Chapter 7: Declaring the rules
***June 30th, 1996, Grimmauld place, mid afternoon***
Finally, the little group of Remus, Tonks, Harry and Hermione were left on their own. They moved into Black Manor's drawing room to discuss the events to follow.
"First, we must get you out of the Dursleys in a way which Dumbledore can't negate," said Tonks, cutting straight to the chase as always. "I have a proposal for you, now that we've confirmed that you are the heir to Lord Black, and thus Lord presumptive or 'Prince' Black until you reach majority. To get you away from the Dursleys, we need a guardian for that year, one with a better claim than Dumbledore, preferably family."
"Good plan, Tonks, but it ignores the tiny problem that I don't have any family left." Harry quipped.
"Don't talk like that to your aunt, Harry Potter-Black!" Remus chastised a dumbfounded Harry while the witches laughed at him.
"Yes, Harry, since you are a Black now, too, I could adopt you and have legal precedence over Dumbledore. Family has priority over Headmaster or Supreme Mugwump."
Some unshed tears were shining in Harry's eyes as she told him that.
"You would do that for me?"
"Of course, Sirius spoke the world of you, and I think you are a great guy. Pity I like my men a bit older, so no worries, Hermione." She shot a wink at Hermione, and turned back to Harry.
"If you want, we could file the papers as soon as we have the Dursleys give you up. Would you want - ooof!"
A happy Harry launching himself at her and hugging her for all he was worth ande the answered to that question quite clear. Of course, being Tonks, that led to both of them falling off the couch in a tangle of limbs. Only after some rolling around and some failed attempts to untie their limbs were they able to separate themselves again.
"At least I had quick roll with you before it would become incest," Tonks laughed while Remus lifted her back onto her feet.
"Stuff it, auntie!" Harry grumbled good-naturedly. "Ok, how do we get the Dursleys to accept? Wandpoint?" He secretly hoped that he would get permission to do that.
"Nope. If we did that, it would be objectionable at court. We ask, and then we bribe. Bribing only carries a fine and is not enough to lodge an appeal. And just to be clear on that, according to the family tree, I'm your niece, old man," Tonks said as she stuck her tongue out at Harry.
"Pity. From where do we take the money? I only have about twenty thousand gallons in my vault. Is that enough?"
In terms of money, Harry was still very naïve. He never had any money to himself, only a few galleons pocket money at school. Mrs. Weasley always handled his school purchases. All he knew about money was that his school expenses account - for 7 years of schooling - contained about 20 000 gallons the last time he had heard a number.
A combined snort answered his question. Everyone in the room just gaped at him, as if he had just said to 'only' have a million in his cookie jar. In some way, he just had.
"If you only try to buy the house, you will be fine, Harry," Hermione said while patting his back. It took all that she had to not break down in laughter as she saw his confused face. Since no one else had recovered enough to clarify the issue, she took mercy on him and explained it to him.
"That's about five hundred or more thousand Pounds worth. It should suffice, especially since I believe the Dursleys will be as glad to part ways as you are. And no, it wouldn't matter to me if you were poor. But being rich makes living a bit easier, and who am I to mope over a rich boyfriend?" she added, in a perfect Lavender Brown imitation.
Instead of laughing, Harry's expression turned into one of even more confusion.
"But that is my school vault! Why would I have such a large amount available?"
Looking around, he saw people laughing, and frowned at them.
"Don't pout, Harry. It's just too funny… The heir to a well-off family… and adopted heir to one of the richest is asking why he has obscene amounts of pocket money? Classic - Sirius would never let you hear the end of this," Remus said between gales of laughter.
That laughter died when Harry started looking angry. As soon as his hair started flying in an unseen wind while small sparks discharged in the air around him, there was silence. In spite of the obvious danger, Hermione was brave enough to cling to him, cooing softly in his ear, while Remus and Tonks tried to apologize hastily.
Soon the pyrotechnics died down, and as soon as Harry seemed to have calmed down, they tried again to apologize, only to be waved off by Harry, who still held Hermione in his lap.
"Don't. I wasn't angry at you. I was angry that no one ever told me."
Remus nodded sadly. "Dumbledore; it all comes back to Dumbledore. I still can't believe what he's done. Seems like whenever we turn around, there's another lie to be discovered. We need to be quick. Best we empty your vault today and stack it in here so he can't use it against us. We might be able to get some from the Black vault, too, depending on the access clause in the will. All we need is your key and a signed request to have the Black key sent to you. We should do this before we visit the Dursleys, just in case."
As soon as that was said, Harry grew quiet, which was bothering Hermione. She pushed a bit away and asked him what was going on.
"You know how I left there. I don't expect a friendly welcome back, and even more, I don't want any. I just hope that I can keep my temper in check and that I don't hurt them badly. It might be best if I don't see them at all."
"In fact, that is a very good idea," Tonks noted. "The best would be if you both stay here. Remy and I are more than capable of negotiating the terms, and if only half of what I heard and fear is true, your absence would certainly help, if only by sparing me from having to clean up after you. Cleaning up after my own hexes is ok, but you're old enough to not need me as a housekeeper anymore, young man!" she told them, while morphing her face into McGonagall's.
Later, while the adults were away on their errands, Harry and Hermione found themselves with some time on their hands before retiring to sleep. Hermione led the way straight into the library, of course, but sat with Harry on one of the couches there, instead of browsing the shelves.
"Harry, please promise me that Ron will never learn of what I am going to do next!" she pleaded, and after a grin and nod from Harry, she dug into her bag and produced a well-worn paperback novel, small and only a thumb thick. She then handed it to a visibly disappointed Harry. Noticing his small frown, she giggled happily, and gave him a peck on the cheek, too.
A bit mollified, Harry inspected the book closer, and promptly stifled a laugh, which turned into a painful snort.
"Secret indeed! The Corsair's Captive! If Ron ever knew about this, you'd never hear the end of it, no matter how long you lived. He would try to have it engraved into your tomb just to keep the knowledge alive!"
Slightly embarrassed, Hermione giggled again, a sound which Harry had begun to love. Who would have known that Hermione could be that girly sometimes? He was smiling at her, and she shot him a dazzling smile in return before responding.
"Yes, I thought akin those same lines, so please keep it secret. This is, in fact, my favourite story, and I thought that if you read it, you would know what I want. That way I wouldn't have to explain it, and trust me, that book is much fun," she said, blushing at the last sentence.
Harry took a short peek into the middle, and with a squeak, slammed the book shut again, staring at Hermione, who ducked her head and made an effort to resemble a brown-haired tomato.
"You don't expect me to read that stuff in here, with you around, don't you?" Harry asked, his voice still squeaky.
"Well you don't need to, but I thought you might, because if you had any questions, I could help you." Hermione offered, trying to put on an innocent face, but failing most spectacularly.
Harry cleared his throat and looked at the girl in his lap, noticing that her eyes were sparkling with mischief. She was teasing him! He decided to let out his inner prankster to get his own revenge - after all, it had worked quite well the previous time. 'Why not try again?' he thought to himself. She was simply trying to goad him anyway and two could play at that game, couldn't they? As he contemplated his revenge, he was struck by the realization that before this summer and the events surrounding it, he would have been too nervous to do anything like this. Yes, without that, the scenario would be much different.
'Hell yes, Hermione wouldn't be curled up on my lap for one, and if she tried, I would probably have bolted out of the room, and been half way to Ireland by now,' he thought with a chuckle. Somehow though, since he had left the Dursleys and participated in the ritual, he noticed he had become bolder and more assertive. He was more sure of himself now - so sure that it was bordering on recklessness, sometimes. With that thought in mind, he leaned forward and placed his mouth near Hermione's ear, parting his mouth to whisper.
"What if I decide that you should help me with the results?" he prompted, his lips ghosting over her ear, earning a squeak from her while she tried to burrow her face in the crook of his arm. Grinning broadly, he watched as Hermione's complexion altered from red to white and back a few times.
Finally, he couldn't bottle up his laughter anymore. Hermione harrumphed and sat up, swatting his arm repeatedly with both hands, before succumbing to laughter, too.
After they had calmed down, Hermione grew pensive for a moment, and then serious. Taking Harry's hands in hers, she took a deep breath and addressed him, looking straight into his eyes.
"Actually, if you ordered me to do so in the right way, I might – mind you I said might - be inclined to do it, but I'm fairly certain that neither of us is ready for that to happen right now." Her cheeks were still a little pink from earlier and he couldn't help but think it was cute.
Harry could only nod as he looked at her. Deep inside he knew that their relationship had progressed nicely, but they hadn't reached that point just yet. Though given the speed at which they had advanced, it might be sooner than most people would think, but not yet.
"You're right; we aren't ready. I'm sorry, I didn't want you to think I might push you into doing something you don't want to do!" he responded in a small voice, which earned him a big hug and a peck on the cheek. Harry couldn't help but sigh in relief as the last of the built up tension left him - he would never forgive himself if he drove her away by being stupid.
"You never would, Harry. And even if you tried, I would draw a line at the things I'm not ready for yet. We just play a game, and I will only play along with things I want to do, remember? And be informed that I very much like this new, assertive Harry you've become since the ritual. I never knew you could be such a rascal!"
"So you noticed, then?"
"Honestly, Harry!" she laughed. "That morning I awoke in your arms, I could sense your presence! Ever since, you've been radiating confidence. Everyone senses it."
Harry paused a moment to remember that morning. His first thought was how he missed the feeling of waking up beside her. That was really nice. Banishing that thought for the moment, he reflected a bit about the changes the ritual brought.
"Yes, it's like, well, somehow being whole again. All my life, there was this constant fatigue, this pressure on me which I now know was just that ward. Now, I'm feeling like I could do everything; It's amazing, and it's you I have to thank for it," he said, while squeezing her hand and then lifting it to his mouth for a gentle kiss, making her smile softly at him.
"You're welcome."
After some moments of comfortable silence, Harry looked at the book and then back at Hermione. Taking a deep breath, he asked the most pressing question on his mind.
"You said we need to talk, I think now would be fine. What exactly do you expect me to do in our relationship? Like I said, I do not want to push you, but since you expect me to push you to a certain degree, I'm a bit confused, you know?"
"Oh! Right, that might be a bit confusing for a boy, being dense and all," she grinned, to which Harry reacted as any mature man would have: He poked his tongue at her. Hermione gracefully poked her own at him and continued.
"Well, basically you can do whatever you want. Since you aren't that experienced and are just not the type to rush things, I do not believe that you'll try to take advantage of me."
Feeling very relieved by seeing Harry nod at that statement, she continued, "and I am certainly ok with almost everything you want, as long as clothes stay on, at least for now. In my opinion we have been dating for years already, and I know you pretty well, so we don't need that awkward dating phase, anyway."
"Agreed!" Harry laughed. "It would certainly be weird to somehow 'start dating' officially. You're right; we already have eaten nearly every meal together and hung around each other for so long, that basic dating can be checked off that list of yours."
"Also, since we already talk even about sex, I can't see how much more open we could get. Just be creative and bold, and I'll tell you if it's too much, okay?" Hermione added.
"Right in one!" Harry laughed, but suddenly got serious. "But if I happen to cross a line, tell me! You know, with you wanting me to force you to do stuff, misunderstandings might occur. I wouldn't like to cause a fight between us over this," he said, sounding worried.
Hermione gave him a bright smile for his attitude. Honestly, how could she not? "Yes, that might be the case. Especially once we get friskier," she said deep in thought, not noticing Harry blushing brightly at that statement. "The usual convention is to have a code word which means to stop immediately. "
"How about 'Hogwarts'?" Harry jokingly asked.
"Nope, I certainly do not want a word that ends with 'warts' anywhere near my love-life!" Hermione scolded her very naïve or just kidding boyfriend, laughing, "How about something that is 'in play', so it isn't that interruptive. You know, I might want you to keep going, only taking it slightly easier on me. How about 'Have Mercy'? That way, I can plead and play all I want, but if I plead for mercy, you know to stop. But still, I believe it will take a while before something like that will be needed."
"Ok, fine with me," a red-faced Harry answered, "but in my current state, I'd probably agree to everything you propose," he laughed.
"Also, I could try to give you subtle hints. Like saying 'Oh please, don't do that!' or something?" she said, waggling her eyebrows at him.
Harry laughed out loud. "You want to use subtle hints on a boy? Gee, I feel honoured that you believe I might get them." he quipped.
Hermione flicked her hair back and snuggled into his side. "I think with proper motivation, even boys can be trained." she said in a breathy voice, while walking her fingers up his arm, completely capturing his attention.
"Well, I certainly am motivated now," Harry softly said, placing a soft kiss on her head, making her laugh and wiggle against him. "And this book?"
"Basically, if you read the book, you will certainly have an idea of what I like; most of my fantasies derive more or less directly from that book."
"Oh, so it's a manual!" Harry laughed. "Great! Every girl should come with one. So, you're showing me the ropes, aren't you?"
Hermione gave in to giggles. "I do believe we should wait a little before we try that, don't you think?"
"Minx!" Harry quipped while fighting his blush, and leafed through a few pages. After a few seconds of reading, he gave a whistle. He got one question in mind. He silently pondered if he should be that bold, but since she had encouraged him to be, he caught her attention and shot her a diabolical grin. "So, pray tell, how many times have you rubbed off to this book?"
"Harry!" she gasped, shocked.
Harry was enjoying this new game of teasing. "I asked you a question…" - he shuffled a few pages, looking up something - "… wench!"
Hermione closed her eyes and shuddered, then dropped her head in shame, whispering something unintelligible.
Harry was certainly not letting her off the hook that easily. "Full sentence, audible, and look me in the eyes while talking to me," he demanded.
Another shiver ran through Hermione as she straightened her pose and turned to face him. Her face was a bright red as she locked her eyes on his and she actually needed two attempts before her voice didn't fail her.
"I have masturbated easily a hundred times while reading that book," she finally stated in a very breathy voice that made Harry want to adjust his trousers.
After a short pause, she cheekily added, "You got that thing down pat, Harry, if everything does come as easily to you like that did, I'll be a lucky woman."
After looking casually at his watch, Harry told her in a bland tone "And for that cheek, we'll make it one hundred and one times," making her jump and gasp at his boldness.
"Dobby!" he called out, which completely confused Hermione.
As soon as the tiny creature arrived, he addressed Dobby, ignoring Hermione completely.
"Dobby? Which is one my room?"
"Master Harry, Sir is being sleeping in the Master's suite, first floor, last door to the right, Sir!" Dobby replied.
"Good, please give Miss Granger a room which shares a wall with my bedroom, and make it so that every little sound from her room can be heard in my room, but nowhere else. Please escort her up to her room now; she has some errands to do while I retire to my rooms for some light reading."
Waiting for a nod from the elf, he turned facing Hermione, and indicated her to follow Dobby, which she actually did, her face brightly lit. Dobby didn't ask a thing, he was just overjoyed to be of assistance.
A minute later, Harry stood and went to his room, which was basically an extra flat within the house, and prepared himself for the night. When he finally settled into bed and started reading his 'Hermione manual', a soft, laboured breathing began to emanate from the wall to his right.
Although the surroundings got increasingly distracting as time progressed, that evening's read was certainly the best of his whole life.
*** July 1st, Grimmauld Place, early morning ***
A very happy Harry walked down the stairs, heading to the kitchen for breakfast. As he entered the kitchen, he found Remus, Tonks and Hermione already seated there. Casually strolling by, he gently hugged Hermione and gave her a kiss on the temple, whispering a good morning into her ear, making her eyes bulge out and blush brightly. After greeting the others, he sat down next to her, helping himself to a huge breakfast courtesy of Dobby.
Tonks took a look at the size of his breakfast and at Hermione's rather full plate and began teasing.
"Any explanation for why you both feel ravenous this morning?"
"Growing teenagers?" Harry replied. "Sorry Tonks, no juicy gossip just yet."
"Really? Remy, what does your nose think?"
"Sorry Tonks, but no gossip this morning. I can smell them both on each other, but could be explained away by the fact that they're practically joined at the hip wherever they go. What are you expecting me to detect? If they were doing it a few minutes ago, then I could have smelt it on them, but come on – if they really did it, you could tell by their stupid grins anyway," the old werewolf quipped, prompting the two teens to turn a little pink.
Exhaling her held breath, Hermione quickly changed the topic. "Something new in the Prophet, Tonks?"
"I'll get a new boss, but I already knew that. Madam Bones is said to need at least half a year to completely recover from the failed attack at her home yesterday; some ads, some politics, oh, there had been a fire in one vault at Gringotts, but they state that there had been no loss of value, documents or life. And yes, that's the order in which the goblins do value things," she added as Hermione wrinkled her nose.
After Tonks had recounted a few more things from the paper, Harry inquired about the Dursleys. The way the adults went quiet did not encourage him at all.
"Well, we tried to do make them sign the adoption papers. They wanted to, really, but they couldn't," Tonks tiptoed around the topic.
"Let me guess, Dumbledore?" Harry sighed and dropped his head into his hands.
"Yes. He has them charmed so they can't give you up for adoption. Can you believe that? Anybody else would have a ticket straight to Azkaban for messing up muggle heads, but to try to have anything stick to him, it's like he's impervioused. I think I should start avoiding the man before I can't resist the urge to hex him anymore," she hissed, getting more and more enraged as she talked.
"Can't you just finite them?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Sorry, luv, but it's a bit harder than that. And I would not like to tinker with any spell in their brains put there by Dumbledore. They should resemble something more than a vegetable if they have to sign any valid legal document." Tonks said, which made Harry wonder how much difference actually was between Dudley and a vegetable, and the transfiguration steps needed to make that change happen.
"But we did get their written permission for you to stay with us for this and the next year's summer, so we do have the next best thing." Remus tried to calm him, while Hermione was rubbing Harry's neck with one hand.
"And how does that help?" he asked, trying not to melt under Hermione's caress.
"Basically, with that permission slip, if we get caught, we won't be arrested as kidnappers," Tonks answered, "So it does help against Dumbledore. Speaking of him, Hermione, your parents have told us that they will move in here this afternoon and bring your stuff with them. Since they had already taken vacation for the next four weeks, they won't be missed, anyway. Which brings us to the best part of today, Hermione: we'll go shopping with Harry!"
"Don't you have to go to work or something?" Harry asked, hoping to be spared that experience.
"No way, lover boy, I am scheduled for night shift today, so I have the whole day to help you out," she grinned at him, while Remus and Hermione chuckled.
Soon, breakfast was finished and the teens were sent up to dress for Diagon Alley. On the way back down, they met again, and Hermione was still grinning at Harry's predicament.
Of course, the new Harry was having none of that. "Still grinning from last night Hermione? I was under the impression that the only thing you overachieved in was your homework assignments; apparently I was wrong. I had only ordered for you do it once, didn't I?"
"Oh hush, you. I don't think you minded me getting carried away, as I know you were listening and counting apparently. You're just grumpy that you are in for a long shopping trip at our mercy," She responded, laughing at him.
Harry waited until they reached the top of the staircase before he pulled her into a tight hug and whispered into her ear. "That's where you're wrong love; I don't think I'm at your mercy. And just to prove that, if we spend more than an hour trying on clothes in any of the stores without getting a break, you'll go and find something to try on. We can test and see if you can increase your counter in the changing rooms, understand?" He nearly smirked at the shiver that shook through her body, resisting the temptation to tease her more.
With that, he separated from her and rushed down the stairs, yelling, "Coming yet, Hermione?" when she still stood up there, flushed and unbelieving. What kind of monster had she created?
Around 6 o'clock, the clothes hunters returned in triumph. Each of them carried two bags full of shrunken clothes, the first real wardrobe Harry had ever owned. Of course, he had insisted that Hermione get herself some things as well, especially dresses and swimwear, but most of it was his. The teens were in a brilliant mood, though Tonks was sulking.
They were greeted by the Grangers and Remus, who immediately noticed Tonks's mood.
"What's up? Was Harry that defiant?" Henry chuckled.
"If only! He was a picture-perfect model, no matter how long he had to try stuff, he never said one word, but Hermione continuously insisted on changing shops or having lunch breaks. She was adamant about it, even when Harry was agreeable to staying a bit longer at one shop." She complained, while Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick look, the first grinning broadly, the other blushing.
Margret raised an eyebrow at her daughter, and, deciding to ask later, left her suspicions unvoiced for now.
"Everything went fine with your move?" Harry asked.
"Just great, with Dobby and Winky, we had the house cleared out in a heartbeat. Those two are a gift from heaven." Margret gushed, while Henry noted that they would have come handy when they had moved in.
"Do you need some storage space for the furniture or is it shrunk?" Harry offered, but Henry waved off.
"Oh, no, we left most of it where it is. It wouldn't fit here and it's not that valuable. We just took the clothes, the important family stuff, and the valuable or keepsake things. We left the rest. It doesn't matter if something happens to that; it's well insured."
"Did you get everything?" Margret inquired, pointing at the bags. "That seems very little to me. I thought you were out for a full wardrobe?"
"Oh, it's more than it seems. The things in these bags are shrunk as much as your stuff. There are at least twenty of every article Harry needs in there, I take my shopping seriously," Tonks reassured Margret.
"It's a pity we couldn't go to Ollivander's to replace my wand. Or maybe repair my old one - I miss it. Even more since it was the only brother wand to Voldemort's," Harry moped.
"I told you that doesn't work; you can't just replace a core. The wand is gone. We can frame it for your wall if you like, but it's better you use it to delude others. And it's really disturbing how you whine about the brother wands - why do you want to have something in common with him, of all people?" Tonks inquired with a disgusted face.
"With brother wands, I have the protection the Priori Incantatem effect when I fight him," Harry informed her.
"Why would a wand echo help you against Voldemort?" Tonks laughed at him.
"Because when we duelled at his resurrection, the brother wands locked up and kept him from hexing me - the golden dome also kept the Death Eaters away from us," Harry hotly replied. Instead of acknowledging her ignorance, Tonks looked at him with concern.
"Are you feeling fine? Maybe we overdid the shopping a bit - the poor boy is talking in riddles. Maybe we should have waited a bit longer before we let you out of bed," she said, and Margret tried to feel his forehead.
Harry batted her hand away angrily. "I am fine. Don't you know that brother wands can't be used to fight against each other?" he said, but everybody just looked at him in confusion, even Hermione.
"And how would that work?"
Tonks raised an eyebrow at him. "Who told you that kibosh? That's the most insane thing I ever heard!" she said, and Harry rose to his defence, but slumped when he remembered the source.
"Think about it for a moment. My wand has a dragon heartstring," Tonks said, to which Hermione added a "Mine, too."
"See? Ollivander once said that he makes close to five hundred wands out of a single heart. This would mean that my wand would be useless against hundreds of others! And unicorn hair is nearly as bad, since there are only few of them. And while I heard stories about wands locking up occasionally, I've never seen anything like it," Tonks told him. "What exactly happened to make the wands lock up?" she asked as an afterthought?
"Our spells hit each other."
"Ok, that causes the weirdest effects, for sure," Tonks agreed. "I remember the time I hit someone with a jelly legs jinx while someone else petrified him. We needed a mop to get the poor sod to St. Mungo's to have the mess reversed. What spells connected, and how? Maybe we can reconstruct the events."
"My expelliarmus connected head-on with his killing curse," Harry replied.
"Ooookay. In that case, I believe we'll forego a simulation," Tonks chuckled, "but enough of this. I'm starving, and the elves are just waiting for a chance to stuff us to the gills!" she started and turned to leave for the kitchen, but stopped when Hermione started talking.
"Sorry, but that doesn't add up," she said, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. "If Tonks was right, your wand was already broken back then, so there wouldn't be any core left to interact."
"You're right," Harry blurted out as something else hit him. "And remember the Quidditch World Cup? Crouch stole my wand and could cast the mark with it. And his dad could cast priori incantatemon it. It still worked back then, so your theory got just shot out of the water, Tonks," he concluded with a smirk at his minder.
"Bite me, luv!" Tonks huffed at him. "Then you probably burnt it out during the wand lockup thing you told us about," she told him with a sneer, turning again to leave, but Harry held her back once more.
"But when the Dementors attacked me and Dudley last summer, the ministry was still able to track me casting the Patronus spell, so it must still have been okay back then," he told her. A second later, his face lit up in a huge smile. "Come to think of it, I did my first wandless magic back then – I lit my wand with a lumos while I was searching for it!" he told them, and Hermione used the opportunity to hug Harry. Any opportunity to do so must be used, she thought.
"Arrgh!" Tonks yelled, stomping her foot as her hair colour started cycling wildly. "Can't you nitpickers leave well enough alone? Fine! How about this: When Harry defended the Dementor swarm, he nearly burnt his wand out, but it still worked a bit. He had to start compensating with wandless magic to keep up in class, but it worked well enough for Crouch to use it and leave an echo. There was still an core left, so it interacted with Voldemort's wand. Then, when you used it to chase off the two Dementors in Surrey, you burnt out the rest, or maybe you did that during the Battle of the Ministry!" she yelled at the group, advancing at them while waving her finger at them repeatedly, which made them instinctively yield ground and back into the wall as the irate witch ranted at them.
"Satisfied? Or shall I go to Ollivander and ask him for forensic research into when the wand got broken? It's ruined; you can cast wandless, and everybody is happy - now let me get dinner!" she yelled at the group, which was shrinking into the wall as she towered over them, her hair morphed into a writhing mass of snakes. With an angry screech of frustration, Tonks abruptly turned around and stomped off into the kitchen, where two scared yells and the sound of breaking cutlery sounded, followed by Tonks screeching again.
The kids and Margret turned at each other and gulped in unison. That woman could be scary when she wanted to.
During the lunch feast that Dobby and Winky had created, Tonks slowly calmed down and the talk continued for a bit about what everyone had bought and how the day was spent, before the teens made their escape.
While Harry went to put away his new stuff, Hermione left for the library. Margret, of course, followed.
"Hi there; would it bother you if I join you for a chat?" She asked after closing the door behind her, and noticed Hermione tensing like a rabbit at the sight of a snake.
Chuckling, she addressed the frightened teen. "Come on, I've told you that I do agree with you being a couple and I trust both of you to be responsible, whatever you decide to do, all right? I am quite sure he did something to you, didn't he?"
"You know that it is slightly awkward talking about this with you?" Hermione asked, leaving the shelf she had been perusing and sat on the couch, her mother joining her.
"Hey, we always talked about the potential happenings and mechanics of a relationship; why can't I ask about a real one?" her mother joked.
"Well, it is a bit more… well, real now, not so theoretical."
Margret snorted. "As was my love life when you asked questions about it. So come on, what did he do?" She asked, bouncing on the sofa.
"You know, you sound like a gossip girl at school when you do that," Hermione laughed, before finally delving into gossiping, herself.
"I never knew that he would catch on that fast. He surprised me. There I was, just teasing him about stuff, and suddenly, he was giving me orders. Let's just say he is a natural at commanding. For some reason he just knows how to give orders the way it makes me tingle inside. He's got this presence now, an almost dominating aura ever since the wards collapsed. He was intense before, but now, now it's nearly overwhelming." She finished speaking, not realizing the breathy tone she had used towards the end.
"Don't make me jealous, Hermione, he's waaay to young for me," Margret laughed, before getting serious. "What orders? Did he push you?"
Hermione blushed and decided that honesty was the better side of valor, lest her mother assume foul play.
"Oh no, he didn't. Although I hinted that I would have played along, he just tried to embarrass me, tease me. I gave him a novel to read, and suddenly he was asking me about masturbation, and when I got cheeky in my embarrassment, he sent me to my room to increase the counter, if you understand. And he had Dobby make the walls between our rooms transparent to sound!" she told her mum, her blush giving away that she probably had given Harry quite a show.
At this point, Margret chuckled, wearing a big smile. "Very inventive, I certainly have to talk to Henry about such stuff. With magic, we might learn a few new tricks. And what about the shopping trip? I know you're not usually such a diva."
"You wouldn't believe me; I teased him about a lengthy trip, and he just told me that in case of any session lasting longer than one hour, I was to increase the counter in a changing booth. There was no way that I'd do that, yet," she cheekily added, "but I didn't want to chicken out and let him win," Hermione whispered, which made Margret guffaw.
"He's a keeper, be sure of that, Hermione. Any other guy would have tried to have you on your knees before him by now, yet he's just teasing you. And such a devious mind; are you happy?"
Hermione's smile was answer enough, and soon both women were engrossed in a vivisectional discussion of their current love lives.
*** High Barnet, July 2nd, early evening. ***
Dumbledore rang the doorbell a second time, with still no response.
The cars were sitting under that nice pergola that they obviously used as a garage, so he assumed the Grangers were at home. He was aware that they shouldn't be on vacation just yet. He took care to know everything about his students, especially those connected to Mr. Potter.
Still, no one was answering the doorbell. Finally, he drew his wand and unlocked the door. Quietly searching the house, he found three things of importance. First, the kitchen resembled a potions lab; second, no one was home; and third, the wardrobes were empty, and the empty spaces on shelves, walls and furniture made him assume that framed photographs and many books had been removed.
They had bailed.
He let loose of a frustrated sigh. He had been busy the last two days. First, there had been an attempt to assassinate Director Bones, which failed since the Death Eaters weren't able to overpower the wards quickly enough and had been forced to retreat when Auror help arrived. Director Bones was injured and had to resign from her post, and Rufus Scrimgeour, an Auror, was named her successor.
A muggle bridge in London had also been destroyed, and only the fact that the Death Eaters were repelled at the Bones residence and vast amounts of gold helped Fudge to stay in office, if only by a hair's breadth. But to get this gold, Fudge had most of the incarcerated Death Eaters from the Ministry raid pardoned with flimsy stories explaining their actions away. Once again, he asked himself why he had allowed that man to get in office.
And then he had his special mission to fulfil. A sad look at his withered right hand reminded him of the price. Since Severus was forced to treat the now withering Lord Voldemort, he already had a bunch of complicated potions at hand. By that lucky coincidence alone, Severus was able to stop the decay. His hand would never be the same, nor would his health, but there was no point in bemoaning a spilled cauldron.
Because of all those problems, he had relied on the other Order members to conduct the search properly. 'But I forgot that most of them would not be able to find their own heads without a summoning charm', he chided himself.
Apart from Moody, most of the Order members were only useful as sources of intel. Moody - while no help with any search because he spent most of his time inventing pass phrases, dead letter drops, and looking for potential traps - was fine to have in a fight, at least.
When Albus had asked them casually if they had asked the Grangers about Harry, they told him that they didn't because Ron had told them that if Harry were to contact anyone, it would be him. And of course they believed that little prick and his illusions of grandeur, as Severus stated.
The Weasleys, annoying as they were, were his most devoted followers. Apart from the twins and maybe Ginevra, the girl, they were firmly under his control.
'It's astonishing how many favours you can accumulate with a bit of help here and a kind word there,' he chuckled.
Still, they were not the sharpest tools in his shed, but normally they sufficed. Usually, but not this time. With another, disappointed sigh and a soft crack, he disappeared from the home as if he had never been there.
*** Hogwarts Castle, July 3rd, early morning ***
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, " Albus Brian Percival Wulfric Dumbledore intoned, trying to bring a semblance of order to the current attendance.
Of course, Molly and his teachers were present, as were Remus and Alastor, and the two youngest Weasleys, since Molly wouldn't leave them alone without supervision. Of course, she had first inquired if there were any things about the war to be discussed, for her children needed to be spared such knowledge. Sometimes, that woman made him want to scream. A part of him felt sad at the thought that Ms. Vance wouldn't ever join them again. She had been a victim of a Death Eater attack the same day as Madam Bones.
"I have called you to this meeting as I have finally have found a hint to Mr. Potter's whereabouts."
As usual after mentioning Harry, he paused in his speech to let Severus voice his contempt and for the others to chide Severus. Of course, he could have reined him in, but it was better to have someone controversial in any organisation to create factions. If the members unified behind a cause, they might start questioning their leader.
"Now, now", he chided as the ruckus calmed down again. "Please, we need to stand united to face the evils that lie ahead. But back on topic, I have a rather strong suspicion that Mr Potter is currently hiding somewhere with the Granger family." As he finished, he concentrated on his legilimency, trying to assess the people in the room. Surprise was there, as was happiness, probably because Voldemort had not captured Harry. It always fascinated Dumbledore that despite being a very accomplished occlumens, Snape's anger at hearing the word 'Potter' seeped even through the man's normally iron defences.
For a split second, he felt a hint of fear and panic from someone in the room, and then an outburst from Ronald revealed the culprit. "He wouldn't! If he were to have contacted someone, it would have been me. He never would have gone to Hermione instead," he shouted, and Dumbledore felt a strange mixture of fear and jealousy from the teen. He didn't want do think about on whom that feeling was focused. Some things, he just didn't want to know - for now, at least. But considering the fight after the ball two years ago, he assumed that Mr. Weasley thought he had laid claim to Miss Granger.
"So it is paramount that we try to apprehend the Grangers, for wherever they are, Harry should not be far. If they are reluctant to cooperate, a small compulsion charm should suffice. Since they were to leave for a holiday later, I think we should focus on Heathrow Airport, while still watching Diagon Alley, in case Harry or the Grangers show up there."
With that, Albus had addressed his most pressing matter, and after a bit of chatting, the group broke up to start their individual days. In one instance, a person even started a new life. Remus had finally had enough. The nerve! Using compulsion charms on the Grangers to make them rat out Harry? That was the last nail in the coffin. He now was completely Harry's man.
AN:
Pfeil entered the lair to deliver his corrections to the Dark Lord Cliffy's latest plans. He found DerLaCroix sitting on a table, talking animatedly to embirsiphonelilathia about what to do with the next Chapter. As pfeil drew closer, he noticed that the girl was spasming every now and then.
He gave his newest parchment to the Lord, who instantly started to look over it, and waited patiently for the next task. DerLaCroix leaned over, and casually started asking some questions about a part of the text, while pfeil grew more and more concerned about the health of his co-beta.
Finally, he couldn't wait any longer and asked what the matter was.
"Oh, that's her new training collar," answered his Lord. "Every time she lusts after Snape, she gets an electric shock," he explained, turning a page.
*Brrrrrzzzzelll* "Yikes!"
Pfeil jumped as embirsiphonelilathia was thrown out of her chair by a shock that knocked her out and left her lying on the floor and smoking slightly.
"What the hell was that?" He yelled.
"Oh, that," DerLaCroix replied absentmindedly, "that happens every time she dares lust after Draco..."
The book exists, but I never read more than a few lines from various pages as I was laughing my ass off at the words while I browsed through it at the supermarket line. It was a book by Samara Fraser, and I changed/translated the title. I knew that there were some rather extreme scene in there, and I just invented my own content. I think I will buy it now, just to see if the scene I invented for a later chapter is tamer or more extreme than her scenes. But given the reviews at Amazon, I think I'm much tamer.
I think it's only fair to give her credit, since the short look into her book inspired me to write 'Rocking the boat'. (Along with a scene that happens in the original Book 6)
I'm going with Charlus potter as Harry's grandfather. It was said that James Potter was a late child, but if you take that Charlus was born in 1920, and had only one son, this son would be finished with Hogwarts around 1954 at the earliest. James Potter was the last Potter before Harry, and born 1960, so it must be him. So Harry is in fact a cousin to Sirius, and an uncle to Tonks and Draco.
Chapter 8: As time goes by
***Grimmauld place, July 3rd, afternoon***
"You want to do what?" Hermione yelled, glaring at Harry furiously.
Harry winced; he should have known she wouldn't agree to that.
"Oh, calm down, Hermione," Tonks said. "He just doesn't want to get any training until you can participate. I think it's cute."
When Tonks had come to Black Mansion after lunch, she had taken Harry aside for a short conversation in the library, asking if she should train him to fight. He had politely denied that, citing a desire to avoid slighting Hermione. Just when Tonks had asked a last time if he really didn't want to train and Harry had confirmed, Hermione came in and immediately started ranting at Harry.
Tonk's explanation baffled the younger witch, but didn't get her off her crusade.
"Why wouldn't you want to learn something because of me? That's plain stupid!"
"You tell him, sister!" Tonks quipped.
"Gee, damned if I do, damned if I don't!" Harry sighed. "Come on, Hermione, we both know how much you love learning. I know that you are practically devouring those books in the library, since I went over a few of them with you, but I know that it would break your heart if I were to get practical training while you weren't, since you can't do wandless magic. I just didn't want to have this come between us."
Hermione was surprised by the insight her boyfriend possessed. She was stunned into silence, which was quickly broken by Tonks.
"I still think the gesture is cute, but it is unnecessary. Remember, this house is under a Fidelius charm."
"And?" Harry asked, not able to connect the dots, while Hermione started beaming.
"First, the underage warnings only work if in the minor's house and environs. The Ministry has a surveillance device set to the addresses of Hogwarts students. The rest is assumption. And second, how do you think that would work with a location whose whole existence is hidden?" the pink-haired Auror quipped.
"Oh, so the Fidelius charm means that we can't be noticed, at all?" Harry finally got it. "But why didn't you tell us when we were cleaning this house last year? It would have been so much easier if we could have used magic!"
Tonks's hearty laughter rang through the library. "With Molly around? Dream on, loverboy!"
After that - while important - revelation, Hermione had some even more important things to discuss. She took Harry's hand and shot Tonks a glance known to every woman. The Auror rapidly vacated the room, citing it had become TMI territory.
"Why did you think I would be upset?" asked Hermione, once they were alone and had taken seats on 'their' couch in the library.
"You mean, how did I know you would be upset?" Harry snorted. "I've been trained for years to sense moods and possible things to upset people. The Dursleys used to punish me for a lot of things: unfinished tasks, talking, being around, having good marks, everything. I had to anticipate what would be the best things to do all the time, lest I got in trouble."
"Good marks?" Hermione said, horrified. For her, that was the worst thing that could happen.
"Oh yes. When I got home once with an A mark on an exam Dudley had failed, I got the worst beating I ever received. I started having bad marks on purpose. It took me until fourth year to realize that they don't care about my Hogwarts results."
"Well, that explains something. I always wondered why you seemed like a mediocre student, yet turned out to be so good when our OWLs approached. You ran the DA incredibly; you had such knowledge of magic that I only had to give you a spell and you could teach it a few minutes later."
"Well, I just stopped hiding. Time was much too short and valuable to waste it."
"And now you would have wasted it because of me?" she asked, giving him a look that clearly showed her questioning his common sense.
"I didn't want you to feel bad because of it. I could still have read up on spells and stuff."
"Don't be stupid!" Hermione huffed, her voice firm and reprimanding. "You will start training with Tonks, and so will I. Even if I couldn't, you still should have taken her offer."
She then smiled at him and gave him a peck on his cheek. "But I appreciate the gesture."
When that was settled, they rose and went to find Tonks. But before they made it out of the library, Harry stopped her, turned her around, pinning her to the door.
"You know, I think there is some punishment due for yelling at me. I believe this calls for corporal punishment." He said, leering at her.
Hermione gulped and felt her face getting hot. Since that talk to her mother, she had actually feared that one day he would try to push her, like most boys would. Would she be able to say no if he tried?
Harry smiled at her, and caressed her cheek. With a sweet whisper, he gave his order.
"For you yelling at me for my own good, I demand that I may kiss you."
Now that was a punishment a very relieved Hermione readily agreed to.
The next day, Henry found Margret standing near the partly open door to the Library with a dreamy smile on her face. Noticing her husband closing in, she raised her finger to her lips in the well-known gesture demanding silence and then waved him over.
As he drew up alongside her, she silently pointed through the door, snuggling into his side.
Through the door, he saw a cute couple, his daughter and her boyfriend, sitting together on a couch reading. The way they cuddled together was nice enough, but in addition, every time Hermione turned a page, she leaned over and gave Harry a peck on the cheek.
While Margret obviously found that cute, Henry frowned slightly at the sight. Ever since he became aware that Harry wouldn't smite him on the spot if he said a wrong word about their relationship, Henry's protective father routine had dared to raise its ugly head again.
Sighing and shaking her head, Margret dragged her husband away with her, eager to get to breakfast and maybe a bit of couple-time afterwards - that is if Henry played his cards well and behaved.
The next few days brought some relief to the wizarding world. Because their Dark Lord was pressing his men to find Potter at all cost and made no new attack plans, the regular attacks ceased nearly overnight, and the whole wizarding world let out a collective breath at the short recess.
The first days went by normally, or as what had become the norm. Harry and Hermione would be found in the library, studying spells, each to their own favourite topic. This meant that Harry preferred things he deemed useful, like direct approach fighting magic, while Hermione was looking for everything, the more obscure the better. Whenever Tonks was around, she ran some drills for the kids, mostly basic stuff like fast casting, dodging, and quick drawing for now.
Although the Harry's wand was nothing more than a piece of wood, they chose to continue using it, for two reasons. Primarily, they wanted to keep his wandless skill under cover – being able to still cast after he got disarmed was the perfect surprise. He even could spring an attack on somebody that way.
The second reason was more mundane. Harry couldn't hit shit without pointing a stick at it.
On the romantic front, all things went rather well. They would exchange kisses every now and then, and while their kisses had sometimes led to full snogging, they were actually rather restrained, given that they were alone in the house for most of the day and the modus operandi in their relationship.
But Harry proved to be himself, incorruptible even by all his power given over a certain witch, and stayed a gentleman, although his reading material made him question if that was expected. He did what he could to keep Hermione on her toes with occasional orders - the burden of authority, you know.
One day at breakfast, Harry had an idea. "Hermione, would you like to go for a walk at Diagon Alley?" he asked over the table, ignoring Crookshanks, who was trying to hypnotize Harry to hand over the rest of the bacon and sausage. Hedwig was still nipping on her piece of sausage up on the curtain rail, but the little tiger that Hermione had mistaken for a cat had scoffed off his piece faster than Harry could blink.
Hermione finished her bite of scone before answering. "Do you think we should? You know that the Order is probably watching the Alley."
"Probably, but I am fed up with being holed up in here. I think if we have Remus or Tonks with us and use some sort of disguise, we will be fine."
"Come on, we haven't had a real date yet, I know you are as anxious to get out as I am." When Hermione still seemed reluctant, he joked, "Don't make me order you." This made Hermione laugh and relent, since he was right; she didn't fancy spending all her summer in this dark house either.
When Remus showed up around noon, having spent the last three days at home for his transformation, he agreed to take them for a short trip to Diagon Alley. This was possible since today Remus was on Order duty to watch the place,which was practically making sure that no other Order members would be there, as it was the least wanted watch post available. No one liked to watch over a busy street to find a teen. So, being the only unemployed Order member meant that this post was usually his during the day. This meant that although with a chaperone and some glamour charms applied, they finally had a chance to have a real date.
"So, where do you two want to go next?" Remus asked after the customary lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. He knew that Harry had gone to his stack of gold they had placed in the Master Study's safe, which was hidden behind a couch under a display of nautical knots along with some ledgers about the Potter and Black accounts.
After Remus had worked his way through those, it was revealed that the Potters and Blacks had a nice portfolio of investment in various companies: In case of the Potters, even some muggle companies, earning him a nice steady income, while he would be hard pressed to even spend the interest on what the Blacks had accumulated.
The Black money was mainly invested in property; he now owned about one third of Hogsmeade, a good quarter of Diagon Alley and nearly all of Knockturn Alley, with a bit of stock strewn in. All this was good and well, but as things stood, he would only be able to access these and the Potter holdings when he was of age. Until then, the Goblins would manage those, leaving him only access to his vault and the personal vault of Sirius.
They had managed, between Harry's vault and the Padfoot's ready cash, to get about fifty-three thousand Galleons stacked away in the safe, so they had unhindered access. There, Harry had made a hefty 'withdrawal' this morning, planning to spoil Hermione at every chance he would get.
Of course, they spent some time browsing Flourish & Blott's, but since Hermione had the whole Black Library to browse, she was reluctant to buy anything. So Harry treated her to a new robe at Madam Malkin's, which was highly appreciated. They were playing with the thought of stopping at Ollivander's, to replace Harry's wand.
That would have made Harry's spells more powerful, since wandless casting caused a lot of magic go to waste in focusing the spell, but they knew that the old Ollivander was a friend of Dumbledore and would probably rat them out, so they left it be. After some more browsing and walking, with Remus in line of sight, and subtly watching them, as to not arouse suspicion and giving them some privacy, they decided to have an ice cream, since no visit to the Alley was complete without Fortescue's legendary creations.
While they sat and shared an 'A bit of every flavour' cup, occasionally feeding each other and having a blast of a time, two owls approached them, landing across the table on an unused chair. Harry felt a bit suspicious about the timing and wanted to warn Hermione, but it was already too late.
Noticing the envelopes, Hermione had squealed, "It's our OWL results, Harry!", and collected the envelopes. Just as she ripped hers open, a crack was heard, followed by a well-known voice. "Finite!"
The next thing he felt was the icy shiver indicating their glamours failing, and then the voice spoke again.
"Nice to finally meet you again, Mister Potter, Miss Granger; you both prove to be very elusive."
Turning around and glaring at the man, none of them noticed the blonde boy in the back of the store slamming some coins onto the table and leaving in a hurry.
"How nice of you to make my presence here known to everyone, Headmaster - I would have thought that you, of all people would have noticed the benefits of me going out under cover in times like these," Harry snapped at Dumbledore, who just had cancelled their disillusionment charms. Obviously, the old man had placed tracking charms on the letters and had followed the owls. Meanwhile, Hermione had packed the letters away in her bag, and produced some coins to settle their bill. They had no wish to stay here any longer, now that they were uncovered.
"My dear boy," Dumbledore chuckled, "you know that you should not be out of your home at all, and that is exactly where we will be heading right now."
"Of course we will, Headmaster. After your stupid stunt it's much to dangerous for us to be out here," Harry snarled as he helped Hermione out of her seat.
"Very good decision, Harry. I am sure, the Dursley's will be glad to have you back under their roof," Dumbledore said, slightly irritated that the boy had folded so quickly.
"I doubt that they will. Why would I even contemplate going there? I, for one, would rather do the tango with a Dementor than go back there," Harry huffed, while Hermione chuckled at the mental picture.
Dumbledore was a bit peeved about the boy's behaviour, but even more confused about it. "This is nothing to joke about, Harry; and stop this nonsense - you just said you would return to the Dursleys."
"Did I? Strange, I do not remember that. Hermione? Did we plan to visit the Dursleys?"
"Well we could if you want to," Hermione ruminated, quickly getting his intention and glad to join in. "But I had planned to do this next year on your birthday so we both can hex those bastards into the next century together."
"Oh, really? You do give the best presents, you know? I'll be yearning for that birthday all year long. Thank you!" Harry cheered, and gave Hermione a kiss on her cheek, before he smirked deviously at the Headmaster.
Dumbledore did not share his anticipation.
"Please do not make this difficult. You know that there is no alternative. You've had your adventure, but now you have to go back to your family."
"And how do you want to force me to? Since you aren't an Auror, I don't think you have any right to detain me. Nor any legal cause. And you can be sure of one thing: I'll not go quietly!" Harry promised, and put his hand on the wand sticking out of his sleeve.
"Harry, please. You should know that Voldemort is currently concentrating all his efforts on finding you, and only the wards at home will keep you safe. It is paramount that we return there immediately, so these wards can be charged. You have already been away for too long."
"You keep ignoring the point, Headmaster," Hermione threw in, "that Harry doesn't want to get back there, because he knew nothing than abuse at that place. Certainly you wouldn't want to place Harry in an abusive home, again, don't you?" Her voice had started to rise, causing more people to watch the argument.
Dumbledore was less than pleased with the way that talk was going. It would not do to antagonize the boy any more. Maybe the grandfatherly approach would help.
"I agree that the accommodation was less than adequate, Miss Granger, but I assure you that I will take care that there will be no further complaints."
"Unacceptable." Harry stated. "I will not live under that roof again. I will swear an oath to that, if need be."
That was enough to have the old man scrambling for an alternative. It would not do to have Harry lose his magic. Too much depended on him.
"That would be most unwise," the old man relented, "But if you insist, I might be able to arrange a stay for you at the Burrow, with Order protection."
Harry wasn't able to inform Dumbledore where to shove that proposition, because they were interrupted by a staggered series of pops, followed by screams of panic. Five Death Eaters had apparated into the Alley.
"Great! Thank you for getting us killed, you old fool!" Harry yelled and started dragging Hermione away from the tables, and they started running toward the Alley's exit, while all around people started disapparating and running. Unfortunately, Remus, who had kept some distance to avoid being spotted by Dumbledore in case he had to intervene, was now blocked by the crowd as he tried to keep up with his charges.
With Dumbledore in hot pursuit, they made it to Flourish & Blott's before they ran into their other enemies. A group of three Death Eaters were walking down the Alley, blocking their path to the Floo to safety.
"Aaaaaw! Isn't that wittle Potty over there? And Dumbledore, you old fossil - still breathing?" a high-pitched, annoying voice sounded. Bellatrix Lestrange, mask-less and crazy as ever, was leading the group.
Meanwhile, the other Death Eaters were fanning out behind them. To Harry's relief, it seemed as if most of them were focussed on Dumbledore.
Harry reacted by drawing his wand and moving slightly in front of Hermione. Hermione had her own wand drawn, too, but didn't really look all that confident.
"No gloves," Harry hissed at her, while monitoring his enemies. Hermione jerked when she heard him say that, but knew he was right.
"Oh, you've brought your mudblood friend with you," the rightmost man snarled, taking one step forward. "Finally I can complete what I started at our last meeting," he laughed, identifying himself as Dolohov.
Harry immediately moved to completely shield Hermione from that man, levelling his wand at his new primary target.
"Oh, how chivalrous. All right, Potter, I give you the first spell, better make it a good one," Dolohov mocked him, while the other Death Eaters just joined him in laughter.
"Come on, Potter, I don't have all day!" Dolohov taunted, and as an afterthought, added, "Although I think will take my time with your mudblood after we captured you. She has grown up nicely, hasn't she, fellas?"
While the other Death Eaters laughed at that, Harry felt himself going cold with rage. No way was he going to let any of them get their hands on Hermione. Scowling, he slashed his wand towards Dolohov, shouting "Diffindo!"
Dolohov chuckled and raised a protego shield as soon as he saw Harry starting to move. He knew the whelp would attack immediately after his latest taunt, and like expected, it was something a simple protego could manage easily. His smile lasted until the "o" of the incantation, when instead of a thin red wedge of cutting energy, a 3 feet long, sizzling, scythe-like blade of angry crimson magic ploughed towards his neck.
Realizing that his shield would fail like paper against that, he tried to dodge to the right, but given the distance, he had no chance to dive fast enough. His thoughts about how that could be possible were cut short, along with his cranium and a good part of his brain, when the curse smashed through his shield and impacted half an inch above his left eye, slicing clean through. His body completed the movement, landing with a soft thud, while the lopped off part of his skull eerily clattered down the street.
All action ceased for a comical moment, while everybody watched the skipping piece of bone.
Bellatrix recovered first, screaming her rage and launching spell after spell at Dumbledore, trying to take the master Mage by surprise, and instantly driving him back a couple of yards towards the Alley. Four others quickly moved to join her.
Dumbledore held his own, countering, transfiguring and casting like a flash, but against five, he had to constantly give ground to stay on top of them.
While one of the two stooges left with them was still staring, the other recovered quicker than Harry, casting a Crucio at him. For a split second, Harry wanted to dodge to his left, but then remembered that he was still shielding Hermione with his body. Knowing that the still distracted Hermione stood right behind him, Harry gritted his teeth and remained still, awaiting the twisting red light to impact.
Instantly, he felt the fiery knives carving his flesh in a seemingly never-ending symphony of pure agony. It was not as bad as Voldemort's spell had been, but there is no such thing as a 'light' Crucio. For a second, he remained in control of his body, before his conscience was drowned in a sea of pain.
With Harry falling to the ground, screaming, Hermione snapped to attention. She immediately identified the caster and swished her wand at him, yelling an incantation furiously, knocking the caster into a book display with a fierce pelleo bludgeoner into the face, breaking at the very least, his nose.
While Harry was still panting, the last thug took a panicked look around, and seemed to remember that while his master wanted Potter taken alive, no such restriction applied to the girl. He whipped out his wand and yelled a feared incantation, letting a bolt of sickly green energy lance out at her, exposing a silver hand. Harry wanted to yell, jump, whatever; do something to get her out of the way, but his body didn't respond as he wanted to, and he was only able to crawl to his knees and look on helplessly.
Hermione yelped and dropped to the ground, dodging the poorly aimed spell, but while evading successfully, she landed badly and unluckily banged her head, nearly knocking herself out. The spell slammed into a wall, showering the Alley and the three combatants with brick debris and dust, while the world spun before her eyes.
Harry had already seen Hermione die before his inner eye, and couldn't believe her and his luck. For a brief moment, he was grinning in joy. But then he noticed that Hermione was currently completely defenceless against any follow-up, whipped his wand at Pettigrew, yelling "incendio".
Although some Defence Authors considered that spell useful in a battle, it is usually a bad idea to use it. Granted, it produces a jet of flame hot enough to light a few logs of wood immediately, and nearly everyone can cast it, but it lacks range and can be blocked with a simple protego.
But the biggest disadvantage is that, although it makes a reasonable flamethrower, most people can't hold that spell very long, and the shield uses much less magic than the flame.
Still, there is one thing at which it excels in a fight: to pin someone down.
Harry knew that he was not able to cast a properly aimed spell in his state. Back in the resurrection battle at the graveyard, he had learned that you can't aim properly after being exposed to the Cruciatus. He didn't hit Voldemort and his spells were so far off that nor did he score any hits on the Death Eaters surrounding them. But the constant stream of fire meant he could continually correct his aim, so as long as he held it, Pettigrew would be unable to cast at Hermione. And as soon as she could clear her head, his girlfriend could relieve him and drop Peter.
Pettigrew had barely managed to raise a shield in time and, just like Harry had planned, was now pinned down against a wall. He couldn't cast or apparate while the shield was up, but without, he would be burnt severely. He toyed with the thought of transformation for a second, but came to the conclusion that it was strictly out, lest he end up very crispy.
At first, Peter wasn't really afraid, since he knew that all he needed do was to hold the shield and wait for Harry to collapse, which should be soon, and then he could take the exhausted boy to his master. At least he thought so. Twenty seconds later, the first drops of sweat began to form on his forehead. Five more seconds later, his wand arm began to shake, and another ten seconds later his knees buckled. At this point, he still wasn't afraid. He was far beyond scared.
Harry, at the other hand, was still levelling his wand without problems. Ok, his aim was swaying left, right and everywhere, but that didn't really matter, since at that distance, his cone of flame was at least 3 feet wide, and thus still aimed at his target. While still casting, he had managed to get onto his knees, and was slowly dragging himself towards a still dizzy Hermione, forcing his muscles to work despite the pain.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see that Remus had entered the fray, relieving Dumbledore. They still were at least 50 feet away, so no help would come from them, especially since Bellatrix proved as vicious as ever, shooting nasty looking spells left, right and centre. And still, there were no Aurors in sight.
"I yield, please, I yield!" Wormtail sobbed. He was covered in blisters, his cloak had started smouldering in some places and he had collapsed against the wall.
He had started begging a few seconds ago, and was holding his wands with two hands, giving all he had to keep the shield up. The bricks behind Pettigrew already had cracked, and a wrought-iron lamp was glowing red-hot above the short man. The ambient temperature had risen so much that he was starting to get burnt despite of the shield. Harry just glared at him, one hand steadying Hermione, who leaned heavily on him as someone grabbed his shoulder.
"Harry, let him go!" Tonks pleaded, "We'll take over."
Harry shook his head at her, noticing Shacklebolt rushing past him to join the fight against Bellatrix's team. "He... tried to... kill Hermione." he panted, teeth clenched and spasming slightly, but not lowering the wand.
"Harry, you don't want to kill him; I guarantee we will take care of him," Tonks begged, but dared not interfere.
"He... tried... kill..."Harry repeated.
"Harry! Stop that! We need him! He could clear Sirius! Do you want Sirius to be forever remembered as a Death Eater and betrayer? Please!" she begged again.
For a second, it seemed as if he would not listen, but then Harry sighed and complied. Ending the spell and lowering his blackened and smoking wand, he pulled Hermione closer, burying his face in her hair. Tonks rushed to disarm and bind the severely burnt Pettigrew.
After a short kiss on Hermione's head, who was still slightly dazed and clinging to Harry's arm, he gave Tonks a sharp look. "I make you ...personally... responsible... for him... Do not mess... this up," he panted, forcing the words out despite the pain it caused him.
Tonks nodded, knowing that Harry meant every word of that. Not willing to find out what he would do in case of that hopefully remote event, she dropped to a crouch besides him and handed them a portkey, vanishing them from sight.
AN:
"No!" yelled embirsiphonelilathia, while pfeil took the chance to slip out unnoticed.
"But every Dark Lord marks his followers," DerLaCroix whined.
"What part of NO didn't you understand," was the angry reply, empowered by an angry stomp of a dainty foot.
"Alright! Be like that!" DerLaCroix huffed as he threw his hands in the air and stomped off, throwing the branding iron against a wall...