Sailor V's Summer Vacation

Grimmauld Place, Same Date and Time as the previous chapter

Mina was silent on the way through the entry hall, then started asking questions of the others as they got to the next landing beyond Walburga’s hearing, “So, what exactly is this Order thing? I’ve heard it mentioned several times over the last couple of days. Did someone say something about fighting? How can I help? Wait, your Mum sent us all upstairs, does that mean no kids allowed?”

Ron gestured to the nearest unoccupied room and all six of them went in, closing the door most of the way, “Well, it’s all the survivors of the people who fought You-Know-Who the last time, plus a few new faces like Tonks and Bill who were too young to join before. And our other brother Charlie is trying to recruit also, in Romania where he works at a Dragon Preserve.”

Mina sank into a chair with a sound halfway between an exasperated sigh and a chuckle, “Yes, but who is You-Know-Who? What’s this fighting about? Why is there a Second Wave of Fighters?”

Hermione took over, “Oh, honestly, Ronald, you forget that Mina knows less about the Wizarding World than Harry did when he arrived at Hogwarts. I wish he was awake, he’d want to hear what I’m about to say. I'll have to tell him again later. 'You-Know-Who' is a euphemism for the self-styled Lord V-Voldemort, formerly a student at Hogwarts named Tom Marvolo Riddle. Ginny and Harry encountered a possessed diary of his during Ginny’s First Year, Harry, Ron, and my Second. Though now that you mention it, the description you and Harry gave of that book sounds remarkably like what Mina and Bill recounted when dealing with the Horcrux this morning.”

She shook her head to clear the thoughts, “Later, we’ll get back to that later. Anyway, Riddle attended Hogwarts during WWII, alongside Professor McGonagall. I looked into him a lot after my Petrification, it was one of the things I used my Ministry-allocated Time-Turner for, and I'm so glad I did, even though it means I'll be turning eighteen on my birthday next month instead of seventeen like the Professors think, or sixteen according to my birth certificate. In any case, Riddle was trying to reform the Wizarding World, but his methods were… well, rather recidivist and decidedly similar to Gellert Grindelwald’s, the previous European Dark Lord that Professor Dumbledore defeated. The wizard wished to conquer the Muggles and force them to be subservient to Wizardkind. Riddle was, or rather is, insane. Why else would anyone make multiple Horcruxes?”

She started pacing in her agitation, hands flying, as she both lectured and voiced her thoughts to the rapt Mina and Weasleys, who were watching her with interest from various points around the room, “Ok, so Riddle grew up in Muggle London, during first the Great Depression after the Stock Market Crash of 1929 as well as the Blitz, which is what they called it when Nazi Germany dropped incendiary devices called bombs on London. I don't think he ever wanted to return to being alone and hungry and poor, so he created this persona of a powerful lord, got several influential people to follow him, and delved further into the Dark Arts than anyone has in millennia. It’s why his body looks so strange following that Resurrection Ritual, he'd deformed his soul so much over the decades that when he came back it was twisted and malformed to match.”

Hermione paused for breath, then continued rambling, “I had wondered about Harry’s description after the Graveyard, but now it all makes sense: every time you create a Horcrux, your soul divides. He must have made several, for him to look so far from human that people cower in terror at the mere mention of his name. Not to mention, his followers are called Death Eaters, and his fancy-sounding name is a corruption of the French phrase that in English means ‘Flight from Death’ or ‘Flight of Death.’ Either definition would work, honestly.” She stopped for breath and looked at the twins, who were sprawled on the hearth-rug, “I know you two are of age, Ron won’t stop complaining about you Apparating every chance you get. Can one of you conjure me a glass of water? My throat’s getting dry.”

They both chuckled at her and waved their wands, one intoning, “Accio Scyphus,” catching a goblet that flew through the partially open door, followed by the other one incanting, “Aguamenti,” filling the goblet with water and then they chorused “Wingardium Leviosa” and it floated almost cheekily into Hermione’s waiting hand.

“Cheers,” Hermione said as she took a sip, then continued pacing, careful not to spill as she walked and talked and drank, “Ok, so Riddle has his Death Eaters, he’s made an unknown amount of Horcruxes, and then at the height of his power, he hears from a spy that a child will be born who can overthrow him. This Seer has made two True Prophecies in her lifetime, once at this time, once at the end of my Third Year, when Wormtail was discovered to be alive.”

Several sounds of retching from all the Weasleys are heard, and Ron turned puce, as Mina gasped in shock. “I’ll explain more about Wormtail in a bit. Riddle only hears the first half of the prophecy, though, so he has two choices: go after Neville Longbottom, the Pureblood, born on July 30th, or hunt down Harry Potter, the Halfblood, born the next day on July 31st. Well, he decided on the boy with a Muggleborn mother, possibly out of hatred for his own Muggle upbringing. Sirius was supposed to be the Secret Keeper for the Fidelius they used, to keep themselves safe. As we,” and here she gestured vaguely around at her engrossed audience and then to the rest of the house in general, “now know, the Potters switched at the last moment, from Sirius to Peter Pettigrew. They thought it was a brilliant plan. Remus was off doing something else, so he didn’t know of the change.”

She exchanged a Significant Look with Mina and then continued hurriedly, “Oh, the Fidelius is a Charm, a ward of sorts, that hides a secret within the soul of another person. Riddle could have looked for decades, all over the world, for the Potters, and not found them even with his noseless face pressed up against the windowpane, and not seen them unless he was gifted the information by the Secret Keeper. Dumbledore’s the Secret Keeper for this house, we each got a small scrap of parchment with the address written on it from him when we first arrived, so we could see and interact with the place. Dunno why Sirius didn’t keep the job to himself, or give it to Remus, but there you have it. In any case, once the Potters were in hiding, they thought they were safe. Sadly, they weren’t. Pettigrew, in weakness, cowardice, and defiance of a decade of brotherhood, had betrayed them to the very person he was supposed to protect them from. Riddle found their house, killed James and Lily, and then tried to kill Harry. People assume it’s because Lily sacrificed herself to save her son that he survived, and turned Riddle into a wraith. That’s Olde Magicke, something she would have needed time and books to study.”

She glanced towards the ceiling, in the direction of the Black Family Library, “Well, as the wife of James she would have had access to the entire Potter fortune, as well as anything Sirius was able to smuggle out of here before he left at sixteen. Possibly she found something in there. In any case, Harry survived, though with an accidental Horcrux burned into his head. We have mostly no idea what happened to him between that and Hagrid arriving at Privet Drive. There’s nearly a full twenty-four hours missing between the attack and Harry being left with the Dursleys. Who knows where Harry was during that time. Sirius was distraught, he’d just found his bonded brother and sister dead and wasn’t thinking straight, or he would never have abandoned his duties as godfather.”

At Mina’s quizzical noise, she smiled, “It’s another of the Olde Magicke laws, godfather has nearly the same rights and privileges over a child as the birth parents themselves. It was a measure of safety, during The Burning Times, when Muggles hunted Wizardkind for sport. So Sirius handed young Harry, barely fifteen months old, off to Hagrid along with his flying motorbike, and then went and tracked Pettigrew down. Pettigrew faked his death, and murdered twelve Muggles in the process, pinning all the blame for fifteen dead bodies on Sirius. I’ve looked and looked, but can’t find evidence of a trial for Sirius."

Hermione's hair began to frizz as she tried to reign in her temper, "He was taken directly from that Muggle street to the Dementors at Azkaban, laughing and crying maniacally. Dumbledore keeps blocking attempts to re-open the issue, too, always with a kindly twinkle and an explanation that seems perfectly sound at the time. I’ve spoken with Remus extensively since moving in here a month ago, and he says it was Dumbledore who would have performed the spells of protection and concealment over the Potters’ house, none of the five of them would have had the experience to do it yet. Something fishy is going on, and we need to find out what.”

Hermione stopped to catch her breath and empty the goblet, which one of the twins pointed his wand at and said, “Aguamenti” in a hushed tone.

She toasted him with another sip and went on, “I’m not saying don’t trust your parents, but don’t trust blindly. I’m sure Harry would agree with me, he’s been so angry with Dumbledore himself, mewing him up at Privet Drive for over a month without word of anything. He even told Hedwig to attack us to get information. Poor kid, he’s had such a hard life. I often wonder what would have happened differently if we could have prevented him from going back there all these years, or even have gone there at all. Certainly, he wouldn’t have had the Improper Use of Magic Office come down on him two out of three times something happened. At least, not as hard as they have over this last occurrence."

"Hermione," Ron interjected, "I repeat my question of Third Year: when, by Merlin's saggy pants, did you find time to sleep and do all your homework? Because not even the Aurors work this hard."

The twins had sat bolt upright bookending the fireplace, as if two gargoyles on a church steeple. "Hermione,-"

"-you sound-"

"-as if-"

"-you didn't-"

"-turn in-"

"-the Time-Turner," they chorused.

"Does that-"

"-mean that-"

"-you still-"

"-have it with you?" They chorused again, then each held out a hand like eager puppies looking for a treat.

Hermione blushed as she avoided everyone's eyes, "Well, yes, I do still have it, but I only use it once a week now, instead of every day as I did back in Third Year. I could probably sit my O.W.L.S. today, if they were offered, and take the N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year with you two." She flapped a hand at Fred and George, "And no, you're not getting your grubby paws on this. The only reason I still have it is that I learnt the Duplicating Charm in Third Year during one of my extra weeks and handed in a phony. They never even checked it to make sure it was the real thing."

Here she huffed at the incompetence of the Ministry. "Well, it's worked in my, or rather our, favor the past year. I managed to convince my parents to take me around to Vauxhall last summer, since it's an easy drive for them. The orphanage Riddle must have grown up in has been flattened, and replaced with an office block. I managed to pick up faint traces of magic, they must have been horribly strong when they were first cast decades ago. Perhaps we can get Bill to ferret out what they were for? I'm honestly surprised a Muggle institution had any in the first place. All but one of the pieces of information I needed to tie all this together fell into my lap this summer. When Harry came back from V-voldemort's resurrection, he had all sorts of interesting tidbits for me. Like the fact that Tom Riddle was the name of the Muggle parent, and that the mother was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. I don't have the name of the witch mother, but I'll get it eventually." 

She grinned around the room, "Or maybe I'll just send Rita Skeeter to look for it for me. She owes me allegiance, for not ratting her out to the Ministry. I still might, I haven't decided." At Mina's completely blank look, Hermione chuckled, "Rita Skeeter is a reporter for the Wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, and also another illegal Animagus like Sirius, Wormtail, and Harry's Dad was. In Skeeter's case, she's a beetle, and it's how she was able to get several juicy bits of gossip to string into investigative journalistic articles all these years. Right now she's in an Unbreakable jam jar up in our room. It's also got spells on it to automatically give her food and water every two days."

They all stared at her, then started chuckling as Ginny exploded, "Those are for sure N.E.W.T.-level Charms, Hermione. Why, in the name of Beedle's Bardic Bunions, weren't you a Ravenclaw like Luna??! You could have protected her our First Year when I was too busy being possessed by that thrice-damned Horcrux!!!"

The smiles slid off everyone's faces as Ginny continued to rail at Hermione, her face turning as red as her hair, "Her housemates steal from her, call her names like 'Loony,' even go so far as to hide her bloody shoes when there's snow on the ground, and the Professors are all blind to it! Much like Snape does with all the Slytherins. I've tried time and again to get her to go to Professor Flitwick as Head of Ravenclaw, or Professor McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress, but she refuses. Just says in that wispy way of hers that she doesn't want to cause any trouble, and things will sort themselves out before the school year ends and the train takes us home." Ginny was the one pacing now, as Hermione had sunk into a chair, aghast at what they were all hearing, "I'll sneak into Ravenclaw Tower if I have to, but this year, I'm not waiting for them to attack her. She will be protected, I swear by my wand and my magic." The air sparkled around her as Mother Magic accepted her vow.

"Blimey, Gin," the left-hand twin said when the sparkles had faded, "You-"

"-certainly-"

"-know how to-"

"-put on a show."

Both twins crossed their wands and intoned solemnly, "I swear by my wand and my magic to help protect those who need protecting this year." They, too, sparkled as Mother Magic accepted their vows.

Hermione stifled a chuckle to raise her wand in Mina's direction, who raised her Venus Transformation Wand in slight confusion but readiness, as Ron leaned over and joined them, the three of them reciting in unison, "I swear by my wand and my magic to help protect those who need protecting this year." Rainbow crescent moons exploded around them into sparkles as Mother Magic put on a show of accepting their vows.

Ginny, her face as red as her hair again, albeit in embarrassment this time instead of anger, rushed over and hugged first the twins, then the other three, "You didn't have to bind yourself to my cause, you guys. But thank you. That was pretty flash, you three. Any reason why yours looked different?"

Hermione looked thoughtful as Ron gave her a bewildered look and Mina seemed puzzled, "It must have been because Mina already fights to protect the innocent, and is Princess of the Planet Venus. And to answer the question you posited before you started growling, it's because I convinced the Hat I'd be better somewhere else. Ravenclaw was expected, you see, or possibly Hufflepuff. 'Brainy, know-it-all, bookworm, study robot, snob.' I've heard it all from kids in primary school. I wanted to be different, and told the Hat so. He must have agreed, because he told me I'd find my true friends in Gryffindor."

She sighed and continued, "I'd also like to point out, Ginny, that ours are somewhat different from your own vow. Your oath is only to Luna. But the five of us swore to protect 'those who need protecting,' which by the letter of the law could mean anything from stopping someone from getting a papercut all the way through to stepping in front of an Avada for them. We all swore to do this until the end of the year, which Magic could take to mean stops at New Year's or allows us to continue until next June. I'll have to start looking into whether or not we can make amendments, such as reasonable things we don't have to shield from, before we're pulled into a situation that gets all six of us standing in front of the International Confederation of Wizards for breaking the Statue of Secrecy."

Mina looked shocked, then angry, "I haven't been charged before with breaking this Statute, and I've been using my Venus powers for nearly three years now. I'll remind them of that, if they ever try to pull that stunt on me. Are they that fundamentally different from the way you guys work your magic?" She bristled, literally sprouting feathers along her arms in her ire. The others eyed her in fascination.

Instead of answering directly, Hermione returned with another question, "May I see your wand for a moment, Cousin?"

Mina handed it over curiously, the four Weasleys watching avidly, "Yes, but why?"

Hermione squinted closely at it, then looked at the twins, "I'm not allowed to cast magic legally until at least six weeks from now. If you could, please, run some diagnostic spells, as well as a Magus Colorum and a Visibilis Imaginis? Do it twice each, once on Mina and her wand, and then on me and mine. I'd like to see if there's a difference in our auras."

Fred and George exchanged glances, "Hermione, we-"

"-don't know-"

"-either of-"

"-those last-"

"-two spells. Can-"

"-you show us-"

"-the wand movements?"

Hermione laughed, "Oh, sorry. You do like so," she waved her wand in a sunburst pattern, "for the Colorum and do this," she wiggled it like ocean waves, "for the Visibilis. I'm guessing you two already know the three basic Diagnostic Charms?" She handed Mina's wand back to her as the twins nodded in unison, remarking, "Can you retract those, or do they fall out like one of Fred and George's Canary Creams?"

Mina looked down at her arms in surprise, "I, ah, I'm not sure. I've only been a Veela for a day, you know." She closed her eyes and screwed up her face, concentrating hard, and the larger feathers drifted to the floor as the small ones slid back inside her skin. She opened her eyes and held up an arm, "Interesting. I wonder what other tricks I have." She laughed as she got up from the couch and stood next to Hermione.

Fred and George stood up and faced the now-cousins, pointing their wands at the girls. Ron and Ginny watched, openmouthed, as they began to cast in unison. “Aparecium. Revelio. Specialis Revelio. Magus Colorum. Visibilis Imaginis.” The four Weasleys’ eyes grew round as the results from the five spells were displayed. Hermione’s aura was mostly gold, with a few flickers of white and green. Mina’s, however, was a riot of all the colors in a rainbow, and several that Hermione was sure she had read about as being theoretical. “Hermione,” the twins started,

“-we’ve never-“

“-seen anything-“

“-like this before.”

“Yeah, some of-“

“-these colors shouldn’t-“

“-even be possible.”

“Not to mention,”

“-there are more-“

“-of them we can’t-“

“-even see with-“

“-the naked eye. But-“

“-they show up on the-“

“-Diagnostic parchment.”

Fred waved his empty hand at the parchment furling to either side of them, filling up with sentences too fast for any of them to read. “I wonder-“

“-how the two of us-“

“-would look. If we-“

“-would be the same-“

“-on parchment-“

“-as we are physically.”

Hermione giggled, “I’m sure you’d be different, Fred. I’ve noticed that you seem to favor Charms and Transfiguration for your pranks, while George over there has a preference for potion-based ones. Tricky combination, that. Are your wands identical?”

The four Weasleys once again gazed at her in awe. Fred finally answered, “No, they’re not. Mine is alder and dragon heartstring.”

George chimed in, “And mine is beech and unicorn hair.”

Ginny piped up, “Mine is yew and phoenix feather.”

Ron concluded, “And I have willow and unicorn hair.”

Hermione hummed in acknowledgment, “I have vine and dragon heartstring, and Harry’s is holly and phoenix feather.”

She looked at Mina, who shrugged, “I’m not sure, Artemis didn’t go into specifics when he gave it to me.” Mina held the wand out, which was certainly different in shape and configuration to anything the Wizarding World had ever seen.

Hermione took it as their auras faded from view, “Hmmm, fascinating. I’ve never seen a wand that incorporated gemstones before. What does the Diagnostic parchment say about it?”

Ginny, being closest, grabbed Mina’s parchment from where it was still floating in mid-air and scanned it, “This says it has four elements, whereas normally a Wizarding wand only has two, or possibly three. Her wand is made up of applewood, orange jade, 24-carat gold, and,” her eyebrows raised so high they disappeared into her hair, “-what is a Mau? Your wand’s core is Mau’s hair.”

Mina giggled, “The scan is confused. Mau is both the name for a breed of housecat originally bred in Egypt and the planet Artemis’s species was from. I’m guessing Artemis used one of his own hairs to make that. But what does it mean, Professor Cousin, that I have four wand components?”

The Weasleys all chuckled at Mina’s nickname for Hermione, who blushed and handed the wand back, “Well, I’m not well-versed in wand-lore, it’s not something I’ve had the time to study too much on, but I think you’ll be able to perform more complicated spells more easily, if and when you begin training as a witch. And the fact that you have an extraterrestrial ingredient for the core… um… I’m guessing that part’s the reason you’re Sailor V. I’d hazard a wager that when you find the rest of your team, they’ll also have cores of Mau’s hair for their wands. And, to use the Muggle expression, this is coded down to the atomic and binary level, programmed specifically for you. Like Wizarding wands made of acacia and aspen, it simply will not work for anyone else.”

“Hermione, if this is what you’re like when you barely know anything about the subject, you should have a Mastery within two years,” Ginny said in awe.

“She’s right, you know,” Ron agreed, “There’s nothing standing in your way of becoming the youngest Wandmistress in history. Or anything you decide to study for your Mastery, honestly.”

Hermione frowned at them, “Nothing standing in my way? Did you forget that there’s a war on? Death Eaters who would Avada me as soon as look at me? Or worse, turn me into a slave, like Jabba did with Princess Leia.”

“Who?” the four Weasleys chorused.

Mina giggled, “I’m guessing you don’t know the saga of Star Wars. It’s a pretty popular set of movies and books in the non-magical world.”

“What is a movie?” Ginny asked curiously.

“A movie is like a play, except you don’t have to be in a theatre to experience it. Oh, I wish technology worked, I’d love to show you the three Star Wars movies.” It was Hermione’s turn to giggle, “Dumbledore is like Ben Kenobi, Harry is cast as Luke Skywalker, and Riddle would be the Emperor Palpatine.”

“Why wouldn’t Riddle be Darth Vader instead?” Mina asked earnestly, “he certainly fits the profile.”

“Because I’m not sure Riddle was ever a good person, and Vader started out as Anakin Skywalker,” Hermione replied simply.

Mina’s eyes went round as she slumped in a chair, voice going hoarse, “Two from one, wrest cruelly apart. Three from two, leaving the youngest alone. The Children of the Serpent shall be reunited, and hearts shall heal in the shadow of the castle. Beware the old bee, for he is not what he seems, and look in the musical field for the twinned Heirs.” She sagged as the fit passed, then looked around at Hermione and the Weasleys, who were blinking in shock at her.

George recovered first, “I didn’t know Veela could predict the future.”

Mina looked at him, confused, “What are you talking about?”

Hermione had grabbed Mina’s Diagnostic Parchment and was furiously scribbling down Mina’s words, so Ginny spoke up, “Mina, you gave a prophecy. Something about the Children of the Serpent reuniting, and a warning about an old bee.”

Fred was next to recover, exchanging glances with George as they fell back into their doublespeak, “You also said-“

“-something about-“

“-twin heirs being found.”

George continued, “It also sounded-“

“-like the whole thing-“

“-started with a-“

“-pair of twins-“

“-who were separated,” George concluded, frowning. “I wonder-“

“-how that happened.” Fred finished angrily.

Mina looked between Fred and George, who were both fuming by this point, “Is it really such a big problem to separate twins?”

Ginny nodded, “Magical twins, even if they’re fraternal, have a special bond. I remember Mum talking about her older brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They always just knew if the other was in danger, and sometimes one would actually speak through the other, even if they were far apart physically.”

Mina and Hermione exchanged glances, as Hermione spoke, “That sounds like telepathy. Can you two do that? Fred? George? You are half Prewett, after all, and wouldn’t you technically be the heirs of the Prewett Seat on the Wizengamot? The family is deceased in the male line, after all.”

Fred and George shrugged, “We don’t know. We’ve-“

“-never been apart-“

“-long enough for it-“

“-to be an issue. Plus-“

“-Mum and Dad have-“

“-never brought it up.”

Mina frowned, “Sounds as if you two had better ask Sirius what’s to be expected. I’m guessing seventeen is Of Age amongst you, I wonder why nothing’s been said now that you’re old enough.”

Ginny shook her head, “I remember reading somewhere that you’re not eligible to take up your Wizengamot seat until you’re at least twenty. Some Families wait until the Heir is twenty-five, even. I think Harry technically already is recognized as the Lord, instead of the Heir, but he’s always been a special case.”

A groggy-looking Harry entered the room as Ginny was speaking, escorted by Artemis. “What’s this about me? I hate being special, you all know this.”

Hermione smiled wanly, “I know you do, Ginny was just saying that you’re technically Lord Potter because of your special circumstances.”

Harry sighed as he sat in one of the chairs, “Another thing no one’s ever explained to me. I haven’t spent enough time in the Wizarding World for any sort of education in politicking, except for that one summer before Third Year when I ran away from the Dursleys after accidentally blowing up Aunt Marge, and nobody was talking about stuff like that then.”

Mina frowned, “Why would you be kept from that information? Unless someone benefits from you being unprepared.”

Ginny bounced out of her chair, excited, “Mina, your prophecy said to ‘beware the old bee, for he is not what he seems.’ What if Dumbledore is behind it? He’s certainly got his fingers in enough pies to be running all sorts of schemes. And he’s the one who decided you had to go to the Dursleys.”

Artemis had curled up on the hearth-rug by this time, next to Fred and George, and he raised his head, “He’s downstairs right now with a bunch of other people. He tastes funny. Crookshanks agrees.” His whiskers twitched, “It’s strange, he almost tastes… cold. Like winter on a mountaintop. But that’s overlaid by many other scents. Lemon from some sort of candy he carries. Fire and feathers, I think there’s a bird he associates with. And parchment, very old. If I didn’t know any better,” here he stopped and sniffed the nearest person, who happened to be Fred, then continued, “I’d say he’s in disguise. And you, my fine ginger friend, are hiding something from the rest of the group. You taste apprehensive, but also relieved.”

Fred blushed, “I, er, might be hiding something.”

George looked at him over Artemis’s head, slightly bewildered, “You are? Freddie, I’m wounded! You know you can tell me anything.”

Fred looked uncomfortable, “Well, um, I wasn’t sure how it would go over, but after breakfast this morning…” His voice petered out, and then he looked at Harry, “I appreciate your bravery, littlest brother. I’ve always been too scared to tell people. But now…” He took a deep breath, “I don’t much like girls either. Asked Angelina to the Ball only because I was too shy to ask the person I wanted.” He looked at his hands, fiddling with his wand, as he continued, nearly whispering, “He’s also graduated, and I didn’t know if it would be allowed to bring a former student.”

George grinned at Fred, “Ohhhhhh, I see! You fancy Ollie!” Fred went redder than Ginny had as he nodded, speechless, as George explained to Mina, “Oliver Wood was the Captain of our Quidditch team, and almost as good a Keeper as Bill. He’s a reserve for one of the professional teams now, and also straighter than Harry’s Firebolt, sadly for Freddie over there. I should have known you’d go for the big, strong, athletic type. Does this mean I get to ask Angie out properly now?” Fred shot a wordless Stinging Hex at George as the others chuckled.

"Anyway," Harry raised his voice over the laughter, "what have I missed? Uncle Remmy and Uncle Siri couldn't say much before they rushed off to the Order meeting."

"Other than comparing Wizarding fairy tales with Muggle ones during meals, we've been cleaning house most of the day," Hermione spoke up, "We took care of one of the other sitting rooms before lunch, and after lunch there was an infestation of Doxies in one of the upstairs drawing rooms that took us until teatime to sort out. Bill returned from the bank in time to help us finish off the Doxy room."

"Bill went to the bank?" Harry asked quizzically. "Why?"

"Because he had to report the Horcrux he removed from your forehead," Ginny replied simply. "Mum asked him if he was going to inform the Ministry as well, but he said with the way they've been bungling Cedric's death he didn't trust them as far as Mina's whip could throw them."

Artemis spoke up from his position on the hearth rug, "This entire house tastes foul, I don't know how you humans can stand to live here." He washed his face, his tail twitching, "And one of the other rooms makes my fur stand on end. It's that one with the big glass-fronted cabinet, I poked my nose in there and nearly bit my own whiskers off. Crookshanks won't go near that room either." He looked up at Harry, his big blue eyes serious in his white fur, "It scares me, like the scar on your forehead did when Bill was removing the soul fragment."

They all gasped at this, Hermione as usual shaking off her shock the fastest, "You think perhaps there's a second Horcrux hidden in this house, Artemis? That, plus Harry's scar, plus the Diary, would make three." She began pacing again, "I get the feeling, from Harry's description of that pet snake, that she's another one. I wonder exactly how many Riddle's made in total. I may have to up my doubled time to three days a week instead of one, in order to get all my research done properly."

"Hermione, you know-"

"-they won't let you-"

"-use the Time-Turner-"

"-during your O.W.L.S. The-"

"-Ministry would consider-"

"-it cheating, big time." Fred and George looked at her.

Harry looked around the room at the other teenagers, "What's all this about a Time-Turner? I thought you gave it back to Professor McGonagall a year ago."

Hermione shook her head, "No, I gave them a phony, and they never checked it. I've been using it to do research into Tom Riddle's past." She quickly gave Harry and Artemis the rundown of what she'd already told Mina and the Weasleys, Artemis listening intently.

Harry frowned after she finished, "That's a lot of threads to weave together, 'Mione. But then, you always have been the cleverest witch of our age." He looked down at Artemis, "Do you think we should tell them before or after dinner about that room that makes you so concerned?"

"Oh!" Mina exclaimed, "If taking care of the possible Horcrux in that room goes for anywhere near as long as the one this morning, we should probably wait until tomorrow. You and I have that meeting with Alan, Da, Bill, and the Aurors after dinner, Harry."

"But if we tell Bill tonight," Ginny commented, "he might be able to identify which item it is swiftly, and take it to the goblins for disposal."

"You have a point, Gin." Ron agreed, "I vote we do it. Maybe getting it out of the house, at least, will make this place seem more hospitable."

"Get what out of the house?" Remus asked as he knocked on the door, which Harry and Artemis had left ajar when they entered. "I was coming to tell you the Order meeting's finished, and Molly's starting dinner." Sirius followed in after him.

The seven teenagers exchanged glances, before Mina spoke up, "Artemis thinks there may be another Horcrux in the house. He said he and Crookshanks are avoiding that room with the big glass-fronted cabinet."

Artemis nodded, "Yeah, my fur feels electrified whenever I go near it, same with Crookshanks. We cats are more sensitive to magic than most other animals. Your friend Bill could probably tell you of when cats were worshipped as gods." He suddenly looked nervous, "My cousin was one of them. Bastet, goddess of beauty, magic, and sex, amongst other things."

Hermione blinked, "I've heard of her, she was a very prominent being at Hamenaptra. She and her twin sister Sekhmet were opposite sides of a coin, so the stories say."

Artemis rolled his eyes at this, "Bastet and Sekhmet were feuding over who would get to marry Ptah, the old frog. After Mettie finally won, Bast took a self-imposed exile to Earth. I believe she may have, ah, used her powers as a fertility goddess to 'convince' some of her priests into her bed on several occasions." He blushed a bit at this, his fur turning pink, and went on hurriedly, "Her children from such unions were the first feline shapeshifters. I don't know where canine shifters came from, though I believe Anubis and Fenrir each had a hand in their creation. Probably together, they were a couple for a very long time, until Ragnarok happened. Bird shifters come from several gods, and so do snakes." He glanced at Mina, "I'd say you're a descendant of Thoth, or possibly Athena or the Morrigan."

Remus stilled at his words, "You mean the jackal-lord of the Egyptian dead and the Norse wolf of destruction are my ancestors?"

Artemis licked his paw and started grooming his tail, "Yes, of course, at least one of them, possibly both. I thought you knew that. Why else can wizards have children, or shapeshift into other creatures? Those with the Bearer Gene are the direct descendants of gods. You would have been able to do both even without getting turned into a werewolf, though that made it easier for both of the genes to activate." He glanced at Harry, "You're one too, kid, but not a canid. I smell scales on you, probably a snake of some sort."

Sirius interjected, "So all the trouble James and Wormtail and I went through to become Animagi was simply to make these 'genes' of yours wake up?" He turned into Padfoot and then back again, "Was I supposed to become a dog all along? And what about James? He was a stag, and yet you say Harry here is supposed to be a snake. How does that all fit?"

Artemis shrugged, "I smell fur on you, so you could probably have become a dog or something similar anyway. I can't tell for sure, since this James isn't here, but I'm guessing the Animagus thing overrode his innate snakeness for something helpful to the werewolf infection in your motherly friend here."

The Weasley teenagers were thunderstruck as Hermione glared at Artemis, who was by this time licking one of his back legs, "You insensitive furball," she hissed out. She glanced at Remus, who nodded slowly and closed the door behind him silently, then continued, "That information was supposed to be confidential. But seeing as you've let the cat out of the bag, yes, Remus has children, and they were fathered by another wizard. No, I'm not saying who."

Remus sighed, scrubbing his face with one hand, "We may as well tell them everything, Hermione. My first soulmate was Regulus Arcturus Black, Sirius's younger brother. Our twins were born the year your parents and I graduated." He looked at Harry guiltily, "Lily and I were pregnant at the same time. I gave birth on Mabon, September 21st, to two lovely boys named Gwydion Rhys and Gareth Arthell. Your older siblings came along on Samhain."

Harry's green eyes blazed at Remus, "My siblings??! What the fuck do you mean, my siblings? I'm an only child, everyone in Britain knows that!" 

Remus nodded sadly, "Yes, the firstborn child of Lily and James is Melantha Alaina. Melantha comes from the naming conventions of your mother's family, it's old Greek for 'dark flower,' and Alaina is German for Stone. Your older brother was named Elrond Fleamont, for your mother's favorite book character and your grandfather." Hermione and Mina giggled at the names. His face grew haggard as he continued, "The night Voldemort attacked your house, Mel and El were with me and my boys, along with your nanny, Angela Agnes Bones MacKillip. A good thing, too, otherwise we wouldn't be here right now. My house wasn't under Fidelius, Dumbledore didn't deem it necessary, but we had other wards up. One of the alarms was tripped, and Aggie used blood magic to help the five of us escape. She didn't survive the Death Eater attack, but her sacrifice allowed us to get to the nearest House of Medusa."

Ginny looked excited, "I've heard of them! They help witches and orphans who have been injured get away from their abusers."

Remus nodded, smiling slightly, "Ten points to Gryffindor. They also help wizards, and I'm so lucky they do. I and the four four-year-olds were smuggled out of England through their private Floo network. We arrived at the Salem Witches' Institute in Massachusetts with nothing but some packs Lily had Charmed for emergencies. From there we were passed along the Medusan Network until we reached Songsmith, a Wizarding school in the heart of the Midwest. And who should we meet there but one Seannan Westing. This witch has a triple Mastery in Charms, Healing, and Defense Against the Dark Arts." He took a deep breath and looked Harry solemnly in the eyes, "She used to be known as Ariana Odette Dumbledore Potter. I had no idea your grandmother had survived her bout of dragonpox until I arrived at Songsmith, I swear it."

Harry started shaking, "Remus, I'm not sure I can take many more bombshells like this. So I have an older brother and sister, who are alive and well. A grandmother, who is also alive and well. Albus Dumbledore is my great-grandfather. And I was still forced to return to the Dursleys each summer??!" Small lightning bolts began to gather at his fingertips in his agitation.

"Harry, you have to understand, Albus Dumbledore doesn't know any of them are alive. He thinks Mel and El, along with my own boys Gwydion and Gareth, and even your grandmother, are dead. Besides, there's more to the story. Ariana was born as Theia Marie Riddle." There was an uproar from all seven teenagers and one talking cat at Remus's pronouncement, Sirius standing stoically next to the door.

Bill chose that moment to enter the room without knocking, "Hey, what's the holdup? Mum says dinner's almost ready."

Harry ignored Bill and glared at Sirius, absolutely furious, as Fred and George and even Remus hastily cast Silencing Charms on the room, and Sirius waved a hand to somehow use Black Family Magic, "Oh, nothing much. Just Remus telling me I have a living family in America. And that I'm somehow related to Voldemort."

Sirius raised his hands placatingly, "I didn't know about the Voldemort part, honest! And I haven't seen your siblings since their fourth birthday."

"But you still knew I wasn't an only child. You still watched me as I grew closer to the Weasleys, envious of their family, and knew that I had some of my own." The lightning bolts at Harry's fingertips began to pulse. "When were you planning on telling me, you two? When I came of age, and Gringotts told me that I couldn't inherit the Potter Seat because there was an older brother with a better claim to it? Or were you hoping I would never find out?" The four Weasleys, Mina, and Hermione ducked behind various items of furniture as the lightning bolts began to shoot out in all directions.

"Harry, please. I'll bring them over after your trial, if you wish to meet them, but we have to be very careful. All of you are in grave danger, from several enemies." Remus held out his empty hands pleadingly.

Hermione piped up from behind one of the overstuffed chairs, "I think this is related to the prophecy Mina gave earlier! George, can you grab the scroll and read it to them?"

George nodded, yelling, "Accio Mina's Scroll!" and it flew into his hand. "Listen, you four. While Harry was sleeping under Artemis's eye and you two mutts were in that meeting, Mina had one of Trelawney's fits! 'Two from one, wrest cruelly apart. Three from two, leaving the youngest alone. The Children of the Serpent shall be reunited, and hearts shall heal in the shadow of the castle. Beware the old bee, for he is not what he seems, and look in the musical field for the twinned Heirs.' The second line is obviously about Harry and his brother and sister and their parents."

Fred took up the explanation, "Yeah, and if you say Harry's Grandmum used to be a Riddle, it fits the first line. I'm guessing the last line about the Twinned Heirs is talking about the Riddles, the Potters, and your two, Remus. Three sets of magical twins."

Ginny continued, shaking slightly, "'The Children of the Serpent shall be reunited' probably means all of you Heirs of Slytherin will get together, and 'in the shadow of the castle' most likely means at Hogwarts herself."

Ron had a shrewd look on his face, as if he was playing against McGonagall's giant chess set again, "'Beware the old bee, for he is not what he seems.' Artemis told us that the Dumbledore downstairs smells like he's wearing a disguise, tastes like winter on a mountaintop. What if he's right? What if that's not Albus Percival whatever Dumbledore of the many titles? Who could it be? And what’s his endgame?"

Remus glanced at Harry, who was slowly calming down, then turned his full attention to Ron, "That's a very interesting hypothesis, Ron. Hogwarts' curricula have been sliding downhill for several decades now. I was shocked to discover when I was your teacher last year that several courses we'd gone to school with had been removed. There are also books missing from the library that I recall checking out as a prefect. It would appear that this Dumbledore, or whoever he truly is, is systematically reducing the amount of knowledge available, and altering what is left. Did you know, my class was the last one to attain N.E.W.T.S. in History? Binns is even more atrocious now than he was in our day."

Hermione gasped, "History is written by the victors, Remus! Or, rather, rewritten to make themselves look good. I wonder what this person's endgame is."

Ginny said in a small voice, "He said my possession was a sacrifice for the Greater Good of us all. It almost felt like he was glad that Morgana-damned Diary nearly killed me."

Remus staggered, "For the Greater Good was Gellert Grindelwald's mantra."

Fred and George looked murderous, "Do you think-"

"-that instead of-"

"-Dumbledore we-"

"-have Grindelwald-"

"-in disguise-"

"-running our school? If-"

"-so, how do we-"

"-unmask him and-"

"-prove it to everyone?"

Sirius growled like his Animagus form, "I'd like to go confront him right now, but that would do none of us any good. I've learnt my lesson from fourteen years ago."

Mina spoke up hesitantly, “What about Mrs. Potter, or Westing, or whatever her name is? Shouldn’t she be here as well? I wonder if she knows anything about this possible switch. Do you think she would help us with the Voldemort problem? You said she was a Healer, could she fix his insanity? Oh, wait, you said there was no such thing as Mindhealing. But she could at least fix his noselessness, right? Is she an Animagus or shapeshifter as well?”

They all stared at her, before Remus started to chuckle, “Mina-mine, you are brilliant, you are. I’ll write at once and see if they can come over from Nebraska next week.” He started pacing, “They can’t stay here, of course, I doubt Dumblewald will allow any of them to enter the Fidelius, but there are other properties we can hide them on. We’ll have to get Magistra Archon’s permission for them to transfer, but if we partially explain things to Amelia Bones and the Board of Governors I see no reason why they can’t finish their schooling at Hogwarts.” He ignored the shapeshifter question.

Sirius grinned, “I’d love to see Mother Potter again, she took me in when I ran away from this place at sixteen. I was very sad when she and your grandfather Fleamont contracted dragonpox the year before you were born, Harry.” He moved in close and laid a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder, who startled like a skittish colt, then relaxed and allowed Sirius to pull him into a hug, hiding his face in Sirius’s chest and starting to cry. “There, there, Prongslet, you’ll meet her soon enough. I have no doubt she’ll love you as soon as she lays eyes on you.”

Remus went and hugged Harry from the other side, “Too right, Padfoot, she already does. I’ve been keeping the five of them updated as well as I can, ever since I was a teacher up at Hogwarts and got back in touch with Harry two years ago. They’re all very excited to meet you, I’ll just tell them the reunion has been moved forward. It was always planned for us to return permanently, you see, this conversation has just expedited it.”

Fred and George looked from Sirius to Remus and then at each other. “Hang on, you-“

“-said Prongslet, and-“

“-Padfoot. Are you the-“

“-Hogwarts Marauders? We-“

“-nicked your map from-“

“-Filch our first year. And-“

“-gave it to Harry when-“

“-Remus was our teacher.”

Remus chuckled, “Yes, and I’m Moony. Harry, Hermione, and Ron have known for a year. Sirius and James and our other roommate became illegal underage Animagi in order to keep me company, keep me sane, during my full-moon transformations. I wonder where the other copies of that map are.”

Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise, “You mean you made more than one?”

Sirius nodded, “Yeah, all four of us had a copy, and Lily got one as well, eventually. It’s a complex weave of spells and potions to make the map update itself as Hogwarts changes. I believe it was even Lily’s idea to alter it to show the ghosts in a different script than the living. Anyway, Wormtail’s copy is the one you Weasleys found, the rat had lost it before we even graduated. Mine was confiscated and destroyed by the Ministry without knowing what it was when I was carted off to Azkaban. James and Lily’s copies are probably somewhere in the house at Godric’s Hollow, unless Dumblewald downstairs thought to send their belongings to Petunia or Gringotts.”

Remus concluded, “And mine is in Nebraska at the moment. I should pay a visit to Tuney and see if she was given anything that she’s hidden from our Harry.”

“Careful,” Harry’s voice came, somewhat muffled as he was still hiding his face, “they hate magic, and anything magic related. I wouldn’t put it past them to have tossed or burnt everything just out of spite.”

Remus squeezed Harry’s shoulders before separating from him and Sirius, “If there’s anything still in the house that belonged to your parents, Cub, I’ll find it. Hermione, Mina, care for another adventure tomorrow?” He had a feral grin on his face, one that was matched by Sirius and, after a moment, it spread to the others.

“Sure, Da, I’ll read the stuff Lady Healer Stonebreaker gave me tonight on Veela.” Mina chuckled and looked down at the floor, “Oh, right. I got angry earlier and sprouted feathers again. What should we do with the ones that fell off? I wonder what Gringotts did with the ones from the Adoption ritual.” 

Bill spoke up, "I think I'd like to come with you, Remus, Hermione, Mina. Have a look at these bloodwards Dumbledore kept telling us were there." Remus nodded in acknowledgment.

The twins waved their wands silently and all the feathers floated up and collected themselves in a small cobalt blue silk pouch that appeared, “Here you-“

“-go, Mina, try-“

“-not to lose them-“

“-unless you want to-“

“-let us have them?” They finished on a hopeful note.

Mina looked curiously around the room gauging the expression on the faces of the witches and other wizards, “Um, I don’t know if I’m allowed. I’ll ask Fleur and let you know.” She plucked the velvet pouch from Fred’s hand and slipped it into the pocket of her overalls.

As Sirius helped Harry dry his eyes and fix his face, Remus looked each of the others in the eye, “I’ll ask the rest of you to please not disclose what we’ve discussed here until I or Sirius say it’s alright. You can’t even tell your parents or brothers." He glanced at Bill again, "I'll need your help resetting the wards at Potter Manor, I'm sure they're in tatters after being ignored for this long." Bill nodded as a gleam of curiosity appeared in Remus's eyes and he called, “Jisky, are you there?”

A house elf of indeterminate age and gender appeared with a soft pop in the center of the room, smartly dressed in a crisp linen three-piece suit, the Potter crest emblazoned on the jacket, “Master James’s friend Master Moony calls for Jisky?” Their eyes roamed the occupants of the room and landed on Harry, whom they immediately knelt in front of with a joyful face, “Master Harry??! Jisky is overjoyed to see you again. Is you coming home to Potter Manor soon? Leppo and Kaltia be missing you too.” They looked around again, “And where be little Missie Melly and young Master Elrond?”

Harry looked at Jisky in shock, “I own house elves. Right. Of course I do. Because I’m a bloody Potter. Well, Jisky, I don’t know when I’ll be at the Manor, but Uncle Remus says Melly and Elrond are in Nebraska with Grandmum Potter.”

Jisky’s eyes grew round as golf balls at Harry’s words, “Mistress Ariana is alive? Jisky knew she was! Jisky was bonded to both the Potters as a family and Mistress Ariana specifically. Jisky would have felt it if Mistress Ariana died. Jisky felt it when Master Fleamont and Mistress Lily died, and when Master James almost did.”

Hermione moved around the couch and knelt next to the little elf, “Jisky, was it? How long have you been with the Potters? Are you happy? Did they ever hurt you?”

Jisky frowned, “You is being impertinent, miss. Jisky not be knowing you, but Jisky be answering. Jisky born a Potter elf, and will be one hundred seventy-three on Jisky’s next birthday. Jisky is being happy all their life to serve Olde, Noble, and Great House of Potter.”

Hermione grimaced, “Apologies, Jisky, my name is Hermione Granger, I’m a Muggle-born witch descended from a Lupin. I only asked because we’ve encountered some families who don’t treat their elves very well. Harry actually tricked someone into freeing their elf after seeing the scars. He’s very protective of those who have been abused. We all are.”

Jisky smiled at her, “Jisky thanks Miss Hermione for her concern, but Jisky is fine. The Potters is always treating their elves more like family than servants. Jisky is Head Elf of all Potter Elves, and be doing it since Jobby died when Master Fleamont was a boy.” Jisky refocused on Harry, “When will Master Harry be coming home?”

Harry shrugged and looked at Remus and Sirius helplessly, “I’m not sure, but Uncle Remus says the rest of the family will be back next week or so.”

Jisky nodded, “Jisky be telling the other Potter Elves to look smart and make sure everything be ready for their homecoming. Jisky be asking Master Moony and Master Sirius to come too.” Jisky wrinkled their nose, “This house be's sick. Master Sirius’s elf be sick because house be sick. Bring elf, we help make better.” Jisky looked at Hermione, “Free elf get sick if not bonded. Bring free elf home and bond with them, Master Harry, as future Lord Potter.”

They all looked surprised at Jisky’s words, Hermione venturing a question, “Wouldn’t Master Elrond be the future Lord Potter? Or Missie Melly? Wait, did you say Master James is still alive?"”

Jisky shook their head, “No, Miss Hermione, Master Harry to be Lord Potter. Jisky not be told, but Jisky be knowing it. Master Elrond to inherit another house, and Missie Melly also. Three children, three Houses. And Master James be sleeping long time. We house elves be hoping he waking up soon.”

Harry raised his eyebrows at all this information, “So should I call for them now, Jisky? There are two that I know of who are free because their former Houses treated them poorly.”

Jisky nodded firmly, “Yes, Master Harry, the sooner the better. Bond not be as strong, because you is not doing it in Potter Manor, but will help.”

Harry nodded, drew in a deep breath, and then called softly, “Dobby? Winky? Can you come to me, please?”

Mina’s eyes widened in surprise as two more elves popped into view, one of them quite obviously female, and the other one smiled up at Harry, “Master Harry Potter, you is calling for Dobby and Winky?”

Harry nodded, “I’ve just recently learnt some things about myself, and you house elves. This is Jisky, the Head Potter Elf.” He turned to Jisky, “What do I do, Jisky?”

Jisky looked Dobby and Winky over, tsking at the stains and rips on Winky’s neatly sewn clothing, “You is being sick elves, with no family to take care of. Master Harry be bonding with you, make you better.”

Dobby bristled, “I is a free elf, I is needing no family! I is working at Hogwarts and getting paid for it!”

Jisky’s eyes widened at this, “House elves not be paid for work. House elves be sustained by Family Magic!”

Winky looked hopefully between Jisky and Harry, “You is saying Winky needs Family? You is saying Winky be your elf?”

Harry nodded, holding his wand hand out to her, not knowing what had come over him, “I, Harry James Potter, future Lord Potter, do hereby accept the house elf Winky into my service as a member of House Potter, with all the rights and privileges thereof. The house elf Winky shall not be dismissed, she shall be protected and guarded as the treasure she is. I swear by my wand and my magic.” Winky eagerly took his hand as bright white sparkles surrounded them, signifying Mother Magic had accepted their bond.

Winky beamed up at Harry as she curtsied to the room, her smart little suit repairing itself before their eyes, and a Potter House crest appeared on the blazer, “Winky is serving House Potter until she dies. Winky is keeping House Potter secrets. Winky is happy to have a family again.”

Harry, overcome with emotion, knelt down and hugged the little elf. “I’m glad and honored to be part of your family, Winky.” 

Jisky was waiting when Harry released Winky, and drew her into a hug also, “Jisky, Head Elf of House Potter. We is having lots to do, Winky.” Jisky released Winky and turned to Dobby, frowning, “You is very sick, child. Jisky think your last house hurt you so badly, you all twisted up inside own head. Jisky orders Dobby to join House Potter before Dobby dwindles and becomes a brownie!”

Dobby looked fearful, “Dobby is a free elf! Dobby not be hurt by family again!”

Harry sighed, “Dobby, have you ever known me to purposely harm anyone?”

Dobby shook his head hesitantly, as the others watched, “No…”

Harry held out his hand, “Let me take care of you, then.”

Dobby slowly reached out and took Harry’s hand, “Ok, Dobby accepts.”

Harry spoke again, “I, Harry James Potter, future Lord Potter, do hereby accept the house elf Dobby into my service as a member of House Potter, with all the rights and privileges thereof. The house elf Dobby shall not be dismissed, he shall be protected and guarded as the treasure he is. I swear by my wand and my magic.” More sparkles appeared as Mother Magic accepted his vow again.

Dobby’s sweater, which had once been Ron’s, sprouted the House Potter crest. “Dobby feels different, Master Harry.” He smiled up at Harry in awe, “Dobby thanks Master Harry for his care. Dobby swears to serve House Potter until Dobby dies. Dobby swears to keep House Potter secrets.”

Jisky looked sternly at Sirius, “You is calling for your house elf now, Master Sirius, and you is telling him to come with us. Jisky promise to return him home when he is well, and the house is clean.”

Sirius sighed and raised his voice, “Kreacher, come here.”

There was a pop and Kreacher appeared in the middle of the room, “Master has called for Kreacher. Master wishes to insult Kreacher again?”

Sirius sighed, “No, Kreacher. I, I wanted to apologize. I’ve been angry, so angry, but I should never have taken my temper out on you. The heirs will be returning to England next week, but they can’t stay here because of Dumbledore.”

Kreacher looked at Sirius in shock, “Master Regulus’s sons are coming home?” He burst into tears, “Master Regulus’s last task is still unfinished! Master Regulus’s sons cannot be infected!”

Sirius looked wildly at Remus and Jisky, “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kreacher. What task?”

Kreacher frowned, “The Dark Lord demanded the services of a house elf, and Master Regulus said Kreacher was to go. He ordered Kreacher to return home when the Dark Lord was done.” Kreacher shivered, “The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink a potion, and then placed a locket in the basin the potion came from. The Dark Lord left Kreacher in the cave, and the Inferi climbed up out of the water. Kreacher was frightened and came home. Master Regulus was very angry and ordered Kreacher to take him to the cave.” Kreacher began to sob quietly, “Master Regulus drank the potion. Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to take the locket and destroy it. Master Regulus was swarmed by the Inferi as Kreacher left.” Remus collapsed into a chair, distraught, and Mina went over to place a calming hand on his shoulder. “Kreacher tried everything to destroy the locket, but Kreacher could not.”

Jisky took Kreacher’s hand comfortingly, “Kreacher is coming to Potter Manor. Kreacher is letting Master Sirius and Master Moony finish what Kreacher and Master Regulus started. Kreacher is seeing Master Regulus’s sons. Kreacher is getting better away from this sick house.”

Kreacher nodded and snapped the fingers of his other hand, summoning a heavy silver locket to float in the air. “Master Regulus’s locket.”

Artemis shivered his fur standing on end, “Yeah, that’s it, all right. That’s what’s making this whole house sick.”

Jisky looked appraisingly at the talking cat, “You is smart. You more than cat. I take sick elves home to Potter Manor now, Master Harry, and make ready for return of Mistress Ariana and others. All hold hands." Jisky rapped out the last three words, and Dobby, Winky, and Kreacher followed the instruction without protest. "Jisky be waiting for Master Harry to come home, too." Jisky snapped their fingers and all four elves disappeared in a pop.

Bill grabbed the locket-Horcrux in a conjured velvet pouch before it hit the floor as the elves left, "I'll just send this off to King Ragnok at once. He's going to be quite displeased. I hope the anvil survives the night, he was already angry when I brought him word of Harry's Horcrux this afternoon." He tapped the pouch five times and it vanished. "There, the goblins will take care of the Horcrux and return the locket to me when it's cleansed. I'll pass it on to you, Remus, when I get it back. Now, we really should go down for dinner before Mum goes on the warpath and wakes up Walburga again."

Hermione grabbed the two Diagnostic Scrolls and tied them together with a scrunchie, "Remus, could you put these somewhere safe? It's a comparison between my magical aura and Mina's, along with the prophecy she made. I don't want Dumbledore, or whoever he truly is, getting his hands on them, and I have a feeling they'll be important."

Remus nodded and took the scrolls from Hermione, tapping them and shrinking them down to the size of a matchbox, then putting them in his pocket, "I'll put them with the birth certificates later. Now, Harry, do you feel up to dinner with the family? Or do you want to go back upstairs and sleep some more? I can come get you for the mirror-call with Alan when we finish eating, if you like."

Harry yawned and stepped away from Sirius, "I'm tired, but I think I should eat something. Lead the way."

Remus nodded, "We should all swear that we won't tell anyone what happened in here before Mother Potter and the Quads return. Not an Unbreakable Vow, or a Fidelius, just a solemn promise not to tell anyone the secret until the time is right."

"And how will we know the time is right, Da?" Mina asked curiously.

"Mother Potter will tell us, of course," Sirius said firmly. "She always knew the right time for everything."

Remus looked around at Mina, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, Bill, and Artemis, who all nodded at him, "Very well, then, until Mother Potter decrees." The seven teens, three adult men, and one talking cat exited the room after agreeing.

Bill groaned as they reached the landing, "Mum's gonna have kittens because we're late."

Harry winked at Bill cheekily, all trace of his temper tantrum gone, "Just tell her you guys had a hard time waking me up after my exorcism. It'll even mostly be true." They all laughed, quieted down as they passed Walburga's portrait, then kept laughing as they entered the kitchen.