Chapter Twenty One

Two days before the exams were due to start, Bill had arranged for a meeting with Harry to discuss the investigation into his Uncle's activities. Harry waited for Bill in the entrance hall so that he could escort him to the Study. Ever since the attack on the school, security had been tightened and visitors required an escort. Normally this would be a teacher but Harry had arranged with Professor Dumbledore to escort Bill explaining that it was a private meeting.

"Good morning, Bill," said Harry as he entered the main door.

"Morning, Harry," replied Bill.

Harry yawned. "How are you this morning?"

"I am doing well, thank you," replied Bill.

"We are going to meet in the Study as normal, Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to escort you," explained Harry as they headed towards the main stairs.

They walked in silence for a while before Bill stopped walking, "Harry, Fleur told me what you talked about at the graveyard."

"Oh?" said Harry thinking this wasn't going to be good.

"I thought that I should tell you myself. Ever since you and Ginny bonded I have seen just how much you care for her. If I had any doubts at all, they were completely erased when you returned from the battle with Voldemort. It was clear that your main concern was Ginny.

"What I'm trying to say, Harry, is that I would do anything for either of you and am happy that you are a part of the family." Bill looked deep into Harry's eyes, showing how serious he was.

"Thank you. I know that we are both still young but we didn't have any choice in what happened. It does make it easier having the support of most of the family."

Bill didn't bother responding to the comment. It was obvious who Harry was talking about, and it was still a touchy subject for the whole family.

When they arrived in the Study they found a smiling Ginny sitting on the couch. She had heard the whole conversation between Harry and Bill, and it warmed her heart that her favourite brother had said that. She quickly jumped out of the seat and gave Bill a famous Weasley hug.

They quickly settled down to discuss the investigation.

"Harry, we have found that the corruption goes all the way to the Managing Director," explained Bill.

"Oh, that isn't good. What can we do about it?" asked Harry.

"We are going to charge the Managing Director Samuel Roberts with fraud and have him removed immediately. We have a replacement lined up who has working in the industry for a long time and is trusted by the Goblins. He is a wizard but has worked with Muggles for a long time."

"What about my Uncle?" asked Harry.

"We have a lot of evidence against him too. Once we have dealt with Mr. Roberts we are going to have a company meeting to introduce the new Managing Director. In that meeting, we will also explain that Vernon is being arrested for fraud. We felt that it was better to ensure it was done publicly because there are a number of people who have been affected by his actions."

"Wow, he is going to be very upset about this," replied Harry.

"Yes, we suspect that he will be. There will be several detectives with us when he is charged. They will take him directly to the Police Station."

"Will I be mentioned during this?" asked Harry who was starting to get really nervous.

Ginny noticing his discomfort gentle took his hands into hers and slowly rubbed his knuckles. This quickly calmed him down so they could continue talking.

"No, Harry, after discussing it with the Goblins we decided that it would be better not to mention your name. If it became public knowledge that you owned the company then it could become a target for the Death Eaters," explained Bill.

"When will all this happen?" asked Ginny.

"They day after you return from Hogwarts," replied Bill.

Harry nodded, "Thank you, Bill."

"It was a pleasure, Harry. After what I learnt from Ginny about the way they treated you as you grew up, it was the very least I could do," replied Bill.

Bill quickly left to find Fleur as he had the rest of the day off. Harry and Ginny just relaxed in the Study thinking about what they had learned.

The next day Harry and Ginny were laying near the lake, relaxing. They had already done all the revision they were going to do and wanted some time alone. Ever since the end of the Triward Tournament everyone had wanted their time to talk about what had happened.

After several hours of just laying in the sun, Harry rolled on his side and looked at the resting Ginny. He slowly moved his hand to her face and gently caressed her. She enjoyed the warm sensation of his hand on her cheek and slowly opened her eyes to look deep into his. Even though she knew without any doubts that Harry loved her unconditionally, it sent a thrill through her body when she saw the love in his eyes. Harry slowly leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

'Have I told you today, just how beautiful you are?' asked Harry.

'Nope, not yet,' replied Ginny.

'Well, how careless of me,' Harry said has he started spreading small kisses across her face.

'Ginny Potter, you are the most amazing, beautiful, loving person I have ever known,' Harry told her as he continued to kiss.

'Why, thank you, Harry Potter. I have to say you are not so bad yourself,' she replied pulling him into another deep passionate kiss.

They continued to relax for several more hours, occasionally kissing or snuggling together. They were startled out of their quietness when a loud pop announced the arrival of someone. Harry immediately jumped up with his wand at the ready when he spotted Maxim with a large dinner. He had completely forgotten that he had arranged for Maxim to serve dinner.

"Good evening," Maxim said as he set out the dinner.

Harry smiled. "Thank you, very much, Maxim."

"You're welcome, Harry, will there be anything else?"

"Actually there is one thing; Ginny and I will be moving to the castle at the end of the school term. Please ensure that the Master suite, and at least eight guest suites are ready?"

"Certainly, Harry, they will be ready when you arrive," answered Maxim.

"Thank you, Maxim, we will take care of these afterwards," replied Harry as he pointed to the table Maxim had set.

They quickly settled down for dinner, the meal was full of their favourite food as usual. They took their time enjoying the food as they listened to Xavier and Fawkes singing above them.

They sat back down on a blanket after dinner and just watched the stars for several more hours before deciding to head back to the castle.

As they were walking across the grounds close to Hagrid's hut, they spotted several people approaching them.

"Potter," shouted Nott.

"What do you want, Nott?" replied Harry.

"To get revenge for my Master, Potter," shouted Nott as he cast a killing curse directly at Harry.

Harry and Ginny just stood there watching the curse as it seemed to slowly fly towards them. The look of joy on Nott's face was soon replaced by confusion, when a gold shield appeared directly in front of Harry and absorbed the curse.

None of the attackers had been aware that Fawkes and Xavier were above them, Fawkes quickly disappeared to get help while Xavier surveyed the scene.

'Harry, do you need any assistance?' asked Xavier.

'Not at the moment, Xavier,' replied Harry.

'Okay, Fawkes has gone to get Professor Dumbledore,' replied Xavier.

'Thank you, we are going to let them dig a nice deep hole for themselves,' replied Harry.

"What is it with you people? Do you really think you are good enough to kill me, Nott?" mocked Harry.

Nott didn't respond in words but instead cast another killing curse - this time at Ginny; again the shield absorbed the curse.

"Nott, if Voldemort couldn't beat me what makes you think you even have half a chance," said Harry.

"You didn't face Voldemort, Potter, you ran away like a scared animal when he returned," sneered Nott.

"Is that what Voldemort told you?" he laughed.

"One of these days you will get what you deserve, Potter," shouted Nott.

"I have heard that many times, Nott. And yet, each time, I am still standing and those who threatened me are now in Azkaban," replied Harry.

Harry spotted Fawkes and Professor Dumbledore when they silently appeared behind Nott, Crabbe and Goyle.

The headmaster didn't take any action immediately, but watched the confrontation, knowing that Harry and Ginny were perfectly capable of defending themselves.

Nott was getting angrier by the minute as Harry continued to mock Voldemort. He cast several more killing curses at Harry. Harry and Ginny had had enough and launched stunners towards each of the three attackers.

"Is that the best you can do, Potter?" said Nott as he watched the stunner approach his shield.

Seconds later, he collapsed to the ground as the shield barely even slowed the stunner down. Crabbe and Goyle had already fallen to Ginny's stunners.

Professor Dumbledore quickly bound the three of them so that he could deal with them later. He dispatched a message to the Aurors and then spoke with Harry and Ginny.

"I am very proud of both of you," stated Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Professor," they replied.

"You have once again showed that you can handle a situation sensibly without getting into trouble. There are not many people who would have been able to do that," replied Dumbledore.

"What will happen to them now, Professor?" asked Ginny.

"As Mr. Nott was the one to use the Killing Curse, he will be arrested and sent to Azkaban. Crabbe and Goyle will be serving detention for the rest of the term."

"Do you need us for anything else, Professor?" asked Harry.

"No, you can head back to the castle now. Have a good evening," replied Dumbledore.

Moments later, Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks arrived to deal with Nott. Dumbledore explained what had happened and after checking his wand they confirmed that he had cast the Killing Curse five times so placed him under arrest and removed him from the castle ground.

Dumbledore took Crabbe and Goyle back up to the castle and explained to Professor Snape what had happened and that the two of them would be spending all of their spare time in detention for the rest of the term.

Snape was so annoyed with the actions of the three students that he actually took points from his own house as additional punishment.

At breakfast the following morning Harry received a note from Professor Dumbledore that he would like to meet with him to discuss the summer holidays.

'I guess we'll find out now what Professor Dumbledore is going to insist on,' said Ginny after they read the note.

'I guess so, well we will just have to listen, then if we don't like it we can tell him what we are going to allow,' replied Harry.

'It's not like he can force us, after all we are both Phoenixes so there is nothing that could stop us from leaving,' replied Ginny as she slowly turned towards Harry to give him a long passionate kiss.

They kissed for several seconds before several loud coughs brought them back to reality.

After breakfast they slowly made their way up to Dumbledore's office. Ginny didn't care that she wasn't invited, she was not going to let Harry face this alone.

As they got to the Gargoyle it jumped out of the way allowing them to ascend the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter," said Dumbledore as they walked in.

"Good morning, Professor," they replied.

"Please, have a seat!"

"Thank you, Professor," replied Harry as they sat down.

"Mr. Potter, I have asked you to come here today so we can discuss your return to Privet drive for the summer."

"That's what we assumed, Professor," replied Harry without a hint of emotion on his face.

"You must understand that with the return of Voldemort it is even more critical that you stay safe during the summer. The blood wards that protect the house will stop Voldemort or his supporters from getting close to you. As long as you and your Aunt both see it as your home, the wards will remain."

'That's it,' said Harry.

'What, I don't understand,' replied Ginny.

'Dumbledore just said that as long as both of us see it as home. He doesn't know that we are classed as adults in the Wizarding Word, therefore if I declare another location as my home, that would cause the wards to collapse.'

'So, if you did it now, you would never have to return again,' replied Ginny as she quickly realized what he was planning to do.

'I think it is time that we told Dumbledore the full truth about us, don't you, my dear?' replied Harry.

Dumbledore could tell that they were discussing something between themselves; he had to admit it was very frustrating not being able to listen in. Almost a minute later Harry suddenly turned to Dumbledore.

"Professor, I have a question?" stated Harry.

"I will be happy to answer any questions I can," replied Dumbledore.

"Sir, if I was to tell you that I had a much more secure location to stay in, would you allow us to stay there this summer?" asked Harry.

"I am sorry, Harry, but there is nowhere that is safer than your Aunt's house. Voldemort will not stop until he has found you, at least there, you will be protected," replied Dumbledore.

Without hesitation, Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and started bombarding the Professor with images of what Harry had to deal with when he grew up at the house. Almost twenty minutes later she finally stopped.

"YOU CALL THAT SAFE," screamed Ginny afterwards.

"I am so sorry to both of you, I never knew it was that bad," said a very distressed Dumbledore.

"Professor, Harry is not returning to Privet Drive. Not after everything that has happened to him there." Ginny stated very firmly.

"I must insist that Harry stay for at least two weeks, the protection is for his own good and if not recharged by his presence each year will get weaker," replied Dumbledore.

"I am not returning there, Professor," stated Harry.

Dumbledore was at a loss as to what he could do, he needed to keep track of Harry, and the only way to do that was to keep him at Privet drive.

"Harry, is there nothing I can do to convince you to return to Privet Drive?" asked Dumbledore in a last desperate plea.

"No, Professor, I have a new home now and will never return to Privet Drive. I have had to deal with abuse for far too long and you have done nothing to convince me to return. I will be staying at my new house this summer and ask you not to try and interfere," replied Harry.

As he finished saying this, one of Dumbledore's many trinkets suddenly started whirring and seconds later completely stopped.

Dumbledore looked over at the trinket but didn't really need to; he knew what that one monitored and knew without doubt what had just happened. However he was confused because it should not have been possible.

"Harry, what did you just do?" asked Dumbledore.

"I just declared that I have a new home, Professor," replied Harry.

"Yes, but that should not have done anything as you are not of age yet?" replied Dumbledore.

"Ah, that is where you are wrong, Professor. Ginny and I have both been classed as adults since we bonded. I am very surprised that you had not figured that out yet, to be honest," replied Harry.

Professor Dumbledore was shocked at the news. This was not what he had expected and would introduce a lot more issues than he wanted to deal with. How was he supposed to control Harry if he was an adult and could do whatever he wanted?

"Well, Harry, it seems that I have no choice now. The wards at Privet Drive have just collapsed," said Dumbledore quietly.

"I am sorry that it came to this, Professor. It would not have been an issue if you had not yet again attempt to force me to that place. Even after Ginny showed you what my life was like. I can promise you that we will be perfectly safe in our new home. I will even work with Xavier to add Phoenix Magic to the wards.

"Will you at least tell me where you will be?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry got up from his chair and started pacing the office, he was getting more and more frustrated with the continue interference of Dumbledore and decided enough was enough.

"Professor, you need to stop trying to control my life? Voldemort has returned and we need to work together to defeat him. We still don't know how he survived the original Killing Curse when my parents died. Our time would be better served by researching what he could have done and planning how to reverse it."

Professor Dumbledore sat there for several minutes considering the offer Harry had made.

"Harry, you are right. Thank you for the suggestion. I believe that it is the most logic course of action. I would like to invite both of you to join the Order of the Phoenix so that we can all work together," replied Dumbledore.

Harry looked over at Ginny for a moment before responding.

"Professor, we would be happy to join the Order, but under the condition that we get a say in any missions that are assigned. In addition there are six other people who will also be joining with us, they are all close trusted friends."

"Very well, Harry. We will make arrangements for you to attend the next meeting so that you can be introduced to the other members," replied Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Professor," replied Harry.

The next two weeks were taken with the end of year exams. The New Marauders spent most of their time relaxing, as they had done as much revision as they could and doubted that any more time with the books would really help them. To everyone's amazement even Hermione had stopped revising all the time. They put this down to the fact that she spent most of her free with Fred.

Katie Bell had recently started joining them as they studied. She had been seeing George for some time and while she had not been invited to join the full group, she had been encouraged to learn Occlumency. Harry had again transferred the knowledge she needed, and she spent most of her time practicing. Well that was what George told them when the two of them disappeared for hours on end.

Harry also agreed to teach Katie the fire Patronus as long as she agreed to keep it a secret. They knew that she would find out eventually if she kept seeing George, so it was better she knew and could defend herself.

The first exam was transfiguration. Harry had completed the entire exam in the first fifteen minutes and just sat there waiting for it to end. As he sat there doing nothing, Professor McGonagall approached to find out what he was doing.

"Mr. Potter, why are you not doing your exam?"

"I have finished already, Professor," he told her.

"Let me see your paper please," she asked.

He handed her the completed paper, she quickly reviewed it and saw that he had indeed completed the whole exam and answered every question correctly.

"First, well done, Mr. Potter, you have answered every question correctly. Unfortunately due to the exam rules I cannot allow you to leave early," she told him in a whisper.

"No problem, Professor," replied Harry.

As she walked back to her desk, she noticed that Hermione, Neville and Luna had also finished their exams. She quickly gathered up their papers and advised them that they would not be allowed to leave.

'What the hell am I going to do for the next forty minutes, Ginny?' said a frustrated Harry.

'Well, I am sure I could find some things for you to do,' said Ginny in a rather smug voice.

'Don't you dare,' said Harry when he realized what she was planning.

'You spoil all my fun, Potter,' she replied with a huff.

'Just remember you have an exam next, Potter, and anything you do to me will be done back to you,' replied Harry.

'Oh, is that a challenge, Mr. Potter,' said Ginny.

Harry just groaned as Ginny proceeded to make all sorts of risque suggestions. Towards the end of class, the suggestions had gotten so bad that Harry blushed every few minutes. To Harry's horror Professor McGonagall had noticed.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Potter?" she asked after the exam had ended.

"Yes, Professor," replied Harry as he rushed out of the hall.

'I am going to get you for that young lady,' said Harry as he rushed back to his room for a cold shower.

'Promises, promises,' Ginny replied in a sing-song voice.

Needless to say the game continued for each exam - most often resulting in them needing a cold shower before they could face anyone else. It had become a running joke between them to see who could embarrass the other the most, and they got extra joy out of it if someone noticed the other blush.

The rest of the term flew past after that, when the end of year results were published, it was no surprise to anyone when the New Marauders had topped every class. Fred, George and Katie had taken their OWLs so they wouldn't get their results until later in the summer. While Katie had not been working with the group as much as the twins, she was still a brilliant witch and had worked very hard.

As the term was coming to an end, instead of going for their morning run, the seven of them would instead transform into their Lion forms and would go for a run in the forest. Several times they had come across Hagrid walking in the forest and were careful to avoid him. None of the other animals would approach them. Even the magical creatures recognized them as the dominant animal in the forest and respected them. Thankfully, they had not yet come across the Centaurs. They were unsure how they would react - not that Harry or Ginny were too worried as that was one of their forms; it was however one they had not yet attempted.

Harry and Ginny had worked hard over the last six weeks on the new werewolf potion and were pleased to have finally completed it. The potion lasted at least six months and they had determined that one vial per day, for three days before the full moon was needed. They created twenty vials and then placed unbreakable charms on them.

They had already contacted Remus about the potion, and explained to him what they had discovered as well as what it should do. He was eager to try out the potion as the transformations were starting to take a toll on his body. They warned him that it had never been tested before so they could not yet guarantee what would happen.

He told them that he was willing to take the risk as anything would be better than the suffering he had to endure each month. They asked if there was anyone who could monitor him during the next full moon so they could see what happened. He had suggested Sirius Black because he used to transform each time, therefore knew what to expect if anything went wrong. Sirius had been happy to help his old friend, so they arranged for him to be there during the next transformation.

As they were cleaning up after bottling the potion, Professor Snape turned to Harry and Ginny.

"Well, I have to say that I am very impressed with the amount of work you have both put into creating this potion."

"We couldn't have done it without your help, Professor," replied Harry.

"It was a pleasure working with you, it is very rare for me to get a chance to work on a new potion," replied the Professor.

"I just hope that when Remus tests it everything works as we expect it too, at least he will have Sirius there to help should anything happen," Harry said.

"Yes, that was a very wise precaution to take," said Professor Snape.

"Thank you, Professor, we hope we can work with you again," Harry said as they finished cleaning up.

Once they had finished Harry sent three vials to Remus with Hedwig and took the rest back to the study and stored them in his trunk.

Finally, the end of year feast had arrived; the Great Hall was decorated in the Red and Gold of Gryffindor who had easily won the cup. Slytherin had never recovered from all the points that had been lost during the year by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Nott because of their activities; they had just barely managed a positive balance.

Once the students had finished eating, Professor Dumbledore got up to address them all.

"Another year has ended, we have made new friends this year and dealt with our share of trials," he said.

"The Minister of Magic doesn't want me to tell you this, but you need to know and be prepared."

"Lord Voldemort has returned, due to the actions of some of his followers. I have seen the evidence and have no doubt about it. However, the Ministry has seen fit to create a new law banning people from telling others the truth. We face difficult times ahead and need to work together to once again defeat the Dark Lord. I warn you to be wary of what you are told. Don't just accept it at face value and always be certain of the facts, before facing any situation."

"I wish you all a fun summer and look forward to seeing most of you next year. To those who graduate this year, I congratulate you and wish you well in your future careers."

A loud cheer rang out around the hall as Professor Dumbledore finished and dismissed them. Everyone made their way out to the courtyard to bid farewell to the visitors.

"Harry, thank you again for everything this year," said Fleur.

"You're welcome, Fleur, I am certain we will see you again soon," said Harry as she blushed slightly.

"I have no doubt of that, Harry. Bill told me that you are going to be dealing with your Aunt and Uncle soon," she told him.

"Yes, I am glad that they are finally going to get what they deserve. At least I won't be near them. I am certain they are going to blame me, even though I won't be mentioned at all," he laughed.

They quickly hugged before she left.

"Harry, well done again for getting us all to work together for the final task," said Viktor.

"Viktor, it was a pleasure working with you. I do hope that we will see you again. I believe that we have a Quidditch match to play," laughed Harry.

"Yes I believe we do. I know Fleur is looking forward to it and Cedric hasn't stopped talking about it either," replied Viktor.

"Well, we will contact you over the summer and arrange a date when we can all get together. I know Fleur is due to move here soon," Harry said.

"Yes, I believe she starts work at Gringotts in two weeks," replied Viktor.

"Well, goodbye, Viktor," said Harry as he gave him a hug.

Once they had all gone, the New Marauders and Katie stood watching the boat and carriage leave as the sun was setting in the background.

"Wow it has been quite a year," said Hermione.

"Yes, it has," replied Fred.

"That it has been," said Harry.

"Well, I for one am very happy about certain events this year," said Ginny as she kissed Harry.

They all laughed.

"So Gin-Gin you finally got your man. I bet you were not expecting everything else that happened," said Fred as they started to walk back to the castle.

"If you would have told me in September that I would be dating Harry now, I would have laughed at you or hexed you for teasing me," replied Ginny.

"The fact that it is way beyond that, is simply amazing and wonderful. I wouldn't give it up for anything," she continued as Harry put his arm around her.

"And neither would I," Harry told them as he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

"Oi, get a room will you," said Fred.

"Okay," they both replied as they skipped away.

"Don't you dare do anything with our baby sister, Potter," shouted Fred after them.

Harry ran back up to Fred and whispered, "Why not Fred, she is my wife after all," and then ran away again laughing.

Fred just groaned and caught up with Hermione who was also laughing.

"You should remember not to tease them like that Fred. They are allowed to do what ever they want after all. They just chose not to," she told him before pulling him into a passionate kiss.

She then whispered "However, I didn't make any such promise." She then proceeded to run away, closely pursued by Fred who had a silly grin on his face.

The next morning the students quickly made their way down to the Hogwarts express. The members of the New Marauders and Katie Bell, all settled down into a compartment so they could relax.

'Harry when are you going to tell everyone we are going to Potter Castle,' asked Ginny once the train had left.

'This evening after dinner, I would like to talk to your parents first and explain everything. I am also going to give them an open invitation to stay at the castle whenever they feel like it.'

'That sounds like a plan, I am just so glad that you dont ever have to go back to those relatives of yours,' replied Ginny.

'Me to, Gin, me too.'

As the train was heading through the rolling hills of the English countryside, Harry spotted a number of objects moving along side the train.

"Dementors," shouted Harry as the train suddenly started to brake.

As soon as the train stopped moving, the eight of them jumped off and leapt into action. Harry summoned Xavier and asked him to get a message to Dumbledore.

"Make sure the other students are safe," shouted Harry as he and Ginny headed towards the largest collection of Dementors. It appeared that a very large number of Dementors had been sent for this attack. Voldemort obviously wanted to make a statement and was most likely not expecting any resistance from students.

The others quickly split up. Neville and Luna jumped back on the train and got off the other side to check for any Dementors. Fred and Hermione raced to the back of the train and, George and Katie stayed where they were, taking on the Dementors nearest to them. Soon six fire Patronuses were seen around the train quickly dispatching the Dementors as they approached.

Realizing that they would need the Phoenix Patronus again, Harry and Ginny quickly dispatched their individual fire Patronuses towards two smaller groups, then they continued to run towards the largest group. As they got closer, they grabbed hands and cast the fire Phoenix directly at the group. The Dementors screams were terrible as they Phoenix started making it's way through them each one turning into ash as it was struck.

Harry and Ginny continued to watch as nine fire Patronuses destroyed all the Dementors close to the train. It seemed that whoever was leading the attack was not aware that the Dementors were actually being destroyed as they continued to send wave after wave against the train.

Ten minutes after the attack started, loud pops announced the arrival of the Order of the Phoenix. They quickly added their own Patronuses, and with a total of twenty fire Patronuses the attack on the train soon ended.

They later estimated that a total of over a thousand Dementors had been killed during the attack. Thankfully there was only one casualty on the train, the driver who had been kissed before anyone could help.

The Auror's finally arrived, and quickly checked the train to make sure there weren't any other casualties. Once they had completed the search, and got the statements they needed from the students, most of them left. Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt remained behind so they could stay on the train. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Mr. Weasley all stayed behind too while the other members of the Order returned to their business.

"Harry, once again it seems we need to thank you for your quick actions," stated Professor Dumbledore.

"There is nothing to thank me for, Sir, we acted because we needed to," said Harry.

"You're too modest sometimes, Harry, there is nothing wrong with accepting praise when it is due," replied Dumbledore.

"I know, Professor, but you know how much I hate the attention."

He just smiled at him and nodded. They quickly boarded the train and it continued on to Kings Cross. They all returned to the compartment which was then enlarged by Tonks so the adults could join them. They knew the train would be secure as they had setup monitoring devices.

The group talked for the rest of the journey. It soon became obvious to Harry and Ginny that something was going on with Tonks and Remus as they were sitting rather close to each other. Harry decided he would investigate this later.

News of the attack had reached the parents by the time the train arrived, and platform was crowded with worried parents. The adults quickly left the train and started re-assuring everyone that everything was okay.

The New Marauders said goodbye to each other once they departed from the platform, and were quickly off to find their parents.

Harry and Ginny waited on the train for a few extra minutes so they could finally kiss without everyone else around them.

'Finally, I never thought we would get any time alone this trip,' said Ginny as Harry pulled her into a very passionate kiss.

'Neither did I, Gin,' replied Harry.

'So, Mr. Potter, what did you have planned for when we get to Potter Castle tonight?' asked Ginny in a very seductive voice.

'Sleep of course. What else would we do at night?' asked Harry in a amazed voice.

'Prat!' replied Ginny as she pulled away from him and hit his chest.

'Yes, but you love me anyway!' replied Harry.

'I am not so sure about that, Potter. If your idea of fun is sleeping, then maybe I made the wrong choice!' replied Ginny however the large smile on her face ruined the effect that she wanted.

'Well, Mrs. Potter, we could always wait until you are 17 before consummating our marriage,' Harry replied before running out of the compartment.

'Oh no you don't, Potter,' replied Ginny as she chased him. They completely forgot their luggage and after chasing each other through the whole train, had to return to their carriage so they could get it.

Fifteen minutes after everyone else had left the train, the two of them finally appeared. Several of the older Weasleys gave them both strange looks but they just shrugged.

"Harry, it is good to see you again," said Mrs. Weasley as she pulled him into a rib cracking hug.

"It's good to see you too, Molly," replied Harry.

The ride home was rather boring until Harry decided to prank the twins. He silently cast a shrinking charm on their underwear when the car was just outside London. Ginny had to bite her hand to stop from laughing when she realized what Harry had done.

About ten minutes later, Fred started to get very uncomfortable and was fidgeting so much that Bill finally had enough.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you Fred," shouted Bill as he pushed Fred towards George.

"Watch your language, William," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry, Mum," replied Bill.

He turned back to Fred and asked "Well?"

"Nothing is wrong, I was just uncomfortable," replied Fred as he picked himself up.

"Did you put the wrong size underwear on or something?" asked Harry with a smirk.

At this Ginny could no longer contain herself and burst out laughing. Both Fred and George immediately turned on her.

"What did you do?" asked Fred.

"N-n-n-ot-hing," she gasped through fits of giggles.

"Right, you did nothing!" stated George.

"Actually, I didn't do anything," replied Ginny who had calmed down a little.

They both then turned to Harry, who was still sitting in the corner trying very hard not to laugh. But once he saw the pained expressions on their faces, he couldn't stop himself and also burst into fits of laughter.

"Potter, we know it was you!" started Fred.

By this time everyone in the car had realized that someone had pranked the twins. They were all laughing now. In fact, they almost had an accident because Arthur was laughing so hard.

"I don't know what you are talking about," said Harry but again his face betrayed his words.

"Potter, remove this now or we are going to declare a prank war on your for the rest of the summer," stated George.

Harry looked up in glee and then without taking his eyes off Ginny calmly said, "If you can prove without a doubt that it was me, then I look forward to it."

Several minutes later, when everyone had finally settled down again, Harry silently removed the charm from their underwear, much to their relief.

The rest of the journey was uneventful for the most part. Harry and Ginny spent most of the time in their minds planning out what they were going to tell her parents that evening. They wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly; they didn't want to play the we are married card unless they really needed to.

A/N: Well we are drawing to the end of this story. The next Chapter will be the final one in The Bonded Heir.

Fred, George and Katie are a year younger than Canon in this story. I realized after writing it and don't want to change it as it is important to the future of the story.