for you to turn into Mrs. Weasley with the way you already nag me," he joked. She swatted him on the arm. The auror laughed. "She does. All the time." He looked at the goblin again. "So I guess it'll stay the way it is right now." He looked at him.

"Xander did tell me how honor scrolls worked though so if you're going to present it try it, see if it works." It was handed over and Harry didn't glow. Hermione didn't glow. The banker winced as that meant it was cursed back on the one who tried it. Harry handed it back but Hermione took it to look over then tucked it into her bag. Harry looked at her. "Why?" he asked quietly.

"So it can be looked at later if there's a question."

"It's Potter property, Miss Granger." She handed it back to Harry. Who tucked it into her purse. The goblin rolled his eyes. "You don't have a bag?"

"No." He shook his head. "I don't often carry one actually." They went over the index lists and the auror had to excuse himself for a moment then came back looking much like he had just had a yell at someone. He took the index list from Harry. "I asked Hermione what a few were."

"Which made us pull the Potter files," the goblin admitted. "As he didn't know where the family home is. It's not fully listed but it is listed there's one. Usually any family can apparate into it. The family magic should guide you as you wear the crest."

"I can't apparate yet. I tried to learn and got stopped every single time by a teacher."

Hermione nodded. "Both of us actually."

"You are both considered underage."

"Harry has my permission to apparate if he wants to," the auror said. "Why would anyone take these items and only one wedding ring?" He looked at the banker. "I also don't like that clause at the bottom of the last page." The banker slumped. "You could ask Xander," he told Harry. "He may know where it is. They probably ran in the same social circles family-wise so may've went to a party or something."

"I didn't think about that," Harry said. "You said it was locked to my father's magic?"

"That's what was reported."

"So someone went to look at it?" Hermione guessed. The banker shook his head slowly. "Then how do we know that?"

"It was reported on the forms but it was never noted by who, Miss Granger."

"Oh, all right." She looked at the auror. "How would an auror find a house he didn't know the location of? Is there a ministry phone book sort of thing or floo book?"

"I don't know if you guys have floo information over there. We do in the US but we're moving away from the floo for a lot of functions with cellphones and video calling starting to come out." She smiled at that. "If you have floo information they would have to have it listed but that may be considered information they can't give out for safety reasons."

He looked over his shoulder. "Does the UK have floo information? The kid's trying to find his family home." Someone there said something. "Oh, that's true. If there's an heir stone and a family crest, the bank has to have a file on the family and it should list the family home."

"The file's missing," the banker said. "I went looking for it over that question. It's not in the bank at all as far as the supervisors can tell. It could have been put into storage but it's not been found as of today."

Xander strolled in looking like a wizard. He nodded at the auror. "Thanks for the visit last night." He looked at the girl then at Harry. "Is this your friend Hermione?"

"Yeah, she is, Xander."

He grinned at her. "You seem very smart and like you have common sense. That's better than any of the women I deal with daily right now." He sat down, looking at the files in front of Harry. He looked at the index the auror handed over. "That's full of shite. Also probably less than a quarter of what was in the house." He looked at him, seeing the fear. "And that clause at the bottom is foul and dishonoring the bank even more."

"Is there a family home?" Harry asked him.

"Yeah. The Potters had an ancestral home and a more modern family home. Which was where your parents were attacked." He looked at him. "The ancestral home is presently hidden by James' statement before they went into hiding. I looked it up. It's up by the modern house, not too far away. It's on the same estate actually."

Harry beamed at that. "The modern family house has shields over it so no one could get into it from what I was told when I asked a few poker buddies." He looked at Hermione then at Harry. "It's good you have people to lean on since I'm not...capable of that right now, Harry," he said quietly.

"I realize seeing me makes you hurt, Xander," he said quietly. "I don't want to invade all that. Oh, and they said you messed up a few more times. The bank's registered a son and daughter." The goblin handed the letter down.

He looked. "Well, I certainly remember their mothers. Hmm." He tucked it into his pocket. He noticed the scroll and snatched it to look at. "Did it glow?"

"No," Hermione said. "Is it supposed to?"

"Yes, if it's an honest one it'll glow to show that your magic knows you're being held accountable. If not, then whoever tried it is pain from the honor debt being sent back to them." He handed it back to her. "Girlfriend?" he guessed.

"I have a purse and Harry doesn't," she said with a smile.

"Girls often do." He looked at Harry then at the banker again, who looked very scared.

"Did you know you were listed as his guardian?" Hermione asked him.

"No, I had no idea about that." He looked at the banker again. "I am?" It was handed down. "Hmm, I am." He nodded, handing that to the auror. "Harry, emancipation?"

"Thinking about it but the auror didn't like the paperwork," he said quietly. The pieces were handed to him to look over.

Xander looked and smirked at the banker. "Even if you could claim the castle you couldn't step foot in it. The magical shields around it would've kept anyone with even a drop of dverger blood out. Sending humans would mean they died of it when their magic was sucked out by the wards. They're still in fine form and absolutely strong."

"I believe someone wanted to safely store the artifacts that litter that area."

"Allisandra and I both made sure they're all safely stored. And I doubt you want to start tunneling under the castle." He grinned. "Her hidden storage vault is sealed inside the mountains of rock underneath the castle. The only one who can get through it is me because I helped her ghost seal it in when I was twelve. Something tried to come out on a timed release."

"Is it normal for curse breakers to do such things?" Hermione asked. "I'm wondering if Ron and Ginny have gotten into Bill's."

"Only if you work independently," Xander told her patiently. "Bill mostly works for the bank, he doesn't do private jobs so probably doesn't have one." She nodded at that. "I was on contract instead of fully employed so anything I found I could hand over or not and I could auction it off myself if I wanted or sell it to the bank."

He grinned. "I found a lot of stuff. Especially library jobs." She moaned in pleasure, staring at him. "If you end up with Harry he'll be able to let you into the family library, Hermione. I've got it locked down to family only. Sorry."

"It's okay. Maybe he'll be able to let me into it when I go on my post-graduation trip to visit various libraries around the world?"

He grinned at her. "You remind me of Willow so much but you have sense and no addiction problems." He looked at the banker again. "Where's the family's file so I can update it? And the Potter one so you can update it that Harry's wearing his family's ring? And a few others."

"Lord Black would have to do that himself," the goblin said stiffly. "But I'll go see if the Potter one has been found or yours."

"Thanks." He smiled as the goblin left.

"Why are they scared of you?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Because I'm a cursebreaker who is very good at his job and I found a lot of stuff that's very high powered that I could now claim," he said quietly, looking at her. "Also, they knew they screwed up and tried to screw over the family when I was cursed. We had that talk already."

"Do we need to find another bank?" Harry asked quietly.

"They have a monopoly but we may want to move some to a muggle bank. They give better interest anyway. Money matters are not my best skill."

"What about moving it to the US since you're over there?" Hermione asked.

"I showed up to get into my account and they were horrified that a wizard dared to walk into their business to get into his own things," he said dryly. "Especially since I still had my old ID on me when I was deaged and it was brought with me as proof of who I was." He looked at the auror. "Did you guys note that I got put into Sunnydale by Dumbledore?"

"No, I looked into that file just a minute ago. You're not listed anywhere, Harris. The only file that lists you is the Sunnydale file on your little group." Xander nodded once at that. "What is going on with your graduation? We're hearing rumors far ahead of schedule this time."

"Well, it seems we're having an ascension." He grinned. "I'm going to prove why they used to call me Carnage."

Hermione shivered at that. "They did?"

"They do and they call Harry a hole of chaos sometimes." He grinned at his grandson. "Apparently without you being there wrongness is noted. You were covering it being seen."

"That blows," Harry said. "Though I've scried the Dursleys a few times and found that they're slowly realizing that too. Dudley realized he'd need a future and that he was a bit heavy. I found Aunt Petunia's baby album and gave it back to her."

"That's great. That's what I'd want you to do, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Plus the other stuff about them. Including the deed to the house."

"Even better. That's what a good man does." Harry grinned at that. He looked at the auror. "Knowing what you're thinking about him, I can agree with that. That's why I let you guys petition the courts."

"Thank you, Mr. Harris. Especially since you're barely eighteen yourself again."

"Yeah, don't remind me. This shield over me sucks greatly." He shifted to cross his feet. Another goblin walked in and paused. "They're getting the family files so they can be updated."

"Oh. The one who was in here is seeing someone else."

"Hmm. That's fine. We can wait a brief time," he said smugly.

"You are?" she asked.

"My present name or my original one?" He grinned. "Though your brother would recognize me."

"Then you're a cursebreaker."

"I was."

She nodded, going to warn that one that the humans were getting uppity. She had seen the fight but that one couldn't do it again.

"Honor debts can only be applied when it's a last step to a duel to the death," Xander told Hermione. "It's very old fashioned. It would involve your whole family if you were hit with one, even the muggles." She nodded once at that.

"You have to truly believe your life was seriously screwed with by whoever you're cursing, and it is a curse. It has to be solved after the scroll is handed over. You have a year to solve it somehow. And it's their way of choosing how to prove their innocence if the scroll accepts their debt by glowing when they touch it."

She stared at him. "You have more than the one you claimed," she said quietly.

"Yes I damn well do," he agreed happily. "Including the suit that went against Fudge and Dumbledore. I could have honor debted that one but instead I went to the courts."

"This is like politics."

"It is," he said with a nod. "And they're going to try to screw with us greatly because of it. They're going to lose. They're stubborn but I can claim the bank's vaults. See, they siphon off us to do the spells around the vaults, Miss Granger, and not a lot of us know that.

"I know exactly how the vaults are made, how they're powered, how all the things down there are powered and formed. Because I found the book that they worked from and learned from it." He smirked at the elder goblin stomping in. "And I'm one of the last ones that has knowingly and visibly added energy to them to save them after an earthquake." He looked at her again. "If I really wanted to be the asshole I had been I'd have six other charges I could've laid."

"You do not!" the elder said.

Xander pulled out the scroll to lay on the table, open so he could read it. "You sure about that? One's a bit weak but you guys got Katya killed too. The only reason that would've happened was if you're trying to take out the Clan Dumass for some reason and I can only guess it's because Allisandra helped set up the vaults with the team at that time and I helped power and protect them. To this day.

"I can reclaim my stolen energies." He smirked a bit. "The alley may fall into the subway system but that may happen anyway. You guys had to create a bit of extra space to keep them from breaking through once in the seventies." He stared at the elder. "Is that why you let Dumbledore dumb down the schools and take out information on what heirs had to expect?"

"The only heir still up there is the Black heir," he said smugly. Harry held up his hand with that ring on it. "How! You are not!"

"Sirius said I was," he said. "When I stood on the heir stone for the Dumass clan they all came to me." The goblin looked and tried to take them off and couldn't. He stomped off again. Harry looked at Hermione. "Have you been to the house?"

"No, not to Grimmauld. You know they cut me off because I'm muggle born, Harry." Remus Lupin was let in.

Xander sniffed then snorted, shaking his head. "He's not a werewolf," he called.

"Yes he is," Harry said, looking confused.

"No, Remus Lupin is, this one is not," he told him. "I can tell weres by scent." He grinned at that man, who backed out slowly and carefully.

"I'm damn glad the US doesn't have stuff like this often," the auror quipped. "How can you do that?"

"Possession," Xander said with a wicked grin. "They couldn't clear it. So Giles penned her up."

"Her?" Hermione asked. "Is that normal?"

"It can happen," the auror said. "What was it?"

"Hyena." He smirked at him. "Heard about the mermaid thing?"

"Yes and we managed to find the rest of your former teammates and get them to safety. Can you maybe sink Sunnydale soon?"

"You never know. It's Sunnydale and it tends to have an apocalypse each spring."

"Point," the auror agreed. His counterparts over there showed up. "Howdy. US Aurors Association." He held up his ID. "I'm Mr. Potter's legal guardian and this is magical one Xander Harris."

The auror stared at him. "The US has no say over a British citizen."

"He was over there," Xander said. "And the British government clearly gave up their responsibility. So the US had to decide custody for medical treatment." The auror stared at him. She looked confused. "Yes, I know you. You may have studied me in a book once."

"They said you're a rogue cursebreaker who threatened the bank."

"Oh, no, I didn't threaten. I vowed if they kept screwing with me and my family." He pointed at that scroll. "I'm pretty sure your generation got taught about honor debts."

She read and backed off looking horrified. "Oh, dear."

"Yeah." He rolled it back up and put it into his inner jacket pocket. "They're mad that they're having to do the right thing for Harry and me. We're making sure of it. Them trying this means that they've lost all honor and should just give it up and let the next generation try to rebuild it. And if they piss me off some more it'll mean rebuilding the vaults as some of my power went to steady them during an emergency." He smiled his most sweet, good boy smile.

"Damn it, that's dangerous."

"Yes I damn well am."

"Who are you?"

"Alexander Harris, Sunnydale." She flinched back shaking her head again. "Harry's my cousin and I have official magical guardianship over him as I was the next nearest when his parents died." He waved a hand. "He brought Miss Granger to read things for him because she has sense that's in such short supply today."

"I back up Harry anyway," she said. She grinned. "Hey, Tonks."

"'Mione," she said with a nod. "Potter." He waved with a grin. "Your forehead looks good. They did good." She looked at the other auror. "They're going to ask you guys to hand over the soul so it can be destroyed."

"Too late. We destroyed it within days of verifying what it was and getting a court order while he was in surgery. It went to goo at about eleven the night Harry got out of the hospital with four aurors, our organization's senior agent and the director, and the president seeing it on video call." She nodded once at that. "You can tell them that if you want, Auror..."

"Tonks." She looked at Harry. "Where is Dumbledore?"

"Not trying to tell me how to win," Harry said. "Otherwise I'm hoping he's packing all the stuff he stole from me and others so we can have it back."

"They already did that."

"They didn't search Hogwarts or anywhere else. Said if it was entailed I could summon it with the family magic. The rest is apparently lost according to the one we were working with."

She nodded. "Yeah, they're very sure they want to hush up the problems," Xander told her. "And I'm a gossipy teenage boy." He grinned. "I'm sure as hell telling people who can easily fix their mistakes. Loudly, in the press. As the head of the Clan Dumass."

"Isn't that Justinius' role now?" she asked.

"He got removed for sacrificing a unicorn and nearly his little brother."

She blinked a few times. "Wow."

"Yeah. But I hate Justy anyway. The feeling's mutual." She just nodded and went to make that report. Amelia Bones came in to talk to that auror so they had an official report on the destruction and to talk to Harry about calming down and being less angry.

Xander looked at her. "All teenage boys are angry, Madam. It's part of the definition of a teenage boy. Harry just got to it later because that was stunted too."

"No, I was angry but didn't have a way to handle it," Harry admitted. "I was just going to walk off one day actually. Oh, graduation?" he asked Xander.

"Yeah, don't go to it. It's got a binding vow to do the best for the community even if your family disagrees. No one with family magic ever goes."

"They said Percy did," Harry said.

"And he proves it, Harry. His personality is poor right now because the family magic is fighting against the blood vow."

"Is there something on the school that does it to our personality?" Hermione asked him. "It seems like there is. I get there and I study a lot more than usual. Even if I don't need to. I don't even get fun reading in. Ron turns a lot more crass. Harry tries but something's always seeming off about him."

"I'm usually hiding stuff from you and Ron," he told her. "That way I don't get bitched at. And you nag a lot more I'm guessing. SPEW and all that."

"No, teenage girls go on saving things crusades," Xander told him. "They all do. Even Willow." He looked at her. "I don't know but if there is that's against the law, first of all, and dangerous to the students second."

"We've had students who disappeared every year," she said, staring back. "Is that why?"

"No. The school would protect any student on the grounds from dying. There's a few places a duel can happen and may be fatal but otherwise a student would be frozen at the moment of death if they were dying." He looked at the aurors. "Has anyone looked at that? Or the missing students?"

"They said they were going to get married or pulled home by family."

"Yes, they said that about two who were orphans as well," Hermione told Tonks. "Said their families called them home. I suppose that's one way of saying they met up in the afterlife."

She considered it. "I don't know. I'm going to take Bill Weasley and go look into that."

"Bill's not the best one to do that. Surana Surez would do better. They're out of the Greek branch the last I heard. Bill could call her."

"I can ask Bill to do that, Mr. Harris." She stared at him. "There's something around you."

"Yes, when I was cursed, Dumbledore put a shield around me that's like a version of me that's tweaked to the right and weaker. It's screwed up my balance and everything. Thankfully I've been training on top of it so I'm not helpless since I'm helping a slayer on our hellmouth."

She winced at that. "Oh, dear."

"Yeah." He grinned. "Harry was safe, I didn't let him leave the house."

"Thank you for that." She looked at Harry. "Where you going next summer?"

"If I can't go to the Potter properties? Xander, is the family house that burned an option? I don't care if I put up a tent but if there's trees I can hide in them."

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind if you did that. There's some remains but not much. And my work area that used to be underneath it is still an option. It's got a holy water ring around the island where my worktable was. I'd camp there personally. It'd be the safest."

Madam Bones stared at him. "Who were you before you were cursed?"

He smirked. "I've given you plenty of clues, Madam Amelia Bones." He stared at her. "Though you're right, I did do an Ogden Rite after that curse."

"I realized that. You're a Dumass by birth aren't you?"

"Yes I am." He grinned. "Always have been." He got up and kissed her hand then stared at her. "Now I'm not just the Dumass heir."

"The only surviving direct line male was Alexander," she said quietly. He looked amused but his eyes were showing that he was not the one to test. "Oh." She nodded once. "The curse on you, who did it? Bill couldn't give a statement and the healer had to erase the memory to protect him, or so it was reported."

"Dumbledore. It was light magic, gathered at Stonehenge on summer solstice. It's also who burned the house a week after I was cursed. And I was alive when Harry's parents died. So Dumbledore did some line theft too. I could have charged him with *much* more."

She shivered but nodded. "I can see that. The lawyer said so too." She stepped back. "Potter, where are you staying now?"

"Leaky."

"Fine." She nodded. "That's a safe area for you I suppose. You're sixteen." She looked at Granger. "They're going to try you instead of the boys, Miss Granger."

"And they're going to find a girl who's not that easy to pick on. Been bullied my whole life about my brains and habits. Politics don't interest me but I'm a huge roadblock when I want to be. A few of the bullies found that out in primary school." She smiled. "Otherwise I'll be a teenage girl."

"Not like they can remove memories of me from her," Harry said dryly. "She's been beside me longer than Ron has. He's got a small jealousy issue."

Xander looked at him. "Thou shalt not get married before you finish your schooling."

"I think she's like my sister, Xander. Beyond that, I'm not even dating until after Voldemort's gone for good. That way they don't become a target too." He looked at Hermione, who was blushing. "Sorry."

"I do think of you like a brother, Harry, and you're adorable, but I have not thought of you that way yet." She swatted him a few times. "You're an arse, Harry Potter."

"Sometimes," he agreed with a grin and a nod.

"But that's being a guy," Xander told her. He looked at the two British aurors again. "Any other complaints?"

"No," Tonks said. "We'll leave you to overthrow the bank or whatever you're doing today."

"We're supposed to be updating the family files with heirs since apparently I made some," Xander quipped with a grin. Madam Bones shivered but left with her auror following. Xander looked at Hermione once they had left. "Back when she was younger and less uptight, she was a lot more fun," he said quietly.

"Did you date her?"

"Not *date*," he said dryly. "I got a lot of good, dirty fun in my day, Miss Granger." He grinned at her. "Way more than my share."

"I'm holding out for a real relationship."

"I wasn't going to try to poach the one that Harry growls over." She blushed again, shaking her head. A goblin warrior came back so he stared at him. "Did they find the family's files finally?"

The warrior stared at him. "Your kind are detrimental to the bank."

"Only if you make me be. Before then I was one of the top cursebreakers." He crossed his feet and stared at him. "Playing such games is really beneath the bank's honor." The goblin stepped back. "You guys wanted this meeting. Harry just wanted to go over the stuff that had been found from being stolen, which that list can't be complete. And the bank tried to claim it from him."

The warrior went to tell others. "We'll be right here waiting," he called with a wave after him. When the next one came in his hand tapped the table a few times, drawing attention to the ring. That one had the Potter family file, part of it. Xander sighed and summoned them both, bringing the hereditary books for each family.

They filed the changes and updated them, him letting Harry keep his since it had the index list of things the bank held of theirs. Alex knew where the bank's things were hidden. He walked out and to the circle on the floor in the middle of the main area of the bank. "I summon all the things that belong to the Clan Dumass that the bank is keeping away from the rightful heirs," he intoned.

"May they come back to the rightful owners." He stared at the giggling warriors because it took a minute to come up from the vault. The first one up was his sword. "Hey, I missed you, baby." He petted it and put it on his back. The rest showed up and he put them into a box he created and charmed.

The last big thing showed up and he stared at it. "Huh. Our accessory heir stone." He put that into the box too. "That's cool. We use that one for the spouses." He looked at Harry. "Call, be safe." He winked and disappeared from right there.

Harry looked at Hermione. "I'll never know as much as he does."

"He's had a long time to study," she agreed. "Should you do that with the Potter family things?"

"I think I need to do that from the family home. That just feels right. The Dumass family home is under a lot of wards." They walked out together. They ran into the real Remus Lupin waiting on them. Harry looked at him. "Prove you're you. We had a fake you."

"You have a birthmark on the back of your thigh that used to swell when you got mad about your father changing your nappy," he said. Harry gave him a hug with a grin. "The scar's fixed?"

"They removed the damn curse," he agreed happily. "C'mon. We're going to the family home. Hermione, coming?"

"If you want, Harry. I'll text my mum on the way. Are we taking the knight bus?"

"We have an illegal portal in Grimmauld," Remus told him. "To the house they had been living in. It's locked off and we made sure, cub."

Harry looked at him. "I guess that's nice since you'd probably let me see it in a few years?"

"When you were ready to ask." He took them to the Black family home and it opened up readily without the key thanks to Harry's ring. "How?" Harry held up his hand. "Oh. I forgot he did that," he muttered.

"Hmm." He nodded. "I had no idea until the ring hit me and then told me. There's been way too many dangerous and painful secrets."

"There have, cub. We'll handle it." He patted him on the shoulder. "You look weird."

"I'm being pulled toward the study." He went that way and found a ghost in there. He frowned. "The ring said you're Sirius' grandfather."

"I am, I'm Arcturus, Harry." He stared at him. "I was sure that you'd be a good heir to the family since my grandson apparently wasn't going to have one. I think he chose well." He moved closer. "May I read you?"

"Go ahead if you can. I have no idea how that happens."

"The school's been dumbing down education," Hermione told the ghost when he looked pissed off.

"Clearly." He tested the boy and nodded. He touched the ring and it glowed. "You're our heir."

"Over Draco?"

"I cannot stand Narcissa's husband and I'm very sorry she got taken by that man. Her son is still an heir but not the main heir." He stared at him. "Girls are more powerful than you think, Harry, but those three sisters were just...mean. They didn't want the power that I held and Sirius thought it was a pain. My own son wanted the wrong thing and his wife led him astray over purity politics. Be careful when you pick a spouse that you find one who'll support your works, good or ill, and that you'll support theirs."

"That's what a marriage should be," he agreed. "I'd never want to be part of an arranged one."

"Dumbledore had that plan too," Remus warned.

"He didn't have any sort of guardianship over me," Harry told him. "Xander had it."

"Oh, dear. That means...."

"We could've put a lot more charges against him," Harry agreed. He looked at his adopted great-grandfather. "Will I do good following your lead?"

"I certainly hope so. You can only do better than I did or my son did, Harry." He smirked. "I'm not like my son's wife. I loved Sirius. And his friends that he brought home often. Even though they weren't purebloods. I learned better than some did because I was forced to look at things by Sirius." He looked at Remus, who smiled. He looked at Harry again. "Go with love, head of the family line. And put up with Draco. He could grow up to do good things."

"If he's the next dark lord I'm going to beat him and then spank him in the middle of Diagon," Harry said dryly. Arcturus laughed so hard he lost form. He looked at Remus. Who took him to the doorway while hugging him. He unlocked it and got out of the way. Harry took a deep breath, opening the door to the closet and stepping through. The house tried to fight but stopped and let him through after a moment. He walked in and looked around. The house was bare. Everything had been removed. "Remus, who moved the furniture?"

"The bank probably. It should be in a bank vault. No idea, Harry." He came through next, he was allowed through the wards and he pulled Hermione to let her through. He looked around. "Someone cleaned it out after the funerals. I was here after that for a few hours and there was at least couches then." He patted Harry on the back. "Open the wards?"

"Is that wise?"

"Here." He took him to the warding area, letting him look it over and then cancel out some of them. It relaxed things and a few things appeared. It had made the house seem smaller and had hidden a lot of the accessory rooms. They hadn't been touched so whoever had looted hadn't used a cursebreaker to adjust the wards.

James faded into view, looking at Harry. "I see the ring that used to make me wonder why my family had bothered to do anything. Because all it ever brings is stress."

Harry grinned. "So far it's been a bit protective of me, Dad."

"Good! It should be." He stared at him. "You can summon them without having to go against the Horde."

"They're already against me and I've proven they did bad things. So did Mom's actual dad."

"Actual....huh. I don't think Lily knew that."

"Alexander Dumass."

"With the stories of how he got around, doesn't shock me any," James decided. "But it does explain why she's such a book nerd." Hermione giggled at that. "She was!" He stared at his son. "You'll do fine, Harry."

"I've still got to finish the war they started."

"You don't. The prophecy's not iron clad."

"If I don't, more people can be killed."

"Some will be," James agreed with a nod. "Or people could learn to fight back."

"That'd be nice," Harry told him. "But hasn't happened yet."

"Shit."

"Most years now, Dad. Every single spring." James went on a swearing rant. "But I'm just now finding out about the family. Do we have portraits?"

"Yeah, kiddo. Even in the big, drafty hole of stone and wind up the hill." He smirked a bit. "My grandfather was not amused at having to fix the ancestral home so he didn't." Harry grimaced at that. "But it's still standing as far as I can tell." He floated closer, touching his son's cheek.

"You'll do," he said quietly, staring at his eyes. "However you manage it, it's the right enough way. You'll be the man your mother wanted you to be and not follow me. She'd hate it if you did." He grinned. "Be a good boy." He looked at Remus. "Sirius?"

"The Veil at the ministry," he said quietly.

"Fuck."

"He was fighting the death eaters with us," Hermione said quietly. "One shoved him."

James looked at her. "Girlfriend?" he guessed.

"Friend and like my sister, Dad. She's the helping homework and helping me study and handling things with me and for me and beside me sort."

James looked at him then at her. "Lily had to beat me over the head with a bludger bat because I just thought she was pretty and hot and annoying as hell. So if you want him, you may have to make it explicitly clear, dear." He faded out with a grin for his son.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not ready to think about girls yet. I can't even do anything with them for at least another year!"

His father faded back in. "Why?"

"Dad, I'm sixteen in a few days."

"Then why do you look fourteen?"

"Aunt Petunia raised me and her husband hated magic."

James nodded. "I'll let Lily talk to her sister."

"Leave her be, Dad. I've given up on that war. They can have whatever sort of life they want because getting back at them won't solve anything or fix anything. It won't make anyone happier or healthier or anything else. It won't fix that my growth got delayed and stopped. So just...let them go. They can be judged on their actions by some higher being. The next time I see them one of them will be dead."

James stared at him. "You must get that from your mother. I would've led a quiet campaign to ruin them." He frowned. "My mother would've done it socially and politely but they would've known their doom was coming."

"Dudley had time to turn himself around. Aunt Petunia was led astray by her husband enforcing the being perfectly normal thing. I don't care any longer. They're nothing to me."

James nodded. "Still had to come from your mother." He faded out again. Lily had a legendary temper. But it burned out quickly and then she seethed. And like Harry she'd let hopeless things go because it wouldn't make anyone feel better.

Lily looked at him. "I gave my nephew the porker a chance to get right with humanity," she said bluntly. "I affected his health so he had to start looking at things. He'll either turn himself around or not. It won't matter to anyone but him and his immediate family." She watched Harry. "That girl is a lot like I was. She's going to drive him nuts."

"He just said he has no idea what to do with a girl yet because his body's not caught up to that stage yet."

Lily looked at him. "We can go visiting when he's ready to get serious with someone." James let it go, she had her own plots and plans.

Harry looked up then at the other two, who had heard that too. He went to look around and found the wards. They had something that looked like an heir stone so he stepped onto it. He laid the hand with the ring on it on top of it. There was a place that was worn smooth from touches.

An older man with white hair but red eyebrows showed up to stare at him. "Well. It's been a while."

"I had no idea the house was here," he said.

"Have all the Potters fell?"

"I'm the last one. Which one are you? I've only seen names in books."

"Your parents?" he demanded.

"James and Lily?"

He blinked a few times. "James Inferion?"

"No," Remus said. "That was his great-grandfather."

"Oh." He nodded. He looked the boy over. "You look tired, boy."

"I am," he admitted. "It's been a long month."

"Which one are you?"

"Harry."

"Hmm. Not a junior?"

James faded in. "Stop it," he ordered. "We only got to have the one son before we were killed by Voldemort. You know that. Quit being an asshole to the son, Dad." He looked at Harry. "You do look tired."

"I am." He nodded. "It's been a long month. Plus Grandfather seems to suck energy from you and the rings are arguing."

"Is that what was doing that?" Hermione asked. "I noticed it at the bank."

He nodded. "Something about the curse on him does it I think." he yawned, looking at his father. "How do I summon back all the stuff that got stolen? We know Dumbledore took some and the bank took others."

"Stand there and order it to return."

He looked up and cleared his throat. "I, Harry James Potter, the last of the Potters, do order the family's possessions that have been stolen from us to be returned to their rightful place in our houses and lives," he said, going on instinct. Another ring appeared in front of him so he put that in his pocket since the Potter ring was screaming at him not to put it on.

He felt something coming through the ward and went to look. Yup, there was the furniture, there were books piling themselves in a various set of piles around the room. There were kitchen things and other things. Including two house elves. And Dobby showing up. "Hey, Dobby." He petted him on the head. "Were you two stolen from the Potter family?" he asked.

"We went to find new masters," one said. He stared at him. "You not be Master James."

"No, I'm James' son Harry." The elves smiled at him. "I'm trying to get all the stuff stolen from us back. The bank and Dumbledore both stole from us."

They looked and went to find other things that had been stolen. Diaries weren't entailed so hadn't been summoned. Some of the paintings weren't.

James and his father both showed up to look at things. "Leave the non-important things, elves." They nodded. He looked at Harry. "There's going to be some mad people."

"Then they shouldn't have stolen from us?"

"True," his grandfather admitted. "But it'll create ill will, Harry."

"And I care about maybe a half of second every day about them," he said dryly. "Because they care less about me." James winced at that. "Some would burn it all in front of me to hurt me, just because it'd hurt me." He looked at Dobby. Then at them. "Can I stay here? I'm at the Leaky."

"It's your house," his grandfather said. "Of course you're staying here!" He huffed. "Elf, go get his things please. Tell the master of the Leaky that he's in a family home." Dobby nodded and went to do that. He brought back the trunk. He looked at Harry again. "Can I read you?"

"If you can. Sirius' grandfather did." The old man sighed but did that and then burst out swearing. "Is that why me not being there shows chaos by unraveling things?"

"Yes." He huffed. "You have cursebreaker tendencies."

"With who Mom's grandfather was, that's not shocking," Harry quipped with a grin. "But I don't want to work for the bank since they've spent my whole life trying to take our things and destroy our families."

"Just don't start a new goblin war, Harry."

"I'm told that's a slur," he said.

"Do you care?"

"Most of the time. I use my bad language for swearing at people, not for calling them names."

"That's a good way of doing that." He looked at James. Who smirked back. "Your wife clearly did a personality transfer, James."

"He looks like me and acts like her." Remus giggled but nodded at that. "It's fine, Old Friend." He looked at Harry again. "Yeah, you're staying here. Or the old drafty barn up the hill."

"I wouldn't care if I had to pitch a tent," Harry admitted.

"Even better." He looked at his pocket. "When did that ring show up?"

"Just now." He let him see it.

"I hate that thing," James' father said. "Gives you a great headache."

"I've already gotten one from the other three." He glared at his hands. "Stop it. I need those brains you're trying to make dribble out my ear." They quit and he sighed in pleasure. "Better."

James looked at him. "Your energies are a bit warped."

"I was in Sunnydale for a few weeks after they took the horcrux out of my forehead. Mom's spell work managed to keep it contained so it didn't harm me, but a specialist removed it."

James grimaced. "Wow." He nodded once. "I'm going to destroy Voldemort if he gets to this side."

"Tom Riddle?" Hermione asked. "We know he was a ghoul after that spell. He showed up being one on the back of a teacher's head our first year. Harry defeated him."

Both Potters looked at Harry, who shrugged. They shook their heads and went to help them look through things. James got the house elves to steal back a few particular things and Hermione wrote out a note to put in their place so they realized that it had been taken back by an heir instead of being just stolen again. James snorted at that.

Remus locked the nursery's door and made sure Harry didn't go in there. That he couldn't go in there. There was no need of that door opening anytime soon. Harry saw him doing it and shrugged so he wasn't mad about it.

***

Hermione got back the next morning and stared at her parents. "Sorry. Harry needed to talk." She sat down with a sigh. "He finally found the family home. Talked to his grandfather's ghost. And his father's ghost for a few minutes." They stared at her oddly. "He's fine though. Remus is with him and he's safe. He's finally getting to learn about his family." She looked at the waiting teacher. "Professor McGonagall."

"Harry found his family home?"

"Harry had to take it back from those who stole it from him," she said bluntly, staring at her. "He's well aware of all those who have been trying to end the Potter line since his parents died. He's still not sure if he's coming back this year or not." She sat up to stare at her. "And I'm not sure that's not a bad idea if he does. He thinks it'll make us all safer but it'll also make him happier."

She cleared her throat and nodded. "I can see how that would happen. As you know the headmaster was removed."

"Yes, I'm aware. I saw the trial coverage." The professor winced. "And spent the last day talking with Harry so he could get some of the sadness out of himself. He was going to bottle it up but I made him talk and it helped him feel happier."

"That's good." She looked at the parents then at the young woman. "I came to talk about the witches' class you'll have this year."

"I've taken the muggle one about birth control and all that stuff. Is there much that's not covered? Spells for contraception that work better than the hormonal methods?"

"They're not available in our world, Miss Granger."

"I can bring mine with me, Professor. They're not technological. Like allergy pills still work in the castle, so will birth control pills." The professor glared a bit. She stared back at her. "Also, why is it being given so late? All the girls in the house have had their periods for at least a year now. Shouldn't it be given before we get it so we know what to expect when we wake up one morning just suddenly gushing blood? The older girls did good talking to girls who woke up to that sight and then started to sob."

"It's felt we should keep the students as innocent as we can for as long as possible."

"Oh, that reason. Well, Mum had me put on birth control soon after I started just in case my sense left me some night." Her husband looked at her. Hermione's mother grinned at her then at her husband, nodding. "We found out the patch made me a bit sad so I went on a long term one. It'll be there for at least another four years."

Her father sighed in pleasure. "And it'll be replaced near the end of that so even if I do shack up with a boy during college I won't be pushing out your grandchild until I'm well established in my career." She looked at her professor again. "I'm fairly well versed in all the methods of birth control and how well they work or don't work and why."

"Oh, I see." Professor McGonagall looked at her. "Were you having at it with Mr. Potter?"

"No. Though a few people have suggested it." She smirked a bit. "Harry hasn't hit puberty yet. He's in the middle of it thanks to that dratted aunt of his. He doesn't even have boyish dirty dreams yet. Unlike Ron, who used to complain about his over breakfast. I know more than I ever wanted to know about teenage boys, Mother."

"I'm sure you do, dear." She patted her on the hand. She smiled at the professor. "What will that class teach her beyond what she already knows? She knows about her bodily systems, about how reproduction happens and changes you, and how to handle it if she should get pregnant. I'm sure you have things to help ease problems like morning sickness but is that taught there?"

"No. Of course not."

Hermione held up a hand and got up, going up to her room, bringing back the book to hand over. "Oh, that's right they let you keep that one."

"They did. Did you send off my chemistry work, Mum?"

"I did. The grade report is waiting on the table." Hermione went to get it and came back happier. "Oh, dear. That's good. High marks, dear."

"Of course she did. She'd hate it if she didn't do the best she could," Hermione's father agreed. "We taught her that." He took the grades to look at, smiling at her. "That's good, princess."

"Thank you, Father." She kissed him on the cheek then sat next to her mother again. She let the professor see it with a smile. "I'll need the muggle classes to get into college."

"We do have colleges."

"Yes, but most of them are down on women going for real degrees that don't end in a marriage," she said. "I'm still thinking about medical school and which field I would go into," she announced. "I don't think I want dental school. I really don't like mouths. I consider them fairly gross actually."

"They can be if you don't take care of them," her mother agreed with a nod. "You'll find a field that suits you and your skills, dear. Have you thought about orthopedics? It's an ever growing field and if you just went physical therapist there's a high call for those with how the population's aging."

"I have. I don't mind them as a field, though I don't want to be a physio, Mum. The only ones I've really denied so far are podiatry and dental work. Maybe neurology. It's helpful and I could do great things but I don't want to mess up someone's brain."

"That's a good point," her father agreed. "You'll get to try a few fields in your internship, princess."

"I know, Dad. I have no idea which one I'd like. Even after volunteering at the local hospital last summer." She looked at the professor. "Do they even allow women into healer's colleges?"

"Well, yes. Though it's not many that want to."

"I'm not going to become Molly Weasley. I have no intention of staying home with the child I bear some year far in the future."

She sighed. "It is standard."

"Not any longer. It's a choice certainly but not a well liked one these days."

"Oh, I see." She nodded. "Will you be giving up magic then?"

"No. I'll have to be able to protect myself and others if things happen around us. It has every year so far." The teacher glared at her. She stared back. "We are the product of our experiences, Professor."

"True." She tilted her face up. "All the other girls are going to have it."

"So I'll have a study hall." She shrugged. "Maybe I'll find time for some fun reading next year. I haven't so far."

"Oh." She nodded. "All right then." She stood up.

"Who's the new headmaster or mistress?" Hermione asked. "Have they decided?"

"Not yet. We'll figure that out by school." She shook hands and left to make notes. It's a shame Hermione would be throwing away her education that way. The Ministry wouldn't stand for them to go to a muggle career.

Hermione looked at her parents. "Some in the ministry will try to erase my memories of magic if I go to a muggle university," she said quietly. "They've tried twice now." Her mother glared. She shrugged. "They tried to erase Ron but he does stick in one's mind."

"Is he...a possibility?" her mother asked.

"No. His mother would expect me to be like her and I have no intention of being a stay-at-home mother to seven children. Magic will be a part of it but not all of it. And we all know that St. Mungos could use some specialists." She got up again. "Let me go take a proper shower. I used a cleaning spell." She went up to do that and change then come back down. The auror down there chatting with her parents wasn't unexpected. "Yes, dear?" She smiled at them. "Did you have a problem?"

"Miss Granger, please put the wand down."

"Like hell." She smiled again. "I don't trust a single one of you." The auror glared. She stared back. "I've learned not to trust a single Ministry person." The auror backed up a step with a nod. "So, what's the problem?"

"You've talked about your future. You know you're expected to go to a magical university?"

"And if I do that's fine. You may not have the field I want to study."

"You need to do the right thing for the community. Not yourself."

"Which means being the best Hermione Granger I can be so I can defend myself and others. Whether that be in law or in medicine has yet to be determined." She stared at him. Then smiled again. "Whatever I do, I'll do it with magic protecting myself and my family as needed. Plenty of us do."

"No, they don't. The community would make sure."

"Then that's a wrongness that needs to be ended," Hermione said simply, staring at him. "I'll be the woman I am no matter how I get there. Now, you've obviously charmed my parents."

"They're going to be able to forget you."

Hermione laughed just once. "Really? My mother will be able to forget nearly dying having me? If you're certain because I'm not." The auror flinched at that. "Also, my parents are like I am, immune to mental tampering. I taught them how to shield. Which is basically meditative works that anyone can do. Many business people do that to keep their faces showing only the emotions they want to express."

She walked around a chair. "Half of the world can ignore memory charms, even the ones the special staff use after events. Muggles do tend to mentally prepare ourselves for an onslaught every day of information and images. I dare say that your spells won't harm us any more than Disney songs do." She unfroze her parents then smiled again. "I believe you're trespassing."

"We can remove you to a better family to raise a witch," the auror offered.

She smiled. "Only if you want such kidnapers to die." The auror flinched again. "Because they would as soon as they tried to kidnap me. And if couldn't do it, my mother surely could. And would. She took out one when she was sixteen." She smiled at her mother then at the auror. "Anything else today, Auror?"

"I believe that's the law of the community you live in, Miss Granger."

"Well it's a shame that community's laws are unjust. I'll have to let others know so they can fight back for their own families." She stared at him. "You're not more scary than a Death Eater by the way. Quit trying to be so." The auror huffed and disappeared. "Well! It seems I really need to start shouting about things in the press."

She went to call on Luna Lovegood to warn her about this and let her father put a story in his paper. "Mum, Dad, go to work for now. Please?" I need to ward the house so no one but family can get in. Thankfully I've been looking at that topic for three years now."

"Of course, dear." They shared a look and left, going to tell their staff who knew about magic. One of their assistants did. The rest got told that people were planning on taking Hermione to make her a more traditional and submissive wife sort. So Hermione was on a rip. That warned them in case she showed up steaming mad again. Last time Hermione had at least repaired the room her magic had torn apart.

***

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