Albus Dumbledore was having a migraine, and if that wasn't enough, in an unconventional moment of depression, an epiphany left him with a morbid existential crisis. That day had begun with normality; he had met some old acquaintances in the morning and during the evening he had a meeting with the Order. From the moment he arrived at the house a deep foreboding had settled within him, making him feel quite wary and paranoid.

An annoyed Nymphadora opened the door. Her hair was a flaming red that betrayed her real ire. Her expression did not change when he smiled at her; if possible, she got even angrier and walked from the door with an annoyed huff. Confused by this reaction, he followed the young woman to the kitchen, where it seemed that all the drama took place. Sirius was wearing an uncharacteristically grave expression, Remus was beside him looking angry, Minerva was wearing a pronounced scowl, and Kingsley was beside her looking serious. On the other side, Molly was red in the face, Arthur and Bill were trying to appease her, and Severus was behind them, sneering at everyone. Nymphadora walked to her cousin's side, glaring at the other half of the room.

“I see tempers are running high today. May I know what happened?” Dumbledore asked, wearing his grandfather persona in an effort to calm the people.

“That man should not be allowed to be raising children!” Molly exclaimed regaining her anger and pointing at Sirius. “I went to look for the poor dear and you were right, Albus. Harry has not been taken care of! He's not in the house!” she screeched, her chest heaving with fast breaths.

“I told her that Harry was with his friends because he doesn't like when unwanted visitors come,” Sirius stated in a disinterested manner, but an almost murderous glare was directed at the woman.

“I didn't know you were so interested in Harry's personal life to the point of speaking about it, Albus. As far as I remember, you didn't care where the boy lived when you didn't know he'd been left in an orphanage,” Minerva said with eerie saccharine tones that sent shivers to Dumbledore's core.

“Molly and I did have a conversation regarding the boy's life years ago, though I believed it was settled,” he said trying to appease the atmosphere.

“How can you say that?” Molly yelled at him. “There's no food in the house, the poor boy is allowed to befriend Death Eaters and you say the matter is settled?! The last time you came to my house you were concerned about him being surrounded with such a bad influence that you worried they would lead him astray!” the woman accused and he almost groaned; he could have lived without the others knowing that particular detail.

“You're calling my children Death Eaters?!” Minerva barked, incredulous. A dangerous glint appeared on the old woman's eyes and Molly took a step back. “Those kids are the most dedicated students that the school has; excellent examples of conduct. I will not pretend their parents are saints, but I'll tell you this, Molly: don't mess with my children unless you want to mess with me,” Minerva threatened and the other woman was left speechless, retreating for the moment.

"We're getting off track,” Kingsley announced, interrupting any possible confrontation. “The reason we are joined here is to talk about Voldemort,” he said, looking at Dumbledore. Sighing in relief, the headmaster nodded at him.

“Indeed. I have been looking for information about where he could be. So far, I have not pinpointed his location. However, it is safe to assume that his followers are the same ones as in the last war. Now, Kingsley, what is the DMLE planning to do about him?” he asked, the feeling of foreboding taking hold of him once again.

“I was waiting for you to arrive in order to announce this: I will no longer be part of the Order,” he announced, surprising every person in the room. “I am an Auror; my duty is with the DMLE. The reason I joined the last war was because the Ministry was about to fall. This time around is different. The Aurors are being trained to fight, we have the right equipment and the new recruits are filling our ranks. I am sorry, but I am more useful with Madam Bones commanding me."

“I'm also leaving the order,” Nymphadora announced after a short moment.

“I would leave, if it wasn't that James and Lily belonged to it,” Sirius muttered.

“I see... Though I admit it was an unexpected announcement, I wish both of you luck and, if either of you wishes to join again, the doors will be open,” Dumbledore said, regretting the departure of two powerful assets.

“Thank you. Let's go, Tonks. Mad-eye will throw a fit if we're late,” Kingsley told the girl. She nodded. Both of them waved goodbye and left the house.

“Aside from those regretful announcements, what else do we have? Severus, what information did you manage to acquire from your old acquaintances?"

“The Dark Lord has called all his followers. As far as I know, every single one has gone back to him, except for Lucius Malfoy,” the dour man informed the remaining members in an even voice, ignoring the shocked expressions from most of the room.

“That man can't be trusted! Are you sure he hasn't answered his call?” Arthur asked with wide eyes.

“I am, as a matter of fact. The Dark Lord is furious about his desertion. He has ordered the Lestranges to plan his capture. As you may understand, that means his life is in grave danger,” he murmured, though the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

“Although I believe Lucius may have changed, we cannot know for sure. Let's allow for events to flow. If he hasn't gone back by next summer, we will invite him to join us,” Dumbledore announced with a gentle smile, although he could see the people in the room did not agree with his idea.

“He's a Death Eater, who knows what he's planning?” Arthur voiced with a pronounced scowl.

“That's the reason we will wait and see. Now, Remus, have you contacted any of the werewolf packs?"

“I did, and they will not join Voldemort,” he said with a slight smile.

“That's excellent. Is there any way you can convince them to fight for us?"

“No, they all got jobs in the Muggle world. They will not join the war, and that was their final decision,” he said, hiding his satisfaction at the fact he knew something the old man did not.

“Very well... Bill, was there any luck with the goblins?"

“Of course not, and I told you so. To my good fortune, Manager Ragnok was in an excellent mood for some kind of business and I wasn't fired or eviscerated for asking about where their loyalties lay,” William said with a scowl.

“I apologize, my boy, but we need to know if they will remain neutral or not."

“I could have answered that for you,” Sirius said with a charming smile. “They will remain neutral unless something threatens their best clients. Neither of us belongs in that category. We are lucky none of the Death Eaters do either... Quite obvious, if you ask me,” he gushed, receiving a soft smack from a smiling Minerva.

“Anyway, does anyone have something to add?"

“I do. I want Harry to spend a few days at my house; the poor boy needs to experience what a real family feels like,” Molly said, looking determined. He was trying to think of a way to convince Sirius to agree, but when he glanced at the man he decided to remain silent.

“Molly, the only reason I have put up with your insinuations about how I take care of my godson for so long is because you are a good woman who allows her maternal instinct to rule. However, I will end that now. If you wish to fight me for Harry's custody, let's do it the right way. Go to the Ministry and request his guardianship. We will go to trial over it. But if you're not willing to go that far, leave us alone,” the man said, putting emphasis on his last words. His calm demeanour silencing the perplexed woman.

“I think you're overreacting, Sirius. Molly has only the best intentions at heart,” Albus said with a disapproving frown that was ignored.

“I know that and, as I said before, it's the reason I've tolerated her for so long. However, I've reached the limits of my patience. Harry is used to making his own decisions. Thanks to some idiot who left him in that orphanage, he is mature beyond his years and I will not try to force him to do something he doesn't enjoy. That includes being in the house while people he neither knows nor wants to meet are here,” he stated, daring anyone to contradict him.

“That is indeed true. He is young and will make mistakes, but they will be his own and he will learn. It's time for you to stop trying to make his decisions for him,” Remus said.

“Let's finish this discussion here. I think we've discussed everything we needed to. Enjoy your holidays,” Dumbledore said with a cordial smile. “Before I leave, I wish to speak with you,” he told Sirius, who raised an eyebrow at him but remained silent, forcing him to keep talking. “I'm concerned about young Harry. The way you phrased it earlier made it sound as if you allow him free reign."

“I have no idea what gave you that impression. Even though you are used to being around children, you have never raised one, so excuse me if I don't take your concerns as important,” the man dismissed him, waving away a solid argument to which he had no answer.

“Perhaps that is true, but I'm old enough to know children need a firm hand to guide them."

“You're right, children do, but Harry is not a child and hasn't been for a long time. Most parents struggle with their kids to make them study, do their homework, help in the house, organize their rooms, and be polite. My godson needs no reminder to do his homework, is the best student of his year, is polite, is organized, and is responsible. What else can I ask for? In what ways do you wish me to correct him? He is what most parents would kill for their children to be. You want to be able to make his decisions and dictate his life, which is different,” the man sighed, rubbing his face.

“That is not true. I can see his arrogance. You're only cementing his belief that he is better than his peers,” Albus accused, letting his accumulated frustration show.

“Is he really arrogant? Are you sure you aren't projecting your own flaws on a person who does have the skill and is not scared to show it? He is indeed proud of his abilities and accomplishments, but he has no delusions about them. He knows he is strong, but he also knows that in a duel he would be unable to win against an experienced fighter. He knows he has much to learn and he also knows there are people who are better than him. Now, tell me, why are you so concerned about him? Why are you trying so hard to control him?” Sirius demanded, his penetrating gaze observing the old man's every movement.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Dumbledore deadpanned and left the house.

Without meaning to, Sirius had touched a sensitive nerve. He indeed believed the boy was arrogant because he had been so in his youth, and it was possible he still was. He indeed was trying to guide the boy, but until then he had not noticed he was trying to control him... It was nothing but the harsh reality. He had planned for the boy to arrive to the magical world ignorant and grow up as an outcast so he would see him as his saviour. In his efforts to ensure the greater good, he had somehow lost his vision.

Until now, he had seen the boy as a replica of him and Voldemort, never as his own person. Until now, the boy had given him no reason for him to believe he was dark - he had wanted to believe so because of the house he was placed in. He had not noticed how deep his prejudices run... It was a frightening realization to notice that he and Tom were different faces of the same coin. Unsettled, he proceeded to down a bottle of firewhisky and, if possible, erase the day from his memory. Without meaning to, he had turned into what Gellert had always wished him to be... That night, he dreamed of icy blue eyes observing him with pride.

Fred and George Weasley had been having a terrible holiday so far. The train ride had been the usual affair, with their friends agreeing to meet in the Alley or in the castle. Everything had been normal until they joined their family, and then, it all went downhill.

“I can't believe you're so irresponsible!” their mother yelled at them once they had arrived at the Burrow. Too surprised to know what to do, they remained silent. “You joined the battle in the village. Are you both crazy?! Why did you not search for shelter or leave? Why didn't you protect your brother?” the woman demanded, leaving them speechless at her sudden outburst.

"We did what we thought was right. If we hadn't distracted the Death Eaters, they would have attacked the other people or even tried to attack the students that were left in the village,” George explained, still confused by his mother's reaction.

“I don't care! You should have protected your brother instead of fighting! You're both children!” she screamed at them and Fred lost his temper.

“You're worried about your son, that's all,” he accused his mother. "Where was Percy, then? Why wasn't your perfect son protecting your youngest one?” he asked and was slapped by the furious woman.

“Percy was being responsible, unlike the two of you! Both of you are grounded; I don't want to see you out of your room for the rest of the holidays!” she screamed at them.

Fred was holding his cheek in shock; understanding filled his being to the point that the revelation was drowning him. She was not worried about them; she was worried about the rest of her family and her other children. Their father had been proud and so was Bill, but not her. In her eyes, they were not good enough. George held his hand and they walked to their room in silence. Ginny was watching with tears running down her cheeks, but too scared to speak. Percy was scowling at them and Ron was looking at the floor. They left with their heads held high, knowing they had done the right thing, but that did not diminish the pain of knowing your own mother did not love you the way she loved her other children. That was two days ago and until then they had been locked in their room. Food was brought to their room by a distressed Ginny, who was worried about them, sneaking in when she could.

“Let's leave the house,” Fred told his brother.

“I bet they won't notice... Except for Ginny, but she will think we managed to sneak out,” George mused, a cynical smirk on his face.

“Let's go. The others will worry if we don't appear soon,” Fred murmured with a contented sigh.

“True, they worry about us... Lea!” George called the familiar Potter elf.

“Mister George calls. What does he need?” the little one asked with a toothy smile.

“Could you pop us into the castle, please?"

“Of course,” she said and offered her hands. They took them and left the Burrow.

Terrence and Daphne were engaged in an intense game of chess when an elf popped in. Daphne looked up to see the person who had arrived and her eyes widened. She ran to the twins' side and began probing Fred's cheek with gentle fingers.

"Who did this to you?” she demanded to know.

“It doesn't matter,” he whispered, taking her hand and guiding her to a couch.

“Can I?” Terrence asked, taking out his wand and signalling his bruised cheek. He nodded and the boy began casting healing charms.

“Mother didn't enjoy the idea of us not protecting ickle Ronnikins,” George chuckled without a hint of amusement.

“Harry will want to know you arrived,” Daphne told them and they nodded.

“Is he in the Library?” Fred asked with hints of a smile.

“For almost two days he didn't leave that room, but Elizabeth's friend dragged him out today,” Terrence said with mischief shining in his eyes.

“So the princess is here...” Fred said mirroring the boy.

“Let's go. I think they went to the sanctuary. Do control yourselves; I don't fancy the idea of taking care of cursed morons for the rest of the day,” Daphne admonished and they smiled in return.

Hwasa was an intelligent young woman who understood the immense satisfaction a good book could bring. However, she was unable to understand why Elizabeth's brother seemed to live in the castle's library, reading as if his life depended on it. Tired of this situation, she had decided to do something about it.

When she arrived at the library, the boy had been so lost in the book she had brought him that he had not even noticed her presence until she had taken it out of his hands. The boy was far too pale for his own good, which betrayed how little he spent under the sun... Without waiting for his consent, she had dragged him out for a walk.

“You do know there are civilized ways of requesting people to walk with you and kidnapping is not one of them?” Harry sighed at the impish girl beside him.

“It's not polite to ignore your guests. Besides, Elizabeth wanted to go with your aunt to the bookstore,” she shrugged. “Though I could see you were enjoying the book."

“I was until I got interrupted... Did your grandfather allow you to lend it to me?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. After all, the royal family mark was a secret.

"Well, he didn't say no. Besides, he knows about all the books that go in or out of the library,” she shrugged, concentrating on a charming, blue-looking flower.

“It's poisonous,” he sighed, grabbing her hand before she could touch it.

"What is it?” she asked, admiring the flower.

“It is called Nila Mauta. It means blue death; an enticing flower that holds enough poison in one petal to kill a hundred,” he told her and pulled her to keep walking. “I didn't notice before now that you have claws instead of nails,” he teased, pointing to her long nails.

“They are not claws,” she huffed and looked at her hands in appreciation. “They are perfect,” she muttered with a pout that made him smirk in amusement.

“Perfect weapon for assassination,” he answered, but to his surprise, the expected hit did not come.

“Of course. It's one of the reasons I keep them this way,” she informed him and he sighed at the unnecessary information provided.

“Don't tell any of the girls; I'd rather not deal with my possible accidental demise by claws."

“Idiot,” she retorted with an amused smirk.

They kept walking until they reached a clearing where unicorns were grazing and a few chimaeras were playing with gryphons. Hwasa sat in the grass and observed the other residents of the place, who at the moment were ignoring her. She patted the ground beside her and Harry sighed but complied. Sitting beside her, they relished in the tranquillity of the place.

“There's too much sunlight,” he complained, making the girl smile.

“I don't think you are some kind of cursed vampire, so it won't kill you,” she stated.

“It may not but I will get sunburnt,” he muttered, admiring her tanned skin that almost had a golden shine on it. He wondered whether it perhaps was because of some kind of moisturizer or whether the girl was a strange creature that shone under the sunlight. Then he almost snorted; what kind of ridiculous being would sparkle under the sun? Maybe it would be good to ask what kind of creams she used.

“But you will live... Elizabeth told me about your heroic actions before arriving home,” she spoke, breaking the silence.

“She was furious because she didn't participate, but I am glad; I don't want to imperil her,” he sighed, enjoying the chirping from the birds.

“You won't be able to protect her forever."

“I know, which is why I wish to enjoy this for as long as it lasts."

“You're doing a good job... What about your mouldy-thing problem?” she asked. Her name for Voldemort ripped a chuckle from him and she blinked in confusion.

“Voldemort, you mean,” he corrected, a smile playing on his lips. “He is not so much of a problem at the moment. He's licking his wounds, but I am sure he will be planning something. Too bad for him that people realized they can fight back."

“I still don't know how it is possible for this country to raise so many dark lords. In the empire, we pay attention to anyone who may threaten the order of things. If they turn out to be a problem, we dispose of them before they can grow stronger. I know it sounds more like a dictatorship, and in a way it is, but we have been isolated from non-magicals for longer than others. We have learnt that there exists no perfect government or governor. We do what we can to keep the balance,” she whispered, looking at the unicorns.

“I know, but the problem is that this country is run by incompetents. Revolutionaries are born every day. Some have enough charm to gain followers; others reach positions of power... Neither of them thinks about the balance; they follow their wishes, not understanding the world is painted in different shades of grey."

“You're a revolutionary,” she accused with a slight smirk.

“I am, just like my mother before me,” he confirmed and she looked into the distance, lost in her thoughts.

“Promise me you won't forget that the world is grey and, when you change it, you will keep thinking about balance, not perfection,” she said after a brief silence, her intense onyx eyes looking, penetrating his defences and reaching to his core.

“Do you want an unbreakable vow?” he joked to diffuse the intense atmosphere that had been created.

“Your word will be enough,” she smiled.

“I promise,” he swore, accepting her pinkie.

After a long walk, they went back to the castle for dinner. Much to their surprise, a group of people was waiting at the entrance to the castle. Harry noticed most of the Guild was present, along with a bored-looking Sirius and a confused Marcus.

"What happened?” Harry asked and everyone looked at him.

“Your walk was long,” Sirius said with a wide smile and a glint in his eyes that he ignored.

"We were waiting for you,” Daphne said, pushing Sirius to one side and ignoring the offended look the man gave her. “Fred and George arrived after lunch; we need to talk,” she said, her face portraying the seriousness of the situation.

“Let's go to the library,” he said, but one look at the princess' narrowed eyes made him sigh. “Perhaps it would be better if you followed me to my study. Hwasa, I think Ella will be a decent company, and if a certain person misbehaves, you can hand him to the security elves. They always appreciate the target practice,” he told the girl. Without further ado, he walked inside and his friends followed.

They walked through the halls in silence until they arrived in front of a plain black door that Harry pushed open. The insides contained nothing impressive: a mahogany desk, wide bookshelves, and a place to sit. All in all, the room would be considered plain if not for the wondrous coat of arms belonging to the Potter family dominating one wall and the opposite one showing the names of every Potter that had ever lived. At the moment, only one name glowed in golden letters: 'Harry James Potter'.

"We left our house,” George said, collapsing on a couch.

“Mother was angry at us not protecting our youngest brother and daring to fight,” Fred informed him and he sighed.

“You will be staying here; there's no way I am allowing you to be on your own,” Harry told the boys and they nodded.

“That's not all,” Daphne said, her steel eyes promising pain. “That woman dared to slap Fred,” she added. The ice queen dominated by anger was a strange yet beautiful sight to behold.

“It doesn't matter... Not anymore,” Fred muttered and Adrian comforted him.

"When we were little, we heard Charlie and Bill talking about how they didn't feel like part of the family... I will never forget; they said they lived with people who looked like them, but who were almost strangers,” George whispered with closed eyes and Daphne held his hand in support.

“At the time, we didn't understand what they were talking about, but we remember that, even when both left, everything remained the same. While we grew up we began to understand... Percy is the favourite along with Ginny. Ron isn't, but our parents pay more attention to him because he's the youngest son. We remind mother too much of her brothers for her to be close with us; our eldest brothers did, too,” Fred sighed.

“It's okay; you have us and we are your family,” Luna said with her trademark dreamy smile. The group of friends talked until late hours, until there were no other stories to tell and until everyone understood how much they needed each other.

The days flew by with just a couple of interesting events. Hades, the Andean condor, brought an urgent message from Gringotts. It was written by Ragnok, who informed him that they had pinpointed the location of the other Horcruxes. One was in a shack located in Little Hangleton, where curse breakers had been sent. They had detected dark magic and parselmagic protecting the place. Therefore, he asked whether Harry could arrange help from one of the parselmouths he had hired for the dragon reserves, if possible one who knew parselmagic. The other was located at Hogwarts. They were not sure where, exactly, but it was somewhere high up, so they needed to plan a way of destroying the thing.

Harry wrote a letter in response, promising to send a parselmouth and making an appointment to discuss the more delicate details. Caressing the bird, he handed it the letter and it flew away, understanding the importance of making sure the letter arrived without further delay. Otherwise, the castle remained unperturbed, except for a few balls of energy that managed to wake all the inhabitants for Christmas, dragging the poor souls into the living room to open presents.

Harry was doing his best to sleep with open eyes while the girls were squealing in particularly high pitches, though he imagined that those belonged to Theo and Marcus. Aunt Eleadora was smiling at the children, satisfied at the number of people she could spoil; only if the bane of her existence was somewhere else, her day would be perfect. Sirius was leaning on Remus, sleeping without caring for the noises that surrounded him and getting as much rest as possible before the others arrived.

“I thought we were the loud ones,” George grumbled.

"We were, dear brother, but we have been bested,” Fred announced in a theatrical way.

"Whatever. The others will be here soon so this is as calm as it gets,” Terrence sighed, smiling at the youngest twins, who were wearing bright smiles for a change.

"Won't your family notice that you aren't in the house?” Harry asked the twins.

"Who knows? They haven't noticed until now so I don't really care,” George scowled.

“They'll think we're throwing a tantrum and don't want to go out,” Fred shrugged.

Harry looked at them, nodding in tacit understanding. They were hurt and not thinking in a rational way, but they had solid arguments behind their reasoning. The Weasleys did not notice their children were gone; Remus had gone to pay a visit and confirmed their suspicions a few days ago. Their mother was still angry and their father was not in the house most of the time. The only one who noticed was Ginny, who begged Remus not to say anything to their mother because the twins were going to be punished if she noticed.

The calm man had been furious at their negligence, but the worst part was that he could understand the reasons for the eldest Weasleys to act the way they were doing. They had seven children to raise. Three that needed their parents’ constant attention and their eldest ones who did not want attention, but their mother called for their presence. In comparison, the twins were almost never present in their minds unless they did something that demanded their parents' attention. Considering they played little to no pranks and the letters from the school had stopped, it was almost as if Molly and Arthur had forgotten their existence.

Remus looked at his students feeling contrite. They all had so many difficulties in life that lycanthropy seemed tame in comparison; they were resilient and far more mature than he had been at that age. All he could do was mourn for the childhood they were losing, because the world would not allow them to be children.

“Mister Draco and his family are waiting outside,” Rome announced to the group.

“Please allow them entrance after the usual checks, and then bring them here,” Harry told the little elf. With a smile, he nodded and popped away.

One by one, the missing members of the Guild started popping in until everyone but Luna was present. The girl had joined her father on a trip to search for some strange creature. The Malfoy family was the last to arrive, walking to the seating area with sedate steps. Narcissa was wearing a bright smile that widened when Draco joined them. Lucius was looking as serious as always, but a hint of a smile appeared on his lips when he saw the haggard men in the couch. With firm steps, he approached them while his wife began chatting with the hag, who by no means scared him, but he would rather avoid a woman who had the power to curse his family jewels off.

“I see you are discovering the joys of parenting,” he said as a greeting.

“How do people do this? Does having children give you some kind of hidden power to stop needing sleep?” Sirius complained.

“Be thankful that at this age it is once per year; when they are babies sleep is nothing more than a fond memory,” he explained, smiling at the way his son's eyes shone while he talked with his friends.

“I hope you're ready for what the little devils have planned for today,” Remus told the man.

“I would rather not know and I will feign ignorance at their attempts to make me join."

“I tried that last year; that cruel woman forced me to,” Sirius whined pointing at Eleadora.

“Unlike both of you, I have a wife who will defend my honour,” he quipped.

"Well, we are free men who are enjoying life,” Sirius announced with a gleeful smile.

“Ignore the idiot. Have you taken any extra precautions?” Remus asked in a low voice and Sirius' face morphed into a serious one.

“I have. Believe it or not, Severus is my friend. He told me the moment those people were assigned to capture me and force me to comply. Dobby is following me everywhere. I realized he is excellent company and our conversations are interesting. Kreacher is always with my wife; he adores her,” he murmured, looking perturbed. “Eleadora also enchanted special portkeys. They will transport us to a safe place the moment one of us is unconscious or harmed in any way. Draco spends most of his time with his friends, so we know that he is safe. Thank you for worrying,” he said to both men.

“It's only natural; Harry would kill us if something happened to one of his friends, and that extends to their families,” Sirius shrugged.

“I am surprised that a thirteen-year-old is able to intimidate you so much. I believe he inherited that from his mother. As far as I remember, you were too scared to cross her when you were students."

“She was a scary woman; I remember how even the proud Slytherins hid from her. But you had already graduated by that time, old man,” Sirius retorted.

The banter continued until the time for breakfast arrived. The group walked towards the gigantic dining room, passing many elves who were talking about some interesting project. Harry admitted he had the best cooks in all Europe at seeing the variety of dishes on the table.

Hedwig flew in with a newspaper, looking quite proud of herself. He smiled at the owl and gave her a few treats before untying the paper and smirking in delight. Rita was indeed going to earn a raise.

DEMENTORS: GUARDS OR THREATS?

By Rita Skeeter

My dear readers, after the attacks in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, this question have plagued me. As we know, Dementors are under the control of the Ministry, or that is what they want us to believe. The breakout from the prison during summer should have been impossible if what the authorities claim was true. The total number of Dementors is over a thousand, but there are no more than three hundred prisoners. If they were doing their duty, all those who were trying to escape would have been kissed. Why were they not? Did they allow the prisoners to escape? And if the Ministry controlled them, what does this say about our authority's loyalties?

I was unable to let this matter go, so I investigated further about those creatures' actions, both this summer and twelve years ago. I want to remind all my readers that, during the last war, Dementors were on the Dark Lord's side, helping release all the Death Eaters that our Aurors managed to capture. How do we know they did not do the same this time around? During those dark times, they attacked in big groups, kissing hundreds of Muggles. If that was not enough, they also attacked our Aurors and civilians. They sowed death wherever they went; the Ministry was unable to stop them... They fought alongside Death Eaters, murdering our people. During the attacks a few weeks ago, they followed the same pattern. They swarmed both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, helping Death Eaters instead of apprehending them as Minister Cornelius Fudge promised they would do. If it were not for our heroes, many more innocent lives would have been lost.

Now those criminals are on the loose and a mistake of nature is claiming to be the Dark Lord. Why are Dementors still trusted when it is quite obvious they are not decent guards? It is clear that they are dangerous. I believe it is time to reform our prison system. There are not enough human guards and the prisoners are submitted to daily torture which ends up robbing them of what is left of their sanity, making them even more dangerous.

Few questioned when they were placed near our children because the Minister promised it was for their protection. I have to ask, can we trust the man who places those disgusting creatures near our beloved children? I will not tolerate having those things close to the school ever again!

I believe it is time to adopt other countries' ideas, for example, Switzerland, a country that hires gnomes to be their prison guards. I believe it is time to take a step forward and leave behind some of the most antiquated ideologies, such as the idea that everyday people are unable to fight because we have proved that is not the case. My dear witches and wizards, it is time to open our eyes to the injustice and corruption that controls our country. Do not forget that we are the ones who hold the power; let's raise our voices and, in that way, ensure our safety. I have no doubt that this article will gain me dangerous enemies, but I will not allow crimes like this to go unnoticed. May mother magic protect us in these difficult times.

“Is the article that good?” Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow and he gave it to her.

"We will talk about it later,” he ordered and the group nodded.

The table was filled with laughter and life after that. Narcissa watched with fondness how much her husband had turned back into the man he had been before the Dark Lord arrived. He still received calls every day, but he ignored them with admirable determination. It was good to see her family would not suffer the way it did last time. Her chest filled with warmth at the sight of her son being so happy; never before had she seen him as lively as when he was with his friends. The calm atmosphere and high spirits dominated the place.

The Burrow was another story entirely. Bill Weasley remembered once again, why he had left the house as soon as he could, although he missed a few of his siblings, it was not enough to bring him back. His mother was cooking, forcing Ginny to help while his other brothers were lazing around. He had learned the hard way that in real life there were no exclusive skills or roles for males and females. He had been alongside females who were better Curse-breakers than him. He had met males who enjoyed doing housework. It had been a humbling experience to understand, unlike what their parents had taught them through their example, a woman could work and a man could cook. Therefore, he began to loathe the way his mother trained his little sister to be the perfect housewife and allowed his brothers to be useless brats that would never survive on their own.

If that was not enough, his mother smothered them, not allowing any kind of privacy under her roof. He knew she was trying to show her love, but after losing her family during the last war, she had become overprotective to the extreme and avoided anything that reminded her of the family she once had. That was the reason that the moment Percy was born she put her two eldest children aside - because they acted like the brothers she had dearly loved - and the same could be said for George and Fred...

Thinking about them made him want to rip out his hair in frustration. Ginny had told him how his mother had treated them when they returned. He had tried to reason with his mother and the only thing he earned was ringing ears for all the yelling he had being subjected to and a throbbing headache. She believed they were children throwing a tantrum and did not understand how deep she might have hurt them. She did not seem to know how much they had matured. She did not care that the reason letters had stopped coming from school was because the twins had become the most dedicated students of their year. With a heavy heart, he had gone to their room in order to speak with them, only to find it empty. He would have thought they had sneaked out if it wasn't for that sixth sense that made him question the last time they had been in there. In any other situation, he might have dismissed it, but it was the same sixth sense that saved his neck so many times before.

That was the moment he had panicked, but he decided not to say anything to his parents. He had questioned Ginny about their friends and got an extensive and slightly worrying group of people the twins associated with. He had managed to contact Neville Longbottom to question the boy about his brothers and agreed to meet in a restaurant, which had been a day that he would never be able to forget. It had been the day he had realized his brothers were not children anymore. It had been the day his life had turned into a complicated affair.

Bill walked into the restaurant, looking around in appreciation. Until then, he had only managed to visit one of the cafés and he admitted the food it served was one of the most delicious things he had ever tasted. He was looking for the Longbottom boy when he saw two familiar redheads and had to restrain himself from running in their direction. As he got closer, he got a clear sight of the group. His brothers were sitting beside a woman and the most perfect-looking person he had ever seen in his life. Restraining his curiosity in order not to probe the handsome boy to see if he was real, he sat in one of the empty chairs and glared at his brothers with all his might.

“May I know where you've been for such a long time? I almost went nuts not being able to find you when I came home for Christmas,” he hissed, not needing to raise his voice to convey his anger.

"We left a couple of days after we arrived and as we thought no one would notice,” Fred said, keeping his calm demeanour in place. His anger deflated.

“Before we continue talking, we present you our friend, Harry Potter, and his dear aunt, Eleadora,” George said signalling the other occupants of the table.

“A pleasure to meet you, thank you for taking care of my brothers” he nodded, reining in his emotions in order not to gape at the strangers like an idiotic goldfish. He had not been expecting to meet the boy-who-lived, but he would not ruin his image.

“Likewise,” the boy spoke with a musical voice.

“It is good to meet you, dear,” the woman stated. “I admit I was worried about your family not noticing my children were gone, but knowing they have a brother that cares about their wellbeing calms my heart,” the gentle witch commented, directing him a kind smile.

“I'm glad they have found people to lean on when I'm not present,” he replied, the last wisps of anger evaporating, leaving him exhausted.

"We didn't want to worry you,” George began explaining.

“But we could no longer stay, mother is-.”

“I know she can be intense and somewhat careless with her words. That is the reason I'm not dragging you by the ears,” he interrupted Fred, understanding his brothers because he, too, would have left if given the opportunity.

"We'll go back the morning we need to leave for the station,” Fred told him, looking resolute.

“I don't mind, but you'll have to meet with me a few times for me to know how you are doing,” he notified his wayward siblings with a smile. “McGonagall sent a letter; she is proud about how much your grades have improved and supports you in the careers you chose. Though I have no idea what she was talking to - mind explaining?"

“I want to be an enchanter, but Potions fascinates me so I'm considering a mastery,” Fred said, his cheeks pink.

“I discovered I love Runes so I'm thinking about a possible mastery, though being a healer also sounds interesting,” George shrugged, unable to hide his smile.

If he was honest, he admitted being surprised by his sibling's thoughts on the future. It seemed he had fallen into the same trap as the others and believed they would have wanted to do the same thing. In a way, their enthusiasm reminded him of his own student days, how had he had worked to obtain his twelve OWLs and how hard it had been to apply to Gringotts without anyone supporting him. He smiled at his brothers, promising he would support them.

“So how many OWLs should I be expecting?” he asked.

“At least twelve; our teacher will murder us if we dare to have less,” Fred muttered the last part, avoiding looking at the kind woman.

“They will get them without problems. After all, I am teaching them myself, something that few can brag about,” the woman announced.

“May I ask where your specialities lay?” he asked the woman with curiosity.

“Of course, dear. I am an enchantress, a healer, and a Potions and Runes mistress. I have specialized in a few other things, but I have no interest in pursuing any further mastery at the moment,” she said, dismissing her accomplishments with a shrug while he gaped at her.

“The things you can manage to do after living for a hundred and sixty years,” Harry added, enjoying the bewilderment in the twins' brother's expression.

“I... So... Yeah, okay,” he accepted and took a sip of his drink. "What will happen to that joke shop you were thinking about?"

"We will create some products in our free time."

“Maybe we will open the shop as a hobby,” his brother shrugged.

That was the moment he understood that his little brothers were no longer children. They understood that a career was important; while it did not define your life, it influenced it. Both of them were cementing their futures, not obtaining good grades to please, but for themselves. He smiled at them with pride. Both of them would do great things in the future, of that he was sure. That meal he spent talking with the other people at the table and getting acquainted with Fred and George, rather than the Weasley twins.

He learned that Fred had a talent for Potions that, combined with his creativity, made him an invaluable potioneer. George had an innate understanding of runes - his knowledge and practice on the theme surprised him, because not even as a Curse-breaker had he been unable to understand all the complicated terms his brother was gushing about with twinkling eyes. He learned that both of them enjoyed duelling and were having a few lessons a month with Professor Flitwick.

Bill remembered respecting the man while he was still a student, but it was only when he left school that he learned how privileged he had been with having him as a teacher. Many other people had asked him about the 'Great Master Filius', who had left his imprint on history by being one of the best duellists that had ever existed. If you added his fame for being one of the most powerful enchanters alive... He had felt pretty stupid for not asking the man for any kind of extra lesson or putting more effort into his classes.

At the end of their meeting, he had felt satisfied with the knowledge of his brothers' safety. While they were not seeing the whole picture, he could not blame them for leaving home. He looked at the boys that were no longer children with nostalgic eyes and wistful smile. He hoped they could enjoy their time as students because dark times were approaching and he could do nothing to shield them from what was coming.