The Potters' Next Moves

The entrance alone was enough to take her breath away, by the time she found herself and Luna being shepherded into the changing rooms with a selection of new clothes Ginny was actually shaking.

Little Ginny Weasley had never had anything that wasn't at least second hand, pre-owned as the shops were now calling it but it didn't lessen the stigma of being poor. Ron hated it when he received something that had been passed down from his brothers but Ginny would have preferred that, at least he knew where it came from. It wasn't that Ginny was a materialistic little girl, more the result of a particular nightmare that had haunted her since she was about seven.

Ginny was walking down a busy Diagon Alley when a young girl's voice rings out loud and clear, 'Oh look mummy, that little redheaded girl is wearing my old dress'. This led to a flood of little girls taking back all the clothes Ginny was wearing, leaving her standing in the middle of the Alley in only her knickers.

It was totally illogical, absolutely mortifying and woke her up sweating and in tears every time.

Here was this practical stranger, buying her new clothes and taking them into their home for a weekend. Ginny began to understand why Hermione was the extraordinary young witch she was, with Emma Granger as her mother she couldn't really be anything else!

Both girls were being given the opportunity to see firsthand how this family operated, Ginny was probably looking forward to that as much as any of the adventures they had planned for the weekend.

Luna's reactions were slightly more complicated, she really liked Emma and loved to shop. While her father hadn't a clue how to shop for a little girl, being here with Emma was reviving some bittersweet memories of afternoons spent with her mother. It was never about what dress or blouse they eventually returned home with, more about enjoying each other's company and spending girl-time together.

Those were some of the best memories Luna had of her mother and she didn't need to stretch her imagination any to see her mum and Emma being very good friends.

It would appear to Luna that friendship with Harry and Hermione came with an admission to their family included, this was a whole new experience to Luna and one that she certainly welcomed.

Emma was also enjoying herself, the expressions of wonder and awe as both girls stared in astonishment at the most common of things had her chuckling in amusement. When they headed off to the changing rooms with a couple of pairs of coloured jeans and a few tops each Ginny had appeared ready to pass out. As fun as this was Emma just wanted to have a talk with Hermione, something had clearly happened and Emma was desperate to know what.

....

Harry had placed a specific order with a jeweller the day he bought Crookshanks, it was now time to revisit the shop. He was going to wait until Monday morning but Hermione needed cheering up now.

Hermione soon found herself being presented with a black velvet box, on opening the lid she discovered a bespoke piece of jewellery that sent her pulse racing. It was a gold heart shaped locket that had two sets of the intertwined initials HJP carved into it. The initials surrounded a diamond that sparkled in the centre of the piece, it was exquisite and Hermione fell in love with her gift immediately.

"I know there is probably loads of jewellery in our vault that now belongs to you, I wanted this piece to be something special. I wanted to give you something no one else has, my heart is your heart in this world and the next."

This earned Harry a kiss before Hermione gushed, Oh Harry, it's so beautiful and I love it. Could you put it on for me please?"

Harry knew he should have spoken to Hermione about this next bit but didn't think he was going to be in too much trouble, "In a moment love, we need to go to Gringotts first. The Goblins have been carrying out a special job for me and this is part of it."

Half an hour later Harry and Hermione portkeyed into their bedroom in Crawley, his wife had a thoughtful expression on her face that usually meant there was something she didn't quite understand.

"Would you care to explain to me just how the Goblins were able to turn my necklace into a reusable portkey that takes us directly into our bedroom?"

Harry decided it would be better if he only had to do this once, "Let's go downstairs and I'll explain it to dad at the same time."

Why they were home before mum and by extension what happened to Percy were the stories that had to be told to Dan and Sirius first, then it was time for Harry to come clean.

"In the muggle world Mum and Dad are going to become my legal guardians, in the magical world as usual it's very different. Both come under the protection of house Potter, namely Hermione and me."

Hermione was becoming impatient, not a good sign. "I know this Harry, it still doesn't explain the portkey into our room. To accomplish that degree of accuracy the Goblins would need to have an intimate knowledge, not only of the location but the building as well."

As usual his wife was correct, she was just missing the obvious. "The Goblins do know the exact location of this house, right down to every piece of furniture in it. At my request they warded the entire house."

Dan didn't know what Harry was talking about, leaving him unsure whether to be happy or angry. He glanced at Hermione for a further explanation.

She was staring at Harry with an expression torn between wonder and love, "Thanks Harry! Dad it basically means the house is protected against intruders, fire, that kind of thing. Knowing my husband like I do, I would be willing to wager this is the best protected house in England, if not the entire UK. He would have paid for the best where you and mum are concerned; I now have a beautiful necklace that will take us directly from our bedroom to just outside the Hogwarts wards. That should save someone having to continually drive us to and from London."

Dan was in agreement with his son-in-law, when it came to the safety of his girls then money was no object. He still dreaded to think how much Harry had spent protecting a house they would be moving out of soon.

"Harry, while we're on the subject of guardians, our lawyers inform us that the unopposed custody hearing will be Tuesday morning. They don't foresee any problems but would like you both to be there in a 'just in case' basis. It should be a mere formality but why take a chance when we don't have to."

The smile that crept over Hermione's face was terrifying, "Good, then I can start on those bastards. It's time for some payback on the Dursleys for all the abuse they heaped on my husband."

One glance told Harry it was a lost cause though he felt obliged to make the attempt. "Sweetheart, is that really necessary? I'm quite happy knowing I never need to see them again."

If Hermione had used this expression earlier they wouldn't have needed a music box, Fluffy would have taken one glance and then been found cowering in a corner. "Did you honestly think I was going to let people who were deliberately cruel to my husband just walk away without being made to pay? You obviously don't know me as well as you think you do. I have a few things in mind and have yet to decide which, or even how many of them I will use on the Dursleys."

The tone of Hermione's voice caused an involuntary shudder to run down the three male's spines, "Now I'm going to have a relaxing herbal bath, I would prefer to smell of rosemary than Percy's remains."

They all watched as Hermione climbed the stairs before Sirius felt obliged to say something, "After hearing how you pair dealt with Percy Weasley I had already made my mind up never to mess with you two but Merlin Harry, your wife is one scary girl! I think I might actually feel sorry for the Dursleys."

Dan wore an expression that matched his daughter's from a moment ago, "Don't waste your sympathy Sirius, I saw the cupboard they forced Harry to live in. Hermione has my complete approval and support for anything she does to those animals. The only reason we didn't involve the police was to get Harry out of there as quickly and cleanly as possible. After Tuesday when Harry legally joins our family the gloves can come off as far as the Dursleys are concerned."

Sirius was looking at his godson strangely, wondering how Harry turned out the way he did after being 'raised' like that.

Harry decided to follow his wife up the stairs, "I just hope Hermione remembers we planned to use the Dursleys against Dumbledore, I would rather see him get what's coming to him than the Dursleys."

Sirius waited until his godson had left before asking Dan the obvious question, "Do you think he stands any chance of changing her mind?"

Dan snorted, "Not a snowball's chance in hell!"

.....

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