Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long lapse in writing! I have missed these characters! Since the last post, I went through a fairly difficult pregnancy and delivery. Once I was back on my feet and in possession of some free time again (which did take quite a while with an infant to take care of and a full-time job), I found that I was hit with a huge case of writer's block. Hopefully this isn't too terrible-I had backed myself into a corner that I wasn't sure how to get out of. Thanks to Luiz4200 for your PM that helped remind me to get a move on and try again. I can't promise that I will post on a regular schedule as I am much busier than before and I can't be sure that the writer's block is fully gone, but I can say with certainty that I will not be gone that long again. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Harry Potter.

Anna and Harry answered every question Madam Bones asked them, recounting the events of that night as they had rehearsed. All three participants ignored the occasional huff of disbelief issued from the Minister, though Anna had to suppress the urge to throttle him when he did it during one of Harry's replies. She knew they needed to remain calm for the questions that would surely come from him next.

Amelia sat back in her chair once she had heard the entire tale and nodded.

"Well, I have no further questions at the moment. I will certainly be following up with our aurors stationed in Azkaban to see what changes they have observed in the dementors recently."

"There have been no changes in the dementors recently! They are under Ministry control!"

Amelia turned to him, bewildered.

"I can't see that any trouble would be caused by keeping an eye on dementors, which are well-known to be dark creatures. If they are all under Ministry control, how exactly do you think they wound up in Little Whinging? If they are indeed operating under our orders, that is almost more troubling than if two of them went rogue."

Madam Bones waved away the rest of Fudge's objections, eager to get on with the matter at hand.

"As I said, Minister, I have no more questions. Do you?"

The knot in Anna's stomach tightened as she prepared for the onslaught. She felt Harry stiffen next to her.

"Well, I never. Mr. Potter, I do not know what you mean by coming into the Ministry and spouting this, this nonsense, but it will not be tolerated. And Ms. Dumbledore, I understand that your relationship with Mr. Potter here is a rather emotional one, but I do not see why you would go along with such ridiculous lies," he asked in a nauseatingly superior tone.

Harry and Anna stared at the Minister, stone-faced, as he gazed back with an expectant look.

"Ms. Dumbledore?"

"I beg your pardon, Minister, but I didn't hear a question, and I swore to only answer that which I was asked."

Uncle Albus's eyes twinkled at her from across the room as Fudge sighed.

"Well, then, why are you here telling such blatant lies?"

"Minister, we have come here at your request, to explain the events of the evening in question, which we have done truthfully, and FURTHERMORE," she continued over an indignant huff from Fudge, "you know that we must be telling the truth. We would have no reason to lie unless Harry had committed underage magic, which under the circumstances would have been absolutely legal anyway. However, as his wand was confiscated by security when we entered the building, I am sure that you have already had it examined thoroughly and found no evidence of him casting the patronus charm on the night in question, or you would have said so."

Fudge purpled as he continued, "The Statute of Secrecy…"

"Is that a question, Minister?"

Amelia turned her head to cover a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"Yes, yes, it bloody well is—what do you mean by doing magic in the presence of a muggle, full-well knowing that it was a breach of the Statute of Secrecy?"

"The Statute of Secrecy permits the use of magic in front of muggles in exigent circumstances, particularly when it is in the protection of the muggles who witness it. As one of the dementors was heading for him, he certainly needed my protection. However, that clause does not apply in this case."

When she received no interruption aside from an urgent look from Fudge to Percy Weasley, she continued.

"As the only muggle in the area was Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin, the Statute of Secrecy would not have been breached, even had there been no urgent cause for me to perform the charm. As he has been raised in the same household with Harry, he is fully aware of the magical community. Therefore, magic performed in his presence is not illegal."

Fudge was crushing his bowler hat in his hands in frustration, openly glaring at her now, but clearly without recourse as her arguments were sound. Anna tried not to flinch as he turned his attention to Harry. They had known this would happen, but it went against every instinct to allow it. She shoved down the fear with an effort. Anna continued this for a few minutes, as Fudge questioned Harry, trying to focus on other things. She was jolted back to attention when Harry began shouting.

"I don't know what the dementors were doing there! But you know that I recognize a dementor when I see one—all the ones you placed at Azkaban in my third year," at this, Anna met her uncle's eyes in alarm. Harry was losing his temper, and with it, his discretion.

Uncle Albus stepped forward. "Harry," he tried to cut Harry off, and Anna reached forward, but he had jumped to his feet and was approaching the Minister. The Minister had jumped to his feet as well, and Percy was trying to block Harry from getting closer, preventing the headmaster from reaching Harry.

"—even though they came after me while I was playing quidditch and nearly killed me when I fell off my broom, and later tried to kiss Si…Hermione and me, and the one you brought to Hogwarts last year to give Barty Crouch, Jr. the kiss, even though you said he was just a madman! I don't know why we bothered to come here at all when you clearly won't even listen to reason! You didn't listen to me about Pettigrew, about Voldemort, about Si—"

"ALRIGHT!" Anna bellowed as she rushed over to her godson's side. She grabbed Harry's arm and gently but firmly pulled him back to his seat, standing and turning so that their faces were blocked from the rest of the room.

"Harry, please, calm down. There's no need to get upset about all of that. We're here to discuss the dementors in Little Whinging—nothing more, nothing less."

Outwardly, her tone was soothing, but she looked at Harry pointedly and he winced as he ruffled his hair. He breathed deeply several times, visibly forcing himself to be calm, before settling into his chair.

"Actually, Mr. Potter, I would be interested to hear a bit more about one point."

Harry's eyes mirrored her own panic as Anna sent up a silent prayer. If they learned about Sirius…

"About Barty Crouch, Jr. He was administered the dementor's kiss? Without due process?"

Harry blinked in surprise as Anna nearly slumped in her seat in relief. A bubble of excitement filled her as she chanced a look at Amelia's face. Her mouth was set in a hard line as she threw a suspicious look at Fudge.

"Er…I'm not sure. From what Professor McGonagall said…" he trailed off, looking to her uncle. The Minister huffed indignantly and tried to interject, but apparently nothing would come out. Fudge's face was turning bright red and he appeared to be speechless as he spluttered and coughed out odd, guttural sounds. Percy Weasley looked outraged, and opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a raised eyebrow from Madame Bones.

"It seems that Cornelius took the dementor along with him to assist in his interrogation, but the dementor apparently took it upon itself to kiss Mr. Crouch. He was never questioned officially by any Ministry officials, nor given a chance to defend himself. I questioned him under veritaserum while Professors Snape and McGonagall, and Harry here, were present, but I did not have the authority to arrest him. Professor McGonagall remained with him as a guard while he slept off the after-effects of the potion. I was with the Diggorys when we heard Professor McGonagall's ah…reaction…to the kiss."

Amelia took a deep breath as Albus spoke, the color in her cheeks rising as he continued.

"I see." She turned toward Fudge, whose face was rapidly darkening from red to purple as he fairly squirmed in his seat, the light glinting off her monocle as she took stock of his position.

Harry's excitement was palpable as he shifted from side to side in his seat and Anna sent him a warning look to remind him to be cautious. The warning was as much for her sake as Harry's. The energy in the room was shifting, and she was trying to squelch the desperate hope that was rising within her. She kept her eyes trained on Amelia, not daring to meet Uncle Albus' eyes and give anything away to the others.

Amelia swiveled her chair so that she was fully facing Fudge. The look on her face was neutral, but the spots of color on her cheeks gave away the rage that was just under the surface.

"Minister, being that you were formerly employed under the auspices of the DMLE, you would necessarily be familiar with Code 24771 J, is that correct?"

The Minister gulped, but then straightened up in his chair, his expression full of stubborn pride.

"Yes, of course I am. But I am the Minister for Magic."

Anna pursed her lips to suppress a smile. The buffoon's entire life philosophy could be wrapped up in that short, self-important answer. As if Amelia cared who the man was. She believed in the impartiality of the law as the only means to carry out justice. As she had expected, the woman behind the desk bristled, her one visible eye sparking with the flames of righteous indignation.

"As the Head of the DMLE, I must point out that your position does not matter in this case. In fact, the law of due process was created to protect ALL members of the magical community within the United Kingdom from the potentially unfair actions of the government-particularly in situations where corporal punishment is considered. It was created especially to guard against those in the highest echelons of the government from taking advantage of their own positions and appointing themselves as judge and jury."

"Now, wait just a minute!" Fudge had finally found his voice, as well as his feet. He approached Madam Bones threateningly. "I will have your job if you continue—"

"Continue to remind you of the laws which you have sworn to uphold? While I am sworn to ensure that the Ministry operates within these very laws?"

Amelia had calmly risen with this challenge. It was quite an interesting standoff. The witch was standing behind her desk in her immaculate black robes, looking regal, despite her ridiculous monocle. The minister stood on the other side, panting and red-faced, holding his absurd bowler hat in hand like a naughty schoolboy sent to the headmaster for punishment.

Percy Weasley's eyes were darting in between the two, and he was hovering over his chair, clearly unsure whether or not to rise and assist Fudge. Anna looked at his narrowed eyes. It appeared that he was trying to decide which side of the argument he wanted to fall on. Attempting to calculate which move would be better for his career, Anna surmised, disgusted. She had hoped he would care more about right than his own advancement, despite what she had overheard.

Anna held her breath as Madam Bones and Cornelius Fudge stared each other down.

"Minister, I will be issuing a notice at the close of this meeting, to be sent to the whole of the Ministry. It will serve as a reminder that any and all charges are to come through this department. Any cases where the potential sentence could involve corporal punishment, must be first approved by me and me only."

The breath whooshed out of Anna. This was it, this was so much better than she had thought.

"What exactly are you saying, Madam Bones?"

"I am saying, there will be no dementor's kisses or executions carried out without the review and approval of the Head of the DMLE, in accordance with the law. Special exceptions have been made in the past, but there will be no exceptions until I say otherwise."

"But…Sirius Black! There is a standing order that he will be issued the dementor's kiss on sight!"

Anna dared not lift her eyes as she felt Amelia's gaze rest on her. Harry was shifting in the seat next to her. She hadn't looked into her uncle's eyes since the beginning of the exchange about Barty Crouch, Jr., knowing that her mask would most likely slip if she did.

"No exceptions."

"You cannot be serious! You forget yourself and your position—I could have you fired for this! You will regret—"

"Minister, with all due respect, you will do no such thing. If you were to do this, I would have no choice but to turn the information I have received today over to the full Wizengamot. I have a feeling our friends at the Prophet would also be interested to know. You know how they love a scandal."

The color drained from Fudge's face as he stepped back and into Percy. His eyes darted around the room, seemingly only now remembering the presence of the others. He turned to look at her uncle.

"Dumbledore, if you think this is the end of this, you will soon learn otherwise. Laws can be changed."

"Yes, they can, Cornelius. However, I would remind you that your beef is with me, and me alone."

The words were said in a light tone, but Anna knew that everyone in the room heard the underlying threat. Fudge glared at Dumbledore, threw the door open, and stomped out of the room without a backward glance.

Percy, surprised by the abrupt exit, rushed to scoop up his quill, parchment, ink, as well as those that the Minister had left behind.

"Goodbye, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore called after him. Percy's ears turned bright red.

"It was nice to meet you, Percy," Anna added, as he winced and nodded at both of them without meeting their eyes. He quickly marched to the door and shut it firmly behind him, as the others stared after him.

"Well," began Madam Bones. "That was quite dramatic."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Anna smiled back at her weakly as Harry stared at them both, dumbfounded.

"Amelia, it's been a pleasure as always. I hope that you are not unnerved by the turn of events," Albus placed a hand on Anna's shoulder as he joined the other two in front of the desk.

Amelia sighed, "It goes with the territory," clearly eager to close the subject for the time being. She leaned down and made a note on a slip of parchment on her desk, before coming around the desk, holding out a hand to Anna's uncle.

"It was good to see you, Dumbledore. Hopefully the next time will be under better circumstances."

"I hope so, Amelia," her uncle said with a tone that clearly said it most likely wouldn't be.

"Mr. Potter, it was nice to make your acquaintance. I hope you enjoy your year at Hogwarts."

Harry appeared afraid to open his mouth, in case of saying the wrong thing. He smiled and shook her hand. Uncle Albus opened the door and led him through it, Anna smiling at Amelia and intending to follow. She held out her hand to meet Amelia's.

Amelia met her gaze and looked at her searchingly. She then nodded and reached behind her, plucking up something from her desk and then holding out her hand to return Anna's handshake. She subtly placed something in Anna's hand, and looked at her significantly.

"It was good to see you again, Ms. Dumbledore."

"You too, Madam Bones."

Anna tucked the parchment into her robe pocket as she stood in the doorway. Amelia smiled at her before ushering her out and softly closing the door behind her.

Somehow, the trio made it through walking to the security desk to retrieve Harry's wand, and all the way down to the floo beside the atrium without looking at each other or speaking. There was an electric excitement crackling in the air around them, and Anna didn't think she or Harry would be able to contain themselves if the silence between them were broken.

"Harry, you first. I will be along later, I have some business to attend to at Hogwarts," Albus held out his arm, gesturing for Harry to go through. Harry tossed the powder down and said the address of the safe house quietly. Anna stepped after him to do the same, looking at her uncle. His eyes were in full twinkle mode and her face broke into a grin before she threw the powder down and began to spin.

Anna hopped out of the floo into a room filled with activity. All the kids, plus Molly, Remus, and Sirius, were around the table, jumping out of their seats. She looked to Harry, grin still in place, and he grinned back at her.

"Yes!" they both yelled and hugged each other, laughing, relieved to release the tension that had been bottled up inside.

Questions were being called out to them from all sides, but Anna ignored them and sought out Sirius.

Ignoring his questioning gaze, she tugged him down to her level and met his gaping mouth with a blazing kiss. It took him a moment to respond in kind, one hand wrapping around her waist as he deepened the kiss. They ignored the wolf whistles of the twins, but finally broke apart after a few minutes.

"What happened?"

Anna smiled and turned toward the stove.

"Harry, would you like some tea? I need a cup."

She reached down to check that the kettle was hot and leisurely poured two mugs, taking her time measuring the tea leaves. The kids had all turned to Harry in exasperation, but he was laughing as he watched the others squirm.

"Dammit, woman, you can get some tea later! Stop now and tell us what's happened!"

Anna quirked an eyebrow at her fiancé.

"Erm…I mean…please?"

"Whipped," Remus coughed at him and Sirius smacked him in the shoulder. Anna decided to take pity on them. She turned to Harry.

"Harry, you can tell them the first part."

Harry shrugged in response.

"Well, we aren't in trouble about the patronus and the dementors. Madam Bones believed us—even Fudge believed us really, he just wanted to make us look bad. But Anna argued all the reasons about why it wasn't illegal. But then he went to question me…"

Harry trailed off, turning red, and Molly jumped in.

"Oh no, what happened? What did you say?"

Harry looked to Anna, pleading silently.

"Well, Harry got a bit upset because Fudge flat-out accused him of lying. He sort of started going on about dementors a bit and mentioned that Barty Crouch Jr. was given the dementor's kiss by Fudge. Turns out Amelia didn't know that."

Remus and Sirius were smiling at this point, and Anna moved to sit down. Sirius sat between Harry and her and the others all sat as well, though they were leaning toward Anna.

"Oh, Amelia would not like that," Remus smirked.

"No, no, she didn't. In fact, it turns out that, legally, all convictions for which corporal punishment can be given are required to be approved by the head of the DMLE beforehand. She told him there would be no exceptions."

Anna lifted her mug and took a sip, breathing deeply.

"Um…so…what does that mean?" Sirius asked, brow furrowed.

Anna grinned at him. "It means they aren't allowed to kiss you on sight. If they find you, they will be forced to hold a trial and give you due process."

The room erupted in cheers as Sirius sat stock-still, mouth agape. Ginny and the twins jumped up and started a crazy chant as they marched through the kitchen, "Sirius can't be kissed! Sirius can't be kissed!"

Sirius leaned in, staring at her intently.

"Are you sure?"

Harry chimed in, "Yes, that's what she said! Hey…Anna, how come you took so long to come after us?"

"Oh, right!"

Anna had forgotten the parchment that Amelia had passed her. She reached into her pocket and yanked it out. She waved her wand over it, just to be sure there were no tracking spells on it.

"Sirius can't be kissed! Sirius can't be kissed!"

"George, Fred, Ginny, enough!"

Tuning them out, Anna held the paper out so she, Remus, and Sirius could read it at the same time.

If you can get me Pettigrew, I will protect S until the truth comes out. I knew as soon as five minutes had passed that you were telling the truth, then and now. If you or the O need my help, let me know.

The three of them exchanged disbelieving glances and then laughed.

"What is it?" Harry leaned in.

"Harry," Sirius clapped him on the back, grinning, "you and Anna got us an ally."

"Sirius can't be kissed! Sirius can't be kissed!"

"Will you three shut it?!"

Anna leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a sip of her cinnamon tea.