A/N: Welcome to the 7th & final part of my twisted canon series! If you're new to the series, hop on over to my profile & start at the beginning, if you will, with 'Circumstances of an Unexpected Trio'. If you've already read parts 1-6, welcome back, & enjoy! :)

"Well…who's going to open it?" Ginny asked breathlessly. She, Harry, Hermione, and Draco all stared at the little wooden box on the floor of their compartment of the Hogwarts Express, then turned and looked at one another.

"I'll do it," Draco finally answered. "Just in case there are any pureblood-only charms on it or some such rubbish."

"If there are pureblood-only charms on it, I could still open it," Ginny pointed out.

"Then let's say I'm being chivalrous," Draco replied. Ginny snorted.

"A Gryffindor in a Slytherin's uniform," she sing-songed. "Salazar must be rolling in his grave."

"I've had plenty of purely Slytherin moments to effectively negate such an insane claim, Ginevra," Draco said haughtily, sticking his nose in the air.

"Oh, shut up – you sound like Percy," Ginny said, causing Harry and Hermione to burst into laughter. "Just open the damn thing, will you? The suspense is killing me." Draco took a moment to pout and stuck his tongue out at Ginny before dropping to his knees on the floor in front of the box. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Here goes nothing," he said, and he flipped open the box. The interior of the box was lined with cushy velvet in a deep shade of sapphire, and on that velvet rested a golden locket, its lid decorated with an elaborate S.

"It's so pretty," Ginny said admiringly.

"It's so familiar," Harry added, his mouth turning down in a frown. "Why do I feel like I've seen it before?"

"You saw it in the memories of the Gaunts," Hermione reminded him gently. Harry shook his head.

"No, no – I feel like I've seen it somewhere else. Actually seen it, I mean, not just through someone else's memory."

"Can you take it out of the box, Draco?" Ginny asked. Draco hesitantly reached forward and brushed his fingers over the locket's smooth front, scooping it up into his palm when it didn't resist his touch. He held it up to the light and examined it from every angle.

"Hang on," he said suddenly. "There's a catch here."

"A catch?" Harry asked, looking interested. "Like you can open it?"

"Do we want to open it?" Ginny looked worried. "What exactly is inside a Horcrux? And would it be inside the locket, or worked within the metal?"

"Dunno. I s'pose we won't know unless we try." Ginny still looked nervous, but Harry motioned for Draco to try, and so Draco pressed his thumb against the catch he'd found on the side of the locket. Instantly, it sprang open. Save for a piece of parchment tucked within the inner cavity, it was empty.

"What's that?" Harry asked. Draco removed the parchment slip and unfolded it. He read the message once…twice…three times…

"Draco?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. "Is everything alright?" Draco's fair complexion had gone even paler as he read, and he was still staring at the parchment as if in disbelief. Instead of answering, Draco handed over the parchment. The three Gryffindors put their heads together so they could all read the message, which was written in flowing script:

To the Dark Lord:

You fool – did you really think that moving the locket to a different location would keep it safe, especially when I have such easy access to its new hiding place? The original thief isn't the only Black with a conscience.

N.C.B.M.

"N.C.B.M.," Hermione murmured. Her eyes then widened in recognition. "No…it's not…is it?" She looked to Draco for confirmation.

"I know that handwriting well," he said. "I'd be a fool not to, considering the number of times I've read that letter from my mother. N.C.B.M. – Narcissa Cedrella Black Malfoy."

"Your mother stole the locket?" Ginny gasped. "Merlin, that was a gutsy move."

"Not only that," Harry reminded her, "but her note suggests it had been done before – she specifically says the locket was originally hidden somewhere else."

"Where?" Draco wondered aloud.

"That doesn't matter," Hermione said dismissively. "What really matters is, where is it now? Because I think it's obvious that this locket is a fake. And who stole it originally? She said the first thief was a Black as well."

"You're not suggesting Sirius stole it?" Harry asked, a look of shock crossing his face.

"Of course not," Hermione retorted. "How would Sirius have known about the locket in the first place? He's not a Death Eater, and he never was."

"But the rest of his family certainly identified with Voldemort's goals," Draco reminded them, "and we know that at least a select few in the inner circle knew about the Horcruxes – well, they didn't necessarily know that they were Horcruxes, but they knew the objects were important. After all, Lucius was originally entrusted with the diary, and Wormtail knew enough about its magical properties to know that it could do quite a bit of damage in the wrong hands. My mother might have known about the diary, so it stands to reason that she might have known about the locket as well. And even if she didn't, there's always a chance she stumbled across it by accident – that trapdoor opens without restriction for any Malfoy."

"We need to talk to Sirius when we get home," Hermione said firmly. "Find out if he knows anything about this. We don't necessarily have to tell him about the Horcruxes, but he's our best bet for getting more information about the Blacks."

"Keep in mind that he left home when he was only sixteen, Maya," Harry warned.

"We still need to try," Hermione insisted. "He might know something important."

"It can't hurt to ask," Ginny agreed. "The worst he can say is that he doesn't know anything and we have to look into it ourselves."

"But that's the problem," Harry said then. "We don't know anything either." Hermione looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What I mean," Harry said, "is that Dumbledore basically left us with nothing. Haven't you ever thought about it, Maya? For all those meetings that we had this year, what do we know? The locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and two other unknown objects became Horcruxes. The diary and the ring are both former Horcruxes. But that's all we know. We have absolutely no idea where any of the remaining Horcruxes are – we don't even know what two of them are – and we haven't the faintest idea how to destroy them, either. Let me know if you disagree, but I don't think a simple Finite Incantatem is going to work on a Horcrux – I have a feeling we need something both very powerful and very rare, and I don't know where to even begin looking for answers. Am I the only one who sees how little we have to work with?" The others were silent for a long moment as they processed Harry's words.

"It does seem rather daunting, doesn't it?" Hermione said quietly. "And we already know there's nothing in the Hogwarts library about Horcruxes – I've combed the entire restricted section, and the only mention of Horcruxes I found was a book about the Dark Arts that called Horcruxes so Dark they wouldn't even speak of them."

"I think we do need to tell someone about the Horcruxes," Ginny said.

"Why?" Draco asked, looking curious.

"Did Dumbledore ever expressly say not to?" she replied. "Look, I know he was all about the secrecy, but we need to be realistic – we have no idea what we're up against, and nothing in either prophecy said anything about four teenagers needing to destroy the most evil of magical things without any help. We know who we can trust and who we can't – I think it's safe to say we can make a good choice regarding who to tell."

"It's definitely worth thinking about," Harry agreed.

"Whatever happened with Ron, Ginny?" Hermione asked, not wanting to talk about Horcruxes any longer. They hadn't seen the youngest Weasley boy much since his meeting with Snape, and as a result, they didn't know what punishment he'd been given for ripping open Draco's chest with a curse. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Seventy-five points lost, and he has detention every night for the first month of next term," she said. "He's lucky there was no proof that he was cheating in class – apparently the book was absolutely covered in notes that made the potions more effective, easier to brew, what have you, and would have almost guaranteed him straight O's in Slughorn's class if he'd followed them. If he'd been found guilty of cheating, they could've forced him to repeat the year or even expelled him."

"We'll be needing a new starting Keeper, then," Harry said. "If Ron can't practice until October at the earliest, that won't do us much good when the season starts in November – we can't go an entire month working without a Keeper." Ginny shrugged.

"Serves him right," she said. "He should've done his research before using an unknown spell, the idiot. Honestly, if Snape hadn't been there, what would've happened to Draco?"

"I don't exactly want to think about that, thanks ever so much," Draco said drily. "I rather like the fact that I'm alive, you know."

"I've been thinking about that," Hermione said, looking pensive. "How did Snape know the counter-curse, anyway? None of us had ever even heard of that spell before, but he knew exactly what to do and jumped in right away."

"I don't know," Ginny said slowly.

"Don't forget that Snape was a Death Eater before we were born," Draco reminded them. "It's entirely possible he's encountered that curse before, perhaps while working with them."

"But why would a Death Eater spell be written in a Potions textbook?" Hermione wondered.

"Why would any spell be written in a Potions textbook?" Ginny corrected her. "You hardly ever use even the most basic of spells in Potions class, most recipes don't require wand work."

"As usual, too many questions, not enough answers," Harry said with a groan. "Is it ok with you lot if we just drop this for a while? My head's going to explode if I think about this much longer."

"Food trolley's here anyway," Hermione said as the witch who pushed said cart knocked on their compartment door. "Let's get something to eat and play snap."

The rest of the afternoon passed amidst games of snap and chess along with conversations with friends who popped into their compartment to say hello. Draco and Tracey had a lengthy chat pertaining to their plans regarding dissolving their marriage contract, and Neville told them all about the advanced Herbology work he hoped to do at a nearby greenhouse over the summer. By the time the train pulled into Kings Cross, they were all a bit more relaxed than they'd been upon leaving Hogwarts, but they were more than ready for dinner and a good night's sleep. Draco carefully packed the locket back into its box and the box into his bag, and he followed Harry, Hermione, and Ginny across Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, meeting up with Ron halfway before reaching the spot where Sirius and Mr. Weasley stood waiting.

"Where's my dad?" Hermione asked, looking confused. "I thought he was coming here with you?"

"Not this time," Sirius said. "I Apparated, because we're going to the Burrow tonight – Order meeting now that you're all home."

"Order meeting? At the Burrow?" Harry repeated. "But the Burrow isn't Headquarters…"

"Not now," Sirius said impatiently. "It's not safe – I'll explain when we get there. Grab your trunks and hold on." Harry and Draco told hold of Sirius' outstretched hands while the girls and Ron went with Mr. Weasley, and with twin pops, they disappeared from the platform.

Harry, as usual, felt nauseous upon landing on the Burrow's front lawn, but he managed to quell the dizziness and stay on his feet. Hermione, Draco, Ron, and Ginny steadied themselves in turn and looked up at the crooked, but welcoming, façade of the Weasley family home. They could feel protective wards surrounding the house, wards that had most certainly not been there the last time they'd visited, and they suspected the Burrow's security had been vastly upgraded.

"So why are we meeting at the Burrow?" Harry asked again.

"Because our Secret-Keeper is dead," Sirius replied. "Dumbledore was Secret-Keeper for Grimmauld Place, and until we can re-perform the spell with a new Secret-Keeper, we can't guarantee that the house is safe. Kingsley, McGonagall, and Flitwick have been looking into it, but it's an extremely complex charm, and they've been practicing on smaller things first – McGonagall concealed the location of her biscuit tin the other day, for instance. They want to make sure they have the charm perfect before they cast it on such an important location."

"So is the Burrow under the Fidelius now?" Ginny asked.

"No," Mr. Weasley replied. "We've strengthened the wards around all of the Order safe houses in the last week, though, so we'll have plenty of warning if anyone unpleasant comes calling." The thought of fleeing from Death Eaters was far from comforting, but protection wards were better than nothing at all, and so they followed Sirius and Mr. Weasley into the house.

"Come in, dears," Mrs. Weasley called as she bustled in from the kitchen, giving each of them a hug in turn. Hermione was delighted to see that her father was there – Sirius must have Apparated him over to the Burrow before going to Kings Cross – and leapt into his arms for a long embrace, which he returned while fondly stroking his daughter's hair.

"Dinner's almost ready, so you just get yourselves settled in," Mrs. Weasley said before disappearing once more. The teenagers immediately set to greeting everyone who was already in the house, and the Burrow was soon filled with lively conversation that only continued when they all sat down to eat.

"Tonks, what is that?" Hermione asked suddenly, interrupting a discussion about Fred and George's latest line of tricks. Tonks turned to Hermione and grinned.

"What is what, Hermione?" she asked, though she'd seen exactly what Hermione was looking at.

"That!" Hermione pointed at Tonks' left hand, and the others gasped as they noticed the sparkling ring on her third finger.

"Why, my dear Miss Granger, I do believe you're smart enough to recognize an engagement ring when you see one," Tonks said, tossing her a wink.

"You're getting married?" Harry yelped. "When? To who?" Sirius looked across at Tonks.

"You mean you didn't tell them?" he asked with a smirk.

"Will somebody please explain what the bloody hell's going on?" Ginny demanded.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, looking aghast, but Tonks just laughed.

"Remus and I are getting married in mid-July," she said.

"You and Remus…wait a minute, since when are you and Lupin even together?" Harry demanded.

"Since Christmas," Tonks replied. When the teenagers still looked confused, she said, "Did I not mention that in any of my letters? Whoops."

"Tonks, you totally did that on purpose!" Ginny accused.

"Me? Never!" Tonks winked again.

"Seriously, Tonks?" Draco said with a laugh. His face then morphed into a warm smile. "Congratulations, cousin."

"Thank you!"

Draco's declaration and Tonks' subsequent response broke the spell of shock over the table, and everyone who hadn't already known began congratulating the couple, exclaiming over the ring, and asking eager questions about the wedding. Tonks and Lupin answered them all in good spirits, and the Burrow's cramped eating area was filled with laughter and happy chatter as they processed this latest news.

"A toast!" Harry called out, raising his glass. "To Lupin and Tonks!"

"To Lupin and Tonks!" everyone echoed, and they all drank.

The Order meeting itself began after dinner, but not much of importance was discussed. Kingsley updated everyone on his group's progress with the Fidelius Charm, and Mr. Weasley made sure everyone knew the complete list of safe houses should an evacuation or abandonment of any one location ever be necessary. There was no new information regarding the Death Eaters who'd attacked Hogwarts or Voldemort's whereabouts, and the meeting concluded within an hour. As it was late and everyone was tired, Harry, Hermione, and Draco bid their friends goodnight and returned to Surrey with Sirius and Bob Granger, collapsing into bed not long after.

The trio spent most of the following week at the Burrow, only returning to Surrey late in the evening. Ten days after their return home, Sirius came to them with good news.

"Madam Pomfrey's finally given Bill the all-clear to come home," he said. "He woke up the day after you all left Hogwarts, but she wanted to keep him there for a bit so she could monitor his condition, just in case something got worse or went wrong. He'll be staying at the Burrow for now, and Mrs. Weasley's throwing a party to celebrate his homecoming this weekend."

"That's wonderful news!" Hermione said brightly, and Harry and Draco readily agreed.

That weekend, the Surrey contingent Apparated back to the Burrow – Draco had passed his test shortly after they'd returned home, and so now only Harry needed to Side-Along – and found the house full of lively chatter and laughter. Bill was already there, sipping a glass of what appeared to be firewhisky as he roared with laughter at Fred and George's antics.

"Good to see you, Bill!" Harry said as he crossed the room and clapped the eldest Weasley brother on the back. Bill grinned.

"Hello to you all!" he replied. "It's good to be home."

"How are you feeling?" Hermione inquired.

"Not bad at all, thank you, Hermione. Could do without this, of course" – he gestured to the scars riddling his face – "but I'm alive, and that's the important part. Just don't overcook my steaks, I won't eat them." Hermione burst into laughter, and the lighthearted conversation continued.

For the second time in two weeks, the friends found themselves sitting down to a Molly Weasley feast, and they talked and celebrated as they enjoyed the many dishes covering the long wooden table. Just as they were about to help themselves to dessert, Bill stood and tapped his glass.

"I just wanted to say thank you," he said, "to all of you who've been there for me over the last few weeks, especially to Remus, who's been there to answer all my questions and reassure me that my life hasn't gone to hell on a hippogriff, and to my beautiful Fleur, who never once left my side and only reaffirmed her love with every squeeze of her hand." Fleur smiled softly as Bill took her hand in his.

"I was going to do this differently, but now I can't think of a better moment," he said quietly. Sinking down onto one knee, he removed a small velvet box from his pocket, and all the women gasped as he popped it open to reveal the beautiful ring within.

"I already knew that you loved me, but the moments you spent by my bedside these last few weeks completely cemented my belief that I will never meet anyone half as perfect as you," Bill began. Hermione and Ginny's eyes were already watering, and Fleur had brought her hands to her mouth in shocked silence. "You could have easily walked away in disgust when you saw what that monster did to me, but instead, you gripped my hand even tighter and nursed my wounds, refusing to leave even when your own exhaustion betrayed you – and yes, dearest, I heard every word you said when I was unresponsive. That kind of love can't be created – it's the stuff of fairytales, and yet I'm somehow lucky enough to experience it for real. Fleur, will you do me the honor of sharing that love with me every day for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me?" Everyone awaited Fleur's response with bated breath.

"Oui," she whispered as her emotions finally got the better of her and her tears spilled over. "Of course I will marry you, mon amour. Nothing would make me 'appier." The ecstatic smile Bill gave her in response made him look as though he'd never met Greyback at all.

Cheers and catcalls broke out up and down the table as Bill removed the ring from its box and slipped it onto Fleur's waiting hand, and George whistled loudly as the couple shared a kiss. Hermione and Ginny furiously wiped away their tears as they clapped along with everyone else, and nobody quite understood what anyone else said for the next several minutes as they all clambered to congratulate the happy couple.

"A toast!" Harry called out, echoing his actions at the announcement of Tonks and Lupin's wedding a mere fortnight previously. "To Bill and Fleur!"

"To Bill and Fleur!"

A/N: A little bit of fluff to start off part 7 - can't have everything be all dark & depressing, now can we?

A sincere welcome back to all of you - can you believe that at this time last year, I was only midway through part 2? We're in the home stretch now! & in case you're curious, I have about 6 other stories dying to be written once I'm done with this one, so if you care to stick around after this little saga concludes, I'll have plenty more to keep you entertained. ;)

JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)