Fred and George sent a pair of books back to Harry via one of Severus' new delivery owls after removing a package with two new books on the founders and the four houses.

The twins had decided that Professor Snape was correct - they didn't want to be in their older brother's shadows. But, the biggest plus was the sheer shock value to their entire family, who had been entirely Gryffindor for several generations.

They had ruled out Ravenclaw, they were sure that the ravens wouldn't really help with any pranking. Not to mention they would likely nag them to study more.

Slytherin would be good, in that they would be cunning partners in pranks. However, Professor Snape already knew they were intending to become the best pranksters the school had ever seen, and would likely interfere with that - or at least try to.

They liked the ambitious idea of ‘taking over the entire house of Hufflepuff'. They were sure that they could have all the badgers obeying their every whim in no time. Plus, that would likely put their mother into therapy - ‘a Weasley in Hufflepuff!!'

Soon after ‘the Harry party', they had cornered their brother Percy, who they had found to be a veritable mine of any and all sorts of information - best of all it was mostly unbiased information. When they had asked Charlie or Bill anything all they heard was ‘you'll be in Gryffindor - so you don't need to know about the other houses' and ‘Professor Snape is an evil bat'.

They did silently admit that Snape was formidable and they would hesitate to cross him, but that wasn't what they wanted to know. Percy, however, told them that while, yes, he was scary - he took very great care of his Slytherins. The House of Slytherin might be considered dark by many, but they did close ranks around each other, and he had seen even bitter rivals in Slytherin suddenly band together at a perceived threat from outside their house.

Over the following weeks they spent an unprecedented amount of time talking to Percy, and even studying the first year books a little with him - while picking his brains over things, like if they add fairy-lavender root to the hair enhancer potion their dad has, will it turn his hair blue or purple?

Percy was remarkably calm about their prank questions, only barking at them if the prank seemed to turn down a dangerous avenue. The twins found they rather liked their older brother, as long as they headed his snooty lecturing off before he got started. Percy managed to pound some information on the various subjects into their heads, while answering their inexplicable questions about the houses at Hogwarts other than Gryffindor. If Percy suspected their motives, he remained silent about them.

The rest of the family watched the bonding between the three with bafflement. Percy had always been a bewildering near-embarrassment to the Weasley family. He was the only one with a totally neat room, studied constantly, didn't like being part of a large family, rarely yelled, and hated the rest of the Burrow - other than his room - ‘because it was messy and noisy'. The list of reasons that the other Weasley's disliked or didn't understand him was lengthy.

Arthur was the only one who sympathized - a little. He knew that Percy's ‘differences' weren't necessarily bad ones - he was just ‘wired differently' than the other members of his family, and he was actually glad that the twins were making an effort, even if the reasons were selfish ones. Percy seemed to be enjoying the daily brain-picking and tutoring. Perhaps he would get closer to some of his other siblings through this.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Lucius, Tom and Severus arrived with their lists of objects, and Tom's list of questions about the dagger. There was a crowd of excited Goblins that went abruptly silent at their entrance. The supervisor led them to a larger meeting room, with a dozen Goblins who didn't look like they worked at the bank.

The British Branch Supervisor bowed slightly to Tom, "The family members of those who made the items you are arranging to return are here to witness this, and make the arrangements you said you will require. I, Clawscar, happen to be one of them - my grandfather made one of the shields mentioned."

Tom sat, with the other two flanking him. The supervisor sat across from them, and the other goblins arrayed themselves behind him. Tom cleared his throat nervously. "I sent you a list of eight items to be returned - they have curses and dark spells on them, I would expect promises to cleanse them of those or to not let them ever re-enter the wizarding world. There are five items I want destroyed - I'm willing to pay to have that done."

Clawscar nodded, "What do you want in exchange for these items, then?" He looked warily at them.

Tom glanced around the room - at the suspicious goblins, at Lucius who looked blandly superior, and at Severus who was glaring just as suspiciously at the goblins. He felt Yvane muttering angrily in the back of his mind. Tom felt the pressure of doing this right. If he didn't Harry, Draco and Dudley were at Dragonsrest right at this moment, trying to think of ways to break the dragon out the hard way. Tom wasn't sure what C4 was, but Dudley was advocating its use.

"I don't know if you are aware of this, but I am living on a Dragon Reserve." Tom began, carefully. "As a matter of fact, I owe my very life to a dragon, and I am presently learning from one. I don't know if you are familiar with how very intelligent dragons do become, as they mature." Tom watched the goblins look at each other in confusion.

Tom cleared his throat, regaining their attention. "I don't like being in debt to the dragons, so I would like to clear that debt by freeing one of them - the dragon that is presently in your vaults."

The Supervisor sat back in shock, and the other goblins abruptly had a great deal to say - loudly and all at one time. Clawscar, however, after the shock wore off, looked at Tom craftily.

"It will take more than eight items to buy old Scarsnout free." He said with a toothy grin.

Tom sighed, and prepared for a lengthy struggle. The goblins wanted a great many objects returned - and many didn't belong to any of the three wizards, or even Harry. They finally got them to agree to twenty-two additional items that were currently in the vault Tom had, and the Malfoy and Potter vaults. Severus had some cauldrons and daggers they wanted. There were a further five items that Lucius and Severus were fairly sure they could wring out of acquaintances, although they winced at the thought of what they would have to give in return.

The most difficult part was the dagger that Tom was interested in. The Goblins wanted it rather desperately, the three thought. Tom finally agreed to consider returning it at another time - after he learned more about it. Interestingly the goblins refused to give them any information on it, just glowering at Tom over his refusal to put it in the deal.

The goblins finally sealed the agreement on paper, and Tom released the eight items already agreed on to them on good faith. They would give over the others all at one time - when the dragon would be released. Tom also paid for the destruction of the five dark objects from his vault.

Once the deal was sealed, the goblins seemed happy enough with what they had gouged out of them for the dragon, and thanked them for the return of ‘what was goblin made'. Yvane grumbled about the delay in releasing the dragon, but seemed relieved that the bargain was at least made.

They did go down to Tom's new vault, and after the objects were removed that they had turned over to the goblins, they entered to look at what was left. There were several on the list to be traded for the dragon, and those Lucius and Severus hovered to one side of the vault. There were some objects that were not cursed or dark that Severus placed in a bag - they could be returned to former owners.

Tom, though, hovered near the dagger that had his interest. He wasn't sure why he felt such interest in it - yes, it was very old, and had a great deal of magic in it. But, there were other things that were quite old, that were loaded with magic. Though, this magic did feel different.

"Yes, this magic is as old as the standing stones of Stonehenge - magic from long before Hogwarts. It is from the times of the war with the Emperors of Rome." Yvane said slowly, examining the dagger as well. "And it is infused with female magic. During those times, many females who did magics would make their magical tools - like daggers - react badly to the touch of men. The only curse on this is one to harm any man that touches it. The other harmful magics are intended to hurt those that the wielder of the dagger wishes harmed." he chuckled.

"So, would it be alright to take the dagger to Dragonsrest to study?" Tom asked.

"You had best lock it up tight against the curious; you wouldn't want the youngsters to get near it." Yvane answered.

Tom consulted with the other two wizards and the dagger was hovered into a bag, and taken with them.

The wizards returned to Dragonsrest to break it to the trio of young conspirators that C4 would not be necessary for the rescue.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Yuan sat looking at a letter he had just received with a bit of consternation. His second cousin - a couple times removed, that worked on the dragon reserve on Lyonesse had a daughter that would be attending Hogwarts this year. A clever girl, and as they were in the middle of a bit of a muddle on their reserve, they hoped he could watch over her and take her to Diagonalley to get outfitted.

Blast, he had no idea of how to look after her, let alone get her ready for school. But, they did have a true emergency going on. Several of the young dragons had a virus, and being young, they were quite unreasonable about getting treatment.

He sighed and then brightened; he just remembered he had a Hogwarts professor at his mercy...well available to him, anyway. He penned a quick note, implying several favors would be owed if Severus would help out with the eleven year old being foisted on him.

Severus was helping secure the dagger in the large cabinet in the library when Yuan's owl arrived. They already had the cabinet very well-warded, as it had held the Horcruxes for a time. They had warned the three youngsters that the dagger was dangerous, and in a bit of inspiration Severus told them that it was cursed against men and managed to imply that it might turn them into girls. The sheer mind - numbing horror of that prospect had them vowing to not even look at it.

After Severus had told them that the goblins had made a deal, and that a bank robbery was unnecessary, and the dagger was made off-limits they had trudged unhappily to the pool. Even the curious green dragon had difficulty cheering them up, right away.

Severus opened the letter with curiosity and read it, frowning. On one hand, having the director owe him a few favors would be helpful - but he cringed at the idea of an eleven year old, homesick girl running around in an all-male establishment. Hmm, Rosemerta had requested a last visit here with the boys, before Hogwarts started - she'd love to have another female to take shopping (perfect!)...and it would be yet another student that he could tell Albus that the boys were ‘interacting' with, if he asked.

He consulted Lucius, who thought that Rosemerta would love a carte-blanche shopping trip with someone of the female persuasion. A quick firecall to Rosemerta revealed that she ‘loved the idea, and wasn't Severus so thoughtful to offer?' Severus penned back an affirmative answer to Yuan, and that he had a lady who would ‘love' to help little Cho Chang shop for things, when she arrived.

They arranged for lunch at the pool with a cheerful Tinker and wandered toward the three splashing boys. The young green was lounging nearby, as he always seemed to do when there were swimmers at 'his' pool.

"I found out that the Gaunts lived in Little Haggleton, near the Riddle Manor. Albus has been very busy with investigating. I offered to look into it for him, as the school opens, soon. I have my classrooms and lessons all organized, and the remaining ingredients have arrived, so the next ten days are mine - until September first. He agreed to let me - as we destroyed the other two Horcruxes quite well. He did say he wants to see the remainder of the ring, after we destroy it - there's something...odd about it, apparently." Severus looked a bit disturbed by the Headmasters curiosity. They would definitely be looking at the ring, themselves before turning it over.

"We should go tomorrow, if possible - if there are complications, we may need the additional days." Lucius added. "Any insights into this, Tom - or memories?"

"I had plans - to visit the Riddle family, and confront my father during the summer before my seventh year. I didn't know where my mother had come from, at that time. Perhaps I learned it when I visited the Riddles. Severus said that the Headmaster had found out that I killed them all." Tom said in a subdued voice.

He'd slaughtered his father and grandparents, apparently. He well recalled his angry plans to confront his father - the man who had abandoned his mother, and never once looked for him - rejecting him before ever meeting him. He'd even tried to figure a way to curse him a bit without getting caught. He'd not thought of outright murder, except in his darkest fantasies, and never with a serious intent.

"Voldemort killed them - remember this was after having split your soul making the diary, you were already less than fully human at that point." Yvane said quietly. "Moving on to true murder, instead of just fantasizing about it would be next."

They reached the pool, and sat in the lounge chairs. Severus and Lucius looked sympathetic to Tom's guilty look. They had enough regrets in their pasts to understand his feelings.

"Well, Petunia will be released from the hospital in two days, the Healer overseeing the muggle's work has said. Dudley went with him on the last visit, and Dudley said she was looking a great deal better." Severus said with satisfaction. "I'm glad we had already set up a room for her, before the gunshot wound occurred."

"Is that horrid Aunt of Dudley's still causing problems?" Tom took to the change of subject with relief.

"The lawyers say she ended up with a lot of fines, and the house arrest was extended to six months. It is her first offense - that was actually brought before the courts, at least." Lucius said smugly. "However she's been hounding the judges for ‘visitation' with Dudley. Says she has the right to see her only relative. Her judge friends have been whining to the judge she came before that all her recent offenses were due to grief." They all snorted. Angus had described the scene at the police station, and Severus had endured that scene at the funeral. "The judge finally said she needed to attend counseling, and he would listen to recommendations from the psyche doctors."

"Well, with any luck she'll never convince them she's a proper person for a pre-teen to have to endure." Severus said snidely.

The boys had forgotten their disappointment, and were splashing loudly when the lunch arrived. They greeted it with starved sounding whoops, and lunch was on.

Yuan approached with a smile on his face, and a pretty, dark-haired girl at his side. Severus only had time to think ‘that was quick', before they arrived to the pool.