Chapter 9
Banking on Her
In Scotland at this time of year, there are less than seven hours between sunrise and sunset. How anyone living further north than us copes with winter is beyond me. Therefore it was a great relief to take in the bright lights of London for a few days earlier this week. Sections of this story were written on the rail journey to and from Kings Cross station, partly due to a certain train company's less than truthful claims of on-board free wi-fi. On connecting my iPad, I soon discovered that only the first fifteen minutes were free (which didn't even cover the inevitable train delay). You were then 'invited' to pay up to a fiver an hour after the initial free period. With this incident firmly in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to state categorically that I do not own Harry Potter, nor make any money from my writing.
On a completely different note, I finally got to see DH2 as it was released on blu-ray. Thought the two movies were actually better than the last book but that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement considering my opinion of Deathly Hallows. What stood out for me though was a line beautifully delivered by Alan Rickman in the Snape memories section. Snape confronts Dumbledore with the fact that he has been raising Harry like a pig to slaughter, a claim Dumbledore doesn't even attempt to refute. I really can't equate this, and some of Dumbledore's other actions to those of the 'great light' wizard Albus is portrayed to be? I've tried a couple of times to write a 'good' Dumbledore but I see the character as a ruthless bastard who will do anything to ensure what HE thinks must be done actually comes to pass. I don't set out to deliberately 'bash' anyone, I just go where my thoughts and writing takes me. Enough of my drabbles so on with the story, and I really must post a massive 'chapter ending cliffie' warning here.
Chapter 9
Harry came out his bedroom next morning to find Hermione and Tonks eagerly trying to sort through a mountain of books that hadn't been there when he went to bed last night. As he had just woken up, Harry felt he could be excused for asking the obvious question. "Where did this lot come from? Did you two do a midnight raid on the library?"
"Trust me Harry, you wouldn't find most of these in the Hogwarts library. Not even in the restricted section. Tonks said some of the books have the Black family crest on them."
As a cup of tea appeared on the table in front of him, Harry knew just who to ask about the book mountain mystery. "Dobby, what do you know about these books?"
The little elf appeared at once and offered an explanation. "Dobby and your godfather were talking last night, he tells Dobby there are many books in his family library that might help Harry Potter."
"So you went and got them?"
"No Harry Potter sir, Dobby is a Potter elf but his friend Winky was wanting a new family. She was very happy to bond with your godfather and join his family. Winky was able to take Dobby to the Black library and we brought all these books to help Harry Potter. There are many more left and we will bring others when you finish with those ones."
Dobby popped away and Harry immediately expected an explosion from his betrothed because Sirius had bound Winky to him. The explosion never materialised though as Hermione had her full attention on the visible results of that bonding. Personally Harry thought Dobby was doing more to promote Hermione's idea of Elfish Welfare than all her badges and hat knittingcombined. He had no doubts that Sirius had about as much choice in bonding with Winky as he had with Dobby. The little guy was just wonderful at looking after his family, and it would appear he did the same for his friends. He would lay odds that Winky would now be looking after Sirius but that Dobby would still be popping by there most nights. Theirs was certainly not a master / slave relationship and Harry was very happy about that.
"Harry, some of the stuff in here is brilliant. Some of it is absolutely brutal too."
"Hermione's right, there's a lot of stuff in here that even I've never seen before."
Harry had thought of a problem though. "What do we do with all these books? We can't leave them sitting around in case our friends see them, or someone else we don't want comes in here."
Both witches instantly recognised that could be a very real problem, these books couldn't be read by anyone outside the three of them. Tonks made a suggestion to Harry. "You could purchase a library trunk? They can be bought pre-expanded inside to hold as many books as you specify. The more books you want to store, the more expensive the trunk will be though."
Dobby was called again and, after estimating how many books the Black library contained, sent to Diagon Alley to purchase a library trunk to house their new library. They decided it would sit in Tonks' room in the hope that any casual snoopers would just assume it was nothing more than an ordinary trunk belonging to the auror. She also intended to put some serious magical protections on the trunk so that only the three of them would have access to it.
They had to practically drag Hermione down to breakfast. Having access to a private library was something of a dream come true for the self confessed bibliophile. That hidden somewhere in this precious resource might be the answer to their problem meant that Hermione was going to be spending even more time in Harry's rooms.
-oOoOo-
When they met Cedric heading into breakfast with Cho, Harry immediately floated the idea of a champions' get together. The Hufflepuff was all for it, especially after hearing Cho was also invited.
"The only condition is that we leave all talk of the tournament at the door, it's to be an evening spent just getting to know each other as friends."
Hermione had another thought. "Since there's going to be at least four seekers there, perhaps we should add quidditch talk to that ban as well?"
Tonks couldn't hold her laughter. "Good luck with that idea Hermione. There's more chance of Harry inviting Snape."
Hermione started to giggle, destroying her image as the girl who was always so serious. Her next words shattered that illusion forever, leaving Cedric and Cho looking forward to the get together even more. "Sorry, I just got this image in my head of Snape as the after-dinner entertainment. Breaking out of a giant cake and going straight into a song and dance number. That old black magic has me in its spell..." Hermione couldn't continue with the song as she was laughing too much at the image in her head.
A now laughing Harry scooped her into his arms. "Ok, my betrothed is clearly suffering from the lack of bacon and eggs. Please excuse me while I see her breakfast needs are met."
A smiling Tonks was shaking her head and following on when Cho asked her a question. "Are those two always like that? I was under the impression they were pretty serious."
The auror was still smiling as she answered. "Only about each other, otherwise they're a lot of fun to be around. I can honestly say this is the best assignment I've ever had. That's why they came up with the idea of getting the four champions together, to dispel the misconceptions you all have about each other." They could hear the laughter coming along the corridor as Hermione was now trying to convince Harry to put her down. "I need to go, keeping these two out of trouble is a full time job."
Victor quickly agreed to come along, he also indicated he would be coming alone. Something that would ensure Tonks was teased mercilessly about when Harry and Hermione got her alone.
Fleur though was suspicious of this sudden invite, looking for an ulterior motive but finding none. It was Hermione's plea that sealed the deal. "Please come, I'll need some help when the others continually steer the conversation onto quidditch. I enjoy watching the sport, it's just the endless talk about it afterward that drives me mad." Having a witch invite her anywhere was so unusual for Fleur that she just had to say yes.
Ron was pretty miffed at the whole idea. There was going to be a party with food, Fleur and Victor Krum yet his best friends couldn't invite him.
"Ron, it's a get together for the champions."
"Hermione's not a champion but she'll be there."
Harry tried to not let his exasperation show as Ron once more performed his very convincing portrayal of a thick git. "She's my betrothed Ron, that means we're going to get married one day. I may be the one inviting the champions but Hermione is undoubtedly the one who will organise it. What the hell do I know about having guests over? You're my friend Ron but Hermione is the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, you need to understand the difference."
This earned him a searing kiss from a misty eyed Hermione. Hearing Harry talk like that made her more determined than ever to get through this ordeal, whatever it took.
While her charge was otherwise engaged, Tonks took the opportunity to question a shell-shocked Ronald Weasley. "You're a pureblood Ron, what did you think their betrothal meant?"
"Betrothals are usually arranged between families as a business deal. I thought the Grangers would be delighted to get Hermione off their hands, I didn't realise that Harry loved her."
Unfortunately for Ron, half of Gryffindor were now listening in to his explanation, including the two people he was talking about. The glares heading in his direction saw Ginny take action. She grabbed her brother by the hair and dragged him to his feet. "Run Ron, and don't look back. Half a dozen times around the Black Lake might give us time to calm these two down."
One glance at the glares coming from the couple saw Ron take flight. Ginny then apologised. "Sorry guys, I didn't want you two getting into trouble for hexing the prat. It seems McGonagall is now as likely to use any excuse to give you detentions as Snape is."
Both nodded in agreement and thanks before Tonks posed another question. "I asked this already and didn't get an answer so I'll try again, why are you two friends with that prat?"
It was with a sigh Hermione answered her. "We know there is a decent person under Ron's general persona of being a complete and utter arsehole, we've all seen occasional glimpses of it. Then he goes and pulls a stunt like this and we're left asking ourselves the very same question. I think it's going to be touch and go whether Ron finally grows up before one of us kills him."
The last statement was met with some nervous laughter as not all of their friends were sure whether Hermione was joking or not. Harry's arm snaking around her to offer comfort meant that at least there wasn't going to be a murder done here today, not unless Ron did something else to annoy them.
At the staff table, twinkling blue eyes watched this latest development with great interest, Potter appeared to be very deliberately courting allies amongst his fellow champions. Albus couldn't help but think the boy could have been a great leader in the future. He had magical, political and financial power behind him as well as something gold just couldn't buy, charisma. It was such a pity that Harry Potter didn't have a future.
-oOoOo-
"There's nothing wrong with having a toyboy Tonks, Harry's a good bit younger than me and we manage just fine."
"Guys just love a more experienced woman, Victor would be lucky to have you."
"Enough, will you two knock it off? When I need a couple of teenagers to organise my love life I'll give you a call." The auror couldn't really keep the humour out of her voice, these two needed this distraction to take their minds off the fast approaching second task. Hermione's nose had only left the books to attend classes and kiss Harry, they needed a break. With Dobby quietly handling all the catering tonight, all that was left to do was entertain their guests when they began arriving. With the wizarding wireless on low in the background, and a collection of drinks ready to serve, they were as ready as they would ever be.
Cedric and Cho arrived first and were very impressed with Harry's accommodation, Dobby had added another sofa and a couple of wing backed chairs to the area around what was now a roaring fire. When Fleur and Victor followed on, they were all sitting around the fire with a mixture of muggle and wizarding drinks. When Emma had heard that they were throwing their first 'dinner party' she had bought in some things that Dobby had transported to Hogwarts. Emma had reckoned that the witches and wizards there probably wouldn't have tasted muggle snacks, and she was right. For some unknown reason, the cheesy puffs proved very popular and the little elf's unseen hands continually had to refill that bowl.
Conversation was light as the company began feeling each other out to see what the others were prepared to reveal about themselves. It was a throwaway remark by Cho as they were sitting down to dinner that really set the ball rolling.
"I hope you're not serving basilisk steaks tonight Harry? I've heard that is a real delicacy but I don't think I'm up to eating giant snake."
"Oh with Harry you get quite the choice. First year it was mountain troll."
Tonks could see where Hermione was going with this and quickly played along. Embarrassing Harry was fast becoming her new favourite pastime. "Yeah, second year you could have had acromantula or basilisk while third year was poor dining fare. There isn't a lot of eating in Dementors."
This was greeted by four open mouths and Harry was forced to fill in some of the blanks. This got Fleur talking about growing up in France and what her Veela heritage meant. Victor heartily bemoaned the lack of opportunities to do something like this, just sit and have a meal with friends without having to worry about anything appearing in the press. Cedric was able to talk about being raised as a pureblood wizard in a changing Britain while everyone found Cho's heritage and how she ended up at Hogwarts fascinating. Tonks though kept the evening going with stories of her time at Hogwarts and going through auror training. Her morphing abilities were also demonstrated, her Granger family member disguise certainly caught a certain Bulgarian's interest.
They all had a good time and it wasn't until the evening was breaking up that the tournament got a mention. Fleur had managed to have a quiet word with Hermione just before she left. "I really want to thank you for inviting me tonight, I had a lovely time. I think you and Cho are so brave to be facing the next task, that is why Victor and I came alone. If they stick that Davies boy down there, I may just leave him."
Hermione gave a nervous laugh, not wanting to let Fleur know she hadn't the slightest clue what the French champion was talking about. She also quickly decided not to mention that little tidbit to Harry, he really had enough on his plate as it was with the approaching second task. They were learning so much from the Black library but so far a method for Harry to escape this tournament with his magic intact had eluded them. The entire 'forced to compete' thing came under a grey area where magical contracts could be judged on so many different variables, and their many combinations of adherence to the rules of aforementioned magical contract. Hermione hated grey areas with a passion. You were basically reduced to giving your best guess about what might happen, Hermione much preferred hard facts to guesses.
-oOoOo-
Harry certainly had enough on his plate to worry about, this would be his first Valentine's Day since he and Hermione got together. Again he went to 'big sis' for advice, Tonks had steered him right at Christmas and he was counting on her again.
He met Hermione that morning as normal though immediately wished her a happy Valentine's Day to let her know he hadn't forgotten. The trio made their way down to the great hall for breakfast and both Gryffindors were glad no one had ever attempted to recreate Lockhart's efforts from their second year. Hermione had barely sat herself at the Gryffindor table when Hedwig swooped down with a bouquet of roses for her.
As well as a kiss from his delighted betrothed, Harry also received a bit of a ribbing from his male housemates about trying to make them look bad. That ribbing soon found a new target when a regal owl delivered a spectacular and exotic bouquet to a blushing Ginny Weasley.
With the short break this gave him, Harry had took a moment to have a quiet word with Hermione. "I have a gift for you and a dinner for two planned in my rooms for later."
"You are spoiling me. I don't need things Harry, just spending some time alone with you tonight is more than enough for me." Their moment of quiet was disturbed by a spluttering Tonks who was sitting as usual on the other side of Harry. They saw her remove a rose from an owl's leg but it was the other three waiting in line, and a couple more circling overhead that had drawn the spluttering.
"I was never this popular when I was at Hogwarts as a student, what the hell is going on here?"
"Well, they say that wizards love a girl in uniform. You are a beautiful witch Tonks and that auror robe doesn't do any harm either. I actually have some chocolates for you back in my room but didn't want to give them to you down here. We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea or the Prophet will be after us again."
"Hermione, I think it's a good job you got this one wrapped up quickly. Our Mr Potter here is getting just too cute to be let loose on unsuspecting witches. Thank you Harry but what the hell do I do about this?"
"Smile and graciously accept it, while checking if any of them are from Victor, and definitely any edibles for potions. Hermione has nothing to be concerned about Tonks, I have a wonderful girlfriend and I'm trying to be the best boyfriend I can be."
This earned Harry another quick kiss from his beaming girlfriend before she asked him a question. "Just to be clear here, did you send any other girls a present for Valentine's Day?"
Harry appeared rather sheepish before answering. "Well..."
-oOoOo-
Emma had very quickly gotten used to having Dobby looking after them but entering the kitchen and seeing her a jug of coffee appear on the table still held the power to amaze her every morning. She really enjoyed the weekends where she had time to sit and appreciate the little guy's efforts. When the vase of roses appeared on the table just after tasting her first sip of coffee, their beauty took her breath away. That was until she read the note that accompanied them.
Dan loved sitting at their kitchen table, reading the Sunday papers while taking his time and enjoying his 'Dobby made' breakfast. This morning, he entered the kitchen to find his wife sobbing while staring at the beautiful roses in the centre of their table. Emma simply couldn't answer her husband at the moment so just handed over the note for Dan to read. He recognised the writing at once.
Emma,
These flowers are for you as a small token of my thanks for what you and the entire Granger family did for me over the Christmas holidays. In ten days the second task will be on us and, should the worst happen, I wanted you to know how much you and Dan's kindness has meant to me.
Hermione has worked tirelessly, spending hours scouring through books and researching the law on contracts. It would appear there is no solution to this problem, other than the one we're attempting. We have taken all the precautions we can think of but, should the ministry react negatively, please ensure Hermione doesn't blame herself.
She has been nothing but supportive to me since our first meeting on the Hogwarts express when we were both eleven and I find myself falling in love with your daughter a little bit more each day. In my better dreams I see Hermione and I being married one day and calling you mum. This is something I want with all my heart yet it always seems as if forces in my life are all set to make sure I don't get a happy ending.
Should the ministry wipe my memories regardless, please show Hermione this letter, and get her the hell out of Hogwarts. I thought long and hard about admitting all this to you but the growing feeling that something is about to happen finally made me sit and write this letter. I would like nothing better than for you and Dan to spend the summer teasing me mercilessly about my foolish angsty confessions because that would mean I remember not only you both but Hermione too. That is one teasing I definitely look forward to.
The very idea of not remembering how beautiful Hermione was that night of your dentistry ball terrifies me more than I can say and I don't think I could go through this without your daughter by my side. I am trying to stay positive yet prepare for the worst. With that in mind, Dobby will inform you of what happens next week as soon as decisions are made. I have been informed the task takes place at nine thirty next Wednesday morning so we should know one way or another by about lunchtime.
Hoping the news will be good
Harry
Dan had a lump in his throat the size of a grapefruit by the time he'd finished reading and could only try to comfort Emma with his arms around her. He didn't trust his voice not to break if he tried to use it.
They sat like that for some time until a clearly worried Dobby popped in front of them, the little elf was nervously wringing his ears with his hands. "Did Dobby do something wrong?"
Dan's voice crackled with emotion as he answered. "No Dobby, you did nothing wrong. How are the kids today?"
This brightened up Dobby's day, he always took any opportunity to talk about Harry Potter. "Master Harry had Hedwig surprise Miss Hermione with flowers at breakfast and tonight Dobby gets to cook them a special dinner."
Seeing the elf so happy and excited at the prospect of serving the young couple helped Emma get her tears under some control, she reminded herself they weren't beaten yet. "Dobby, could you please tell Harry thank you for the beautiful flowers. It was very thoughtful of him, and I'm sure these will be the only ones I'll be getting today as Dan doesn't know what day it is."
A rather bemused Dan answered, "It's Sunday."
"Sunday, the fourteenth of February."
Dan responded to Emma's jibe with a mock growl, "Another man sending my wife flowers on Valentine's Day, I won't have it. That bloody boy is making me look bad."
Dobby had been spending enough time with Sirius to understand Dan was joking, the slight smile on Emma's face meant that her husband was successful. He reckoned that it would be alright to serve breakfast now and popped away to do so.
Both dentists ate in silence, all thoughts of anything other than the two teenagers at Hogwarts forgotten. It was Emma who eventually broke the quiet. "Reading that letter just brought it home to me how much danger the two of them are in, do you doubt for a second our Hermione will be anywhere but by Harry's side no matter what happens? It also hammered home just how much I'll miss Harry if we can no longer see him. We only spent a couple of weeks with him and yet it's easy to see how much it's affecting us, our daughter is going to be devastated. You know she really loves him, don't you?"
Dan nodded in acceptance of everything Emma just said. "That's why I signed their betrothal. They both appear so right for each other, what else could I do. I think we should close the practice next Wednesday, neither of us will be able to concentrate on anything other than waiting on news from Hogwarts." Dan hated saying the next bit but had to, his family's safety could be on the line here.
"I think we have to take Harry's warning seriously and, should the worse happen, get Hermione not only out of Hogwarts but out of Britain too! We've talked about Australia in the past, this summer might be the time to make the move."
The tears were once more running down Emma's cheeks at how helpless they were in this whole situation. She also detested the idea of what seemed to her like abandoning Harry to his fate. With no magic or memories of the Grangers available to Harry, then all their options were exceedingly limited. Getting Hermione out the country might be the only option left open to them.
What was really driving the tears was that she knew for certainty Harry would agree totally with that option. Even while the young man was facing life changing events, his letter clearly displayed his first thoughts and concerns were for Hermione. When he mentioned one day calling her mum, Harry had reopened a wound in her heart that she thought had healed many years ago. Emma always wanted another child, preferably a brother for Hermione. Having Harry as a son-in-law would close that wound forever, he would be welcomed into their family with open arms.
-oOoOo-
On discovering that one of her gifts was tainted with potions, Tonks was ready to behead anyone who as much as glanced at her the wrong way. It was left to Harry to make a suggestion.
"Hermione and I will be staying in the room all evening, take the chocolates to the ministry and find out what potions have been added. If they're from the twins then it'll be a harmless prank, if it's more serious than that then we really need to know."
The auror stopped suddenly in her pacing up and down the room as Harry's words cut through her raging anger with an icy blade. She had just assumed it was some hormonal teen trying to slip her a form of love potion. That someone might be trying to put her out of the way to get at Harry should have been the first thing that crossed her mind, Tonks was now angry with herself that it wasn't.
"I don't think that's a good idea Harry, at least the bit about me leaving you tonight. Can I ask Dobby to take these to Amelia Bones? You're right in that we need to know just what someone had planned for me. I'm telling you this now though, if they were meant to turn me into a canary then a pair of redheaded twins are going to have a lot of pain in their future."
She wrote a note to accompany the evidence while Harry got ready for his dinner date. Tonks would take her meal in her room tonight. This would give the kids some alone time while keeping her away from whoever attempted to poison her with potions. Amelia Bones would go nuts that someone had attempted a potions attack on one of her aurors, the analysis of those chocolates could really open another can of worms.
Hermione was greeted by Harry wearing some of the smart clothes they'd bought over the Christmas holidays. After being thoroughly kissed, Harry led her to the candlelit table for two and held her chair as she sat. Hermione noticed a wrapped gift waiting on the table for her. "You are certainly spoiling me Harry, though I did get a gift for you too."
Dobby had outdid himself and the meal was wonderful, Harry thought that chocolate concoction at the end was to die for. As Harry helped Hermione to her feet, the table and chairs disappeared with timing and precision any theatre stagehand would have been envious of. The wizarding wireless then sprang to life as Harry held his betrothed close while they danced to the music.
"Harry, this has been a wonderful evening, thank you so much."
He knew the next bit would be controversial but pushed on ahead. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, you've been hitting the books so hard lately that we haven't had a lot of time to ourselves." Kissing Hermione at this point seemed to be the best method of cutting off an angry retort. Harry then continued what he wanted to say.
"I don't think we are going to find any answers to this problem because I don't think there are any to find. I would rather spend the time before the tournament having more nights like this, nights where we just hold each other close while we dance. You've done everything you can and we've planned as much as we can. Yes we keep training but let's just enjoy ourselves for the rest of the time."
Harry didn't say 'time we've got left' but both understood this was what he meant without the words needing to be spoken. She held him tighter and swore she wouldn't cry, the feeling of failure was not something Hermione was used to. She couldn't deny Harry was right though, she'd reached the same conclusion at least a week ago but hated to admit it. By way of an answer, she lifted her head to kiss the most important person in the world to Hermione Granger. She would never accept they were beaten but needed no further prompting to spend the following days in Harry's arms. If they got through this unscathed, Hermione hoped to spend the rest of her life in those same two arms.
-oOoOo-
The eve of the second task saw the excitement and expectation reach fever pitch within the castle, there were quite different emotions playing out in the Potter quarters. Their nightly dances had become something of a ritual and tonight Hermione didn't want to let Harry go. Tonks had to accompany Harry as he led the reluctant witch back to the Gryffindor dorm, otherwise Hermione would have never let him out of her sight. Ginny and Neville returning from wherever they had been helped the crying girl into the common room while Harry and Tonks headed back quickly to avoid being out after curfew.
Harry was certain he wouldn't sleep a wink tonight so he was even more surprised when he was awakened by his bedroom door being crashed open. The petrificus totalus hit him before Harry had time to think, never mind react. He recognized the greasy haired git who had cursed him from the doorway but couldn't move a muscle to do anything about it. Harry also couldn't understand why Tonks wasn't flying in here with spells spewing from her wand. That question was soon answered as Snape moved aside to let someone else enter the room.
"Harry my boy, I can't tell you how disappoint I am in you. Did you really think we wouldn't figure out your planned non-participation in the second task?"
The question was purely rhetorical since Harry was currently unable to answer.
"I'm left to assume you never bothered deciphering the clue for the task, despite repeated offers of assistance from Hogwarts staff members. Well, as I believe I mentioned once before, at Hogwarts help will always be given to those who ask for it. Yes, even to those too stubborn to ask for it. It will be entirely you decision whether you chose to accept that help or not. The second task involves the taking a hostage who each champion will sorely miss, care to guess who we chose to be your hostage?"
Harry could only move his eyes but he was using them to great effect, conveying exactly what he was thinking. His pupils had widened as he quickly figured out Hermione would be his hostage before his glare hardened on the two wizards currently in his room.
"As I said Harry, the choice to participate will still be yours. Miss Granger will be held at the bottom of the Black Lake by the merpeople and you have a one hour time limit in which to rescue her. Should you chose to do so, what we have here is a magical plant called gillyweed that will allow you to breath underwater for one hour from swallowing it."
Snape threw a small bag of something onto his bedside table.
"The spell you are currently under should wear off before nine o'clock, giving you just enough time to make your way down to the Black Lake. I suggest you spend the hours between now and then thinking about your future, a future you seem determined to throw away. I suspect Miss Granger is a bad influence on you and we shall sit down and discuss this very subject, amongst many others, after the task."
Harry's eyes were now projecting nothing but hatred toward the two wizards who were currently trespassing in his room, clearly intent on running his life for him.
"Oh, and in case you're expecting your auror friend to come to your rescue, I'm afraid that won't be happening. Who would have guessed she was a secret drinker? The pressure must have finally gotten to her and I doubt Miss Tonks will be surfacing much before lunchtime. This would undoubtedly end her career if this news ever got out, again the choice is yours."
Harry knew this was a complete crock of shit, Tonks would never drink while on the job, far less get blinding drunk.
"Well my boy, we'll leave you to your decision. If you want to leave Miss Granger at the bottom of the lake, who are we to say that's wrong?"
Harry was using every curse word he knew in his head as the two bastards left him alone. They had all expected Dumbledore to take some sort of action, this though was way beyond anything they had considered. There was no way Harry could leave Hermione down there and he was now berating himself for not deciphering the clue before coming up with this stupid plan.
A soft pop heralded Dobby's arrival and a snap of the devoted elf's fingers saw Harry once more able to move.
"Dobby is sorry Harry Potter sir but you gave Dobby an order not to be seen by anyone at Hogwarts. Dobby so wanted to help you before now."
"Don't worry about it Dobby, you did brilliantly just by setting me free. We need to see if we can help Tonks..." As Harry grabbed the bag of Gillyweed and attempted to leave the room, Dobby stood in front of him.
"Dobby has heard from the castle elves that the dark one has been soaking that plant in nasty potions. These potions would make the eater listen to whatever the headmaster said. Dobby didn't know they were going to give potions plant to Harry Potter."
Harry dropped the bag as if he'd been burned by it. Dumbledore had very effectively taken away the two people he'd been banking on most. He was desperate to save Hermione yet using the solution supplied here would certainly cost him his betrothed in the long run, Dumbledore would see to that. "That old bastard, what are we going to do now?"
Chapter 10
For some reason Albus was reminded of the Hogwarts Express as Amelia Bones came clattering toward him, this though had nothing to do with the expression 'old boiler'. No, Amelia's temper was certainly hot enough to boil water and she fairly had a head of steam up now as the head of the DMLE rushed in his direction. Albus wouldn't have been surprised if she left a trail of smoke in her wake. What did surprise him was the half a dozen aurors following on behind like carriages.
As it was now nine o'clock, it was imperative he keep Amelia busy just in case Potter accidentally ran into her before the task began. After the lad emerged from the water, those potions would ensure Potter wouldn't hear a bad word said to Albus Dumbledore, far less make a complaint against his beloved headmaster.
On the off-chance the little shit still refused to participate in the task, Albus had arranged with a couple of mermen that Miss Granger would meet with a tragic accident down there. The boy had been conditioned since he was a toddler to accept the blame for everything that went wrong in his life, the death of his betrothed due to the lad's inactions should shatter any resolve he'd recently discovered into tiny pieces. It would also remove the protection his betrothal gave him and, with no magic, Cornelius would drop Potter quicker than a handful of warm Hippogriff shit.
He needed the magical community's only weapon against Voldemort nder his supervision and control. Even if Potter lost his magic, Albus would have him becoming Filch's apprentice and spending his days cleaning up after those he deliberately renounced. One way or another, Albus would have total control of the boy by lunchtime. He would figure out the best way to use the boy after he discovered what he had to work with. Worst case scenario, he would strap explosive potions to the now muggle boy and, at the appropriate time, send him out to take Voldermort with him. He would at least give the last of the Potters a martyr's death, that was all Albus really had to offer the boy.
Amelia didn't stand on any ceremony. "Where is Auror Tonks and Mr Potter, I need to speak with them?"
Albus was aware they were drawing more than glances, it would seem this confrontation was destined to become the pre-task entertainment. "I'm sorry Amelia, that won't be possible until after the second task. Since there is a one hour time limit on it though, that shouldn't be too long to wait?"
Again Amelia steamed right in. "Are you aware someone tried to poison my auror with potions?"
Albus just shrugged it off. "Mere schoolboy pranks Amelia, I'm sure that's all it was."
She wasn't here to be brushed off with some glib excuse, this matter was way too serious now. "I don't think this was any schoolboy prank Dumbledore, someone tried to get control of my auror."
Albus decided to muddy the waters even more, and also cast some more assertions on the young auror's character. He never could resist an opportunity to gloat 'I told you so'. "Ah, I was afraid something like this might happen, you'll remember I was against this action of yours from the start. Miss Tonks is a beautiful young woman who has been interacting with the student body, one might even go as far as to say flirting with some of them. I noticed she received quite a few gifts from her many 'admirers' on Valentine's Day."
They now had every pair of eyes on them, considering the alternative for the gathered crowed was to stare at the Black Lake then it was perhaps understandable. Amelia decided to very publicly tear down Dumbledore's flimsy defense. "One of those gifts was laced with a potion no schoolboy brewed. It took two potion masters all this time to isolate and identify it, and also discover exactly what its purpose was. I hardly think a schoolboy would be slipping my auror a potion that would force her to basically do whatever Albus Dumbledore commanded her to?"
Albus straightened to his full height, towering intimidatingly over the much smaller woman. "Are you implying that I had something to do with this alleged incident Amelia?"
The head of the DMLE was not for giving an inch, instead she pushed right back. "I have no intention of implying anything, I'm saying here and now that you're involved in this right up to your neck. You may have managed to escape the basilisk enquire with a mere reprimand on your record but this is a direct attack on one of my aurors. I give you fair warning, my investigation will begin the moment I speak to Auror Tonks." This development was drawing gasps from the crowd close enough to hear what was being said but Amelia wasn't finished yet. "This is supposed to be a school but you seem to treat it as your own private playground, a playground where our children's safety means nothing to you. It would appear that there is an immediate need for more aurors to be positioned inside the castle, at least until we get rid of the incompetents who are supposedly running it."
Dumbledore had no intention of allowing that to happen but before he could answer, a disturbance out in the Black Lake stole everyone's attention. A spout of water shot about twenty feet into the air and there were visible flashes of light below the surface. A quick glance at the platform showed Albus the other three champions were already getting prepared, where was Potter?
The disturbance was getting closer so Albus headed down from the judging stand to the floating platform, with Amelia and her aurors following on right behind him. It was now obvious to everyone that the disturbance was underwater spell fire, and that there was more than one source of those spells.
Amelia's monocle wasn't there purely as a personal eccentricity, it more than earned its keep. With a slight turn of the wire ring, her vision in that eye was suddenly greatly magnified and Amelia recognised at once who she was seeing underwater. "Auror under attack! Four strongest swimmers, I want bubblehead charms now and offer immediate assistance. Other two, take positions on the platform to provide covering fire."
The aurors were well trained and complied at once, even with Dumbledore trying to stop them. "You can't interfere with the competition."
The four splashes answered him before Amelia let rip verbally. "The task hasn't started yet so they won't be interfering, looks like I'm going to get to speak with Auror Tonks quicker than we thought."
Albus suffered a moment of panic until he was finally able to make out the features of the original two swimmers, both Harry and the auror were under the effects of gillyweed. How Harry had managed to pull this off was now irrelevant, the potions flowing through their bloodstreams would forever alter their brain chemistry. He would like to see Amelia try to use his puppets against him now.
When Hermione's head broke through the surface of the lake she was released from the spell's effects immediately, only to find hands trying to separate her from what she could now see was Harry. She shook them off and plunged back under the freezing water, desperate to discover if he was unharmed.
Harry felt Hermione cling to him and could only think of one way to assure her he was fine, he held her close and kissed her. This allowed him to breath for both of them and a warming charm cast ensured she would at least not get hyperthermia from the freezing water. Tonks was right beside them and the trio now had an honour guard of another four aurors. After the morning he'd had, Harry was quite happy to keep Hermione in his arms. When the gillyweed wore off minutes later, they both surfaced together as willing hands swiftly helped the young couple out the water and onto the platform. Tonks was mere seconds behind them.
A trident shot from the water, aiming to impact right between Hermione's shoulder blades before the pink haired Auror forced the pair of them down. Amelia and her two aurors still on the surface opened fire in the direction the weapon had come from, as did her aurors still in the water. A merman was seen to float to the surface, he was quickly captured and manacled to the dock.
It took mere seconds for Albus to discover his plan had failed miserably. Poppy Pomfrey pushed through to see if anyone required her assistance, only to be met with a pair of wands in her face.
Tonks and Harry may still be dripping freezing water but their wands were steadily held on the shocked healer, the young auror's voice held authority that belied her youth. "Don't come any closer. You work for Dumbledore so you're not getting anywhere near these two."
There were still two aurors in the lake, guarding their prisoner, but Amelia and the other four formed a protective circle around the trio. "Report Auror Tonks."
Before Tonks could say anything, Dobby popped into the centre of the protective circle. A snap of his fingers and his family were dry once more, three blankets and mugs of steaming hot chocolate followed before Dobby hugged a still shivering Hermione's leg. "Dobby is so sorry Miss, he should have stopped the bad kitty taking you away. Dobby will not let that happen again, nobody will hurt Dobby's family."
Harry affectionately rubbed the little guy's ears. "Dobby, you saved us all. I want you to stay here until the task is over." He then glanced toward the other three champions. "I'm really sorry guys but it was like a war zone down there, the meremen really didn't want me to get Hermione. I recognised Cho as one of the hostages and I think they've took your young sister Fleur."
With a strangled shriek of "Gabrielle!", Fleur was ready to dive in the lake right away. Victor and Cedric managed to get a hold of her.
"We need to wait until the task begins, it's only a few minutes."
Amelia made an instant decision. "I'm sending an auror guard down there with each of you." She held her hand up to forestall any objections from Dumbledore or the organisers. "They won't interfere with the task, they will just provide protection from any attacking mermen. Get the task underway and then we'll hear what happened to these three." When the head of the DMLE gave commands, people jumped to obey them.
The three strongest swimmers amongst the aurors present paired off with a champion, each of whom now had a very determined expression on their faces. Fleur in particular appeared ready to tear the throat out of anything that dared to stop her reaching her sister.
Dobby had conjured a love seat with a high back to protect his family from the biting wind, Harry had Hermione on his knee with the blankets covering both of them. His wand was still in his hand, as was Tonks' who assumed her customary position behind them.
Amelia conjured her own chair and sat facing the couple, the other two aurors standing guard over their boss. There was now quite a few people that had made their way down to the platform but auror wands insured they, and especially Dumbledore, kept a respectful distance. Until Amelia heard what happened, no one was going to be let anywhere near these three. As the second task started, so did the interrogation.
What had been overlooked by everyone was that the platform had been charmed so that the people in the stands could hear what was being said. Since all the tournament action was taking place below the lake, this now easily became the main event.
Amelia Bones' voice rang out clear and true around the assembled stands and had the audience on the edge of their seats waiting on answers. "Can you please explain what happened here this morning? Why did you choose to start the task early and take my auror with you?"
Harry Potter's voice was also clearly recognisable. "Can we hear from Hermione first? I would like to know how my betrothed ended up unconscious at the bottom of the Black Lake, without her wand or the dragon hide vest I bought for Hermione's protection. Especially since Auror Tonks and myself escorted her to Gryffindor tower just before curfew last night."
The witch in question was currently clinging to Harry for dear life, this was always going to be a horrendous morning without this complication. Her betrothed had been forced once more to risk his life and save her, something Hermione was extremely angry about. This clearly came across to the now massive audience in her voice. "McGonagall woke me in the middle of the night and ordered me to accompany her, I told her I was going nowhere without Harry being there. These were the instructions clearly laid down to her by my betrothed. She stunned me and the next thing I remember was waking up as Harry was trying to help me out the lake. She must have flung this on me, I only have my pajamas under this robe."
Harry had suspected it must be something like that, this didn't make him any less angry. "Madam Bones, a Hogwarts professor clearly violated my orders concerning my betrothed. She also deliberately placed her in a situation that put Hermione in mortal peril, that trident could have killed her if not for Auror Tonks quick thinking, and even quicker reactions. I intend to bring formal charges."
Minerva McGonagall was one of the people now on the platform, her complexion was as grey as the February sky at hearing those words. She didn't really notice that the others around her were subtly edging away from her presence, all Minerva could see was the end of her career and possible time in prison. Had she remembered that the entire event was being broadcast on WWN, Minerva might have realised that the whole country would be disgusted by her actions against a student supposedly in her care.
Amelia nodded to Harry, "I shall of course have her arrested to answer those charges. Could you please tell me why you went to rescue Miss Granger before the task officially started? Are you aware what will happen to you when the time limit is up and you haven't officially competed?"
Harry's answer shocked everyone listening. "Not to compete in the second task was my intention from the beginning. I've had enough of Dumbledore and Hogwarts, this was my opportunity to walk away from both."
The only sound that could be heard after that statement was the lake lapping against the platform. As it slowly sunk in what Harry Potter had planned to do, no one knew what to say.
Harry now told his tale. "Just before seven o'clock this morning, Snape burst into my bedroom and hit me with a petrificus totalus. Dumbledore followed soon after and told me he was on to my plans and couldn't allow that to happen. He also told me Hermione was at the bottom of the lake and Tonks was drunk so wouldn't be able to help me. Snape chucked a bag of gillyweed at me before Dumbledore explained what it would do, they deliberately left out the bit where it was soaked in a potion that would make me the old man's lapdog. Have you got the bag there Dobby?"
Dobby was handing Amelia the tainted plant when a blasting curse was fired at it. Harry's shield charm diverted the curse harmlessly out across the lake while Tonks and the other two aurors rained stunners down in the direction that it came from. Of the seven people now on the ground, only one had a wand in their hand. Severus Snape would wake in a ministry cell with the charge of attempting to destroy evidence now added to the rapidly growing list.
After the innocent bystanders had been revived, Amelia decided to make a bold move. She would have preferred more back-up since Tonks wasn't moving any further than touching distance from her charge but a confrontation was better happening now than any repeat of what just took place.
"Albus Dumbledore, I am placing you under arrest. I'm willing to bet the ministry potion masters will find this potion a match for the one in the chocolates sent to Auror Tonks. Your wand sir."
Amelia's confidence was boosted by the sight of Minister Fudge rapidly making his way toward them, or rather the squad of aurors that accompanied him.
With that, Albus knew the game was up. Minerva was drawing him daggers from where she stood, she'd never fully bought into their plan and the head of Gryffindor would soon be spouting everything she knew. This was one of the pitfalls of being denied the time to plan for all eventualities, things could go seriously wrong. Albus had been forced to gamble heavily and just lost, now it would appear time to pay the piper.
He glanced down at Amelia's outstretched hand and was going to have to refuse, to hand over the elder wand would mean he was no longer its master. Knowing Voldemort was still out there meant this was not an option he could willingly accept. It was blindingly obvious he had spectacularly lost this particular battle but Albus was well aware it was who won the war that history would remember.
With all eyes on him, Dumbledore reached for his hat and doffed it in the direction of the young couple. "Well played young Harry, very well played. Until we meet again..." The last four words were the phrase that activated the emergency Portkey the wily old wizard kept in his hat, Albus Dumbledore disappeared before anyone could react.
McGonagall stepped forward, holding her wand out handle first. As the auror took it and slapped on the manacles, her eyes locked on the Gryffindor couple at the centre of this fiasco and attempted to justify her actions. "Mr Potter, Albus assured me it was vital to our world that you retained your magic. That is why I reached the decision I did, I can only hope you haven't doomed us all."
Harry was cuddling Hermione into him while waiting on the time when his magic would leave his body, McGonagall's opinion and feelings weren't exactly high on his list of priorities at the moment. "If that is the case, then shouldn't I have known about it? You've shown who you follow time and time again, your Gryffindor students always came second to whatever Dumbledore wanted. You almost got Hermione killed today, we think you deserve everything that's going to happen to you now."
McGonagall was led away, a broken witch.
Most of the spectators had turned up here and thought they would be bored staring at the surface of the lake, this was just as exciting as watching the dragons. McGonagall and Snape arrested while Dumbledore ran away, this was probably more exciting than any task.
Cornelius approached the couple with a view to getting them somewhere a lot more private. His secretary had alerted him to what was being broadcast on the WWN and he had grabbed a squad of aurors before racing to Hogwarts. "Mr Potter, Miss Granger, perhaps we could move to a more private location to hear the rest of your story?"
Harry shook his head immediately. "Sorry minister, if I'm going to lose my magic then I want to do it here. Let everyone see that I would rather be a muggle than Dumbledore's little puppet. I also want to see my friends emerging from the water, Fluer's sister appeared about eight and yet they stuck her at the bottom of a lake in the middle of February. Doesn't anyone else here see how wrong that is?"
Cornelius could see the lad was close to the edge, it was probably only his betrothed holding him close that kept Harry calm enough to answer them. The minister was sure he was not alone in wondering how they had managed to treat this young wizard so abysmally that he was prepared to give up his magic to see the back of them. He conjured another chair for himself beside Amelia's, deciding the public would probably lynch him if he stopped the story at this part.
Harry was cuddling into Hermione while Dobby stood at his master's side and Tonks never left her post of being right behind them, it was left to the young auror to take up the story. "I awoke in a body bind while Dumbledore used a funnel to pour firewhisky into me, they must have been too scared to use potions again after their last failure. I was supposed to be so drunk that I would be no use to Harry. it would be my word against Dumbledore's and Harry would be under his complete control. Dobby here saved us all. Not only did he get fresh gillyweed, he also fetched a sobering potion to get me back on my feet."
Amelia filled the minister in on what had happened earlier with the potions in the chocolates before Tonks continued. "Hermione was already under the lake by the time they attacked us and Harry wouldn't trust her rescue to anyone but himself. I of course wasn't letting him go down there without me so we disillusioned ourselves and headed for the lake."
She took another gulp of her hot chocolate, blessing Dobby for the warming charm on the mug. "We took the merepeople by surprise and had Hermione free without too much trouble but then they pursued us all the way to the dock. It was easy to tell Hermione didn't have her armour on and they were firing darts and spears at us, you've no idea how pleased I was when the cavalry turned up."
Something about this was troubling Fudge. "Auror Tonks, were you aware Mr Potter intended not to compete today?"
Tonks glanced down at Harry who gave her a slight nod. "Yes minister, none of us liked it but really couldn't argue with the alternative. Harry reckoned it was only a matter of time before his luck ran out and one of the deadly situations he kept getting thrust into eventually killed him. My job is to keep him alive minister, I would give my life to see those aims met."
The sincerity in the auror's words rang out for the entire country to hear. The questions were halted as the first champion made it back. Cho awoke the instant Cedric held her out the water. With the focus switching back to the competition, Harry sat and awaited his fate. He had Hermione on his knee, Tonks was behind him with her hand now on his shoulder while Dobby was at his side and cuddling into his leg. Harry had wanted a family his entire life, he would know in mere minutes if he was going to be allowed to keep it.
Cho and Cedric had now been told what was going on. Ignoring everyone, including the aurors and minister of magic, Cho dragged Cedric over there. "Harry, why are you doing this?"
You couldn't miss the concern in their friends' faces and Harry felt they deserved an answer. "I'm sick of fighting three-headed dogs, dementors and dragons. I just want to go to school, hang out with my friends and kiss my beautiful betrothed. I have to do this guys, Dumbledore would never have let me leave Hogwarts any other way."
The commotion behind them was Victor emerging from the lake with his hostage, closely followed by Fluer clutching a shivering Gabrielle. The relief Harry experienced was easily felt by all those who currently had a hold of him, his early rescue of Hermione had obviously not harmed any of the other three hostages. His relief was short lived though as the hooter signaled the hour was up, the time was now upon him.
A hush had settled over the floating platform as everyone waited to see what would happen next, all eyes were on Harry Potter.
The boy at the centre of the storm felt...nothing, well nothing different. He kissed Hermione and then attempted to cast his patronus. Prongs shot out his wand and pranced around the platform before disappearing. Hermione was beginning to smile when a spectator's scream alerted everyone that something was wrong. The Auror response was swift, they had their boss, the minister and a country wide audience listening in. Six of them rushed to the scene of the disturbance to find a man rolling on the ground. He had a peg leg strapped to his knee though he obviously didn't need it while the device on his face to hold a false eye told the aurors everything they needed to know.
He somehow still managed to cast a curse at them, although nothing actually left his wand. Half a dozen stunners ensured he wasn't getting another chance. When the man was identified, the shit really hit the fan.
"That's Barty Crouch Jr."
"He was Mad Eye Moody until a minute ago."
Amelia wasn't the head of the DMLE for nothing, she quickly put it together. "The mystery of who put Mr Potter's name in the cup would appear to have been solved. Now all we have to do is discover why."
The mood in the Potter camp had just sky rocketed. Harry was on his feet, engulfed in a hug of epic proportions by a crying Tonks and Hermione while the happiest elf in the world danced around the trio. Celebrations were also breaking out around the stands, led by the Gryffindors.
They may have lost their head of house in a shameful manner but they also saw a stunned Snape carted away like a piece of meat and still had Harry Potter.
Amelia had made a beeline for Percy Weasley, she wanted some answers. "Where is your boss?"
"Mr Crouch has been ill, I have been filling in for him."
"You? A first year intake 'filling in' for a departmental head, who authorised that?"
Percy was squirming like a worm as Amelia pinned him with her gaze. "Eh, it's more of an ad hoc arrangement. No one has actually authorised it. Mr Crouch has been sending me messages of what he wants done and I have been using my initiative to see that it happens."
Amelia had come through the auror ranks to get the top job, those well honed instincts that she had cultivated over all those years were now screaming at her that something was badly wrong here. "And just how long have you been showing this initiative Mr Weasley?"
Had Percy been a bit more savvy on the way the real power works inside the ministry, he would have been looking for a hole to crawl into and pull over him. Instead, the naive stupid bugger started boasting about his prowess at handling the head of department job. "Oh, since before Christmas. I've told Mr Crouch not to worry, I can handle anything that comes up while he recovers. After all, his health is the most important issue here."
Amelia was ready to explode, "Wrong answer Mr Weasley. You will be taken to a ministry holding cell while we discover if you were in any way involved in this plot, or are just an incredibly stupid little boy."
An auror led the completely perplexed redhead away as Amelia turned to see Harry signaling frantically to her, she understood it was serious when Tonks cast a privacy bubble around them.
"Madam Bones, I've seen that man before. He was with the thing that is Voldemort during the summer and helped kill an old muggle caretaker. Peter Pettigrew was there too..."
Amelia understood at once what Harry was hinting at, catching Pettigrew was one of his greatest ambitions. She had a question though. "Mr Potter, just how did you see this? Are you a seer?"
Harry shook his head at that last part. "I have a connection that sometimes allows me to see what Voldemort is up to. I can't control it and so far it's only happened while I've been sleeping."
Amelia could see no way where these episodes could be considered a good thing. "Who else have you told about this?"
"Dumbledore."
"And what did he do about it?"
"He told me to let him know if I had any more."
Amelia was rubbing her temples while the vast array of curse words she had amassed over the years were running through her head. She didn't want to worry the lad, he'd already had quite the morning. "Mr Potter, by any chance did that old swine mention a prophecy concerning you?"
"Eh, no."
"I didn't think so. If I let Auror Tonks take you and your betrothed home to the Grangers, will you come to the ministry tomorrow? We really need to talk more about this but I have a few prisoners I want to question under truth serum first."
The large smiles both teens were now wearing were all the answer Amelia needed. The trio didn't even intend to return to the castle first, Dobby could fetch anything they needed later.
Amelia noticed the minister speaking with Flitwick and Sprout before the dilemma of Hogwarts sank in. The school had just lost its headmaster, two heads of house and the defence professor. She was glad that would be the minister's problem, she had quite enough on her plate. Issuing an arrest warrant for Albus Dumbledore and Barty Crouch before interviewing two Hogwarts heads of house and a dead death eater who clearly was alive. She intended to ask if Cornelius needed any more support from her department to help with the Hogwarts situation before heading back to the ministry.
Harry whispered to Dobby that he should go and tell Sirius what happened, they intended to surprise Dan and Emma by portkeying into the Granger's enclosed back garden.
The other champions were waiting to have a word with them before they left, any awkwardness died the minute Victor shook Harry's hand.
"Today, that is the bravest thing I have ever seen. You were prepared to give up everything to be free."
Harry still had Hermione wrapped around him as he answered Victor. "Not everything, something's were just too high a price. Hermione would still have been my betrothed even if I lost my magic."
Hermione quickly confirmed this. "You're not getting rid of me that easy Potter."
-oOoOo-
Dan and Emma were nervously awaiting the pop that would signal Dobby's arrival with news of what had happened at Hogwarts, that the pop came from the back garden saw both parents moving in that direction without even thinking. The sight of the bedraggled and blanket covered trio instantly had Emma in tears, she shot across the grass to hug the kids. Dan was no less relieved and delighted but a tad more practical. On noticing the trio all had bare feet, he quickly shepherded the group into the warm house. Since Hermione and Harry didn't look like they were going to let go of each other anytime soon, and Emma wasn't for letting either of them go, all three plunked down on the sofa while Dan and Tonks sat across from them.
Before any questions could be asked, two elves popped into the room. Dobby had a tray filled with mugs of hot chocolate and warm scones while the little female had a fat envelope to deliver.
"Harry Potter sir, Winky has this for you from Master Sirius."
Reaching out to take the envelope from the curtsying Winky, Harry asked her about his godfather. "How is Sirius?"
"Master Sirius is very happy Harry Potter sir still has his magic. Master Sirius did use a lot of really nasty words when talking about the headmaster. Winky thinks Master Sirius doesn't like him."
Dan was relieved that Harry was still magical, one less thing to worry about. He was far more concerned at the moment with the trio's attire, or lack of it. Harry and Tonks were wearing their dragon hide vests and underwear while Hermione's pajamas were clearly visible under her robe. Just what the hell had happened to them? He decided to wait until Harry opened the envelope from Sirius before getting the answers. They were safely home and that would do Dan, for now.
The envelope contained a set of house keys and a legal document, Harry handed both to Dan for an explanation while trying to get some more hot chocolate into Hermione. Dan's eyebrows shot up as he grasped what he held in his hands.
"Harry, it would appear your godfather bought a house, a house in the next street to ours. There's a brief note here." As Harry's mouth was now full off Dobby's delicious scone, he jestured for Dan to read it out to them.
"Hey Kiddo, I bought this house so you would never have to return to those relatives of yours ever again. One day, when I'm free, we'll live in it together. Can't tell you how pleased I am with how things went today, or how proud I am of how you handled the situation. The only way it could have gone any better was if Dumbledore hadn't escaped. You need to think carefully on what you do next. Listen to Tonks and the Grangers, not forgetting Hermione of course. You have a family around you now, let all of us help. Wishing I could be there for you ... Sirius"
There was a pause while everyone digested this new development before Dobby handed over one last thing. "Miss Hermione, Dobby fetched this from your dorm."
Hermione almost snatched her wand from the elf. "Oh thank you Dobby. I've felt so useless all morning because I haven't been able to do anything."
"I still can't believe that bitch put you down there with no armour or wand, and then tried to make out like it was my fault."
All these un-jointed bits of information were rapidly driving Dan nuts, it was time for some answers. "Okay, I want the full story, and I want it now."
By the time they were finished reliving their morning, both teens were clearly done in. It was also clear they still had no intention of releasing each other. Tonks transfigured the sofa into a bed while Hermione removed her robe and Harry took off his dragon hide vest. In under ten minutes, both were asleep still wrapped in each other's embrace as well as Dobby's blankets.
Dobby had already brought their things from Hogwarts and placed them in the rooms they'd used at Christmas, Tonks got changed before sitting down with Dan and Emma in the kitchen. Dan felt his emotions had taken a battering of hurricane proportions this morning but knowing both teens were safe and asleep in the other room kept him centered. It was time to plan ahead.
"What happens now?"
The question was obviously aimed at Tonks but the young Auror had no idea how to reply. "As of this moment, I have absolutely no idea. I think it's safe to say the British magical community has taken a pounding today, we'll all have to wait and see how this affects us."
Tonks knew this was certainly not what these concerned parents wanted to here so tried to qualify her answer. "Albus Dumbledore was the most respected wizard in Britain, his fall from that position was swift and spectacular. To be honest, McGonagall ranked up there with Madam Bones as one of this country's most influential witches. Snape was just a bastard, pure and simple, while the undead death eater hints at a whole different level of corruption. Hogwarts will be in chaos and the ministry are going to have one hell of a job trying to clear all this up. We should have a much better idea after we meet with Madam Bones tomorrow, sorry I couldn't be more help."
Emma wasn't about to stand for that. "You brought the both of them safely home, we couldn't ask for any more than that. Tomorrow will look after itself, let's just be thankful for today."
Tonks' smile never really reached her eyes. She'd seen the concerned look on her boss's face when Harry told her about that vision and this prophecy also weighed heavily on her mind. She hoped it was a simple prediction that Harry would become the best chef in the magical world but reckoned they weren't that lucky. She didn't want to trouble Dan or Emma with these worries though, deciding instead to take some good advice. Tomorrow would look after itself, and she'd be there to lend her wand if it needed a helping hand deciding.