“Congratulations!! On graduating!”

“Oh, Molly, stop crying! The boys graduated! It’s a happy occasion,” Arthur Weasley drank in the celebration that was taking place in the Grimmauld Palace.

“Yeah, Mom! We graduated!” Fred and George grinned, hugging and crying, Mrs Weasley.

“T-That’s what I can’t believe!! You graduated!” Molly hugged the two of them, and she wasn’t only surprised.

“I thought they’d expelled before they graduate,” Tifa held a glass, looking over at them with a smile.

“We know our limits, but now.”

“There are no limits!”

“We are!”

“Opening a Joke shop!”

“We already rented the place!”

“They spent all their time experimenting,” Hermione drank her butterbeer, “I tried stopping them, but they always found their way around it.”

“Well, they did find ways around Umbridge,” Harry muttered, causing a laugh to spread around the table.

“Proud of that one,” Fred grinned.

“Don’t you think you should be focusing on Aerith? She’s the one who got the top marks,” George shifted the topic before there was a list of their crimes.

“Ah, that is why I like America better,” Aerith muttered, “There, I would have been a Valedictorian for all my troubles.”

“America? When did you go there,” Lupin raised his eyebrows, walking out of the kitchen to them with Sirius.

“Yeah, when did you?”

“We live there, actually,” Aerith grinned, “What, you didn’t tell them, Cloud?”

“Why is it on me?” Cloud shrugged.

“You live there? Since when,” Arthur keenly asked, “How it is? Do they have flying cars?”

“I am not even going to ask why you think they have flying cars,” Cloud shook his head, walking away from the table. He went up the stairs, hearing them continue to talk as others joined them. He entered one of the rooms that Natasha was in, lying on the bed, sulking.

“How long will you confine yourself in the room?”

Natasha turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on the pillow, “Forever? Or until she apologises.”

“She won’t apologise, not because of pride, but because she doesn’t have to,” Cloud leaned against the door, crossing his hands, “I won’t let her.”

“Right,” Natasha turned her head to the other side, “Then leave me be.”

Cloud closed his eyes, standing there, and it was a while before he heard her say again, “Why won’t you leave!”

He opened his eyes, “You give yourself away.”

“What?”

Cloud walked to her, sat down on the bedside, patting her head, “You give yourself away. If you want to play spy, then you shouldn’t.”

“She told you about that?”

“Yeah,” Cloud said under his breath, “Do you think I will leave…or we will if you aren’t useful enough?”

“Hm, is that what you got from that,” Natasha sat up, tilting her head, “If you want to learn to profile, then don’t.”

Cloud looked away, scratching his cheek, “Ok.”

Natasha observed his face for a moment before she slumped her head, sighing, “Sorry.”

“Nah, you are right…I can’t seem to be able to do it…Profiling. And if I think I can, I’ll come to all the wrong conclusions.”

“It’s not that I think you’ll leave or I have to be useful,” Natasha clutched the bedsheet, fixing her eyes on her fingers, “I…I don’t want to lose it again.”

“What?”

“The family…that I have,” Natasha got pulled in a hug by him as he stroked her head.

“I don’t want to.”

“Hm,” Cloud whispered, “I get that. Tifa gets that, or she wouldn’t have let them all take such a risk. At the same time, it’s a worry that made Tifa stop you from coming along.”

“I am trained enough,” Natasha muttered.

“I know you are,” Cloud kissed her head, “But we don’t want you to fight. In that case, it has nothing to do with you…it’s more about us not feeling like we are the same as Red Room. You know, for our self-satisfaction, we want you to have a good childhood.”

Natasha closed her eyes and pulled away, plopping on the bed, “Go away.”

“Ok,” Cloud stood up, about to leave, when Natasha raised her eyebrows, “Did you make the wrong guess so I would open up?”

Cloud glanced back, with an unruffled smile on his lips, “Nah. It’s tough to get a read on you.”

“You. Sarcastic. Jerk!” Natasha threw her pillow at him, and he closed the door before it could hit him.

He smiled once the door closed, but his attention was drawn to the girl standing against the wall, copying him on purpose and the smile on his face disappeared.

“When did you learn to talk like that.”

Cloud glanced sidewards, putting his eyes on Aerith, who leaned against the wall, her hands crossed.

“I have enough books on parenting to fill the room, and I still suck.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Aerith chuckled, “I think you were good enough.”

“Yeah, well, the books might be of use in the future,” Cloud thought, “Hopefully, you get something out of them.”

“Why, do you think I need parenting lessons now?”

“You’ll need it when we have our children, right?” Cloud cocked his head at her, his lips curling into a smile, and he walked away.

Aerith felt her jaw drop to the ground; it wasn’t until he disappeared from her sight that she realised what he had said. She rushed down the stairs, catching a glimpse of him turning down the stairs, “What! What did you say!! Cloud! I am talking to you!”

Cloud hid the smile coming onto his lips, shrugging when Tonks asked what that was about, and got in with the crowd, leaving Aerith with no choice but to stay quiet.

Now that the school was over, they stayed at the Grimmauld Palace with everything going on. And there was much going on. It might seem peaceful, but they had daily skirmishes with Voldemort’s forces.

They were too spread out, and the rare time that he got to spend a night in bed, somebody had to wake him up.

“Fury, I thought I would never have to see your face again,” Cloud sat down, “Want something, Tea, coffee? Directions on how to exit the house?”

“Need an explanation,” Fury stood in front of the window, turning to shoot a look at him.

Cloud looked up; his eyes met with Fury, “Is this an interrogation? Or a talk between…uh…two people who went to space together and fought an alien race?”

“It’s called friends, the word you are looking for,” Fury sat in front of him with a smile on his lips.

“Your word, not mine.”

“Right,” Fury shook his head, “What is going on in London? I thought you magicians didn’t come out in front of the general public?”

“Don’t, but right now, they can’t take care of themselves, the Ministry is changing leaders, and Voldemort’s forces are fighting against the Ministry and the Order. It’s an all-out war.”

“A war that is not going unnoticed,” Fury scowled, “There are voices in SHIELD that wants to explore what is going on over here!”

“Ok, if that’s what you want to do.”

“You aren’t going to stop us?”

“Why would I?” Cloud shrugged, “Not that I am running SHIELD or Ministry. You guys do what you have to.”

“You are serious? You are not even going to advise against it?”

Cloud stood up, “I can’t care less if your organisation gets infiltrated by Wizards or if you manage to kill the Dark Wizards. If that is all…good night.”

“Explain?! I came all this way!”

“Come in the morning, talk to Aerith or Tifa, anyone but me,” Cloud walked out of the living room and up the stairs, “Shelke, show him the guest room or the door.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Shit! Where did you come from!” Fury stumbled to his feet, looking at Shelke, standing behind him.

There was a frown on her face, “Sir, I warned you not to enter without permission.”

“Yeah, yeah. I rang the bell.”

“You did not.”

“The gate was open.”

“It was not!”

“Alright, kid, how about you come to work for me?”

“I do not have the time. I will give it some thought when we find a capable CEO.”

“Want me to send you a list?”

“Sure. I’ll know which ones not to choose from.”

“Oh, you don’t mean that.”

“Do you know where the door is?”

“Fine, fine, you are no fun,” Fury sighed, “Wait, show me the guest room. I have to talk to them in the morning.”

“Very well, this way.”

Upper Floor,

Cloud lay down on the bed, getting under the blanket, putting his arm around Tifa, pulling her in a hug.

“Who?”

“Fury…SHIELD.”

Tifa turned over his arm, naked, her breasts pressed against his chest as she whispered, “Want to?”

Cloud gently kissed her lips, “He wants to stay and talk to you early in the morning.”

“Is that a no?”

(Cloud!! I want you here! I need help!! Please, help me!!)

Tifa raised the corner of her lips, raising her eyebrows, “That’s a no.”

“Not going,” Cloud turned, lying on his back, and Tifa raised her body, resting her head on his hand.

“Come on, don’t sulk? You had no chance against her, not after you were called out by the Last Minister to be the Dark Wizard.”

“Don’t care. Doesn’t matter. Not going.”

“Fine, I’ll come with you,” Tifa muttered, raising her chin, her lips brushed against his ear, her fingers brushed his jaw, and she whispered in his ear, “We can continue there.”

“Ah,” Cloud let out a breath, somewhere between tempted and exasperated, “Fine, but not for that. Or to help her.”

Tifa raised her eyebrows, holding back her smile and the question (if not for that or her, then why?) she wanted to ask. She chanted under her breath, “Accio Wand.”

Her wand got pulled in the palm of her hand, and she charmed her clothes, standing up as they hopped behind her to the bathroom, where she got ready. When she came out, Cloud was sitting on the bed, wearing a black turtleneck of expensive fabric. It had a smoothness like silk but wasn’t as glossy as silk.

She raised her eyebrows, watching him wear the gloves with silver studs embedded in them, “That’s your favourite, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know…might be. Why?”

“Hm, I thought these clothes…they were a part of Natasha’s Keychain?”

“Nah, Natasha’s Keychain…well, it doesn’t give me weapons; it turns whatever I am wearing into a weapon.”

“Wow, that sounds cool,” Tifa raised her eyebrows, “Natasha is awesome, isn’t she? I can’t imagine how she’d be when she’s all grown up.”

“Scary, nosy…a pain in the ass?”

Tifa chuckled, “Don’t let her hear it. She might let it go to her head.”

“Hm,” Cloud stood up, “Whatever she may become…I’ll be proud of her.”

“Now that’s what a girl likes to hear,” Tifa cupped his cheek, raising her body on her toes, tilting her head. She softly kissed his lips, closing her eyes.

(Cloud! Hurry! Please!)

Tifa froze, giggling, resting her head on his shoulder, “I swear she knows, somehow, she does.”

Cloud closed his eyes with a smile, raising his hand, which was covered in shining particles. He circled his hand, creating a portal to Aerith. He flicked his fingers inwards, and the portal came towards them, moving past.

*Clear throat*

Tifa blinked, grasping she was standing somewhere that wasn’t her home. She pulled away when it hit her that they were in front of Aerith’s desk, and she wasn’t the only one there.

She looked around, realising Fudge and Kingsley were also there, whom she nodded to, and they nodded back.

“Sorry to wake you.”

“No,” Tifa turned over, running her eyes over to the one who sat on the head’s seat in this office. She had a new nameplate, Minister of Magic, Aerith Gainsborough. She had changed her hair a little, from the blonde she wore to blonde with a shade of brown. She said that she thinks the brown shade would make people take her seriously, though, truthfully, no colour in the world could help her do that.

“What was so urgent?”

“Sightings, Death Eaters,” Aerith stood up, looking into Cloud’s eyes while talking to Tifa, but she sat back down.

“You still have the Aurors? You want Cloud too?”

“The sightings were in the Muggle area,” Aerith leaned back on the chair, “I have to go talk to the Prime Minister of London. I thought it would be better to talk to the friend Cloud made. Him being from a World Level Organization?”

“Not my friend. He’s at home, though. He came to talk about whatever was happening in London. The mist and everything. I told him he can talk to you or Tifa in the morning, but if you want, you can have him here.”

“Wow, perfect timing,” Aerith clapped her hands together, “That would be wonderful.”

“Uhh…don’t mind me…don’t mind…but…uh…why do we need to talk to this organisation?” Fudge was tip-toeing around Aerith. Cloud didn’t know how but he knew there was much support from Fudge and the Orders members that allowed Aerith to sit on his seat. He was still trying to figure out what all she did behind them.

Cloud leaned against the wall without answering him, and Aerith took the opportunity to throw another jab, “And that’s why you didn’t get the seat.”

Cloud shot a look at her, and she shut her mouth, grinningly making a sign of zipping her lips, but he did give Fudge his answer, “Because you are idiots.”

“W-What—You,” Fudge’s face became red in anger and embarrassment. Yet, he didn’t give a retort to that comment.

Tifa cleared her throat, whispering, “Now, Cloud, be nice.”

Cloud shrugged, mainly looking at Kingsley among the two, “You are not the only hidden part of Earth. There are organisations like SHIELD and Red Room. Natasha beat Umbridge without a wand and was one of many girls that the Red Room picked up and trained. She hasn’t even done half her training, and she is good.”

“Her, I know,” Kingsley nodded, “I have heard about her performance from Severus. She is easily cut above the rest and would make a great Auror.”

“Yeah, well, SHIELD is an organisation much larger than that, with talented Agents, but it doesn’t matter how many or how talented they are. If we know they are coming, then the Ministry of London is alone to crush them.”

“Then?” Fudge nodded confidently, proudly, “Exactly. We should inform the Prime Minister and him only.”

“Hence, the idiot.”

Kingsley cleared his throat to remind Fudge of something, and Fudge looked down without saying anything.

Cloud sighed, “Fine. It’s the technology. You might ignore it because Muggle Tech stops working when they enter a magic-rich area, but they are starting to find different sources. Some Alien, others Ancient. Either way, I would give them a decade when they overcome this hurdle, and that is without trying. If they try to combat magic, they likely would know that Voldemort is going crazy and has managed to bring their attention. They could do it right now.”

“What kind of counter-measures,” Aerith curiously asked. Since they had been at Hogwarts, even she had no idea what had changed in the last year.

“That’s the thing. I don’t know…but Shelke has been able to come with some. She managed to create a helmet that created an electromagnetic field around the target. Magic like Imperius Curse won’t be able to affect the target.”

“That’s wonderful!” Fudge’s eyes lit up, “Let’s have that distributed as well.”

“Won’t work, not here, right,” Aerith pressed her lips.

“Yeah. But I am not talking about now…I am talking about the future. The technology is developing fast, and the two are bound to become equal in a few decades.”

“I see. So, if we don’t cooperate now, then they will bide for their time,” Kingsley narrowed his eyes, “And if this technology does develop as you say.”

“We’ll be fighting a losing war.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Kingsley confusedly looked at him, “Did you say Alien Tech? Alien as in?”

“Outer space, different planets, not humans,” Cloud raised his hand, creating a portal in front of them, which showed a view of a massive city, Hala, “That’s Hala. The city of Kree.”

He closed the portal, “No matter. They have different tech; with their full force, they should be able to destroy the whole planet. While we can’t travel into space.”

“What Cloud is saying is that we need to adapt,” Aerith said, bringing their attention back to her. They were stunned, reasonably, after seeing the portal open above a different planet, “If we don’t…we might not be able to survive. Not in groups.”

“It’s a good thing you are on the seat,” Kingsley nodded, trying to act calm, but he seemed visibly shaken.

“Right. How about this? Let me start the talks, and you can take your time.”

“Yeah…yeah, that is a good idea,” Fudge shakingly said, walking out without saying anything.

“I’ll….”

“I’ll call him,” Cloud created another portal, much broader, and it moved, taking in the whole bed before he closed.

Fury had nearly woken up from the sound of the portal, but when he realised he wasn’t in his room, he sat up, taking his gun, pointing forward, “This is not the room I slept in.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Cloud put his palm in front of the barrel since it was pointing at Aerith, “You wanted to talk.”

“There are better ways,” Fury raised his eyebrows, observing Aerith, “Don’t tell me she’s the leader?”

“Minister of Magic, yes,” Kingsley shook himself, getting his bearings, “In times of chaos like these, those with wisdom and power are asked to take the position, to lead us out of the fray. In the last Wizarding War, Albus Dumbledore was asked, and since then, he has refused. Recently, for her powerful magic, intelligence, and wisdom, she has been asked to hold the position.”

“Wait, you think she is better than me?’

Aerith grinned, showing a victory sign, “That’s what you get by being nice to people, Cloud.”

“Haha, and I already like her,” Fury laughed, walking over to the chair, “Can I?”

“Please do.”