“ARGHHH!” Severus Snape yelled as an intense burning seared his forearm and woke him up. He threw off the blanket and pulled up the sleeve of his night shirt. Even in the darkness of his room, he could see the red glow of the dark mark. His mind whirled over how it was possible for the dark lord to call, when he was supposed to be dead, and then the mark started to dissolve and the pain intensified.

Black wispy smoke flowed out of his arm and left an intense burn mark in the exact shape of the mark. Severus stared at the spot as the burn settled and then it stopped glowing. He couldn't understand what was going on and had been too surprised by the sight to continue screaming, because it wasn't possible to get rid of the mark.

Even when the dark lord had been vanquished, the mark had only faded from the loss of power. It never disappeared, which meant that the dark lord was out there somewhere. It was a constant worry on Severus' mind, mainly because he had been a spy for Dumbledore and he was afraid of what would happen to him when the dark lord came back into power. He knew that Dumbledore would enlist his services again to spy and he hadn't been looking forward to it at all.

Now... now he didn't know what had happened. His dark mark was gone. There was a clear burn in its place; but, there were several things that would take care of it, assuming it wasn't a magical wound or cursed to remain. Even that would be handled if he didn't mind a little mutilation and a day or two regrowing the parts that he would have to cut off.

Severus laid back down on the bed and didn't bother putting the blanket back over himself. His arm stung and he really should put some salve or something on it. He didn't, because he wanted the reminder. He wanted to keep the feeling that he was no longer bound magically to an insane megalomaniac.

He imagined that similar scenes were happening all across the British Isles as all of the other Death Eaters suffered the same or similar damage. He was grateful that his devotion had been in platitudes only and he never meant any of it. He had been trapped at a young age and sucked into the whole thing before he knew what it all meant.

It was his deepest regret next to losing the only woman he had ever loved. Just like he had admitted to Harry, it was his words and actions that had led to Lily's death. His remorse over it had brought his life to a very different path than he ever imagined, and now... now... he didn't know what to do. His whole purpose in life had just evaporated like the black wispy smoke of his mark.

Severus couldn't help but smile his trademark smirk as he imagined walking into Dumbledore's office and telling the old fool off. He never wanted to teach and it was a chore to teach students that couldn't care less about the craft. It irked him daily how they didn't pay attention, even when the potions required rapt attention.

Only a select number of students knew the importance of brewing properly and those were few and far between. His harsh teaching methods were used to weed out those not suited for the high pressure that the sixth and seventh year students would be under to perform properly. It was a constant struggle for him to keep his composure and not let any of his students die from their incompetence.

Severus let his mind float around some more as he lay there, not really trying to go back to sleep, and his thoughts drifted to Harry Potter. The boy-who-lived. He almost snorted at the ridiculous title that Dumbledore had saddled the child with. He rubbed his hand over the burn mark, it's searing pain a harsh reminder of what was there, and he smiled again.

So much for the prophecy. Severus thought with more than a little regret.

*

Ginny was a nervous wreck as she sat on the floor in front of the fireplace with a blanket wrapped around her. So much time had passed and she couldn't get to sleep, not with Harry taken by the ministry. She knew that her mother would contact her as soon as she knew something and she waited anxiously for any flickering in the fireplace.

“You should go to bed.” Luna's voice said from the couch behind her.

“You can't sleep either.” Ginny said without turning to look at her. “You're as worried about him as I am.”

They fell silent and after a few minutes, a particularly loud snore cut through the silence.

“Ron seems to be okay with everything.” Luna said with a giggle.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Ron's not big on the whole worry thing, especially with a full stomach.”

“I can't believe he ate more after Harry left. His stomach must be huge.” Luna said, a little impressed.

Ginny had to laugh. “He's spoiled by the school meals and even mum thinks he needs to cut back. She'd never tell him that, though.”

They fell silent again and both of them waited. One patiently and the other anxiously.

After a long time, according to Ginny's nervousness and not the clock that had only said that a few hours had passed, the fireplace flickered. Ginny sat up straight and stared into the fireplace, expecting to see her mum's face, then the fireplace flared up and Amelia stepped out of the flames with Harry.

“HARRY!” Ginny yelled and jumped to her feet, throwing off the blanket around her, and she hugged him even tighter than her plump mother had, which was saying something. “I was so scared! What happened to you? Are you okay? Did the ministry hurt you?”

She was hugging him with her head buried into Harry's chest and didn't see the reaction on his face as she asked those questions. Luna did, though. She had seen his face twitch and knew something bad had happened. She didn't know what, only that it was very bad and something that no one was ever going to talk about.

Luna slid off of the couch and calmly walked over to him. She tapped Ginny's shoulder to get her attention, then poked her hard in the side.

“Ow!” Ginny yelped and jumped away to rub the spot. “Luna! That wasn't nice!”

Luna ignored her and looked into Harry's eyes. She didn't say a word and reached up to put her arms around his neck to pull him down into a tender hug. Harry's arms went around her automatically and he held her just as tenderly. They rested their heads on each other's shoulders and stayed like that for several minutes.

Amelia stood there with an odd expression on her face. She had watched the two very different exchanges and had stayed quiet, in case Harry said anything about what had happened. She hadn't made him swear an oath like she had the others, because he was too young to accept that responsibility or to understand the consequences of breaking that oath. She had just made him promise to not tell anyone what had happened.

“Luna, that's enough! You can let him go now!” Ginny said, her jealousy obvious. “Luna!” She said and went to poke her in the side like Luna had done to her.

Harry's hand moved and grabbed her finger to stop her. Ginny was surprised by that and looked at his face, only to see it streaked with tears. She didn't know how to react now, with Harry so obviously upset. He let her finger go and lightly rubbed Luna's back for a moment, then pat it.

Luna took the hint and slowly let the hug go and stepped back. Her face was streaked with tears as well and she reached up to wipe at his face. Harry let her and she smiled dreamily at him.

“Here.” Amelia said and handed her a handkerchief.

“Thank you.” Luna said and successfully cleaned off Harry's tears.

Harry took it next and wiped at her face, too.

The fireplace flared again and Molly Weasley stepped out.

“MUM!” Ginny yelled and jumped into her mother's arms.

“I'm sorry for worrying you, dear.” Molly said as her husband came out of the floo behind her. “We came here as soon as it was all over.”

“I'm so glad Harry's okay!” Ginny said loudly.

Molly, Arthur, and Amelia looked slightly worried, then Amelia put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

“I need to get back to work. There's a few things I need to put into place for the morning.” Amelia said.

Harry nodded, because he knew she had a few things to do for when the Minister of Magic came into work in the morning. Her whole department would be waiting for him and they were going to get to the bottom of everything.

“No one is above the law.” Amelia said and ran a hand through his hair. “Thank you for not fighting about coming back here. Until we can root out all of Tom Riddle's supporters, you'll need to stay under the blood wards and your mother's protection.”

“I know there's more danger out there than an old angry spirit.” Harry said with a smile.

Amelia almost laughed. “Go to bed and get some sleep.” She looked at Luna. “Make sure he stays in bed until at least noon. He's missed a lot of sleep tonight.”

“Don't worry, Madam Bones. I'll watch him for as long as it's necessary.” Luna promised. “I'm really good at it, too.”

Amelia did laugh a little at that. “Thank you, Luna.” She said and pulled Harry into a hug. “I'm so glad that you're okay.”

Harry's face sunk between her breasts and he hugged her back. “I'm glad you are, too.”

Amelia smiled. “Don't be so cheeky.”

“Oops.” Harry said and she laughed.

“Go on, go.” Amelia said and let him go as she waved to his room, then she motioned to the fireplace. “Molly, Arthur. After you.”

“I think I should stay here for a while and...” Molly started to say.

“Molly, let's go.” Arthur said and pulled her to the fireplace. “You have your own children to worry about in the morning.”

Molly looked like she was going to refuse, then she sighed, let her daughter go with a promise to call tomorrow afternoon, then she and Arthur were gone through the floo.

Amelia waved to Harry and saw Luna's nod, then she was gone back to the ministry.

“Hey, she didn't change my clothes back.” Harry said and looked down at the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. “These are supposed to be my comfy pyjamas.”

“Just do the transfiguration reversion spell on them.” Luna said and Harry raised his eyebrows at her. “What? I'm going to be a Ravenclaw. I like to read.”

Harry smiled and cast the spell Reparifarge and his clothes changed back into his pyjamas. “Hey, it worked.”

“Just because an adult cast the spell, that doesn't mean we can't undo it.” Luna said and slipped her hand into Harry's. “Come on. It's time for bed.”

“Huh?” Harry asked eloquently and Luna giggled as she pulled him towards the main bedroom. “W-wait...”

“Madam Bones ordered it.” Luna said, her dreamy smile wide. She led him inside and then climbed onto the bed while still holding his hand. Harry didn't fight against it and let her pull him to the very center of the bed. She pat the spot and he gave her a wide-eyed look. She didn't react or say anything as she fluffed the pillow and pulled the blanket over some more. Harry sighed and laid down on his back where she wanted him to sleep.

Luna pulled the blanket up over him, then she did the same to her pillow and laid down right next to him on her side before she pulled the blanket over herself. She stared at him without blinking for several moments and Harry could almost feel her gaze on him.

Harry turned his head to look at her and she still had that dreamy smile on her face. “You're not going to stay awake and watch me all night, are you?”

“No, just until you fall asleep.” Luna said.

“You can't keep your eyes open for that long.” Harry commented.

“Watch me.” Luna said and he chuckled.

“Good one.” Harry said and then looked up at the ceiling. “I don't know if I can fall asleep after what just happened.”

“You will.” Luna said and reached over to rest her hand on his chest. “Don't think about what could have happened or what's going to happen next. Push all of that out of your head. All that matters is that right now, you're here and safe.”

Harry thought about saying something, then he moved his hand to cover hers as he used some meditation techniques to do what she said and cleared his mind. A moment later, Luna was pressed into his side and he felt her breath on his cheek. He glanced at her and she was still staring at him with that smile on her face. He felt a wave of exhaustion pass over him and closed his eyes.

“Here and safe.” Harry whispered, then he took a deep breath and let it out. “With you.”

“Yes.” Luna whispered and lightly kissed his cheek.

Harry liked the slight ticklish feeling that kiss had given him, probably because he actually did feel safe with her so close. He drifted off to sleep with her comforting warmth beside him and if his mind plagued him with either dreams or nightmares, he wouldn't remember them come morning.

Ginny stood in the doorway to the bedroom and she stared open-mouthed at what she just witnessed. For some reason, she thought it was even more embarrassing than bathing together. Luna and Harry were cuddled up in bed together and her face burned bright red at what it meant.

Of course, she was jumping to conclusions and things wouldn't go the way that she had seen her older brother Charlie do once with his girlfriend. She hadn't meant to watch it, since they were supposed to be hiding from everyone while they had 'fun'.

Ginny wanted to know what they meant, since she knew what her older twin brothers meant when they had fun, which consisted of jokes and pranks. She fully expected something else until she saw them get naked and then stared with wide eyes at what they did. She never imagined that a boy's thing being used like that could be fun and the girl had really enjoyed it.

Now, she stared at the bed with Harry and Luna huddled in close and her mind whirled over imagining them doing that kind of fun, too. Her jealously spiked and she made fists with her hands. She wanted so much to run over and hop onto the bed and tear the two of them apart. If anyone was going to have fun like that with Harry, she wanted it to be her.

Ginny remembered the way that Charlie had hugged his girlfriend and kissed her, then he told her that he loved her. Ginny really really wanted to hear that from Harry. She knew that a lot of things needed to happen between them for that to happen, though. It had taken Charlie a long time to get his girlfriend to do what they did and he was really happy with her, until she refused to go with him to Romania for his new job.

“Love isn't enough for me to give up the rest of my life for you, Charlie.” The young woman had said and then stormed out. Charlie left not long after that and moved away to take care of dragons.

Ginny still remembered the joke he had made and said dragons were easier to handle than women. I don't want to be like that. She thought and eventually calmed down. Her urge to go smack Luna for being so bold, receded from the forefront of her mind. Her blush faded and she walked around the bed to climb on.

She saw Luna watching her with those staring eyes as she slid under the blanket. Ginny didn't try to get closer to Harry, though. She knew that she had missed her chance by being too pushy and demanding earlier. She hated that Luna's quiet acceptance had beaten her to comforting Harry and she vowed to do better in the future. If he needed her, then she would be there for him.

*

Sirius and Ela came out of the floo and pretty much collapsed onto the couch of the living room. Neither of them spoke and just stared at each other. They could see it in each other's eyes as the events of the night played out in their minds and then they each reached for the other and started tearing their clothes off.

Ela moaned as Sirius made frantic and passionate love to her right there on the couch. She had enjoyed them having sex each and every time, because he was a great lover; but, this time she was just as wrapped up in the desperation and urgency that he felt. She needed to do something, just like he did. For tonight, that something was making each other feel so good that they would forget what they had witnessed, even if it was only for a few hours.

*

Minerva McGonagall stepped out of her fireplace and her mind was filled with the events of the night. The horrible things she had been a party to, the terrible things she had witnessed, and then the deplorable acts of a man she was currently seeing.

The fireplace flared behind her and she whirled to argue with the man that had followed her, for committing acts of murder, right in front of her and a very impressionable young man named Harry Potter. She barely opened her mouth when Thorfinn's mouth was on hers and his passion for her was unmistakable.

Minerva had never been kissed like that before and she let out a little purr as his hands deftly touched her. She didn't protest at all, outwardly at least, as the man took full control of her and brought her to her bedroom. He stripped her off and tossed her onto the bed, both playfully and forcefully, and she watched with anticipation as he stripped off his clothes.

Thorfinn's prominence was as startling to see now as it had the first time, and Minerva's purr grew louder as he approached the bed. He flipped her over onto her stomach and yanked her hips up, getting a snarl of complaint from her at the roughness, then he was inside of her and she growled and purred at him. He bit the back of her neck and Minerva completely forgot what she was angry about.

*

Azkaban prison was in an uproar. Nearly half of the inmates, most in the high security ward, were freaking out and tried to cause a riot. The worst offender was Bellatrix Lestrange, who's howls of pain and anguish cut through the air and filled all of the ears of the prisoners with despair. Her angry shouts of defiance were just as bad and her husband bashed his head against the bars of his cell, trying to somehow break it.

The dementors were called in and it still took nearly an hour for the prisoners to be calmed down. The guards left the dementors there and let them suck in as much magical energy as they could until the prisoners fell unconscious. The dementors were sent off to guard the outside again and the prison was once again a nice and orderly institution.

For now.

*

Albus Dumbledore sat in the holding cell in the Carrow's basement and he wondered what was going on above him with the Death Eaters. He easily heard the half-dozen screams of pain and anguish that were somewhat similar to his own that he had let out earlier. He had never had the Cruciatus curse unleashed upon him before, or so many times, and he didn't like it very much.

Even with his Occlumency in full effect to strengthen his mind and reduce the impact he felt on his body, he couldn't stop his mouth from eventually letting out the screams of pain his body experienced. He was grateful that they were only men and needed to sleep, which gave him a short reprieve during the night to recover enough of his strength to put up a more valid defense in the morning. He was sure that they would try again to get his secrets and he was not going to divulge them.

Little did he know that that was not what they were planning at all.

*

Amelia laid in bed after hours of working to clean up the mess and to set up the traps for the ministry workers that would be showing up in the morning. With her eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling, her mind churned over everything that had happened. The multitude of crimes that had been committed in front of her, the worst the blatant murder of a child... a child she dearly loved... had changed her.

She knew in her head that it was wrong to watch Thorfinn do what he did to clean up the rabble. She knew it, as she knew there were only four fingers and a thumb on her hand... and yet, she was also completely incensed that anyone could do what they did to her Harry. Her mind only had to work for a short time before it justified everything as retaliation for that horrific crime. She almost smiled as her mind settled into a calm that she hadn't known since the end of the last war where her predecessors had taken down and brought in so many death eaters for trials and punishment.

Amelia closed her eyes with the thought of her dead family members getting the same justice that Harry had gotten last night. It warmed her heart that Harry had so many people that would do that for him. She almost lamented the fact that she didn't get to kill anyone for him, too. She let out a little chuckle at that thought and then she sighed. She could only imagine what her niece was going to say when she found out in the morning.

Harry's not going to be able to get rid of her when school starts up again. Amelia thought with a smile and drifted off to sleep.

*

The morning came and in various households across all of the British Isles, the results of last night's events were taking place. The worst was the utter disbelief for the death eaters that it hadn't been a dream the night before and their burned arms were the evidence. They rushed downstairs to their prisoner and saw his smug face.

“Did you do it?” One of them nearly shouted and the old man didn't respond. “CRUCIO!”

Albus sat there and didn't even twitch, the smile never leaving is face.

“Dolohov.” The man said and ended the curse.

Dolohov raised his wand and Albus let out a startled yell as his arm broke.

“Crucio!” The other man said and Albus let out a scream, because his broken arm had ended his concentration and also ended the petrification spell he had cast on himself.

The other Death Eaters continued taking turns using the torture curse for only short bursts, because they knew that prolonged exposure would cause irreparable damage and that was not what they wanted. No, they worked Albus over and weakened him to the point that a silent Imperius curse would work.

Albus had been too busy trying to fight the torture to also counter the second Unforgivable curse and he cursed himself mentally for not preparing himself for the possibility.

“You are going to act like you normally do. Arrogant and full of yourself. You can do no wrong and no authority has the right to counter your decisions, since you are the one that controls everyone else.” The Death Eater said and Albus nodded. The curse always worked better when you told them to do what they would have done anyway. “You are going to go into the courtroom today and you will maintain your innocence while also informing everyone of what you've done.”

The other Death Eaters let out chuckles at the thought of Albus using arrogance to admit his crimes while also proclaiming innocence.

“Obliviate him and heal his injuries. When Malfoy shows up, we'll take them both to the ministry.” Yaxley said, pleased with the result of their custody of the famous Dumbledore.

Albus was healed and cleaned up, his mind fully entrapped by the Imperious curse, and Malfoy showed up with a very sour look on his face. No words were spoken by anyone as they assumed their roles and took Albus through the floo network to go to the ministry.

It was going to be quite the show today.

*

Harry woke up and felt something warm against him that was hugging him. He remembered Luna comforting him the night before and turned and put his arms around her and snuggled in. Amelia had told him to stay in bed until noon and he wasn't going to disappoint her.

Luna had felt Harry stir and she fully expected him to push her away and apologize. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised when he turned in her arms and then hugged her back and cuddled into her like she was a teddy bear. She had never been held like that before and she was a little unsure what to do, then Harry went right to sleep with his face pressed to hers.

A thrill went through her when she realized that if she wanted to, she could pucker her lips and kiss his cheek again like she had the night before. She didn't know why she felt like that, since they were only friends, then she gave in to that feeling and puckered her lips and kissed his cheek. He didn't react or try to move away and she thought she heard him whisper 'thank you'.

Luna's heart beat a little faster and she closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. She wasn't sure why Harry thanking her made her so very happy. Her happiness hadn't been based on other people since her mother died. She always tried to keep her own feelings hidden, because no one really deserved to know how she felt... until now.

For some reason, she knew that unlike everyone else, Harry wouldn't call her strange or a freak. He had been the only one to treat her normally and included her in things that no one else had. He had even talked to her like a normal person and didn't dismiss her whenever she mentioned fantastic creatures or what other people called weird thoughts or theories. He also didn't look down on her interests or told her that she was wasting her time daydreaming.

What Luna didn't know was that Harry had done the same thing when he was younger. His daydreaming was what got him through the day and his interests were completely different than other kids his age, thanks to Dudley and his gang keeping him from making friends. He literally didn't know what other kids were supposed to be interested in, so his own interests were all he had.

Harry knew he was different than them and he had made peace with that years ago. Meeting someone else that was odd like him, was interesting in and of itself. That Luna was also fun to hang around with and almost always made him laugh, really was the best thing that Harry could have come across.

Of course, no one really knew that he really missed Hermione. She had been by his side all year and her absence during all of this was a huge hole in his heart. His grip on Luna tightened a little and then he relaxed. He would send Hedwig to her in the morning with a letter, asking her to wait until they saw each other to talk, since a letter wouldn't let him hug her like he wanted. Like he needed.

Harry felt a little guilty that he was using Luna like that, until he remembered her hugging him the night before and letting him cry on her shoulder. He had really needed that and not the clingy whining that Ginny had offered. No, he needed the quiet support that Luna gave him and he appreciated it.

Both of them drifted off to sleep and didn't notice that Ginny was awake and stared at them with wide eyes.

*

The chief warlock entered the room and he was pleased to see both Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore were present. He nodded to the blonde aristocrat and took his seat that was slightly above everyone else. His assistant sat by his side and handed him the relevant papers. His eyes roamed over the assembled people and he noted the absence of Minister Fudge. He would need to check on that later.

“All right, this court is now in session.” The chief warlock said and lightly tapped the gavel. All other conversation stopped. “Having had a full night to go over the new charges and to mull over the previous charges, Mr. Dumbledore, do you have something to say to this court?”

Albus gave him that arrogant and self-assured smile that he knew the chief warlock hated. “Despite doing all that I am accused of and more, I am innocent.”

An immediate uproar came from the assembled members of the Wizengamut and the ICW. Complete pandemonium was not tolerated and they held their hollers and shouts to that of a controlled outburst. Debates raged between the factions and the chief warlock could only stare at the smug man that sat in the chair in the middle of the room. The crimes he was accused of were at a minimum of ten years apiece in prison.

It was completely unheard of for someone to openly say that they did it and also claim innocence.

The chief let it go on for nearly ten minutes before he lightly tapped the gavel three times. “That's enough.” He said without looking at anyone except Albus. “Do you consent to the use of Viritaserum?”

“No, since I did everything anyway. Why do you need me to repeat myself? I'm innocent. I did it all for the greater good.” Albus said.

“He's delusional!” Elphias Doge, one of his main supporters, exclaimed. “He spent the night in the custody of a suspected Death Eater and they could have done anything to him!”

“Normally, I would strongly object to that completely biased and slanderous statement.” Lucius said and stood to get everyone's attention. “However, I would submit myself to Viritaserum again to inform you that I did nothing to Dumbledore except deliver the man to a cell for the night and then brought him here this morning. I even gave him back his wand when my custody of him ended.”

More mutterings and conversations broke out, since Lucius hadn't blown up at being called a suspected Death Eater inside the Wizengamut. They knew he wouldn't let it go for long, however.

“Does anyone object to administering Viritaserum to the accused?” The chief warlock asked and only a few of Dumbledore's strongest supporters mumbled that it wasn't necessary. The majority wanted to hear the truth, so the chief warlock had a healer check Albus for potions, which he hadn't ingested any, and Amelia gave three drops of the truth serum to Albus.

“Get the dicta-quill ready.” The chief warlock said to his assistant as a backup to her own notes. “Albus Dumbledore, tell us in your own words what you have done.”

“It all started when I was thirteen...” Albus started to talk... and talk... and talk.

No one in the room, let alone the spectators and the reporters, expected to hear about the life and times of Albus Dumbledore. It went on for nearly six hours as the man spilled the full tale, telling of his crimes, his nefarious acts, and all of the things he had done to ensure his control of the wizarding world.

He told of his affair with Gellert Grindelwald, his sister's death, the cover-up, letting the first wizarding war drag on just long enough to go and confront his old lover. It wasn't a great duel like everyone had assumed. No, it was a lover's quarrel. It was one of the oddest things that they had to listen to as Albus easily disarmed the love-struck Grindelwald and then slept with him as a final goodbye.

He told of how the world had accepted him as their savior and how the power that was literally handed to him afterwards had been such a rush that he couldn't help but manipulate things to keep that power. He rose to fame and prominence quickly and secured the Chief Warlock position of the Wizengamut and then through various acts, proved he had what it took and also won the Supreme Mugwump position of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Then came Tom Riddle. Oh, how he had failed to see what the monster was when he was younger. Albus would have removed the danger before it even began. A quick expulsion and a snapped wand would have stopped him long before he learned enough to become a problem to Albus' power.

Albus knew that he needed to make sure that a dark lord wouldn't rise to power and campaigned for the headmaster position at the school of Hogwarts. He was granted it without question, even if Armando Dippet wasn't even close to retirement age. With his position at the school secured, he started to cut subjects, curtailed teaching certain spells, and even removed full sections of books from the public library.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Tom Marvolo Riddle had become Lord Voldemort.

The second wizarding war started and Albus lamented that Tom was actually worse than Grindelwald, mainly because he wasn't in love with the man and didn't have any way to manipulate him into behaving. He assembled those students that he had cultivated over the years and formed The Order Of The Phoenix. It was a vigilante group he used in countering the evil that Tom wanted to perpetuate on the wizarding world.

Albus admitted to lying, manipulation, compulsion spells and love potions, to create the perfect soldiers to fight in the war. He knew it was going to be a decades long endeavour, just like the last time, and he was ready for it. It all changed with the prophecy and so did his plans.

The Wizengamut sat there, stunned, as Albus told them what the prophecy was and what he did to ensure that it was accurate and would be fulfilled. It worked and he had saved the world again. He also had his future champion and the dark lord was nothing more than a spirit.

He told them of his suspicions of why Voldemort hadn't died completely, about the horcrux he suspected was inside Harry, and that he was trying desperately to manipulate the young boy into doing his bidding. He needed the weapon to fight Voldemort and no one in the wizarding world was going to stop him from saving them for a third time.

He explained his removing Sirius from Harry's life and then ensuring that Harry's upbringing would prime the young man to readily accept help from outsiders and to be grateful for it. He wanted a nice and pliable weapon that he could mold and shape to fulfill the prophecy and to die for everyone when it was time.

“As you can see, everything I did was for the greater good. Now you all understand that I am completely innocent of all charges.” Albus said with satisfaction in his voice. They didn't even need to renew the Viritaserum while he gave his speech, because he barely paused to take a breath. It was almost like once it started to come out, he just couldn't stop it until he was done.

“We will have a brief recess to eat lunch while we discuss this new evidence.” The chief warlock said, his face a stone mask. He was fighting his urge to lunge at the old man and to pound him like a muggle. “We will resume in thirty minutes.”

A lot of the members stated that they didn't need thirty minutes and only agreed because they were starving. They left the room and the spectators and reporters didn't so much as twitch to leave as well. They needed to see what was going to happen, even if they already knew what it was.

Not one person dared to approach Albus, not even his own supporters. The man sat there with a smug smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. They all sat there and waited for the Wizengamut to return.

*

“Harry, wake up. It's time for lunch.” Luna whispered to him. She didn't speak loudly, because she really didn't want to get up. She had never felt so needed or held so tenderly in her life, not even when her mother was alive. She was warm and felt really comfortable. She didn't want to give that up; but, she also knew that they both needed to eat, since they hadn't had anything since supper the night before.

“G'morning.” Harry mumbled and didn't let go or move.

“Harry.” Luna whispered.

“Just a few more minutes.” Harry grumbled and rubbed his cheek on hers. “You're so warm and I don't want to let go.”

Luna blushed a little and didn't say anything else. She really liked that he felt the same way and they stayed that way for another ten minutes before Harry's stomach rumbled and Luna giggled.

Harry let out a long and drawn out sigh. “I guess we better get up before my stomach eats itself.”

Luna giggled again and she slowly let Harry out of the embrace she had him in. He held on for another moment and let go as well. Luna sat up to look down at him and Harry looked up at her with all that long blonde hair handing down around her.

Harry reached up and ran a hand through it. “Why does it look longer?”

“I don't have my hair clips in to hold it up.” Luna said and shook her head to make the hair cascade over Harry's face. He let out a laugh as it tickled him. “Come on. We need to get to the kitchen before Ron eats everything.”

“Oh, damn! I didn't renew the food charms to fill the dishes again.” Harry said and sat up. “If he finished anything off, I'll have to make them again.”

“I think that would be fun.” Luna said and Harry gave her a smile.

“Then I won't worry that he's eating us out of house and home.” Harry said and climbed off of the bed. Luna followed him and they left the bedroom to go to the kitchen.

“Hey, guys.” Ron said with a huge plate of food in front of him. “I was just working on the leftovers.”

Harry and Luna exchanged a look and hid their laughs behind coughs.

“Did you sleep well?” Ginny asked and did her best to hide her envy. She wanted Harry to hold her like that and she didn't understand how Luna had managed it. She promised herself that she would get Luna alone later and would ask.

“It was great.” Harry said and held a chair out for Luna to sit and he sat down across from her and beside Ron. “I didn't want to get up at all, only my stomach didn't have the same idea.”

“It practically shouted for him to get up.” Luna said, a huge smile on her face. “It almost shook the bed!”

Ron laughed and Harry chuckled.

“It wasn't that...” Harry started to say and his stomach rumbled really loudly. “...bad.”

That set them all to laughing, even Ginny. The four of them dug into the mounds of food and fed themselves a very filling lunch. Harry had taken Luna's advice and didn't worry when they finished off several of the dishes of food and he sent them to the sink to wash themselves.

“This is even better than Hogwarts.” Ron said as he sat back and pat his belly. “That was really good.”

“I don't have any plans for today, so I'll be doing some cooking and things.” Harry said. “What are you guys going to do?”

“We need to go home and check in with mum.” Ron said and stood. “The girls need changes of clothes and things, too.”

“Oh, right. They didn't bring overnight bags like you did.” Harry said.

“We'll be back before you know it.” Luna said and took his hand. “I don't even have to go home to get anything. I have some stuff stashed in Ginny's room.”

“Where?” Ginny asked, a little surprised as she stood. “I didn't notice anything...”

Luna smiled at Harry and he smiled back. She waited for Ron and Ginny to leave before she stood. “By the time you finish putting the food away, I'll be back.”

“Just you?” Harry asked.

“Mrs. Weasley isn't going to let her youngest kids go right away.” Luna said. “She won't even notice me.”

Harry gave her hand a squeeze. He didn't say anything about it, because he knew all about being ignored by people while in elementary school and he had used it to his advantage. They shared a knowing look and she let his hand go before she left the kitchen. He heard the floo a couple of times and knew they were gone.

He picked through the dishes and used the expansion and copy spells needed to refill the food dishes that he could and stored them back where he kept them when not using them. The others he had marked down on a sheet by the refrigerator to show that they had been used up. He was meticulous in his food management, mainly because he had grown up doing it.

Harry went through the cupboards to start the prep work to make replacements and he heard the floo flare up again. A moment later, Luna came in wearing jeans and a short sleeved blue top that looked really tight. He raised his eyebrows at her and she let out a little chuckle.

“I might have grown a bit after stashing some of my clothes the last time.” Luna said, clearly amused.

“You were smaller than this?” Harry asked and she giggled.

“I have naturally small bones.” Luna said and preened a little, as if it was a point of pride.

“I wish I could say the same.” Harry said and his expression became a little sad.

“It's all right.” Luna said and gave him a quick hug. “You've gotten so much bigger since last year.”

“I have?” Harry asked, surprised. “Wait, how would you know that?”

“Ginny's pictures, of course.” Luna said and went to the counter. “What are you making?”

Harry pushed the thought of Ginny having pictures of him aside for now and stood beside Luna. “Diced chicken with white rice and steamed vegetables.”

“Is it difficult to make?” Luna asked and her eyes roamed over the ingredients.

“It's one of the easiest, actually. I wanted us to start small and work up to the complicated stuff.”

Luna beamed a smile at him. “Show me what to do.”

Harry nodded and started to explain what to do first, prepping the chicken, then explained about the best way to cook the rice and what pot to use for the vegetables. Luna listened and did as he instructed and they cooked up the very first food that Luna had ever made. She had a lot of fun, mainly because Harry didn't get angry when she made a mistake. He just laughed and corrected it for her, like it was nothing.

They moved on to the next dish when that was done and they both had a lot more fun than either of them expected. Harry hadn't really enjoyed cooking while growing up, mainly because he was forced to do it. It was a chore and he would be whacked and punished when he didn't do it right. He had learned from that and he did everything he could to make sure the food was cooked well and tasted delicious.

*

“We, the Wizengamut, with the approval of the austere members of the ICW, do hereby find you guilty on all charges. After a very short debate, your sentence is fifteen years each for all admitted offences, not counting the ones you weren't charged with yet. We will save those for when your 150 year sentence is up.” The chief warlock said. “Secure the prisoner and send him to where he belongs.”

“I can't believe it.” Augusta Longbottom whispered as Albus was put in chains and two dementors came into the courtroom to retrieve him. “Guilty on all charges.”

Albus didn't look repentant at all as he was led from the room, his head held high, and he assured the people near him that it was all a misunderstanding and that he would get a retrial soon, because he was innocent.

Neville's grandmother winced as Albus' wand was snapped by the Aurors. The little pulse of magic as it happened was a bit of a shock to everyone, then it was over and everyone was dismissed. She left the courtroom, almost in a daze, and took the floo back to the Longbottom estate. She had a lot of soul searching to do, now that the full extent of Albus' manipulations were exposed. Her own son, under compulsion to marry, just so he would produce a child, hurt her more than she ever expected.

It would take her some time before she finally understood what had happened and she would do her best to make it up to her grandson. She knew that he had blossomed so much while being friends with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. He wasn't as shy, he wasn't as skittish, and he was starting to grow a nice backbone, something that all great wizards had.

Yes, she would start tomorrow. Tomorrow, it was going to be a new household, right after a quick visit to both the healers and a master potions maker. She wanted to make sure that neither Frank nor Alice had anything left in their systems.

From this point forward, her family was going to be one that everyone in the wizarding world was going to envy.

*

Lucius was overjoyed as he left the courtroom. He had never imagined that the old fool had done so many horrible and nasty things during both wars, then to hear what he did to Harry Potter had made his own sense of parental responsibility nearly explode. To leave a magical child be abused for ten years, by muggles no less, nearly made him lose his composure.

He ignored those feelings and briefly talked to several of his accomplices, then he took the floo home to talk to Narcissa. She was going to be just as livid as he was about everything. She was also going to be very relieved that the manipulative old man was going to be out of the picture for a very long time.

The only problem was, when he stepped out of the floo, he was inside a large bare room with a dozen Aurors.

“Incarcerous.” One of the men said and wrapped Lucius in magical ropes.

“What's the meaning of this?” Lucius asked and hid his outrage at being captured.

“Don't worry, Mr. Malfoy.” Amelia said as she stepped forward. “I'm just cleaning up a few things that the previous Minister of Magic left behind.”

“The previous minister?” Lucius asked as his mind started working out how to get out of this.

Amelia smiled. “I doubt that you would be surprised at the things that Fudge has been up to.”

“Surely, I don't know what you mean.” Lucius said and she let out a chuckle.

“Oh, don't worry. We have all the records needed of all the things that the two of you have been up to.” Amelia said and pointed to the side of the room. A small picture frame hung there and if he remembered correctly, it was the very first Minister of Magic. “As you can clearly see, we have a first-hand witness to everything.”

“A portrait's testimony is not admissible in court.” Lucius said, knowing the law for such things.

“You say that as if I didn't know it myself.” Amelia said, amused. “But you see, there's this funny little law that no one pays attention to. Whenever a painting is mounted into a building, it becomes bound to that building. Anything that can harm it can be used for the purposes of the law. Testimony can't be given, that's true. However, a corroborated statement can be admitted.”

Lucius opened his mouth to say that he would never admit to anything, then he said a name like it was a curse. “Fudge.”

Amelia grinned at him. “Once the spineless little man admitted to a few things that broke his vow to the ministry, he lost his right to refuse the use of Viritaserum.”

The floo flared behind him and another man was captured. Lucius didn't like that it was Yaxley, who had been unmarked as a Death Eater, precisely for his integration into the ministry. The floo flared again and another man appeared. A woman was next, Deloris Umbridge, and then another man he didn't know.

“What's going on?” Deloris screeched. “I will have you know that I am...”

“...a criminal hiding in plain sight.” Amelia cut off the horrible woman's tirade before it began. “It's all right. I'm going to be sure that you all get a fair and unbiased trial before you're put in Azkaban for the rest of your lives.”

The floo flared again and again as more people were redirected from their destinations to the holding room. They were captured and bound before being moved off to the side to wait for the others. The list that Fudge had given them was a long one.

*

After supper and suffering their mother's smothering embrace for the entire afternoon, Ron and Ginny finally made their escape and went back to Harry's place. They could hear laughing coming from the kitchen and they went inside, only to be shocked at the sight of Harry and Luna nearly covered from head to foot in flour and other things.

“What are you doing?!?” Ginny asked, her voice a little shrill. She realized then that she had missed yet another chance to have fun with Harry and that Luna had kept him all to herself. It just wasn't fair!

“Oh, hey guys!” Harry said as he looked at them and a clump of damp flour fell from the top of his head and plopped onto the floor. “You just missed an epic food fight.”

Ron and Ginny just stood there and stared at the huge mess the kitchen was in and with dirty pots and pans everywhere.

“Oh, not those.” Luna motioned to the pots and pans. “We cooked all afternoon and dirtied those. It wasn't until we were making a batch of cookies when 'Mister Potter' decided that my cheeks needed a bit of powdering.”

“She looked so cute concentrating on sifting the flour while I was stirring the other ingredients that I wanted to distract her.” Harry said with a shrug. “Before we knew it, we were covered and everything was... well, everywhere.”

Luna laughed. “We better get cleaned up.” She said and took his hand. As she led him by a still stunned Ron and Ginny, she spoke. “Don't bother cleaning up. We'll handle it when we come back.”

“There's chocolate cake in the fridge.” Harry said and let Luna pull him out of the kitchen.

Ginny's mouth fell open as she watched Luna take Harry into the bathroom and then the door was shut and locked. The water started soon after, then there was a bit more laughing and giggling.

“I... I can't believe...” Ginny muttered.

“I wonder how big it is.” Ron said and went over to the refrigerator and looked inside. “It's huge!” He exclaimed and completely missed Ginny's blush as she misunderstood what he was talking about.

Ginny didn't even look at Ron as he took out a giant three layer chocolate cake and cut off a huge slice for himself.

“Hey, Gin. Do you want some?” Ron asked.

“Y-yes.” Ginny said, her eyes staying on the bathroom door.

“Come and get it.” Ron said and slid a plate with a small slice of cake on it across the kitchen table.

Ginny let out a sigh and went to the table to eat the piece of cake. It was delicious.