Review of past chapters if you've not read in a long time. (Sorry it's not the best summery in the world, I only thought of adding this in the last few minutes)

Remus brings Hermione and Ron to see Harry; he tells them the prophecy. Harry does not return to headquarters. Tonks, and Mr. Weasley take the kids to Platform 9 & ¾ and the train ride goes smoothly. At the sorting, Mark Evans is sorted into Gryffindor and Harry questions the boy if he is related to Lily Evans. Mark answers no. Next day, Harry writes to Remus to ask about Evans, and gets a quick reply that he knows of no relation. That night at dinner, Remus returns to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Most of the students are happy about this. At the first full moon, Remus finds 3 animals in the shack, greeting him; a stag, wolf, and panther. They spend a restful night in the shack. A month later the same thing happens and Remus remembers full moons from long ago. Harry runs into Snape one night after Snape comes back from a Death Eater meeting and Harry kind of tells him off. There is a Dumbledore's Army meeting in Fluffy's old room. First day into Christmas break, Harry finds out about Dumbledore's 'Daede htk cabg nir bot' plan. And is reunited with (a very much alive) Sirius, James, and Lily. They make they're way to see Remus and them back up to the common room to see Hermione and Ron. Harry's patronous is shown off; talks of all of Harry's years at Hogwarts; a pensieve is used to show the Ministry of Magic sense in his fifth year. Sirius reunites with his old bike, the rest of Hogwarts teachers find out about the Potters and Black. Fred, George, and Ginny meet the Potters. Christmas day comes and Harry gets the key to the Potters home and Remus finds out who the where in the shack. James, Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Ron and Harry go out on a full moon night and capture Wormtail. A trial is held and Sirius is let go. Then there is a Order meeting at the Potter's house. (last chapter) And here we are.

"What about Winky?" Hermione asked Dumbledore. "Could we somehow get her to take care of Kreacher? She doesn't seem particularly happy in the kitchens; maybe having a baby to mind would suit her better—help give her a sense of purpose."

"Just what we need—a house-elf rehabilitation group," Ron said sarcastically.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Miss Granger's suggestion has merit. If we cast a Memory Charm on the house-elf and de-aged him to infancy, he should never remember his former life, or his ties to the Dark."

"Are you certain neither of those measures can be counteracted, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Quite certain, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Kreacher would be unable to revert to his adult state unless given the correct counter-potion. Even then, the Memory Charm would still be in place."

"Lily said Memory Charms are breakable," Sirius said grimly. "It may be a remote possibility, but if the de-aging was ever countered—"

"It takes an extremely powerful wizard to break a Memory Charm, Sirius," Remus pointed out. "Any rate, I'd think very few would have much success attempting to breach a Memory Charm on a house-elf—the procedure one would normally go by is meant to be used on human minds."

Sirius seemed mollified at that.

"This is our best option, then, without resorting to killing him," James said.

"Are we are all in agreement?" Dumbledore asked the Order.

A chorus of voices indicated the affirmative.

"Then we will move on to—" Dumbledore stopped in mid-sentence as his Potions Master clutched his left forearm with a pained grimace, and Harry fell to the floor, unconscious. Lily rushed to her son and knelt at his side.

The sharp crack of a Disapparition startled everyone, causing most of the Order to jump. Snape had left, and was already on his way to Voldemort's side, responding to his summons.

"Come on Lily," James said softly. "I'll take him upstairs."

Lily nodded, moving away from Harry so James could pick the boy up, and followed him upstairs.

Moments later, Hermione and Ron started after Lily.

"Stay," Sirius said, stopping them. "They need a few minutes alone," he explained.

Faces set in expressions of obvious concern, both obeyed, returning reluctantly to the table and taking their seats.

The room became uncomfortably silent as each became absorbed in his or her own thoughts. Moody was the first to break the silence. "We aren't going to achieve anything just sitting here, worrying about things we can't change," he said gruffly. "We might as well start doing what we can."

Dumbledore nodded agreement, taking the situation in hand. "Alastor is right. By the time Severus returns, we must be prepared to take countermeasures against Voldemort. Miss Granger, Remus, and Sirius will meet in the library to work on the blueprints. When James comes back down, he will join you. And Miss Granger, please refrain from performing any of the enchantments," the headmaster added, eyes twinkling.

"Ginny and I will clean up the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley volunteered, shepherding her daughter in that direction and disappearing after her into the room.

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, Molly," he called after her. "Now, the house still needs to be warded. Kingsley, Alastor, Arthur, and Bill, I am entrusting you with the task."

"Hey!" Fred protested, rising from his seat. "We're of age. Aren't you going to give us something to do?"

"Curses and jinxes and so on are our specialty," George added with a mischievous grin. "We could help with the wards."

Moody gave the boys a once over and nodded. "We can make use of you," he growled.

"What about me?" Charlie asked, sounding slightly indignant at being left out. "What am I supposed to do? Help Mum and Ginny with the dishes?"

The headmaster looked amused. "No, I think you could assist the others with the wards. Unless, of course, you have a particular fondness for kitchen work."

From the kitchen, Ginny called, "We wouldn't object to his help."

"I'll go help them. I can see I'm not being assigned to a committee here," Professor McGonagall said, rolling up her robe sleeves as she made her way into the kitchen.

"That leaves Nymphadora and I to attend to the matter of the Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore concluded. "We shall all meet back here for Severus' report later."

"What am I supposed to do?" Ron complained to himself as everyone left to begin his or her respective duties.

A stony voice from the side of the family room called out, "Come over here and play some chess."

Ron made his way over to the chess set. "But I have no one to play against."

"Nonsense," the white king said dismissively. "James has played many times over the years without a partner. Just give us a moment."

Ron watched as all the pieces gathered in the middle of the board. They seemed to be discussing which side should face Ron and which he should command.

After a few minutes, the black and white pieces separated out and took their places. "You shall be playing against us," the black king told him. "The whites are left to you."

Ron sat down to what would be one of the weirdest chess games he had ever played.

In the dining room, Mr. Weasley, four of his sons, Shacklebolt, and Moody were deciding how to ward the house. Charlie had found parchment and quill, and was currently writing down what needed to be done and by whom.

"Apparition must be blocked, of course," Shacklebolt said.

"The Floo connection needs to be reestablished and then warded, preferably with a password," Mr. Weasley added. "I could take care of that, if you like."

Moody nodded. "Best that you take care of Ministry work."

"Curse-breakers usually ward their worksites so that an alarm sounds if someone enters without clearance," Bill added. "We could apply the same idea here, around the property line."

"A good idea. You're familiar with the spell, I assume?" Shacklebolt asked.

Bill nodded.

"All the doors need to be warded," Charlie spoke up. "I can take care of that."

"Then I think Shacklebolt and I will take the young ones and put them to work setting Apparation wards," Moody stated, indicating the twins, who frowned at being called 'young ones', but decided not to say anything.

Charlie set his quill down and looked up. "That's everything, I think."

"Then let's get to work," Mr. Weasley said, getting up from the table.

"Really, Minerva," Mrs. Weasley said as she handed a clean pot to Ginny to be put away," I don't think Lily will come to Hogwarts to teach. She found her job before so fulfilling; I see no reason why she wouldn't go back."

McGongall sighed, flicking her wand to move another dish to sink into the hot, soapy water to be washed. "I know it's wishful thinking. And Filius isn't going to retire any time soon. But Poppy could use help now and then, and it'd be nice to have her around."

Molly laughed. "Poppy only needs help after a Quidditch match."

"Or after Harry comes back from his yearly duel with You-Know-Who and his lot," Ginny added.

"Are you quite certain you want to do this?" Dumbledore asked Tonks, peering over his half-moon spectacles at the young woman.

Tonks nodded. "I'm sure. The others have enough to worry about without this. And as I said before, I never wear the same face for more than a few hours."

Dumbledore nodded. "That does simplify concealment and disguise. But don't allow your talents to lull you into a false sense of security, Nymphadora. You must still be cautious."

Tonks looked to the headmaster with wide eyes. "You're not going to ask me to quit my job or anything like that, are you?"

"No," he assured her, "but I must ask that you try not to make yourself overly noticeable, to avoid raising suspicions."

"Of course," she said.

"Do you have any questions about the specifics of the casting, or the charm's effect?" Dumbledore asked mildly.

Tonks shook her head. "I don't think so. I know the basics of the process—you say the spell, and I concentrate on the secret I'm meant to keep, then reveal it when it's time to break the charm again."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, that is the general idea."

Tonks was silent for a moment, thinking. "Headmaster, would it be possible to link the Fidelius to one form, so it wouldn't be possible to reveal the secret in any other?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, contemplative, then finally nodded assent. "Very clever, Nymphadora," he said approvingly. "And I believe that to be entirely possible."

"Now, Hermione, I want your word that whatever we discuss here doesn't go beyond these walls," Sirius said gravely as he spread the blueprints out on the table.

"I promise."

"Now, our map combined several charms to produce the result. We're going to have to apply the same principle to this, though with a few additions. This map is meant to aid in the formulation of strategies and battle plans, not pranks."

"Could we, perhaps, charm it to recognize friend from foe?" Hermione asked. "One could be in one color, the other another."

Remus nodded. "The idea has merit. It could be enchanted to recognize a particular magical signature—the Dark Mark's, for example."

"How far could we take that?" Sirius asked him. "It would work to our advantage if the map was to recognize more than the Mark. Could it be charmed to show other signatures? Say, the ImperiusCurse's. Or Hermione's idea of color-coding—could it be made to differentiate a giant or a lycanthrope or a Dementor from a human?"

Before Remus could answer, Hermione spoke again. "Or could it be possible to use the map to move people out of harm's way? Or to send jinxes and so on through it?"

A slow, contemplative smile spread over Sirius' face, and he gave Hermione an appreciative look. "I like the way you think."

Lily sat beside her son, stoking his unruly black hair back from his forehead, revealing the scar, which had turned blood red. James was seated at Harry's other side.

Taking a shaky breath, Lily asked, "James, what are we going to do?"

"He'll be all right," James assured her. "Ron's told me that he comes out of these things just fine."

Lily shook her head sadly. "We missed it, James. His birthdays, sending him off to Muggle school, getting his Hogwarts letter, showing him how to board platform nine and three-quarters. I want that time back, but I know it's not possible. All of that helps"—Lily motioned to the hallway, filled with pictures of Harry— "but it does nothing to heal what I feel. And to know that we might only get a few years with him before—" Lily broke off, stopping to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

James found a box of tissues on the nightstand and handed one to Lily. "He'll make it, Lily. He won't settle for anything less than seeing Voldemort dead for good."

Lily nodded. "But why him? Why couldn't it have been someone else—anyone else? I feel awful for asking it, but why not someone else's child? Why our son?"

"He's the one who can do it. He has the will and the drive. And he's as hard-headed as both his parents."

Lily managed a half-smile.

James got up and moved to the other side of the bed, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"It'll be all right, Lily. I promise."

"I hope you're right."

Severus Apparated to the steps of a sprawling manor in Wiltshire, ancestral home of the Malfoy family, which was currently playing host to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Returning his thoughts to the matter at hand, he quickly straightened his robes and mask and knocked on the door.

A house-elf opened the door just enough to poke its long nose out. "Master wishes to know your business here," it squeaked.

Severus sneered, fixing the hapless creature with a contemptuous glare. Even a house-elf, he thought, should be able to put two and two together when a Death Eater shows up on the doorstep. "I was invited," he said coldly, "for a…party." He spat the final word disgustedly.

With great difficulty, the house-elf pulled the massive oak door open, bowing to allow Severus to pass. He began to make his way to the usual meeting place when another house-elf appeared at his left with a sudden pop, startling him.

"Never sneak up on me again," he hissed.

The house-elf cowered under his piercing gaze. "Master wants Nippy to take the guests to the new room. Nippy did not mean to upset Master's guest," the house-elf whimpered.

"Lead the way, then," Severus snapped. "And be quick about it!"

Nippy started off towards the manor's dungeons. After a few moments, he indicated a door that Snape was certain was a new addition.

"Is there anything else Nippy can do for Master's guest?" the elf questioned.

"No," he snapped. "You are dismissed."

Nippy bowed low and vanished with a pop.

Severus braced himself, mind and body, and opened the door.

"Crucio"

He immediately fell to the floor, shuddering with the pain of thousands of white-hot knives stabbing him; his nerves were ablaze; it felt as if his every bone were breaking. He would not scream; he would prove his loyalty, he would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him show weakness.

Abruptly, the knives disappeared; the fiery pain was extinguished. Snape took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to regain composure.

From the opposite end of the room came a high, cold voice, hissing, "Rise."

Severus obeyed.

"Come here," Voldemort ordered.

Snape walked forward, dropping to his knees a few meters from the Dark Lord's throne and crawling the rest of the way. Kissing the hem of his robes, he murmured, "Master."

"Severus, I am beginning to doubt where your loyalties lie these days." Voldemort stood and began to pace the length of the room.

"Only with you, my Lord."

"Indeed," Voldemort leered. "Then perhaps you will tell me why you never alerted me to the Potters' and Black's return? Or why you allowed Wormtail to be captured?" His narrowed eyes glittered dangerously. "A loyal subject would have informed me immediately."

"I am sorry, my Lord," Severus apologized at once, racing for an answer that wouldn't rouse the Dark Lord's volatile temper and result in another Cruciatus Curse. "Dumbledore concealed those matters from me. He no longer trusts me unconditionally—many of the stories given to me to feed the Muggle-loving fool have begun to lose their potency. The attacks on Hogsmeade have not taken place; Hogwarts grounds have not been breached; Potter and his pathetic friends have not been abducted. I have tried to prove myself to him, in hopes of gaining any information that could be of use for our cause. I live to serve you, Master," Severus finished, his head still bowed.

"And yet you did nothing to prevent Wormtail's capture?"

"I tired, my Lord. I spoke to Dumbledore many times, hoping to convince him that I could dispose of Pettigrew easily, saving him time and the trouble of dealing with that incompetent Fudge. But Dumbledore refused; Wormtail was needed to clear Black's name. After the Ministry had custody of him, there was no hope."

Voldemort was quiet for a moment. "I think I may have to reward you for ridding me of Wormtail," he said at last.

Shocked, but managing to conceal it, Severus met the Dark Lord's crimson gaze.

Voldemort chuckled—a cruel, evil laugh. "Yes, As a rule of thumb, commas always go after yes, no, and well. Severus, the man was an intolerable aggravation, and proved to be more hindrance then assistance.

"I would be honored, Master," Severus said, once again staring at the stone floor.

Voldemort returned to his throne. "Rise, my boy."

Severus grimaced. He was accustomed to hearing that endearment from Dumbledore, and even then, it was bad enough. Not the time to think of that. He returned his attention to the Dark Lord, and the honor he was about to receive—not, of course, that Voldemort's idea of an honor was likely to be pleasant. He rose, glancing furtively at his surroundings. No other Death Eater was present.

"I want you to have the privilege of hearing this first. The others do not need to know everything that goes on in this room." He paused. "Now do they, Severus?"

"Of course not, my Lord."

"As you well know, I am close to consolidating control of Azkaban. The guards will be easily disposed of, with the Dementors on my side. The fools at the Ministry are willfully oblivious, as usual, and I intend to keep it that way. We will work from the inside out; no one need know of our presence there until we are established in force."

"A wise plan, Master," Severus agreed.

Voldemort's mouth twisted into a crude form of a smile as he continued. "The lycanthropic population is beginning to interest me, Severus. They could be molded into a powerful weapon for the Dark. I trust the Potters' have maintained contact with their werewolf friend?"

"Unfortunately, my Lord," Severus replied, venom seeping into his tone as he thought of the werewolf in question.

"Do not worry, my boy; he and all lycanthropes will soon be under my control. You will be able to seek your revenge."

"I am not worthy of such an honor," Severus said, bowing low.

A knock sounded at the door.

"It seems we will have to continue our conversation later," Voldemort said, reaching for his wand to open the door. "I expect you to stay, Severus."

With an inward sigh, Severus said, "Anything for you, Master."

Ron rested his chin on an upraised hand, staring incredulously at the board. Even with all his experience, he had been bested within minutes. As he thought about it, Ron realized that he should have anticipated the defeat. A chess set that had been passed down through many generations of Potters had to know every trick in the book.

"Are you surrendering?" the black queen asked him politely.

Ron sat up straighter. "Not a chance," he said, squaring his shoulders with resolve. This time, he wouldn't underestimate his opponent. "Knight to C6."

"I'm starting to regret offering to do this," George said, standing up for a moment and stretching to relieve his aching back.

Fred nodded, his concentration fixed on setting the Anti-Apparation wards. Both twins had been crawling all over the house, casting the necessary spells.

It was a mind-numbing task. One had to trace the perimeter of the room with his wand while incanting the charm, beginning at the doorway and working his way round. Worse, if one's wand lost contact with the wall, he was obliged to start over.

"Better get Moody in here to check it," Fred said, completing the path around the room.

George nodded, heading off to find the retired Auror.

Fred stood up slowly to ward off lightheadedness. Looking around Harry's nursery, he spotted a stuffed yellow chick sitting innocently in the crib.

Probably an Easter present, Fred mused. Not that Harry'll have any use for it now—wait a minuteAn epiphany—perhaps it would be good for something. He laughed softly to himself as a mischievous grin spread across his face.

Charlie, meanwhile, was warding the doors in the same manner as the twins, running his wand along the seam where the door meets wall and chanting the spell under his breath. As he finished the first door, he watched with satisfaction as it glowed blue before returning to its natural color.

"One down—three more to go," Charlie said as he made his way to the dinning room.

Bill walked around the edge of the property line, a jet of red sparks flowing out of his wand and onto the ground, leaving a fiery-looking trail in his path.

He hoped his Inconspicuousness Spell would hold until he finished warding the land. It wouldn't do to have a concerned Muggle call up the fire department.

Completing the spell as he returned to his original position, Bill raised his wand into the air, incanting, 'Defendo Domus!' Red sparks rained down on Godric's Hollow, coating everything for an instant before being absorbed.

He took down the Inconspicuousness Spell and turned to reenter the house. Now all we have to do is wait for Snape to come back, Bill thought with a grin. I wonder if his hatred of the Potters will be enough to activate the defenses?

Inside, Ron listened as his father conversed with Madam Edgecombe, of the Department of Magical Transport, to arrange to have the Potters' Floo connection reestablished.

They spoke for a few moments, then Ron heard his father say, "Thank you, Madam." He pulled his head from the green fire with a slight pop. "I wish I knew what password James and Lily want. I could have the wards up and running."

"Ask Sirius and Remus; they're in the library," Ron suggested, still watching the board intently.

Mr. Weasley nodded. "They should have an idea," he said, and left Ron to his game.

Ron fixed the chessboard with a glare.

"This is the third game you've lost," the white king told him. "You might want to consider the possibility that you'll never win."

Ron gritted his teeth. "Once more," he said determinedly.

The pieces were reluctant to move. "You heard the boy! Back in formation!" the black king ordered.

"How long are we going to keep humoring him?" a white pawn asked a black in passing to the opposite side of the board.

"As long as it takes," the redhead answered for him.

He played two more games, but finally admitted defeat after his fifth loss.

"Where are all the others?" a black knight asked him.

"Warding the house," he replied. "I'm the only one without anything useful to do." Bloody underage magic law, he thought bitterly.

"I know how you feel," a white bishop put in. "I feel useless just sitting here waiting for someone to entertain. We've been in the Potter family for generations—why can't we help them?"

A chorus of agreement sounded from all the other pieces.

"I don't know how you could," Ron said sympathetically. "No offense, but you are rather small."

"You're a wizard, aren't you?" the white king said, a bit peevishly. "Surely you can transfigure us into something useful."

"That's just the thing, I—" Ron stopped suddenly. Transfigure—that was it! Perhaps he couldn't do it, but he knew someone who could. His mind racing, he told the chess pieces to wait there for a moment.

"Where do you think we're going to go?" a black pawn called after him.

Ron found his mother, Ginny, and Professor McGonagall in the dining room, drinking tea and talking about days gone by.

"Professor, could the chess set be transfigured into a larger version?" he blurted out.

Before McGonagall could answer, Mrs. Weasley broke in, scolding her son. "Honestly, Ron, where are your manners?"

"Stuffed under his bed at home," Ginny said, smirking.

Ron rolled his eyes and waited for his professor's response.

"Quite easily, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall answered with a rare smile. "You ought to know—you played an admirable game against my chess set in your first year."

"What if we enlarged James' set?" he asked. "It could back up the wards on the property. Wards aren't foolproof and can be taken down."

McGonagall nodded approval. "Your idea has merit."

Ron grinned.

"But you're going to have to get James' permission," she finished.

Ron's grin faltered.

"If James agrees, I will help you set up your—chess army." McGonagall said, picking up her teacup once more.

"Thanks, Professor," Ron called back, already running down the hall.

He took the stairs two at a time, then stopped on the landing, realizing that he did not know which room James was in.

George walked out of one of the rooms, heading down the hall.

"George, wait!" Ron called to him.

His brother stopped and waited for Ron to catch up with him.

"Which room can I find James in?" he asked.

George pointed to the door at the end of the hall on the left. "Moody's keeping us out of there for now. Don't let him catch you going in."

Ron nodded and walked causally over to the door, knocking softly.

"Come in."

Ron opened the door slightly, poking his head into the room. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but—"

James smiled. "You can come all the way in, Ron. Lily won't bite."

"Not unless I have to," came the joking reply.

Ron smiled and entered the room, leaning against the closed door. "I had a question about your chess set."

James nodded. "Then ask."

"You know that wards can be taken down," Ron said quickly, almost stumbling over the words in his haste to explain. "I think that we need to have a backup of sorts to protect the house, one that can't be interfered with. So, I was wondering if Professor McGonagall could transfigure the chess pieces into a larger scale so they could—"

"Help back up the wards," James finished for him, nodding. "I think it's a brilliant idea; the set is spirited enough to make a good guard."

Ron beamed. "That's all Professor McGonagall needed." He turned towards the door, glancing back at Harry, still lying unconscious on the bed. "I hope you give the monster a headache," he whispered as he left the room.

Author note: I am sure some of you would love to give me a complete bashing right now, seeing how I have not updated a 'real' chapter in a little over a year. My Bio page has my excuses. But I have forgotten to add I have been studying for the past month for my AP Psychology test (thank goodness it was over last Tuesday.) With the school year almost over, the teachers are taking every opportunity to give us all the projects they can.

I wanted to post what I had, I feel extremely bad about leaving you all hanging and can not apologize enough. If you did not see the edit on Chapter One; I have gone through and made slight changes to all most all the chapters. Nothing dramatic mind you, but things that I thought desperately needed changing.

I can not thank every single reviewer enough for sticking by this story. Enough of my rambling, if school lets me; I hope to have another chapter up in June. (And back to my normal length)

I must aid a shameless plug for my wonderful, amazing, magnificent, superb beta reader, LiteraryLuminary. She is the best beta-reader a girl could ask for and is an awe inspiring writer. I urge you to read her stories. You can find a link to them under my favorite authors list.

Reviews feed the writers soul,

Thank you,

Mrs. Fawkes