Ancestry 15 - Drama Llamas Drawing From Magic. by Voracity2

Ancestry 15 - Drama Llamas Drawing From Magic.

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Ancestry 15 - Drama Llamas Drawing From Magic.

Lucius walked into the second meeting. "Have we figured out who the author is yet?"

"Fifth year Gryff the year Potter came in," one said. "Can't tell beyond that." The auror looked at the others. "It's getting worse and outing us more, plus showing how very stupid our school is."

"It gets worse," the junior auror with him quipped. He put a t-shirt on the table with a smile for them. "There's fans and they made official shirts and posters and all sorts of things. People have begun getting owls as neat pets thanks to Hedwig." He smiled at all of them. "And if I see Potter's relatives again I'm going to paste them. Though I want to see if the aurors can recruit the twins."

Lucius looked at him. "If you want to use that to blackmail them into the auror academy, that's upon your boss's head when their mother finds you." He looked at the t-shirt then sighed. "Charming." He looked at the others. "Can we stop this from going forward? And perhaps find teachers who didn't blatantly know what was going on but didn't step in to stop it?"

They all shared a look then sighed and nodded. "We can talk to the teachers before the school reopens. How goes the search for a new headmaster?"

"We're interviewing six," Lucius said. "Within the next month. We'll have one by the holidays. They will not have such problems as we've had. Or from Dumbledore's problems. If I had known this before I would have had him put in jail by the end of their first year before my poor heir is warped by all this."

The auror smiled at him. "At least he's not a Potter."

"No, thankfully not." He sighed, rubbing his forehead again. "So what do we do? This will probably become public knowledge thanks to a half-blood or muggleborn."

"We can do something to keep the kids from talking to Potter about it," one said. "And talk to the teachers about how they failed. Is there going to be a book three?"

"Not if I find that author," Lucius complained. "Though I would take her notes to scan them for other problems that need to be fixed."

"We think it's a male and have a search out on all the boys in the years ahead of Potter. Think Granger's parents know?" the head auror asked.

"Yes, I believe they probably have. They're muggle," the junior auror said. "I asked. They're very unhappy with their daughter doing such things. Thought it was nice that she had helped so much, and that they hadn't known then. But they said if their daughter continues to be heroic they're going to make her switch to a school in Greece."

"That school wouldn't take a British student," Lucius said dryly. "I thought about sending Draco there last year." He looked at them. "So they are aware?"

"Very unpleased with their daughter, who defended her actions. I got a statement from her on how right it was. She has alerted other members of the house who should know. I talked to Longbottom once his grandmother was at the Ministry. Neville was a bit pouty about what they thought of him but he was amused that it was so right. He wasn't sure if someone in their year had done it or not. He made sure a loyalty vow wouldn't violate the school's wards."

Lucius looked at him. "Did you tell him to just cast an honesty charm?"

"He wanted to make sure they couldn't do it in the future, Mr. Malfoy. That way they didn't start selling tell-alls after school."

"Might be a good idea," Lucius said dryly. "I'll suggest that to Draco. Did he say it was correct?"

"Disturbingly so as he put it."

"Ah." He nodded once. "Charming! Can Lockhart stay in that bed?"

"Yes," the head auror agreed. "We talked to those ministries and told them what had happened. They knew, had the book already. Didn't want to tell us in case we didn't know. They were very amused we didn't find out until now." He looked at him. "That diary?"

"Apparently dead. It was presented as evidence."

"Point. I forgot about that. Was that intentional?"

"No," Lucius said firmly.

"Good." They shared a look. "Is that rat familiar someone?"

"Pettigrew," Lucius said dryly. "I knew that just from the description."

"Oh, fuck. Does Molly know?"

"Have you heard her yelling about it?" Lucius asked dryly.

"No. Thankfully." They shared looks. "We'll tell her after school starts. That way the kids are safe from her. Outside howlers."

Lucius smirked. "I'm going to think like Granger and tell Bill Weasley. He can tell his own parents and deal with them. He has shields as a cursebreaker."

They all decided that was a great idea. It really was.

***

The head auror got the books finally. Amelia Bones looked at them then at her junior auror. "What are these?" she asked patiently.

"Things we found out thanks to Miss Granger. Apparently they're huge in the muggle world. We've been formulating emergency protocols for some of that coming more open."

"It's muggle?" she asked to make sure.

He nodded with a smile. "Very muggle. Written by one of us but we don't know who. Yet. Miss Granger found out somehow and told Narcissa Malfoy because it'd take someone more subtle than a Weasley. We all agreed no one wants to tell them. She'll scream and bring the house down on their heads."

Amelia sighed. "Is it offensive?"

"Worse. It's correct." She winced at that. "Very correct. I asked Miss Granger and she admitted it was right and she was trying to find a way to make sure her parents didn't read it. Too late but she was wanting to hide from them. Potter's totally pissed off. We flooed him for a statement. His was 'I can borrow a lawyer from my cousin again and a bat from the twins; one way or another I'll talk with her'. He was livid."

"Great. Anyone else?"

"Granger warned the house's people who were noted. Sent notes from the first book apparently. Longbottom got the second one and is hoping very hard his grandmother never sees any of it. Though he was pouty that they thought he was so weak." She groaned. "Lucius said his son was a little shit basically. He's probably figuring out how to protect the family's things and Draco if this falls on his head too." He grinned. "The Weasleys attacked Potter's relatives."

"What? The Weasley's?" He found that section to show her. She blinked a few times. "Fuck."

"Yup." He grinned. "We're thinking about using that to blackmail the twins into the academy."

"Like hell, Smithers."

"They'd do good."

She stared at him. "They can't be serious." She read some more, going to the beginning of that scene and then sighing in disgust. "We needed to do something to his relatives."

"We all thought it was brilliant Potter managed to escape without help, Ma'am."

"I'm starting to."

"No, the first book? Even Malfoy wanted to kill them." He stared at her and then smiled again. "Thankfully they don't remember magic."

"Good." She started with the first book with a sigh. "Oh, that's how. We needed to charge him with more things."

"It wouldn't violate double jeopardy. There's enough there to put him away for another hundred-fifty-years." He left her to read.

When she went home to read, her niece saw the book and winced. "You knew?"

"Heard rumors about a new book about Potter. Is it bad?"

"Did you get notes from Granger?" she asked dryly.

"Um, yes."

"How correct was it?"

She winced. "I'd hate to be Granger if her parents read that. Or anywhere near the Weasleys when they read it. Even Arthur's going to yell so much his wife will be amazed." She left her to read.

Amelia Bones went back to reading, taking notes on all the charges she could and should file. She was on the third page by the end of the first book. And another list of what the teachers had done wrong was on another pad of paper.

***

Amelia Bones went to find Ron, waiting until his mother was out of the house shopping. She stared at Ginny when she opened the door. She held up the books. Ginny winced. "They made me look like such a sighing fangirl," she complained quietly. "Luna found out from Hermione."

"How true?"

"Very apparently. Mum's not here if you wanted to beat Ron to death."

"I wanted to talk to him about what's going on this upcoming year." She got let in. "Is he here?"

"Yup. The twins went with Mum. They'll keep her there for a few hours. If not, say he wants to go to the academy. He suggested it and Mum had a fit but...." She shrugged. "He's used to doing stupidly heroic things. Sounds like an auror to me." She walked off. "Ron, visitor."

Ron came out of the kitchen and winced. "Did I do something wrong, Madam Bones?"

"Ron, let's talk out back," she said, taking him out back to talk to him about a few of the incidences in the books. He blinked at her oddly. "It's in a set of books. Someone's doing a new tell all about it."

"I got Hermione's notes. Burned them after I read them before the 'rents found out." He stared at her.

She smiled. "You're not in trouble legally. But, auror's academy? You need a Potions OWL."

"Damn it."

"Try for species?"

"I was thinking maybe the bank. Gets me out of here if I survive." He shrugged at her look. "Harry can't do it on his own."

"Point. But now that we know... you'll have help. All you have to do is tell us, Weasley."

"If I can."

"Thank you." She patted him on the cheek with a smile. "You're good but you do stupid things and you have an anger problem you need to get hold of. Before it hurts someone. And tell your twin brothers that I talked the aurors out of blackmailing them with what they did to Potter's relatives to get them into the academy." She gave him a pointed look before disappearing.

"Mum would've liked that, it'd be a steady job," he said, going to hide in his room and calm down. At least he wasn't in trouble. And his mother didn't know.

***

Lucius looked at the newest headmaster. "As a word of advice," he said, making the others on the board stare at him oddly, "do something to make sure the wards keep out howlers. You'll want it soon."

The man nodded. "I hate those things anyway. If a parent wants to scream that much they can do it in person."

"Yes but they won't and things are coming into the open that mean many parents are learning how bad the school has been."

The new guy smiled. "Saw the books?" Lucius grimaced but nodded once. "I won't let that happen either. There's teachers, they should be in front of the students for bad things. Or else we don't have a next generation."

"Good," Lucius said firmly. "Though my son has grown up some since then."

"There's hope for a lot of students to do that but I'm not going to give any student favored treatment. I am nothing like Dumbedore."

"Excellent," another one said. "Books?"

Lucius sighed and looked at them. "Someone, it appears a former Gryffindor who graduated in the last few years, wrote a nice novel about Potter being a hero around the school." The man grimaced. "And it's unfortunately correct." That got a mass wince. "No one's told any Weasley yet."

"Thankfully," the headmaster said. "Is she that loud?"

"Yes," one said. "I live miles away and have heard her yelling at her sons. Never the girl but her sons...."

"They're boys, they have no sense," the headmaster told them. "They all have no sense. Girls too." That got a nod. "Do I have much to clean up?"

Lucius handed over two books. "Dumbledore's code of conduct he conveniently forgot now and then. The last headmaster's that we had to keep removing as he kept being against women."

He took them to read the last one first. "That's foul. No wonder he got fired." He shook his head a few times then went to the first book. "Sound, solid rules, and I'll build from them and send the students the rules before they come back after the holidays." He looked at them.

"I'm not going to play favorites. I'm not going to be lax on any house or any student and I'm not going to put up with stupid things going on beyond the normal levels of teenagers being idiots. I'll send you a copy before I send them out."

"Please do so we can approve of them," another member said with a nod and a smile. "It'd be a great change. We had a meeting twice a week to end rules from the last one."

"We had to go stop a sit in from the women, and most of the males supporting them by being in there too," Lucius said dryly. "Miss Granger is loud about social responsibility and legal rights. She wants to go to medical school."

"That's always a great thing. Great minds doing great things for people can only help us all. I'm sure she'd consult with St. Mungos." They all nodded. "Excellent then." He smiled. "We'll see if I can add in classes to help those who want careers." He left them to talk about him behind his back while he went to meet his people. All but one teacher was in the school. She was talking to a future first year. Madam Sprout hadn't seemed to be a problem so he'd talk to her later.

***

Narcissa looked at her son that night. "Son, we must talk about some heritage things," she said quietly. Lucius was in his study.

"What heritage things, Mother?" He put his book aside to stare at her.

"There's things in my family that have been forgotten, especially by your father, but you show that it will probably come out within you some year soon." He nodded slowly at that the once. "Your father ignores it greatly but there's things you do not realize and there's a family curse attached to it."

"Will it mean I have to marry someone like Potter?" he asked.

"No," she said patiently. "It means once you've chosen a spouse the curse for monogamy will hit you and can kill you if it's broken by you. Not by your spouse but if you even want apparently it can affect you. There's a fairly famous past one who had that problem.

"She lusted after someone not her mate and it killed her. No matter how much they tried to fix it for her." Draco frowned. "There's veela heritage in our family," she said quietly, staring at him. "It did come out in me, mildly. I didn't have the level of fascination others have had. It missed my sisters completely."

Draco grimaced at that. "You however do show that it will come out. Soon. So you must be careful about what sort of mate you choose as it's for life unless they die. Which has happened. I've almost killed your father a few times by accidentally sucking at his energy. Thankfully he hasn't wanted to use your marriage to move the family upward. That would have been a problem and you would have died horribly of the curse."

"It can't be broken?"

"Not as far as I know. The various families had different curses applied back during the thirteen hundreds to help control them. Our family's is monogamy."

"So no divorce?"

"No and no lusting during it either." Draco grimaced again, shaking his head with a sigh. "So we must be careful with your marriage. It's why I've been dragging a bit and giving you much more say than your father would want."

"What if I don't like them?"

"Then you'll make the best of it. Women have been doing so for ages, son."

He considered that. "So I have to choose well and if they die I'm free?"

"Until you pick another mate and your heritage would make it more necessary after so long alone. There are people who are aware of how to handle a veela in need but most of them are not worthy of any of us." She grimaced. "Though they think they are."

Lucius walked in. "I doubt he won't go to someone who would think he's wonderful," he said smugly.

Narcissa stared at him. "What did my father warn you about before we married?" she asked him. Lucius stiffened, staring at her. She nodded. "He's going to come into it as well, Lucius, and the family curse is monogamy. So any ideas you had about using him to move us up, correct them. I can't bear you another heir."

"Point." He looked at his son, seeing the allure already starting. "He is, isn't he." He grimaced. "Are any of the ones you've been looking at able to handle a veela and train his future gifts?"

"Some have. Though they don't consider it advantageous. The one who does would use it to sate his temper with others. Would have Draco flirt or draw them in so he could duel them."

Draco shook his head. "Those sort would turn on the spouse as well," he noted patiently. "What gifts are we talking about? And why didn't I know this sooner?"

"It's unseemly to speak of it. I would have left you notes for your future child in case they have it. It does come out more frequently with the females." She touched her hair. "It's almost a mark but with your father's hair color as well, your child would probably come out blond enough."

"All right, so apparently I'm partially a veela," he said firmly, getting a nod. "And if I pick a future spouse wrong, I could die of it. Long before an heir came to be." Lucius huffed at that but his mother nodded once, staring at him calmly and coolly. "Is there a way I could have trained this sooner to get control of it?"

"You can't control it until it comes out. I can teach you some of the meditations that will help you with that but teaching you before it was necessary would've just confused you later and may have actually brought out a latent gift. As mine was. My grandmother was full veela. You're barely veela." Draco slumped but nodded.

"It does mean that you're going to be attracting attention. The most common is called the allure. You're starting to show it, my son. You seem to glow a bit in dim lights. We'll start working on the meditations tonight." Draco nodded at that. "While your father figures out if those books will come back to haunt the family so you'll have to make a judicious choice very quickly. Which means someone less than suitable."

"Are there families that are more used to this sort of problem?" he asked.

"The Dumass clan. Alexander himself was the mate of the one I mentioned," she said. "She and he both lusted after some maiden that was fae of some kind. Her lusting killed her and he could not break that curse."

"So it's a life of my wife, my hand, or nothing?"

"Indeed," she said with a nod. "I have not had a problem with it but I am not very...lusty usually. I have a cousin who is and who has kept herself pure so she hasn't picked a mate. She'll have others amuse her by performing for her while she watches and has herself often, but I do not revel in that part of myself."

She stared at him. "Were Alexander still around I would have went to him to have his advice on your future spouse. He would know who would be strong enough to resist the allure and to teach you how to train it so you're not unconsciously using it to pout your way into things."

"I had to break that problem twice," Lucius complained, sitting down. "We do have to note not to talk about this. There's many who would adore having a veela at their knee and would break you to use your gifts to their ends instead of your own. Which would mean you'd probably die of it, son."

Draco nodded. "I don't want that. So what do I do? Because I'm not marrying Potter and he's one of the few Dumass heirs left. The other's in the States and apparently on a hellmouth of some kind or another. Potter let slip that he works with a slayer."

"He's young," Lucius admitted. "But powerful. He showed up to protect Potter from the Ministry and he was quite powerful. Probably as powerful as his namesake if he wanted to be a cursebreaker. Being on a hellmouth means that he's tainted by that and his duty makes him an idiot."

Draco grimaced again. "Is there anything I need to start studying to understand all this, Mother?"

"Quite. I'll have my books pulled and brought to you. Though they're at the old house so I may have to write Potter myself. I have no idea how he's protected the former house. I'll do so tonight."

"Thank you, Mother. I should go think on that." He went up to his room to have a fit. He did not want this! It was a curse on him! He couldn't even have a mistress to relieve him from his arranged marriage.

Lucius looked at his wife. "I had no plans of using his ass as currency."

"You're not the only one that we have to worry about, Lucius. Your master may and I will have a grandchild long before he falls due to the family curse or your line dies out. My sister may have married a muggle but she did breed." She got up and went to her own suite to consider things and write Potter to have him find those books for her.

Lucius sighed, rubbing his forehead. This year had been hard on his brain and this wasn't going to get any easier.

***

Harry called Xander. "Are you busy?"

"Not really. I was sharpening my sword for tonight and making a few new stakes. What's up?"

"Where would I find information on veela gifts and training it?"

"Why would you need to? Did you take up with one?" he asked, staring at him.

"Narcissa wants them for her son Draco. Who is apparently ready to break out? I have no idea and if they'd be in the library there or not."

"They should be. She's ...oh, she's part veela, her son's breaking out...."

"Is that why people think he's pretty?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it is," he agreed with a grimace and a nod. "If hers aren't in the library at their natal house, I can find them in our library. Including my former fiancee's journal. Actually, that's on the west wall in the locked section. You can lend it to him. We'll want it back someday. Even though I don't want to think about her." He sighed. "You allow someone to show up by a formal invitation that you send through the keystone out by the walls, the main floo out there."

Harry nodded. "Thanks. Should I?"

"If he's not going to be a little shit, he can come up to read it one day when you're wanting him to. Or your friend Hermione maybe if you want to make her beg." He smirked a bit.

"I have no idea. I may." He cleared his throat. "What happens if we get attacked again this year and they hit the school, Xander?"

Xander stared at him. "I'll teach you the camp moving spell. And her. And probably a few others. You can use it to get them to the other family home. There's all sorts of hiding places there to find. Stay out of the working areas. It's got a holy water ring around my former work area but that had enough bad things down there that it could attack someone and it may fall in. The roof was looking a bit iffy when I saw recently."

"Okay. Thanks." He smiled. "This weekend?"

"Next probably. We've got shit going on again this weekend. Like usual." He shrugged. "It's nearly the holidays, vampy vamps sometimes have things during solstice." Harry nodded. "And do not mope, Harry. The holidays alone aren't that bad. I'll show up when I can." He waved and hung up.

Harry sighed, considering it. He wrote back to Narcissa that he had access to a journal from one according to his cousin and he'd go look at Grimmauld in the next few days to see if he could find them. He let Dobby deliver it.

***

Draco accepted the invitation, coming out of the floo. He stared. "Holy. Fucking. Merlin," he said in awe. He knew not to piss off Potter. He had things he had to know and had some power.

Harry grinned from nearby, sitting on some rocks. "It's the ancestral Dumass family home. All the family rites have to happen up here. It's also got the main library. And a few hidden things and a pirate ship out back that sometimes draws my attention."

Draco stared at him oddly. "Cursebreakers have that problem."

"I've been told I have a natural gift for it." He shrugged. "I'm learning that from Allisandra's ghost. Let's go to the library. Did you bring your broom?"

"I did take that advice. Now I see why." He pulled it out to enlarge it and let Harry lead the way to the house. He nodded politely at the ghosts waiting on them. "Ma'ams."

"This is Destina Dumass," Harry said with a point. "That's Uncle Clarence. That's Aunt Allisandra." He looked at Draco then at them. "This is Draco Malfoy. Xander said he could read a journal he had locked up."

"It may do him good," Destina said then sighed. "You're like his former fiancee. I hope you end up better than she did, Draco Malfoy." She pointed. "The locked section is on the west wall, Harry."

"The journal's in the other one according to Xander." He led Draco into the library, hearing him sigh in pleasure. He grinned. "I've taunted Hermione about the library a few times." He led him to the locked section and opened it. Draco frowned and opened something he could see, opening that section and another one. "I have no idea what that is," he admitted.

"It's from her things," Des said as she came in. "That's her other books she brought with her." She looked at Draco. "You're starting to have the allure. Start with her journal, boy." She pointed. "That one."

"Thank you." He sat down in a comfortable chair to read, frowning at what he saw. They had met at some event. It wasn't that long ago. It was sad, a lot of sad. Including how she died. He got the point of what his mother was trying to tell him, she had noted it in her own talks with her mother, who had been a full veela.

He thought about that, noticing Harry wasn't in there any more. He got up to look at the other books. Two were on his mother's list of things he needed to read. Potter came in with a plate and he took it with a nod of thanks. "Thank you, Potter." He wanted to stay polite before this was taken away from him.

"Welcome. I enjoy cooking sometimes." He smirked a bit.

"No house elf?"

"We have Dobby but I like to cook. Most of the time." He got his own and came back to eat and go over more things he was learning. Draco ate and read, not liking the cautions they gave him. It's a good thing he had waited to have a lover. Someone else showed up so he stared at them. They weren't too tall but taller than he was. He was dark haired, tanned, and looked a bit strong. Draco felt something weird but ignored it.

Xander looked at him. "That's from the veela heritage. My former fiancee had that too." He got out a book and handed it over. "Meant for the spouses of those with partial veela heritage. It might help you more right now. Give you things to build the later training on. She hadn't read it and said that it explained a lot."

Draco stared at him. "You're Alexander," he said quietly.

"Not anymore." He shrugged. "That me is long gone, Draco Malfoy, and we do not talk about it. Now I'm Xander."

"I understand. I heard what happened." He took the book to read, going over the sensible questions and answers plus information on the whys, hows, and the precautions. "Is there a way to break the family restriction curse?"

Xander grimaced. "Supposedly not. There's a way to break any curse though. It depends on what you're willing to risk to do it." He stared at him. "A lot of payments aren't worth the result."

"I can understand that. I have that feeling about a lot of clothes my mother buys." He sighed, going back to reading. This was seriously going to impact his future life. He wasn't sure if he could do an arranged marriage with this problem hanging over his head.

Xander looked at Harry, who grinned. "You and Hermione go to the old house and find all the hiding spots," he said quietly. "I'll meet you there in the morning to teach you the camp moving spell."

Harry nodded. "If she's not grounded. Her parents read the books."

Xander grinned. "She's still alive, not in therapy, and not in a hospital. They're not as mad as she thinks." Harry grinned and sent her a message with Dobby. Xander went to talk to Draco, answering questions he had. He had worries, all young people did. Especially since he was due to make an arranged marriage to someone he didn't know yet.

***

Harry looked at Hermione when Dobby popped her to the house the next day. "Xander said to find all the hiding spots," he said with a smile. "To stay out of the old working area, it's about to fall in. It's got a ring of holy water around it but there's been some major nasties out there. But we're to find all the hiding spots in case we need to move kids somewhere during an attack."

"Okay." She pulled on her gloves and pulled up her hood. "How many are there?" He shrugged. They set off together to look at things, finding a hiding spot up a tree, a hollow under another tree that led to a huge area. A few more hidden areas. One hidden burrow looking area that was clearly blessed, it felt peaceful in there. The old barn was partially up but falling in. Hermione found the old working area but Harry pulled her away from that. "How bad is it?"

"I don't want to know and he said the roof is falling in plus there's a ton of nasty residue."

"That's reasonable." She marked it with a don't go there mark and went to look at others with him. They found the basement under the former house still in good shape. They came out to find Xander out there talking to Dobby. "How nasty is that former working area?"

He looked at her. "It's held god eating demons, Granger. It's not for those who have no skills toward curse breaking and aren't fully trained to protect themselves. I can't guarantee that they'll survive."

"That's sensible and I wasn't going to," she said with a smile. "So we fall back to here?"

"You move the vulnerable kids here and have them find a way to call home and go there. There's an external floo." He led them to it. "This is fully connected, I've made sure of it. There's very old floo powder here." He showed them the hiding spot for it. "Get some new to lay here, Harry." Harry nodded at that.

"Have whoever's with the kids to guard them light it and start pushing them home. As few calls as possible. If you have to group them by town, do that. Or a bunch to the alley, however. As few calls as you can. Get the kids here then evacuated to safety." She nodded once. "Anyone you don't want at that fight, you send. Even if they may end up on the wrong side. There'll probably be a few. Being honest there's a few in each house."

"We have kids who've trained with us," Harry said, looking at her.

She nodded. "We can have most of them evacuating and then come back to help us hold the school or wherever." She looked around then at him. "They won't come here?"

"Why would they come here? Even if they know I'm helping Harry they know this place burned and that we never supported any weak idiots like death eaters. Hell, the last war, Alexander told them to blow him and make it good." She giggled at that. "Seriously! Told three death eaters that and then walked off when they huffed and puffed and didn't manage it." He shrugged.

"Okay, this is a curse breaker spell. It's not hard. It's easier than apparating. It's actually safer as well and you can move anything within the specified area. It's not a permanent portal. It's a move everything on the rug somewhere. Harry, it can't move things to the castle." He grimaced. "Sorry. The only one who can do that is me."

"That's fine. It's safer that way and I'd probably end up there after whatever battle if I can walk this year. Just to escape people."

"I've got to hide from my parents," Hermione agreed with a grimace.

"If they were mad, you'd be in a hospital or therapy," Xander said dryly, smirking at her. "They're proud but probably worried. Sane people are worried about soldiers and warriors."

She nodded. "I understand that and my mother did suggest there had to be a therapist in the community."

"In the US there is," he said smugly. "Not great ones though." She snorted but looked amused. "Okay, we do it this way," he said, teaching them how to cast it and moved them to the castle.

Hermione moaned, staring at it. "Holy fucking shit," she moaned.

"Draco said about the same thing," Harry quipped.

"You brought Draco Malfoy here first?" she pouted.

"He desperately needed some information I had hidden," Xander said, walking toward the house. The camp moving spell got them closer to the house than the floo port was. "This way, Granger."

"Coming," she said, making sure she wasn't drooling. She walked into the library after Harry and fell to her knees. "Oh, wow." She looked around.

Xander grinned at her. "Each and every single scroll and book Alexander found got copied. This is actually about a third of the collection. The rest is in storage."

She looked at him. "Do you need a part-time librarian over the summer to pull them out?"

"It'll be years before we can pull them out of storage. Including building onto the library." He shrugged. "Even if I resurrected the other house we wouldn't have enough room for everything."

"Is that a current plan?" Harry asked.

"Do I need a house with nineteen bedroom suites?" he asked. "Though if I move back I'm moving back here and we'll put up a house out there for you."

Harry grimaced. "I'd rather be able to hide."

"Really hard to date, Harry."

"I know. That's part of the point, Xander." He grinned. "I'm not used to that."

"We all started out that way and then realized it's only worth it half the time until you find someone decent." He clapped him on the back. He hauled Hermione up and pointed. "Card catalog." She ran over to start scanning them. They were listed by subject. He noticed what she was trying to pull down and put the card back.

"That's an advanced book. That subject, like most of them, you start at the beginning and then move up. Before it kills you. Or the magic used warps you into something weird and wrong that dies slowly and horribly. Seen a few, Granger." He gave her a pointed look. "Don't turn into Rosenburg." He got her a book that started in that field and let her have it.

"Thank you. I'm used to working ahead."

"Which has gotten many people hurt," Xander reminded her.

"I figured that out after getting a cat fur piece in my polyjuice."

He grinned. "Yeah, that's an easy learning point." He got another book without looking and handed it to her. "Why you don't do that." He went to check on something in the office and came back with stuff for Harry to go over and learn how to handle. He felt his wards in Sunnydale ping and frowned. "Dobby, go tell Buffy that I'm busy helping my cousin with something please. I'll be back tonight. If she just needs a ride maybe tomorrow."

"Yes, Xander sir." He went to do that, scaring her greatly. "Xander sir said he is helping his cousin Harry Potter sir," he told her patiently. "He said if yous need ride it'll be tomorrow. Otherwise he be back tonight."

"Oh, okay. What are you?"

"House elf." He smirked and disappeared.

She looked up. "That's a book?" she complained. She went to talk to Giles. "Did whoever did those Harry Potter books know about house elves or did something magical pull it here?" she demanded when she ran into him at his apartment.

"I believe whoever wrote those books had knowledge of the community and they're probably quite peeved." He sipped his tea. "How did you see a house elf?"

"One popped in to tell me Xander's helping his cousin with something and won't be back until tonight and if I needed a ride it'll be tomorrow."

"He does have a life outside all this," Giles agreed with a nod.

"Then why is he still here?"

"Because he wishes to be, Buffy. Why else would he be here?"

She grimaced. "I didn't think about that. I guess I'll see him tomorrow then." She went home to talk to her mother. Xander was so confusing these days.

Giles shook his head. "House elf?" he called. Dobby appeared. "Please tell Xander to be more careful. He's confused Buffy greatly and she's realizing that the books are correct."

"Dobby will tell him." He went to do that and cook dinner. Miss Grangy and Master Harry Potter sir both had to eat soon. He would make dinner for Master Xander too, he clearly needed someone to take care of him. If that town wasn't so evil Dobby would talk to a few other freed elves to have them go fuss at Xander.

***

Xander looked at what he had collected so far and then decided to gather a few new things that night. The girls would bitch but oh well! He really had to do an auction soon too. He didn't want to go to the goblins for it, but he may have to hold an independent auction to get rid of some things.

He noticed a few had been moved and summoned them back, ending the demonic moles. He carried one outside and punted it over the fence. The vampires would like them. He turned and found Buffy. "Demonic moles." He walked around her. "What did you need earlier?"

"A ride," she admitted, following him inside since he had left the door open. "How's your cousin?"

"He's okay. Had to go over a few emergency things and let his best friend who is female into the family library. She's reading happily and may not realize what day it is."

"So like Willow?"

"But more self assured and less flighty." He smirked a bit. "She's okay and she's good to Harry as a friend. He needs more real friends."

"Is he like the book guy?"

"Kinda." He shrugged. "He's finding who wrote them and will beat them to death with something if he can."

"That's good. Having a book about you has got to suck."

He grinned. "Funny you should say that. The poker circuit said you've got a tv show. A reality tv show. They're amused that you let Willow do your homework again too."

"Crap. Did my mother hear?"

"No. Not yet." He smiled. "I'm not telling her. They made me look like an idiot." He shrugged.

"You are kinda the Ron Weasley of our team."

He nodded. "He's probably not a bad kid." She rolled her eyes but he smiled. "Anything else tonight?"

"What were the magic sucking demonic moles after?"

"An artifact I found. And broke apart. I didn't want to leave it whole. I was going to sell the parts. That way I had pizza money."

She nodded. "I can see that. Are there many here?"

"Yeah, there's a ton of artifacts. Having that sort of magic means that they all light up and try to talk to me sometimes." He shrugged again. "I get the annoying ones to shut up by breaking them."

"Is that dangerous?"

"Kinda but not that bad. Prying out jewels is easy enough."

"Huh. They have jewels?" He went to get something and came up with it to hold up. She moaned, taking it to hold. It tried to talk to her, begging her to save it from being broken apart. "It's chatty."

"It's possessed," Xander agreed, staring at it. "I'd sell you like that but whoever puts you on will be full of you and you'd probably try to make them take over somewhere for you." He took it back to toss onto the couch. "I've pried a few diamonds out of it but nothing that would break the containment."

"Can we banish it?"

"No." He shook his head. "It's probably too dangerous for that. I looked that thing's name up and it's a higher level demon. I was going to let Harry have it to give to Voldemort so he'd have to fight that thing." He looked at the pendant. 'But it could make a deal with the bad guy." He looked at her again.

"It works okay. I found a few cursed things recently that Giles got handed as I walked past him so he could send it on to be contained properly." He wouldn't mention it let him map the Council's vault and how to get in there.

She frowned. "If he's that sort of wizard does he have those funny pictures?"

Xander took her to one of him, in his past life. "This is my namesake back when he was about twenty-three." He let them talk while he got some coffee. He came back to her giggling. "Yeah, he was a player." He sipped his coffee, nodding at the portrait. "You good?"

"Your vault got tapped into by Dru."

"I saw. She's going to be horrified when it comes out to take her over for sexual gratification. If not, Spike surely will be." Buffy stared at him. He grinned. "She got into something else possessed that can only come out if they're freed during sex. It's going to have some fun with her before she hands it back because it's going to horrify her a tiny bit." He grinned again. "It's pretty specific about how it needs to get freed and what sort of sex it needs for that."

"Gross."

"Yeah but it's her own fault for trying to break in here." He took another sip. "She came from over there too."

"Huh." She nodded at that. "Is it going to make me stake her?"

"Nope. It'll make her blush and complain." He went to answer the door, taking the box from the fledge. "Dru not like it?"

"She's quite upset that the thing wanted to have rear end relations as she said. It's a naughty thing and she didn't want to release it and she didn't want to do dirty things with it so she's giving it back but keeping her new cloak pin."

"You can tell her that broach is full of a spirit that'll eat her demon. It does that."

"I can do that." He ran off to tell her that. She was so weak Spike had him bring that too. The other thing she had just held power, she could use it right now. She did send a note asking if he knew where something pretty was and he sent back a response that it was already broken up and going to be sold off in pieces. That she should get into something else to find something new and pretty to wear for Spike. It was collected by a succuba so would draw him in.

Buffy was still confused, especially after that being talked to her about freeing him and how it'd be fun if they did that. She did blush and admit she was single so she couldn't help it. Then she went to tell Giles about that.

Giles showed up and held out a hand. "Pendant?"

Xander got it with a grin, handing it to him. "Dru stole it."

"Ah." He let it talk to him. "It's been a long time since I did that," he told it. "I'll send you to some witches who may not mind that though." He walked off shaking his head. "If you're holding an auction do watch out for what they want it for."

"I've broken up most everything," he quipped with an evil grin when the older man stared at him oddly. "Not like I want to let someone have a possessed artifact. They might do something I have to correct. Though I'm still wondering if I can use one or two to go deal with Voldemort for my cousin."

Giles shook his head. "They'd probably make a deal with him."

"Which sucks. I should be able to chaos the bad guy." He shut the door with another grin, going down to his work area to see what he had ready to sell. He did need to hold an auction. Before more vampires tried to break in. Or Buffy wanted a cut of his profits. Or Willow decided to get all high and mighty on him for daring to sell artifacts.

***

The new school term started and most of the students had shown up. A few had decided to switch. The headmaster looked at the students. "Good evening, children." He looked around the hall. "I'm your new headmaster, Alfred Mynor. I'm formerly a teacher at a few day schools in the UK and one in Barbados." He smiled slightly.

"I know I sent you all the new codes of conduct. I will expect them to be followed. Including and especially the inter-house non-hostility ones. As I didn't go here, I don't care what house you're from. If you're bad you're bad. If you're good you're good." He looked around again. "The teachers have already heard this and agreed to them as well. So if there's a serious breach I need to be made aware. Even by anonymous notes."

He smiled again. "All right? We'll all manage to not rip the school down and I'll manage to keep the idiots in the ministry that think like the last headmaster out of here so they quit bothering the females." They all smiled at that, a few nodding. "Just be good children. I understand the urges to get into mischief since you're not at home and there's fewer adults around.

"You need that level of freedom. I completely understand. Make it harmless and if it makes me amused I may be lenient but I am not an easy one for punishment. That whole detention in the forests? No." He smiled at a few Slytherins. "I believe in instructive punishments. I'm not nice enough to just give you menial and mildly threatening things.

"If I have to give punishments you'll learn something from them. Including that a few thought I was rather mean to my former pupils. But do report to me about anything that is wrong in the school so I can look it over." That got a few nods. "Good. Now let's get back into school mode and settle in for the night after you eat.

"I did have the house elves clean all the dorms of everything contraband. The list was revised and is now on my office's bulletin board next to the doorway. It's more centrally located so easier to check. If there's questions we can go over them at breakfast. Now, let's eat and enjoy being back here." They dug in and settled in to talk to their friends. He smiled at his teachers, who were amused. They'd see how long he lasted.

Someone outside shouted and then the sound of a slap. A few students sighed and looked around. Harry shrugged when most of them stared at him.

Hermione looked up at the ceiling. "We have a ministry car that's flying in," she noted patiently with a point. "So I'm guessing that's one of them." She dug in again. She'd need food even if it wasn't a threat to the students. She looked at her people from DA. "We have plans, we'll go over it tomorrow night," she told one. They nodded and passed that on.

"Miss Granger," the headmaster called. She looked up then came up at his wave. "Do we need the students to defend themselves?"

"Yes. Because we also have evacuation plans, sir."

He blinked a few times. "We believe it'll happen here?"

"It's a possibility. I'm not good enough in statistics to say how much of a probability. But I'd rather that we have it and the others know just in case."

"I can see that point. You should get a teacher to oversee your little group."

"I would but our auror in defense would hate it." She looked at him, making him shake his head quickly. She smiled at Flitwick because he was the most likely to help them, who nodded. "Thank you, Professor Flitwick. We have a few plans to go over and a single spell to teach."

"That's fine, Miss Granger. It's a good plan to have just in case. Even if there may not be another war." She nodded, going back to her seat. "At least they still trust some of us." He stuffed his mouth. He had taken a look at what he hadn't done for his pupils and was a bit disgusted at himself. He really had to be better.

Harry accepted the note from Dobby, who disappeared. He read it and grimaced. "Oh, shite," he muttered. "Yes, she can find shelter at the house," he said, looking up. "Nev, Malfoy, need you in the hallway immediately," he said, getting up and heading out there.

"Why?" Draco demanded but did follow after wiping his mouth off. Harry handed him the letter and he stared then sucked in a breath. "Is she allowed?"

"Yes but I have no idea how to do that. Nev, how do I let them through the heir wards?"

He took the notes Harry had on the wards and considered it. "Name her an heir." He looked at him. "On the Black ring."

Harry took it off to hold. "As the Head of the House of Black, I allow Narcissa Malfoy to shelter in any of the house's properties for her own safety until I rescind it." The wards adjusted at his command and he sighed, feeling the energy drain. "Okay, it looks like it took. Draco, let me know what's going on?"

"If I must."

"If it's Voldemort I have to know."

"Agreed." He summoned a Malfoy elf and sent a note with them for his mother, who sent back a better note. He looked at Neville, who was doing the same to his grandmother. "It may not be. It may be someone who really likes my father. He did get stared at in awe when he was in London recently he said."

Harry grinned. "So did I. Thankfully I got rid of the scar." He shrugged, looking at Neville. "Be at the meeting tonight. We talked to my fellow Dumass heir. We have an evac point." He looked at Malfoy. "We'll teach you that spell so you can evacuate the kids but won't share where."

"I understand. Some of my house would be on the wrong side."

"Some of any house could be on the wrong side," Hermione said as she came out. She handed over a letter. "From a different elf, I have no idea who it is, Harry."

He read it and nodded once. "No, it was Voldemort." He let Draco and Neville see it. "Teach the spell to whoever wants it. They can move themselves and others even if it's not to the same evac point, Hermione. If they come here, not one single kid not involved stays."

"Agreed. I was going to have them spread it anyway." She went back inside.

He looked at Neville, who nodded he agreed, going back inside. Harry looked at Draco. "I hope your mom's okay," he said quietly.

"Me too. I'll know soon enough. Let me go eat and be paranoid for a bit."

Harry put a hand on his. "You're also allowed if you need to hide there. Just let me know so I can adjust the wards, Draco. I'll do it around breaks if not."

"Thank you, Potter." What he had learned of Potter, he was not what he expected and it was refreshing but also frustrating him to no end that he couldn't tell what the guy would do next. But he seemed genuine so he'd trust him.

"You're one of my house. It's what I'm supposed to do and Arcturus' ghost is praising me for not thinking you were a shit like your father was according to him," he finished, looking at the ring. "He really didn't like your dad."

"The feeling's mutual some days," he admitted, going to eat and write her a note in a few hours to make sure she made it out safely.

Harry went back in to sit down. Professor Flitwick pointed so he walked up there and into the back hall with him. "Yes, Professor?"

"Which spell, Potter? I can teach it in class."

"Xander taught me how to do the camp moving spell. We have a place to evacuate kids and then for them to run from there. Frankly I'm going to teach every single student I can so they can move themselves and whoever they can grab to whatever place they think is safer."

"I can do that all week. It's a good plan. Gets the littles out of the way." Harry nodded, sighing in relief. "I'll also go over shielding and the like. Your group's evacuation point?"

"The newer Dumass estate," he said quietly.

"Good. It has protections and you can go from there to anywhere else you need to cloud the trail."

"That was Xander's thinking."

"Good. Worry about your house and the group falling in. Let the others in the house arrange to get the children out of the way."

"That's what we figured, yes."

"Excellent. I'll do it tomorrow. How did he teach you?" Harry showed him and it worked, they moved the ten feet he had wanted. "Oh, he learned the cursebreaker way," Flitwick said happily.

"From the family's library," he said with a grin.

"Even better." He patted him on the arm. "I'll go over it with the students in all years. And shielding right after that. Go sit and make plots. And don't test the headmaster," he warned with a smile. "He's not nice."

"I've lived with worse after Umbridge."

"Point. He hasn't been known to torture children." They went back inside. "I'm changing my lesson plans to teach shielding this week," he announced. "All years. Just because it appears it may be needed and it's been something we should have been teaching." They all nodded. He sat down, looking at the headmaster, who was nodding at that. "We will handle it," he said quietly and calmly. McGonagall stared at him. "You can help."

"I should brush up on them myself," she agreed. "We're still restarting the dueling club as well." Flitwick smiled at that. The defense teacher moaned but nodded he agreed. "Good." She looked at the headmaster.

"Will they need it?"

"Yes, they've needed it before. Potter's second year they had a small one started by Lockhart so many of the students have rudimentary ones."

"Fine. I'll allow that. It can only make them safer though I hate that it may be needed."

"One never knows when one'll have to protect an innocent," she said then sighed, watching Hermione Granger read a physics book. She went back to her own dinner.

***

Flitwick watched Hermione go over the shielding lessons with the others. "Miss Granger, you have it turned around. If you cast at it that way it'll bounce back at you but let the outside ones in." She sighed and redid it. "Switch the last two phrases." She did that and it worked that time. "Where did you even find that?"

"Fallonius. Shields of the Ages. I copied the pages for the notes I gave out."

"Oh, no wonder." He came to teach the kids the better, stronger, ones that'll help them more if there was a battle. Or to help a student going nuts by containing them to an area. The students all got it by the end of an hour. Even Ron, who got mad at his. "Temper, Mr. Weasley." Ron sighed but nodded and got back to it.

"Remember to practice them often, at least weekly, so they're ingrained in their uses." They all nodded and he taught both camp moving spells. "This one is the lesser one. It won't get you through wards. The planned evacuation point has them so you'll be using a stronger one if you're on that part of the duty, children.

"This one will get you somewhere like the Leaky so you can get help, get home, whatever you need. It'll be the most handy for most of the students as they know what home or Diagon looks like. Going to an open area then home could be safer." They all nodded, learning both ways.

Harry handed out pages with notes. "This is where our evac point to go home from is. It's the former Dumass family home. My fellow heir said to start there and then go on." They all nodded, studying that picture. It'd change as the area changed with the season.

"There's a few bigger areas you can hide in as you move students to safety," Hermione added. "There's an area under the big tree with the tree house. There's a basement still in good condition. We did mark one area off-limits because it was a cursebreaker's former work area and the roof is falling in." That got a few nods. "There's also a burrow in the garden area that looks like it'll hold a few students if you must. There's a floo so they can head wherever they think will be safe."

"Good," Neville agreed. "So move them somewhere safe and let them get home from there." Flitwick and Harry both nodded. "That way they can't track them home. That makes good sense. Most of us have emergency beacons now too," he told the Professor.

"Good. It's a safe thing to have these days, Longbottom. Yours?"

"I don't want to worry my grandmother. I'll see her after we're safe. No one's getting through the house's wards." Flitwick smiled at that. "We hired someone to come add to them since I had no idea how to do that and neither did she. There's an invitation ward up now."

"A few of the other properties have that," Harry agreed. He yawned. Then felt something sting him on the butt so looked at his pocket, finding the thing that had just landed. He read the notes and sighed, handing it to Flitwick. "What Xander's going to be doing this year for his graduation."

He read it over, one eyebrow drifting up. Then he broke out swearing. "Dumb idiots," he finished.

Hermione snickered, taking the notes. "Can we get it come over here and see if Voldemort can talk to it?" she asked Harry, who smirked at that idea.

Flitwick stared at her. "They might make an alliance, Miss Granger, and I doubt you could move it easily. Even with that spell. Though...I don't think many would be that upset." He took the notes back. "Do the aurors know?"

"Them, go to Sunnydale?" Harry quipped. "I'll alert the one that has guardianship of me later. Then I'll have someone tell the Ministry."

"That'll work," Flitwick decided. "Not like ours will help." He got back to teaching shielding.

***

The next day in London, a few aurors got the notes from Harry Potter's house elf and stared at it. "What the hell?" Tonks muttered. She reread them. "At least it's not here. I guess." She let Amelia Bones take them to look over and swear at as she walked off to call the Americans about their problems. "I wonder if he can talk the new demon snake into eating ours." She shook her head and got back to work.

About the same time Bill Weasley showed up at the bank in London, nodding at the goblins waiting on him. "Sir," he said with a bow to the king. The old king. "What's gone on that you recalled me from the field? Was my family attacked?"

"It's a bit funnier than that," the old king said, waving at a chair with a smile. "Sit, Weasley. You can pace and rant in a few minutes." Bill sat down, staring at him. "Are you aware that the muggles have books that out the community?"

"Yes, sir. I haven't read them. Figured they were a fantasy novel. They're not popular in Egypt."

"It completely and totally blew open the community," one of the guards said. "Including your family." Bill winced at that but nodded. "And Potter's mistreatment. Also how your twin brothers attacked the muggles." Bill sighed deeply then nodded once.

"They're not in trouble. Amelia Bones has decided she can't use an undocumented source to charge anyone. But no one has told your mother." The old king handed over a bottle. "The healers made her a healing and calming draught, figuring you'd need it. You can also tell her that Hogwarts' wards will now repel howlers."

"She's going to hate that," he muttered, looking at the bottle. "How bad?"

"Correct as far as Mr. Potter has said. The Ministry is keeping it quiet but there's two books now. They're talking about movies in the muggle press." Bill winced at that but nodded again. The old king handed over a smaller bottle. "For your own temper."

"Thank you, sir. I didn't want to cause myself a stroke." He took it and sighed as it started to work. "How correct?"

"Absolutely correct. Down to how to get into the Alley, the train, the school, what your mother was wearing when Dumbledore had her being loud in the train station to get attention from any muggleborns who were lost. All of it."

"Shite."

"Indeed. Your youngest two siblings may know. I'm sure they know thanks to Miss Granger. Your parents do not. Nor do the twins as far as I know."

"Charming."

"Use the potion on your mother before she destroys the house on her head."

"Thank you for thinking of her health, sir." He got up and bowed again. "I'll take my father to lunch with the sibs and warn Charlie on the way home to hide." He went to gather everyone to lunch. Percy didn't want to but he had made it an order. By the time he got out of the bank, he ran into them coming up the alley. "Dad, found out something. We've got to talk. All of us. I've got a calming potion for Mum."

"Who did what now?" Percy demanded.

Bill stared at him, then around then back at him. "Once we're in a private room at the Leaky, Perce." Percy huffed at that but they met up with the twins in there. Bill got them a room and took them up there with some butterbeers. He sealed and shielded the door. "Did we know about the books?"

"What books?" Percy demanded.

"There's rumors of a book series that outed the community," Arthur said.

"The former king of the horde called them absolutely correct." Arthur winced. "Down to what Mam was wearing in the train station while calling attention for any stranded muggleborn kids."

"Oh, dear," Arthur said, looking at the twins.

"I'm told Madam Bones will not be charging people," he said with a smirk for the twins. Who shrugged. "She claimed she can't verify it apparently." He looked at his father then at them. "How bad did you attack his relatives?"

"Tails," one said.

"Blown up a bit," the other said.

"Nothing too bad," they said in unison.

Bill sighed. "At least you're not in trouble." He looked at his father. "Also, there's no more howlers into Hogwarts. They upped the wards against them."

"Your mother is going to be peeved."

"The former King of the horde told me personally about that, Dad. He personally had the healers make Mam a calming draught." Arthur winced. He looked at the twins. "Do you know about them?"

"Read book one," George admitted. "Ron was mumbling a bit too much about it when Hermione or someone told him so we looked it up." He shifted to lean back.

His twin leaned forward. "It was scarily correct and Harry's got to be in a temper worse than yours or Ron's. It wasn't detailed but it was enough to know that his relatives were shite."

"Great," Bill said with a nod. "How open did it blow the community?"

"Everything. Perfectly correct down to the furniture," Fred said. "It was clearly one of us from before our year. Don't recognize the name though."

"Great," Arthur sighed. "No wonder they've been keeping it from us."

"Yeah, they didn't want Mam to die from the yelling," Bill said. "How do we want to tell her? Can we get her to drink the calming draught?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not likely unless we hide it in her tea and she'd probably throw it." He looked at his sons then at Bill again. "Telling Charlie?"

"Yup, on the way home to hide from Mam." The twins laughed. "So how do we do this since I got charged with telling her?"

Arthur nodded. "Let me summon her here, Bill. We can tell her and control her outburst then force the calming potion on her." He did that through the room's floo. George summoned the book to let Bill see it. It floated in just ahead of Molly walking in and hugging her boys. "Molly, sit." Bill reshielded the door and had her sit in the free chair that appeared.

"Mam, I got called up by the higher ups at the bank who wanted me to let you know about something," he said. He held up the book, making her snatch it and sneer at it. "They gave me a calming draught for you too, Mam. They're sure you shouldn't die of it."

She blinked at him. "Why would I? It's just another piece of trash about Harry's parents' death."

"No, it's not," George said. "That outs the community completely." She gasped.

"Down to the Dursleys, you attracting attention of muggle borns at the train, the school's furniture," Fred finished. His twin nodded to back him up. She hopped up to stare at him. They both nodded.

"There's been talk of it at the Ministry," Arthur said, getting up to hug her. "But they've been keeping it from us until after the kids went back to school."

She snatched it to look at the blurb on the back cover then growled. Bill held up the potion, which she tried to swat at. "I don't need that!"

"You do, Mum," Percy said. "You're red in the face and you're scaring me." She turned to stare at him. "Please take the calming draught, Mum. Please?" She huffed but did take it and it did calm her down. He looked at Bill. "Am I possessed?"

"No, you went to graduation and took the oath," Bill told him. "It's against the family's magic. I told them to not let you go, Perce."

"Can it be undone?"

"It's not a curse. The oath to support the Ministry goes against what the family's magic thinks is right." Percy sighed but nodded. "I can look into it, but I can't promise."

"He was more uptight before," Fred said.

"But less of a prick," George added. Bill swatted them both. Molly was reading the middle section and still growling. "Harry probably wants to beat someone. He asked if he could borrow a bat."

"I offered to let him use mine," Fred agreed happily, grinning at their mother when she glared at him. "We'd help hold them, Mum."

"I heard some aurors thinking you'd make good additions to their department," Arthur said.

The twins shook their heads but smiled. "Not a chance," they said together.

"Good." He looked at Percy. "Look in the ministry's archives, see what can break it and if it'll affect you, Percy. If you have to, you can move and work in another government or something if it'll help." Percy sighed but nodded at that. He looked at Bill. "Why you?"

"Because I can shield us all when Mam goes off. They said they were worried she'd bring the house down." Molly was still growling and getting more and more angry. "Also, Mam, no more howlers can get into Hogwarts. They fixed the wards apparently." He looked at the twins. "How correct?" They grinned and handed over their notes.

He read them and winced. "Oh. I might need another calming potion." He let his father see them. Yup, Arthur had a temper. They were going to have to pay for damages to the room. Molly's temper was going to blow soon too. Bill got them moved back to the house with the camp moving spell then took the others with them via the floo. Molly was out back yelling and screaming while attacking the trees in the orchard.

Enough was spilling over that the house had to have shields put on it to keep her magic out of it. Arthur sighed but went to calm her down. He was unconscious for the next three days. Bill made his apologies since Percy couldn't due to the loyalty to the Ministry oath. Bill got a small vacation at home holding the house together and trying to calm his mother down. The twins just went to hide in their new apartment to get away from her.

Bill showed up at the school once she was finally calm, asking politely to see his siblings up there. They both got shown into a room and noticed Bill looked exhausted. "Mam's finally calmed down after we told her about the books. Took three days. Dad's awake too."

Ron winced. "Mum go off?"

"Ya think?" Bill asked sarcastically. "This was overtop a calming potion the bank had their healers make, Ron." He looked at him. "I read those." Ron shrugged but grinned at him. "I'm going to beat you to death this summer then you'll be my apprentice to learn how to handle things, Ron. You too, Gin-Gin."

"Nope. I want to follow Charlie. But not with dragons."

Bill stared at her then nodded. "You still need the self defense lessons. If you go apprentice with Charlie, he can teach you." He looked Ron over again. "When I gave Harry those titles I expected you to read 'em too, Ron."

"I have. I can't do that meditative stuff."

"Uh-huh. Try harder, Ron." He gave him a pat on the cheek. "Be sure to call before the problem this year?"

"If we have one, I'll yelp. We think it'll be worse."

"Great. What was last years?"

"Um....Ministry battle?" he guessed then got out of touching distance.

"Excuse me?" Bill demanded. Ron shrugged but grinned again. "That won't save you. Mum knows now, Ron." He grinned.

"Then hell yeah I'm gonna hide with you all summer if I can!" He nodded. "Before she comes up here."

"If she rants that hard, the wards will knock her out," the headmaster said bluntly. "I've heard of her yelling." He looked at Bill. "It could be worse. They could have a war with just the three of them."

"I'd be there. My idiot twin brothers would be there."

"Ginny will probably be there," Ginny said dryly. "Though I get to paste the next one that says I should just marry Voldemort thanks to that possession."

"That's one way to kill him," Bill joked. "But I doubt it, Gin-Gin." He gave her a hug then Ron one, but also poked him hard. "Don't go to graduation."

"Nope, I heard why. Is Percy ever going to be normal again?"

"Not sure. I'm looking to see how to break that oath." He looked at Ginny, who just smiled and nodded. "Good." He nodded at the headmaster. "Should I share any good news with our parents?"

"No, they're about average students."

"That's fine. As long as they're finally learning something." He left to go visit his other brother. Charlie's dragon preserve was in the middle of nowhere. He grinned at Charlie's boss. "I need to tell Charlie stuff that'll piss him off at our sibs. Is he near here?"

"Out on the back fields with the one he named after your mother," the guy said with a smirk. "How bad?"

"Seen the books yet?"

"Yup."

"I had to tell the 'rents. No one else was willing to."

The guy pointed. "About twenty miles that way, mate." Bill nodded and pulled out his broom to fly that way. The supervisor went in to make sure they had an emergency kit for when Charlie lost his temper and got pounced by a dragon to cuddle into a better mood. They did like to do that to him.

Bill landed beside the only redhead he had seen so far, finding it was a woman. Who grinned and waved. "Where's my brother?"

"Charlie?" she bellowed. He came out of the trees doing up his shirt. "Think you got a visitor."

"Yup. Had to give Mam news that made her swear for three damn days." The brothers shared a look. "Seen the books yet?"

"Yup," he said with a nod. "Damn glad Ron's up there and not down here."

"I had to tell the 'rents."

"She survive and did Dad?"

"Knocked him out for three days by accident. The house was shielded enough but the orchard's going to take some redoing."

"Charming." Charlie sighed. "The twins?"

"They won't charge 'em."

"Even better."

"Ron's going to apprentice with me this summer. Gin-Gin wants to follow you but not into dragons."

"That'll be good." The nearest dragon licked him. He looked at her. "Thanks." He smiled and petted her. "Very sweet of you, dear." He looked at Bill again. "Any good news?"

"New headmaster's decent enough but mean sometimes. Not torturing this year. The walkout worked, the last guy who hated women was banished."

"Even better." He grinned, putting his hands into his pockets. "How bad was Mam?"

"The bank had me tell 'er. Gave me a calming and healing potion. She went far past the bounds. Two of the neighbors came to tell her to shut up. Lovegood's father was one. Said she had upset the typesetter." Charlie winced. "Hermione's parents know too, they read the books apparently. I talked to them when I ran into them.

"They were worried I'd snatch Hermione to work in a tomb. Told them she hated that sort of job. Too dirty." He grinned at his little brother. "But yeah, they're okay. Just really, really mad at Ron. Mam said that Harry could do it on his own but the twins argued about that. Thankfully they're living on their own too."

"Even better. Still going to paste Ron." The dragon that had licked him pounced him to cuddle and purr at, letting the other young dragons come to help her calm him down. He sighed. "I'm okay. I'm not mad. Calm down." He petted them then looked at Bill. "Did Ron survive you talking to him?"

"I'll get him when he's my apprentice this summer."

"Good! Could use the sense being shoved up his ass and into his brain." Bill laughed and the dragons snuggled better. "Have fun in Egypt, Bill."

"You too. They look very comforting." He disappeared, going back to his apartment.

Charlie looked at the dragons. "I'm okay. Really. You don't have to panic. It's just me. My brother's a moron." The female handler laughed at that. He got them calmed down and himself released from the cuddling until one of the barely hatched ran into him on purpose to knock him down to sit on him and have a nap. "Sure, you nap." He petted her too. She was sweet for now.

***

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