Ancestry 14 - The Plots of Others. by Voracity2

Ancestry 14 - The Plots of Others.

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Ancestry 14 - The Plots of Others.

Hermione met up with Harry outside the Burrow, looking him over. "Are you not sleeping?"

"I did sleep. All night actually." He grinned at her. "I just look tired because I need to shave suddenly and have no idea how to do that."

"We can look up shaving spells or you can get a razor, Harry."

"I've been thinking about that but it seems like a lot of trouble." He knocked and Ron opened the door. "How do you shave?" he asked.

"I don't," Ron admitted. "I barely have three hairs, Harry." He looked at him. "You could use a spell for that though."

"I need to look one up." He put a hand on Hermione's back to push her forward. "Ladies first I believe." So Mrs. Weasley would hug her first to spare his ribs.

"Yes it is," she said, smiling at him. "Manners lessons, Harry?"

"Yup. Aunt Allisandra has been drilling me and Grandma Des is firm in her belief that table manners exist even if I'm eating outside on a rock to get some sun. Then she had to forgive me slouching because my back's not great." He smiled and let Molly hug him. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for inviting me to lunch."

"It's nothing, dear. You know you two are like my own children." She hugged Hermione, who hugged her back politely. "You look well."

"I am well. I've had a good break since I've done all my homework that the teachers noted before the walkout." She put her jacket on the jacket tree and took Harry's to do the same since she was closer to it. "How's your list going, Harry?"

"Nearly done outside the herbology paper. We do not do good in there and I'm no exception." He grinned at her. "I've got it in the beginning stages but not written out. That new fountain pen I picked up is really better than a quill." She grinned and nodded. "I used a ballpoint on my first drafts to make it easier on me. Grandma Des was most amused and said if it's easier to do it. It's not like they can count me down as it's written." He punched Ron on the arm, getting a grin back. "How's yours going, Ron?"

"Not a whole lot. I do a few hours a day, like I did in school." He led them to the living room to sit down with them. Ginny got her feet knocked off the couch. She sat up to wave at them. "They're nearly done with their homework already."

"So am I," Ginny agreed. "In case something happens around the holidays. Because if you put it off, something will happen and we'll probably have to flee the house." She looked at Harry. "Is it nice wherever? You're pale."

"We're up by the top of the land mass and it is nice. Very peaceful and calm. I get a few muggle radio stations so I have music when the ghost musician tutor isn't playing the harpsichord in the ball room. The kitchen's huge but older. Learning how to cook on an ancient stove was fun but I only burned about every third thing and it still tasted mostly okay. Except when I burned garlic." Hermione giggled at that, shaking her head. "It's a lot different."

"It is. We've done that on holiday." She settled herself on the couch next to Ginny. "How're things going beyond that, Ginny and Ron?"

"Not bad. We've had a lot of time outside," Ginny said. "The orchard's actually picked this year. The garden's mostly out of gnomes." Harry grinned at Ron for that. "The last headmaster is still fuming up the Ministry saying we're all in trouble and his ways will prevail."

"Xander gave me permission to paste him if he tried to make me breed against my will," Harry told her. "And ordered me to beat his ass as he put it." He looked at Ron and Hermione. "I found out something interesting from him. Vampires can use magic." Ron slowly shook his head. "Wands use light sided cores usually. Phoenix, unicorn, that stuff."

"Which would react and since the wand chose them when they were eleven, they're clearly different magically now," Hermione said, realizing it. "So they'd have to be refitted."

"Xander said that the tradition is to snap any wand found with a new vampire. If they want to use it they can do that other way that you see in fantasy novels and out there, or they can get refitted if they make it out of being fledges."

"Huh," Ron said, considering that. "How did you get on that topic?"

"Druscila Black is still around. She's a vampire and a seer. She went to Xander to have him ask if she could have a slight allowance. So I let her be an heir to the Black trust as she's one of them, and still kind of alive. It gave her about a quarter of what the others get and she has to get it from a bank in the US. That way she doesn't come back here. Apparently she was a Scourge of Europe?" He looked at Molly Weasley, who was rubbing her throat. "Did we learn about them in school?"

"Not really," she admitted. "Would the Black family like that?"

"She's more sane than Bellatrix," Harry said with a shrug. "The spirit in the ring didn't mind and agreed that she was kind of alive so entitled to it. Xander had me bring back something that some sort of psychic mole got into and broke. Something that was gifted to Aunt Allisandra way back when she was alive."

"Aunt?" Ginny asked.

"If I remember right, she was Alexander's great aunt on his mother's side. She was one of the first actual cursebreakers, not the sort of rich person going out to find adventures but actually going out to learn and study from things. Started the program through the bank I think." He grinned at Molly.
"She's been working on my shielding issues. I'm much better with them now." Hermione patted him on the arm with a grin. He looked at her. "Xander said that the family used to be known for raising and protecting a unicorn herd."

"Awww."

"I'm told Alexander used to take unicorn cream in his tea. Xander said that'd taste tangy if you're tilted toward chaos magic and sweet if you're tilted another direction."

"Interesting. Is that because they're unicorns and the magic nature of the beast?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't ask. I can ask. We talk about weekly."

"That's good. I was worried you'd be all alone wherever," Molly sighed, staring at him.

He shrugged. "It's actually really peaceful. It's very calm feeling magic. The family library is extensive." Hermione moaned at that. He showed her a picture, making her sigh in pleasure. "The floo's still locked but I can look up stuff."

"I may take you up on that some day, Harry." She handed the picture back, letting the other two see.

"That couch in the right side is really great to read and nap on. I do it a lot. Dobby complains I forget I have a bed sometimes. My room's sweet. I have a great view and it's a comfy bed. But if I bring a book up I won't sleep. I'll read."

"Fun reading?" Hermione asked.

"Actually a lot." He grinned at her. "Xander has fantasy novels. He took the book I was studying from the last time I saw him in person and handed me three fantasy novels and told me to read them all before I went back to studying. He said I'm going to go brain numb if I don't quit."

She nodded. "You will. I have. That's why I bring a few books to read for fun with me most everywhere. Is there a book on the comparison of fantasy novel magic versus our wanded types?"

"That's just in novels, Hermione," Ron said.

"Xander works with a witch who uses candles and no wand," Harry told him, making him whine at that. "And she's scary powerful he said. Plus maybe getting addicted." He looked at her. "I have no idea. I can ask him that." He grinned at her. "It might be good to know." She nodded. He shoulder nudged her with a grin. "He needs to be around normal girls. His friends are nags worse than you around tests. One of them told him he was normal like it was a disease."

She blinked a few times. "Do they not know about him?"

"No. Not in the least. They're not amused by that house's security tentacle plant either." She giggled at that. "Seriously. It'll react to threats. It's a great thing to pet you apparently."

Ron shook his head quickly. "Is that allowed among muggles?"

"Where he lives? No one notices a thing because it's so full of weird and bad magic from that portal thing. Apparently even if people are eaten no one realizes it." Ron shuddered. "Yeah, that's why there's a girl called a slayer out there. He works with her." Hermione had stiffened. "He said she's got her mom, told the Council to bite her recently, and doesn't work like they usually do. He was growling about their Council people being morons recently."

She nodded. "Yes they could be. I've heard a tiny bit about that subject. A friend was one and got called to them for training times and seemed to disappear. No one's sure where she is and her parents have her under a missing person's case." She cleared her throat. "It's been six years and no one's heard from her since."

"They sound like wankers," Ginny said.

Harry nodded. "According to Xander they are. He said they're changing it though."

"Probably a good idea," Hermione said. "Could I write to him about her? Her family could use the news."

"I suppose. I wouldn't send an owl. It's a long way away. But if you ask Dobby he can deliver it."

"Thanks, Harry." She patted him again on the wrist. "Are you doing anything else fun?"

"I went to look at the pirate ship. Nearly fell in. It's still got a lot of stuff on it. Including some very wet books." She moaned at that. "It's in icy water too. I've fussed at a few of the books to reshelve a shelf that made no sense. I stumbled into a social directory sort of book that had family trees, last updated in the twenties.

"I tried to force an update but it wouldn't. Xander frowned and tried but couldn't either." He grinned at her. "I have a few other cousins but they're very distant cousins. Including Draco Malfoy. One of my dad's aunts married a Malfoy."

"Small wizarding world," she quipped. "Is Ron one?"

"No. Though according to that book, the Weasley and Malfoy families came off the same originating line." He looked at Mrs. Weasley, who looked confused. Harry pulled it out and unshrunk it to let them see it. "The Dumass and Snape families are the same way."

"Wow," Ron said. "Still hate the ferret though." His mother took it to look at. "Which one was Mauriceen?" he asked his mother.

"I have no idea. It was well before Arthur's generation, Ron." She counted back. "It was about his great-grandmother's generation it looks like." She handed it back and Harry shrank it and put it away again. "Did you mean to bring that?"

"Yeah, I wanted to show Ron." He grinned at him. "I've had six different families from that writing me recently to ask about our family policies about courting rituals. I've pointed out that I'm not until after the war because I don't want a kid to end up being me. There's no telling who'd get to raise that one if we both died."

Hermione bopped him on the arm. "You won't be dying and leaving an orphaned child behind, Harry. Even if you did marry. There's ways to prevent that."

"Point." He nodded. "I'm still not comfortable with the idea of courting rituals and doing anything before the war's ended."

"I can see that but she'd stand beside you, Mate," Ron pointed out.

"True, if she could. Whoever I fall for may not be able to handle a battle, Ron. I don't want them to be a victim or someone that the Ministry looks at to get a handle on me to make me do what they want later on."

"Point," he agreed. "Fudge definitely would've."

"The new one's not much better. I've already been written to by him blaming me for not controlling Hermione as a noted heir should have. I'm assuming Neville got the same thing."

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Every woman should stick up for what's right. Anyone who wanted it to be stopped should've stopped the problem, not the protest against the problem."

He grinned at her. "Xander called them hidebound arses of stupid. I won't describe how he imagined that to happen though. Though he did say one he had cursed once to be a walking arsehole." Ron burst out giggling, nodding that he had heard about that.

"That was so rude," Molly complained. "Any child could've seen that!"

"People like that shouldn't be around kids," Hermione said.

"The same as our headmaster shouldn't have been," Ginny quipped. She looked at Harry. "Getting any flying in?"

"Yeah. The lawn's pretty big. I've gone for a few flies. I've gotten to explore the former stables. The whole house. Talked to the portraits. Went back to the Potter house a number of times to talk to those portraits. Brought Aunt Allisandra with me to talk to them. Charlus is really certain that she *has* to teach me to be a proper heir.

"Not an heir like Xander, and he named him personally, thinks he's soft and too subtle, but a proper heir. Thankfully she's went over manners, writing formal letters, all that stuff. I'm still learning about managing the family's stuff. The Dumass clan has a lot of stuff.

"They have index books that list the stuff. Including one chapter on rugs. Somewhere there's nineteen woven persian rugs missing." She shook her head at that. "A lot of jewelry from the former aunts. Some of it's missing too. We're not sure where and I haven't asked. Xander gets upset when I ask about that part of the family. By rights I should have at least nine ancient aunts and about seventy cousins right now but they got the flu somehow."

She sighed and nodded. "There's been huge epidemics over the centuries," Hermione agreed with a slight nod. "The one in the nineteen-twenties wiped out a good fifth of Europe apparently." He winced at that. "How old was Alexander when he got cursed?"

"About sixty something."

"So probably about then or one during the last world war?"

"Not sure," he admitted. "I didn't ask." He looked at Ron. "Looking at that grandfather of mine, he was actually a slytherin but when his family died he got morose and slept with a girl to get some cuddles. The house kicked him out for it and demanded he be resorted into gryff. So he was dual housed."

"Can they still do that?" Ron asked Hermione.

"There's a standard for it but it's only happened about seven times since the school was started. A lot of them that were kicked out of the house just lived in a room instead of switching. Some because their families would've killed them for leaving the family's house. Like if Malfoy had been sorted in Ravenclaw, they would've put a contract out on his life for not being a slytherin by something in the paper when we came in."

"Wow," Ron said, looking at his mother. "You'd just yell if we weren't gryff's."

"Probably," she agreed, walking off to check on lunch. She was not happy with how Harry was clinging to that new relative. She thought about calling Remus to come to lunch too but she had no idea if he was local.

Harry looked up the hall then at Hermione, handing her something else. She looked then tucked it into her pocket. He tossed Ron something, making him gasp. "US chocolate frog cards. Xander found a few in their shopping area."

"Are they rare?" Ron asked.

"Maybe over here. Not in the US. Those are pretty common he said. He said he's got all five of those in multiple forms. But over here almost no one has the US set."

"True." He went up to put them with his collection and came back down. "Thanks, Harry."

"Not a problem, Ron." He smirked at Ginny. "I'd have brought you a crystal but the rocks around the house suck magic. That's why they built the house there and how they hold the protections. Even walking up the muggle side of them will suck a wizard dry."

"Wow. That's really protective."

"Yeah but it's been in the family for generations, Ginny. We've had a house up there longer than Hogwarts as near as I could figure. The oldest portrait that has an essence said he came over with the Romans and stayed to do the magic stuff. He's the one that started the Snape family line too."

"Wow," she said. "I didn't know the paintings were that old."

He shrugged. "The family has stuff about death rituals. Like if they're dying of something while young they ask to have themselves put in stasis before they die."

"Wow," Ron said. Then shuddered. "I'm so glad we don't do that." He looked at Harry.

"I have no idea about any of that, Ron. Just heard that they did from Grandma Des."

"Wow." He nodded, looking at Hermione. "At least you don't have to worry about that. Muggles don't do that."

"We have a few ways of holding off death but no, we bury or cremate like most peoples do."

"Wizards tend to be buried," Ron told her.

"That's interesting. No cremation to be put around the family?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It's considered very weird."

"Huh." She nodded a bit. "Interesting but probably cultural." She shrugged. "My will has me being buried in the family's plot if I pass."

"You have a will?" Ginny asked.

Hermione looked at her oddly. "We've been in danger how many times?" she asked. "Of course I do. I've had one since I was eight actually, so someone nice would inherit my books. Cut out a few former friends who decided I liked books more than boys so my parents knew not to give them things.

"I tend to update it before I go to school each year. Just in case the train's crashed or something. My first year's one before school had a lot of 'hide this stuff and that stuff' sort of clauses to make it easier on my parents. That way they didn't have to make decisions. It'd be hard to look at my stuff and figure out what to do with all of it."

Molly came back. "It is hard on a parent to lose a child. Figuring out what to do with their clothes and possessions can bring the sadness back very hard." She patted Hermione on the shoulder. "You shouldn't have to worry."

"I've done a will yearly since I was eight. That way it's updated with new things I've gathered and makes notes of new friends who should get something." She stared at her. "My mother calls it paranoid but agreed I could and should continue it so it didn't hurt them to make some decisions.

"Like flowers. She knows I hate flowers but it's expected. This way they know not to put flowers at the funeral." She shrugged but smiled at the older woman. "I consider it reasonable even though my mother considers it paranoid."

"I consider it a bit nuts," Ron said. "But I guess I can see why someone would."

She nodded. "Who would you want to get your frog cards, Ron?"

He considered it. "Bill. Percy wouldn't appreciate it and the twins might use them in a prank. Ginny doesn't collect. Bill used to so he'll use it to up his own collection." He considered it. "Ginny could have all my socks since she steals them anyway."

"Hopefully by then she'll have a husband to steal socks from," Molly said, smiling at her daughter.

"I guess Ron has to live to be older than you and Dad then," Ginny quipped back, smiling at her mother. Who scowled. "I'm not going to marry young, Mum. I'm going to do things first. Start a career, all that. That way if I'm married with kids and something happens I can support the family myself without having to come back here to lean on you two." Molly sniffled at that. "It's responsible of me to do that." She looked at Hermione.

"I'll have to be out of my residency and any fellowships before I have one," Hermione said. Ginny looked confused. "You have an internship during your medical training. You have a residency of up to five years, depending on your field, after you graduate medical school, then you have specializing fellowships after that if you need one. So if I go for orthopedics I'd have a residency in orthopedics and if I wanted to specialize in a certain area or problem I'd do a fellowship in that afterwards."

"Oh. Lots of work," she said.

Hermione nodded. "Yes it is." She smiled. "But I can help a lot of people that way."

"You could help more as a mediwitch," Molly said.

Hermione looked at her. "I could treat what doctors have fixed as a mediwitch. I don't want to be a nurse though. I want to see problems, help them be fixed, help people with real problems, and then nurses can fuss at them as they heal. Which is why I'm thinking about orthopedics. Or maybe neurology. That would probably require a fellowship or two for specializing though."

"Neurology?" Ron asked.

"Brain and nerve medicines, Ron. Spinal, brain, nerve conductivity stuff. Those things. From tumors to seizures to auto accidents that have dented a skull. All sorts of neat things." She grinned. "It's more exacting work but it seems more fascinating to me. But a lot more work to study."

He just nodded. "You're barmy to want to do that."

She shrugged. "Doctors are important. Even as my parents are dentists they take care of mouth diseases and tumors. Doctors can fix a lot of problems every year. I think I'd like to do that."

Harry smiled at her. "We want you to have a happy career. Even if some aurors wouldn't agree."

"They can bite me and I'd come back to consult for St. Mungos probably." She lifted her chin since Molly was staring at her. "That's how they get specialists. Muggle borns like me go to medical school and come back to consult with those who need it here too." She looked at Ginny. "You could do nursing."

"I hate to fuss at people. It's why I don't want kids. I don't want to take care of someone's needs. I'd end up screaming at a kid who wouldn't quit crying."

"Point," Ron said with a nod and a grin. "You yelled at us plenty of times as a screaming kid." Molly glared at him for that.

"My mother's advice was to find a career that you like at least eighty percent of the duties of it. Because you won't like any job all the time. And if you hate too much then you'll be dragged down emotionally and mentally until you die of it or change jobs. She wanted to do podiatry at first until she figured out she really didn't like feet."

"There's doctors who deal with feet?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Yes, Ron. They handle malformed feet and problems with feet. They're called podiatrists. Though I agree, feet can be nasty."

Ginny nodded. "Yes they can be. Percy never washes his unless the soap goes down his legs to them." She shuddered.

"I should have trained him better," Molly sighed. She went back to the kitchen and came out. "It's nothing fancy but we're having potatoes and salad. It's ready if you are."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. That's a great meal," Harry said then looked at his hand. "That came from Arcturus Black apparently." He swatted the ring, then grinned. "He said his wife used to want a few of your recipes."

She blushed. "That's sweet to say, Harry." She let them sit down. "So, Hermione, any boys in your view?"

"No. I haven't even really looked, Mrs. Weasley. The ones in the school don't really appeal to me. I know a few of them much too well to ever want to get comfortable in a relationship way." She ate a bite and chewed properly. Then swallowed. "I'll find one. Mum found my father her second semester of dental school. They shared a class." She smiled. "Ron? You? Anyone tickling your fancy?"

"Not at the school. You're right, I know a few too well for that. Girls like Lavender would drive me nuts. I don't know about any of the girls in the other houses unless we've met on the quidditch pitch and none of them have seemed interested in me." He shrugged. "I'll find one someday. Probably younger than Charlie will."

Molly sighed. "He needs to get off the preserve and get a real, safe job at the Ministry. Bill too," she complained.

"Which would kill their spirits, Mum," Ron reminded her. "They're the guys they became. They'd struggle and die if they had to turn into Percy." He stuffed his mouth and chewed before she glared at him again.

"I've been thinking Charlie's job is pretty neat but I wouldn't want to work with dragons," Ginny said. "Not sure what animals have preserves though." She ate a bite and chewed. "Can you look that up?"

"You could ask Species," Ron said. "They'd probably know so you could ask them questions. They'd probably like to have someone follow them some year."

"Point, Ron. Not a bad idea. Thanks." She dug in again.

Molly sighed. "But that'll move you far away, dear."

"Yes, which is safer, Mum," she said then stuffed her mouth again, staring at her mother as she chewed. "I'd rather be safer than not safe." She ate another bite and went back to chewing. She looked at Hermione. "You always eat like that."

"Yes, proper chewing is important to proper digestion and not choking," she said, then smiled. "Your teeth are there for a reason to quote my father. It's so you don't swallow things whole and choke on them." She ate another bite and chewed slowly and carefully.

Ron shook his head. "That's nutters, 'Mione."

"Not really," Harry said. "Dental health is important. They say gum infections can hit hearts and kill you if they're not treated."

"They can," Hermione agreed with a smile for him. "Dental health is also important for dating things. If he doesn't have fresh breath when trying to kiss you he clearly doesn't appreciate you or want good things for you." Ginny giggled and nodded at that. She went back to eating.

"Wow," Ron said, stuffing his mouth again.

Harry ate more mannerly than he did at school. Molly stared at him. "Grandma Des and Auntie Allisandra both made sure I knew what table manners were and I was to use them unless I was eating at home by myself."

She blinked a few times. "We're family, dear. Relax some? Both of you could relax."

"I eat like this at home," Hermione told her. "My mother and her mother were both sticklers for table manners." She ate another bite, looking at Harry once she had swallowed. "Are they doing okay with tutoring you?"

"They're actually pretty great. They teach me a lot of stuff. They show me neat things. They tell me about the family's history and some of the weirder members. Xander's still nice to me and he's a bit distracted by being out there but if I need him I know he'd be there somehow, even if it's a call. The house's great. Has a lot of hidden areas that keep drawing me to go looking for them. That made Aunt Allisandra sniffle at the cursebreaker tendencies coming out."

He grinned. "They're actually really great to me. Dobby's frustrated that I'm not doing a lot apparently but I think it's been great. Relaxing and yet I learned a ton of stuff already. Though Grandma Des wants to go talk to McGonagall about some modern ideas she knows won't work the way she thinks they will. Apparently they had a few different methods of transfiguration to get to the same end point."

"That would probably go with learning styles," Hermione agreed. "Like I learn best from books and Ron learns best from hands-on work. The way we think about how to get to an end point would be individual probably."

"The books on magic say that," Harry agreed. Molly choked and spluttered. "Des said that theory has to underlay any practical training. You started with theory then put it into action. So I've been studying the way to channel magic and how to move it around easier. It's something that we do with breaking curses." He smiled. "It's really neat."

"It sounds like it," Ron agreed with a sigh. "But a lot of work."

"Yes but a lot of that is something that we do without thinking once we know how it's done," Hermione said. "Like in the books we learn about why and how we change a thimble into a teacup then we do it. You need to know how to do the change itself. Otherwise it never works."

"I didn't think about it that way," Ron said. "I don't get a lot from the books."

"You're a hands-on learner," she agreed with a smile for him. "Some people learn best from lectures, some from books, some from doing it themselves. Some can do more than one style."

"I didn't think about that," Ginny said. "He and Bill are both hands-on people but Bill reads a lot of stuff. Percy's definitely a lecture and book sort," she said, considering it. "I like the hands-on things to learn from and do best in those classes."

"Harry?"

"I do hands-on and books. I fall asleep during lectures." He ate a bite, considering it. "That would go into careers too," he realized once he had swallowed. Hermione smiled and nodded. "Which cursebreaking would be a lot of hands-on work." Ron nodded at that, looking pleased. He looked at her. "What about being a librarian?"

"I consider it a good thing to be but I'd consider it easy. I want a bit of a challenge and to help people. They do help people, and do it greatly, but I want to be more involved in helping than more passive like librarians can be. They lead people to knowledge and help them with tasks. I want to be more active in helping people."

He nodded. "Then it sounds like a good idea for you." She smiled and nodded.

Ginny nodded. "Because you get scary around test times. You as a librarian would be a lot of weird researching things." She ate another bite since Hermione was laughing behind the hand over her mouth to make sure she didn't spit food.

Molly sighed. "Some girls do nag, dear."

"Hermione's sure someone's going to be held back and hates the idea that someone may fail completely," Harry said.

"Someone has to give some guidance since the teachers don't. Especially in history. If we don't study on our own we'll never pass tests."

"True," Ron said with a sigh at the end. "How's studying for OWL's, Ginny?"

"Slowly going." She smiled at Hermione. "Thanks for the copy of the notes."

"Welcome. Last year's tests were weird and structured in a way that made my brain cramp. The wording was weird, the practical was basically some teacher telling you to do something, anything, for the most part. They mentioned one thing and expected you to do it and then add onto it."

"Add onto it?" Ron asked.

"You got extra points for complexity and adding on," Harry said. "Like the glowing spell? If you made it pretty, decorative, or otherwise more than a simple glow you got higher points. I made mine have gaps like the ball had cutouts."

Hermione nodded. "I did the same and made it change colors slowly as it spun in the air."

Ron looked at them then shook his head. "I just made mine glow."

"They never told us about extra points," Ginny complained.

"I got an extra point for handling another student's runaway test," Harry said dryly. "It was going to eat her and I put a muzzle on it from across the room."

Ginny sighed. "Great. I wish the teachers had told us."

Hermione smiled. "Which is why I told all you fifth years to pay attention to details on what was likely to show up as a practical thing. Closer to the test I'd note that sort of idea. I'm sure the other houses have people who do that."

"Luna said the ravenclaws don't even have study groups like you organized," Ginny complained. "They're all private study."

She shrugged but smiled. "It's easier to study if you're helping others study. Then you learn it better."

"I have, yeah. I didn't realize that. What do the slytherins do?"

"Probably like I do. They're very tight and house protective. They back each other up in the house against anything outside and keep all internal politics quiet to the rest of us. I'd assume the younger were tutored or at least warned by the older ones."

"Huh. I didn't think about that. Hufflepuffs have study groups too." She kept eating while considering her test prep. "I need to get with Luna to study."

"She's only a few miles away," Molly said. "You can arrange it." She looked at Hermione. "Study groups?"

"Yes. You all study together and if one has a problem whoever is better in that area helps them. So if we three were with a group with Neville, he could help us with herbology, Harry would help with defense, I'd do charms, and Ron would do creatures."

"Oh, I see. Is that good though?"

"Yes. You learn a lot as you teach it," Hermione said with a smile. "Teaching the younger kids how to do things have firmed up my own skill set too."

"Yeah, teaching them how to do the defense lesson they were all stuck on brought up new questions I hadn't thought about and helped me learn that area more deeply," Harry agreed with a smile. "We have some kids who're very interested in theory work."

"They are and they do fantastic in charms because of it," Hermione agreed happily. "They're doing less great in creatures and herbology but they know to ask Neville or Padma about it if they're stuck because they're good in it. So they can carry that on after we finally graduate and help the incoming new students to find their places and help when they need it." She sipped her water and went back to lunch. "How do you get the potatoes crispy, Mrs. Weasley?"

"I pan fry them, dear." She blinked a few times. "Can you cook?"

She smiled. "I'm not horrible at it but I tend not to do much of it at home. Mum's the one who sets which of us cooks each night. Sometimes it's Dad, sometimes it's her, sometimes I step in to make something since they had a long day." She smiled.

"I've learned a lot of soups, casseroles, and how to bake things. Or boil, I can boil most vegs." She sipped her water again. "I'll learn more during college as I fix my own meals and if I have a roommate how to cook for both of us probably as I wouldn't trust someone to cook for me. They can have funny ideas about things."

Ron shook his head. "Like Maypole in Hufflepuff who keeps wanting mayonnaise?"

"Yes, him," Hermione said with a nod. "Exactly that sort of problem. That way I make sure things are spiced and herbed the way I want them to be, and we're not living on takeaway. That isn't really good for a body."

Harry nodded at that. "I can cook fairly well but I did start learning those same things." He shrugged. "Cooking on a wood stove is a bit different but I managed from the gas hob I'm used to." He ate another bite and chewed.

Ron looked at him oddly. "You could have a house elf, Harry. Dobby wouldn't mind."

"I could but I find cooking soothing sometimes. Which Dobby hates." He grinned at his buddy. "I'd definitely like one who dusted if I stay at any of the family homes. They're big. They have a lot of dust." He frowned. "How do people find new house elves?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "There's agencies and shelters according to a few papers. They say the shelters are like dog pounds."

"Oh, dear," Harry sighed. "Well, maybe I can rescue one. And maybe a dog someday." He dug in to finish his lunch. He finished his water at the end. Then he put his fork down properly on the plate. Hermione smiled and did the same thing. "Did your mum say to do that?"

"She said across the top edge because you grab plates from the edge closest to the table or from the sides if it's a waiter doing it during a formal dinner. I think that may vary by when you were taught or where. I'd have to look up definitive table etiquette for that."

He hummed and nodded. "That could help. I need to see if the library has anything on that."

"If not, there's always Emily Post." Harry smiled at that idea. "She's the matron of etiquette from the US. Has a class thing on how to do it properly." She looked at him.

"That sounds like it may be helpful too. Nice idea, Hermione."

"Thanks, Harry." She grinned.

Ginny shook her head. "I've never been to a formal dinner and I don't really plan on it."

"I've had to go to a couple for charity events my parents went to," Hermione admitted. She relaxed some, leaning back in the chair. "Plus there's ones in college sometimes I'm told."

"Charity events?" Molly demanded. "Whyever for?"

"They support a few charities. They support one that does medical care for underprivileged people around the world. They donated a year each to that before I was born. They did dental work in India and Africa for a year. Mom went to India, Dad to Africa; they got married when they got back but kept up the relationship during it. We support the local library board.

"Theirs aren't always dinners, they often have concerts to raise money or things like street fairs. We support a few educational charities that help kids get scholarships to good schools." She stared at her. "It's important to give those who need a bit of a nudge that help to be the best they can be." She smiled at her.

"It's important to me to do that sort of work as well. I wouldn't be the woman I am today if I hadn't found the library when I was four. My parents have always donated to the educational and medical charities as that's something that impacts their jobs and lives." She smiled again.

"I save some of my allowance yearly to decide where to give to. My parents never demanded but I saw them doing it and follow that tradition. I started out giving to a few animal shelters and my parents agreed it was something I should support, especially at that age. I wanted a pet so I volunteered my time helping to prove if I could handle a pet.

"I adopted a gerbil from one of them and still kept going to help with walking, feeding, socialization of the animals so they were more adoptable. I still go to help when I'm home during the summers. I spent time there earlier this week as well. I help out around the dental clinic on the days when they do charity work or help out at mass clinic events where a lot of different specialties gather together to help an area that may not have access.

"Just because there's doctors all over the country doesn't mean all specialities are in every area so they travel to do clinics in those areas to see patients that may have need of them. I've helped at those since I was ten. My mother checked out the animal shelters with me first and came with me the first few visits to make sure I knew what I was to do and it was safe for me to do so. I'll probably always help with such things."

"It's not common in the wizarding world, dear."

She shrugged. "It's common in my life and I'm not a full part of the wizarding world. To be honest they don't have a lot of places for those of us who grew up in the more progressive muggle world. If only because we'd miss zippers on our clothes." She grimaced a bit.

"Most of the muggle wives do work, even after children. It's too expensive not to. Most women are expected to have a job, if not a true career, and will work most of their adult lives until they retire. They may take a year or so off with the kids, but it's not permanently staying at home. That's been out of fashion since the fifties."

She shrugged. "We're used to our lives and ways and cultural moments. Whereas the wizarding community is used to very old traditions that aren't followed by others. Even in the other magical communities. French women do work outside the home, even in the magical community. They have a high rate of women owning businesses from what we've seen. I'm sure the US does as well."

"I didn't get to see much of the US but we had plenty of female doctors in the hospital I was in. The main doctor that treated me had four students and three were female. I saw one of them and the male resident in addition to the main guy. All the nurses were female. Most had higher degrees. I asked one of them how you became a nurse instead of a mediwitch. They have nursing school and then usually a higher degree on top of it. So they have six or eight years of college for that."

Hermione nodded she agreed. "So do ours." She smiled at him. "It's a hard path. You do a lot more work than doctors do while being paid less."

Ginny shook her head. "Mediwitches take a two year program," Ginny said.

"I have no idea," Hermione admitted. "I haven't asked."

Ginny smiled. "I asked Mediwitch Pomfrey how long she had to go to school. She said two years then a learning year under senior nurses."

"I'm sure nurses in the muggle world have practical training time too."

"One of mine said they had something like two semesters out of nine or ten semesters as practical classes."

"I've heard nurses do a five year program instead of a four year because of all the classes they have to take," Hermione agreed. "Plus they have yearly updating classes like doctors and my parents do."

"Yearly classes?" Ron asked.

"To go over new techniques, new medicines, new regulations," she said. "They have them at conferences and other places." She smiled. "Conferences can be fun. They're held at nice hotels. If I go with them I spend time by the pool usually or looking around the area around the hotel."

Ron shook his head. "Do they get paid to go to those?"

"If they don't go to those, they can lose their licenses," she said. "They pay to go to them and sometimes you can get some reimbursement depending on where you work." She shrugged. "It's a job necessity. You have to do the updating training yearly or you can't do the job. They won't let you. Licensing boards are very strict and you have to keep track and have proof."

Ron shuddered. "A whole lot of work."

"You take lectures or classes during the day, at night you go to dinners or you sightsee. It's partially a vacation." She smiled. "They hold them in some really nice hotels. I didn't get to go to Bermuda for that one last year. They used it as a second honeymoon."

Ron shook his head. "Too much work."

"But they're fun. They make them fun."

He shook his head. "You're welcome to do all that, Hermione."

"I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I get there. Before then is a lot of hard work at college and then some really heinous tests from what I've heard." She shrugged. "Then you become a full doctor and do your residencies and fellowships."

Harry shook his head. "But they're highly paid."

"True. Specialists more than general doctors but very true. So are higher end nurses though." She shrugged. "The ones with specialities like anesthesia make a ton of money. Having a nursing degree and then additional training would pay well." She looked at Ginny. "You could consider that if you were thinking about mediwitch studies. Underlying the mediwitch with nursing would mean you're better trained."

"Could be," Ginny sighed. "But I think I want to follow Charlie."

Harry grinned at that. "Dragons?"

"Not likely." She looked at Ron then at Harry again. "I'll figure it out before long and long before I find a boyfriend. I'd probably find one easier when I'm working around guys I haven't seen being little brats for seven years." Ron was glaring at her. "Someday I'll date, Ron. Even if you don't like it."

"You'd better not!" he said firmly.

"Then how do you expect her to get married and give you nieces or nephews?" Hermione asked smugly.

"We can find her one."

"Like hell I'd let myself be with someone you or the idiots above us both pick for me," Ginny snorted. "They can't pick their own and you can't find a date either."

"I have so!"

Ginny stared at him. "That wasn't a date, Ron." She looked at Hermione. "What if you marry some muggle guy?"

"Then I marry some muggle guy. I'd have to check about talking to him about my skills but that's a long way off. Rules could change long before then."

"You could marry before you graduate," Molly suggested.

"No I won't. I don't want a single boy in that school, Mrs. Weasley. The ones I don't know well I don't tolerate well either and the ones I do know are too familiar and I'd be horrified at myself. Some are friends but I can't imagine snogging them. Especially not repeatedly."

"Sex isn't all there is to marriage," she tried.

"I'm not a person who'd have a problem with sexual matters so it would matter to my future relationships," she said bluntly, staring at her. "I'd divorce anyone who was that incompatible with me." She shook her head quickly. "Just the thought of snogging Neville gives me creepy feelings."

Ginny snickered but nodded. "He's a nice guy," she agreed. "Very sweet. Would make a good, caring boyfriend someday, but not to any girl in the house. We all remember him when he was younger and it'd make us look at him differently. I've seen him with colds, the flu, and a few times he got cursed to itch for hours on end. I'd always remember that."

She poured herself more water and sipped it. "Dean's nice enough but he doesn't want to be serious with anyone and if he does they'd have to be around him all the time. So no working out of the country." She took another sip. "Dean's a lot of fun and the girls say he's easy to topple into a closet, but not my type."

Harry shook his head. "Mine either." Ron rolled his eyes. "It's been asked. Alexander was apparently bisexual and fairly happy to bed whoever flirted." He grinned. "I found his listing of lovers from his school years. If I showed that to a few of the teachers they'd be horrified. One because they slept with him."

Ron blinked a few times. "Not Snape, right?"

"No. He's related to him."

"Oh, good." He nodded. "I'd hate to have that thought stuck in my head."

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure he's had a special friend at least once in his life."

"Probably but not something I want to think about, Harry."

"Sorry, Ron." He smirked at him. "I could've said Flitwick."

"I'd rather not think that one," Ginny complained. "Though I think he's had more than Snape has." She finished her water. "They say there's someone out there for everyone." She shrugged. "Hopefully he'll find his someday."

"You never know. They could just show up some day," Harry quipped.

"Eaugh! Harry!" Ron complained, rubbing over his face.

"Sorry, Ron." He looked at Hermione.

"There may be someone out there for everyone who's looking," she agreed. "I mean, Dumbledore got married once."

Ron looked at her oddly. "Why did you have to bring that up?"

She grinned. "Proving the point was valid."

"Let's change the topic," Molly sighed. "Before Ron has to go bang his head on a wall. Percy used to do the same thing with stuck thoughts."

Ron looked at her. "I'm not Percy, Mum. I'll never be as uptight as Percy is." He got himself more water and sipped it.

Dobby appeared wringing his hands. "Harry Potter sir! There be unicorn foal at old house! Come quick, needs things!"

"Of course. Is it okay?" he asked, hugging Molly and Hermione. Who also got up and grabbed their jackets.

"I actually have babysat in the past so I can help with a unicorn foal," she said. "Even if I couldn't pet it." Dobby took them both. They both sighed in pleasure at the feeling of the lands around them. Then she cooed at the foal. "Hi, precious!" She let it sniff her hand and it bleated a neigh at her. "Awww. Are you okay?" She checked it over. "Dobby, do we have a unicorn mother?"

"No idea, Miss Grangy!" He looked at Harry, who grinned and came over to pet the foal and make sure it was all right. It had a swollen foot so they weren't sure. No unicorn mother appeared. Hermione got onto her phone to look up milk replacer for horses, then texted her mother that she desperately needed some for an injured foal that had shown up around Harry. She sent Dobby to get it from her mother. Then she settled in to fix the bottle and feed the poor thing. It slurped heavily and snuggled into Harry's lap.

"Dobby, go ask Alexander what we need to do," Harry ordered quietly. Dobby nodded, going to do that. It almost busted his identity open since he was on patrol but they could handle that later. Xander showed up with the house elf, staring at it. "Hey. It showed up here."

"It's not a newborn but fairly young." He came over to look. "No mother?"

"Not that we've seen," Hermione said. She waved a bit. "I used some foal milk replacer."

"That's fine. Don't use it if it has thistle."

"No, this is muggle."

"That'll still probably work." He took the recipe to look at and nodded. "Yeah, that'll work. We add some unicorn cream to ours." She got out of his way. "Oh, he's got a huge hoof problem. That's never good."

"They can treat swollen hooves," she said. "We won't have to put him down."

"No, we shouldn't," he agreed, casting an icing charm on it. "It looks like he twisted it, not broke it." He petted the little thing through his shirt so he wasn't directly touching it. "I have no idea if there's an animal healer nearby or not."

She and Harry shared a look then she called the Ministry on a fire Harry created. "Species department, Ministry of Magic," she said. A head appeared. "Species?" The head nodded slowly so she got out of the way. "It's apparently an orphaned foal. Dobby came to get Harry to take care of it."

"We are known for it," Xander said dryly. "Used to have a huge herd here. It's got a swollen ankle, looks twisted, not broken."

"I have no idea who could handle that," the floating head said. "Let me ask, Miss Granger." She turned to do that. Then came back. "There's no animal healers we know of who can treat a unicorn foal."

"They can treat most things like you would horses," Xander said, looking confused.

"They're not that common anymore, sir."

"Oh, I'm the Dumass heir," he said smugly. "This is our former house's lands." She winced at that. "Muggle ones we can prep?"

"No, not that I'm aware of."

"Okay, then we'll figure it out. Maybe he can go to the castle with Harry. Thanks." He waved the fire closed and called someone else. "American aurors." A head popped up. "I'm on the family's lands."

"Who are you?"

"Alexander Harris. Heir of the house Dumass. I have an injured unicorn here on the family's grounds. Twisted ankle. The Brits have no idea how to handle that."

The American auror shook his head. "There's one in the Yukon who'll know enough to do that. Is it safe to appear there?"

"Yeah, we're on the back forty of the old family house that got burned. No neighbors in sight."

"We'll get her there. Wait on us."

"Of course," Hermione agreed. The head disappeared and about ten minutes later a woman appeared with that auror. "Ma'am."

"Hi, guys. I'm Dr. Oakley. What's going on?" She knelt beside it. "You're very young."

"About two months," Xander told her. "When we had a house here, we had a lot of unicorns sheltering and being taken care of." She nodded at that. "Twisted ankle. Hermione got some foal milk replacer. Without the unicorn cream."

"I know there's a few recipes and I'd probably use one of the standard ones." Hermione showed her. "That's not a bad version."

"You can't use thistle with unicorn foals," Xander told her. "And the family's recipe is pretty close to that but had unicorn cream as well." She nodded. "We haven't seen a mother."

"It's been over an hour," Harry said. "Dobby came to get me." He head nodded at him.

She smiled. "That's fine, kids." She gently pulled on some gloves to check the foal over. "Just twisted and we can handle that." She heard an angry neigh and started, looking around.

Xander shook his head. "That's a stallion. We're taking care of him. If he has a mom, have her show up," he called. "He's injured!" The stallion trotted over and paused to sniff them all then the foal. He nudged the foal then the vet, nodding at her before strolling off. "Okay. Thanks. No mother?" The tail flipped a few times. "I guess not." He shook his head with a sigh. Hermione giggled. "Unicorns are a law unto themselves," he said.

"They definitely are for us too." She got up and pulled out a blanket. "Let's get you back to the clinic so we can get you another bottle and let the kids fuss over you, little guy." She let them wrap him for her and the auror took her back with the foal.

Xander stood up, looking at them. "Good job." He grinned at Hermione. "You did okay." He looked at Harry. "Did you see that book?"

"And had a fit. Who in the hell?" he demanded.

"I don't know but we should probably figure that out. Somehow. Before there's one for year two."

"What now?" Hermione asked.

"Someone wrote a charming young adult novel about Harry's life, Hermione."

"And the first few chapters were right," Harry quipped, then grimaced. "I need to take a beater's bat to someone."

She looked at him. "Why? In the community?"

"No," Xander said, shaking his head with a grin. "Muggle."

"How on earth?" she demanded. Harry summoned it and handed it over. She read the first few pages and growled. "Oh, dear. This is going to be bad." She and Harry shared a look. "We can't go to the Weasleys."

"We could go to Percy," Harry corrected. "He's in the Ministry. They probably need to be warned."

"Kids, there's fandom things going on too. There's rumors of a book per year coming out probably and maybe even movies." Xander smiled at their heated looks. "Want me to handle it?"

"I want to be sneaky," Hermione decided. She blinked a few times. "Who can be subtle but mean finding out who it is to stop it?"

"Siccing death eaters on them would be evil, Hermione," Harry said dryly.

She smiled. "Is it? Really?"

"Probably?"

She stared at him. "We'll see." She took it with her to use the small floo port. She went home and sent a message to someone to meet her at the Leaky please. That it was a problem that had shown up in muggles but outed magic. She got a note back saying she'd meet her in the morning at ten. Hermione didn't warn her parents but did dress nicely so she could go there.

She smiled as she walked in and over to the shaded table, nodding at the matron there. "Madam Malfoy, I'm Hermione Granger." She sat across from her and pushed the book over. "The Dumass Heir found that in the Americas. Harry's had an awful fit and said some of it was correct. And it's over here as well. I looked it up last night. It's been on the bestseller's list a number of weeks. There is a book two that's out in the States but not over here for another month."

"I see." She took it to glance at. "Oh, it mentions Hogwarts."

"I looked at the chapter that started our schooling and it was perfectly correct. It's a good read, even though I was there." She smiled at her. "This is not for us to handle. This is going to take talking to Ministry people and handling things subtly. Harry just wanted to beat them with a bat."

"I can see why." She frowned at something. "A troll?" she demanded.

Hermione nodded. "Harry saved me." She shrugged a bit. "That was Quirrel's fault, ma'am."

"Oh, dear." She sighed, flipping through more. "I don't know how to handle this."

"Harry and I both thought finding the author to stop him or her would be great. We're not sure if that's a pen name. It's so right they got the house's furniture down pat. Including a chair that died our fourth year." Narcissa Malfoy stared at her. She smiled and nodded. "It's probably a former Gryffindor. At least a few years ahead of us."

"This is going to be quite bad, Miss Granger."

"They're talking about turning it into movies, ma'am. So all the muggles can watch it. They've literally sold fifty thousand copies of that book in the UK in the first six months of it being published. Rounded down for ease of remembering."

"I can talk to my husband about that."

"Please do. We have no idea how to handle that. It'll take someone who can coordinate and talk to people like your husband, and probably other people in the ministry, and if you tell Harry he'll help by suing whoever that author is. I know I want to. They made me look very annoying." She smiled as she stood up. "Have fun with it. You've got to have more fun than we would've."

"I can probably do that, yes, Miss Granger. Thank you for letting us know."

She smiled. "I couldn't go to the Weasleys with this."

"No, that would cause an even bigger problem," she agreed, smiling at the young woman for her trying to plot. "I'll let my husband know." Hermione nodded and bowed then left her to her plotting. She got up and went to find her husband. He was in his office at the Ministry so she breezed past his secretary. The minion in there bowed to her and left them alone. She put the book down. "It's muggle."

He stared then at her. "Excuse me?"

"The Dumass heir found it in the States according to Miss Granger. There's a book two coming out next month over here. They've sold over fifty thousand copies of this book over here. They mentioned Hogwarts and Miss Granger said that they got their common room correct down to a chair that got destroyed last year."

He considered it. "So they broke open the community?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "Miss Granger and Mr. Potter would both like to sue whoever the author is. She wasn't sure if that was a pen name. She came to me because I could be subtle and coordinate with all who'd need to figure this out."

"Is it correct?"

"She said the opening chapters of them starting school was." She sat down, staring at him. "I flipped through. Draco never mentioned a troll."

"That came out during the trial." He picked it up to read through parts. "Oh, no wonder he escaped his family," he muttered. He flipped past that part to the school part and sighed again. "This could be very bad on us."

"She mentioned there's talk of movies. That muggles could all see it."

He stared at her. "That's even worse." She nodded. He went back to reading the school's scenes, frowning at it. "Draco was a little brat if this is true." She snorted, looking amused. "I know that's true, I heard that story firsthand from Severus. And he's not very pleasantly noted. We may have to stop him finding the author to deal with them."

She stood up to kiss him on the cheek. "Do have subtle fun, dear." She smiled. "Let me know if I do have to coordinate things."

He nodded, letting her go back home while he read it from the start. He felt sorry for Potter for dealing with that set of muggles. "Fuck," he muttered at one point. "The hat nearly put him in Slytherin?" He grimaced. "The hat's barmy." He went back to reading and making notes. If this was in the open, so was the community.

***

Hermione looked at her parents over dinner that night, sighing when they were staring at her. "Did someone show you two that book?" she asked. They nodded. "So you knew?" They both smiled and nodded. "We're trying to stop book three from coming out before Harry has to beat someone. Or me suing them." She ate another bite and chewed slowly. "I used some cunning and talked to Mrs. Malfoy. She's not only in society but also has a husband in the Ministry."

"Was it right?" her mother asked.

Hermione sighed but nodded. "Though they made me seem very annoying."

Her mother blinked a few times. "You did what?" she demanded.

Hermione sipped her ice water. "Blood pressure, Mum. That was years ago."

"It won't save you, daughter," her father said.

She smiled. "I've made sure Harry won, Dad."

"Still won't save you, daughter."

She sighed but nodded. "We'll handle it as it comes."

"Is book two going to make you look even more heroic?" her mother asked.

"Not really that I remember. I spent part of it petrified." She stuffed her mouth again. "I wonder if the other students know about it. Though no one's told Ron. His mother's fit would still be going on if they had." She considered it. "Neville's Grandmother is going to have a fit too. I need to get a copy to send to him in warning." She went to make notes and send to her friends in the house and Luna Lovegood, with a warning on hers not to tell her father. Yet.

***

Neville sighed as he took the very thick envelope from the owl. "What did Hermione do? Send me more notes that I'll need for classes?" he muttered, opening it to look at. "Oh, no that's not." He read the notes after her letter and winced. "That's not good." He hid it from his grandmother and decided he'd get a copy of that book for himself to see how bad it really was.

Hermione could be a bit reactionary sometimes. He paused to consider it. "Ron must not know. His mother's not complaining and hasn't ripped someone to pieces in the press with howlers." He shook his head and went back to eating. Thankfully his grandmother was at the Ministry.

He went to Diagon to the bank to get a few bucks changed over and then to a muggle bookstore that wasn't too far from the Leaky. It was up the street really. He found the one he wanted and the note about book two being by preorder only. He went to check out and ask how that worked.

The girl working there was clearly a witch, she had a Weird Sisters shirt on. So he got book two pre-ordered to be sent to him. Then he went to hide and read. It made him feel sorry for Harry, and ready to beat his relatives, but he looked very bad minded at first in the story. At least his memory had gotten better.

His grandmother would have a Weasley level of fit if she knew about this.

"Clearly no one's told Dumbedore yet either," he quipped to himself.

***

Lucius had it mostly figured out so he talked to a few Ministry people. He walked into the meeting he had called, nodding at most of them. "Fudge, I did not summon you as you're not Ministry." The man spluttered but Malfoy had him taken out of the room by an auror, who came back. He put the book on the table and gave it a nudge toward them.

"We believe the author was a former Gryffindor." He sat down. "Miss Granger found out and brought it to my wife's attention since it'd take subtle action. Thankfully she didn't tell a Weasley." He looked at them as they looked at it. "I made Draco read it and he said his parts were right and thankfully he had grown up since then."

The auror read a few pages in the middle of the book then looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Draco said the train scene was perfectly correct. Down to his being a little shit." They all winced. "That he was like that in potions in his first year but thankfully he had grown up. He did note that Longbottom's memory had gotten better." He smirked a bit. "Miss Granger noted that she and Potter both wanted to sue the author since book two was coming out soon and Potter wanted to take a bat to someone."

The present Minister for Magic took it to look through, idly flipping. "Does it out us?"

"Completely and totally. Even notes the Statue of Secrecy. Miss Granger said fifty thousand copies have been sold of that book. At least fifty thousand copies. Book two comes out within a month. I can only assume it'll be just as correct."

"Why did Granger go to your wife?"

"She said it'd take someone subtle and said of course she couldn't go to a Weasley for that. That it'd take coordination and subtlety."

"Yes, it will," the auror agreed, nodding some. "How bad does it blow us open?"

"Everything. She said it was correct down to a chair that got broken last year. We didn't charge Dumbledore with nearly enough things and the teachers apparently planned on Potter solving all their problems. One was a test that Weasley was excellent in. One was a logic puzzle and Granger was helping." He smirked.

"One was flying and we've all seen Potter by now." They groaned. "It has raised serious problems within the education even beyond that headmaster. Or the one we had to remove that got the school shut down." He smiled. "The bookstore by the Leaky has seven copies on hold." The auror sent a muggleborn auror to go get them for them. They settled in to read it together while Lucius plotted how to use this for his own good.

***

Neville got book two through the mail and stared at it. He opened it with a sigh and started to flip past what Harry had to go through that summer. He knew Harry had gotten free of all that. He had rescued himself. It'd just make him mad at the muggles to read that stuff. So he started with the train ride back to Hogwarts.

By that night, he was really pissed at the teachers. And wanted to slap Hermione upside the head for using polyjuice to do that. Didn't she know better?

***

Lucius got book two back from his son, who was shaking his head with a sigh. "What?" he asked.

"I never figured out why one talk with those two was odd. It was Potter using polyjuice."

"How did they get polyjuice?" he demanded.

"According to the book, she brewed it. Had a slight accident with a cat hair but still." He walked off nodding. That so figured. Hopefully that'd get her in trouble for it.

Lucius settled in to read it. His son was an asshole yet again but oh well. Draco had at least grown some sense since then. He started to make notes of all the problems that he had found. Including the Weasley's attacking muggles. Though....he would've done much worse to them. Much, much worse, but probably more fun things. He got to the polyjuice thing and sighed.

"So damn stupid," he muttered. "She really must learn some caution. Or she taught herself caution thanks to the cat fur," he decided, going on, being amused at that. Then he read the battle, having to get a drink to get through it. He stared at one sentence then huffed. "I wonder if the healers in the States fixed that too," he muttered. "If not...." He considered that. Potter could be used as a potions ingredient. "Draco?" He came back with a drink of his own. "I wouldn't let your mother see you doing that."

"I read the battle scene."

"Was it correct?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't there. Thankfully." He sipped his glass of beer. "Potter's nuts. Absolutely bonkers."

"He went to help a friend."

Draco stared at him. "I'd help Greg do many things, Father. Going to save his sister I'd probably help with as well. Taking out a horcrux? No. Taking on a basilisk? No. Hell no." He finished his beer. "Though I would've been more creative against Potter's relatives." He walked off again. "No wonder he took the House cup from us!"

Lucius went back to reading and sighed at that part. "Yes, I probably would've done that as well." He blinked a few times once he finished then tipped his head back to pop his neck and ease the headache he had. "Draco, is that dog thing still around?" he called.

"Yes, Father. Fluffy is still loping around licking first years of their candy traces," he called down.

"Charming." He rubbed his forehead. This was bad. It was very, very bad. He had to get to the author before Potter did. Or a Weasley. Though they'd just torment them instead of torturing them as they deserved. He called that same auror, handing over the book. "The second one. Granger apparently learned caution. It's droll." He hung up and decided he needed to drink and rest for now. His head really did ache.

Thankfully it wasn't his son. He would drown Draco if he turned into a hero. Especially that one.

***

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