Friday morning dawned bright and clear, and even the twins joined Harry, Ron, and Ginny on their morning run. With the five of them, the sparring was more interesting as well. By the time they were done, everyone was tired, lightly bruised, and starving for breakfast. Molly clucked her tongue as they filed into the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her daughter.

“Ginny, what happened?” Molly asked with concern.

Ginny looked up, puzzled. She frowned and winced, touching her forehead. “Oh that. I, er, slipped a bit.”

Ron snorted and began coughing. He stopped when his Mum glared at him. “I didn’t do it!” he said, raising his hands.

“Well,” Harry drawled. “It was either my chin or your shin, Ron.”

“Ginevra,” Molly said reprovingly. “What really happened?”

Ginny sighed. “Harry was trying to show me how to break out of an arm-lock. Ron was being a prat, saying I was too weak, so I decided to see what happened if I leapt backward into him instead of diving forward when I twisted loose.”

“It wasn’t a bad idea,” Harry said, coming to her defence. “She knocked me and Ron both to the ground.”

“Not a bad idea,” Ginny repeated acerbically, “right up to the point where you both landed on me.”

“Well, there is that, yes,” Harry agreed with a grin.

Molly shook her head as she turned the bacon.

“Don’t worry mum,” Fred chimed in. (He had a large bruise under his left eye.)

“Look at it this way,” George added. (He had a small scrape along the right side of his jaw.)

“If some bloke gets fresh-”

“ - with ickle Gin-gins-”

“- she’ll put him in the hospital wing-”

“-before we even get a chance to!”

“And don’t you forget it!” Ginny added, pausing to buff her nails on the front of her t-shirt. Harry was amused to hear her sparring verbally with the twins. He didn’t remember her ever putting them in their places before her fourth year. Or was it that she hadn’t felt comfortable doing so in front of him? Harry reminded himself that comparing her too much to the ‘old Ginny’ could be a bad thing.

Don’t question, he told himself, just accept.

Harry helped set the table as Molly turned the sausages over. She was funny about accepting too much help in the kitchen. Setting and clearing the table was one thing, but if he didn’t beat her to the kitchen, Harry usually wasn’t allowed to do much of the actual cooking.

Of course there were exceptions to every rule, he thought as a knock came at the door.

“I’ll watch these,” he volunteered as Molly turned toward the door. He hoped she didn’t look at the clock and spoil things.

Harry leaned back to watch her progress through the sitting room to the front door. Ron and the twins were still laughing and drinking pumpkin juice, but he noticed Ginny eying him curiously.

Molly opened the door a crack, then let out a gasp. Her sons looked up from the table as she threw the front door open. “Bill!” she cried happily.

Framed in the doorway was a lanky man with long red hair tied back in a pony tail. He wore a leather jacket over a black t-shirt and well-worn blue jeans. He could have passed for a motorcycle enthusiast if it wasn’t for the large fang that hung from his left ear, and the way his greenish leather boots glistened in the morning sunlight.

“Bill!” Ginny cried and ran from the kitchen, Ron and the twins a half-step behind. Harry snickered and turned the sausages before they scorched.

He was plating up the eggs and bacon when the gabble of excited voices slowly moved back toward the kitchen. From the sounds of it, Arthur and Percy were up as well.

As he finished the sausages, his ears picked his name out of the welter of voices in the hallway. “Where is Harry, anyway?”

“Oh Merlin,” Molly gasped, “I left him with the fry-up half done.”

“All done now,” Harry called out as he took a stack of plates from the cabinet. Molly bustled into the kitchen a moment later and took the plates from his hands.

“You’re just in time for breakfast, Bill. Would you like some eggs?”

“Already ate Mum. Actually, I’m on the clock right now, thanks to Mr. Potter here.”

Harry raised his eyebrows as the other Weasleys looks at him curiously. “How’s that?” he asked.

Bill smiled and leaned against the edge of the door frame. “I’m told you asked for me specifically when they were setting up the team for today.”

“Oh, yeah,” Harry shrugged. “Well, Ron and Ginny were always going on about how good you were as a curse-breaker, so I figured you’d be able to make sure there weren’t any flaws in the wards.” Actually, his knowledge went a good bit further than that. With the destruction of Hogwarts, many of the pureblood families that allied with Voldemort sent their children to the Durmstrang Institute to complete their educations. With Karkaroff’s death, Antonin Dolohov, one of the Death Eaters that escaped from Azkaban, became the new headmaster. With that, any pretensions that the school was more than a death eater boot camp were dispelled.

In one of the more daring offensives of the second war against Voldemort, Bill Weasley led a group of Aurors and fighters from the shattered Order into the mountains where Durmstrang was said to be located. Not only did the grieving eldest son pierce the wide-area Confundus enchantment that masked the school’s location, but he single-handedly dropped the centuries-old wards in the space of a night. The massive magical discharge took his life, but it also wrecked half the castle. The remaining raiders were able to raze the school, killing the instructors and the older students who resisted. Huge caches of dark artefacts, not to mention the tormented captives found in the dungeons, were sufficient grounds for the Norwegian Ministry to imprison the younger students as well.

Bill eyed Harry speculatively as Molly persuaded him to at least have a cup of tea. “I suppose I would be a candidate for inspecting the team’s work, but they are probably going to resent someone as junior as me handling that.”

“Now Bill, you are just being modest,” Molly said as she made him sit down and set the cup and saucer in front of him. “You weren’t Head Boy for nothing, you know!”

Bill gazed at his mum with amusement. “I don’t think that’s going to matter to Carpenter, Fitz-willis, Holmes, and their lads.” He looked over at Harry and shook his head. “I don’t know what you said to Goldfarb, but he pulled the best men off of jobs all across Europe for this little get-together. They’d be a little put out, if they weren’t getting massive overtime pay.”

Harry felt his face getting hot as Molly and Arthur gave him a startled look. ‘Well,” he drawled, despite feeling horribly uncomfortable, “they should get over it after you find the first couple of flaws and make them re-do their work a few times.”

Bill chuckled. “That’s what I hope, anyway. I myself was a little put out when I got a message telling me to come back to England for a high-priority job. When I arrived in London, I thought it was a joke when I learned it was here!” His eyes were dancing merrily as they darted between his parents and Harry’s blushing face. Harry remembered that this was the eldest brother of the twins, after all. Bill drained his cup and stood abruptly. “I should get to work on an initial survey of the grounds before the rest of them arrive. That might buy me some slack with my elders. Have the boundaries changed at all, Dad?” When Arthur shook his head, Bill deposited his cup in the sink and walked out the back door, pulling a parchment and quill out of his jacket pocket.

Harry avoided Arthur and Molly’s eyes until breakfast was over. One by one the Weasley boys finished and shot out the back door to watch their older brother work. Ginny hung back to help Harry with the dishes, but her mum shooed her out of the kitchen.

“Harry,” Arthur said in a formal tone as soon as the door closed. “How extensive are these upgrades Bill is talking about?”

“I’m not really sure,” Harry said evasively. “Goldfarb is in charge of the details.”

Molly started to say something but subsided when her husband laid two fingers on her wrist. “Harry,” he said quietly, “I’m familiar with some of the men Bill mention. Holmes and Fitz-willis did the new annex for the Ministry, as well as the spell-damage ward at Saint Mungo’s. Joshua Carpenter is also reputed to be one of the best in the world. What did you tell Goldfarb to do?”

Harry sighed. “Technically, I can’t tell him to do anything at all. I did advise him of the situation with Voldemort,” he frowned as the Weasleys shuddered, “I asked him to make sure that the next time Voldemort comes for me, he’ll come to Hogwarts because it’ll be the easier target.”

The Weasleys stared at each other. “Harry,” Molly began, “Hogwarts is…well, it’s…”

“I know, centuries old. And some of the best wizards and witches of the ages have added to the protections. But they were teachers and we have most of their notes, and Hogwarts is a public building. Their wards have to be a lot more flexible about some things, and they had a much wider area to cover. It shouldn’t take nearly as much effort to lock down a single residence.”

“While that may be true, Harry, this still must be extremely, er, expensive,” Arthur said uncomfortably. “Bill said they pulled in people from several ongoing jobs.”

“Well… I think that’s Goldfarb’s way of paying me back,” Harry said slowly. Then he scowled. “You know, before I talked to him, no one from the Ministry even bothered to tell the goblins that Voldemort was back? Even though he was probably behind that break-in at Gringotts last fall? That’s almost criminal when you think about it. Maybe Goldfarb is being extra nice to me because I’m treating him better than the rest of the Wizarding society they serve.”

Harry felt a bit of relief when an angry frown crossed his guardian’s face. He didn’t think Arthur knew about the Ministry’s duplicity, but it was good to have it confirmed. “I’ll ask at work about that,” Mr. Weasley said. “I don’t know many people in the non-human liaisons group, but someone should be able to tell me why we aren’t sharing vital information like that.”

Harry nodded. “I’d like to know as well. When Goldfarb owled me the details, I didn’t know who those men were. I just suggested Bill be added because I heard he was a good curse-breaker and I figured he’d be well motivated to make sure The Burrow was as secure as possible.” He smiled slyly. “I didn’t think you’d mind a visit either.”

Molly reached out and smoothed back his fringe. “You’re such a thoughtful boy, Harry. I just wish this all wasn’t necessary.”

Harry shrugged. “In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be. But from what he said, I don’t think I’ve seen the last of Voldemort.” He emphasized the last word and watched the Weasleys suppress their reaction a little better this time. “He mentioned something about a prophecy, but Professor Dumbledore evidently thinks I’m too young to know about it,” he added sourly. If the Weasleys could get him to share that information earlier, it might make things easier. It might also make them want to kick him out the front door, but if that was the case better he know now than later.

He was interrupted in his musings when the kitchen fireplace roared and Hermione stepped out of the green Floo flames.

“Oh, Hermione, you’re just in time!” Molly cried. “Bill arrived to do the initial survey!” It took some arranging, but Hermione was able to take the Muggle Underground to the house of one of Molly’s school friends who was on the Floo network. While her parents were less than keen on the idea, Hermione sold them on the idea of her writing up her observations as an extra credit essay she would turn in to Professor Flitwick at start of term.

Harry took the opportunity to escape, and led Hermione out the back door. Not, of course, before Molly managed to hand her a fresh scone with butter.

“I’m definitely going to have to run later,” Hermione mumbled as she nibbled on the pastry. “Mrs. Langston wouldn’t let me go before I had some tea biscuits.”

Harry chuckled as they passed the garden. Up ahead, he could see a cluster of red-heads following Bill as he paced along the property line with his wand out. He stopped every few steps and appeared to write something down before resuming his walk.

Bill had evidently warned his siblings to be quiet while he worked, because Ron and the twins made shushing sounds when Hermione asked Bill a question about what he was surveying for. He gave her a quick glance and spouted out something that sounded extremely technical. Harry wasn’t even sure if it was English or not.

Hermione had evidently devoured one or more books on ward construction in the last two days, because she nodded and responded with something even more abstract. Bill looked up, a little startled, and nodded.

They continued talking as Bill resumed his walk around the perimeter. Harry was getting about one word in three. From the looks on everyone else’s faces, he was doing the best out of the lot. Harry wasn’t a complete slouch at Arithmancy; while he’d needed the portrait’s help with the temporal transit calculations, those equations were hard. On the other hand, he hadn’t had much formal instruction in the subject, and he’d never really studied ward construction before. In the future, Hermione had usually taken care of such things when needed. After her death, he and Ron usually moved about too much to bother with them.

Speaking of which, Ron was staring at Hermione carrying on a highly technical conversation with Bill with a hint of awe in his expression. “She’s bloody unreal, she is,” he whispered, shaking his head.

When Hermione seemed to have satisfied her first burst of questions, Harry suggested they all work on their ‘summer project’. Percy had already headed back to his room, muttering about an essay. Harry vaguely remembered something about him writing a lot of letters to Penelope Clearwater.

They settled under their usual tree in the orchard and tried to clear their minds and focus. When they’d had sufficient time, Harry began individually testing their defences with his Legilimency.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione had made as much progress as the twins, who admitted that they were also practicing a bit on their own. No doubt the opportunity to annoy Professor Snape in a way against which he could not retaliate was a strong motivator. Complaints about them learning Occlumency would lead to a few too many questions for the potions master to answer.

Ron’s control was irregular. Sometimes his defences would be as good as Hermione’s, but it seemed to flicker, like he couldn’t maintain that focus for long. Ginny’s developing shields seemed fine from a distance, but every time Harry pushed against them, they seemed to melt away. On the other hand, she did open her eyes and look at him each time this happened, so she was at least slightly aware of the intrusions.

After nearly an hour of this, everyone began stirring restlessly. Not wanting everyone to be cranky with headaches, Harry brought the practice session to a halt as Bill walked over.

“I’m not sure I want to know what can keep you lot quiet for that long,” he said in a jocular tone.

“Got some bad news for you, Bill,” Ron said in a serious tone. “You remember Snape?”

Bill made a face. “Who could forget him? He tried to get me removed as Head Boy twice my last year.”

“You must have been thinking-“ Fred began.

“Bad thoughts about him,” George finished.

Bill frowned. “Probably on more than one occasion. Why is that important?”

“Well,” Ron said hesitantly, “Hermione is the one who figured it out.”

Hermione shot Ron a warm look before she went into what Harry privately called her ‘lecture mode’. “Well, it was really simple, once we isolated the facts. We know the Professor was doing something that didn’t require his wand, but seemed to have deleterious effects on people, especially Harry. When Professor Snape was particularly angry at him, Harry would get simply awful headaches. But the clincher was when he and Professor Dumbledore began displaying knowledge of things they simply couldn’t know -- things that were not written down or discussed around others; things they could only have known about by accessing our minds directly. After we knew what to look for, it was just a matter of time to find a book about Occlumency and how to use it to block Legilimency. Harry here appears to be a natural Occlumens, and though it’s frightfully rare, he thinks it may be related to how he got that curse scar.”

Bill blinked, looking down at the little girl who hadn’t even started her second year at Hogwarts. “And you worked that all out for yourselves?”

Ron frowned. “She isn’t the smartest witch in her year for nothing,” he objected.

Bill raised his hands, chuckling. “I don’t doubt it! I’m just a little surprised is all.” He looked thoughtful. “Now that I look back, Snape did seem awfully well informed. I just assumed he had all the Slytherins spying for him.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did that as well,” Harry agreed.

Bill shook his head. “I don’t envy you lot, still having to deal with him then.”

“Worry not, o’ brother of mine,” Fred  chuckled.

“Ickle Harrikins can be a right bastard,” George continued.

“When he gets to pranking!”

“He just needs a bit-“

“Of proper motivation-”

“To raise a lot of hell.”

Harry rolled his eyes as his friends laughed.

Bill smirked down at them. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that new Ridgeback of Charlie’s, would it? He wouldn’t discuss how he ‘acquired it’ in a letter… just that he wanted to get Ron something very nice for Christmas this year.”

Ron’s face turned red as his brother laughed.

“Thank you, Ron. You just saved me the bottle of fire-whiskey I was going to have to ambush Charlie with! Now, out with it!”

Harry, Ron and Hermione ended up telling Norbert’s tale together. Each of them supplied a few details the others forgot. By the time they were done, Bill was almost helpless with laughter. He pointed a shaking finger at the twins. “And you two didn’t have anything to do with that mess? Were you sick or something?”

“Sick with envy,” Ginny said acidly. “First chance they got they were carrying tales to Mum.” Harry was surprised that she was still mad about that. He hadn’t realized she could carry a grudge this long.

“For which we have well and truly paid-“

“o’ sister of ours! Got right shirty she did-“

“And was all about defending Harrikin’s honour-“

“barking our shins in the process.”

“Shut it, you two,” Harry snapped. Then he smiled. “Do you really want to spar with her next practice?”

The twins sighed and turned to their older brother. “See what we mean?” They said in unison.

“We ought to apply for Trelawney post-“ Fred sighed.

“Seeing as we predicted he’d become a Weasley-“ George continued.

“Back in the Spring.”

“What are you two nattering on about?” Ron asked.

“Ask Harrikins about our talk-“

“On straying mums-“

“And black-haired Weasleys!”

At this point Ginny had her wand in her hand and stared at her twin brothers, tapping her foot. “I could hex you and get into trouble. Or take a page from your book and let Mum know so she could do it for me.”

She was saved from such a difficult decision by a shout from the house. As they walked over, they could see a large flatbed lorry was parked in front of The Burrow. Piled on the back were greyish building stones. They might have looked like cinder blocks from a distance, but for the glossy finish on them and the lack of hollow spaces.

“Why on earth are they using a Muggle vehicle?” Ron asked.

“I should think it would be obvious,” Hermione began, but stopped when Harry glared at her. “I’m sorry,” she said to Ron, “that was a bit snippy, wasn’t it? What I mean to say is that they seem to have a lot of blocks to move, so for really heavy loads Muggle transportation may be the best way to get it delivered.”

“What do you need all those for?” George asked.

“Well, for all the wards and spells we need to anchor, we’re erecting some small outbuildings on the corners of the property,” Bill said in a formal voice. Harry noticed how his posture straightened and his eyes became more direct as the eldest Weasley brother talked about his vocation. “With properly-defended ward stones in place, you can greatly increase the power of the enchantments, making the person in my position’s job much harder. It’s also handier for more… active countermeasures.”

“Active countermeasures?” Hermione asked intently.

Bill stopped walking and turned towards them. “Things designed to kill intruders. I’ve looked over the general plans for this set-up and I want you all to understand something. These are not for playing with. Don’t try to bring any of your friends here unannounced for a joke. This is deadly serious stuff. I’m not sure what Goldfarb told Carpenter when he asked him to draw these plans up, but…”

“I do,” Harry said quietly. “He wanted any survivors of an attack on The Burrow to have nightmares about it for the rest of their lives.” He privately agreed with Bill, he wanted his friends to take the wards very seriously.

Harry could feel his friends’ eyes on him, but Bill just let out a short bark of laughter. “That sounds about right. Goblins are fair creatures, but vindictive bastards when crossed. Anyway, the point is, be careful with this, all right?” Everyone nodded and Bill led them back to the house.

Over a dozen wizards and witches arrived with the truck. Bill was a good bit younger than the rest of them, and the three men in charge were noticeably cool toward him. Bill introduced himself politely and handed them his survey notes. The atmosphere thawed as they pored over his map and notations, asking questions here and there.

At one point, the eldest wizard gestured at the children and murmured something to Bill. Bill answered him in a clear voice. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them, Mr. Holmes, I talked to them and they know to stay out from under foot. Most of them live here, but they all attend Hogwarts, and find this process very interesting. One or two of them are even going to do an essay about this for start of term. And that black haired lad in the middle? Well, his executor is paying for all of this.”

Harry felt his face flush, but there were no further questions about them watching the workers. Small squares of ground were cleared off and levelled at each corner of the property. Building blocks, which he could see were also lightly engraved with strange runes, were levitated into place. Once they were aligned, another charm made them fuse together. The small huts were constructed without doors or windows, but in the centre of each a large black stone was placed on the floor. The huts were left roof-less, but Harry noticed that four large stone platforms, also engraved with runes, were still stacked on the truck.

Then the older wizards joined in and the air seemed to come alive with spells. They cast almost continuously until the sun touched the western horizon. At that point, Molly, who’d been pressing sandwiches on the crew all day, practically dragged the crew leaders to the back of the house near the garden. Her children had been drafted, in shifts, to help set up the extra tables and chairs and prepare a huge meal for their visitors. The crusty old wizards, Carpenter, Holmes, and Fitz-willis, seemed a bit taken aback by this, but soon gave in and sat down, along with the younger workers.

Molly seemed to be in her element, Harry reflected, bustling happily as she fed well over a score of people. The crew leaders definitely seemed to have shed their resentment, and praised Bill’s work on the survey, much to Molly and Arthur’s delight and Bill’s embarrassment. Finally, the workers, full and sleepy, Apparated away. Bill, of course, stayed over, sleeping in Percy’s room.

Hermione also stayed over that night, sleeping on a day bed in Ginny’s room. She talked everyone into another Occlumency practice after the warding crew left. As they settled down in the sitting room, Arthur and Molly looked from one silent child to the next, unable to hide their smiles. I bet they are wishing all their children had studied Occlumency, Harry reflected, amused. It definitely keeps the noise down, doesn’t it?

He tested everyone’s defences again, with roughly the same results. Then he felt a small tickle in the back of his mind. He glanced over at Hermione, whose eyes were open. The instant they made eye contact, the tickle became much more pronounced. Harry closed his eyes and reinforced his shields until the tickle disappeared. Trust Hermione to go for the ‘extra credit’ and try to learn Legilimency as well.

That night, Harry dreamt of bringing down the wards around Malfoy Manor, the night Ron avenged his father. Surprisingly, he didn’t dwell on Tonks’ agonizing death, or the slaughtered death eaters. Instead, he just fixated on the incredible light show as the Ministry curse breakers slowly peeled away the ancient house’s defences.

Harry awoke before the rest of the house, but he’d got more sleep than usual so he couldn’t complain. He started breakfast until Molly showed up and booted him out of the kitchen with a smile and a brief hug. Ron and the others were beginning to stir, so Harry felt no compunctions about waking them for the morning run. Hermione joined them as well, wearing the track suit her parents bought her.

Harry led this time, making sure their steps stayed well within the ward boundaries. He’d stepped up the pace this time, and was gratified that no one seemed particularly winded when they reached the end. After twenty minutes of katas to warm up, they paired off again for sparring. Ginny partnered with Hermione, and Harry noticed they’d adopted very different styles. Hermione drew mainly on Aikido, and tried to immobilize or otherwise neutralize her opponent. Ginny was working toward a more fluid and acrobatic style using her speed and a lot of kicks. Every so often, Hermione would catch Ginny’s arm or leg and force her to the ground using a joint lock. As Ginny continued to work with her, she became more selective in her attacks and careful with her timing. Soon, their sparring became rather one-sided, with Ginny able to score and Hermione becoming increasingly frustrated.

“”Mione, you may want to switch tactics,” Harry suggested carefully.

“But I’m good at this!” She insisted, almost in tears. Ginny hesitated, becoming aware of the other girls turmoil.

“You are,” Harry agreed. “But different situations call for different tactics, right? Ginny’s very fast, and I would never try to catch her like that. Unless she badly overextends herself she’d be almost impossible to hold on to. But you can attack her as well, and a few punches or kicks will keep her off balance and not let her set up like she has been.”

Hermione nodded thoughtfully and they began sparring again. The older girl was hesitant at first, but when Ginny went for a high kick, Hermione ducked down and swept her supporting leg, tumbling the red-head to the grass. Hermione looked horrified for a second, but Ginny just bounced back to her feet with a smile “Good one, yeah?”

Ron was looking bored watching the twins spar. Matching up the two of them was almost always an exercise in futility, so Harry split them up with him fighting Fred while Ron partnered with George.

Half an hour later a tired and sore sextet staggered into the kitchen. Bill was already eating breakfast, and eyed them curiously as Molly made them sit down.

“Quidditch conditioning?” he asked curiously.

Hermione looked offended, but Harry answered first. “The Slytherins have really been acting up last year, so we’ve been studying some Muggle martial arts.”

Bill frowned. “Sounds like Hogwarts really been going downhill since I left.”

“I’ll say it has-“ Fred began.

“Utter rubbish,” Percy interrupted. “There wouldn’t be any problems if you lot weren’t so keen to pick fights and start trouble with people.” It seemed that the older brother was only seen at meal times anymore.

“Do I know you?” George asked.

“He looks vaguely familiar,” Fred admitted, looking curiously at Percy, who was slowly turning red.

“Leave him alone you two,” Mrs. Weasley scolded. “Just because some people take their studies seriously isn’t a reason to badger them about it.”

“I don’t know about the year before this last one,” Ron said, changing the subject “but it’s been a right pain with Malfoy and his little pack of snakes.”

“Lucius Malfoy’s son?” Bill asked, looking at his mother.

“Yes,” Harry confirmed, “and that apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

Harry looked around and noticed that Arthur wasn’t there. A glance at the family clock revealed he was at work. The poor man was working on a Saturday, again.

Bill went out to meet the work crews when they arrived and they resumed with a will. It went pretty smoothly until around mid-morning. Bill was speaking to one of the junior team members about something. Harry edged closer as he noticed him gesturing toward the Southern border of the property. The discussion continued, with Bill starting to frown as the ward-builder’s face grew red.

Finally, Bill threw up his hands and walked toward the two-lane path that led to the village. As soon as he left the property, he turned and walked along the boundary until he was standing about twenty feet from the Southern wards. He pulled out his wand and began chanting and making some very precise gestures, almost as if he was unravelling an invisible ball of yarn. After a few minutes, a tracery of multi-collared glowing lines appeared, forming a delicate grid. One of the smaller lines began to bend suddenly and then a whole section of the grid began to glow with an unearthly radiance. Harry had to shield his eyes as the glow became even brighter, until it disappeared with a loud crack and the smell of ozone.

Bill stuck his wand in his pocket and carefully walked across the boundary. His long hair stirred a little as he passed over the invisible line, but nothing else happened. Harry couldn’t resist eavesdropping a bit as the crew leaders bustled over to the collapsed section.

“What th’ bleedin’ hell d’ ye think yer doin’?” Holmes thundered.

Bill glanced at him coolly. “No one believed me when I told them the anti-apparition field was too close to the border. The geo-magical density is a good bit lower there, so once I overloaded that, it shorted into the other fields initiating a cascading failure.”

The while-haired old wizard scowled, but Carpenter, a middle-aged man with sharp features and a goatee chuckled. “He’s got you there, old boy. That section was completed and fixed. If he was wrong, he shouldn’t have been able to budge it. Seems the lads got a bit sloppy there.” He clapped his hands together. “All right you lot, let’s do it again, and pay some attention to the bloody margins this time, shall we?” He turned toward Bill and smiled. “Good catch, Weasley!”

Bill ducked his head modestly and smiled. Harry felt a little smug himself.

There were no further mishaps, and they finished sealing the property by early afternoon. The roofs were placed on the four block houses and fixed into place. True to form, Mrs. Weasley pressed a huge package of sandwiches on the departing crew as the lorry’s engine grumbled and finally started. All three crew leaders shook Bill’s hand before leaving and thanked Mrs. Weasley for her hospitality.

After they left, Bill announced that he didn’t have to report back to Gringotts until evening. He smiled at his brothers and pulled a magically-shrunken broom from his overnight bag and cancelled the shrinking charm. Within moments the garden was empty of children.

Hermione wasn’t scheduled to Floo back and meet her mother until the evening, so she followed them down to the orchard to watch the game. Harry, however, had other ideas.

“You can take a turn or two playing,” he assured her. “They’ve got plenty of brooms in the shed.”

“That’s all right Harry,” she said quickly. “I’m not very comfortable on a broom anyway.”

“All the better reason to practice,” he countered smoothly. “You never know when it might be useful to know how to fly well.” He tried not to think of her broken and battered body after she’d been shot down. The three of them were fleeing an ambush near Birmingham when it happened. Death Eaters were all over the place, and with the dementors on the ground they used some school brooms salvaged from Hogwarts until they could reach the edge of the anti-apparition field. Unfortunately, Hermione had never been a confident or comfortable flyer. With her slower pace and straight course, she must have been an easy target. One moment she was flying stiffly, holding onto the broom for dear life. The next a cutting hex had opened up her left side almost to her lung. Ron’s levitation charm caught her before she hit the ground, but not before she struck a tree trunk with a dull crunch. Harry went mad with the simple healing charms Hermione had taught them while Ron cradled her in his arms and tried to stop her from choking on her own blood. They barely managed to get her stabilized before she bled out. It was two weeks, even with magic, before she could breathe easily. It was a month before she had full use of her left arm again. After that she worked with Ron every evening they could until she was nearly as adept flying on a broom as he was.

Hermione gave him an odd look, prompting Harry to re-check his Occlumency shields. “If you think it’s really important,” she said hesitantly.

Harry shrugged. “It could be,” he said. “Do you know how to swim?”

Hermione nodded. “Same thing, really, isn’t it?”

He smiled at his friend. “A just-in-case thing, yeah?”

Bill, over the twins’ protests, proposed a three on four game, with himself and the twins against Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who he was surprised to learn actually knew how to fly. The extra person for the younger team was supposed to offset the older brothers’ experience. Hermione stuck near the goals with Ron, who talked to her steadily from the minute her feet left the ground. Even if she was less than enthusiastic, her presence blocked one of the goals completely. Harry concentrated on flying interference for Ginny so she could score… which she did with great vigour. After a few goals the elder Weasleys held a quick conference. They then concentrated on keeping the Quaffle away from her as much as possible.

There was nothing else for Harry to do but call a quick time out and swap brooms with Ginny. On the Nimbus 2000, she was unstoppable and things quickly devolved after that. They eventually ended up in an aerial game of tag. Hermione even joined in. When chased, she would duck down into the trees to make faster pursuers slow down or eat bark.

By dinner time, everyone was thoroughly winded and hoarse from shouting. As they dragged themselves back to the house, Bill couldn’t stop raving at what a great flier Ginny had become. She cuffed at his hand when he playfully mussed her hair, but the smile on her face made Harry’s chest hurt.

After dinner there were some tearful goodbyes as Bill prepared to leave. He shook Harry’s hand last and mouthed ‘I’ll be in touch’, which was a little unnerving. Mr. Weasley got home half-way through dinner. He was happy to see his eldest son before he left, but he seemed a little distracted as Molly fixed a plate for him.

After Bill walked to the spot near the front porch marked as safe for apparition and disappeared with a soft pop, Arthur laid his hand on Harry’s shoulder and whispered that they needed to talk. After Hermione left, Molly rather neatly manoeuvred her children upstairs or into the sitting room. After she closed the kitchen doors, she and her husband sat down with Harry at their scrubbed wood table.
 

Harry felt his throat tighten as they settled down for a talk. Arthur was nursing a cup of tea with a lot of sugar in it. He rubbed at his eyes and took a deep breath. “Harry, I’m sure you noticed that there hasn’t been a single story in the Daily Prophet about Sirius or Pettigrew.”

A burning coal seemed to have appeared in the pit of his stomach. “I’ve noticed. What happened?”

“When a couple of days passed with no word, I tried to contact Auror Shacklebolt about the case. It seems he was promoted and sent out of the country. He’s on assignment with the Italian Ministry, something about hunting down an illegal Animagus that burglarized one of their offices.”

“That’s… interesting,” Harry said slowly. “What did they do with Peter?” he asked.

“I’m told he’s being held in a secure facility, but they won’t confirm his location or his identity. Right now he’s just being held as an unregistered Animagus.”

“But if they make him transform, they can see who he is,” Harry objected.

“That’s true, but he’s aged a lot, spending more than a decade as a rat. The ministry seems… well, reluctant to confirm him as Pettigrew.” Arthur scrubbed wearily at his face. “I would have thought once he was in custody they’d be willing to admit their error with the true culprit already in hand. I think there may be something else going on.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

“I tried to arrange another visit to Azkaban for Monday, since that’s the last day before you head back to Hogwarts. The warden has been replaced, and a moratorium on all prison visits has been enacted.”

Harry inhaled rapidly and gripped the edge of the table. This was happening a little too fast. “This can’t all be a coincidence,” he growled.

“No, I think not. Someone with a lot of clout in the Ministry does not want Sirius to be freed. This has to go beyond simple embarrassment over imprisoning him without a trial.”

Harry scowled and rubbed at his forehead. He had a headache that was growing worse by the minute. “I think I need to write a couple of letters,” he said slowly. “Remus Lupin should be told. He might have some ideas as well.”

“If I find out anything else after you leave, we will owl you immediately,” Arthur vowed.

Harry frowned at his guardian. “Is this going to cause you problems at work? If whoever is behind this has enough influence, he could make things difficult for you.”

“Harry, an innocent man is being held against his will in the worst place on earth. I didn’t know him, but we fought on the same side during the war. We are not leaving him there.”

Harry felt abruptly ashamed. “I’m sorry, that was out of line, wasn’t it? If Lupin can make it, would it be all right if he visited tomorrow or Monday evening? He might have some idea who is orchestrating this.”

“I think that would be a marvellous idea, Harry,” Molly said happily. “You should try to get to know your parents’ friends. Ask him over for dinner Monday, I’m making everyone’s favourites since it’s the last family dinner before you all go off to Hogwarts.” She got a little teary-eyed at the end and sniffed as she smiled at Harry.

“T-thanks!’ he stammered as he got up from his chair. He was a little awkward initiating the hug, but the bone-breaking embrace he received back more than made up for it.

He wrote a quick note for Remus, letting him know what was happening and inviting him to come to The Burrow for dinner. He included a password to use for the Floo, one of many improvements made to the household defences. Hedwig seemed eager to stretch her wings, and after the parchment was secured she was out of sight in less than a minute.

That night he dreamed he was watching Bellatrix as she stunned Sirius, making him fall through the Veil, over and over again. After he jerked awake with a gasp, he wondered if her cell in Azkaban was near that of her cousin.

Sunday was relatively normal. Arthur stayed home and enjoyed his last day off with his children before they left for Hogwarts. Between practicing and a little pick-up Quidditch, Harry made sure his summer assignments were completed and worked on a rough draft of a letter for one of his contacts. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but the previous night’s conversation made it more than likely. After polishing his words until his fingers cramped around the quill, Harry went outside for some fresh air. He was he forced himself to admit, a little nervous about meeting Remus Lupin. He was also worried about Sirius. He couldn’t decide if his ignorance of the true situation was worse than feeling helpless. He couldn’t recall signs of any conspiracy against Sirius in the original timeline. Was that only because once he was a fugitive he’d been beyond their hands?

Harry sighed and tried to clear his mind. Tying himself in knots wouldn’t help anybody. The sun was bright, and the slight breeze carried the smell of flowers from the garden. He wandered through the neat rows, smiling when he saw the gnomes were already establishing themselves again. The small lake behind the garden was cobalt blue in the afternoon light. He frowned when he noticed Ginny sitting by herself on the bank.

“Gorgeous day isn’t it?” he asked as he walked up behind her.

Ginny jumped and twisted around. He noticed her eyes were a little red, but other than that she seemed fine. She didn’t say anything but nodded.

“Mind if I sit down?” Harry asked. When she shook her head he sat down a foot away from her.

They stared at the water shimmering beneath their feet. Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The slight breeze stirred her hair. Harry fought the urge to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. “You all right there?” he finally asked.

Ginny smiled, a bit ruefully. “No, I’m being rather stupid, really. I’m sort of -- unsettled. About going to Hogwarts, that is.” She sighed. “If Ron sees me like this, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“It’s not stupid, Ginevra,” Harry replied. She twitched when he used her real name. “You’re leaving home and going to a new place for the first time. It would be abnormal if it didn’t give you collywobbles. But you do know that most of the people in this house are going there with you, right?”

She nodded. “I know. It’s just, you’ll all be in different classes, and I’ll be stuck with the first years.”

“True,” Harry agreed, “but you’ll probably be in Gryffindor and we’ll still be able to eat and revise together. Hermione’s mad about schoolwork, you know.”

“I think I picked up on that,” Ginny said. She turned toward Harry. “Do you think Ron fancies her a bit?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

Harry blinked. “Maybe,” he said, “but don’t say anything — please! He’ll deny it to the death and then do something stupid, and I have better things to do than listen to them bicker.”

Ginny smiled, giggling. “You’re a bit sharp for a boy, aren’t you?”

Harry sighed. “I’ve had my stupid moments as well,” he said.

Like ignoring you for five years, he thought morosely.

Ginny’s laughter suddenly cut off. “I’m sorry,” she said. Her hand moved hesitantly in his direction, then returned to her knee.

Harry shook his head. “Nothing you did,” he assured her. “Anyway, you said you know this girl, Luna, that’s going to be starting this year, right?” At her nod, he continued. “Do you get along with her?”

Ginny frowned. “She’s nice and all, but she’s been sort of, well, odd, since that accident with her Mum. She really only seems to be half paying attention to what goes on around her, so people have started calling her ‘loony’. I think it’s a bit mean, myself.”

“She’s probably just lonely,” Harry agreed. “Maybe you’ll be in classes with her. With any luck, she could end up sorted into the same house and you’ll have a dorm-mate you already know.”

Ginny visibly brightened at the thought. “That would be nice,” she agreed.

“Of course,” Harry continued, “if people do harass her, we’ll have to be ready to deal with that.”

“And if it happens in classes, I get first crack at them,” she said, smiling mischievously.

“I’d almost pity the poor malefactors,” he chuckled. He remembered Luna talking to him right after Sirius died. He wasn’t sure what he would have done without her words about eventually being reunited with his godfather. Maybe what he’d set up would at least be a down payment on what he owed her.

“You know Harry,” Ginny said, breaking through his reverie, “you’re the only person I know who doesn’t always tell me to stay out of the way. You’re not always nattering on about how I can’t take care of myself, or how something is too dangerous for me because I’m a girl, or because I’m the youngest. Why is that?”

Harry froze. What he wanted to say was locked behind his teeth. “Well, er, maybe because I got to know the real you?” he asked lamely.

“The real me?” she asked, clearly confused.

“Yeah, the Ginny that isn’t a silly little girl. The Ginny that’s willing to sneak out in the middle of the night to practice flying on her brothers’ brooms. The Ginny that’s nice enough to show a stranger how to get through the barrier at King’s Cross. The Ginny that’s brave enough to stand up to her brother, defending a girl who’d never hear about it, just because it’s the right thing to do. That Ginny.”
 

Ginny’s face had grown redder and redder as he talked, but she didn’t look away. When she spoke, it was in little more than a whisper. “Thank you, Harry.”

“Don’t thank me,” he shrugged, “just telling the truth is all.” He stood up and stretched. “I think I’ll go see if I can help with dinner.” He walked away, blinking rapidly.

~+~

Their last day at The Burrow started out normally. The twins joined in for both martial arts and Occlumency practice. Harry knew better than to try and persuade them to work on their skills. That would only make them look for reasons not to. Instead he just offered it as an opportunity and let their own competitiveness drive them to it. It also didn’t hurt that he let them know he wouldn’t be sharing any of his future pranks with unprotected minds.

The last few weeks of training had had some noticeable physical effects. Harry lost the remainder of the stiffness he’d left Saint Mungo’s with. With a sparring partner to work with, Ron was becoming difficult to block. If anything, Ginny was getting even faster.

Hedwig returned before noon with a note from Remus Lupin. He hadn’t been allowed to see Sirius at all, and said he’d Floo over before six. Harry was a bit on edge waiting to see the man, so he was more than eager to help Ginny and Molly with the dinner preparations. Ron and his brothers were instructed, in no uncertain terms, to make sure their trunks were packed and ready for the trip to King’s Cross in the morning.

Mrs. Weasley was just pulling an enormous roast from the oven when the fireplace roared with green flames and Arthur Weasley stepped out. Harry tried not to let any disappointment show on his face. He hadn’t seen Remus since shortly after the destruction of Grimmauld Place.

“That smells wonderful, Molly,” Arthur told his beaming wife. “Is our guest here yet?”

“Thank you, dear. He should be here any moment.”

As if on cue, the flames flared up again and a tall man in shabby robes with light brown hair walked hesitantly out of the fireplace. His dark eyes looked tired and there were visible streaks of grey in his hair. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, but stopped dead when they locked onto Harry. His eyebrows stretched upward as he stared.

“Sirius said I looked just like my Dad,” Harry said, smiling slightly.

“I’d say you do,” Remus replied in an even voice. “If your eyes were hazel you could pass for him at that age.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “My apologies,” he said, extending his hand toward Mr. Weasley, “Remus Lupin.”

“Arthur Weasley.”

“I understand you’re Harry’s legal guardian now?” At Arthur’s nod he smiled. “I was a bit shocked when I saw the notice in the Prophet. I recalled that Lily detested her sister’s family. I can’t imagine why Harry was left there.”

Mr. Weasley went very quiet and Mrs. Weasley began fussing with the silverware. Remus looked from them to Harry’s stony expression and sought to immediately change the subject. “So, I understand you were able to see Sirius?”

“Dumbledore decided I should stay there,” Harry said in a quiet voice. “If he had his way I imagine I’d still be there.”

Remus stopped talking when Harry spoke, his mouth hanging slightly open. It was a disquieting sight for Harry. It reminded him uncomfortably of the way Remus’ face had gone slack after Macnair stabbed the werewolf with a silver dagger. It took nearly a day for him to finally succumb to the silver poisoning. In the end, the best Harry or the remaining Order members could do was ease his pain. Harry sat with him until the end as the last of the Marauders occupied his final hours telling his best friend’s son stories of their Hogwarts years. Harry didn’t know if he was doing it more to dull the pain or in the hope that some of their history would outlive his end. Harry didn’t really think it mattered. Tonks barely made it back before he passed. She kissed him goodbye and he quietly breathed his last. Harry held her as she cried on his shoulder like a broken-hearted child.

Harry shook his head and snapped out of his reverie when he realized that Molly was asking him something. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“I was wondering if you and Arthur would like to show Mr. Lupin around. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”

Harry nodded dumbly and the three of them headed out the back door.

~+~

Harry was definitely calmer when they sat down to dinner. Molly had probably manufactured her need for the delay, but Harry was grateful. Arthur pointed out the garden and his beloved shed, but mostly they got to know their visitor, or know him again in Harry’s case. Fortunately, Remus was just as kind and genial now as he was in Harry’s thirteenth year. While both he and Arthur had fought in the first war against Voldemort, they had travelled in far different circles with Arthur already employed in the Ministry.

Still, they were able to catch up on mutual friends and get to know each other a little. Harry realized that Arthur was taking his role as guardian very seriously, and wanted to know more about Sirius and Remus before they got close to his fosterling. He supposed he might have taken offence, if the man’s motives weren’t so straightforward. It was surprising to Harry that some of the Weasleys didn’t get sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor.

The walk also gave Harry a chance to regain his emotional equilibrium. He hadn’t anticipated zoning out like he did, but he supposed he shouldn’t really be surprised. He was getting wound up about Sirius and he’d just reintroduced himself to someone he’d know quite well that died in front of him. No, no reason at all to go off his nut.

He wondered if his face still looked like a wet weekend when Ginny gave him a worried smile. He smiled back at her and reminded himself that things were diverging more and more from the timeline he knew previously -- and maybe that was a good thing.

Dinner, of course, was spectacular. He suppressed a smile when he saw Molly encouraging Remus to take thirds and fourths. After he and Ginny cleaned up the dishes, several of them sat around the table talking. Ginny and Ron lingered near the door until Harry caught their eyes and encouraged them to sit down. Molly eyed him questioningly, but Harry just nodded.

“Something is not right about this whole situation,” Arthur said quietly. “No sooner do we capture Pettigrew than Azkaban gets a new warden who doesn’t permit visits and the Auror in charge of the investigation gets reassigned.”

“Do they think we’ll just forget about it and leave him there?” Remus asked, with a little heat.

“Maybe there is something else they are trying to accomplish first,” Harry mused.

“What could still be an issue eleven years later?” Arthur asked.

Remus stared off into space. “I’m going to check on some things,” he said distantly. “I don’t know if it will help or not.”

“We may have another option,” Harry said. “I wrote a letter to that reporter who came poking around here. Her name is Rita Skeeter, and she’s very hungry to do a story on the Boy Who Lived, but I imagine a nice juicy scandal would make her day as well.”

“Harry,” Molly said in a concerned voice, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’ve read some of her articles and she seems to delight in saying simply horrible things about people.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “She’s one nasty piece of work. But she knows if she crosses me I’ll never give her another story or interview again. I also asked Goldfarb if his business associates knew anything about her. It seems she is an unregistered Animagus, a rather unattractive beetle. If she doesn’t behave, that information could end up being an anonymous tip to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

The reactions around the table were mixed. Molly’s eyes bulged a little while Arthur had a pained expression. This was balanced out by Ginny’s feral grin and Ron’s muttered “Wicked!”

Remus, however, wore a bittersweet smile. “James would have been proud,” he said sadly. Molly looked scandalized at that.

“Well, whoever is keeping Sirius locked up is clearly circumventing the law,” Harry replied. “I think we should consider bending a few rules to get him out.”

Harry went upstairs and retrieved the rough draft of the letter to Rita he’d been working on. While the adults had some input on the wording, Ron and Ginny mainly supplied moral support.

Harry wasn’t sure why he wanted them there, but he did know that he didn’t want to be keeping secrets from his friends. He’d learned that lesson the hard way. Harry had secrets kept from him, ‘for his own good’, and he’d also shut his friends out ‘for their own good’. In the end, those good intentions had led everyone straight to hell. No one can really tell someone else what’s good for them, he mused. I need to make my own decisions and let them make theirs. As soon as they all master Occlumency, no more bloody secrets. The thought was both frightening and liberating. And if the twins became more than just business partners in this timeline, he’d have to include them as well.

It was getting late by the time they’d all given their input on the letter. Molly was still hesitant about using the venomous reporter, but agreed Rita could be a good back up if everything else failed. Then she shooed them off to bed after Remus departed with a promise to keep in touch by owl.

++++++++++++++

A/N:

My Beta says that 17 USC 107 means never having to issue a disclaimer when I’m not getting paid for the writing — so there!

This is the end of the summer, next chapter starts with the trip back to Hoggy Warty Hogwarts!

Thanks for reading!

-Matthew