Losing a loved one is never easy, doing so at a significant time of the year just makes this terrible event even harder to deal with in every way. To lose two close relatives in a matter of days is something I hope never to repeat again for as long as I live. Thanks to all those who read the short entry on my profile and sent messages of condolence, they really were appreciated.
The sad but true fact is that life must go on. As I try to get some normality back into mine, I am once more writing fan fiction. Updates might be a bit sporadic for a while but I will never abandon a story. My apologies in advance to waiting readers but it will be a case of following the advice I'm having to live by at the moment. Hang in there and it will get better, eventually.
Banking on Her
Chapter 11
When Emma saw a bedraggled and exhausted Amelia Bones standing at her door first thing the next morning, she had the witch sitting with them at the breakfast table before any questions were asked. Amelia attempted to protest about not going to too much trouble on her account but Dobby had fresh coffee and a full English breakfast in front of her before she could really hit her stride. They all wanted to know if the plans for today were changed though no one asked as Amelia demolished the plate of food in front of her. It was blatently obvious she had been up all night and Tonks was already trying to figure out just what the hell had gone on at the ministry
The breakfast had given Amelia a boost so, as she sipped her second cup of excellent coffee, she got down to the reason why she was here. "We are going to have to hold our meeting over until tomorrow, the last twenty four hours have caused more eruptions inside the ministry than at any time since a certain Halloween over a decade ago when Harry got that scar. It would appear all the same players from that terrible night were involved again yesterday."
Another sip of coffee helped Amelia put her thoughts in order for how she wanted to play this. "The wizard everyone thought was Alistor Moody turned out to be Barty Crouch Jr on pollyjuice potion, the real Moody was locked in his own multi-compartmental trunk. Barty was the one who put Harry's name in the goblet, he was also the person who lost his magic when Harry refused to compete in the second task. Our legal experts all agree that the goblet may have been confounded to spit out Harry's name but still recognised the magic of the person who put that name into the goblet in the first place. When Harry didn't compete, it considered that part of the magical contract to be with Barty. I know it sounds weird but so is confounding an ancient magical artefact. To our knowledge it had never been done before."
She was getting nods from everyone at the breakfast table, they'd all surmised it would be something along those lines beforehand and weren't too concerned about the legalities of the situation. Harry still had his magic and that was all that mattered. This next bit though was sure to throw them. "The fake Moody was working for his master, Voldemort, with the sole intention of serving Harry up on a plate. Voldemort planned to use Harry's blood and his dead father's bones in a dark ritual which would have given him a new body. Unfortunately for us, there was a wizarding wireless in the house they were hiding in. By the time we pumped the information out of Barty Jr, they had run for the hills."
Harry's disapointment at this news was there for everyone to see, Amelia though had some good news for him. "They may have escaped but they had to leave everything behind, including Barty Crouch Sr and pages of notes on the ritual painstakingly copied in Pettigrew's own handwriting. These notes, combined with both Barty's confirming they'd seen Pettigrew serving Voldemort is more than enough evidence to grant Sirius Black a trial. Should you be able to contact him, please bring him into the ministry with you tomorrow at ten a.m. You have my personal guarantee he will be unharmed and given a fair hearing."
Harry's mood had done a swift one eighty and he now appeared ready to hug this wonderful woman. "Madam Bones, you have my personal guarantee he will be there."
"We will deal with the Sirius issue first, then your godfather will be able to be at your side for the rest of it. Mr and Mrs Granger, I would like to extend the same invitation to you both." If things went as bad as Amelia expected tomorrow, Harry would need all the support he could get.
Emma was picking up on some of this, Amelia being too tired to maintain her stoic demeanour that usually gave nothing away. "What aren't you telling us Madam Bones?"
Amelia held her hands up in defeat and decided honesty was the best policy. "I am not deliberately withholding information, we won't have that information until Harry comes to the ministry to discover what this prophecy says. My gut instincts are telling me that none of us will like what we hear. This prophecy was actually made to Dumbledore so he obviously knows what it contains. This would appear to be his justification for the way Harry has been treated. The old fool kept every bit of information to himself, believing no one else could possibly understand it. It is my intention to, where I possibly can, do the complete opposite."
Dan was having trouble understanding what all the fuss was about. "Just what is a prophecy, and what will it mean for these two?"
Surprisingly, it was Harry who answered. "I've actually heard one first hand. It's like a prediction of what will happen, though it didn't make any sense at the time."
Harry then rhymed off the prophecy Trelawney had made to him.
"It will happen tonight… The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight … the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight … before midnight … the servant … will set out … to rejoin … his master…"
Hermione now had her arm supportively around her betrothed as he continued. "That was the night we discovered Pettigrew, and I stopped Remus and Sirius killing the rat. He escaped that night because Remus had forgotten to take his potion and the rest is self-explanitory. If only I hadn't stopped them..."
"Harry, we can't go there, it will drive you crazy. If only I had gone with you back in first year when you faced Quirrell alone, if only I had taken you to the library with me when I remembered about a creature called a basilisk. We do the best we can with what we have and learn from our mistakes."
The determination and conviction in Harry's entire demeanour was frightening to see in one so young. "Well I certainly learned something, Pettigrew won't be able to run anywhere ever again if I get my wand on him."
Emma was slightly shocked at seeing this side of the young man she was rapidly coming to think of as family. "Could you really do something like that Harry?"
"Pettigrew was directly responsible for both my parents' deaths and my godfather going to Azkaban. He may have been living as a rat since that night but I can assure you he had a better life than I did at the Dursleys. Can I ask what you would do if you could get your hands on McGonagall?"
Emma was the one who now looked frightening. "I would rip that bit of tartan she seems so fond of wearing right off her robe and strangle the bitch with it. Please tell me she is going to get hers?"
The question was directed at Amelia and she was pleased to be able to answer in the affirmative. "I think it's safe to say Minerva McGonagall will get what's coming to her, and you don't know the half of it."
The head of the DMLE thought she must be getting too old to pull all nighters after letting that slip. With five pairs of eyes now focused on her, Amelia knew she couldn't leave it there. There was also the fact that she had promised this family she would tell them whatever she could. "This needs to be kept amongst the family at the moment, it will all come out at the trials. Apparently Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were alarmed with Mr Potter's new attitude, their investigation led to discovering the loophole he planned to use to escape their clutches. Instead of talking to Mr Potter about this, they concocted one stupid and highly illegal plan after another."
Dan was shaking his head from disbelief. "This is supposed to be a school full of children, not some poor quality horror movie set. We trusted these people with our children."
They couldn't miss the shudder of revulsion that passed through the tough witch. "One of their plans depended on Harry being in the castle, without Hermione, over the holidays. When your daughter returned to Hogwarts, Harry would have a girlfriend and a reason to retain his magic. He wouldn't have been able to resist as they planned on poisoning him, and this intended girlfriend they would choose for him, with love potions. They turned their focus onto pure blood witches, one of whom was my Susan." An evil smile now played across her lips. "It took three members of my department to pull me off McGonagall when I heard that. I had to exclude myself from conducting anymore of their interviews."
Harry and Hermione were now clinging to each other in shock at how close they came to not being a couple.
"Your betrothal put an end to that plan. Using those potions is bad enough, against a betrothed couple the charges dramatically magnify."
Harry eventually found his voice. "Madam Bones, we both like Susan and consider her a friend but..."
Amelia understood perfectly what Harry was having trouble trying to put into words. "You are a fine young wizard Harry and I hope that one day Susan will meet someone like you. To use potions on what are still considered children with the intention of forcing a relationship is something I will never stand for. You know how Susan dreads someone taking control of her mind, and I can't thank you enough for that necklace you gave her. I don't intend to mention these plans to her if I can avoid it."
Hermione's temper let go At this point, she had struggled playing the part of a demure betrothed and was glad she no longer had to. She blasted at a specific target who was at the centre of all this, the mere thought of Harry in another witch's arms fuelling her rage. "That whiskered old wanker, who the fuck does he think he is? Snape doesn't surprise me in the slightest but McGonagall went along with this? I think it's time both Harry and I got our arses out of Hogwarts, surely the ministry wouldn't block us after this?"
The rest of the room was stunned into silence by Hermione's language so it allowed Amelia a moment to answer the young witch. "Miss Granger, I believe that you, and especially Mr Potter leaving Hogwarts at this time would be a blow that could bring down the ministry."
Both Granger parents were about to protest that may not be such a bad idea but Amelia held her hand up hoping to be allowed to continue. "Hogwarts is currently in turmoil, losing its headmaster, two heads of house plus another professor. There are going to have to be major changes made and all I would ask is to adopt a wait and see policy. Without drastic changes, my Susan will be leaving the castle too."
Emma wanted some clarification on Amelia's previous remark. "How could these two leaving school bring down a government?"
She attempted to explain. "Only one person emerged from that entire fiasco yesterday with any integrity, hundreds watched while tens of thousands listened to a young wizard who was ready to give up his magic rather than remain under the control of Dumbledore. Harry Potter was already a hero in our society, and that was before people spent hours queuing to catch a glimpse of the basilisk he slew. While other images crashed and burned yesterday, Harry's heroism, dignity and sheer honesty shone brightly." Amelia could only smile as the modest young wizard's face shone red at her words.
"When the truth comes out that Voldemort is not dead, and what Dumbledore intended to do, rightly or wrongly, the wizarding public will look once more to its saviour. In that context, Harry leaving Hogwarts to go elsewhere would see that very same public lash out at a government who allowed such a thing to happen."
It was Dan's turn to ask a question, he made no attempt to disguise the anger in his voice. "Surely they don't expect Harry to deal with this problem?"
"Mr Granger, dealing with this is my problem. Currently half my department is searching for Voldemort while the other half are trying to track down Dumbledore. The old wizard's actions though would seem to place Harry at the centre of this, we'll know more once we hear this prophecy tomorrow." Again Amelia continued before anyone could interrupt.
"It is my intention to provide Harry with all the support the ministry can muster, seeing his godfather become once more a free man is only the first step in this process. Auror Tonks, would you be willing to continue your protection duties until further notice?"
Tonks immediately confirmed that she would before Amelia turned her attention to Harry. "You haven't said much, what are your thoughts on what's been spoken about here today?"
Harry had been listening carefully to everything that had been said here this morning and came to a startling conclusion. The ministry was desperate to appease him, which placed a fair amount of power in his hands. It was time to see if his conclusion was right and make a stab at using some of that power. "Madam Bones, in all our time at Hogwarts we've only ever had one competent defence teacher. This person was also a Gryffindor prefect when he attended Hogwarts, and someone we trust. Remus Lupin could solve your head of Gryffindor and defence professor problems in one go."
The others at breakfast couldn't quite believe what they were hearing but Hermione squeezing his hand below the table was enough to tell Harry she agreed with this. He pushed for more. "It would also be a condition if we were to return to Hogwarts that Hermione have a room in the same accommodation as Tonks and I. Yesterday proved she's in as much danger as me and the three of us will be safer together."
Amelia couldn't hide the wry smile at how quickly Harry had picked up on what the real situation was. He could have asked for practically anything yet his requests (demands?) were well thought out and certainly not excessive. "I agree with you totally on the Miss Granger issue and will pursue the matter of Professor Lupin returning to Hogwarts with the minister. I remember Susan's opinion on his teaching skills matched yours, publicly citing that he is a friend of yours should end any issues over his illness."
She was very impressed that Harry had quickly worked out the positition he found himself in allowed him the power to make requests like this. What really impressed Amelia though was that, even with all that was going on around him, the young wizard still had time to think of others. She now had an overdue date with her bed while both Granger parents headed off to work, leaving Harry, Hermione and Tonks with the responsibility to contact Sirius Black.
The three had no sooner left than Tonks apparated to Sirius. Since he had never visited the Grangers house before, she would need to guide him home.
-oOoOo-
The creature that was once Tom Riddle was struggling to hold its temper but it knew it must. At the moment nothing would please it more than cursing his stupid servant Wormtail until the rat couldn't scream again. His present circumstances prevented this action, which just increased his anger and frustration. His plan going so badly wrong, so very quickly left them no other option but to flee for their lives. This was responsible for most of its anger but not all.
Of course the great Lord Voldemort had another plan. If something were to go wrong, he intended to use the horecrux in the nearby Gaunt shack to once more have a body. The hapless Pettigrew would be providing the life energy needed to allow this process to take place, which was another reason the rat couldn't be cursed into a drooling heap. Peter of course was completly unaware of what fate the dark lord had in store for him, this frail body still needed care until they could get their hands on one of his precious objects.
The catastrophic failure of his plans though also totally derailed his intended plan B. With the capture of his most faithful servant, there would now be ministry aurors all over Little Hangleton. This led to his current dilema, he would need to choose another of his precious treasures to complete the ritual. It would clearly be too dangerous to attempt grabbing the ring now and, with the ministry aware of his presence, time was definitly of the essence. Hogwarts was also beyond his reach, as was the cup Bella had stored safely in her Gringotts vault. His rage almost got away from him as his thoughts turned to his diary, Malfoy would pay heavily for his failure.
By this process of elimination, the thing had reached the conclusion that the locket in the cave was by far his best option. With any luck, even a wizard as poor as Pettigrew should be able to get them there by tomorrow. Only these thoughts allowed him to refrain from repeatedly cursing Peter. Tomorrow there would be one less rat in the world and Lord Voldemort would rise again. He was not renowned for his patience but, on this occasion, he would embrace that seldom used trait. He would make up for his restraint tomorrow with a certain Malfoy being top of his long list.
-oOoOo-
Lucius Malfoy was currently locked away in his study, even the glass of exquisite port in his hand couldn't prevent the shiver of fear that ran down his spine. He was between the proverbial rock and a hard place, with the slippery Slitherin trying to plot a route out of his dilemma.
His gaze swept round his favourite room in the mansion as Lucius contemplated how the years had been good to him. His wealth and power were about to come crashing down around his head though, due to the events in Hogwarts yesterday.
When their master was vanquished all those years ago, Lucius had become the defacto leader of those left behind. He'd used his position and gold to spare not only himself from Azkaban, but those who could be of use to him. His crazy sister-in-law was beyond saving and he was actually glad to see the back of her. Bella would never have approved of him running things, or not scouring the world for their master. Lucius was a different wizard now, older, wiser and certainly a lot wealthier. That was a lot to give up so he could don a mask and torture some muggleborns again. He'd enjoyed their brief sorrie at the world cup but it wouldn't in any way compensate for losing all he held dear. If the dark lord returned there could be no doubt that Lucius would lose it all, that's assuming he was allowed to live?
His contacts inside the ministry were keeping him apprised of the situation so he knew all about their master's plan to return. This also provided the other side to his dilemma. The ministry currently had Severus Snape and Barty Crouch Jr in their custody. At the moment they were being fed truth serum and asked questions concerning Dumbledore and the dark lord. It surely wouldn't be long before the ministry saught information on death eaters, at that point his goose was cooked. Only the fact there was a maximum safe amount of truth serum that could be administered in a twenty four hour period had him sitting there drinking port and contemplating his future. Otherwise, Lucius Malfoy would be living up to a family trait and fleeing the country.
His contacts were well placed and their information guaranteed accurate, Lucius only paid for the best. The intelligence from those sources was telling him he had at most until tomorrow to come up with a scheme to save his arse from the ministry. When he factored into the equation that his master was not only still alive, but actively working to return to his former glory, there was really no other course left open to Lucius. A dignified withdrawal from Britain to Brazil should be an auspicious start. That would be quickly followed by a much more covert move to a country on the African continent, Lybia certainly had possibilities. Finally a move in total secrecy to his final destination in Asia, a man of his wealth and tastes could live well in Bangkok.
He had briefly considered taking his wife with him but soon realised that would never work. With Draco still in Hogwarts, Lucius intended to be safely ensconced in his new life before school ended at summer. Narcissa was devoted to the boy and would never stand to see him abandoned. That Draco had hippogriff shit for brains along with all the subtlety of a male dragon chasing a female in heat meant that Lucius was always going to leave his disappointment of a son behind. He really did feel bad about leaving Narcissa to face the rapidly approaching storm without a knut to her name but Lucius had needs that required gold for them to be met. If half what he heard about Bangkok was true, he was certain to have every one of those needs met there.
He would have the goblins start transferring every galleon he could lay his hands on to their Rio branch today. Lucius would then transfer the gold from there to the Gnomes of Switzerland before heading for Africa. By the time he arrived in Asia, anyone looking for him would be searching on the other side of the world.
Lucius finished his port before taking a farewell glance around his study, it was time to put his plan into action.
-oOoOo-
Dan and Emma had managed to get cover for their practice tomorrow. They had also booked the same people for the start of next week too. If things went anywhere near as bad tomorrow as Amelia was hinting at, they wanted to be there for Hermione and Harry. They pulled into the drive and entered a house full of laughter, it would seem Harry had wasted no time in contacting his godfather. Then Hermione came rushing to introduce them.
Tonks had cut a now showered and shaved Sirius' hair before she and Hermione had done a little clothes shopping for the ex-convict. This had the dual effect of giving godfather and godson some time alone to chat, while ensuring the Grangers would have a better first impression of Sirius.
"Mum, dad, this is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."
Sirius heartily shook Dan's hand before kissing Emma's. "I can't thank you enough for the care you've shown Harry here, it's also clear to me where Hermione takes her beauty from. His father was the same, went for the prettiest and smartest witch in Hogwarts."
A blushing but clearly excited Hermione put a stop to Sirius saying any more. "Ok Sirius, that's quite enough. Mum, dad, can we go now and see Harry's new house?"
Dan could only chuckle as the reason for Hermione's excitement was explained. "I thought Harry wanted to wait until Sirius could be there too? He won't be free to walk down the street until after tomorrow."
Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "Dad, we'll simply be taking the dog for a walk."
An astonished Dan and Emma struggled to believe their eyes as Sirius transformed into a large black dog. When Tonks slipped into her Granger cousin disguise, it was clearly time to go.
Emma thought it would be exceedingly difficult to discern who was the most excited between the two teens and the big black dog. The mutt kept bounding ahead before doubling back and trying to get a laughing Harry and Hermione to hurry up.
Her own enthusiasm was gradually being replaced with a sense of dread as Emma began to realise where they were heading. All the information they had was a street name and door number, she was becoming more certain with every footstep what they would find there.
Benjamin Taylor was the owner of a few cotton mills back in the early eighteen hundreds. Like all mill owners of the time, he made a fortune from exploiting the poor unfortunate men, woman and mostly children that worked in horrendous conditions for a pittance. The bold Benjamin took the fortune gained from his workers' sweat and ploughed it into a fine mansion for him and his family, many miles away from any mills or anyone who worked in them. There were even high walls and large iron gates to keep the 'wrong sort' from ever looking upon his home.
As has happened the world over from time immemorial, his gross exploitation was severely curtailed by social changes that belatedly swept through the country. When children aged between nine and eleven were restricted to an eight hour working day, with those under nine no longer being permitted to work, it sounded the first death knell for the British textile magnates. The smart ones started modernising their factories so they would need less workers, Benjamin Taylor wasn't one of them. He eventually lost everything except his house, which his descendants weren't likely to thank him for.
The final blow for the Taylor family came long after Benjamin had popped his clogs and headed for that great mill in the sky. As well as the house, they apparently also inherited Benjamin's shortsightedness. While other mansion owners around them were selling off their too large homes, the Grangers' own house being merely one of many built on the grounds of these former mansions, the Taylor's dithered until it was too late. Appart from the crippling costs of running and maintaining a building of that age/size, English Heritage then declared the building as grade two listed. This meant that they coudn't knock it down and sell the four acres of prime land it sat on, and also that very few people would take it on with the severe conditions and restrictions that came attached with that listing.
Emma could well understand blocking a prospective owner from covering beautiful, natural stone with something as crass as pebble dash, or replacing the georgous Georgian windows with white PVC double glazing, but leaving the grand old house derelict until it was beyond saving was a crime she could never support. The old Taylor place had been unoccupied her entire life, slowly decaying toward the point where it could be declared condemned. Finally allowing it to be legally demolished and the land becoming available to sell for development.
Unfortunately for old Benjamin's descendants, the one thing he did properly in his entire life was ensuring his home was built to a high specification. This was also the main reason English Heritage listed the building as it was such a fine example of the period. It could be another fifty years though before it reached the stage where the same English Heritage would consider it beyond salvage.
The practical side of the dentist would never get her head around the fact that many such buildings up and down the country were in the same catch twenty two situation. They wouldn't survive without someone lavishing lots of cash and TLC on them but the local planners were required by law to apply the restrictions handed down from English Heritage. The very laws designed supposedly to save these listed buildings of architectural importance were the main reason hundreds of them were in this position.
What was really making her blood boil though was that some unscrupulous person had sold this to a man who was on the run and living in a cave. Sirius and Harry already had so many disappointments in their lives, they certainly didn't need any more. The blow would be even more severe considering how excited they were. Emma didn't think she was stretching the truth any to say that living with his godfather, in a house only a ten minute walk from Hermione's, would be a dream come true for the young man. If Emma ever got the person responsible for bringing those dreams crashing down to earth in her chair, they would soon discover why it was a very bad idea to piss off a dentist.
Emma was so caught up in her visions of revenge, they arrived at their destination before she realised it. Part of her was dismayed to discover that it was indeed the old Taylor place but what was in front of her was offering a glimmer of hope.
Since she was a little girl, the wrought iron gates had been held firmly closed by a massive iron chain and padlock, the gates themselves covered in 'keep out' warnings. These gates looked as if they left the blacksmith's yesterday, and the square stone pillars that supported them either side appeared pristine. It was the figures atop these pillars Emma had no previous memory of. Each had a sitting male lion with a front paw regaly raised onto a circular shield that displayed a family crest. She recognised the Potter one immediately, both Harry and Hermione had it emblazed on their school robes, and assumed the other one was for the Black family.
Both teens easily swung the well oiled gates open and raced up the curving drive with Padfoot, leaving Emma standing there with her jaw almost on the street. The grounds could hardly be called 'manicured' but, considering they easily passed for a jungle before, they were now in amazing condition. That was nothing though compared to her first sight of the house, it was simply beautiful. She wanted time to study the exterior in more detail but Dan and Tonks were getting caught up in the enthusiasm pouring off the other three and were desperate to see inside the house. She did have a question though that simply couldn't wait. "How is this possible?"
Tonks reply of 'magic' saw Emma come straight back at her. "I can work that out for myself, and so will anyone else who sees this. I thought magic was supposed to be kept a secret?"
"There are mild muggle repelling charms all around the property, no one else will notice anything."
Emma had another question though. "If there are those charms around to keep muggles out, how are Dan and I able to walk in here?"
Tonks was smiling back at the woman she was quickly becoming to regard as a friend. "I saw you looking at the crests at the gate pillars, the Black and Potter families will always be welcome here. That ring on Hermione's finger makes you part of the Potter family."
Hermione's impatient pleading got them moving again. "Mum, would you hurry up. Harry's refusing to open the door until we're all here."
They moved up the steps, through the carved stone columns that supported the grand porch in time to see Harry's hand shaking with excitement as he tried to fit the key into the lock. The door swung open to reveal a grand entrance hall that boasted a pair of curving staircases, it was the pair of little creatures there to greet them that drew all the attention though.
"Dobby and Winky would like to welcome their families to their new home." Both elves appeared so smart, proudly wearing their little robes with the appropriate family crest on them.
Hermione was also aware this house was formerly derelict and was so impressed at the work they had done. "Did you two do all this yourselves?"
Dobby shook his head. "When the other elves at Hogwarts discovered what Dobby and Winky were doing, they all wanted to help clean the great Harry Potter's house. Harry Potter cleaned the castle of the giant snake, they wanted to repay him."
Winky though had her head down. "The house is not finished yet..."
She never got to say anymore as both elves found themselves being hugged by delighted teens. Sirius had transformed back and was slowly looking around the place. "You guys have done magnificent work here, this is brilliant."
Winky was actually blushing as she asked the next question. "Will you want to stay here for dinner?"
Even the elves could tell Emma's answer came straight from the heart. "Winky, I might never want to leave here again. Can you show us around the house?"
Both elves took great delight in showing their family around what would soon be home to almost all of them. Emma was so wishing she had thought to bring her camera before remembering she could come back here anytime, it was only a ten minute walk between the houses.
-oOoOo-
The entire house, led by Ginny, kept the pressure on Ron to send Pig with a message for Harry and Hermione. All of Gryffindor were desperate to know how they were, and whether they planned to return now Dumbledore was gone. Continualy pointing out that he was their best friend, so the letter really had to come from him, was not helping their case.
Ron was hurt that his supposed best friends couldn't even hint at what they were planning, far less tell him. All Harry would say was that he had the egg well and truly beaten and a plan in place to deal with the task. His only consolation was that he obviously hadn't told any of his new friends, the other champions, either.
This consolation though was completly swamped by what happened at the end. The entire school watched, while the rest of the country listened, as Victor Krum shook Harry's hand and said that was the bravest thing he'd ever seen. Ron was aware he had a problem with jealousy but the green eyed monster had consumed him at that point. He would give his left nut for Victor Krum to shake his hand, far less make a public comment like that.
There was also the problem of what he was supposed to write. Ron didn't think 'Hey mate, Cannons lost again last night and thanks for getting rid of Snape. When are you coming back?' would cut it. He also wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to the question.
Ron was beginning to think he was better off when no one in the house was talking to him, at least he wasn't having to do all those detentions McGonagall had hit him with. Unfortunately, that meant having to spend more time in Gryffindor tower. Why could he never catch a break?
-oOoOo-
Padfoot stayed close to Harry, and Tonks wearing her official auror robes saw them quickly reach Amelia's office. It was only on arrival there that Sirius Black made an appearance. The head of the DMLE was so surprised, her monocle slipped off her face.
"Can I assume the mystery of how Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, and evaded capture, has just been solved?" She really didn't expect an answer though a few wide grins told her she'd hit the bullseye.
"We have a panel of five judges who have heard the testimony from both Crouchs, their actual trials have been set for Monday. What we want to do here today is administer some truth serum to discover exactly how you ended up at Azkaban."
Harry quietly growled two names, everyone in the large office still clearly heard "Crouch and Dumbledore." There wasn't one person there who dissagreed with that assesment.
-oOoOo-
The Prophet was once more full of Harry Potter, and Molly was once more in tears. The front page picture of Harry and Hermione wrapped in their blankets as they left Hogwarts under auror guard had a really haunting quality to it. The paper also asked the question, 'Will this be the last time we see Harry Potter?' which was what had set Molly off again. She'd been doing a lot of crying recently.
Molly had pubIcily made a fool of herself, and also hurt someone she was very fond of. She now realised that sending a howler to Hermione was a bad mistake, and the follow-up one to Harry just compounded the original error. Discovering they had become betrothed at Christmas highlighted this error in a manner that even she couldn't miss.
She and Arthur had also queued for two and a half hours to see the basilisk that had almost cost them their only daughter. One glance and she had to be led away sobbing at how much they actually owed the young wizard responsible for saving their precious little girl. What was really eating away at her was how she had then repaid this act of heroism, publicly declaring he was no longer welcome in her house ever again.
Now to discover what the young man was going through at the time just added to her remorse, why couldn't she learn not to go sticking her nose in where it wasn't wanted? Molly now found herself in a similar predicament to her youngest son. She desperatly wanted to begin mending her relationship with Harry but hadn't a clue where to start. She would have to talk to Arthur again tonight, hopefully he would have some ideas. Whatever way she looked at it, the only pie she would be eating in the near future was of the humble variety.
-oOoOo-
Their morning at the ministry had been going swimmingly. It had taken less than an hour to declare Sirius innocent of any crimes regarding the Potters' deaths or the muggle casualties. Harry was tempted to mention that this should have been done over a decade ago but settled for having Sirius free now. The news was being broadcast all over Britain with even the muggle media being handed the story of wrongful imprisonment.
Then they had headed down to the department of mysteries where Harry picked up the glass orb, the group also picked up their 'friend' who spoke to them down in Slytherin's chamber. It was back in Amelia's office that it all went pear-shaped as Harry broke the orb.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."
Hermione and Emma weren't the only two writing it down, both were also staring at what their notepads now held. It was the younger Granger though who spoke first.
"This doesn't make any sense Harry. If you are the one to end Voldemort, using this mysterious power, why the hell weren't you spending all your time working on this? I hardly think sleeping through history of magic is going to prepare you to face Voldemort unless... Oh shit! Oh shit! That utter bastard."
She felt Harry's hand slip into hers. "Perhaps you would care to explain to those of us who are not geniuses just what you figured out?"
Hermione hated to be the one to say this but it had to be done. It all fitted and she was sure she was right. "Either must die at the hand of the other... this means that only you can kill Voldemort."
There was silence as Harry had to coax the next bit from his betrothed. "Even I figured that bit out Hermione, what's got you so upset?"
"It also means that only Voldemort can kill you. That leads me to believe that all those times you ran into him at Hogwarts were anything but mere coincidences. First year, Dumbledore brings the stone to the castle and employs Quirrell. A mere coincidence Hagrid picked up the stone the day he took you to Gringotts? Second year, no one knows a giant basilisk is roaming the school? I wonder if Sirius escaping ruined his plans for third year and we all know what happened this year."
Harry could see both Amelia and the unspeakable got what Hermione was implying but he needed it spelt out to him. "Hermione, please?"
The tears were now streaming down her face as she did indeed spell it out for him. "If Voldemort was ever successful and actually managed to get the better of you, the prophecy would then be fulfilled. This would then open the way for someone else to finish off Voldemort."
Harry could see it all now as plain as day. "Someone else being a wizard with a ridiculously long beard and hideous robes? He appoints really bad defence professors to ensure I don't learn anything while creating oppertunities for Voldemot to get to me. No wonder he got rid of Remus, me casting a patronus must have been as big a shock to him as it was to those dementors."
The evidence already amassed against Dumbledore meant that no one in the room had any trouble believing the hypothesis that Hermione had arrived at. Even though Emma understood where her daughter was coming from, she still had a question. "Why did he try so hard for Harry to keep his magic? Surely this Voldemort would have an easier time if Harry couldn't magically fight back?"
"To fight me, he would have to know where I was. I planned to leave the Dursleys as quickly as possible and was definitely changing my school, hopefully then on to college. Madam Bones, could you have easily found me?"
"I have a few aurors like Tonks here who have a good understanding of the muggle world, I think we would have found you eventually. These are resources though that Voldermort doesn't have. A muggle background would be a death sentance for one of his followers..."
Amelia was interupted by a piercing scream of absolute agony from Harry, only Sirius standing so close to him allowed his godfather to help the now thrashing young wizard to the floor. There was no doubt just where this pain was emanating from, the blood leaking out that famous scar on his forehead was a dead giveaway.
Emma needed Dan's arms around her as they watched their daughter cradle Harry's head in her lap. Hermione was now sitting on the floor with Harry while Sirius and Tonks attempted to stop him hurting himself as he thrashed about. The mysterious man was casting charms at Harry's forehead and everyone appeared relieved when Amelia moved away from the fireplace so the healer could step through. Hopefully they would get to the bottom of this quickly, Harry was obviously in severe pain.
Chapter 12
Albus could see why everyone was jumping to the conclusion he was some kind of covert dark lord, still didn't mean he had to like the idea though. He supposed it would make his eventual victory all the sweeter, it remained to be seen whether Minerva and Severus would ever forgive him after being forced to spend some time in Azkaban.
When the wizarding public discovered that not only was Voldemort still amongst them, he always would be until the Potter boy was dead, Albus expected he and his friends to be hailed as heroes for having the courage to act on that information. It was one thing to hold strong moral opinions against their actions, those self same morals would soon disappear when it was their family's lives that were in deadly jeopardy from a returning Lord Voldemort. The opinion of the British wizarding public was as fickle as the country's weather, Albus though could forecast with a fair degree of certainty that they would quickly be calling for the Potter boy's head in order to see an end to the dark lord.
There were actually two things stopping him approaching the minister with this vital information. Albus had a life long aversion to passing on knowledge he considered too important to be known by others and also the fact that the ministry was about as secure as a fair maiden's virtue in a brothel. Albus hated admitting his shortcomings, even to himself, but he just didn't know how many horcruxes Tom had created. He daren't let the fact that he knew about them make its way back to Voldemort, that particular information leaking could spell disaster.
He needed to be able to operate without the restrictions the prophecy placed him under, yet that would only happen after Harry Potter met his demise at the hands of Voldemort. The boy's name being entered in the tournament was an obvious attempt to do that very thing. Albus though remembered Tom Riddle from his Hogwarts days and knew he was a resourceful young man, there was bound to be a back-up plan swinging into effect about now.
With Voldemort back and Potter gone, Albus would be able to walk right into the ministry and write his own terms for saving their arses. He was confident that would all take place before this summer was over, Albus just hoped Minerva and Severus could hold out in Azkaban until then.
-oOoOo-
Harry awoke slowly, feeling as if one side of his body was numb. The reason for this was soon apparent, as he didn't require his glasses to recognise Hermione. Even although his new bed was massive, she was attached to his side like a limpet. His slight movement though alerted her to his awakening and soon his vision was full of bushy brown hair. A tender kiss later and she was putting his glasses back on him.
"You frightened the life out us Harry, was Voldemort responsible for that?"
Harry drew her into a hug to quell the shudders that racked his body from the mere thought of what he had seen. Thanks to the addition of his glasses, Harry now confirmed he was in his own room at their new house. While he was wearing pyjamas and tucked under the covers, Hermione was fully clothed and lying on top so neither felt the need to jump apart as Sirius entered the room.
"Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?"
"Like Dudley and his gang kicked the shit out of me. How long have I been here?"
"Once you stopped convulsing, the healer from St Mungo's administered a small dose of dreamless sleep potion. It's just after six in the evening. You feel up to talking about it?"
"No, but I need to. I only want to do it the once though so could we get everyone to gather here?"
Hermione was lying in his arms and could easily have stayed there for the rest of her life, her concern for Harry though made her speak out. "Don't you want to get up for a little while, maybe have a bite to eat?"
"Hermione, after you hear what I have to say, dinner will be the last thing on your mind."
Picking up some idea of how bad this might be, Sirius made a suggestion. "Do you think we should invite Madam Bones to hear this?"
Harry's answer of 'Definitely' had Sirius really concerned, he left the two teens so he could make the arrangements.
-oOoOo-
Amelia was being led toward the stunning house by Tonks but her mind wasn't thinking about architecture at the moment. She had some really bad news to pass on to these good people and had no idea how it would be perceived. As head of the DMLE, the part of the job she detested with a passion was having to pass bad news on to surviving relatives. This though had the potential to surpass that hated task by quite a magnitude.
She followed her young auror up the staircase into a first floor bedroom where the rest of the family had gathered. Harry still looked very pale, the white bandage around his head just adding to the effect. His betrothed was sitting on the bed beside him and Amelia wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if the witch hadn't let go of Harry since earlier in the ministry. There were a few sofas and chairs tastefully scattered about the large room that Sirius then placed around the huge bed, Amelia sat as the newly exonerated wizard explained what was going on here.
"Harry is about to tell us what happened today and thought you should be here. He doesn't want to tell it more than once so none of us know what happened yet."
Amelia nodded and awaited Harry's explanation, anything that delayed the news she had to deliver was welcome.
Harry kept a tight hold of Hermione's hand as he began. "The thing that used to be Voldemort was in some kind of underground cavern. I never got to see the outside so have no idea where it is. Peter was there, and Voldemort's snake Nagini."
Hermione offered him a drink but Harry fervently shook his head. "They were on a small rocky island in the middle of an underground pond, a little boat was tied off so I guess that's how they got there. Voldemort was forcing Peter to drink a clear liquid out of something resembling a church font. It was obviously not plain water because it was driving Peter nuts. He was sobbing while rambling on about James and Lily, Voldemort had to use an imperius curse to force the rat into drinking it all. When Peter then handed him a necklace from inside the font, all hell broke loose."
Even with the images of Peter being forced to drink that potion fresh in his mind, Harry needed a sip of water from Hermione before he could carry on. "When Voldemort saw the necklace, he was so angry he fired a curse that nearly brought the roof of the cavern down on top of them. He also forgot about Peter."
His shudder had Hermione once more lying beside him, holding on tight. Harry glanced toward his godfather before continuing. "Whatever revenge you may have dreamed up for Pettigrew, it could never be as bad as the way he met his end. That potion must have left him very thirsty because he crawled to the water and began lapping it up like the rat he was. He'd only been there a few seconds when a hand shot out the water and grabbed him by the throat."
Harry needed another drink because his own throat was now incredibly dry. "The arm had a body attached to it, and that body brought along a good number of his mates. Pettigrew was struggling like mad as they made their way out the water and headed straight for him. The nearest description I could give would be that of a zombie. They had certainly been human once and were clearly not anymore. They started tearing Peter to shreds with their long fingernails, and even their teeth."
Hermione had to remove the glass of water from his hand, Harry was shaking so much he would have spilled it. No one else moved, Harry's story had transported them all to the terror that was the underground cavern. "Voldemort had by then realised what was happening and started throwing some kind of flame curses around. It forced the creatures back into the water but they were dragging a still screaming and struggling bloody Peter Pettigrew with them. It was only when they grabbed his snake that Voldemort realised he was surrounded by the creatures. He couldn't save the snake either."
He paused for a moment, trying to steel himself for the last bit. The horror of what he had experienced was now sinking in to everyone in the room. They couldn't imagine how it could get any worse but Harry's demeanour was clearly indicating that it did. "Voldemort knew it was hopeless. Without Pettigrew he had no way out off there, or anyone to care for him if he did make it. Nagini being slaughtered also meant she wouldn't be able to feed him. His rage was awesome and he took many of those things with him but it was always going to end only one way."
His voice was now muffled as he was clinging on to Hermione as if his life depended on it. The listeners though still caught every word, and the sheer terror they contained. "His cobbled together body couldn't possibly maintain that level of magic use for very long, when the first one managed to grab him that was the beginning of the end. Voldemort was still alive when they began to eat him."
Hermione wasn't the only person in the room now in tears at what Harry had to endure, she was the only person holding Harry though and attempted to keep it together to help him through this. Harry had told her that during these dreams/visions it was as if he was the snake or Voldemort. No wonder he was still shaking, Harry must have felt as if he was being eaten alive.
Dan was the one to break the silence that followed Harry's final revelation. He had an arm comfortingly around his crying wife while struggling to make sense of what he just heard. "Does this mean Voldemort is gone?"
It was actually Harry who tried to answer him. "I don't think so. It felt like when Quirrell died at the end of our first year. He was using another body that time too. It died but he didn't and something tells me this is the same again. Just don't ask me to explain it."
This was the best opening Amelia was going to get so she grasped the opportunity. "Perhaps I can explain it, though I have to emphasise this information is classed as most secret. It can't leave this room."
If Amelia had an explanation, they all wanted to hear it and quickly agreed to keep the secret. She then removed an old book that everyone but Sirius had seen before, Tom Riddle's diary.
"We are now certain this diary was once a horcrux. A horcrux is..."
"Some of the darkest magic known. You create one using a ritual that requires the person to commit murder, a piece of their soul is detached and embedded into an object. The person then cannot die as long as this horcrux exists." It was obvious to everyone Hermione was quoting verbatim from something she'd read, Amelia though demanded to know where she got this information.
"It was only a few paragraphs in a book I was reading about soul magic. It had no information on how to create one though did offer a few suggestions for destroying them. It offered a dementor's kiss or hitting the object with the killing curse as means of disposal. Funnily enough, ripping the fang out a one thousand year old Basilisk and stabbing the horcrux with it never rated a mention."
Harry almost managed a smile. "If you give up on being a stand-up comic, I'll leave the cooking as a hobby. Do we have a deal?"
Dan felt as if he still didn't understand what was going on here. "Are you saying this Voldemort person can't be killed, even by Harry? Isn't that horcrux thing destroyed?"
Amelia had promised them honesty and now it was time to deliver. "Voldemort can't be killed for good while a horcrux still exists. Yes this one is destroyed which can only lead to the conclusion that he made more than one."
While this was sinking in, Amelia then dropped the real bombshell. "I was extremely concerned on hearing Harry had this connection to Voldemort and asked my colleague from the unspeakables if he would carry out some tests on Harry. We of course were going to ask your permission but we all know what happened in my office. He cast the charms while Harry was thrashing about and I'm afraid it's bad news. There is a piece of Voldemort's soul residing behind Harry's scar."
Hermione's wand shot off the bedside table and straight into her hand, it was pointed directly at the head of the DMLE. She wasn't confident enough against such an opponent though so called for back-up. Dobby was there the instant Hermione spoke his name.
She gave the little elf his instructions but her eyes and wand never waivered from Amelia. "Dobby, this is an order. If anyone from the ministry tries to take Harry or harm him, get Harry away from here."
Dobby quickly nodded and stood ready to comply.
Amelia slowly and carefully lifted her hands so Hermione could see they were empty, the girl might still be young but her rage saw the power almost crackle like electricity from the witch. Tonks had her wand out too, but Amelia wouldn't like to bet where the auror's loyalties lay in this situation. It was time to take command. "Auror Tonks, please take my wand and sit it over beside Harry. Miss Granger, please remember I am not Albus Dumbledore."
Sirius clearly sided with the teens that were still on the bed. Dan though felt the more information he got, the more confused he became. "Hermione love, what's the problem here?"
Even as she answered her father, she still never let up on covering Amelia. "Neither can live while the other survives. Now we know why Dumbledore wanted Voldemort to kill Harry, the old bastard probably thought it was poetic justice. He can't be vanquished while Harry still has that horcrux in his head, Voldemort would be killing a piece of himself at the same time. Tell me Madam Bones, what plans do you have for getting this thing out of Harry without killing him?"
She felt Harry's hand reach over and slowly push her wand arm down. "This is not the way Hermione, Madam Bones has been a friend to us since we first met her. I would certainly like to hear the answer to that question though."
"I promised I would tell the truth and that's what I intend to do. At the moment, only one other person outside these four walls knows about this. He's currently searching through every piece of literature the ministry has that mentions these things. Miss Granger's hypothesis about Dumbledore is surely correct and, thanks to her insight, we will be searching his office for any materials on the subject in the very near future. May we borrow the book on soul magic you read that in?"
"The book mainly focused on another type of soul magic, that was just… Tonks, mum, I need to speak with you both." She turned to Harry and gave him a quick kiss. "You stay here, we won't be long."
Harry easily recognised what he would call Hermione's 'head to the library' moment. He could only smile as she jumped off the bed.
Hermione wasn't smiling though as she spoke to Dobby on the way out. "My order still stands Dobby, keep Harry safe."
The little elf practically saluted. "Yes Mistress Mione, you can count on Dobby." If there was one order Dobby would be sure to follow to the best of his abilities, it would be keeping Harry Potter safe.
As the three ladies left, Sirius looked to Harry for an explanation. "Hermione just thought of something but isn't sure enough of her facts to tell us yet. Normally she would be heading for the library but we haven't had time to set that up. She'll let us all know shortly."
Dan was shaking his head. "It amazes me just how well you two can read each other, Hermione was ready to do battle and you calmed her down with a few words. I'm also amazed at how well you're taking this horcrux news, I think I would be going nuts about now."
Harry considered Dan's point for a moment before answering. "A part of me is terrified while another is relieved that we can put a name to what this is. Does that make sense?" He received a nod from Sirius, Amelia and Dan before continuing.
"We also have Madam Bones and an unspeakable in our corner fighting for us, and a family to fall back on. That puts us way ahead of where we normally are in these situations. Dumbledore is undoubtedly a brilliant man but once he makes his mind up about something, nothing can change it. That's why I was sent back to the Dursleys every summer, and why he kept trying to arrange my death. He couldn't see any other option but now there are some very god people looking for one."
"Harry, I give you my word that we will do everything in our power to get that thing out of there without harming you. My friend in the unspeakables thinks that, if he got his hands on a horcrux, he could use it to help track down any others. As we've seen from your scar, they are all connected in some way. He reckons that one could be used to track down the rest. What can you tell us about that necklace?"
"Oh, did I say it was a locket, and that there was a note inside?" The glances from the other occupants of his bedroom clearly told Harry that, not only did he not mention these facts, he should continue with the rest of the story as soon as possible. "A death eater had discovered what Voldemort was up to and swapped lockets. He expected to pay for this with his life but hoped it would help bring Voldemort down. It was signed R.A.B."
Sirius was on his feet instantly with a cry of "What did you just say?" He made a lunge toward Harry, only to find an empty bed. Dobby had protected his master.
-oOoOo-
Hermione led her mother and Tonks into her bedroom, shutting the door before speaking. "Tonks, what do you know about soul bond rituals?"
"Ah, the mystery of why you were reading about that type of magic is solved. I think you are a bit young to be considering a step like that."
"And I think Harry's far too young to die. Do you know anything about them?"
"Only that they fell out of favour many decades ago. With both participants having to swear they would be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives, and also the couple have to be virgins, you can see why this died out among the pureblood males."
"So far nothing you have said seems like a negative to me?"
"What about having to lose your virginity during the ritual?"
Hermione was trying not to blush, and deliberately not looking at her mother at this point. "It was always going to be Harry, this would just move the timetable up."
"Ok, I can understand that but what if the bond isn't powerful enough to push the horcrux out? I'm assuming that's the aim here?"
"Of course that's the aim. When I first read it, I thought that was the kind of relationship every girl dreams off. With the situation we're in now, this may be a way out for us."
"In theory, yes. I really don't know enough about it, I think you are going to have to talk to Madam Bones' friend in the unspeakables."
Hermione was now smiling. "I just wanted to know if you thought it was possible before I mentioned it."
"I assume you are now going to tell me just what you both are talking about?"
"Mum, Harry has a bit of Voldemort's soul behind his scar, and we need to get it out." Emma nodded that at least that much she understood. "The book I was reading had rituals where a couple could literally join their souls, magic and everything else that we are. It goes so much further than a simple marriage. My hope is that this bond would force that thing out of Harry. Nothing can come between a soul bound couple, our magic simply wouldn't allow it."
"And for this ritual to work, you have to lose your virginity? I'm assuming during sex with Harry?"
This time Hermione looked her mother directly in the eyes. "Yes mother."
Emma couldn't mistake the determination shown there, she asked the question the mother in her wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to. "Do you have some kind of schedule in mind for performing this ritual?"
"Well, when I first read of this ritual, I thought my coming of age would be the perfect time..."
Hermione's room wasn't just as big as Harry's, it still contained a sofa and two chairs as part of its furnishings. It was into one of these chairs a mightily relieved Emma Granger sank. "Oh thank god for that. For a minute there I had this terrible vision of explaining to your father this was happening next week. Since you'll then be seventeen, he doesn't even need to know anything about it."
Hermione's gaze was now locked on her mother. "As I was saying, that was my original thoughts, or dreams would be a more accurate description. Now we know about this thing in Harry's head, I really think it should be sooner rather than later."
Emma was trying to gather her thoughts after that electrifying news. While she was delighted Hermione trusted her enough to have this discussion, the mother in her was screaming that her baby wasn't ready for this step yet. How to put that across without starting a war would call on all her parenting skills. Hermione's reaction to Amelia's revelation hadn't shocked Emma, she'd come to recognise the deep feelings the couple had for each other.
"Hermione, your father and I really like your choice of boyfriend, we're even happy with the betrothal part of your relationship. This though seems like a step too far, too quickly. Surely what we just heard about this Voldemort gives you more time? You'll need to explain to me the need for this to be rushed into before I could even consider thinking about it, never mind offering my blessing."
Hermione gave a genuine smile at that. Her mother would hear her out, she really couldn't ask for any more than that at the moment. She needed her mum on board to help convince her dad, the task of persuading Harry this was a good idea fell to her and would probably be every bit as difficult, especially if the process proved to be dangerous to one Hermione Granger.
"The reason I had my wand on Madam Bones is because I think the ministry and Dumbledore are a bigger threat to Harry at the moment than Voldemort. Harry's right to trust her but, if it became public knowledge he had to die to be rid of Voldemort his life wouldn't be worth a Knut. Dumbledore knows all this and may just decide to go public in the hope of keeping Snape and McGonagall out of Azkaban."
Emma was aghast at even the thought this could be true, she looked toward Tonks and only found confirmation coming from the auror.
"Minister Fudge will always go with the popular opinion, and the public believe everything they are told. We would be forced to flee the country and hide for the rest of our lives."
Neither Granger girl missed Tonks use of the word 'we', the auror was clearly placing the safety of the young couple before any loyalty to her job.
Emma stood and held both her daughter's hands in her own, she needed the contact for her next question. "Hermione, are you sure you're both ready to take this relationship to the next level? This is not something that can be taken back."
Emma saw vulnerability in her daughter for the first time. "I love Harry mum and think he loves me, I already know he's the one for me."
"Hermione, I don't think there is any doubt how Harry feels about you. That at least is one thing you don't have to worry about."
Tonks hated to interrupt this tender mother/daughter moment but had a piece of information that she thought needed mentioning. "What you might not know is, should these two go through with this and pull it off, they would be married in the eyes of the magical world. Your daughter would eventually be Lady Hermione Potter, wife of Lord Potter."
Neither Emma nor Tonks missed the glow in Hermione's eyes at the mere thought of that. The also heard her whispered reply. "Now all I have to do is convince Harry."
At that, there was a loud pop and Harry appeared in Hermione's bed. Emma just couldn't resist teasing her daughter. "Looks like that won't be as big a problem as you thought."
-oOoOo-
"What the hell are you playing at Sirius?"
"In a minute Dan, we need to find where Dobby took Harry. Winky."
The little elf appeared with a scowl on her face.
"Winky, do you know where Dobby took Harry?"
"Yes."
That Winky offered no further explanation was a clear indication to Sirius just how big a mess he'd made of things. She only answered what her bond to the Black family forced her to, this was not the way he wanted to continue. Sirius knelt down to be closer in height to the little elf. "Winky, I love my godson and would never harm him. Harry just gave me the biggest shock of my life and I need to find him. Will you help me?"
All three could see Winky thinking before answering. "Dobby took him to where he would be safe, beside Mistress Mione. They are in her bedroom."
A relieved Sirius thanked his elf before standing, Amelia had retrieved her wand and stored it away inside her robes. "I'm assuming that if we follow you, there will be an explanation?"
Dan couldn't resist adding his tuppence worth. "You'd better come anyway Amelia, Sirius here might be the one requiring a bodyguard, from Hermione."
Sirius wasn't really listening, he shot out the door to find his godson. The sound of female laughter emanating from Hermione's room was certainly unexpected and slowed Sirius down enough to let the other two catch up. He knocked and opened the door to find a blushing Hermione, while Emma and Tonks were in kinks of laughter at her discomfort. Sirius though had his gaze locked onto Harry, and the loyal little elf at his side.
"Dobby, thank you for such quick action regarding Harry but I was only going to ask him some questions. R.A.B. could be my younger brother Regulus. Our whole world thinks he died a death eater, this might change everything."
"I'm sorry Sirius, the letter mentioned destroying the horcrux but not much else."
The auror in Amelia needed to see the proof. "Do you have any idea where your brother might have placed such a thing?"
Sirius was considering nothing else, this would be like getting his brother back. To know Regulus died fighting Voldemort would do wonders for his soul. He called again for Winky.
"When you were getting items out my family property, was their another elf there?"
"Yes master Sirius, he knew Winky was also a Black elf but still called Winky terrible names. He stopped when Dobby banished him into a wall. He leaves Winky alone after that." No one missed Winky's blush, or sly glance in Dobby's direction.
When Sirius called for Kreacher, the elf was duty bound to obey the head of the Black family. Kreacher though could still display his displeasure and was all set to do so before spotting Dobby. He had no wish to cross that powerful young elf again. "What can Kreacher do for the head of the Black family?"
Watching Dobby stand their ready to protect his master triggered memories of another elf who was devoted to a black haired boy, Regulus had been Kreacher's favourite by quite a margin. Remembering this tempered the way Sirius approached the old elf. "Kreacher, do you know anything about a locket my brother might have taken from the dark lord?"
Any semblance of resistance left the dirty and dishevelled elf, fat tears began to leave clean tracks down his wrinkled cheeks. "Master Regulus wouldn't let Kreacher save him. When those things came out of the water, he ordered Kreacher away."
The thought of his young brother meeting the same end Harry had described for Pettigrew had tears in the corners of Sirius' eyes too, he wasn't the only one. "What about the locket Kreacher, was it destroyed?"
The ancient elf's body was now racked with sobs. "Kreacher is a bad elf, he couldn't carry out Master Regulus' last orders. The magic was too powerful for Kreacher, Kreacher couldn't destroy it."
Amelia handed Sirius the diary and he caught on at once. "Kreacher, we know how to destroy it. This book held the same dark magic and my godson destroyed it. If you bring the locket here, I give you my word it will be destroyed. Master Regulus will be avenged."
That was a concept Kreacher was well acquainted with, he was after all a Black elf. Sirius was now head of the Black family and offering to remove the stain of failure from Kreacher, he popped out of there at once.
There wasn't really time to say anything else before the elf returned and presented Sirius with the locket. Amelia offered an evidence bag and it was quickly bagged and tagged.
Kreacher was looking around the room, noticing the muggleness of it. "Will Master Sirius be staying here?"
"I will be living here with my godson for now, I assume you will be taking good care of the Black ancestral home, and yourself?"
Kreacher stood just that little bit straighter. "Kreacher will have the home ready for when Master Sirius visits."
"Would Kreacher like some help?"
His old eyes looked at the young female elf, wearing a robe with the Black crest proudly and prominently displayed. "Kreacher would like that."
"Dobby and Winky will pop in to help clean, once we have our home the way we want it."
Sirius wasn't alone in being moved by Winky's offer of aid, nor did he miss the fact that both elves clearly thought of this as home. Kreacher nodded toward Sirius before popping out of there and heading back to London.
Sirius handed the bag to Amelia. "You better take this, I hope your unspeakable friend knows what he's doing?"
Amelia accepted the locket from Sirius with an expression that seemed equal parts excitement and horror. Excitement that they might finally be able to end Voldemort once and for all, and horror that someone had to be murdered to produce this.
"Croaker is the best. If he thinks this can be used to track these things down then their days are numbered. Don't you worry Harry, we'll be working on getting that out of you too. Now that I know Voldemort is banished, I can move more auror's over to the hunt for Dumbledore. Sirius, I'm sorry but trying to clear your brother's name at the moment might give information to our enemies. When this is all over though..."
Sirius nodded in understanding, nothing else needed to be said. Regulus was no death eater, that was enough for him.
Hermione actually felt sick at the sight of the locket. Until the horcrux was out of Harry, every single one of these discovered put his life in greater danger. If they determined that Harry was the last remaining horcrux, no government in the world would stand back and let him live a normal life. The needs of the many would outweigh the needs of the one. Hermione removed a slim volume from one of the three bookcases in her room. "Madam Bones, this is the book I read about horcruxes in, it…"
"It's ok Hermione, I'll get Madam Bones up to speed as I see her out."
Both Granger girls were grateful to Tonks for interceding, neither were looking forward to the anticipated response of the men to Hermione's plan. Emma had also recognised that the discovery of the locket slashed any time they had for planning. If word came back that the ritual would actually work, and they couldn't come up with another safe method to get that abomination out of Harry's head, Emma knew it would fall to her to convince Dan this was the right thing to do.
She knew her daughter well enough to know Hermione would consider this a small price to pay in saving Harry's life. She was also smart enough to know that if any government could end a war by killing one person, they would take the shot. She watched as her daughter return to Harry and snuggle into her boyfriend, bringing comfort to both of them. On the one hand it was adorable, knowing what was in front of them though Emma couldn't help but think the next few days would be just as fraught as those just passed. She could only hope her family came through this stronger, and a little larger. She would have to make sure Hermione knew about all the forms of birth control available.
-oOoOo-
Croaker was delighted with the horcrux Amelia brought him, but even more so at the story she told. "Perhaps now you will understand why we are so interested in these two? I spent all day researching ways to get that thing out the lad and came up with nothing. Miss Granger not only quickly realises what the ministry's reaction to this news would be, she discovers a method that might just be our only viable alternative. She and Mr Potter really do make quite the team, it's such a pity Dumbledore got his hooks into Harry's parents first."
"You actually think this idea will work?"
"If any couple could pull it off at such a young age, it would be those two. Mr Potter is also the only person capable of having the power to push that thing out of him. Knowing that if he doesn't, it will spell disaster for Miss Granger too, I would bet my life on the result."
"It will be their lives riding on this, there can be no mistakes here."
The unspeakable nodded his agreement. "This book provides us with a starting point, I'm sure there are more detailed texts in our library. I will of course keep looking for alternative methods but don't hold out much hope. I think we must assume Dumbledore spent years searching for a way to get that out the lad, eventually deciding Harry had to die to complete the prophecy. We'll know more when we go through his office at Hogwarts tomorrow."
Amelia had a question that had been troubling her ever since she heard this idea from Tonks. "How will this fit with the prophecy Dumbledore put so much faith in?"
"Well, who's to say the prophecy wasn't fulfilled that Halloween?" The unspeakable thought for a few moments before offering an alternative suggestion. "If we left the horcrux in Harry until last, that would definitely fit the prophecy. The power the dark lord didn't know would be love, I'm sure you'll agree that's not something Voldemort was overly familiar with."
This threw up another question for Amelia. "How will you know when Harry's the last one remaining?"
"Well, he apparently made the diary when seventeen so I think it's safe to assume that was the first. I also think it's safe to assume Harry Potter was the last. Now that we have one that was made somewhere in-between those two, it shouldn't be too difficult to arithmetically extrapolate a formula from magical power readings. Even the residue on the diary still left an imprint of the power it once held. This should enable us to accurately predict how many he made, especially when we find any more. Their power readings should fit right into our prediction."
The auror in Amelia just kept coming up with more questions that she wanted the answers to. "We think Dumbledore's known about the horcruxes since that Halloween, why in Merlin's name hasn't he done anything about it? It was only eighteen months ago Harry Potter slapped a destroyed one on his desk, surely he'll have made some headway into solving these problems?"
"I doubt it. Dumbledore is brilliant with his wand, at Charms and Transfiguration he probably has no equal. We both know about his skills at alchemy but Arithmancy was never his strong suit. Oh he passed his NEWT but took it no further, he probably wouldn't know what I'm going to attempt is possible. What we will need is possible locations Voldemort may have hidden these things, I'm hoping Dumbledore has some ideas about that."
"What sort of range will your detector give?"
"Barely a square mile. Unless we can narrow down locations, it could take years to do a grid search of Britain. That's also assuming they are all stored here, otherwise we might never find them."
"If the old fool had only shared this information, Voldemort would be nothing but a bad memory by now. Just one more reason for me wanting to wring his scrawny neck."
That comment brought a question from the unspeakable. 'Just how bad do you want to get your hands on the old wizard?"
Amelia answered with a glare that didn't need words. Her friend then supplied the means. "What they attempted to do with Harry and your Susan could be considered line theft. If you add those charges, you know what the punishment could be. I think we also know what Dumbledore's reaction would be too."
Adding those charges would mean she was forced to inform Susan about the plot, but there was something else that needed to be organised first. "That can't happen unless we have a procedure in place to deal with Potter's situation. We both know what Fudge is like so there can be no mistakes here. The trials are set for Monday so we need to have a working method that I can take to them on Sunday."
"Now that I can narrow my search, I should be able to confirm or deny whether Miss Granger's proposal would work by then. If you don't mind, I would like to come with you to that meeting."
"Thanks, I think that one should go better than the death sentence I handed Harry today. I can't wait to see Dumbledore's face when he thinks he's holding all the aces, only for us to trumph him before throwing his arse in Azkaban."
That thought brought a smile to both their faces.
-oOoOo-
There was a distinct lack of smiles in the Grangers bedroom that night. There was a distinct lack of anything and the silence finally got to Emma. "Dan, please tell me what you're thinking?"
"I'm thinking I should have booted McGonagall's arse right out our front door that day she turned up and told us Hermione was a witch. You tell me our fifteen year old daughter needs to have sex with her boyfriend to save his life and a part of me just wants to get out my shotgun and shoot the little bastard."
"Dan!"
"You asked me what I'm thinking and there it is. What do we know about this ritual thing? Will they be selling tickets so people can watch?"
"You know our daughter isn't like that..."
"Emma, our daughter would have sex with Harry in the centre circle of the Wembly Stadium pitch, during half time of the FA cup final, if it helped Harry in some way. In case you hadn't noticed, our daughter is totally and utterly besotted with the boy."
"Of course I bloody noticed, you're convienently forgetting that the boy feels exactly the same about her." Emma was really glad that Hermione was staying over at Harry's, the last thing she needed at the moment was to hear them arguing over this.
"Look, I don't care what you say, they're both far too young to be having sex. That is my opinion and I can't see it changing."
"I agree with you, and so does Hermione. What she's really worried about is Harry's opinion. If he thinks they're too young, or sees it causing a rift in our family, Hermione is sure he'll say no. We've already seen he was ready to give up his magic to get out of Hogwarts, what do you think he will do if he thought this would hurt Hermione?"
"Shit Emma, dont try and lay any blame for this at my feet. You must have known what my reaction would be, and so does Hermione. If this needs me to sign my permission then I don't think I can do that, it's a step too far for me. I really like Harry but this is just too much for me to handle. How could any father be asked something like that about his fifteen year old daughter?"
Emma then told her husband the information she was sure he wasn't going to like. "The form we already signed takes away our right to object, Harry and Hermione are betrothed so the next step is their decision to make." Dan was struggling to find words when his wife totally blew him out the water.
"This is not some teenage wham-bam, thank you ma'am and I'll give you a call sometime. Hermione told me this ritual will see them joined for life, faithful to each other until the end. Tonks then added that, in the magical community at least, they would be married."
Dan was gasping like a fish out of water, his mouth was going but there were no words coming out. Emma then delivered the coup de grace. "Our daughter would be Mrs Potter, in a few more years that would change to Lady Hermione Jane Potter, married to Lord Harry Potter. The ritual would see them married, allowing Harry to come into some of his inheritance at once."
Dan had no answer to that either. "Now I have already said I think they are too young for this but we have to consider the alternatives here. In any situation regarding Hermione, my benchmark is always what I think is best for our daughter. I can't imagine a single sinario where a dead Harry Potter fits that bill."
Emma knew she was pushing her husband here but Dan could be every bit as stuborn as Harry where Hermione's welfare was concerned. Whatever decision he reached, they would need to be able to live with it for the rest of their lives. "We might be faced with this in the next few days, not something I'm looking forward to. All I know is that I would much rather be welcoming Harry into the family as my son-in-law than trying to pick up the pieces Hermione would be in if anything happened to him."
Emma turned on her side, her back to Dan, and attempted to get some sleep. She didn't think there was a cat in hell's chance of either of them getting any shut-eye tonight. Part of her agreed with her husband that they should have kicked McGonagall out that day. A much bigger part though remembered having Harry in the house over the holidays, and just how happy that made their daughter. They recieved many comments at their ball on just how cute a couple Hermione and Harry made, Emma could only pray they could spend many more holidays together as a family.