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potter_29074750200017905
Я переродился как Гарри
Поттер
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Синопсис
Не совсем Гарри, в не совсем стандартной ситуации. Магический
мир давно уже списал Поттера со счетов, но он мальчик, который
выжил, так что от него так просто не избавиться.
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Chapter 1: Prologue
Oh, what a stupid death that turned out to be! I used to think, for some
reason, that a stupid death is when a ridiculous coincidence of
circumstances occurs. For example, an ordinary housewife, sitting in her
flat on the seventh floor, decided to water the flowers on the windowsill
and absolutely accidentally pushed the pot right on the head of an
unsuspecting passer-by. But my demise was not far from that. No, I died
quite honourably: I went to pull the girl out of the river. Except at that
moment I didn't think I was a lousy swimmer myself. In the end, the river
took one human soul anyway. But at least I saved the girl.
The fact that I am now in a post-mortal, so to speak, state, there is no
doubt, if only because I can not imagine in my city such a room. A huge
hall flooded with bright, white light. The walls are nowhere to be seen. I
would have thought there were none at all, but the ceiling is clearly
supported by something.
- Turn it down a bit! - I shouted into the void as the light began to cut
into my eyes.
- There's no need to shout like that, young man, I can hear you just fine,"
the man in front of me replied. He snapped his fingers, and a soft twilight
enveloped the space around me. Wiping away the tears that came from
the bright light, I was able to scrutinise the stranger, but he was also
scrutinising me, and he was in no hurry to speak. He looked, to put it
bluntly, ordinary. Black, short-cropped hair, brown eyes, average height.
He was dressed in an ordinary grey suit and a white shirt. He looked
about forty-five to fifty years old, no more. But the look... The look said
that in front of me was obviously not an easy man, and not that he was a
man at all. The man, as if reading my thoughts, smirked and said:
- Yes, you're right, I'm not really human. I have many names. You can
call me Death, that option should be familiar to you.
- Oh-oh, no luck, no luck," I muttered disappointedly.
- Yeah, that's what everyone says when they hear they're dead," he
continued to smirk, looking me in the eye.
- You misunderstand me. That I'm dead, I realised that myself. It's just
that in all the books, Death looks either like an old woman with a scythe
or a pretty girl," I stretched out and looked at him eloquently from head
to toe.
It's a shame I won't have any descendants to tell about the time I made
Death stupor.
The man stared at me in surprise for a few seconds, then laughed.
- Oh," he managed to squeeze out a laugh, "it's been a long time since I've
had any fun around here. I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations.
- It's all right. You'd better tell me how I got the honour of being greeted
in person. Or is this how you inspect everyone?
- No, no, no, you're right. Not many people get in here at all," he circled
the space around him. - It's kind of like a hallway. Usually souls skip this
place without stopping and then move on. Only exceptional individuals
stay here.
- So I'm considered an exceptional person here? - I asked in surprise. - I
don't think I've done anything so extraordinary in my life.
- Don't underestimate yourself. You sacrificed yourself for another person
you don't know! I realise you didn't think of that," he continued quickly,
seeing me open my mouth. - But that's just the way it is, and such cases
are rare, no matter what you say.
Just like that, in just a few moments, my death had gone from stupid to
heroic. But I still couldn't understand what they wanted from me or why
they were keeping me here.
- And I'm keeping you here," Death continued, as if nothing had
happened, "because I want to offer you a choice. You can go to paradise
and rest in peace, - he pointed his hand somewhere behind his back, - or
I can send your soul to a new body.
- Is that like a second life? - I asked excitedly. I was already liking the
idea. After all, I hadn't lived long enough, and there were so many
interesting things I hadn't done. I could always get to heaven.
- Not something like that," he mocked me, "but a second life. Except there
are a few pitfalls. The thing is, I don't know exactly where you'll end up.
It could be the family of an African tribal shaman, or a medieval knight,
or even you yourself from a few years ago! There are an infinite number
of realities and you could end up in any one of them.
- I agree, but hopefully it won't be a tree. - Not that I mind, but a
hundred years of looking at the same place must get tiresome.
- I can promise you it won't be a tree," the man was still smirking as he
looked at me. I guess he's always like that.
- Then let's go! - I couldn't wait to go to my new body. I had no family in
my world, so it was surprisingly easy to leave. My friends will be as sad
for me as I am for them, but we'll manage.
- I like your enthusiasm! I think I'll keep an eye on you sometimes.
Unless, of course, you turn out to be some stray, old cat," he muttered the
last one under his breath, and I couldn't hear what he said. - Well, on
your way. We'll meet again.
- See you later! - I shouted as the man and the hall around me began to
fade away.
==========
When Death had told me that I could go anywhere, he hadn't made it
clear that I might not be a baby. When I agreed to send my soul into a
new body, I thought that I would become a newborn baby who would
only have to learn all the mysteries of the world. But now I began to fully
realise that my dreams were not destined to come true.
When I woke up in my new body, the first thing I did was to listen to my
sensations. There was nothing but emptiness inside me. For a moment I
thought I had become a tree, which with my luck would not have been
surprising, but gradually I began to feel a body, and this body was not a
baby that had just come out of the womb. I didn't move or open my eyes
- I decided to sort myself out first.
As soon as I fully realised that I had become another person, who
probably lived in another country, in another time, and everything was
different from what it was for me, the sensations of the surrounding
world began to come to me. The first sensation that came to me was the
cold. It came on suddenly and abruptly, as if I had just been on the beach
and had already dived headfirst into an ice-hole. Immediately after the
cold came a headache, which was still very slight, but a vague
premonition told me that I would suffer from it. I didn't feel the presence
of a second soul. Perhaps it was impossible to feel such a thing, but I felt
as if no one was here, and the place had been prepared for me in
advance. It was a strange sensation - my body reacted quickly to my
brain's commands, but it still felt a bit foreign. Hopefully, it would pass
soon.
There was absolute silence, and I dared to open one eye. Above me were
the vague outlines of the ceiling, which had once been white, but had
been washed for the last time a long time ago. I couldn't get a better look,
apparently I had terrible eyesight now, and there wasn't much light in the
room.
Turning my head, I stared at the wall. A plain stone wall that didn't have
wallpaper or even paint on it. Looking the other way, I saw the same
thing, except that there was something like a passageway between the
bed and the other wall. I liked the situation less and less with each
passing moment. Sitting up abruptly on the bed, and ignoring the
shooting pain in my head, which clearly didn't like my tossing about, I
looked around. Yeah, that's what I thought - a cell! A regular prison cell!
No, of course, I've never been in one myself, but literature and television
give a pretty good idea of what an average cell looks like. Except that
there were usually bars, and I had a door, a strange kind of door, as if it
were an interior door. Otherwise, it looked exactly like this. A room
about three by four metres, a bed that looked more like a bench, a barred
window under the ceiling, and a door. There was no toilet, or any
semblance of one. Judging by the smell, my newfound body was doing
just fine without one.
Standing up on my feet and swaying slightly, I examined myself. Yeah,
something had to be done about my eyesight. I don't know whether my
glasses had been taken away from me or whether my eyesight had
already deteriorated here, but I could see nothing. But even that was
enough for me to realise that I looked extremely lousy. Something that
had once been a jumper hung down to my knees. I immediately threw
the trousers away as far as possible, as the odour emanating from them
was enough to ruin a small town. They did not fly far, of course, for the
opposite wall was three metres away, but I could breathe a little easier.
There were no shoes of any kind, but the dirt on their feet was a nice
relief from the cold stone floor.
- Why is there a door like that? - I asked quietly, I don't know from
whom. Probably from the moon, which illuminated my space through the
window. I did not pay any attention to the fact that my native language
was difficult.
As I approached the door, I pushed on the handle and it clicked quietly.
Yes, the door was unlocked. I don't know if Death helped me or if that
was the plan. We'll figure it out later, but for now I had to look around
and try to leave this dodgy place.
There was a draught in the corridor, which was not much different from
a cell. Either it was winter outside or I was somewhere in the far north.
The strange torches along the wall gave no definite answer to that
question. Despite the wind, they burned evenly and did not smoke at all.
Still, I can't imagine such a place in the north, more like a medieval
castle with strange technologies.
The corridor went both ways, and I decided that I could always go left, so
I went right. Literally five metres away in the wall was the same door as
the one to my cell. Trying to open it, I was surprised to find that the door
yielded easily. Apparently, they'd been saving money on locks. When I
looked inside, I saw a man wearing the same clothes I was wearing. He
was sitting on the bed with his back to the entrance, staring out the
window without moving.
- Hey," I whispered to him, but got no response. - "Hey!" I called a little
louder, but got the same reaction. - Are you asleep? - I poked him lightly
in the shoulder, looked at his face and froze. That's when I got scared.
No, he didn't have long worms on his face, or anything equally
disgusting, but at that moment I realised that he wasn't a man at all, just
a shell. The moonlight shining in the window made clear the meaningless
stare, the open mouth, and the thin trickle of saliva slowly dripping down
his chin and onto the bed. What horrified me the most was that my body
had apparently looked exactly the same until I'd been in it.
As I walked back out into the corridor, I shook my head, trying to push
the image down into the back of my mind, or I'd start dreaming about it,
and I didn't want to have nightmares. Now, besides getting out of here, I
really wanted to find out what the hell was going on. What kind of hotel
for lost souls?
The next few doors I encountered as I walked down the corridor led me
to the exact same cells. The bodies in them didn't look much different
from each other, except for their postures. The cold gradually overcame
me. The rags that covered my body from neck to knees did not keep me
warm, and the mud on my feet was no help. The icy wind took every
opportunity to attack my gaunt body, and combined with what I was
seeing, I was beginning to seriously wish I had agreed to paradise.
Suddenly the corridor came to a new door, very different from the
previous ones. It was massive, double-leafed, and completely black. It
looked imposing in the uneven torchlight. I was almost certain that
behind it was the throne room of some Sauron, but no, opening it
carefully, I wasn't even surprised that it wasn't locked, and then I looked
inside. Behind the door was an ordinary office. Apparently, the owner of
the office had decided that the shells left in the cells would not walk the
corridors, so he didn't lock the office, but for nothing.
Inside, directly opposite the entrance, there was a large window, along
the walls were shelves with some folders, and in front of the window
stood a table and a couple of chairs. On the table, oh wonder, there were
glasses! I immediately put them on and looked around again. I can't say it
was much better, I could still see just as badly. It was clear that my
body's vision was much worse than the one who had left the glasses here,
but at least now I didn't have to squint and get close to objects.
I noticed a movement to my right, turned round sharply, and froze. There
was a scarecrow standing opposite me, wearing exactly the same clothes
as all the other shells. I took a step towards him, and he repeated my
movement. Then it finally hit me. A mirror. A regular fucking mirror.
And this scarecrow is none other than myself? Yeah. What a sight!
Tangled dirty hair hanging down to my shoulders, a face covered with
dirt and overgrown with some irregular stubble, all my appearance
showed that I've been here for ten years at least. The former jumper hung
like a sack, covering a completely bony torso, and with my eyesight I
could not yet fully appreciate the magnitude of the tragedy!
But here I noticed something that made me forget all my previous
experiences and seriously question my adequacy. If it hadn't been for the
glasses, I wouldn't have noticed, but now, looking closer, I saw him. It
was so small, so inconspicuous, hidden under my hair and a layer of
dirt.... It was a scar! Not just any scar, but the most famous scar in the
world! The lightning bolt scar! And it was right in the middle of my
forehead.
I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the mirror, and then I couldn't
help but swear out loud, not caring if anyone heard me.
- No, it's probably just a coincidence, it's not like it happened in the
books," I said, oddly, convincing myself out loud. - I'd read a couple of
fanfics, and the plot was very different from the original..... You think I'm
in a fanfic? Don't talk rubbish! - or maybe he wasn't.
Finally, after arguing with myself and swearing at myself, Death, the girl
I went to save in the river, and a couple of other people I didn't know, I
soberly assessed the depth of the arse I had willingly plunged into.
Immediately I had a bad feeling about where I was. Indeed, judging from
the books I had read, it could only be one place. Quickly going to the
window, I looked around and went to swear at everyone for the second
time. That's right - the surroundings consist solely of water. It looked like
I was somewhere in the upper levels of Azkaban. And these, I'm not
afraid of the word, are the people who were kissed by the dementor. The
Dementors themselves are a few levels down, at least I hope so, since
there's really nothing for them to feed on, but I can still feel their
presence.
All right, stop! Two reasonable questions arise at once: firstly, how do I
know how the presence of dementors is felt, and secondly, did Potter get
kissed by a dementor!?
The question, "What the fuck is going on here!" - was growing in my head
to the size of some small planet, but there were no answers.
- That's it, Mr Potter, pull yourself together and get to work on this pile,"
I'd had a knack for adapting quickly to unusual situations since I was a
kid, because if I froze and tried to understand what was going on, it
wouldn't get any easier. So I pulled myself together, dismissed the
thoughts that were unnecessary at the moment, and looked around
carefully for any answers. On the wall there was a duty schedule,
according to which the day shift would start at seven in the morning.
Looking at the clock on the desk, I realised that I had another six hours to
sort everything out and get the hell out of here. The question of how I
was going to get off the island I tactfully left to future me.
Opening a small wardrobe in the corner of the office, I found some
clothes and, more interestingly, a safe. It was decided to start with the
clothes. Pulling off the rag I proudly called a jumper, I examined my ribs,
which were covered by a thin layer of skin, then looked at my left arm
with some hope, but there was no miracle. The scar from the basilisk's
fang was there. I couldn't remember Potter's other distinguishing features,
but what I found was enough. I decided to wear whatever I could find. It
was probably even colder outside, I'd rather spray than freeze.
Unfortunately, I had to put it all on my dirty body, but it was better than
nothing. All the clothes were too big for me, what a surprise. After
looking in the mirror at my new look, which was little better than the old
one, as it contained trousers and boots four sizes bigger and a bright
orange shirt, I put a decent warm robe on top. I decided it was warm,
since it was the first robe I'd ever seen in my life. All in all, it turned out
pretty good, and the cold started to recede.
It was time for the safe. Knowing the local attitude to locks, I was sure
that the key to it lay somewhere nearby. After about ten seconds of
searching, the key was found in a desk drawer. Inside the safe were two
folders that looked no different from the ones on the shelves, a thick
stack of newspapers, and a pile of brushwood that, on closer inspection,
turned out to be a bunch of magic wands. Considering that I had never
encountered any mention of being in the magical world up to that point,
it was the final, decisive argument for accepting such an obvious and yet
so complex truth: I am Harry Potter.
Chapter 2: Merge
Footsteps echoed thickly down the corridor. The sound made my heart
stop for a few seconds. Quickly shoving everything I could get out of the
safe and locking it, I slipped the key back into the drawer and ducked
under the desk. At the same moment, two men entered the office.
Judging by the legs, they were both men, I couldn't tell more than that.
They were talking softly to each other, and I held my breath to listen.
- Hurry up, Johnny, I have to be back here in five hours, and I'd like to
get some sleep," the man sounded like he was in his early thirties.
- I'll be right back, I'll be right back," the other man was clearly older
than his partner. He was looking for something on the shelves with
folders. - Oh, here it is!
- What's so important in this file that we couldn't get it in the morning?
- In the morning he'll be kissed, and at the time of the execution Moody
should have the file," said the one called Johnny, instructively.
- Would Moody himself be the chief prosecutor? He must have caught a
serious bird.
- Only the Dark Lord and Potter are more serious, but you can't catch
one, and the other has long since turned into a vegetable," both men
laughed. It's probably not a bad joke, I'm just too dull for it, I thought. By
the way, I understood English very well, even though I couldn't
understand three words before.
- Come on, let's get out of here. Don't miss the execution, Lucius is only
going to be kissed once by a dementor. - And to the accompaniment of
their own laughter, they left the office.
- So that means Malfoy Senior has been sentenced to be kissed. Well,
that's not exactly canon. Anyway, let's get on with the investigation! -
Detective Potter returned to examining the contents of the safe.
I decided to save the wands for dessert. I've always wondered what kind
of heat wave runs through my body when I touch the right wood. So I
pulled out a stack of newspapers and delved into reading.
So, it's 1995. Hence, my carcass is only fifteen years old. Eh, I look thirty.
My headache, which had been there since I woke up, got worse when I
saw a headline dated June: "Boy Who Survived Slips Into Darkness!". It
was clear from the article on the front page that I had been sentenced to
a dementor's kiss for the murder of one Cedric Diggory. I couldn't ignore
the pain any longer, so I sat down on the floor, leaned my back against
the wall, and closed my eyes. Immediately, millions of memories and
feelings flooded over me. There was something of Harry left in this body,
a memory and perception of certain things, as well as emotions towards
familiar people. The process of Harry Potter's new identity was
underway.
Three hours later, I rose to my feet. Although it wasn't me anymore, it
was something between me and Harry. It seems that a person's soul is,
first and foremost, their mind. Without it, all emotions, feelings and
memories remain in the head, but there is nothing to control them. That's
why I'm here, with my fragmentary memories of my past life and a good
knowledge of the world.
Now, let's get on with it.
Harry lived strictly according to plan, got in exactly where he was
supposed to get in, dumbed down exactly where he was supposed to, and
trusted everyone who smiled at him. This idyll lasted until the beginning
of fourth year. At the beginning of the year, Potter found out that his red-
haired friend was actually consorting with him out of choice. No, the
Weasley family had no matrimonial plans for him and treated the hero
quite warmly, but the main influence on these relations was Dumbledore,
who did not need Harry to get into the wrong company. Therefore, the
headmaster asked Ron to befriend the chosen one and exert a positive
influence on him.
Without thinking long, Potter dragged the redhead into the first empty
classroom and bluntly asked him what kind of bastard he was. Weasley,
to his credit, didn't try to deny it and explained everything
straightforwardly: yes, our meeting in first year had been set up, Albus
had decided that you needed a friend among his supporters, and
considering that Ron had contributed to Harry and Malfoy's feud on the
first day, he had more than done his job. The Chosen One was no
stranger to the world either, his difficult childhood had taken its toll, so
he had beaten up the redhead in the same class. From that moment on,
the two of them never exchanged ten words.
Deciding that if they were going to play, they were going to play big,
Potter dragged Granger into a neighbouring empty classroom and bluntly
declared that he knew everything. Of course, he didn't know anything at
the time, but after such a set-up from Weasley, he decided that a little
bluffing wouldn't hurt. As it turned out, he was right. Granger blushed,
then turned pale, and burst into tears. It turned out that Dumbledore had
asked Hermione to keep an eye on me, directing my actions in the right
direction and getting some nice bonuses in return. She was paid for her
hero management with various artefacts and books that were not freely
available. One time flywheel was the payment for the entire third year. It
was even a shame that I was so cheaply valued.
Albus found out about the revelation of his machinations the next day
and decided that he needed to get Potter back under his wing, by all
means. Why he didn't just wipe the hero's memory remains a mystery to
me. Apparently, too much time had passed. Oh, well, that's all right. A
couple of invitations to tea, a couple of potions in his food, and Harry
was part of the golden trio again. To consolidate the effect, Dumbledore
decided to do a control test using a small dose of truth serum to make
sure everything was back to normal.
But that's when a new saviour hero appeared in the arena, namely House
elf Dobby, who could no longer bear to watch his saviour being bullied.
Appearing right before the start of the tea party in the Headmaster's
office, the house elf bluntly told Harry about how many potions he had
taken in recently. Albus was so taken aback by such a brazen disclosure
of his own brilliant plans that he didn't immediately think to intervene,
and when he did, he realised it was too late. Potter, hearing the
housekeeper's rant, jumped up from his seat, grabbed the fork he was
supposed to eat the cake with from the table, stuck it in the Headmaster's
hand, and ran away. A plan worthy of a Hero of the magical world. It
was lucky that Dumbledore was still impressed by the elf's speech and
didn't have time to close the door. At this point, the relationship between
the hero and the Headmaster became openly hostile. Well, to be more
precise, they were only hostile on Harry's part, and Albus was just
coming up with new plans to regain his trust. Two months flew by
behind all of this. During that time, delegations from other schools
arrived at Hogwarts, and the Goblet of Fire gave out the names of the
champions.
This time, Harry had absolutely no doubt who had planted his name in
the cup, but there was still nothing he could do about it. Albus swore to
him of his innocence the moments they crossed paths, and Potter was
only getting worse by the day. The entire school was against him, and
not a single person was eager to express the slightest bit of support for
him. After learning about dragons from Hagrid and the bailout room
from Dobby, Harry devoted all of his time to studying. Every day during
his free time, he trained. It didn't help him much with the dragon,
though, so he had to use Lightning Bolt the old-fashioned way.
After the first task, most of the school thawed out and started acting like
nothing had happened. Harry didn't care about that, as his attitude to
those around him remained hostile. Now he only expected a trick or a
stab in the back from everyone, so he continued to spend all his free time
training alone. It helped that at the beginning of winter Dumbledore had
somehow discovered the secret of the Horcruxes and had begun
searching for them, easing the pressure on Potter. But only until he found
out that Harry himself was a Horcrux.
The second assignment followed the same standard scenario. Fleur was
one of the few people who had treated Harry quite tolerably even before
the first task, so Potter pulled Gabrielle out of the lake and got his
thanks. So, little by little, quite a friendship developed between the two
champions. Harry showed her the help-room and the two of them were
now training together. I could see now that the Frenchwoman liked
Potter, and judging by my newfound emotions, I liked her too. It's a
shame Harry didn't go for anything, though knowing how he ended up,
maybe it was for the best. Once I got out, I'd have to find her and stop
her from getting together with Weasley.
By the start of the third trial, the passions between the Headmaster and
Potter had heated up to the max. By then, Dumbledore had destroyed all
of the Lord's Horcruxes, not counting the one in Harry's head and
Nagaina's. Potter, on the other hand, would not be alone with the
Headmaster and would run away as soon as Albus appeared on the
horizon. When two bodies, one of them clearly showing no signs of life,
fell onto the platform in front of the entrance to the labyrinth, the
Headmaster had an ingenious plan to destroy the Horcrux in Potter's
head. That the hero himself would also die had been clear from the start,
so it worried Dumbledore little. As soon as the truth of Moody's identity
was revealed, Albus bound the impostor and... accused Potter of murder.
Fudge, who ran up next, happily confirmed the accusations and sent
Potter to custody.
The trial was, of course, only a formality. There was no direct evidence to
prove Potter's guilt, but there was a great deal of speculation and
conjecture that proved the defendant's guilt. Harry was quiet. He didn't
shout or kick, but stared silently into Dumbledore's eyes. He, in turn,
looked at Potter only once, reading out the punishment. Fleur was crying
in the hall, the only person who believed in my innocence. The rest of the
stares I got from all sides ranged from condemning looks from Lupin and
the big black dog next to him, to outright hatred from my school friends
and the Weasley family. The next day, the sentence was carried out. The
only people present at the execution were Dumbledore, Moody, and a
few Aurors. They all hid behind the backs of their patronuses and
watched indifferently.
My next memory is dated today. And, according to the calendar, it's
December. Well, at least the Headmaster's plan was a success: no Horcrux
left in my head.
Chapter 3: Escape
So, while I was sorting out my new identity, it was getting close to five
o'clock. In two hours, the master of the office would be here, so we had
to hurry. Pulling two folders out of the safe, I quickly glanced through
the contents. They were two dossiers, one of which was on me. It told me
what I'd been convicted of, as well as a brief biography. It turned out that
in addition to murder, I was also accused of spreading false information
(I was not believed that the Lord had been reborn, of course). The last
line of the dossier made me smile:
Status: executed.
The second file was much more interesting. It was on Fleur. I was afraid
she'd been executed too. It turned out that she wasn't - she was just
looking for proof of my innocence, and she was being watched closely, so
that at the first step to the side she could be put in jail for complicity.
Yes, I'll definitely have to find her, or the thought of her is causing me to
feel a completely inappropriate tenderness at the moment. Apparently
the merger was successful, as the tenderness is clearly not foreign.
I also noted the fact that the owner of the office is clearly obsessed with
my modest person - all the newspapers kept in the safe contained
information about various stages of my life, and to keep a separate
dossier of a man who is not a man for half a year is also quite strange.
All right, we're done with that for now. After looking through a couple
more papers on the table, I found the plan of the prison with the exit and
apparition points, and also found out why, in fact, all these shells were
kept here. It turned out that local scientists were conducting various
experiments on the effects of dark-magic curses on humans. After looking
at a couple of reports on how age affects the duration of Cruciatus, I
thanked all the gods that these aids didn't get to my young carcass. Well,
I hope they didn't, because the last six months still didn't register in my
memory, and I don't think I'll ever remember anything.
It was time to look for the wand. Rubbing my hands together, I took
them one by one and waited for a miracle. My own was broken in the
courtroom, right after the verdict. After the tenth wand kept pretending
to be a piece of wood in my hand, I seriously doubted that I was a
wizard. But here, one of the last pieces of wood let out red sparks and
warmed slightly. No wave of warmth went through my body, of course, I
didn't deserve such happiness, but the wand made my hand a little
warmer, and I thought that was enough. I searched my memory and
remembered a couple of useful spells and, first of all, cleaned myself of
half a year's worth of dirt and odour. I should have done that before I got
dressed. It's okay, we're not proud people, we can undress again. There
were a lot of different battle charms in the memory, apparently Harry
had taken the job seriously. Among the others was knowledge of the
theory of apparition, but Harry had only been able to put this knowledge
into practice once, when he had escaped from the graveyard with Cedric's
body. It would be a shame if I fell apart on the way, but there's no other
way. I'll have to try.
When I was done fumbling around the office, I put everything back in the
safe, redrew myself a plan of the prison, and went outside. As it turned
out, the half-lab had its own exit to the street, bypassing the Dementors'
fiefdom. For the wardens, guarding the kissed ones was something of a
promotion. When I got back into my cell, I tried to create an illusion of
myself at first, but when that didn't work, I just tossed my jumper back
into my trousers in case anyone needed it and walked down the corridor.
This part of the prison was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. As I
descended the stairs, I passed eight floors, each of which had a corridor
with identical doors leading off into the distance. At first I wondered if
all the floors had their own boss with an office, but then I realised there
was no time to check. On the next floor, the more usual bars for any
prison finally appeared. This was probably where those awaiting
sentencing were kept, but there were still no dementors, though the
sensation of their presence was stronger, the headache worse, more
dreary. The bars were quite far apart, I think to prevent the condemned
from talking to each other.
The first two cells were empty, and in the third cell some old man was
asleep, looking like he'd been here for months. Looking into the next cell,
I saw a man scrutinising me. A glance at his hair was enough to make me
recognise him as Lucius.
- Who are you? You don't look like a local guard. - His voice was low and
hoarse, as if he hadn't opened his mouth at all in days.
- I don't think we've met, Mr Malfoy," I didn't have any accent,
thankfully. I continued to look at him and to my surprise I didn't see any
signs of any beatings, which meant that they had decided to take him out
quietly, without announcing the verdict to the public. And the fact that
he was here in the first place was little known. Yeah, well, Fudge never
admits his mistakes. - How did you end up here? Did the Lord decide he
didn't need you? - He looked at me in surprise, but made no comment on
my statement.
- The Dark Lord didn't like the fact that I'd lost an important item he'd
left in my custody while he was away, so he decided he didn't need my
services anymore.
I nodded, satisfied with the answer, and pointed my wand at the lock. In
fact, spells came surprisingly easily to me at once. My muscle memory
was still intact, and Harry's knowledge and constant practice had brought
the actions to automaticity. Silently opening the lock, which surprised me
a little, I stepped inside and pulled out a bundle of wands from my
pocket.
- Here, see which one fits best," Lucius nodded silently, flicking the
wands until one of them glowed. - It's not going to be any better, so you'll
have to settle for this one.
- Why are you helping me? - He didn't seem the least bit surprised, asking
the question only to keep the conversation going.
- I have no idea," I admitted honestly. - Think of it as intuition. I expect
that if we get out of here, you'll take your family and leave the country,"
he gave me a long, unreadable look, then nodded and headed for the
door.
The rest of the cells were empty, and we made our way to the exit
without incident. Giving Lucius one of my jumpers, I pulled my robe
tighter around me and pushed open the door.
- The Aurors will be here in about twenty minutes, and I know roughly
where the apparition point is, but we need to hurry," I wondered where I
should go. I think I'll go straight to the goblins. Maybe the fanfics are
true, and I'll get a castle in Monaco.
- Let's hurry up, it's freezing out here," Malfoy said as he stepped outside
and headed in the direction I pointed.
Upon reaching the place, we looked around. The fact that there were no
anti-Apparition shields here was felt as soon as we stepped outside the
dome. About ten metres away from us was a guard booth with a light on,
but the surrounding darkness gave the guard no chance to see us.
- There are tracking spells here," Malfoy was as calm as a boa constrictor.
I think he was sure from the start that he was going to get pulled out. -
We'll have to jump a few times," I just nodded at that - I was thinking the
same thing myself.
- Well, well, it was nice meeting you, Mr Malfoy, maybe we'll see each
other again.
- Likewise. You still haven't told me your name," he looked at me
expectantly. I had covered the scar with my fringes, and there was no
way to recognise me as Potter.
- My name is too famous to say," I said pompously. - You'll be telling your
grandchildren that it was I who pulled you out of Azkaban... - and with
those words I apparated away.
Chapter 4: Veselur
Pulling out all the places Harry had been in his life, I was transported to
Hogsmeade, from there straight to the field where the Quidditch World
Cup final was being held, from there to a park near Tees Street and
finally to a small alleyway near The Leaky Cauldron. In the alleyway, I
immediately threw up. I don't know how I made it to the end. It's one
thing to know and know how to do it, and another thing to experience all
of these pleasurable sensations yourself. It's a good thing I still had all my
limbs. Judging by the fact that the Aurors hadn't surrounded me yet, my
apparatus hadn't been monitored. I'm sure I've already been struck from
every possible list and registry as dead, and so much the better. I didn't
dare to use magic for the time being, anyway.
Wiping my mouth and pulling my hood over my head, I went to the pub.
The pub was practically empty, not even Tom in sight, so I slipped
quietly into the backyard and tapped the right bricks. It was a good thing
Harry had already seen all this, or I would have frozen for about ten
minutes, trying to realise where the wall had disappeared to, and what
this amazing street was.
A new day was beginning. The few morning shoppers crept lazily from
one shop to another, never stopping for long. I, on the other hand, having
found the bank building, directed my footsteps there.
When I reached the entrance to Gringotts without adventure, I climbed
the steps, read the inscription engraved in large letters above the
entrance, looked at the goblins standing guard, and went inside. In the
hall I immediately approached the first goblin I met and, without waiting
for him to look at me, addressed him:
- Hello, I'd like to meet with the Potter family solicitor," my voice
sounded confident, leaving no doubt that I really needed it. Well, I'm
counting on it, at least.
- The Potter family doesn't have a solicitor," the goblin didn't even look
up at me.
- That's a twist," I froze for a few seconds, not expecting such a sneak. -
I'd like to hire an attorney for the Potter family and meet with him," I
thought, genially.
The goblin finally took his eyes off his papers and looked at me the way
people probably look at pigeon excrement falling from the sky right into
their lunch.
- First of all, you might want to take off your hood and introduce
yourself," he said it both angrily and at the same time as if he was
explaining something to a mentally ill person.
- Oh, yeah, sorry," I pulled off my hood, pushed my fringes back from my
forehead, and smiled. - Harry James Potter.
The goblin looked at me in surprise for a few seconds, then pulled
himself together and invited me to come with him in an expressionless
voice.
After about fifteen minutes of wandering the endless corridors, I started
swearing at everyone anew. Now there was a slow-moving goblin added
to the list of people already on the list. After another five minutes, we
finally came to a huge gate, which the goblin had cowardly called a door.
By the look of it, it would take at least four Hagrid's to move one of the
gates, but the goblin only had to run his finger along the joint to make it
swing open silently. Inside was a spacious study, furnished with
mahogany furniture. There was no gold at every turn, however. Well,
yes, rich, of course, but at the same time there was no pretentiousness.
The goblin, meanwhile, walked to the table and sat down in the master's
chair, gesturing for me to sit on the other side of the table.
- Come in, Mr Potter, have a seat. We'll need to confirm your identity
first," he grinned. - Because I heard you were kissed by a Dementor six
months ago.
- Oh, come on," I smiled back. - Avada didn't get me, and here's a
dementor. I don't know what they were counting on," the goblin laughed
in response.
- Yes, Mr Potter, what were they counting on, indeed? - he continued to
laugh. - But the procedure will still have to be done. Don't worry, it's
quick," he said, pulling a parchment, a small goblet and a silver knife
from the table.
- Here, you need to pour some of your blood into the goblet, and then I'll
do it myself. We'll find out your lineage and which clans you can claim to
be the head of.
Oh, that's it, I'll be Lord Peverell, Black, heir to all four founders, owner
of half of England, and Lily Evans will be a pure-blooded witch. With that
in mind, I poured my blood into the goblet and waited for the results.
- Well done! - The goblin smiled happily as he read the inscriptions on
the parchment. - You are indeed Harry Potter! I'm glad to have you back
with us. My name is Veselur, and I am your family's solicitor. - Correctly
interpreting my perplexed look, he continued: - No, no, I used to be, it's
just that the Ministry is trying hard to get to your accounts, and the
goblins have closed access to them to absolutely everyone until someone
comes along who will revive the clan. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait
long. The last representative cheated Death again," I smiled strainedly at
this statement, thinking that it was actually Death who had cheated me.
- What right did the Ministry have to pry into my accounts? - This goblin
didn't exactly fit the familiar description of a greedy people who hated all
wizards, so I relaxed. I think we'll find common ground.
- They always do this when there are no heirs left in the family. And
every time, they get rejected. That's not surprising," the evil grin that
appeared on his face made me think that maybe my conclusions were
premature. - Well, you can claim the title of lord right now, if you wish.
- Yes, go ahead. I would also like a full list of what I own, and to see if I
can claim to be the head of any other clan.
The goblin looked at me in surprise, then at the parchment with my
bloodline and stated:
- It's absolutely impossible," I was knocked out, but as usual I pulled
myself together, and only the sad thought of not being Lord Gryffindor
was lodged somewhere at the bottom of my skull. - The last member of
the Black family is still alive, and if he dies and there are no special
instructions in his will, all of his property and title will go to his closest
male relative, Draco Malfoy. The Peverell family has closer candidates for
the title, and you're too far away from Gryffindor.
I tactfully didn't specify what "too far away" meant; the Potters were
enough for me. The goblin, meanwhile, pulled out a folder with a list of
my possessions and handed it to me.
- Here, Mr Potter, while I go get my birth ring.
Opening the folder, I delved into the reading. All in all, it wasn't too bad.
The ancestral safe contained several million Galleons, a couple of
artefacts and books. The baby safe Harry had used during his life was
completely empty, which wasn't surprising considering he kept his key
with the Weasley family. Also in the family safe was an invisible robe.
How it got there was a mystery to me, and like a true Potter, I spit on it,
blaming it on magic. When I reached the point I was most interested in, I
rejoiced. Besides the ruined mansion in Godric's Hollow, I had a flat in
London. By this time Veselur had returned, carrying a small box. When
he opened it, he handed me a signet ring with the image of a lion
standing with its front paws on a crown.
- Put it on the middle finger of your left hand, the ring should accept you.
As I did as I was told, I felt the ring begin to heat up, but just as I was
about to throw it off, it stopped abruptly. The ring gripped my finger
tightly, and I realised that the only way to remove them now was
together.
- Congratulations, Lord Potter, you are now considered an adult wizard in
the magical world, and therefore the Ministry won't be able to trace you
if you do magic outside of school.
- Yes, thank you, Veselur, I highly doubt I'll be going back to school at
all," the goblin smirked understandingly. - I have a few questions for you,
you don't mind if we go informal, do you?
- No, no, I was going to suggest it. So, what would you like to know,
Harry?
- Well, firstly, no-one needs to know that I'm alive and well and a lord. I'd
like everyone to think I've been dead for a long time, that's fine with me.
Secondly, I would like to know if there is no portal to my flat in London
and, if not, can I order it from you?
- Don't worry, the Ministry won't know you're back until you announce it
yourself. As for the portal, it's easy to make, the coordinates are written
there, right? - After waiting for me to look at the folder and nod, he
continued: - Here we go, let's make a portal so you can get to your flat
from anywhere.
- I'd appreciate it. Also, I was wondering if you have any way to fix my
eyesight.
The goblin thought for a moment:
- I can do it, but you must realise that officially we are forbidden to use
magic, and if anyone finds out about it, I'll be in serious trouble.
- Then you, in turn, must realise that I don't give a damn about
ministerial laws," I smiled. - And if anyone is interested, I can always say
that I found a specialist among wizards.
Veselur nodded contentedly, coming over to me and putting his arms
around my head, squeezing my temples. At first nothing happened, and
then there was a wild pain in the area around my forehead. I bit my lip
to keep from screaming at the bank. It didn't last more than a minute,
though, and stopped as abruptly as it had started.
With my lip healed, I opened my eyes.
- Amazing! - I squealed like I'd won the lottery. My glasses flew to the
side, and I could scrutinise the rather smiling goblin. - Thank you!
- You're welcome, it's my pleasure to use my magic once in a while.
Happy, I sat back in my chair and, smiling stupidly, asked the next
question that interested me.
- Tell me, Veselur, what has happened in the country during these six
months?
It seemed that the goblin had been waiting for this question from the
very beginning, so he started to talk about how this country is terrible,
the wizards are weak, and only a very clever leader will save us all. That
leader must be a goblin, of course. So, sometimes nodding, and
sometimes inserting some one-word phrases, I was able to extract the
information I needed from this endless stream.
It turned out that, despite the absence of such a heroic character as
myself, everything was going as it should. The Lord lay dormant, the
country still convinced that he had never been revived. Fudge sent
Umbridge to terrorise Hogwarts, and she's teaching DADA there. It also
turned out that Riddle hadn't realised his anchors were missing, at least
the Lestrange safe hasn't been visited by anyone for a very long time,
except Sirius Black, who with the help of Dumbledore was able to secure
the right to take "some cup" from there. It wasn't entirely clear to me how
exactly he was allowed to do it, but apparently the fact that Sirius was
the head of the family that Bella used to belong to played a part.
- There's also a rumour that Dumbledore was hit by some rare curse in
the spring, and it's slowly killing him. I can't say for sure, but his hand
did turn black," I wondered if all goblins were such gossips, or if I was
just lucky. The information is really worthwhile though, apparently the
headmaster couldn't resist the urge again, which means that with a good
deal of luck, he'll soon cast off his senile hooves himself.
- Thank you very much, Veselur, now I know everything I need to know,
- I really got lucky with this goblin, - all that's left is to enter the vault
and make a portal.
- You're welcome. Let's go to the vault for now, and in the meantime the
portal will be ready.
I nodded, and we headed for the carts. When I'd read about it, I'd
imagined something like a roller coaster, with a comfortable seat, a
handrail to keep you from falling off, and a lot of adrenaline. The only
adrenaline here was the adrenaline. The trolley looked suspiciously like a
miner's trolley, in which stones were taken out of mines in the early
twentieth century. There were no handrails of any kind. As a result, the
whole journey was reduced to me clutching convulsively with one hand
at the side of the cart and the other at the shoulder of the goblin, who
was only amused by the situation, and yelling. Fortunately, the fun didn't
last long, and here we are at the entrance to the vault. Considering that I
had an attorney, I didn't need a key, just the goblin's finger. I'll have to
check later to see if the finger works without the goblin himself.
Inside, I took a robe and a ring that Veselur had said would prevent those
who liked to poke around in other people's minds. When I learnt that I
could have a wallet tied to the safe, I didn't touch the coins. As I was
leaving, I saw a few wands lying on the side. I thought, as a Potter, they
should be good enough for me, but the first three decided they'd rather
pretend to be wood than come with me. I did find one though. It was
much warmer than the one I'd taken from Azkaban. It was a solid navy
blue colour. Of course, identifying the material and filling was no more
difficult for me than building a wand from scratch, so I was satisfied that
it looked good.
Back in Veselur's office, I received a wallet with compartments for
Galleons and non-magical currencies, as well as a portal to my flat. After
arranging for the goblins to visit me and put up good protection, I gave
Veselur full carte blanche to manage my finances and was about to leave
when I realised that he could help me with another important matter.
- Oh yes, Veselur, I completely forgot, could you tell me....
Chapter 5: Flower
After folding the paper I received from Veselur, I went outside. The time
had already passed noon, and the number of people in the alley had
noticeably increased. I went into the city, thinking that no one would
recognise me among the ordinary people. But before that, I absolutely
had to eat. I had once heard that you can't eat too much after hunger,
and a few hours later, squirming with pain in my stomach, I realised that
it was a sensible statement, but now it seemed delusional to me, because
if you want to eat, you have to eat!
Having had a heavy breakfast and at the same time an equally heavy
lunch in a small restaurant, I called the waitress to my table and, under
the admiring glances of all the staff, made another order, deciding that a
second breakfast is not such a bad idea, especially if it is a heavy one. All
this time I sat in my hoodie, I didn't want to scare people with my
appearance, and by the end of my meal the staff were convinced that
there was actually a black hole there and no face in sight. Finally, after I
had eaten my worm, I got out of the table and went shopping to the
applause of the restaurant staff.
After wandering around the mall for three hours and collecting pockets
full of shrunken bags of clothes, I reached the last point of my impromptu
excursion, namely the hairdresser's. Upon seeing what was under my
hood, the hairdresser first grimaced and then brightened, apparently
appreciating the amount of work involved. A true fanatic of her work, I
love her. Two hours of endless chatter, which began with the fact that
December was too cold and ended with the fact that her roommate had
brought home her fourth man in the last week, paid off: I was looking in
the mirror at a handsome, smooth-shaven guy of about seventeen, with
bright green eyes, black hair done up in a stylish "I just got up" style, and
pale skin. I'm going to assume it's aristocratically pale, not because I
haven't seen the sun in six months.
It was only after all this that I finally travelled to my flat using the portal.
The place was really nice. A big bright living room with lots of armchairs
and a fireplace, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a huge
balcony. The only thing missing was a plasma on the wall, but that would
have to wait about five years. After pulling out and laying out all my
stuff in the one of the bedrooms I liked best, I headed for the bathroom.
After washing all my limbs from Azkaban and making coffee, the former
hero of the magical world, Harry Potter, sat down in a chair by the
fireplace and began to think about his future actions.
- I've been in this world less than twenty-four hours, but I've already
managed to do quite a lot of things: escape from Azkaban, save Malfoy
Senior, become a lord, and acquire real estate. At this rate, I'll own
Western Europe by the end of the week," Hitler's absurd conversations
with himself always relaxed me and put me in the right frame of mind. - I
think we should get a housekeeper, because it's not right for a lord to
wash his own pants. Dobby!
A loud clap announced that the housekeeper was alive and well, which
was good news. Considering all the good he's done for Harry, he's not so
mad.
- HARRY POTTER SIR!!! - a multi-coloured thing grabbed my ankles and
tried to kiss my feet. - Dobby thought you were dead, sir! Dobby cried for
three months without stopping! - and then it froze for a second and went
straight into the wall. - Bad Dobby didn't realise Harry Potter, sir, was
alive! - Each phrase was accompanied by the sweet meeting of the
houseboy's forehead and the concrete wall.
- Dobby, stop that this instant! - I pulled him away from the wall, out of
shock. - It's not your fault, Dobby, calm down, it's all right. You couldn't
have helped me anyway, because I was in prison, and housekeepers can't
go in there," I thought that seemed to cool the temperamental creature
down a little.
- Tell me how you're doing, are you still working at Hogwarts?
- Yes, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby works at the school.
- Don't you want to work for me? - the housekeeper's eyes doubled in
size. - You'll be head elf of the Potter family, - I'm not sure if there is such
a position. - I'll give you a salary and a convenient schedule.
- MASTER HARRY POTTER SIR!!! DOBBY AGREES! DOBBY IS HAPPY TO
BE HEAD ELF OF THE POTTER FAMILY! - Apparently it does exist. -
Dobby doesn't need money, he's no longer a free elf, but the head elf of
the Potter family! - He seemed to like the wording.
- Dobby swears to serve his master Harry Potter sir and his family until
the day he dies, to never betray his secrets, and to protect the entire
Potter family! - After these words, a thin beam of red colour burst from
my chest and enveloped the houseboy. No confirmation of the oath was
even required of me. Good, now I had a loyal companion, and it would
be even more fun if he was strange.
After sending Dobby to clean up the flat, which had accumulated a fair
amount of dust over the years, I decided to do the last thing I needed to
do today. Taking out the paper Veselur had given me and looking at the
specially prepared photograph, I dressed in my usual winter clothes,
threw on a deep hooded jacket, and apparated.
Earlier at Gringotts.
- Oh yes, Veselur, I forgot, could you tell me if a French girl named Fleur
Delacour has been applying for a job with you lately?
- I thought you'd never ask," the goblin grinned understandingly. - She
used to do that, but instead of work, she was usually busy looking for
proof of your innocence.
- Why would she do that? I'm as good as dead.
- I think she's blaming herself," I thought for a second that there was no
trace of a smile on the goblin's face. - Did you know that Veelas only
choose their mates once in their lives? - Of course I didn't know anything
about that. I guess that must have rubbed off on my face. - I guess you
don't. Well, I think she's already made her choice.
I was both delighted and dismayed by this news. On the one hand,
Weasley can suck his thumb now; I'd thought from the beginning that he
wasn't worthy of a girl like Fleur. On the other hand, I felt a little too
lousy once I realised what the French girl had been through in the last six
months.
- Could you give me her address?
- Sure. Her parents gave her a cottage when she decided to move to
England. It's called The Shell.
***
When I got to the seaside, I felt a chill. It's great in the summer, but in
December the proximity of the sea is a disadvantage. In front of me stood
a small two-storey house of white colour. A light was burning in the
window on the ground floor. Hearing the clap of the apparatus, a girl
came out on the porch, wrapped in a light autumn coat. She was
incredibly beautiful. Her luxurious golden hair framed the thin contour of
her face and fell freely to the middle of her back, her blue eyes looked at
me warily, a light blush appeared on her face from the frost, and her coat
covered her only to her knees, leaving her ankles freezing. On her feet
were the usual house slippers. I knew in my heart that this was the first
time I'd actually seen this girl, but now Harry's emotions merged with
mine, making me feel a deep, overwhelming tenderness for the girl in
front of me, and a prick in my heart at the bags under her eyes.
- Who are you, what do you want here? - The accent was almost absent,
but there was a slight weariness in her voice. More than anything, I
wanted to go over to her, hold her in my arms, and hold her until she
died, but if I did that now, all I'd get was some kind of not-so-pleasant
curse.
Feeling a weight on my shoulder, I turned my head and saw Hedwig
looking at me. So there she was, I was afraid the Weasleys had taken her,
or killed her.
- Hey, hello there girl, did you miss me? - Hedwig whooped and pecked
me gently on the cheek. - Me too, beautiful, me too.
- And you, my girl," I turned to Fleur, taking off my hood and smiling. -
Did you miss me?
She stared at me for a few seconds with an expression of deep shock on
her face.
- 'It's... It's... - Here the confusion changed abruptly to anger. - That's
impossible! Stupefy! - That probably wasn't the best phrase for me to
start a conversation.
A bright red beam hit me exactly in the chest and threw me back into the
snow. Hedwig jumped up from my shoulder and looked at Fleur, but she
didn't budge:
- I don't know whose joke this is, but it's absolutely not funny! - From the
sound of her voice, she was on the verge of hysterics.
As soon as the effects of the curse subsided, I abruptly stood up and
walked over to Fleur, ignoring everything. From the shock, she never
used any more magic, so I pushed away her hand with the wand pointed
at me, put my arm around her waist and pulled her against me.
- Fleur, it's me, Harry. Your Harry. I woke up less than twenty-four hours
ago, escaped from wherever I was, and here I am.
- Г... Harry? - She was already starting to shake from the cold and
emotions, so I picked her up in my arms and walked into the house.
Closing the door, I took off my jacket and threw it over her shoulders. I
sat down in the armchair opposite the fireplace and put the still
trembling girl on my lap, stroking her hair slowly, waiting for any
reaction.
Fleur looked up at me and remained silent, making no attempt to break
free of my embrace.
- Harry?! - Oh, the shock is wearing off, that's good. She jumped up
abruptly and pointed her wand at me again. Or maybe not good. - What
did I tell you just before the third trial started!!!
Harry actually has a pretty holey memory, but I remember that
conversation clearly:
- You said it didn't matter which one of us took the cup, because you'd
already won the grand prize. And I told you that I actually got the main
prize, and you only got the consolation prize. - I smiled - that was the last
bright memory in my head.
Fleur stared into my eyes for a few more seconds, trying to find
confirmation there. In an instant, it was as if all the air had been let out
of her. The hand holding her wand dropped, tears sprang from her eyes,
and she hunched over a little. I jumped up from my chair and pulled her
to me.
- Harry, it's really you," it wasn't a question, it was a statement. Her arms
wrapped around my neck, and she buried her nose in my shoulder and
sobbed. Everything that had been building up in her for the past six
months was coming out now. I just held her tighter to me, stroked her
back, and waited. - Harry. I felt so bad without you... I even wanted to
kill myself... I would have, once I proved your innocence.... - She spoke
in between sobs. - I didn't tell you then, and I'm still not sure I'm not
dreaming it all, but know that I love you, Harry Potter.
- Fleur, my darling, my love, it's not your fault. I wouldn't forgive myself
if you did anything to yourself. It's really me, and I've come here to tell
you that I love you too, Fleur Delacourt.
She pulled her head away from my shoulder and looked into my eyes.
The tear tracks had dried and now sparkled in the uneven light of the
lamp. I slowly brought my face close to hers and kissed her lightly,
gathering the tears from her cheeks. Fleur's legs gave out, and I sat her
back on my lap, facing me. For a few minutes we just sat in silence,
looking at each other. I smiled and ran one hand through her hair, while
she just held my face in her warm palms, stroking it with her thumbs. I
moved my hand to her neck, put my other hand on her waist and pulled
her to me. She wrapped her arms around my head and the first one
shortened the distance to zero.
No, there was no mad passion between us tonight, there was only
absolute tenderness. No one was going to cross the line, after all, anyway,
I've been dead for six months and we both know it. Now we don't need to
hurry. Our lips studied each other leisurely, catching up on all the things
we hadn't done during the Tournament. Her fingers moved through my
hair, and I loved it as I traced patterns on her back, but I didn't want to
go any further than that. I sat Fleur next to me and put my arm around
her, and she rested her head on my shoulder. It was idyllic. Back in that
life, I'd already thought about a family at twenty, so why shouldn't I
think about one at fifteen? Especially since this life was so much more
fulfilling.
- Harry, don't leave me again," Fleur murmured, falling asleep on my
shoulder.
She'd been suspiciously quick to accept the fact that her soulless
boyfriend of six months had quietly dropped by her house and claimed to
be alive and well. I should probably read up on Vale's nature, something
tells me it's not without it.
I smiled and kissed the top of her head:
- Never.
Chapter 6: Revelations
Waking up in the morning, Fleur smiled. She was dreaming about Harry
again today. But whereas before it had always been a courtroom, now
she dreamed that he had come to her and told her that he was all right
and that he loved her.
The last year of the Frenchwoman's life has been very eventful. First, she
became friends with Harry. Harry, who seemed to avoid everyone in his
school. When the name of the fourth champion had just come out of the
cup, Fleur, like everyone else, had assumed that Potter just wanted to
show off in front of everyone and was only pretending not to be guilty.
However, after getting to know him a little better, Veela realised that
Harry wasn't the kind of person who would seek fame. After the second
trial, she began to look at Potter with completely different eyes. He no
longer seemed like a little boy with an inflated ego. Now he was a brave
young man who had saved her sister from the lake, even though he had
lost the trial because of it.
As Fleur got to know him better, she didn't notice how she began to fall
in love with him. Harry was a very kind and sympathetic guy, he looked
at the world with the eyes of an adult and did not feel any attraction
from the aura of Veela. The Frenchwoman devoted all her free time to
socialising with Harry. They trained together in a special room, and often
these training sessions turned into simple fireside chats about nothing.
It all came crashing down in an instant. It seemed as if everyone was
convinced that Harry had indeed killed another champion, and for a
moment Fleur herself thought about it, but as soon as she saw the
confused and bewildered look in the green eyes, she was ashamed of her
assumption. After the execution, Fleur had become withdrawn. Every day
she felt worse and there was nothing she could do about it.
Another problem was the strange feeling she got every time she thought
of Harry. It had been there before, but then Potter had been around and
Fleur hadn't paid any attention to it. Now, the feeling was becoming
unbearable. Asking her mother for advice, Fleur learned about how a
Veela chooses her mate. Apolline was surprised that despite Potter's
death, the feeling remained, but she couldn't explain why. Then Fleur
decided to move to England and do everything possible to prove Harry's
innocence. However, when the Ministry found out about it, she was
hindered in every possible way, and even threatened with a trial a couple
of times, but it did not stop her.
Feeling a strange stirring under her head, the Frenchwoman jerked out of
her memories, sharply raised her head and looked at her cushion. On the
sofa in a half-sitting position slept Harry. With one hand he was cradling
Fleur against him and with the other he held his wand pointed towards
the fireplace. Remembering everything that had happened last night, the
girl couldn't contain her emotions:
- Harry," the girl whispered through her tears, stroking the boy's cheek. -
You're alive.
Potter smiled and rubbed his cheek against the girl's hand, opening his
eyes.
- Alive, love," he said, trying to suppress a yawn.
Fleur smiled and squeezed the boy in her arms:
- 'Well, now tell me. How did you survive, and why did it take you six
months to do it?
***
Feeling Fleur fall asleep, I took out my wand and made the fireplace give
more heat. I rested my head on the back of the sofa and dozed off before
I knew it.
- So we meet again. So, how do you like the title of hero of the magical
world? - When I found myself in the same hall as last time, I saw Death
in front of me again.
- You should be stripped of your rank for such a set-up. You put me in
Potter's body, but why Azkaban?
- I told you there's an infinite number of possibilities. In your new life,
everyone around you is a little smarter than the story you know.
However, I think you're missing a few important points. You don't have
to divide yourself into two different people. You are Harry Potter now,
and all thoughts, feelings, and emotions that belonged to him are now
yours. You don't have to think that you're cheating that adorable girl
sleeping on your shoulder, because you really love her, and that crazy
houseboy is really important to you. All in all, all that's left of your past
personality here is your knowledge and that dubious sense of humour.
And now in any situation, you'll be thinking not only with your mind, but
also drawing on what you already had in Harry Potter. Haven't you
noticed that you don't remember much of the years you've lived before?
Hmm, that's true. Just some vague images, and the last day is pretty
good. Except now I'm rescuing Fleur from the river.
- You see," he interpreted my confusion correctly. - You need a little time
to get used to it, but you're on the right track.
- Great, thanks for the clarification, I have to go," I started pinching
myself vigorously to wake up and think things through in peace.
- No, wait, not so fast," he returned his favourite smirk to his face, and I
mentally groaned. I knew they wouldn't let me live in peace. - Of course
they wouldn't. I have a little task for you, since the situation is so
favourable.
- What, give you back the gifts?
- What gifts? - Death was surprised.
- Well, there's a wand, a stone, and a robe, I guess," I started to think
about where the stone might be now.
- Ah, those... No, no, you can keep them, I don't need them. After all,
they'll come back to me sooner or later. I need you to kill Tom Riddle.
His Horcruxes give him a good hiding place. There's only one left now, so
it's a tricky one, but doable. Dumbledore has done a good job on it, but
it's unlikely he'll have time to finish what he started.
I wondered. In principle, I was not going to sit on the sidelines, but even
a fool knows that one on one I do not have much chance.
- Of course, you can't beat him in a fair magical duel," Death persisted,
reading my thoughts. - However, unconventional moves are your
speciality, so surprise me.
- I guess I don't have a choice anyway, do I?
Death shook his head negatively:
- No, you can certainly die quickly and stay here, but I don't think you
can do that to that girl.
Indeed, I can't. My attitude towards Fleur is the best proof of what he's
been saying to me:
- I can't, you're right. So you'll have to try.
- That's good," his smile made me feel like I was being fooled. - I'll see
you later.
***
I woke up and felt someone gently stroking my cheek.
- Harry, you're alive," Fleur whispered to me.
- I'm alive, love," I smiled, enjoying the touch.
The next second she had me in her arms:
- Well, now tell me. How did you survive, and why did it take you six
months?
- I don't fully understand it myself, to be honest. Just at some point I
woke up in a cell, which turned out to be unlocked, found the chief's
office and there I remembered everything, as well as learnt how long I
had been out. By the way, did you know that the ministry is watching
you? - A little half-truth would be the best solution right now, and soon it
would be the truth, so she didn't need unnecessary details.
- I know," she sighed. - It's because I've been trying to find proof that
you're innocent," she didn't want to open her arms, which was fine with
me.
- Fleur, why would you do that? Because it wouldn't have saved me, and
you could have been charged, wouldn't you?
- Harry, you probably don't know this, but a Veela only chooses her mate
once in a lifetime," I said, "I'll take that as a no-brainer. - We can change
partners all the time, but we can only truly love one. And the moment I
admitted to myself that I had feelings for you, I began to feel a
connection between us. - Apparently, yesterday's confession was made
solely under the influence of strong emotions, because during this speech
she blushed to the roots of her hair.
- So even after the execution I wasn't allowed to attend," her voice
trembled, but she continued: - I felt that all was not yet lost and perhaps
you could come back. And yesterday that connection strengthened
dramatically and became the same as before, so I believed you almost
immediately.
I pulled her tighter against me and whispered:
- I didn't deserve a miracle like you.
- That's for sure! - She smiled and stood up. - Consider me a gift from
heaven, former hero. Let's go to the kitchen, I'll make breakfast.
I laughed and followed her, thinking that if I missed her, I could hang
myself.
- So," she put her plate aside and looked at me carefully. - What do you
plan to do now?
- Well, for starters, I thought I'd persuade you to quit your job, then I'd
offer to stay with me until summer, because it's a little cold here in
winter, and then I'd have to kill the Lord. Something like that.
I wonder which of those three points made her so angry, does she really
not want to quit?
- Kill the Lord?! - Oh, that's what she means. - Are you out of your mind?!
I'd kill you myself before I let you get involved in this adventure!
- Calm down, honey, it's not an adventure," my calm voice made her even
more furious.
- Well, think about it. Sooner or later everyone will know that I'm alive
and well. And then everyone will want to catch me. Fudge can be
dismissed at once-he doesn't have the guts to do anything serious on his
own, especially since he'll be out of his chair as soon as Riddle's alive.
Dumbledore and the Lord are going to take me seriously, and if the
Headmaster is going to drop out in three months, Tom isn't going to do it,
so I need to play it safe," he said, his tone calm, his confidence
unwavering and his arguments ironclad. At least the feathers were gone
from her hands.
- We could just leave the country. Stay at Delacourt Manor, for example.
Our parents would be happy to take us in.
I shook my head negatively:
- With Dumbledore dead, Magical England won't last a month, and then
the Lord will move across the Straits. We need to stop him before the war
comes to France.
- You're probably right," she lowered her head contritely. - But know that
I won't let you go anywhere alone!
- I'm not going anywhere without you," I kissed her.
- You've changed, Harry," Fleur whispered between kisses. - But I like you
even better like this.
Smoothly we moved into the living room. Fleur pushed me onto the
couch and sat on top of me, pushing my chin down lightly, running the
tip of her tongue across my lips. I slid my palm down her cheek and
began to gently move through her hair. Gradually, the kiss became more
and more demanding, and we were only able to pull away from each
other when we started to gasp.
- Uh," I managed to squeeze out, out of breath. - I have a new plan. We're
not getting off this couch for the next two years.
Fleur laughed and asked in a languid voice:
- What happens in two years, Mr Potter?
She was running her finger over my chest as she said this, so I couldn't
think straight:
- Well, in two years you can change your position," with those words I
pulled her to me again.
After about twenty minutes, we were finally able to pull away from each
other and get to our feet.
- I need to go to Gringotts and tell them I'm quitting," Fleur adjusted her
blouse. - And then we can go and see your new place of residence.
- Yeah, let's do that. I've got a couple of places I need to check out, too. I
suggest we meet here in two hours," I began to form the first components
of a brilliant plan to kill the man-with-a-long-fictitious-name, but I'd have
to check it out carefully.
- Please don't get into any trouble," Fleur looked at me fondly. - I'll expect
a full report on your actions later.
- There is no getting into trouble, ma'am!" She just doesn't know that it's
actually trouble that's getting into me.
By then we were fully equipped to go outside.
- Wait a minute," she turned to me abruptly. - Dumbledore's going to die
in three months?!
- We'll discuss that later, love," I kissed her on the lips and apparated
away. I have a feeling I'm going to get an earful when I get back.
====================
First I went to the graveyard where Tom had performed the rebirth
ritual, and then I went to find the Gonts' shack. After wandering around
the village for over an hour, I finally found a dilapidated shed with
scorched earth all around it. The ring's defence was strong. I didn't have
to think about it, so I put a warning spell around the house, so I'd know
when Tom knew the Horcruxes had disappeared and wanted to check
them out.
The second part of the plan to save the world was to clear my name. I
didn't bother with that at all and went to Hogsmeade. I bought two small
flasks and filled them with my memories of the events of the day of the
third trial and, attaching a small note to each one, went to look for the
owl post office.
A few minutes later, two owls were already flying out of Hogsmeade. One
was headed for a very famous journalist who would have to blow
everyone she could reach after looking at her memories. The other flew
to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia
Bones. My intuition tells me that she doesn't like Dumbledore, hence the
good chances of a review of the case, and soon my name will be officially
cleared, albeit posthumously for now.
Looking at my watch, I realised that I had a little more time before I
could meet Fleur, which meant that I could visit my future possible
relatives and pay my respects to them. Since I didn't know where
Delacourt Manor was, I decided to use the universal portal codenamed
"Dobby". Grabbing a bouquet of orchids from a nearby shop, I called the
housekeeper, and we were transported to a huge Victorian mansion. The
three-storey house with its three symmetrical turrets was imposing, but it
felt light. The French. I think that if such a house was built by Germans,
it would scare away visitors with its mere appearance.
When I had finished with the racial discrimination, I told Dobby that we
would have a guest tonight and sent him home, and I went to the gate,
which swung open at my approach.
- Hello, my name is Ricky, can I help you? - The House elf in the red toga
looked impressive. I'll have to get Dobby one of those.
- Hello, Ricky," I pulled the hood off my head. - My name is Harry Potter,
and I'd like to meet the Delacourt family, is that possible?
- Hold on a second, I'll let them know you've arrived.
It only now occurred to me that in a place like this you should announce
your arrival in advance. But it wouldn't be polite to run away now.
- Come on, I'll show you out," the elf appeared silently in front of me
again. There must be some kind of refresher course for housekeepers.
Ricky led me quickly through the corridors of the manor, and I didn't
have time to enjoy my surroundings, but I didn't care about that now.
The conversation was all I could think about. Soon we entered a large
living room with several armchairs and pouffes. The sofa nearest the
fireplace was already occupied by Fleur's parents.
- Mr Potter? - They were looking at me in surprise. - To be honest, we
thought the housekeeper had made a mistake. My name is Sebastian, and
this is my wife Apolline," we shook hands, and I kissed Madame
Delacourt's hand.
- Actually, I'm already a lord, but you're right," I smiled.
- Have a seat, Lord Potter," he pointed to the chair next to me.
- Please, just Harry.
- Then we'll ask you to do the same," Apolline spoke for the first time. -
But... How is that possible? The entire magical world buried you long
ago.
- I can't tell you, because I don't fully understand what happened, and I'm
beginning to believe it myself. - I assure you, I was really dead for six
months, but last night I suddenly woke up and escaped. I have already
accomplished a great deal in these incomplete two days, and now I have
come to you. I hope my appearance will remain a secret.
- Of course we won't tell anyone. We thought you were innocent from the
start, and we're glad you're all right. Have you seen Fleur yet? - It's a
question they've been interested in all along. If I were them, I wouldn't
have taken so long and asked it on the doorstep. My daughter's happiness
comes first.
- Yes, of course, I've already visited her. In fact, that's why I'm here," I
said, gathering my strength for a decisive leap. - I love your daughter and
I would like to ask you to marry her.
It wasn't that hard, after all, I'm definitely a faster runner. Though
judging by the identical smiles that appeared on their faces, running
wasn't going to get them anywhere.
- Harry, those six months were the hardest six months of Fleur's life. She
cried all the time and there was nothing we could do to help her. It's a
great joy to have you alive. Now we can finally breathe easy knowing
that as long as you're together, our daughter is happy. Of course, we bless
you," three glasses of red wine appeared on the table. - To our future
union! - Sebastian sipped from his glass, and Apolline and I followed suit.
The smile that had settled on my face as soon as I realised they were
okay with it wasn't going to go away.
- I think we can wait to get married, I'm only fifteen. But we could have a
betrothal ceremony. - I don't know where that thought came from in my
head.
- Would you like a prenup, Harry?
- Honestly, I don't know anything about it, and I'd like to ask you to
prepare the paperwork," he nodded agreeably. - And please don't tell
Fleur, I'm thinking of surprising her for Christmas.
- All right, then I'll have the papers ready in a week's time.
- That's fine. Then I think I'll leave you two alone and go back to Fleur," I
got to my feet. - Nice to meet you.
- Likewise, Lord Potter. Good day to you.
- Oh, yes," I realised only now that I was still holding the bouquet. - This
is for you.
Apolline smiled dazzlingly and kissed me on the cheek.
- Goodbye! - On that happy note, I left my happy parents and hurried to
the Shell, realising that I was brazenly late.
Appearing right in the living room, I was immediately grabbed by my
ear.
- Potter! - Something on the side hissed my surname in Fleur's voice. - I've
been waiting for you for an hour and a half, have you lost your mind?!
I've been worried sick, I was about to run to the Auror's office. I thought
you'd been caught! Where have you been?
- Sweetheart, calm down, I was just a little out of time," I squeaked. -
Please stop twisting my ear!
Fleur let go of me and turned me around, tears were in her eyes again
and I felt bad for making her worry again.
- My darling, I'm sorry for the fool," my hands were already on her waist.
- I won't do it again.
She sobbed and wrapped her arms around me in return:
- Do what you think is right Harry, just give me a warning next time.
- I'll learn how to send messages with Patronus tonight, deal? - I kissed
her forehead and pulled away to undress.
- Deal, Lord Potter," Veselur was an arsehole, and he promised he
wouldn't tell anyone. - No, your solicitor didn't tell me anything. It's just
that when he found out I was quitting, he just looked at me and smiled
enigmatically, and at the end he told me to say hello to you. And you
forgot to hide your ring today, so you must have been bragging to
someone.
Well, she's good at deduction, but who exactly I was bragging to, she
doesn't need to know yet.
- Well, I couldn't just turn up at your place dirty and smelly after prison. I
had to stop by the goblins to get some supplies, and then I got a ring
caught on my finger. No big deal. So you're unemployed now?
- What?! Unemployed?! You little arsehole! - The distraction process has
worked perfectly. Now I have to calm the angry Veela down so she'll stop
hitting me or she'll bring up magic.
- Oh, come on, come on, I'm kidding. Of course you're not unemployed,
you're just on indefinite leave. And anyway, the heiresses of such
powerful families can't work!
- I know you can't! And it's a disgusting job. One of the Weasleys has
been hitting on me all day! - I stopped abruptly and looked at her
carefully. - Don't worry about it, he just kept trying to talk to me,
ignoring the fact that I didn't notice him.
That kind of answer reassured me. It would be foolish to expect Bill to
make no attempt.
- I hope you never see him again. And now I suggest we go to some
restaurant and celebrate our reunion at last!
The idea was well received, and Fleur ran upstairs to get ready, while I
asked Dobby to get me some dress clothes. The housekeeper brought an
old coat that looked like something Merlin might have worn, so I decided
I'd look good in what I was wearing at the moment.
Half an hour later, there was a light clack of heels on the stairs, and she
came straight down from heaven. Her light blue dress was down to her
knees, tightly fitting her figure, her golden hair flowing down her
shoulders in a loose wave. She wore light white shoes with a small heel
on her feet and not an ounce of make-up on her face.
- Fleur," I whispered. - You... you... Well, as soon as people think of a
word to describe how beautiful you are, I'll tell you right away.
She blushed a little and kissed my cheek:
- That was exactly the reaction I was looking for.
- If I fall out of reality and just stare at you, you'll stoke me.
The French woman laughed and took my hand:
- It's a deal. Now tell me where we're going.
Yesterday I saw a nice place in London and, putting a jacket on her,
moved us to a small alley nearby.
While we were eating, I noticed that everyone in the restaurant was
staring at Fleur. It really pissed me off:
- Look, does the fact that I can't feel the effects of your aura have
anything to do with our connection?
- No, Harry, the fact that you don't feel the effects of her aura is another
plus in your book," she looked around. - Don't mind her. I've been used to
it for a long time, so you'll have to get used to it too. - Yeah, I can't argue
with that.
- Or you could attack anyone who's about to drool on you," Fleur choked
on her salad and coughed.
- I don't think I should. Usually no one dares to approach, especially in
the normal world.
All in all, the evening was just fine. After the restaurant we went for a
walk around the evening London, walked along the Thames
Embankment, played snowballs with tourists in Trafalgar Square until the
police dispersed us. That evening we both realised that it was possible to
live and enjoy life without using magic, and that such a life would be no
worse than the present one.
Soon we were transported to my flat, where Dobby was waiting for us.
After showing Fleur to her room, I went to soak in the bathroom.
Sometimes it seemed like the smell of Azkaban would never come out of
me.
After standing under the shower for over an hour, I went to my room in
just my pants. Fleur was sleeping sweetly on my bed in a white terrycloth
dressing gown. I should have warned her that I liked water, as long as it
didn't involve rivers. She was waiting for me and dozed right on top of
the blanket, curled up in a ball. Enjoying this lovely picture, I carefully
pulled the blanket out from under her and snuggled up next to her,
snuggling against her back and covering us both. The second day of my
new life was coming to an end.
Chapter 7: Malfoy
I was awoken in the morning by a knock on the window. After going over
in my head all the options of who could be knocking on a window on the
sixteenth floor, I settled on two options: Batman or the window cleaner. I
judged that Batman had no business in London, so I carefully pulled my
hand out from under Fleur's trustingly clinging arm and went to ask the
window cleaner what he wanted. There was no car washman outside the
window, but there was an owl staring at me angrily from under a pile of
snow that had fallen on it from the roof. Instead of letting the poor bird
into the warmth, I, a juvenile animal breeder, started laughing silently
and poking at it with my finger through the glass. However, when the
OWLs began to tear off bits of newspaper tied to its paw with its beak, it
was clear that this round was up to it.
While I was trying to unhook the newspaper from its paw, this vengeful
creature managed to scratch both my hands and cheek. I'll have to
remember not to make owls angry, at least not when Hedwig isn't around
to protect me.
- Why did you bring her to me in the first place? - I asked the owl,
stuffing the Galleon into the pouch. It seemed to appreciate my
generosity, and it scratched my hands a little more gently.
- It must be for me, I'm signed for, so she found me," I turned and saw
Fleur stretching on the bed. - I didn't wait for you last night, did I? You're
good at washing, aren't you?
I smiled at that statement, unable to take my eyes off the girl who was
sipping seductively. I guess if Fleur was picking her nose, it would look
sexy too.
- Would you close the window already? The OWLs is long gone," she
easily understood the reason for my lethargy, and now she was smiling at
me, not trying to adjust the dressing gown that was up to her waist.
- To hell with that owl! - I finally got my thoughts together and, closing
the window, lay back down. - The main thing is that you won't fly away
from me.
- Was I going to? - She wriggled in my arms, giving the young man the
expected reaction.
- And who knows if you'll decide Weasley's are better for you - ruining
moments is my calling.
- That's it. So our newly minted lord isn't sure of himself," Fleur stretched
out, smirking cheekily at the fact that one part of my body was trying to
drill a hole in her leg. Well, yeah, not confident. How does a girl like
Fleur even get with a bloke like me? - Remember Potter, I'm only going
to say this once. I love you and I don't need anyone else. It's not a cold, so
it won't go away in a week. I'll always be with you, so stop doubting," she
said as she got up from the bed, her hand right at the source of my
embarrassment, smiled, and ducked into the shower, leaving me gasping
for air. I should probably shower, too.
At breakfast, I remembered the newspaper I'd struggled to get. There
were two pictures on the front page. One was of me in the courtroom,
apparently when I was being sentenced, and the other was of the Dark
Lord standing in the midst of the kneeling devourers. Yes, it's going to
give old England a good shake today. As I skimmed the first four pages of
the article, I smiled genuinely. Skeeter was praising me, humiliating
Dumbledore and Fudge, scaring everyone with the Lord, and bragging
about the interview with Bones. Now let everyone puzzle over where
those memories came from, if the newspaper was to be believed, verified
three times.
Satisfied with myself, I handed the paper to Fleur. French, only reading
the headline - 'The Dark Lord is back! Harry Potter completely
exonerated!", she threw herself around my neck with a joyous squeal.
There was nothing the Ministry could do now that they knew I was
alright. Dumbledore, on principle, shouldn't care. He's got enough
problems of his own right now. I wonder who he'll give the secret of the
Horcruxes to, not Ron and Hermione? But Riddle, I think, will go back to
his old plan of action, in which the first item is the extraction of the
prophecy. By the way, Nagaina is due to go on a scouting mission the
other day! We need to find out the Order's duty schedule in the Mystery
Department and catch the snake. That the prophecy is guarded, I'm sure
of it. If the Lord finds out that the only one who could stop him is dead,
he'll go completely mad. Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen. Though,
judging by the way the Headmaster himself had sent the hero of the
prophecy to the Dementor, the destruction of Horcruxes was more
important to him than Trelawney's predictions.
Soon the goblins, led by Veselur, arrived and began to install the
defences of my humble abode.
- Congratulations, Lord Potter, you are now officially exonerated. Fudge
is clinging to his seat with all his might, and will fly out of his ministerial
chair at the first appearance of the Dark Lord. Umbridge has been
summarily recalled from Hogwarts, Dumbledore and his supporters have
been frequenting the Department of Mysteries, and Lucius Malfoy was
supposed to be executed yesterday," Veselur blurted out everything he
knew to me right from the doorstep and started giving orders to the
goblins. I was lucky to have a solicitor after all.
In a few hours, only I, Fleur, Dobby, and the goblins knew that this house
had a sixteenth floor. For everyone else, the house was now fifteen stories
high. Veela and I could only bring guests in person, or by issuing a one-
time portal. Domoviki, except for Dobby, were banned from the house.
Not even the phoenixes were forgotten. All in all, they were entrenched
like in a bunker - there's no need to be over-insured. While the goblins
were setting it all up, the girl and I were sitting in the living room,
drinking wine and discussing future plans.
- Harry, what are you going to do with your former friends? - The girl
looked at me thoughtfully. - And tell me, finally, why is Dumbledore
going to die soon?
I remembered after all.
- Well, I'm not going to hide anything from you, so I'll tell it like it is. Did
the Headmaster ask you to join a certain order, by any chance?
- He did. Said it would help us a lot in the Light's cause. Well, actually, he
talked about it for about twenty minutes, but I reminded him of what he
did to you, and explained to him in a rather rude way where he should
go.
- That's my girl! - I stroked her head, to which she began to purr
contentedly. - I'm sure that almost no one in the Order knows about
Horcruxes, but I need some way to explain how I know that. - Do you
know anything about Horcruxes...?
I spent the next couple of hours explaining in detail what a Horcrux was,
what it was for, how many Tom had made, why it was so important to
destroy them, and what it took to do so. Fleur went pale when she found
out that one of them was in my head, furious when she found out exactly
what Albus had given me to the Dementors for, and exhaled in relief
when she realised that it had helped after all.
I then told her about the curse placed on the Gonts' ring and the
impossibility of breaking it. She smiled vindictively as she realised that
nothing could help Dumbledore.
So also told of the snake that must be destroyed before the decisive
battle. About the prophecy kept in the Department of Mysteries, and his
"hunch" that the Lord would send Nagaina on a scouting mission. Then
spent several minutes reassuring Fleur, who had heard the full version of
the prediction.
- I'm coming with you," she said as soon as she calmed down.
- Don't even think about it. I'm not taking you," I continued as soon as she
started to resent me. - Fleur, understand, you're the only person close to
me. I can't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't survive it! I promise I'll
be very careful, but I won't let you get involved.
The Frenchwoman's gone soft:
- Harry, I lost you once and I can't bear to lose you a second time... How
can I sit on the sidelines when you, having just appeared, are going to get
into the thick of it again? - There I go, making her cry again. I know she
feels the same way about me, but I can't let her get involved. It'll make
me feel better, even if it's selfish.
- Fleur, my sunshine," I pulled her close and hugged her. - You know how
lucky I am. What could happen to me? I'm never going to leave you alone
again," I told her, urging Death to bring me back one more time, but
she'd better not know about that.
- What's to argue with you, you'll do it your way anyway," she sighed
heavily. - But only if you try to die," she sighed heavily, "even a suicide
would think twice about it. - You still haven't told me what you're going
to do with your friends.
I pulled her tighter against me, grateful for the change of subject.
- What can you take from them? Maybe Albus told them that the Lord
had taken over my mind, or maybe they really did think I was a
murderer, either way, I'm not going to get anywhere with people like
that. It's a shame that Sirius believed all of this. I'd only known him for a
short time, but I'd seen him as the man who would replace my father, but
my faith in the Headmaster had been stronger.
Fleur looked at me sympathetically and whispered:
- "At least you have me.
- And that alone makes up for all the bad things that came before," I
touched her cheek gently and ran my hand through her hair. - Thank you
for being you," I kissed her, trying to put all the feelings she evoked in
me into the kiss.
- What would you do without me? - She whispered, answering the kiss.
Really, what? Probably shut myself away and make plans to destroy
everyone who ever looked at me wrong. And with her around, I don't
even hate the principal. There's anger, of course, but he's understandable,
too - there's no telling what would have happened if the Lord had been
killed. He could have been reborn in my body. I have to stop, or this path
of forgiveness will lead me to the idea of thanking Albus.
Fleur and I were once again interrupted. I knew from experience that it
wasn't the window cleaner knocking on the window, so I asked the
Frenchwoman to see what the black owl was doing, staring at me
disapprovingly. Since some time now, all members of the owl family have
caused me a healthy apprehension. OWLs, by the way, had been granted
access at Fleur's request, but any tracking spells that might be cast on
letters were destroyed as soon as they arrived.
The letter, it turned out, was from Lord Malfoy. He had no trouble
putting two and two together and figuring out who had gotten him out of
Azkaban. I responded to the offer to meet with him by agreeing. He could
be useful to me at least in that he knew where the Lord's stakes were.
Then I spent twenty minutes arguing with Fleur, convincing her that
Lucius didn't need to know we were together and she shouldn't come
with me. When the Frenchwoman decided to use her last argument and
took offence, I reminded her that she was going to work on making this
"bachelor pad" look nice. How I'd managed to ruin such a nice flat in the
couple of hours I'd been here was a mystery. Luckily, Fleur had forgotten
all about me and the meeting at once, mentally thinking about what
wallpaper would look best in the kitchen, so I went to the address in the
letter with a clear conscience.
Lucius had made the appointment in a non-magical part of London,
realising that we were both persona non grata for mages, but that didn't
stop him from showing off his status and choosing a fancy restaurant
where he was already sitting at one of the tables.
- Good afternoon, Mr Malfoy," I said, sitting down next to him.
- Good afternoon, Mr Potter. Order whatever you want, it's my treat," I
said, the obvious benefit of looking like a skeleton was that everyone
wanted to feed me.
- Well, you can't refuse an offer like that," I muttered, dictating a list of
ten dishes to the waiter. Malfoy didn't raise an eyebrow, but the waiter
looked me over carefully and offered us a couple of chairs since we were
expecting guests. Naive.
We ate in silence. To be more exact, only one of us ate, and the other
tried to keep a mask of complete indifference. Finally, after giving the
last plate to the dazed waiter, I decided to start a conversation:
- So, what did you want to talk about?
- First of all, I'd like to thank you for what you've done," he said, ordering
wine. Yes, everyone wants to get me drunk too. Fortunately, I
remembered in time that I was fifteen and it was too early for me to
drink all day long, changing partners, so I ordered tea. - I still don't know
what motivated you to do it, given your relationship with my son," he
didn't mention the fight he'd had with him at the end of my sophomore
year. He was probably glad to be rid of Dobby, and resented it only for
pro forma reasons.
- I think Azkaban has changed my mind, and I've grown to love everyone
around me," he said, judging by the look on his face. - Did you hide well?
I think the Lord is already aware that you escaped punishment.
- Narcissa and I have moved to one of the Malfoy estates in Europe, and
Draco will be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. And the Dark Lord
isn't too busy with me right now.
- I wonder what he's so busy doing? - Malfoy Senior decided to pretend
he hadn't heard the question. - Come on, Lucius, after what he did to you,
are you still loyal to him?
He sighed heavily and answered:
- I became disillusioned with him back during the first war, when I
realised that he was really only pretending to be a pureblood and that his
whole policy was all about killing. However, none of those who received
the tag had a choice anymore. Do as instructed or die. About a year
before he fell, he gave me that diary you destroyed. I didn't pay much
attention to it, thinking it was another of the Dark Lord's whims, but
when he found out it was lost-" Lucius fell silent, remembering all the
things the Lord had done to him. - It took me about a month to get back
on my feet, but it wasn't enough for him. He didn't want to kill me
himself, so he decided to give me to the Dementors. All that was left was
to make it look like I had tried to break my wife's sister, Bellatrix, out of
prison. Of course, I was caught immediately and my arrest was not
publicised. Fudge is afraid someone will find out about it.
It's a funny story, I'll give you that. The sympathetic part of me, however,
remained silent. Malfoy was and still was a decent bastard, and the fact
that he hadn't acted of his own free will wasn't much of an excuse. That's
roughly what I told him:
- I'm sorry for the way things turned out, Lucius," I think he guessed at
the degree of sincerity in my words. - Can he summon through the mark,
or does it not have that function?
- During the first war, he could inflict unbearable pain through the mark
on any devourer, but now it only pulses when summoned. I think he
hasn't fully recovered, or maybe the tag has lost some of its properties in
the meantime.
- Well, that means you can safely hide and trust that the Lord will lose
before he can fully restore the functionality of your tattoo.
- In other words, are you suggesting that I believe in you? - Lucius raised
an eyebrow and looked at me seriously.
- No, no, believing in me is a bad idea. I have a hobby, you know, of
dashing the hopes associated with me. But there are a few things you can
help me with. For starters, you still haven't told me what the Lord is
doing.
Lucius hesitated, apparently not knowing where to begin:
- Mr Potter, what do you know about the Department of Mysteries? - He
seemed to have travelled too far afield.
- Are you saying he's busy mining the prophecy? - I'm not one for long
word games.
- Well, now that you know," Malfoy didn't even try to hide his surprise. -
Yes, he's trying to get the prophecy. I have to say, it's rather problematic,
considering that only you two can get it, and you're both considered
dead," we chuckled at the same time. - However, I think he'll be
appearing at the Ministry in person soon, given today's article.
Hopefully, he'll still send Nagaina to check the situation first. The Lord is
certainly mad, but he's not reckless. I mean, what if Dumbledore himself
is on guard 24 hours a day? Everyone knows that Albus doesn't care
much about Hogwarts and blames everything on McGonagall.
- Okay, that's taken care of," I continued: - Do you know where he has a
stake?
- I think the Aurors searched my house after my arrest. Although... The
Lord probably went to his family estate, but I've never been able to find
out exactly where it is," I said, "but I have a pretty good idea. - Why
would you do that? You're not planning to go to his house, are you?
- Of course not, and even if I did, you wouldn't need to know. - It's just
useful information for the future.
- I can't help but ask you, Harry, how did you survive and get out? -
Yeah, he hung in there for a long time.
- Well, getting out wasn't a problem, considering they don't lock the
doors. How I survived, I don't know. Technically, I didn't die, I just went
six months without a soul, and then one day it came back to me. It took a
while for me to remember everything and find out how long I'd been
there, and then it was a matter of technique - believe it or not, you
couldn't get a better answer.
Lucius realised that too, so he just nodded as if I'd told him the weather
forecast. I'd have to look through the books in the safe, see if soul reentry
had ever happened before. It would make it a lot easier for me to explain
what happened to the public.
- Mr Malfoy, how long will it take for the Lord to start a full-fledged war?
He thought for a moment:
- I think at least a year. Right now he's assembling an army. Sent
ambassadors to vampires and werewolves, actively recruiting
mercenaries in Europe. Snape is spying in the Order of the Phoenix, and
the remaining members of the inner circle are working on a plan to take
over Azkaban.
Lucius tells it all with no secrecy. Maybe he thinks there's nothing
particularly important in this information, or maybe he's preparing the
ground in case the Lord is defeated. Then the preparations are well
underway. Azkaban, as I recall, will be taken before the end of winter, so
we need to take Riddle down before then. Without a good leader, his
entire army will be broken up into separate elements, which the Aurorate
should be able to handle. And if they can't, it's their own fault-if I kill the
Lord, I won't care.
- Are you sure Snape is spying in the Order of the Phoenix for the Lord
and not the other way round? - I wonder if anyone knows the bastard's
true identity.
- The Dark Lord had grave suspicions about that. Severus had always
been very secretive and could well have been spying for both sides at
once, capitalising on any outcome of the confrontation. However, the
Lord had tested him several times, initiating him into the plans for
various attacks. Representatives of the Order of the Phoenix only
appeared in the most insignificant places, leaving all serious operations
unattended. I don't think Snape has said anything about them. Plus the
devourers have pretty much all the addresses of Order members, so I
think the answer is obvious.
Seems obvious indeed. Apparently, fooling Dumbledore was easier.
Especially now that Snape doesn't have to protect me, if he ever did.
There's no point in attacking the Order members yet, they're not in the
way, but when the open confrontation starts, the information the Potions
Master leaked will be worth a lot.
- Well, I guess you're right, Lucius. Now that you've been sacked, if I may
say so, Crouch Junior is dead, and half the inner circle is in Azkaban,
Severus is almost the first after the Lord? - Though, knowing the mutual
dislike of the Lord and the rest of humanity, the first is still Nagaina.
- Yes, I think he's the closest person now," Malfoy glanced at his pocket
watch. - If you'll excuse me, I have to go. I don't want to make my wife
worry.
- Of course, thank you for dinner, - the meeting can be called fruitful, so
I'm satisfied.
- No need. I should be thanking you for saving my life. Good day, Mr
Potter.
- Good day, Mr Potter," I sipped my tea for a while, thinking about what
I'd learnt. Today I need to go to the Ministry and watch for the snake. I
wouldn't be able to find out exactly when it would be there, or if it would
be there at all. With these thoughts I got up from the table and went to
my room.
Chapter 8: Ministry
- So I take it you're going to sneak into the Department of Mysteries and
sit there all night waiting for the snake of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
just because you think it might be there? - Fleur puts too much
scepticism into that question. - I think you should see a doctor after all, it
seems Azkaban hasn't done you any favours.
- I'd love to, but at Mungo's they'd put me on trial, and a psychologist in
the normal world would call an ambulance after the first sentence," I
dropped by the house after my meeting with Malfoy to explain the
situation to Fleur. I didn't want her to worry about me again.
- Why is that for experiments?
- My soul back in my body, isn't that a miracle? They'd have to tear me
apart to find out how it happened.
- Well, actually, lately I've read a lot on this subject and I can say that
such cases have happened before. However, usually after that a person
either became insane or lived no longer than a month, most often it was
interconnected.... And there's no normal explanation for it... - She
frowned and looked carefully into my eyes.
- Don't worry, if I go crazy, you'll be the first to know.
- You're a comforting man, Harry. I'm more worried about the second
option, though.
- You're saying there's no normal explanation? What about not so normal,
there's got to be something, right? - I may not have to look for it myself,
the Frenchwoman must have gone through every possible source by now.
- Well, mostly the books I've read say that after a dementor's kiss, there
are some crumbs of soul left in the body, and eventually they're restored,
but when only part of the soul is in the body, the person becomes insane
- Riddle's example is proof of that - and they're usually killed. I think it
would take a few years to recover enough, if there was anything left at
all," Fleur looked like she had been thinking about this for a long time.
Well, I've got a whole new one here at once, so I'm not in danger of
madness. I wonder why Tom's soul didn't regenerate. Probably has
something to do with the fact that he tore it off voluntarily. I don't want
to get into the finer points of black magic right now, the main thing is
that the explanation Fleur gave me is very much apt. I'm a boy who
survived, so I should have a higher recovery rate than everyone else.
- You know, it's probably because I've had a chunk of my soul sucked out
of me along with a chunk of someone else's, so there's enough left in me
to replenish quickly," Fleur nodded thoughtfully. - So what kind of carpet
did you want in the living room? - I'm trying to distract her from this
sensitive subject, because it won't bring us anything but sadness.
The Frenchwoman smiles gratefully and starts to show me different
variants of carpets in a specially ordered catalogue, at the same time
explaining the advantages of certain types. I know that the one she
chooses will be the best anyway, and I rely on her completely in the
matter of home furnishing.
An hour later, I'm standing at the phone box that serves as the entrance
to the Ministry. I had to use Dobby's universal portal again, since Harry's
first visit here had understandably failed. And during that farce, which
everyone called a trial, I was immediately moved to a cell in the Aurorat.
In general, instantaneous relocation is, so far, the coolest thing I've
encountered in the magical world. I don't understand how scroungers like
Nazemnicus and his kind can beggar with such a skill? Why not move to
some vault in the regular world, gain pounds from there, and exchange
them at Gringotts? I don't think huge, secure vaults are going to save you
from an apparition. If I'm poor, I'll look into it more closely. Right now,
I'm worried about getting to the Mystery Department.
Fleur drew me a rough plan of the Ministry, so I wouldn't have to poke
my head in every door, and she didn't even ask me to take her with me.
She probably realised the idiocy of my idea, but my intuition guides me,
and I trust it.
I didn't see any guards checking my wands, so I calmly got to the lifts and
pressed the button. It's late in the evening and there's hardly anyone in
the Ministry, but just in case, I put on my invisibility cloak, just in case
there's a guard right outside the lift.
When I arrive at the desired floor, the lift silently swings open and a
dimly lit, completely empty corridor appears before me. I hadn't had any
dreams about this place, and Fleur hadn't been here, so I'd have to go at
random. Not much choice, though. For some reason I thought there was
still a courtroom around here somewhere. I must be confused, because
when I walk forward, I find only one door.
The loud creaking sounds deafening in this pressurised silence. There is
no silent emergence, however, no one behind the door. Just a circular
room and several doors around the perimeter. As soon as the door
through which I had entered closed, the room began to spin, and though
I knew that something like this was going to happen, I was still
unprepared for it. Well, my intuition helps me a lot in global things, let's
see how it works in private cases.
The first room I looked into turned out to be a time room. I didn't look
around and just borrowed one Flywheel for personal use. I didn't know
why I needed it, but it would come in handy. The Ministry is a strange
place to work - it means that anyone can come, take a Time Flywheel and
go home. Well, that's good for me.
The fact that I'm a very limited mage is revealed as soon as I realise that I
don't know the spell that will put an X on the door. I don't have a pencil,
of course, so I try to transfigure the doorknob into something different
from the others. After a few tries, I manage to turn the iron handle into a
wooden one. Great, but I know five different cutting curses.
On the second try, I get where I need to go. The hall is really huge, with
shelves several metres high, filled with balls of various sizes. Somewhere
in the distance I hear voices, so I cast a spell that muffles my footsteps
and walk towards them.
The guards are a little better organised this time, with Sirius Black,
Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Broustver sitting next to the right shelf.
They are talking loudly amongst themselves, discussing where Rita
Skeeter got her Harry Potter memories from. Amongst the pile of
speculation I heard while sneaking around, the idea that Potter himself
gave them to her never came up. Finally finding the balloon with my
name on it, I tucked it neatly into my pocket and stepped back a little,
taking a waiting stance. I couldn't figure out why there were three of
them. In the event of a raiding party of devourers, I don't think the Order
would be able to hold out much longer, and given that this is a
thoroughfare, not a strategic site, Riddle might be able to enter from the
main entrance. If all three of them are killed, I won't be upset. My job is
to see that the snake is destroyed.
Two hours later, I already feel like the loud conversation of the three of
them can be heard even in the atrium. It feels like a picnic in the woods,
not an ambush, but a campfire with a guitar. A thin whistle echoes
through the room, and the three mages jump up sharply, taking a
defensive stance. It seems that some sort of signalling spell had been
triggered at the entrance to the hall. I wonder how they didn't see me.
Did the cloak hide me, or were the charms tuned to the Eaters' markings?
Of course, I don't care, as long as I got through. There were six people in
black robes walking down the passage towards us, with a snake of
impressive size slithering between them. What an interesting escort. The
Lord is probably watching through the snake right now. I could think of
no other explanation for such strange company.
The devourers had taken no care to conceal their identities, and I didn't
recognise anyone familiar among their faces - so they weren't members of
the inner circle. I could even say that the three members of the Order had
an advantage in the fight, if it weren't for the snake. I decided to be a
bystander for now and see where this was going.
Without wasting time talking, Black immediately unleashes disarming
and binding spells into the crowd of opponents-although they didn't even
think to disperse-and takes one of them out of the game.
It turns out that the Eaters weren't even aware that anyone was here, and
only now saw the resistance. To their credit, they thought quickly, and
the eight wizards fought in a small area. Only the snake did not get
involved and purposefully crawled in my direction, it seems to have
smelled it. Well, the invisibility cloak is not omnipotent either.
At that moment, I finally realised I was an idiot. No, I'd known that
before, of course, but now it just felt so special. How am I supposed to
kill her? I haven't learnt how to throw Avada and hellfire, and I don't
know if the former will help, I don't have Basilisk venom with me, and I
don't have a sword impregnated with it. And if I killed her with some sort
of explosive spell, it wasn't certain that the Horcrux would be destroyed.
"Think, Potter, there's not much time." Nagaina was already within
throwing distance, but she wasn't in a hurry to attack, and I was slowly
backing away from Kingsley, who had already knocked out one attacker
and was taking on the other. Arthur and his opponent weren't far away
either, but Sirius and the two Eaters had already moved a fair distance
away, and the only thing visible was the flashes, mostly green.
Hiding from the snake, I watched the Eater, who, apart from the killing
curse, didn't use much at all. He didn't seem to need to make any special
hand movements, so it was all about desire. Well, I've got plenty of that. I
approach Nagaina from behind and point my wand at her.
- Avada Kedavra! - I try to say it as quietly as possible, hoping it won't
affect the result, and a thin green ray hits the snake in the head. I ponder
for a few seconds whether to be happy that the killing curse worked the
first time, or sad for the same reason, and I notice the unnatural silence
around me. I turn my head and see five dumbfounded faces staring at my
hand floating in the air.
Kingsley is the first to come to his senses, logically assuming that since I
killed the snake, we're not enemies. The others also quickly realise which
side the invisible man is on and continue to fight each other. By then,
one of Sirius's opponents and Arthur Weasley had joined those lying on
the floor, apparently destined to be in the hospital anyway. As soon as I
was distracted, I turned my full attention to Nagaina's corpse. She's not
withered, no black smoke coming out of her, so the Horcrux is still intact.
That's not good. Now she could wake up at any moment, and I can't
imagine how the part of Tom in the snake's body would behave. Or
maybe now, in some room like King's Cross Station, a wise serpent is
explaining to his pupil that she was the bearer of the Horcrux and all is
well now? You'd be a fool to expect that. On the fifth attempt I manage
to turn the coin that was in my pocket into a jar, and I immediately cast a
few charms on it, trying to make it unbreakable, then shrink the snake
and place it inside. I hope that's enough for now, now we have to get out
of here before the Lord comes to see what happened to his favourite.
The rumbling from across the hall from the door made it clear that I was
too late. Kingsley, Sirius, and the remaining Eater stopped frustratedly-it
seemed they'd gotten so into the swing of things that they resented being
interrupted. I was out of sight, so I slowly made my way to the exit,
watching to see which side was coming to the rescue. It was a stupid
question, really, considering that the overconfident Orderers hadn't even
called for help, and it was only when Kingsley saw a dozen Eaters
scattering around the perimeter of the hall that he thought to send a
Patronus.
It was going to get hot in here. The Eaters were in no hurry to attack,
taking the two mages in a ring; they didn't seem to have much idea what
they were doing or why they were here. There are three of the Lord's
minions at the door, so I'm locked in here for now, which means I can
watch the show. The show didn't work, though. As soon as Brusstver and
Black realised the gravity of the situation, they attacked their nearest
opponents and rushed for the exit.
The procession, consisting of ten devourers, who couldn't work together
at all and were more likely to get in each other's way, and a fairly well-
coordinated tandem of the light side, reached the round room. Invisible
me was wandering away from it all, humbly waiting for a free passage
outside. I wondered if anyone would remember the half-dead Weasley
left lying in the middle of the hall.
As I enter this peculiar antechamber, I manage to notice that the entire
crowd of fighting men has chosen a door with a wooden handle. It's a
good thing at least one Flywheel was saved. I think the whole room is
going to be destroyed again. Fortunately, I've memorised how many
doors there were between the entrance to the Time Room and the exit to
the corridor, so I guess right the first time. The corridor is still just as
empty. I even feel a little sorry for Black and Brustwind- by the time the
senile Order gathers, Riddle will have taken over the Ministry.
While I wait for the lift, I try to hear any sounds of battle, but the silence
makes it hard to tell whether the soundproofing is excellent or whether
there's no battle at all. The lift arrives not empty. I step aside to let
Moody and Lupin get on, but the girl who came with them can't get off in
a straight line - she stumbles on a flat spot and flies straight at me. I
realise with horror that everything I've read about Nymphadora Tonks is
true.
- Oh, I'm sorry! - She apologises on automatic, not even realising that
there's no one in front of her, though my robes had slipped off after the
fall, and now there were two feet on the floor. Luckily, Mad-Eye had
already run into the room with the werewolf, paying no attention to the
absent girl. Tonks is about to run after them and only then realises that
she has crashed into the man hiding under the invisibility cloak. She's a
good Auror, after all; her wand is pointed at where my head should be
faster than I can say anything.
- Tonks, wait," I rise slowly and pull off my robe. We've never met before,
the scar is hidden under my hair, so she shouldn't recognise me. Too bad
she can show that memory to Dumbledore. - I'm not a devourer," I roll up
my sleeve defiantly, showing the lack of any tattoos on my forearm.
- Then what are you doing here and how do you know me? - If she was
reassured by my actions, it wasn't much. A worthy apprentice to Moody.
- I came here for this," I reach into my back pocket, grabbing her hand at
the same time and pulling it aside, pointing my wand at her. - Obliviate.
While the puzzled girl comes to her senses, I hop into the lift. At the last
moment I notice a small piece of paper on the spot where I fell and call it
to myself. On the way up, I read, "Harry Potter. Came to guard the
snake." Whew, good thing I picked it up in time. The fucking box
wouldn't let me in until I told it my name and purpose of arrival - I had
to answer it. I hope this isn't being recorded anywhere else.
The atrium was still as quiet and empty. It was strange that the Lord
hadn't come here in person yet; maybe he'd had some kind of magical
setback from the snake incident, I don't know. I have the Horcrux, as well
as the prophecy I brought with me, and the result of the battle can be
found in the newspapers.
I made my way out the same way I'd come back to the living room and
found Fleur asleep in her chair. Not waiting again, poor thing, it was
starting to become a tradition. After I showered, I took Veela in my arms
and carried her to my room, snuggling with her on the bed. I
remembered the snake's corpse, which could come back to life at any
moment, but I was too lazy to go check, so I hoped the spell on the jar
was strong. Pulling Fleur tighter against me, I had time to see a contented
smile on her face before falling into slumber.
Chapter 9: Last
The weather had finally turned bad. The wind howled like it was trying
to drown out all the sounds in the metropolis. At the height of our flat, it
felt especially good. I was awakened again by a knock on the window,
perhaps I was sleeping too soundly. This time it was the blizzard,
throwing snow by the handfuls right through the glass. I can't expect any
mail today. A flat in an ordinary house has a number of advantages over
a wizard's mansion. At the moment, the main advantage is heating, but
getting out from under the blanket is still completely discouraged. Fleur
seemed to have frozen in her sleep, too, and now she was lying almost
entirely on top of me, nuzzling her nose into my neck and tickling my
skin with her warm, measured breath.
She had a lot more to worry about last night than I did, so I try not to
wake her up and let her rest.
- Dobby! - The houseboy has become much more reserved and
understanding since serving me, and no longer rushes to hug every time
we meet. He took up residence in the Shell, as it was rather silly to keep
him in the flat. There he kept order, and came to us to tidy up and cook.
- Is the master awake yet? - The elf apparated down the corridor and
peeked into the room so as not to wake anyone with a loud clap right
under their ear.
- 'Yes, just keep it down. Fleur's still asleep. Could you bring in today's
issue of the paper? I don't think the owls will be able to get to us in this
weather.
The elf disappeared for a few seconds and returned with the latest edition
of the Daily Prophet.
- Here you go, master. Call me when the landlady wakes up and I'll make
breakfast.
Carefully pulling my hand out from under the Veela, I unfolded the paper
and looked for the results of yesterday's events, but what awaited me on
the front page was not quite what I needed, "Sirius Black acquitted!" An
emergency edition of the Prophet, which had come out just hours after
the events in the Department of Mysteries, was reporting that Peter
Pettigrew, who had been presumed dead for over a decade, had been
captured and interrogated at the Ministry overnight. If the article was to
be believed, Black had captured him personally. What the two of them
were doing there in the middle of the night was not told. It seems that
the Lord couldn't make it himself and sent Pettigrew to check what was
going on. The latter had used his rat form, but Sirius was all too familiar
with that form.
At the end of the article was a small note about the bodies of Alastor
Moody, Theodore Nott Senior, Arthur Weasley, and a few others whose
names didn't tell me anything. The circumstances of their deaths were
not reported, but any sane person would be able to piece together the
disparate facts from that newspaper into a coherent picture.
When Fleur woke up, the first thing she did was to check me thoroughly
for injuries, and only then did she exhale relaxedly.
- It looks like you spent your time there for nothing, not a scratch on
you," she looked at me mockingly, implying that no matter what the
circumstances, Harry Potter was always bruised.
- Hey!" I made an offended face. - I don't have to lie in bed after every
unpleasant event.
- Really? This coming from the man who spent three days in the hospital
wing after trying to fire fireworks with his wand?
That's not a good memory. I still don't understand how that could have
happened.
- It was a misunderstanding. I just miscalculated the force and the
fireworks were too powerful, so I went a little deaf," It wasn't like that at
all. I could see from Fleur's face how much she believed me.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're forgetting that I was there and I saw it all," she
smiled when she caught my stifled look. - I'm glad you're okay. Will you
tell me how it went?
I briefly described everything that had happened at the Ministry while I
was there and handed her the paper.
- It turns out that the Lord lost the prophecy, two members of the inner
circle and a Horcrux, and the Order lost one of its best fighters. You
could say that this fight was left to the light side. Except that the
Weasleys are going to be in a bad way now," the Frenchwoman lowered
her eyes frustratedly.
- It's karma, Fleur. At this rate, everyone who betrayed me will get their
punishment without my involvement. All that's left to do is pop some
popcorn and enjoy.
- You weren't going for revenge," she squinted.
- I'm not doing anything. I don't care about them. As you can see, they're
setting themselves up pretty good, and I have other goals.
- Not you, us.
- Yeah, of course we do. Do you know how to conjure hellfire, by the
way? - The French girl looked at me in horror. - No? That's a shame. Do
you have any basilisk venom somewhere?
- You went to destroy a Horcrux yesterday and didn't think about how
you were going to do it? - She's not even surprised anymore. - You're a
moron, Harry.
- We're on the same page here. I just realised it a bit late. So, any ideas?
- The all-knowing Harry Potter is asking for help. Fleur's being sarcastic,
but it's obvious she's happy to help. - What about that huge monster you
showed me at Hogwarts? - I quickly try to figure out what she's talking
about, and I remember that I took her to the Chamber of Secrets after I
told her about my second year.
- That's a good idea. It's school holidays, so it shouldn't be too crowded.
Would you like some company?
- I would, even if you hadn't suggested it," she said firmly, and it looked
like we were going to have another serious conversation about her non-
interference in the future.
Moving into Hogsmeade, we immediately put on our invisibility cloaks
and walked into the Sweet Kingdom to use the passageway to the school.
It seemed as if Hogwarts was empty. The official announcement of the
Dark Lord's return had only been printed yesterday, when the students
had already gone home, so Fleur and I walked quietly to the abandoned
girls' toilet and peered inside. With the looters' map, this sort of outing
was much easier, but on the other hand, it was good to still have my
robe. Crybaby Myrtle was nowhere to be seen, so I approached the sink
that served as a passageway to the basilisk's former abode.
- Open.
- Um, Harry, do you think I could have passed on the snake language?
Because I realised what you just said," Fleur looked thoughtfully at the
sink, which didn't even think about moving.
- I don't know, let's try again. Open up!" I hissed louder, but the result
was the same.
- No, the last time you hissed something inaudible, but now I can hear it
clearly.
- I think there's another problem. I don't think I'm a snake eater anymore,
Fleur. The dementor must have retained that ability.
- What are we supposed to do now? - She looked at me worriedly. Good
question! No one but Riddle can get into the Chamber of Secrets now.
- There is one idea, but it's pretty crazy.
- Harry, have you noticed that you don't have any other ideas? Come on,
there's a reason we're here.
- We need to steal the sword from Dumbledore's study. I think he
destroyed the other Horcruxes himself that way - we could still just leave
the snake on his doorstep, but I need to make sure it's destroyed.
- Really crazy. And how do we do that?
- I have no idea. Given what happened last night, I don't think he's at
school, but we need to get the password to his office.
- Why don't you just get Dobby to fetch the sword from the study?
- Come on, Fleur! It's too easy, we could do it from the comfort of our
own home. Where's your spirit of adventure?
- Potter! - Oh, her fiery nature. - This is no time for childishness! Quick,
get the housekeeper! - Veela slapped my arm with a slap, so the urge to
argue fell away. In fact, I'm ashamed I didn't think of it myself.
Calling Dobby, we explained to him what we needed and waited. The
houseboy came back about five minutes later, when we were beginning
to worry about his long absence. He was badly creased, and his sheet
looked scorched in several places. But the satisfied smile on the elf's face
said that the injuries were not serious, and the sword in his hand
confirmed the success of the operation.
- The silly firebird did not want to let Dobby in and tried to stop him. But
Dobby found the sword and stunned it.
- Have the portraits seen you? - Dumbledore's office is full of spies.
- No, Dobby froze all the paintings at once. Only the bird saw Dobby.
- Good girl, Dobby! - Fleur squatted down in front of the houseboy and
stroked his head. In response, of course, the elf burst into tears and
ducked his head into the Frenchwoman's lap.
- Mistress is so kind to Dobby! Dobby didn't deserve such marvellous
masters!
- You deserve everything, mate," I decided to take some of the blame. -
We couldn't have done it without you, you've done well.
After consoling the houseboy, we sent him and his sword to the Shell and
went to the edge of the barrier. It turns out that houseboys can only
apparate through Hogwarts shields when they're alone.
- So, what about you? I've already got one on my account, so it's your
turn," we stood on the bank, not far from the cottage, and I held out the
sword to Fleur.
The Frenchwoman hesitated for a few moments, but then determination
appeared on her face and she nodded.
Taking the jar from my pocket, I was surprised to find no change. The
shrunken corpse of the snake still rested at the bottom. Perhaps the
Horcrux simply didn't care what state the host was in as long as Riddle
himself was alive. Pulling the snake out, I returned it to its original size
and stepped aside:
- It's easy enough to cut off its head, Fleur.
The Frenchwoman nodded again. Her tightly compressed lips betrayed
her tension, but she wasn't the type to hesitate for long. With a sharp
swing, Veela brought the sword down right where the neck should be
and cut the snake in half. That should be enough.
A loud screech made us instinctively clamp our ears, but it stopped
quickly, and what had once been Nagaina crumbled to ash, immediately
picked up by the wind. For a few seconds, a small black cloud hovered
over the spot where the snake's corpse lay, emerging from the wound, but
it soon melted away, and there was nothing more to remind me of the
Dark Lord's last Horcrux.
I walked over to Fleur, took the sword from her hands and tossed it aside,
putting my arm around her waist.
- Well, that was it. Only the Lord was left.
Fleur focused her gaze on me and whispered:
- That black cloud said you didn't need me before disappearing.
Only now did I notice how tense she was. The Frenchwoman frantically
clutched at my jacket and looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes.
- Tell me it isn't so!
I pulled her against me, and her luxurious golden hair, blown by the sea
breeze, began to tickle my face.
- Silly girl. You destroyed him, of course he said mean things to you," I
wasn't very good at comforting. - Fleur, I love you and I want you to be
there for me.
She relaxed into my arms, a shy smile appearing on her face.
- I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a mess. I love you too, Harry," she kissed me and
took my hand. - We should probably go home now.
- Wait, I'll do one more thing," I pulled the prophecy ball out of my
pocket and squeezed it in my hand. Thankfully, the text of the prophecy
was exactly as I remembered it. I sighed a little at my plight and threw
the orb at the nearest boulder, breaking it," I said, "Now let's go.
We called Dobby again and asked him to put the sword back in its place,
and then we went back to the flat.
Chapter 10: Poll
Guys about the next fanfic (want to write the whole thing anyway):
1) Marvel world, rebirth in 1970 (he will be born this year), There will
be a system shop, but the volute will be your stones, so his power will
depend on you. Accordingly, four walls will be broken. In general, a very
complex fanfic but I think the idea is very cool. (nowhere I have not seen
such a thing). But I'm worried that now in the top there is a fanfic to
which everyone gives stones, so the whole concept may break. Just a
super soldier serum would cost about 10000 stones, post an opinion (I'm
really interested).
2) World of Mushoku Tensei, Reborn to Rudeus. I really like the world,
but the main character is not clear to me.
3) EVERY Harry Potter fanfic, Harry learns about the magical world from
a snake and by the time Hagrid arrives he is no longer a canonical
Gryffindor.
Write your opinion in the comments.It would be very nice if you
subscribe to: pat reon.com/FanFictionPremium.
There all my there are advanced chapters on all my fanfics and even one
not released on this platform. I really live on this site and in my notes, so
if you like what I do, support me. Love, peace and have a good day/night
everyone. Hug.
Chapter 11: Negotiations
Slant Alley again. I've definitely been here too many times. Fleur went to
France to see her parents and little sister, and I got a letter from Gringotts
asking for an urgent meeting. I can't understand what Veselur needed to
send such an official notice.
The country had only recently learnt of the Dark Lord's resurgence, but
already the changes were striking. More than half of the shops and shops
that the day before yesterday had welcomed customers with colourful
signs were now shuttered and looked as if they had been closed for years.
There were far fewer people. Most of them hid in their homes, hoping
that the war would not come to their doorstep, which I personally doubt.
Those who did venture out today to do their Christmas shopping moved
quickly between the shops and avoided looking round. I didn't stand out
at all from the crowd in my black robe, my hood pulled up to my chin. I
didn't see any of the Auror squads that were supposed to be patrolling the
streets, so no one had guessed that.
- Hello, Harry," a melodious voice called out, causing me to freeze right
in the middle of the street. I turned around slowly and saw a smiling,
short blonde waving at me, looking over my shoulder. Even though we
had never met before, it was impossible not to recognise Luna Lovegood.
I looked around quickly, noting that no one was paying attention to us,
then grabbed Luna by the elbow and led her around the corner of the
nearest shop.
- Hello, Luna. How did you recognise me?
- Shouldn't I have? We've seen each other at school.
Yeah, well, what kind of answer did I expect?
- Well, well, you shouldn't have, yes," my eloquence evaporated in a
flash. - How's it going?
- Better than you, I guess," she kept smiling and not looking me in the
eye. - I can see you're in a hurry, Harry. But it's not who you expect to
see at the bank. Good luck! - She pecked me on the cheek and sprinted
away, leaving me wondering what had just happened here.
Shaking my head, I realised the main thing - there was one more person
who knew I was alive. I don't think Luna will tell anyone about this, but I
can't trust her completely. The realisation that under no circumstances
would I have been able to erase her memory is a little comforting.
Deciding to think about it later, I went to the bank, but with each step
my intuition was screaming more and more strongly that Luna's words
were right. Climbing the steps, I walked into the lobby of the bank and
went straight to the first goblin I could find for clarification, but someone
put a hand on my shoulder.
- "Hello, Harry," I said, "are you all in cahoots today? - It's good to see
you in good health.
Turning my head slightly I saw a blackened hand on my shoulder, which
combined with the voice left no doubt about the identity of the person
behind me.
- Hello, Albus. I wish I could say the same, but alas.
- Oh, come on, let's not rehash old grievances. I'm the one who sent you
the letter. Thank you for responding so quickly. Shall we go for a walk? -
He took me under his arm and led me out. Considering our height
difference, it was quite amusing.
- No, no, man," I stopped and yanked my arm away. - I don't want you to
set me up again on the way out. Tell me what you want here. And
anyway," I turned to the nearest goblin. - Would you mind inviting the
Potter family solicitor here?
- I don't think that's necessary," a confused Albus began, but the goblin
was already nimbly walking away to fulfil the request.
Veselur, who arrived shortly afterwards, gave us a surprised look, nodded
to me, and led everyone into his office.
- I'd also like to invite my solicitor," Dumbledore kept his face straight
and strutted around as if he were the only one here.
- Well, invite him," Veselur muttered under his breath, but still gave the
order.
The company gathered in my solicitor's office looked like anything but a
negotiating company. On one side sat me, silently drilling a hole in
Dumbledore's gaze, and Veselur, melancholically gazing at the ceiling. On
the other was the Headmaster himself and his solicitor, Bromstein. A
telling name for someone who works with money. The two sat with their
hands folded in a similar fashion, talking sweetly. Seeing the similarities
in their demeanour made me question Albus's nationality.
- So," Veselur was the first to give up. - What, exactly, are we here for? -
He looked at me eloquently.
- What do you want? - I turned to Albus.
- Harry, I really don't know why you brought goblins into this. I just
wanted to explain my motives and how you managed to survive. You
must realise that everything I did was for the greater good.
I cringed. I didn't want him to get lemon slices from somewhere and offer
them to the goblins.
- Fuck you and your own good. For the greater good, you could have
explained it all to me. You didn't have to buy me friends for the greater
good. For the greater good, you didn't have to make all the people turn
their backs on me! But you did everything in secret, thinking you were
the only one right about everything, you old goat! - At the end of the
accusatory speech, I even jumped up from my chair. Hmm, maybe the
Dursleys' living arrangements should come into it?
- Be polite, Mr Potter," Dumbledore stood up, trying to exert authority,
but the sudden pain in his arm made him wince, and he finished the rest
of his sentence much more quietly. - I am, in fact, your headmaster.
- When did I ever get a headmaster, considering I'm unemployed?
- At school, Mr Potter. I'm your headmaster at Hogwarts. Don't play dumb
with me.
- No, thanks. I've been officially recognised as an adult," I looked at
Veselur questioningly, and he nodded affirmatively. - So if I'm going to
be graduating, it won't be at your magnificent school.
- Harry, I'm afraid I have to insist....
- Wait a minute," I held up my hand, stopping another spatial monologue
about the good of the cause and the greater goals. - How did you even
know I was alive?
Dumbledore grinned.
- Did you really think that after all you've done, no one would ever
guess? I confess, at first I couldn't understand what mysterious new
player had appeared on our side. He shows up at the Department of
Mysteries right in the middle of a battle, kidnaps Voldemort's snake, then
very ineptly erases Nymphadora's memory and leaves. However, once
you thought about it, everything fell into place at once. Did you know,
Harry, that there is only one invisible robe, at least that I know of, that
can pass undetected through the spell I personally installed at the
entrance to the Hall of Prophecy? That mantle, by the way, mysteriously
disappeared just after your sudden demise. And Nymphadora's strange
headaches? I realised almost immediately that it was the effects of an
inept Obliviate. The image of the person who had done it, which I
managed to recover a little through the Memory Pool, seemed vaguely
familiar. But the main proof I got was when a certain houseboy broke
into my office. Fawkes isn't just sitting there for show, you know. All I
had to do was confirm my hunch, and you did a fine job of it, showing up
here today.
I sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what I'd heard. No, of
course, my appearance couldn't have gone unnoticed for long, but it
turned out that I'd screwed up just about everything. The only thing
Dumbledore didn't include was Lucius's escape, though I don't doubt he
knew about the arrest. He didn't, probably because I don't know why he
did it.
- Is anyone else aware of your findings? - I had a very bad feeling and I
tried to get rid of it.
- I shared my thoughts with Sirius and Severus, and they completely
agreed with my suspicions. Sirius was very unhappy that you wouldn't
help them in the Hall of Prophecies," Dumbledore replied as if nothing
had happened. Oh, shit. I frustratingly put my head down on the table a
few times, wondering how soon the Lord would find me. His search
methods would be far less humane.
- Yes, Harry. They don't call me the greatest wizard for nothing," Albus
understood my frustration in his own way, and was now smugly
surveying the surroundings.
- Believe me, there's plenty of reason for an old idiot," I muttered,
keeping my head on the table.
At this point, the goblins, whose presence I had already forgotten about,
finally intervened. Veselur was still counting the cracks in the ceiling, but
Bromstein couldn't sit still any longer.
- Why do you keep insulting my client? - He asked angrily in a high-
pitched voice.
Veselur correctly understood the reason for my hysterical giggling and
answered himself:
- If my client insults yours, then there is a reason for it, Bromstein.
- I think we can discuss the rest of this at school," Dumbledore said
patronisingly, interrupting the incipient goblin argument. - You can
spend the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, Harry.
I grinned and shook my head.
- Say, Albus, what's to stop me from leaving Hogwarts in, say, three
months?
- Why three months? - The Headmaster asked cautiously, slowly tucking
his aching hand under the table.
- Yes, yes, that's why," I pointed straight at her. - You think I don't know
that you don't have much time left? Do you think Harry Potter is still the
same naive boy who can be told anything?
There was an oppressive silence in the room. Even the goblins stopped
glaring at each other and turned their eyes to us. Though Veselur was
lying, considering he was the one who told me about it.
- How do you know that? - Dumbledore asked in a low voice. He was all
hunched over, looking as old as he was.
- From the same place as the prophecy and the Horcruxes," I finished
Albus off. - You knew I'd kidnapped the snake, you knew I'd taken the
sword from your study, but you didn't put those facts together?
Dumbledore was shocked into silence, realising that I knew all the secrets
he was hiding, so I turned to my solicitor.
- Tell me, Veselur, are wizards allowed to use the Gringotts mail?
- What mail? - He asked warily, gripping the arms of his chair tighter.
- I got an official letter from the bank today, asking me to report," I
pulled an envelope out of my pocket and handed it to him. - That's why
I'm here-I thought it was from you.
- I wouldn't call you that officially, you know. The bank sends such letters
only as a last resort," Veselur replied, looking at the text. - And that
means... Guards! - He shouted, as Bromstein reached the door unnoticed.
About ten steel-clad goblins, swords drawn, rushed into the office.
- Detain him," Veselur pointed angrily at the Dumbledore family solicitor.
- For illegally using bank records and giving them to humans.
The goblins immediately took Bromstein in a ring and led him out,
driving him with their swords. Albus woke from his thoughts at that
moment, but he didn't do what I expected him to do.
- I get it," he said imperiously, standing up. - I understood what happened
after the dementor kissed me. That's why you know so much, Harry. Or
should I call you Tom?
I was so taken aback by the last sentence that I didn't have time to react
when Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pointed it at me. The next
second a bright blue beam shot out of it and everything went dark.
Chapter 12: News
Guys I don't know if it will reach or not, in short it's a total disaster
(maybe you saw it in the news). 15 rockets only in my city, in general
was more than 150, no light, inernet mobile (very bad), I do not know
how much it will repair. Now there are advance chapters for the week
ahead, and on buy me a coffee advanced. Sorry for not responding to
reviews and comments. It's all very scary, a lot of people have died. Take
care of yourselves, and your loved ones. Peace and love. See you later
(hopefully).
I'm only writing this under one story, if anything in the comments (under
other stories) share the news. Sorry for clogging up the story with non
chapters, thought it was important.
Chapter 13: Bromstein
Consciousness returned gradually. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the
high white ceiling and thought I was back in Death's room, but a familiar
excited voice proved otherwise.
- Harry, can you hear me? - The blurry face of Veselur loomed over me,
peering inquiringly into my eyes. - I thought the crazy old man had
finished you off.
- For illegally using bank records and giving them to people?
The goblin stared at me in surprise for a few seconds, then laughed.
- Well, yes. The wording isn't very good. We don't actually have a law
against it, it's just that no one's ever done it. Is that the only thing you
care about?
- How long have I been laid up? - I asked, assuming a sitting position. It
even worked the third time.
- About an hour. Dumbledore got kicked out of the bank for using magic
to harm customers. That's exactly the kind of law we have. Bromstein
was taken to the manager's office for trial, and you've been lying here
peacefully all this time. He used some kind of paralysing spell on you,
but I think he overdid it.
- That's right," I said, trying to focus my eyes. - He thought I was the Dark
Lord. That's an interesting conclusion. You don't think so, do you? - The
thought had just occurred to me, but I sat away from the solicitor just in
case.
- No," he grinned. - You're not up to it, Harry. No matter how hard you
try. But even if I did, what do I care? Gold is gold.
- Wait a minute, Riddle has a solicitor too, doesn't he? - I don't know why
I need one, but it's worth asking.
- Riddle? No, no, no. For all I know, the Dark Lord is a half-blood. And
who do you think used our services? The wizards who lived in the hovel
or the Muggles in general? - It was impossible to tell from his tone which
of Riddle's bloodline made him more disgusted.
- You know, Veselur, I guess I'm just not quite over it yet.
- I'll put your weird questions down to a head injury," he was silent for a
few seconds, gathering his strength. - Do you want to tell me what all the
fuss is about?
- Why not? - I shrugged, not finding any reason to play Dumbledore. -
That Halloween night in eighty-one, I was taken to visit my maternal
relatives.....
I spent the next hour telling the solicitor about my hard life, Riddle's
Horcruxes, and my reasons for disliking the Headmaster of Hogwarts,
omitting only the moment with the new soul. Stopping at the moment
when I woke up in Azkaban, I exhaled relaxedly, leaning back against the
back of the couch.
- Yeah," Veselur said after a few moments of silence. - Now a lot of
questions disappear. I take it that the Horcrux we have in our possession
has already been taken? - Who's talking about what, but the goblin's
talking about the jar.
- Yeah, I think Sirius Black got it out using his family ties to Bellatrix.
- Well, if he was able to do that, it must have been legal, otherwise the
cup would still be in our possession and no one would be able to take it.
Now I understand perfectly well your dislike of the headmaster.
Dislike is an understatement.
- Yes, that's the way it is," I said distantly. - So what will they do to
Bromstein now? I'd hate to see him get away with it.
- As I told you, Harry, there's no law against it, but I don't think the
headmaster's going to let it go. After all, he's not a fan of goblins being
too frivolous with his clients.
- All right, that's taken care of," I said, rising. - Let's see what Dumbledore
does now. The headmaster won't leave the situation to chance, either,
and I think he'll try to deal with the imaginary threat of me in the time
he has left. I wonder how he'll explain a situation in which I destroy my
own Horcrux. - Veselur shrugged, not really caring about the situation. I
couldn't blame him for that. - Let's go to the vault and pick up the rings.
At these words, the solicitor immediately became animated and looked at
me with interest.
- Rings, you say? You want to propose at Christmas? Look, Harry, it's
none of my business, but isn't it a bit early?
- Yeah, you're right, I've thought about it myself, so it's just an
engagement proposal. The wedding isn't until I turn seventeen anyway.
Veselur nodded contentedly and led me to the carts. As usual, it was an
endless corridor, but we couldn't get to the end easily. A dishevelled
Bromstein came flying out of a door, shouting angrily at us from behind.
He caught us just as we were discussing the contents of the vault and
gave us a very unkind look. I guess I had underestimated the bank
director's displeasure. And judging by Veselur's explanation, it was the
one who shouted.
- What's going to happen to him now? - I asked, referring to Bromstein.
- Judging by the amount of anger in his eyes, he was demoted to cashier
at least. Well, those are the ones in the lobby," he explained in response
to my puzzled look. - Usually they take novice workers there, but
sometimes they send experienced ones away for minor offences. I was
there myself before you arrived, as you know. But that was only because
I had nothing better to do at the time. - Well, that explains how the first
goblin I met turned out to be my attorney.
- What happens to those who commit serious offences? - I did wonder,
given that I don't see any goblins outside the bank. However, the
bloodthirsty smile of the attorney immediately brought back in my
memory a lot of weapons, hanged on the employees of the bank guards. I
didn't want to discuss the subject any further.
When I reached the carts, I took the passenger's seat and prepared for a
frantic race. After five minutes of torment and torture for my
gastrointestinal tract, the cart stopped right next to the safe.
Using my goblin finger key, I stepped inside and went straight to the
corner where I had seen some jewellery. I consulted with the solicitor
and was able to pick out a pair of gold rings that, if Veselur was to be
believed, had been worn by one of my ancestors. I didn't go into details,
but they looked rather discreet and I liked them. If anything, Fleur could
choose others, it was not a matter of principle.
As I took a seat for the return journey, I prepared myself for another
round of torment, promising myself to use the vault as little as possible,
but this time it was even worse. About halfway through the journey, the
cart began to shake, and judging by the look on Veselur's face, I wasn't
the only one who was surprised. The goblin tried to control it, but it
shook more and more, and we instinctively crouched down, hoping we
could make it to the end.
- I don't understand what's happening! - The solicitor yelled. - This has
never happened before, it's like someone has glamoured the rails!
By this point the cart was already spinning off the road with left and
right wheels alternately, and it wasn't going to stop, so we were sprawled
out on the floor, hoping we'd get there before it rolled over.
No such luck. When we were about fifteen metres from the entrance to
the bank, the trolley showed us something new and braked with its front
wheels, which sent me and my attorney flying forward and the rest of the
distance through the air. What added to the problem was the fact that the
area for stopping the trolleys in front of the doors was very small, and the
rails approached it through the air. When I landed flat on the ground, I
groaned at the sharp pain and slowly got up, listening to the sensations
and trying to see if I had broken anything. When I looked around, I saw
the door to the bank slowly close behind the goblin I knew. Now I could
see whose work it was. It seemed that the former Dumbledore family
solicitor had not forgiven us for losing his position.
My own solicitor, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. I ran
quickly to the edge of the platform and saw Veselur grasping the rails
with all his might, dangling over the precipice. His mouth was open in a
silent scream, and panic-stricken terror was in his eyes. I lay down on the
platform and held out my hand to him, but he was only a short distance
away. The goblin hung onto it, clinging to it as if he meant to fall with
me. He was unexpectedly heavy for his size, so I had to use all my
strength, which after six months of sitting in one place was not much, to
pull him up. As soon as I was sure there was a footing under my agent's
legs, I leaned back exhaustedly and stared at the ceiling, trying to catch
my breath. Veselur stood next to me in the same pose.
- Thank you. Thank you, Harry. I owe you one," the solicitor said, coming
to his senses.
- Come on," I said, waving my hand. - Don't thank me, because I'm going
to need you, and I'm going to need your finger. - The goblin chuckled,
which meant I'd defused the situation. - Bromstein did it.
- I thought so," Veselur nodded, rising to his feet. - Only a goblin knows
how the carts are enchanted. But we can't prove it to anyone. We'll have
to deal with him ourselves. I'll take care of it, don't worry.
- It's a deal," I said as I stood up. - But if you need help, call me right
away. Just don't send official letters.
I felt my pockets and was relieved to see that nothing had fallen out, and
then I looked at the cart, which, after standing for a while at the place of
our unplanned disembarkation, slowly moved forward and quietly
reached the final station.
- Okay, let's go," I walked towards the door. - I don't want Fleur to worry
if she gets back before me. And Dumbledore and the Lord won't be idle
for long, we need to get ready.
- You're right, Harry, but remember that I'm always at your service, any
time you need me.
I nodded, thinking that now Veselur and I could definitely be considered
friends, if not friends, then faithful companions, even if we had found a
very peculiar way to do it.
Chapter 14: Pre-holiday rush
The winning story is number 3, about Harry, I'm about to release some
chapters, have a look and see if you're interested.
---
After saying goodbye to Veselur and assuring him that he could count on
my 100 per cent help in the Bromstein case, I hurried home. I hoped I'd
be back before Fleur, so she wouldn't know about my busy day at the
bank. I'd have to deal with the Dumbledore family's former solicitor; after
all, that goblin had tried to kill me, and even Dark Lords don't get away
with that sort of thing.
As I left the bank, I threw my hood over my face, though it was becoming
less and less necessary every day, and apparated to the flat. Fleur wasn't
there yet, so I poured myself a strong cup of tea and sat down in a chair,
stretching my legs and thinking about the situation.
- Okay, Harry, let's get this straight," talking to myself was, as usual, a
good way of putting things in perspective. - You've been found out by
everyone, and everyone who's lazy will find out later. Dumbledore has
decided that you are now a walking Riddle Horcrux, and I think he's
going to share that discovery with Black and Snape again. I don't care
about Sirius as much as I did before, but Snape is a different matter: if he
tells the Lord that I'm a Horcrux, he won't think twice about killing me
quickly, at least I hope he won't, and he'll decide to take me alive.
I don't know which option is preferable. In the past, Riddle could just
find out the approximate location of my hidden dwelling and blow the
place up. But no, that's not his method. You have to rant, looking into the
eyes of the future victim, you have to be personally sure of her demise....
And now that killing me is contraindicated, the Lord himself may not be
involved in the kidnapping, but just sit and wait for Harry Potter to be
brought to him on a silver platter. There's also the possibility that when
Riddle finds out about the unplanned Horcrux, he'll decide to check the
safety of the others, which is clinically contraindicated for him. It would
be better if he never found out about it before he died, of course, but you
can't count on that. Well, first of all, I still need to figure out how to get
to Lord and kill him. After that, a lot of questions will fall away, and I'll
grab Fleur and leave England altogether. If Death allows it, of course.
My thoughts were interrupted by the door to the living room opening and
Fleur appearing on the threshold. Strange, I hadn't even heard her come
in. Whether I was so deep in thought or whether there are silent
apparition courses for humans too. The Frenchwoman leaned against the
doorjamb and looked at me with interest.
- So, what is it that death should let you do?
- I thought I'd meet her sometime later and ask for eternal life for you
and me," I smiled, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. Fleur
seemed satisfied with that answer, and she smiled back and came over to
me, sitting down next to me.
- Why do you and I need eternal life? - She asked slyly, putting one arm
around me.
- Why? So that I can enjoy your beauty forever, of course," I hugged her
back, pulling her closer. - Mages live an average of a hundred years, and
that won't be enough for me.
Fleur smiled and wrapped her other arm around me, pulling me close and
kissing me.
- What a flatterer you are, Lord Potter," she said, pulling away.
- Oh, my lady, what flattery? Only the truth.
- We'll consider the question of eternal life another time, if you don't
mind, Harry. For now, what have you been doing while I've been away?
- Nothing much," I said, slowly tousling the golden curls in my hand. - I
was thinking about the situation, planning my next steps.... - She doesn't
need to know that I haven't figured out how to deal with Riddle. Though
she might have a couple of good ideas, but I'll deal with that later. - And
how did you spend your time? How are your parents, Gabriel?
- They're fine, they're inviting us round tomorrow, so you'll see for
yourself. - Shit. I knew we'd be spending Christmas at Delacourt Manor,
but I didn't think of the presents.
- Fleur, darling, I'm going to have to go away for a while, if that's all right
with you.
She gave me a sneering look.
- Harry, like a true gentleman, thinks of presents at the last minute. -
How does she get it right in the first place?
- Yeah, I admit it," I lowered my head dejectedly. - I only have a present
for you, but I forgot about the others.
- You have a present for me? - Veela perked up. - What is it? What are
you getting me, Harry?
I just laughed in response.
- Curious. Tomorrow, love. You'll find out tomorrow," I gave her one last
kiss and stood up. - "Now, if you'll excuse me.
- Come back soon, Harry," the Frenchwoman said, saddened by the fact
that I was leaving her alone again. - And be careful.
- I'll be fine, Fleur. I'll be quick. - Grabbing my jacket, I apparated back to
Slanting Alley.
***
Oh, come on. I'm getting tired of this alley. I'd been here so often, but
twice in one day was too much. I had no idea what to get my parents and
Fleur's sister, so I just wandered slowly between the shops, looking at the
displays. The gift for Gabrielle, however, came quickly when I came
across a shop of magical animals.
- Well, Gabby," I muttered to myself, "I hope you're not allergic to cats.
Ten minutes later, I left the shop with a small grey kitten in my arms. I
didn't want to put it in a cage, and the salesman couldn't offer me
anything else, so I just tucked it under my jacket, hoping it wouldn't start
clawing at me.
The gift for Sebastian came quickly, too: when I saw the gun shop, I
knew that Fleur's father couldn't live without a metal stabbing object.
Inside the shop, however, was a sad picture: even for me, a man with no
knowledge of edged weapons, the merchandise on the counter did not
inspire any confidence. However, the salesman, who was watching my
movements, did not want to let the first customer of the day go so easily,
so he decided to offer me something special. He pulled a dusty bundle
from under the counter, carefully unwrapped it, and a small dagger stood
out among the others in the shop. Assuring me that it was goblin work,
the salesman charged me a substantial sum and handed it to me. I
haggled, of course, but the toad inside me was still cursing with a very
foul quack. Convincing myself that nothing would be spared for my
future family, I set off in search of a gift for Appolyn.
On the way, however, I bought a couple more things to send with
Hedwig. I hope Luna likes these lovely miniature figurines of vegetables
that can dance at any time. And I had no doubt Lucius would love this
peacock feather pen.
I couldn't think of a good gift for Fleur's mother, so I just went to the
jewellery store and looked for a beautiful pendant. I wasn't sure she'd
wear it, but I'd done my part.
When I returned home with my purchases, I found a familiar sight: Fleur
in her dressing gown, asleep in a chair. Someday we will fall asleep
together, perhaps it will be tomorrow. Tomorrow's going to be a busy
day, though it's the only one I have here.
***
- So, you ready to meet my parents? - Fleur thinks she caught me, and I
chuckled quietly to myself. Sebastian and Appolin didn't let me down by
not giving anything away to their daughter, and now she's in for a huge
surprise tonight. Perhaps I think too highly of my own engagement
proposal, but I hope it will surprise and delight her at least a little.
- Do you think they'll eat me? - I parried nonchalantly. - I think they're
lovely people, just like me. We'll get along.
Fleur stared at me open-mouthed for a few seconds, realising she'd lost.
- Where'd that modest boy who'd only blushed and stammered in my
presence go? - She muttered brokenly to herself, turning away from the
cooker.
I'd had a good night's sleep today, and no one had woken me up. Now we
were in the kitchen, where Fleur had moved Dobby over and was making
breakfast herself. The houseboy took offence at this insolence and went
back to the Shell, leaving us alone.
- Serious times call for serious changes," I said, making my words more
solemn by waving my fork. - Modest boys are not in honour these days.
Not in my situation, anyway.
- Yeah, you're probably right," Fleur agreed. - I'd like to say it upsets me,
but I can't. I like your new style, though I don't know where you got it,"
she waved her hand uncertainly in the air.
- You know, I feel like it's always been in there somewhere. It's just that I
can finally be myself. Not a little freak from the closet, not a hero or a
conqueror of dark wizards. Here, next to you, I'm just Harry, feeling
better than I ever have in my life.
I think I overdid it with the pity talk. Fleur silently walked over to me
and hugged me tightly. I noticed her eyes moisten.
- Come on, darling, let's stop being sentimental. Let's get ready, we
should probably be leaving soon.
Fleur nodded silently, squeezed me in her arms once more, and went off
to get ready for the party. I wondered what to do for the next couple of
hours. I decided to put all the military stuff on hold and concentrated on
more important things. Seriously, what I'm going to do tonight scares me
a lot more than some Dark Lord.
Thinking about the people close and relatively close to me somehow
made me forget about the creatures close to me, and after all, they
probably want a present from old Harry too. I didn't want to go back to
Slanting Alley - it would cause uncontrollable gagging - so I decided to
just go downstairs and look for something for Dobby and Merrylour in
the nearby shops.
In fact, I just wanted to take a leisurely stroll without worrying about
being recognised and trying to do any harm. It had been less than a week
since I'd arrived in this world, and there was already a lot going on. I
can't keep up this pace for long, so I need to make the most of every
moment of peace.
***
When we arrived at Delacourt Manor, Fleur and I saw that the
housekeeper was waiting for us. He bowed courteously and invited us
inside. Fleur looked me over nervously from head to toe and adjusted the
tie she'd made me wear for the thirtieth time.
How we chose what she thought was such an important accessory was a
separate story. I'd only shopped once before, right after Azkaban, and no
ties were on my shopping list. But Fleur, when she found out about this
terrible omission, decided to mock me and called Dobby, who, though
still offended, quickly agreed to go to the shop. I won't go into detail, but
I can now wear ties for at least a year, changing them every day and
never wearing the same one twice.
- Do you remember everything? My dad's name is Sebastian and my
mum's name is Apolline. Gabriel you know. Behave yourself, no more of
your stupid jokes.
I realised that it was really important to Fleur that her parents liked me,
but I couldn't say that we already knew each other, it was too soon. So all
I could do was nod and agree with everything she said.
- And none of my jokes are stupid," I said in a hurt voice.
Fleur wanted to say something sarcastic, but she didn't have time, as we
reached the entrance to the main hall and went inside.
- Fleur! - A little angel in a light-coloured dress ran up to us and hugged
my companion. I involuntarily sympathised with this attitude between
the sisters. They had only seen each other recently, and they already
missed each other.
- Ga... Harry? - When it was my turn, the angel was no longer so sure of
his actions. Even though a little less than a year ago I became for
Gabrielle something like a knight, but since then she must have heard
about me not the most pleasant news. I had changed considerably in
appearance, and now she didn't know whether to hug me, like her sister,
or give me a more formal greeting.
- Gaby! - I decided to ease her moral distress and smiled broadly,
spreading my arms out to the sides.
- Harry! - She immediately jumped on top of me, hanging around my
neck.
- Hello, princess. - I hugged her back and kissed her cheek. - How are you
doing?
- I'm doing fine! Come quickly, we're just waiting for you! - She took me
by the hand and led me into the living room, where I realised the party
was to be held. Fleur, who had not expected such insolence from her
sister, frowned at me, and then came to my other side and took me under
her arm.
- I thought I was your princess," she mumbled in my ear, pretending to be
deeply offended.
- Of course you are, silly," I released my hand and pulled Fleur close to
me. - And then there's Gaby!
She tried to slap me, but I stopped her from doing so, pulling her tighter.
The sound of laughter on the other side of me made it clear that the
subject of our argument had heard everything.
- Look, darling, he's only just turned up, and already he wants to take my
other daughter! - Sebastian, who was greeting us, pretended to be
indignant. Apolline only smiled at this statement.
Our trio approached the parents of the girls, and then the traditional
greetings began.
- Sebastian! - I boldly stepped forward and extended my hand to the man.
Fleur was clearly taken aback by the familiarity, but before she could do
anything about it, her father returned the handshake, smiling openly.
- Hello, Harry!
Game on.
Chapter 15: Matters of the Heart
Fleur Delacour was annoyed. This state appeared to her whenever
something incomprehensible happened. Everyone around her knew
exactly what was going on, leaving her in the dark! On purpose!
Everyone except Gabrielle, of course. She hardly noticed anything
unusual, and even if she did, she didn't pay much attention to it. Fleur,
on the other hand, couldn't shake the feeling that Harry and her parents
were collectively mocking her!
She had been silent when Harry had greeted her father by the hand like
an old mate, and had been familiar with him from the start. She was
silent when her father paid no attention and responded to the greeting as
if nothing unusual had happened. She had even remained silent when
Potter had kissed her mother on the cheek and she had returned the
favour! But now, as the three of them calmly began their meal and
chatted amiably about nothing, pretending that nothing had happened,
Fleur realised that her patience was wearing thin. She'd never been
particularly calm or patient, her fiery nature was making itself known,
but what this boy was doing was out of line!
It seems that after that horrible incident with the dementor's kiss and his
stay in Azkaban, Harry has a new superpower - to make Fleur Delacourt
mad! You can't say she doesn't like it. He had changed a lot, he was more
mature, more mature, he definitely had something he didn't have before -
he didn't blush at every conversation and acted more relaxed, which for
an eighteen year old Veela looked very attractive. His appearance had
changed, too, somehow subtly, his face now often showing expressions
she'd never seen before.
And those looks he sometimes threw at her... If before she couldn't even
think of any intimacy with Harry, as he obviously didn't allow such
thoughts, now Fleur wasn't sure which of them thought about it more
often. Even with her naked eyes she could see that he was trying to
restrain himself from crossing a certain line, but the reasons for his
behaviour were a mystery to her. Does he have doubts? Maybe he doesn't
really love her? No, that would be silly. It was enough to notice the way
he looked at her once. That look sometimes even makes him
uncomfortable, as if he thinks she's so much better than she really is. But
now that he's gotten rid of his glasses, it's harder and harder to look away
from his green eyes. And that smile that appears on his face every time
he sees her... So open... Gentle.....
But what is it then? Maybe he, like a true Englishman, thinks he's a
gentleman and plans to wait until marriage? How long would that be? He
may not look fifteen, and his behaviour is not so childish, but what if he
is going to wait for several years?
Fleur shuddered mentally, and tried to push them away, but just in case,
she remembered to talk about it as soon as possible. However, as soon as
she looked at Harry again, all bad thoughts immediately left her.
Seriously, what was she thinking? Harry had come back to her! Back
even though the dementor had kissed him! He came straight to her to
confess his feelings! And now he was sitting with her and her parents at
the same table, celebrating Christmas with her family, which Fleur hoped
would one day become family for him too.
By the way! - Fleur shook her head unhappily. - Potter was distracting
her again! Now was not the time to think about how nice he was. Now
was the time to think about how he was bullying her! Look at her: she's
sitting here, bored, cloudy, confused, and he's not paying any attention to
it, still chatting with her parents. When she listened to the conversation
and heard Harry praising the next dish he tasted, saying that Apolline
must have added some of her beauty to it to make it even more delicious,
Fleur realised that her patience was wearing thin.
- What's going on here?! - She asked demandingly. It was a little louder
than she'd intended, causing Harry to freeze with his mouth open before
he could get a bite of meat out of it.
- What are you talking about, love? - The three of them asked at the same
time.
- Yeah, what are you talking about?" said Gaby, quietly pulling the most
appetising bits out of Harry's plate.
- That's exactly what it's about! - Fleur pointed accusingly, first at her
parents and then at Harry. - What are you doing here?!
- Nothing. - And again with glee! Even the surprised tone no one forgot to
add. Fleur felt the spoon she had been unconsciously clutching in her
hand all this time begin to bend. She didn't seem to be the only one who
noticed it.
- I need to talk to Harry about something," her father rose from the table
and Harry followed him, glancing warily at the spoon in her hand. - Don't
be sad girls, we'll be back soon.
- I'm coming with you! - Fleur wasn't about to let them go without
finding out what was going on and jumped up from her seat.
- Calm down, Fleur, they'll be back soon," Mum put her hand on her
shoulder reassuringly, while Dad and Harry tried to run away as quickly
as possible towards the Head of Household's office. Fleur only had to sit
back down, continuing to glare angrily at their backs.
- Mum! Can you at least tell me what you've done? I was worried, I'd
arranged it with you, I'd brought Harry, I thought you were going to
interrogate him as usual, talk to him in a strictly formal way, I was
worried that Harry was very bad at etiquette and would make himself
look bad. And what do I see? Cooing like old friends! You don't even
behave like that with our relatives! Remember when Uncle Pierre came
to visit? You didn't even let him sleep over by getting the elf to block all
the bedroom doors!
- You're exaggerating, sweetheart. - Apolline remained completely calm. -
'We treated Harry exactly the same way as our other guests. It's nothing
unusual, because your father and I are very happy that he's been able to
get his life back to normal and you two are together. Do you think I've
forgotten what's been happening to you for the last six months? - Fleur
couldn't answer straight away, but her mother didn't seem to need to. -
So there's no need to suspect us of anything. Go and help Ricky get your
bedrooms ready. You'll be sleeping in separate rooms, I hope?
Fleur was well aware that her mum was trying to divert her attention,
but she blushed anyway at such a statement, involuntarily recalling her
recent thoughts. Gabrielle didn't ignore her embarrassment and laughed
happily, as if something had happened that she had been waiting for.
- Of course it's different," Fleur murmured, and she could tell from her
tone that she was upset by the fact. Apolline reacted with a puzzled look,
to which Fleur only shook her head. - Nothing. I'll go and help Ricky, but
don't think you'll be able to get away from me that easily!
Apolline didn't react to that, turning her attention back to Gabrielle, who
had stopped eating and was only picking at her plate.
Fleur went to the first floor, thinking about why she should help the
House elf at all, and what kind of punishments she would bring down on
Potter's head when they were alone together.
***
- I think Fleur's onto something," Sebastian said as soon as we were in his
office.
- Oh, you think so? I thought bending spoons was just something she did.
I think she bent a couple at breakfast today. - I couldn't resist a barb, but
then I mentally shamed myself for such insolent behaviour. - I'm sorry,
I'm getting a little carried away. Of course she knows, Fleur's not stupid,
and it's not like we've been secretive. It's all right, she won't have long to
be in the dark.
- It's all right, Harry, I know you're nervous and it's normal. I'd be more
likely to suspect something wrong if you stayed calm. You're 15 years old
and you're about to propose to a girl. I'm sorry, but that's just hard to get
my head round. When I was your age, I never thought of anything like
that, but when I met Apolline, it took one look to make up my mind. By
the way, would you like to hear a story?
- Sure, I'd love to hear it.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair and stared unfocused at the wall, a
smile appearing on his lips.
- I met Apolline when I was nineteen. I'd just started working at the
Ministry then, and during one of my breaks I happened to bump into her
in the corridor. She wasn't working there-she was just dropping by on
business. When I stared at her, she thought I was just another weak-
willed admirer who would silently devour her with his eyes, and
suddenly, not only for her but for myself, I asked her out. You see, it
didn't even occur to me then that she might be married, that I didn't even
know her name, such questions didn't interest me. One look was enough
to realise that I was lost.
Sebastian smiled easily, reliving one of the best moments of his life, and I
felt a warmth settle somewhere in my chest. My first encounter with
Fleur hadn't been so pleasant, but the fact that I was also missing had
been clear for a long time.
- And what, she agreed? - I brought Sebastian back down to earth.
- What? He looked at me. - Oh, no, of course. She laughed at me, called
me stupid and left. It took me four months to persuade her just to see me.
And then it took just as long until she finally admitted she was in love
with me. I won't go into details, but when I proposed to her, I was so
nervous that my hands were shaking. Apolline even wanted to call a
doctor. When I took out the ring, she smiled so big that I knew
everything was going to be all right.
Sebastian was silent, and I decided not to interrupt his reminiscences. For
a second, I thought I saw the insecure guy he'd just told me about sitting
in Fleur's father's seat. My own worries evaporated, leaving behind only
confidence and calm. Really, what could happen? She wouldn't kill me
after all, would she? I'd rather have her kill me than refuse.
When I noticed that Sebastian wasn't coming back, I decided to hurry
him up, because the longer we sat here, the angrier this young woman
was getting.
- Sebastian," I called out to him. He flinched, as if he'd forgotten there
was someone else here. I bet he doesn't often get to tell stories so pleasing
to his own heart. - Your story deserves its own novel. I'd love to hear all
the details you can give, but unfortunately, I'm afraid we're going to have
to postpone this conversation for a while, because if we keep this up, my
story will be written in blood. My own blood, at that.
Sebastian laughed and nodded.
- You're right, Harry, we shouldn't keep Fleur waiting too long. - He
pulled some papers from his desk and placed them in front of me. - 'Here,
I've prepared everything I need here. It's just an engagement contract,
confirming that you're planning to get married. It's just the usual. - He
glanced at me and corrected himself. - I'm sorry, I forgot there's nothing
customary here for you. In a nutshell, it doesn't impose any additional
duties on you, just that I'll be able to, for example, officially refuse
anyone who approaches me with any matrimonial plans for Fleur. I've
done that before, but now I can keep them off my doorstep. If anything
goes wrong," he trailed off, "both parties have the right to terminate the
agreement. Though I really hope nothing like that happens.
Look, Harry, Fleur has told us a lot about your life, but I realise it's not
all of it. It's hard for me to imagine what you've been through, and it's
even harder to imagine it all falling on you at such a young age. I can see
that you are a good person and you love my daughter as much as she
loves you. However, I am still a caring father, so I must warn you that if
you hurt her, I will have to remember that in this country I am called one
of the strongest wizards. Do you understand?
I smiled, and even exhaled relaxed in my heart. Seriously, it was starting
to stress me out that everything was so easy and simple. Parents give
their daughter to a man they don't really know, who should be preparing
for his first serious school exams and not thinking about anything like
that. And they didn't even say a word against it. Fortunately, Sebastian
had not forgotten his father's traditional admonition, which showed me
that he realised the seriousness of this step.
- As you've pointed out, I've been through a lot. Thanks to that, I do not
seek to make rash decisions concerning my fate and the fate of those
close to me. - That's a weak excuse, considering my entire life is made up
of rash decisions. - I give you my word I'll do whatever it takes to make
Fleur happy.
- I appreciate that, Harry. - Sebastian looked at me seriously, his face no
shadow of the dreamy smile it had been a moment ago. Then he held out
his hand to me, which I shook immediately.
Without another word to each other, we left the office and headed back
to the desk. I was pleased, and so was Fleur's father, but the end of the
conversation didn't go unnoticed by me. Yes, Fleur and I love each other
and live together, so I'm responsible for her anyway, but keeping her out
of the loop around me isn't going to work. The only solution to such a
problem is separation, with tears and pathos phrases, which, of course, I
will not do. An engagement would cut off all avenues of retreat, and I'd
be happy to take that step. I wasn't lying when I spoke to Sebastian, for I
would do everything in my power, and even a little more. Even if it
sounds a bit presumptuous coming from a fifteen year old boy.
Chapter 16: Christmas
Back at the table, we continued our leisurely conversation with the
Delacourt family, occasionally joined by Gaby, who talked excitedly
about her first half year at school. To my shame, I realised I didn't even
know how old she was. I'd probably heard Fleur talk about it last year,
but I'd been very limited in my thinking at the time, spending all my
energy on improving my magical abilities, and that kind of information
didn't stick in my head. It looked like she wasn't eleven yet, so either
Beauxbaton was early or it was a prep school. I wonder if cats are
allowed. It would make my present look ridiculous.
Fleur stayed out of our conversation, occasionally casting a thoughtful
glance at me. I shuddered to think what thoughts were going through her
head. Given her recent rage, she might be thinking of ways to kill me
with her usual practicality. And her imagination is boundless.
Although I'd been quiet with Fleur's parents, they'd been extremely
careful to avoid any mention of the last six months. I don't know what
the purpose of this was: maybe they didn't want to awaken bad memories
in their eldest daughter, or maybe they just wanted to preserve the
festive atmosphere. In any case, I was concerned about one question,
which I asked as soon as there was a pause in the conversation:
- Tell me, why are you so calm about the fact that your daughter is
dating a man who not so long ago was without a soul? - There was
immediate silence at the table. Yes, the question had sounded too harsh,
and I was already mentally cursing myself for not choosing a softer
phrase, but it was too late to back up. - Fleur told me that there had been
cases of souls returning to their bodies before, but all of them had had
unfortunate consequences. I'm sure you know that, too. Don't take this
the wrong way, but I think there's something I don't know. - I looked at
the head of the family expectantly, trying to ignore Fleur's hard stare,
trying to burn a hole in me.
- It's okay, Harry, it's a good question. - Strangely enough, Apolline
answered me.
- We have indeed heard of such cases. In fact, a few decades ago, a
similar thing happened in my family. My great-grandmother's favourite
was a hot-tempered man and one day during a walk, when several people
tried to hit on her, Louis couldn't stand it and used magic. They were just
ordinary people who couldn't defend themselves in any way. I don't know
all the details, but the trial was short and the punishment severe. Great-
grandmother grieved for a long time, and what was the family's surprise
when, two years later, Louis turned up on the doorstep. - It seems no one
had heard this story before, as everyone listened with bated breath. -
Unfortunately, it soon became clear that this was not the same man he
used to be. Not even a week later, he found the families of those very
Muggles....
Apolline didn't tell what happened next, noticing how interested her
youngest daughter was in the story. It wasn't hard to guess the ending,
though.
- It's different with you, Harry. I suspected something was wrong when
Fleur told me how she felt. It was clear that the connection between you
two wasn't lost like it was the other day. Besides, in cases like this, it's
not just the mage's mind that's affected, but his magic as well. You
couldn't pass the goblin test and claim the title if your condition was
unstable. I don't know how you managed to come back to life so quickly
with no apparent effects. Perhaps it was influenced by your close
encounter with the Dementors that Fleur told us about. Either way, we're
pretty sure that nothing like that will happen to you. But if you have any
doubts, you can always enlist the help of our witch doctors. I guarantee
they'll keep your secret.
Fascinating story. The interesting thing is that I seem to be the only one
who's worried about my mental state. Or rather, I pretend to be, because
I know that if I'm going to freak out, it won't be because of the
dementor's kiss. And most importantly, everyone has some logical
explanation for what happened that they believe in. Well, that's good for
me.
- Perhaps I should see a doctor, though your story has reassured me. -
Apolline smiled in response.
There was silence at the table for a few minutes, and everyone began to
think. Even Fleur, judging by the look in her eyes, had stopped mentally
dissecting me. Although, one person was not interested in all these
questions about souls moving out of the body.
- Time for presents! - Gabrielle exclaimed, realising that the festive mood
was in jeopardy.
- Gaby! - Sebastian frowned, "How many times have we told you that
Christmas presents are given in the morning?
- Not once! - She said confidently, showing that she had never heard of
such a thing. The parents could only sigh at this statement.
It had long since gone dark outside the window, and the living room
where we were sitting was glowing with many bright lights. As it turned
out, the housekeeper had been decorating the room under the careful
supervision of Gabby, who was listening to all of our rave reviews with
her head held high.
Apolline and Sebastian began handing out the gifts, and then we joined
them. To my surprise, I received three presents at once. Fleur's parents
gave me a luxurious robe, which, judging by its appearance, would not
be a shame to wear to ministers' offices. Gabrielle solemnly handed me a
small stone, which, as it turned out, was a serious artefact worth a lot of
money.
It turned out that it was enough to place this stone in a room and cast the
appropriate spell, and then it would be possible to regulate the area of
the room, up to the fact that from an ordinary bedroom you can make a
full-fledged gymnasium. I was blushing, imagining how embarrassed I'd
be when I got my own presents.
Fleur surprised me once again. When I opened the box, I was surprised to
find a rather large book, which on closer inspection turned out to be a
scrapbook. The decorated pages were filled with a large number of
collodographs, showing highlights of our time together. There were fresh
pictures, such as the image of a satisfied Fleur throwing a snowball at
me, as well as moments from the Tournament.
The collodographs clearly showed how much I had changed during my
time in Azkaban. Without knowing the whole situation, I would have
assumed it was two brothers. Fleur had matured considerably, even if it
was for the most unpleasant of reasons. As I stared and wondered where
she'd gotten all those pictures, I missed the rest of the gift-giving and
only noticed when the youngest of the Delacourt family stared at me
expectantly.
Rising to my feet, I called out to Dobby and was about to start the
handing over when Gaby noticed the kitten on my shoulder. I breathed a
sigh of relief, realising it was love at first sight. The cat might have
thought otherwise, but no one was asking his opinion. And he was
hugged so tightly that he couldn't even raise his voice. I'm sorry, Fluffy,
but you'll have to get used to it.
Gabrielle's parents looked on in surprise, and I realised that I'd caused
them problems with my gift. Fortunately, they refrained from
commenting. Only Sebastian threw in that if he found anything extra in
his shoes, the cat would go to live on the street. After that, they politely
thanked me for their gifts and waited for me to continue. I involuntarily
became even more nervous from such attention. Fleur was frowning more
and more, seeing that I had nothing else in my hands and that Dobby had
already left. I walked over to her and took her hand.
- Fleur, our first encounter with you was not under the best of
circumstances. But as we became friends, I began to admire and admire
you, for you were constantly revealing new sides to me, each one making
you more and more surprising. - Strange, I was sure I was ready for this.
So why was my hand shaking and my voice trembling? Slowly exhaling, I
continued:
- You remember very well the situation I was in. And if at first I was
worried that I had no friends left at school, then I realised that I didn't
need them, because I had you. You alone replaced all the others, because
you supported me in difficult situations, could give me good advice and
point out my mistakes. Every day I waited more and more for the
evening to come so that I could go to the room and meet you. I began to
experience a new feeling that I wasn't familiar with before. I didn't know
what it was and at first I couldn't articulate it, and then I was afraid to do
so, for at that moment the worst nightmare for me wasn't dragons, or
lake dwellers, or a mysterious labyrinth. The worst nightmare for me was
that when you heard my words, you would laugh back and walk away.
But I realised," he glanced at Sebastian, "that I was lost. I'm grateful that I
have a chance to be with you again, to tell you all the things I couldn't
tell you before. I don't know what the future holds, but I'm sure of one
thing: I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Tell me, Fleur
Delacour," I knelt down on one knee and pulled a small box out of my
pocket, opening it, "will you agree to be my wife?
Time seemed to stand still. I had time to see Sebastian and Apolline
holding their breath as they stood hugging each other, Gabrielle looking
unusually serious, and the beauty in front of me with her eyes wide open.
The thought flashed through my mind that in accepting Death's proposal,
I couldn't imagine that a week into my new life I would be proposing,
and even if it was of my own free will.
- Eeee! - Fleur's joyous cry brought things back to normal speed. She
jumped up on the spot and then threw herself around my neck, dropping
me to the floor and falling on top of me. - I do! I do! I do! She exclaimed,
kissing me in between. Fortunately, Sebastian's tactful coughing saved me
from strangulation, and we rose to our feet, whereupon I was able to slip
the ring onto my bride's dainty finger. Fleur's face was adorned with a
smile of such joy that the room seemed even brighter than it had been
before. When I caught a glimpse of our reflection in the mirror nearby, I
was surprised to see that the smile on my face was no less.
I didn't remember the next events well, for I was truly happy, and my
happiness was beside me, holding my hand. Fleur's parents congratulated
us on our engagement, after which we had a long hug with Gaby. I don't
remember what it was like in my past life, but in my new one it was
definitely the best day ever. I was surrounded by people who had become
close to me in such a short period of time. That evening we had time to
receive many congratulations from Fleur's relatives, who had been
notified of the engagement by an excited Apolline, play with Gabrielle's
new pet, who had been given the royal name Ludovic, have fun outside,
and do many other things. Even the magical fireworks did not cause me
any unpleasant emotions.
I only came to my senses once I was in my assigned room. After taking a
shower and snuggling under a blanket, I finally realised how mentally
exhausted I was. But I was at peace - she'd said yes, which meant
everything was going to be okay. Even the thought of what was ahead of
me didn't have any negative effect. Even if it was presumptuous, but
today I decided not to burden myself with unnecessary worries, because
they were not few.
Gradually my thoughts returned to the girl whose room was next door to
mine. It felt strange to fall asleep without her... Before I could think
about it, the lock clicked softly and the door opened, and Fleur slipped
into the room. When she noticed I was awake, she closed the door, using
some kind of spell, and crawled under the covers with me. I could tell by
the look on her face that she was thinking seriously about something, and
she couldn't stop thinking about it.
- Harry, I've realised something important, and I need clarification. - I
tensed inwardly, wondering exactly what she wanted to ask. - You
proposed to me, but I never got a Christmas present from you! - She said
it in one breath, and then looked at me expectantly. I could only open
and close my mouth. This girl could make me speechless with a single
phrase! When she saw that I was going to justify myself, she put her
finger to my lips. Her tone changed abruptly to a whisper:
- You are lucky that I know what kind of gift I would like to receive. -
With those words, she brought her face close to mine. - I've recently
learned about a new kind of silencing charm," she whispered against my
lips, "and I've already used it in your room.
That was the last straw. I couldn't hold back any longer and started
kissing Fleur, who responded to my caresses eagerly. With each passing
moment, the kisses became more and more greedy. My hands roamed her
body, and her loud breathing turned me on more and more.
Once on top of her, I began kissing her neck and collarbones, my hands
slowly pulling down her nightie. Fleur wrapped her legs around me and
we both surrendered to the incredible sensations. The moans, quiet at
first, grew louder and louder. Yes, the muffling spell was a very good
idea.
***
- Christmas, what a good and bright holiday. Everybody's happy, merry,
presents, it's idyllic. I wish there were as few holidays like this as
possible.
- Since my first appearance, nothing has changed in this room. There
were two chairs, and Death was sitting in one of them, looking at me. -
Sit down, Harry.
- You sound like a real villain," I remarked, taking a seat. The emotions of
ending this long day were still bubbling up inside me. Fleur and I had
only fallen asleep after we'd squeezed each other's juices out. So I was not
at all happy to be here again. I don't think anything good is in store for
me.
- I'm a villain to most people," he said philosophically, not commenting
on my thoughts. - Why don't I share my thoughts with someone else? It
can get pretty boring around here, you know.
- And how often does someone like me show up here? - I wondered how
unique my story was.
- Quite often," he chuckled. - Not as often as I used to, though. Nobility
isn't exactly in vogue these days, Harry. - He intoned my name again, as
if expecting a reaction. - Besides, it's not enough to give a man a new life.
I can't control the process, and most of these stories end quickly. For
example, not long ago I made a similar offer to a young man from your
past reality. He agreed and travelled to the thirteenth century, where he
immediately began to tell everyone that he was an atheist, and even a
meeting with me could not change his mind. Anyway, he stayed there for
a day and a half. So you've still got a long time to live. It's quite
interesting to watch you flounder.
A thought was just beginning to form in my head, but he beat me to the
punch:
- No, I wasn't watching your amusement under the blanket. - He smiled
crookedly again, as if amazed at such an assumption. - I'm not interested
in watching children do it for the first time," he continued without letting
me get a word in edgewise, "children, children, you're all like children to
me. You're all in sandboxes with your little problems. Although, I have to
admit, you're doing pretty well for yourself. Rarely does anyone here
have such luck. You've got a beautiful bride, you've got relatives, a place
to live, money, magic, after all. He shook his head as if he couldn't
believe what was happening. He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe
what was going on, and in doing so he reawakened my doubts that
everything couldn't be so smooth in Harry Potter's life.
- I'm lucky," I voiced the obvious fact. - I know how things are going to
unfold. And even if some things were unexpected, like waking up in
Azkaban, the canon is more or less followed.
- Canon... - Death was unusually thoughtful, pausing after each phrase. -
Yes, I saw in your head the original interpretation of this story. However,
it is only one reality. Most of the time Tom Riddle gets to me with the
help of Harry Potter, but sometimes, like in your current reality, there are
problems with that. I'm lucky that's where you ended up. And doubly
lucky that you know the basics of the world. But you're overconfident,
which is why I called you back here. The ease of your introduction into
this world has turned your head, and you have been on the verge of
failure several times already. Yes, you seem to have progressed in the
task at hand, but I have told you before that this version of events has
differences. If you keep swimming downstream, you'll quickly find
yourself there. - He waved his hand behind his back.
- I-" I started, but Death interrupted me, clearly losing interest in this
conversation.
- Yeah, yeah. Don't forget who's in front of you, boy. All your words that
you have everything under control and everything is going well, save
them for someone who can't see through you. Don't lie to yourself. Your
childish behaviour jeopardises my plans. And I always fulfil my plans, no
matter what the means. I'll take that as a warning. - He smiled, which
made it look even creepier. - Go, rest, enjoy life while you have the
chance.
Without letting me say anything in response, Death got up from his chair,
whereupon I woke up in my bed. Taking advantage of the enchantments,
I recognised that it was deep night. I carefully got out of Fleur's embrace
and walked to the bedside table to drink some water and calm my
shivering. I couldn't get the words I'd heard out of my head: "You only
think you've made progress," "different from the story you know," "rest
while you can," "I warned you."
Have I really made no progress and am just going with the flow? Death
has given me a decent scare with how drastically I've changed. But it was
my own fault, I should have realised from the start who it was who had
condescended to talk to me, and it had nothing to do with his deceptive
appearance. So what did he mean when he said it wasn't like
that? Perhaps I should be more proactive before the discrepancies
become too apparent. I may not have been here long, but the mere
thought of being removed from this place is frightening.
I looked at Fleur, sniffling quietly on the bed, hugging the pillow:
- What have I gotten you into? - The quiet whisper was barely audible
even to me.
Dobby appeared in front of me with a pop. I jerked back in surprise, and
was about to tell the houseboy that he needed to work on the volume and
accuracy of his movements when I noticed that his appearance was
drastically different from what I was used to. The housekeeper's already
large eyes seemed to have doubled in size, tears welling up in them. He
himself was covered in something black, and on his side, even through
the sheet, a fresh wound was visible.
- Master, Harry Potter, sir," he looked up at me, and I noticed he was
shaking. - Sorry Dobby, Dobby couldn't handle it..." I wanted to grab him
by the chest and give him a good shake. I could feel my ability to think
straight fading with all the pressure I was under. But before I could take a
step, he continued: - your house... It's on fire.
Chapter 17: Ashes
The first thought that came to my mind was the assumption that Death
had decided not to limit himself to verbal intimidation, but to back up his
displeasure with something more serious. The second was to go to my flat
as quickly as possible. I was ready to apparate, forgetting for a second
that the only way to get around in this house was outside, and that I was
standing there in my underwear. Luckily, my dying mind had time to
signal me, telling me that hasty and reckless decisions had to leave my
life as quickly as possible.
It wasn't easy. Standing in the middle of the room and realising that
somewhere in another country your house was burning down at this very
second. On one side of the scale there were a lot of wise thoughts: my
weak aguamenti can't put out the flames, there are probably arsonists
there that I can't deal with, there's nothing valuable in this flat anyway,
and the furniture isn't worth it. On the other hand, there was only one
phrase, literally burnt into my skull in big letters: "Your house is on fire,
and you stand there and do nothing!"
Having made an extremely hard decision, I decided to initially get the
information I needed and help Dobby, who was still standing there
staring at the floor. Walking over to him, I put my hand on his shoulder:
- Dobby, calm down and tell us exactly what happened. And
unfortunately, we'll have to wake Fleur up because you need help, I'm
not very good at healing magic and we shouldn't panic the house.
Dobby, realising that I wasn't going to scold him, burst into tears, and I
had to carry him to the bed. After that, I had to do the most unpleasant
thing of all:
- Honey," I stroked Fleur's shoulder sticking out from under the covers,
"wake up. We've got a little problem.
She opened her eyes and focused her gaze on me. It was clear from the
look on her face that she was about to tell me what she thought of guys
who woke their brides in the middle of the night, but then she saw
Dobby and sat up abruptly, realising that the problem wasn't as small as I
was trying to make her believe.
- Dobby, what's wrong? - She noticed the wound on his side and grabbed
her wand, doing some silent manipulation.
- Mistress Fleur-" The houseboy sniffled. I decided it was better to say
something like that myself:
- Fleur, someone set fire to our flat. There aren't many possibilities of
who it could be, but there are some. - She looked at me with eyes wide
with shock. I wonder if she's shocked by the situation itself or by the fact
that the carpet she's just brought in has been damaged.
- No, not the flat, the house. Shell," said the houseboy, who was definitely
feeling better.
- What?! - We exclaimed at the same time. I didn't even realise it wasn't a
flat, but a Shell. Of course it was, because Dobby was in the cottage! The
situation in my eyes had long since passed the critical mark and now had
an exceptionally foul name. I'd burnt down the house Fleur's parents
were buying. I couldn't think of a better engagement present. And I had
no doubt that I was the cause of it all. This was the kind of thing Death
had warned me about - the easy life was over.
- Oh, well, that's all right then. Tell me, Dobby, are you in any pain? -
Fleur began casting diagnostic spells on the housekeeper as if nothing
had happened, and I felt my eye twitch. I think a couple of blood vessels
had burst. Fleur waved her hand, noticing that I was rapidly drifting
away from reality:
- 'Relax, Harry. The shell, unlike your flat, is fully insured. My father's the
first person to think about that sort of thing. Dobby and Ricky moved it
into the flat as soon as I moved in. It's a shame, but we can get it back up
and running before the summer, or we'll think of something else. You
might want to think about why someone would want to set fire to the
house in the first place. If someone wanted to kill us, it was a very
strange attempt, because they had to make sure we were home
beforehand.
I just didn't know what to say to that. The number of things that had
happened recently had completely shut down my ability to think straight,
and as a result I couldn't come up with a single normal idea, jumping
from one extreme to another. And Fleur once again surprises me with her
rationality and ability to keep her cool when the situation calls for it. A
true champion who deservedly earned the right to represent her school at
the Tournament. Not only that, but she saves me from making rash
decisions. When I calmed down a little, I realised it was Harry's temper
that had me so wound up. I'd had too few personal possessions in my life
that hadn't come from my cousin. And here I had a whole flat to myself
at once. Of course, it was vital for me to protect my property by any
means necessary. When Fleur saw me coming round, she smiled and
stroked my head.
- 'Don't worry, love, I know you'll sort it out and I'll help you with that.
After all, it's only a house. It wasn't fit to be our family nest anyway," she
winked, and then laughed when she noticed I was blushing a little. - Yes!
I knew you were still blushing!
I only smiled at that statement. I was relieved, and I took advantage of
that by telling Fleur that if she remembered what had happened on that
bed a few hours ago, she would blush more than I did. In fact, she
blushed as soon as I said that.
- Okay, I'll need to talk to your father in the morning. I hope I can break
the news to him before he finds out about the fire from other sources.
Now," I turned to Dobby, who was still sitting quietly on the corner of the
bed, "tell us exactly what happened.
***
Dobby's story took over an hour. What was there to tell, you'd think? But
the houseboy was seriously bewildered by the events, so every sentence
had to be practically forced out of him.
As we tossed aside all the self-deprecating epithets and assurances of his
own uselessness, Fleur and I were once again convinced that we had a
very brave houseboy, capable of making unconventional decisions when
the situation demanded it. As it turned out, Dobby had spotted suspicious
people near the Shell a few days ago, but they hadn't come close to the
house or shown any signs of aggression, so he hadn't bothered us. The
fact that they wore long black robes and appeared only at night, he also
decided to keep silent - there was no telling what those people could
think of. Why had they never approached him before, but today they
suddenly decided to burn the house down? Dobby decided to switch on
the porch light to get a closer look at the guests.
Soon I had a pretty good picture of what had happened, and when I
discussed it with Fleur, I realised that I wasn't the only one. Apparently,
it was as follows:
Having heard from Snape that the tenacious Harry Potter was around
again, the Lord had sent several groups of Eaters to patrol the places
where Harry might be. I don't know what places he had in mind first, but
I'm sure that Hogsmeade, Grimmo Square, and Godric's Hollow were also
the places where you'd find small groups at night, pretending to be there
by accident. At first I, in my naivety, thought that the Lord only needed
to capture me, as usual, but then I realised what had happened to the
house and I felt uneasy.
In fact, everything developed quite trivially - while the lights in the house
were off, the devourers logically assumed that there was no one there,
and then suddenly the lights came on, and immediately the surroundings
were illuminated by powerful Incendio. Or maybe something worse. The
realisation tingled unpleasantly in my chest:
- You know what this means, don't you, Fleur? They weren't even going
to check who was inside. What if you'd just decided to look behind
things? - The burning of the Shell, coupled with the conversation with
death, completely wiped out any pleasant memories I had of the previous
day. I can't imagine how Harry had to cope with such rapid events over
the course of several years.
- No, Harry Potter sir," Dobby beat Dobby to the argument, "they didn't
set the house on fire right away. First three people were joined by five
others and they tried to get in, but Dobby wouldn't let them. Dobby
thought they were burglars and used magic.
- What exactly did you do? - I was really curious what a houseboy could
do in a situation like that. He hesitated again, but then he continued:
- Dobby doesn't like to fight. Dobby likes to do housework. Dobby is good
at cooking because he can handle several knives at the same time..." The
last words were spoken in a whisper, but the meaning was clear. Perhaps
the eaters had no orders to kill everyone inside, but when you are
suddenly attacked by flying knives, orders are the last thing on your
mind.
- Dobby managed to seriously wound three or four people, but then the
burning house started to collapse and Dobby apparated away.
- Well done as always, Dobby. - Fleur had long since finished tending to
his wound and now just sat beside him, listening intently to the
housekeeper's confused story. - You are a very brave elf.
I hastened to confirm her words so that our comrade would not lose his
presence of mind. In fact, not only was he able to get out of the mess
virtually unharmed, but he wounded several of the Lord's supporters, and
that was definitely a success.
As we tidied up the houseboy and listened to his story, it began to lighten
outside the window. Sleep was out of the question, of course, but I still
couldn't decide what to do next. On the one hand, I should wait for
Fleur's parents to wake up and tell them what had happened. On the
other hand, I didn't want to do that. Not only would I be dragging them
into my own problems, but I would also be confessing my own weakness.
If I didn't say anything, it might also seem like weakness. How hard it is
to be a teenager playing adult games!
I was distracted from my growing dilemma by a sharp knock on the door.
Without waiting for an invitation, the door swung open and Sebastian
Delacourt appeared on the threshold. He glanced round at Fleur, raising
an eyebrow in mute question, and then at Dobby.
- 'By the looks of it, you're already aware of it. - I hope he thought Fleur's
appearance in my room was recent.
- Yes, we already know, but how did you know, Dad?
- Fleur, I was buying this house. - Sebastian managed to say it so
reproachfully that even I felt embarrassed. - Of course, I couldn't leave
you completely unsupervised. The signal spells alerted me to the fact that
the house was on fire.
To Fleur's credit, she didn't say anything about parental control and only
recounted what we'd heard from Dobby. After that, Sebastian listened to
our speculations about what had happened and agreed that it was
probably the work of the eaters.
- I don't think they had orders to kill you like that, Harry. In fact, the
Dark Lord risked putting himself in the position of not knowing whether
you were dead or alive again. And this creature, as far as I can tell, is
much smarter than that to step on the same rake again. I guess the
housekeeper's rebuff coupled with the inexperienced devourers played a
part. You should be grateful to your House elf.
I had guessed that I should be thanking Dobby for the outcome. However,
I was only now beginning to realise how serious the events in this
country were. More than that, these events directly affect me and my
family. The burning shell in my imagination was a symbol of the words
that Death had spoken to me: I had taken this world too lightly, enjoying
a fairy tale. But it's not a fairy tale. It's not.
- I need to go there, to assess the scale of the accident and see what else
can be salvaged. - I pulled myself together and squeezed Fleur's hand on
my knee. - I realise it's of little use, but there might be some of those
Eaters left behind, the ones Dobby hurt. It's a good chance to question
them.
- I'm coming with you. - Fleur looked not at me, but at her father.
- You can go together if you want. - Sebastian was even calmer than my
fiancée. Judging by his demeanour, he had a couple of houses on fire
every day. But the explanation was more logical: "My men have already
checked, there's no-one there. But I'll ask you not to stay there too long,
for whatever else might happen.
We just nodded and started packing. As I got dressed and checked my
Invisibility Cloak, I wondered for the first time who Fleur's father was.
***
- What else did you expect to see here? - Fleur knew exactly what was in
store for us at the Shell site. She'd decided to come with me solely so she
wouldn't let me go alone. I was grateful to her for that, for the sight of
the ashes all around was seriously depressing. The sea wind had scattered
the ashes for dozens of metres around, and only the pillars of the
foundation pointed to where the structure had originally stood. Magic
fire is a scary thing after all.
- I don't know, Fleur. Honestly. I just couldn't sit still, stay away from
what happened. You know that's one of Harry Potter's traits, always
wanting more than everyone else.
- It's good that you realise the illogic of your own actions," she looked at
me seriously. - Let's finish up here soon. It's really cold.
Harry had seen a lot of destruction in his life, but usually it was at
Hogwarts and didn't affect him as much. This place was different. The
remains of my fiancée's house, even after all of Fleur and Sebastian's
words, still evoked an unpleasant feeling in my chest that I couldn't quite
explain.
"And it was about the same way the house in Godric's Hollow burned
more than ten years ago." - The thought did not add to the optimism.
After rummaging through the ashes and finding nothing worth noting, I
left Revelio one last time, checking the area for other people, and was
about to leave when I heard the distinct pop of an apparition through the
sound of the surf. I mentally patted myself on the head as I realised that
my wand had taken off even faster than Fleur's, who was standing next to
me. The man who had appeared a few metres away from us was alone
and not exactly hiding. After looking around, it was only a couple of
seconds before he noticed the wands pointed at him, and he jerked
involuntarily when our gazes crossed.
I'd only seen him a couple of days ago, but the change in his appearance
was striking. He was no longer a hunted beast, scrounging for food and
afraid to leave the house. Now he was a confident predator, one of the
strongest wizards of his generation.
Keeping his gaze on me, Sirius slowly raised his wand and squinted.
Chapter 18: IMPORTANT
Guys Buy me coffee blocked me (without the right to withdraw money). I
love all these companies that make such a beautiful facade. "WE BELIEVE
THAT IN THE FUTURE EVERYONE WILL WORK FOR HIMSELF" other
wonderful slogans, and it turns out the account hangs on it to sign up
(they get money), and I can't go into it. (only through the app, apparently
they are also bad programmers).
In general, all who bought a subscription, try to take money from this
organisation. In any case, I will look patreon, whether I can give those
who have already paid subscriptions (because although I did not get the
money, you paid and it is necessary that you get for what you paid). God
I have to bring content to patreon now:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium.
God I need to purge all fanfiction from the buy me a coffee link. A lot of
comments will get deleted because of this. God I'm having a sleepless
night and I just saw someone subscribe and then in a moment I get
kicked out of my account.
And the most frustrating thing is that all I've achieved (26 paid
subscriptions) everything, it's just so sad it makes me laugh. I don't know,
I'll have to re-post the chapters on Patreon, I'll have to delete the links,
good thing the lights are back on. Tell me, can patreon ban me like that
too or won't let me withdraw money?
Because if this is so, I do not even know what to do....
I will work, wait for the soon updates.
For now, patreon.com/FanFictionPremium.
See you my friends ❤️
Chapter 19: Dog
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It was bound to happen sooner or later. I had realised a long time ago
that all the people who had played an important role in Harry's life were
going to get in my way. And if the story with Ron and Hermione was
over at the beginning of fourth year, then Sirius was probably the final
and most painful blow. Even though I'd learnt to deal with the emotions
Harry had left in my body, the mask of calm was now seriously cracked. I
was struggling with two feelings: hatred for the man who'd thrown a
child who'd treated him like a father to his death, and a desperate
resentment that whispered that Sirius just didn't know anything, believed
Dumbledore, and could be forgiven. Pushing unnecessary thoughts aside
for the moment, I took a small step forward so that Fleur was behind me.
- Hello, doggie. - I tried to put as much contempt in that phrase as I
could. - Did you really get to be an Auror? Or is there no such thing as
private property in magical Britain? I'm going to ask you to leave this
place, because you have no right to be here.
Sirius was a little taken aback by such a greeting, but he quickly pulled
himself together. The wand in his hands did not waver.
- You killed my best friends and now you've taken over my godson's
body. Leave him alone immediately, Tom Riddle, and surrender. I
guarantee you a fair trial where you will answer for all the crimes you
have committed.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. How blind they are in their
fanatical faith in an old man who can't see beyond his long nose. Black
didn't seem to have any doubts, no contradictions. He simply listened to
what Dumbledore told him and believed it unreservedly.
- A fair trial, you say? The one that threw you in Azkaban without a trial
for aiding and abetting the Dark Lord? Or the one that sent the innocent
boy you're trying to defend to execution? Or maybe we're talking about
the court that left most of the Eaters free after the first war? So which
trial exactly are you talking about, doggie? Have you been so thoroughly
brainwashed that you don't even try to make sense of your own words,
speaking in memorised phrases? My parents would be ashamed of you,
you're pathetic.
- Stumble! - Sirius shouted the spell loud enough to scare away several
seagulls sitting on the coastal rocks. Luckily, my non-verbal Protego was
at its best and withstood the experienced wizard's wrath. The next thing
that came at us was something slashing and a couple of other beams
whose purpose I couldn't recognise. While I was taking the attacks on my
shield, Fleur from behind me was able to send a few fire spells back. The
short silent skirmish, in which only the first spell was cast, did not bring
an advantage to either side.
- Attacking me even though you just offered to surrender? - I continued
my verbal attack, trying to reach out to the man who was once my
father's best friend and open his eyes. - So much for the bright side just
waiting for someone to turn their back so they can stick a knife in it.
Aren't you scared? You just called me the Dark Lord. What if I bury you
in this sand, piece by piece, hmm?
- You can't! I believe there's still Harry inside this body to stop you from
hurting your godfather!
At this point I couldn't stand it after all and laughed. Fleur behind me
exhaled loudly.
- See, love, what could have happened to you if you had accepted
Dumbledore's invitations? Your brain would probably have been left
lying on a shelf in the Headmaster's office too. - I said softly behind my
back.
- Would it do any harm, really? - I turned my gaze back to Sirius, who
was still pointing his wand in my direction, but no longer trying to
attack. - You seriously expect me to believe that? Didn't you sit silently in
the courtroom when Harry was being sentenced for something he didn't
do? Didn't you never once question my guilt, never once come and
comfort your godson, never once try to help? When everyone close to me
turned their backs on me, it was you who hurt the most. That makes you
sound especially pathetic, traitor. Yes, traitor. You're worse than
Pettigrew. He betrayed his friends out of fear for his own skin. And you
betrayed your godson because you were told to. - I literally spat the last
of those words in his face.
- How do you know that? - Black said dazedly, and his shoulders
slumped.
- From there. I am Harry, you moron. Use your head for once. Or have
the Dementors been sucking out your brain instead of your soul for
twelve years? If I was Riddle, why do you think the Lord is attacking
himself? Why didn't I show up for six months? What was the purpose of
showing me the memories from the tournament finals? How was I finally
recognised by the Potter family ring? - The number of questions I could
have asked was endless, but even the ones already voiced were enough to
make the ground beneath Sirius' feet shake.
- No. No! This can't be happening! You're lying! Harry would never stay
away when he saw us fighting the Eaters! - Sirius is getting a little too
emotional about the recent skirmish in the Department of Mysteries. I
thought it ended more than well for him personally, as he was able to
clear his name, but the deaths of the elder Weasley and Moody seem to
have had a more serious effect on him.
- Give me one good reason to help you? - I realised he was listening but
not hearing what I was saying, but I was getting carried away. - You, a
bunch of fanatics, blindly following wherever they're told! And you know
who's the worst of them all? You're the worst! You're just a dog, whether
you're on four legs or two. What has Dumbledore done for you personally
that you can't stop looking at his mouth? I don't speak for the other
members of the Order, I don't know what went on in their lives, but your
life story is more or less common knowledge. So? Did he save you from
prison? Protected you from injustice? Did he at least help you exonerate
yourself? No! Probably because he left you to rot in Azkaban, and when
you escaped, occupied your house. Well, that's certainly a reason for
loyalty. No, Black, I have no desire to help you. I'd rather watch you all
get slaughtered one by one and die for the glory of the great Albus.
- You're not Harry," Sirius whispered, silently listening to my monologue.
- Harry would never say things like that. - It looked like he'd made up his
mind about something. His posture had become much more confident,
and his wand was staring exactly at my face. - I don't want to hear
baseless insults. If you have something to say to me, try to win first.
He hadn't even had a chance to speak yet, and his wand had already
started moving. No matter how much I tried to piss him off, direct
confrontation was not in my plans. Despite my active training during the
tournament, I didn't think I could seriously confront an experienced
wizard. The fact that I had Fleur on my side didn't add to my confidence
either: she could fight, but worrying about her would be a serious
distraction.
Sirius wasn't concerned with my doubts, and he'd already made up his
mind. A bright blue beam flew in my direction, and to my surprise I
recognised it as the same spell Dumbledore had used to attack me at
Gringotts. I couldn't look away, Fleur was behind me, so I had to rely on
Protego's strength again.
- Fleur, to the side! - I shouted as soon as the shield absorbed the spell.
Sirius didn't move, and from where he was standing he unleashed more
and more beams at me, which I managed to dodge. Luckily, the supposed
nobility of the light side had kicked in, so he didn't try to kill me or
attack Fleur, focusing solely on me.
As I dodged Black's spells, I managed to occasionally attack back, using
only stun and disarm curses. Fleur didn't stand idly by either, pouring fire
at Sirius from the other flank. He clearly hadn't expected such an
onslaught, but he quickly regained his composure and began to move.
Having released a bunch of beams at me, of which I recognised at most
every third, he suddenly attacked Fleur with a binding curse. Veela, at
that moment preparing her own spell, was unprepared for such a turn
and dropped out of the fight.
The Animagus, unleashing this fight, did not take into account one factor
that he could not have known about: the last few hours were extremely
exhausting for my psyche. Even though Fleur and my father had
managed to calm me down, the sight of my fiancée lying helplessly on
the ground, bound by ropes, had shaken my mind again. As a result, I
stopped thinking about the consequences and began to search my
memory for more serious spells. The first thing that came to mind,
however, was the wrong one:
- Sectumsempra! - For the first time in the fight, I shouted the spell
loudly, and a multitude of invisible blades flew out towards my
godfather. Black hesitated for a few moments because of the unknown
charms and raised his shield late, leaving a deep cut on his left arm.
Gritting his teeth, he quickly cast several healing spells on himself, but
naturally none of them helped. Snape knows all too well how to inflict
pain.
Sirius's injury hurt me more than him, though, because now he was no
longer holding back or thinking about what I was saying at all, forcing
me to go on the defensive. More and more beams were coming at me,
and it wasn't going to last much longer. As I dodged another slashing
curse, I stepped on something soft beneath the ash and slipped. Sirius
took advantage of that and immediately fired an Expelliarmus at me,
which I rolled away from, but the next Petrificus hit me squarely in the
chest. Black leaned over and stared into my face, knocking my wand out
of my frozen hands with his foot.
- You're too weak for the Dark Lord, but Harry would never use
something so dark, so unhealable. So who are you? I think the
Headmaster will figure it out. - He tied me up and was about to apparate
when a red beam of a paralysing curse hit him in the side of his wounded
arm. Sirius didn't have time to react and fell beside me. Immediately
afterwards, my body was able to move again.
Turning my head, I expect to see Fleur, who I had discreetly thrown
Finite at in the heat of battle, but there stands an unfamiliar wizard in a
blue robe. Ignoring Black and I, he walks over to Veela, who's already rid
of the ropes, and helps her up.
- Whew, that was close. Thank you. - She thanks him like an old
acquaintance, then walks over to me and scrutinises me for injuries.
- Not bad at all, Mr Potter," the stranger says in a strong accent. - I
honestly thought it would be over much sooner.
Fleur strokes my shoulder reassuringly, seeing my uncomprehending gaze
and my unresolved tension.
- 'Relax, Harry, it's fine. This is Bernard. He's my father's assistant and my
godfather.
- Sebastian asked me to keep an eye on you, and to help if anything
happened. As it turned out, he was not unreasonable in his reassurance. -
Bernard looked at me appraisingly, and seeing that my wand was still
clenched tightly in my hand, he held up his hands in a conciliatory
manner. - Calm down, Mr Potter, I'm not going to hurt you.
- Have you been here from the beginning? - I ask him, trying to listen to
myself. This man doesn't evoke negative emotions. Besides, if he's Fleur's
godfather, he's known the Delacour family for years at least, and
Sebastian trusts him. On the other hand, I have proof at my feet that the
title of godfather is no guarantee of trustworthiness.
- No, I've been here since about, "I'd rather watch you get slaughtered one
by one." Or whatever you said? Anyway, the phrase is obviously taken
out of context, so, I'm not going to give it much weight. Although, the
fact that my goddaughter is involved with such a bloodthirsty young man
is a little alarming. Congratulations on your engagement, by the way. I
can see that you can stand up for yourself and protect Fleur in case of
danger, but you still need to work on your skills.
I shook his hand and thanked him for his congratulations, noting to
myself that he'd said that last phrase quietly so Black wouldn't find out
about the engagement.
- Well," Bernard turned to Fleur, "finish up here and come back. I'll be
waiting for you at your house. - He gave Sirius another glance and
apparated away, leaving the three of us again.
I walked over to Fleur and examined her carefully for injuries.
- Are you alright? I must remember to thank your father for his foresight.
- I was soberly assessing my strength, and I had no intention of
reproaching Sebastian for not trusting me. If it hadn't been for Bernard,
I'd be lying on Grimmo somewhere under the care of Kreacher at the very
least, and an old man with a black hand at the very most.
- Yes, I'm fine. - She looked me over as well. - I'm sorry I missed such a
stupid punch. In the past six months, I've grown accustomed to fighting. -
I only squeezed her hand tighter in response. I hope that applied to me,
too, because I hadn't lasted much longer than she had.
Walking over to the Order of the Phoenix member lying on his back, I
stare into his eyes for a few seconds, trying to convince Harry inside me
that this story was over. Sirius has already stopped thrashing around and
is now staring blankly up at the sky, not even trying to fight back. I
wondered if he was even listening to what we were talking about.
- Make it quick," he said in a different tone from the one he'd used to
accuse me of all my sins.
- Quickly? No. I can't do it fast. You think I'm gonna kill you? You want
to run away from this life like a coward? That's Gryffindor courage at its
finest. But I won't give you that chance. You will live with the fact that
you betrayed the one person who truly believed in you. - Looks like Black
really thought I was going to end him now. - By the way, Black, they say
you were Hogwarts' leading ladies' man, so here's one last question for
you: can a Veela who chooses a mate once in her life realise that there's
another person in the body of her lover?
I picked up his wand from the ground and threw it into the sea, then
walked over to Fleur, who was still standing there, and looked her in the
eye. The Frenchwoman didn't comment on the situation and only
squeezed my hand in silent support. I was much luckier with my fiancée
than with my friends and godfather.
Chapter 20: Censure
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In this world, it became clear pretty quickly who Harry Potter's most
important companion was. It's not the extravagant House elf, who settled
into his new place monstrously quickly and had already taken away
Ricky's right to cook dinner within a couple of hours of our absence. And
it wasn't even the beautiful bride clinging tightly to my shoulder. No.
Harry Potter's main companion, despite his young age, was wine. It was
warming me from the inside out, relieving not only the cold of the
seaside, but also the nervous tension.
- You've changed a lot, Harry. - Fleur and I were sitting in the living room
of the mansion, discussing what had happened. - And it's your character
I'm talking about now. Before, you never had half measures and you
always went all the way. Now I was standing next to you and I didn't
know what to think. One moment I thought you were going to try to kill
Black. The next, I thought you were going to forgive him. And in the end,
you just left him lying there tied up. In the hope that he'd die of a cold?
She looks at me carefully, and it's clear that the answer is really
important to her. I don't think her attitude towards me will change, but if
she doesn't know what to expect from me in any given situation, her life
will become a lot more complicated.
- Oh, come on, Fleur. Nothing's gonna happen to him. Obviously
Dumbledore sent him on a reconnaissance mission as soon as he found
out what happened. When Sirius doesn't make contact, he'll be released
immediately. In the meantime, he has time to lie down and think about
everything he's heard. It's a long shot, but what if his mind starts to
move? I don't plan on forgiving him. I don't want a man like that around
me. Kill him? Probably not either. I can't just kill a man, no matter how
much pain he's caused me. So I'm left with half measures. Of course,
there might be Reavers out there again, but Riddle wasn't confident
enough to risk his men.
Veela relaxed a little at that answer. The interesting thing is that I wasn't
lying. Of course, two of my views on the same event had also intervened,
but both were satisfied. I'd both told Black what I thought of him and
done little harm. I could say that the meeting had gone rather well.
However, it probably wouldn't have any effect on future developments. It
was enough for Sirius to meet with Dumbledore to have all the seeds of
doubt sown instantly blown out of his head. Well, that's fine.
- So what do you plan to do next? - Fleur seemed to be seriously
considering a life together. - 'Now you'll be hunted not only by your
parents' murderer, but by Dumbledore himself, along with the whole
Order. I heard what you said to Sirius. It was wise, but, it seemed to me,
completely useless. - She came to the same conclusions I did.
- Firstly, I need to thank your father and godfather for their help. Without
them, I'm afraid things would have ended far from well.
At that moment, the aforementioned men were just entering the living
room, and I voiced my thoughts immediately, thanking them for saving
me from more trouble.
- No problem, Harry," Sebastian stretched out, filling glasses for himself
and Bernard and taking a seat in a nearby chair. - I'm a little
disappointed, though. - Seeing my surprised look, he continued: - no,
from Bernard's words, you fought quite well. Suffice it to mention non-
verbal sorcery, which, as far as I know the Hogwarts programme, you're
not supposed to be trained in yet. But your impulsive behaviour, or as my
British colleagues like to say, Gryffindor behaviour, deserves special
attention. You didn't even think about the fact that you might run into
someone you shouldn't. After all, the Eaters might as well have kept a
watch in case you turned up. And Dumbledore would be guaranteed to
check out the house of someone he'd recently offered to join his Order.
Given that we're almost family, and my daughter will now be one of the
main targets, I feel it's within my rights to point out your mistakes and
try to keep you from making them in the future.
I think I blushed a little. Bernard, who shook his head in confirmation of
what he had heard, was not happy. So you're happy to have a new
family, and you've forgotten that the family can tell you off. But they're
right. I'd told myself hours ago that I was done with rash actions, and
now I was falling for Harry's impulsiveness again.
- You're right, it was reckless of me. And you're also right to point that
out. Unfortunately, I overestimated my powers. I don't want to think
what would have happened if Black hadn't been alone, or if we'd been
ambushed by the Lord's servants. I'm sorry I put Fleur in danger. -
Something tells me I'll be saying that line more than once.
- Apology accepted. - Sebastian was silent for a few moments,
concentrating on his own glass. - As much as I'd like to, I can't make you
two stay out of England. Perhaps it would make sense for you two to be
apart for a while. - At that phrase, Fleur squeezed my hand with such
force that I cringed a little. That didn't go unnoticed by Sebastian, and he
grinned unhappily. - Relax, daughter. I realise it's impossible. However, I
also realise that the situation cannot be left in its current state. If it so
happens that my family is involved in the British conflict, I will have to
take a direct part in it.
I was about to fall through the floor. Harry Potter alone was enough to
put a happy French family in the crosshairs of an English psychopath. At
my incoherent mumblings about how sorry I was, Sebastian just waved
his hand.
- Come on, Harry. With the way things are going over there, I'm afraid I'd
have to do it sooner or later anyway. After all, as you may have noticed, I
have a rather high position. I'm head of the International Co-operation
Division of the French Ministry of Magic. - On the one hand, that
answered a lot of questions, but on the other hand, I didn't fully
understand how a diplomat from the office was going to get involved in a
war. - From the look in your eyes, I can roughly see what you're thinking.
Mol, how would a politician be able to help and where would he get his
own men that he could send somewhere at any time. - When I just
nodded, he continued:
- The fact is that this position requires me to keep a close eye on all
external conflicts that could threaten my country, and to respond quickly
to such threats. I have my own small staff of aurors, and the ability to
summon the necessary number of men at a moment's notice. Of course,
most actions have to be coordinated with the Minister, but that is not
important at the moment. What was important was that the Dark Lord's
rise had threatened France before, as the closest country to Britain, and
now that Fleur was involved, the threat was much more real. It's time for
action, and I plan to start with my own family, which, if you don't mind,
includes you, Harry.
I didn't know how to react to such a revelation. I was struggling with
several feelings at once: pride that one of the most powerful men in
France considered me part of his family, joy that he wasn't angry and
wasn't going to separate Fleur and me, fear for my loved ones, anger at
Riddle and Dumbledore for putting us in this situation, and more. As a
result, I couldn't say anything intelligible, but Sebastian didn't seem to
need to.
- I take it you don't mind. - I shook my head negatively. - That's fine. I
need to talk to Apolline and ask her and Gaby to go to her grandmother's
for a while. And you, Bernard," he looked at Fleur's godfather, who had
been sitting and listening intently to the conversation, "I'll ask you to take
care of the training.
The man nodded as if he hadn't expected anything else, and I looked at
all three of them in surprise.
- Come on, Harry," Fleur said, "I know you and I have had a lot of
training during the tournament, and we're capable of standing up for
ourselves, but your godfather is one of the best aurors in France, and he'll
be a great help.
- Ah, um, um, good. - I'm surprisingly cooperative today.
The men left the room and went about their business without making any
sensible comments, satisfied with Fleur's phrase. I, on the other hand,
tried to stop the jumble of incoherent thoughts in my head and bring
some semblance of order to them. My future father-in-law is literally
responsible for deciding whether France should enter the war. I will be
trained by one of France's finest aurors. I got more help in one day in
France than I did in fifteen years in England.
Is Dumbledore's influence really that strong? Or are British wizards so
stagnant that they're willing to put the whole country's problems on the
shoulders of one teenager. Both, I suppose. An utterly worthless country
where good people are drowning under a pile of unimportant
mediocrities. How nice it would be to forget about England once and for
all, letting it sink into its own problems. To relieve myself of the burden.
I certainly don't owe these people anything. Actually, I do. I owe them
fifteen years of torment for the way they treated me.
The last thought made me wince. It sounded pretty bloodthirsty.
However, as badly as I feel about England, I can't wish anything bad on
most of the inhabitants. Perhaps one day they may realise that if they
want to live in a better country, it will take a little more effort from
themselves. But I can't just leave things as they are. A megalomaniacal
half-breed who calls himself by a long and intimidating name will not
leave me alone and will pursue me, of that I have no doubt. And even if
he isn't, I'm not going to live my whole life in fear, constantly looking
over my shoulder. I've got to get it over with. Ah, yes, there's one more
thing - Death won't let me stay away.
Fleur stroked my arm soothingly and rested her head on my shoulder.
- 'Don't hold it all in, Harry. I understand that you're having a hard time,
you don't know what to do next and you blame yourself, but you're not
alone.
- So you realised I didn't have a plan? - I wasn't surprised. This girl is
incredibly smart, but she doesn't flaunt it like an ex-girlfriend of mine.
- I'm your fiancée after all," she was almost insulted, "I can see you
rushing around and not giving yourself a break, but you can't predict
what's going to happen. Stop running, Harry. We'll get through this
together. My father will help us, you heard him. And we're not going to
make any hasty, rash decisions," Fleur poked me accusingly in the chest.
- You're right, love, as always. - I pulled her closer and buried my nose in
her hair. - There's no rush anymore. Let's take things slowly, and get rid
of all the worries that keep us from living happily ever after.
No more rushing? Harry Potter has never been so close to failure.
Chapter 21: Training
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Three days. Three whole days had passed since our run-in with Black.
And for those three days, I had been doing the most amazing thing for
myself and this world - I had been doing nothing. Yes, that's a bit of a
stretch, there had been quite a lot going on, but I hadn't been to Slanted
Alley once, I hadn't encountered any unwanted people, and most
surprisingly, I hadn't revealed myself once. Realising this thing, I
hesitated for a moment and was immediately hit in the chest with a curse
that sent me flying back against the wall.
- Harry. - Bernard stepped close to me and helped me up. - How many
times do I have to tell you that when you're in a fight, all you have to
think about is the fight? It must have been a fascinating thought, but it
was the only reason you lost again.
I shook my head contritely. For three days now Bernard has been training
Fleur and me in the basement of Delacourt Manor, where one of the
rooms I was able to turn into something resembling a dueling chamber
with the help of Gaby's gift. And for three days now, Bernard has been
mopping the floor with me. He tries to cheer me up with things like, "I
only lost because I think too much," but really, I'm losing because the
difference between us is more than noticeable. And Fleur's no better at it
than I am. Even though she's learnt from her godfather before, it didn't
help her much. Sebastian, who had dropped in on one of our training
sessions once, just shook his head.
- We both realise this isn't about thinking, Bernard. - I shook off my T-
shirt and stepped back for a drink of water. - My knowledge isn't enough.
In fact, I've only had one year to really develop my abilities, and I'm not
likely to have much luck in a direct confrontation with a wizard of your
calibre. Not to mention someone like Riddle or Dumbledore. I'm not sure
they'd even notice my attempts at resistance.
Yes, I was in a bad mood. My initial successes and the Tournament had
indicated that I'd achieved a lot, but when faced with reality, it was just
child's play.
- Don't belittle yourself or get frustrated. If it was fifteen-year-old me
against you, it would take you less than a minute. Moreover, at this
point, you're capable of handling a mid-level auror. I realise that you're
thinking of much more serious opponents, but that's a great result
already. You just need a little more time, and you'll begin to pose a
serious threat.
- But I don't have time! - I exclaimed, and was immediately ashamed of
my own behaviour. This man has no obligation to help me. - I'm sorry, I
realise that you and Sebastian are doing the best you can.
He didn't seem the least bit offended.
- We're doing the best we can in this situation," he corrected me. - Maybe
we can think of something else. I have to go to work now. Get some rest,
and I'll see you tomorrow.
I shook his hand, and Bernard walked out, leaving me alone with my
thoughts. When I reached my bedroom, I stretched out on the bed,
thinking about everything I'd learnt in the last few days. Fleur had gone
shopping with her mother and sister, accompanied by a few aurors
provided by Sebastian. I wasn't worried about her. None of my enemies
would risk attacking her in her home country, essentially declaring war
on her.
- What to do? - I muttered into the void. It was clear from the beginning
that direct confrontation should be avoided, but the rapid deviations
from the known vector of action and a large number of events turned my
thoughts into a chaotic mass, when I do not know where to run and what
to grab.
On the one hand, there's the Dark Lord, and eliminating him is my first
priority. Hmm, I'm thinking like a professional mercenary. I need to
eliminate him because he won't let me live my life in peace, for revenge
for my parents, and by direct order of Death. He is mortal at the moment,
as all of his Horcruxes have been destroyed, including the one in my
head. But even in that state, he's still a powerful wizard with a bunch of
followers, many of whom are also far from mediocre mages.
On the other hand, there's good Grandpa Albus, who has even more
followers, and their adequacy is about the same level. Dumbledore thinks
I'm the reincarnation of Riddle, which means he thinks there are two
Dark Lords walking around England at the same time right now. I wonder
what explanation he comes up with for the fact that the two Lords are
not united against him, but are at war with each other. No, it's not
interesting at all. The main thing is that all of his supporters will believe
this nonsense. In any case, Albus wants to catch me too, and his
intentions are far from pleasant.
Also, let's not forget about Death. The creature who gave me a second
chance and a life in this world is not as good-natured as I naively thought
when I first met him. He has clear demands on me, and if I continue to
disappoint him, he can take everything away from me as easily as he
gave it to me.
And in front of all of this stands a lonely little Harry, holding his wand in
his trembling hands. No, not lonely. I have a family now, which means I
have even more reason to fight to the last man. Plus, there's Fleur, who,
thanks to our new training, is also gradually expanding her magical
arsenal.
As I thought about it, I fell asleep.
***
- Master Harry Potter sir! - I looked sleepily at Dobby, who was gently
trying to wake me up. - Mistress Fleur's father asks you to come down to
the drawing room.
I thanked the houseboy and rose slowly. Judging by the darkness outside
the window, it was towards night, which meant I'd been asleep for hours.
Looking at the bed, I found Fleur there. For once, I'd fallen asleep before
her. On my second night here, Fleur's parents noticed that she wasn't
sleeping in her room, and I was going to have another unpleasant
conversation with Sebastian. Luckily, the matter was settled, and now we
had no need to hide.
When I came downstairs, I saw Fleur's father sitting at the head of the
table with a large number of letters.
- Look, Harry," he waited until I sat down beside him, "how many people
want to see you.
It was only after he said that I noticed that most of the letters on the
table were addressed to me.
- There are letters for you, letters for Fleur that say something about you,
and letters for me that say something about you too! I'm sorry, but I had
to open them. According to the contents, Black told Dumbledore about
who was with you, and Dumbledore told everyone! Crazy old man! -
Sebastian was practically screaming by now, and I was afraid he was
going to wake up the whole house. There were about fifteen letters in
total on the table. Taking one of the ones with my name on it, I decided
to read what exactly everyone wanted from me.
Harry, if it's still you, come back to London immediately! I was so hurt
that you ran away and didn't tell us anything! Professor Dumbledore
claims someone else has taken up residence in your body. He won't tell us
who, but it's obvious he's right. We had our doubts at first, but then it all
made sense. You may not have killed Cedric like we all thought, but it's
not a fact that Skitter is to be believed. Plus, you cursed Sirius! The Harry
we knew would never do that to his godfather, whom he loves and
appreciates very much.
However, if the adults are right, and this letter is now being read by
someone who has taken over my friend's body, then know that Harry will
never give up so easily. He loves his friends and family, misses us, and
could probably get rid of you. The influence of an adult Veela will not
stop him, for he is not susceptible to her charms. Harry, come back to us,
we're waiting! Tell us where you are and Professor Dumbledore can bring
you home at once. Fight it, Ron and I miss you so much! You know he's
going through a very difficult time, he's lost his father! We may have had
our differences last year, but I'm sure you're not angry anymore. You
should be here to help us deal with everything!
Crumpling up the letter, I tossed it aside without finishing it. I didn't
need to look at the sender's name to realise exactly who continued to
think they were smarter than everyone else.
After looking through a couple more letters, I made sure they were all
sent by members of the Order of the Phoenix. Apparently, Dumbledore
had decided that if everyone wrote me pity letters at the same time, I
would melt and jump into his arms. A rather odd move, considering that
he thought he'd asked his associates to write letters to Tom Riddle. I
know Albus well enough to be seriously wary. Surely there must be some
sort of second bottom to this scheme.
- All of these letters say pretty much the same thing," Sebastian said.
Mine say you should be returned to England, and Fleur's say... well, that's
something for the great light sorcerer to talk about.
Taking one of them, I was surprised to see Molly Weasley's blatant
threats, claiming that a "slutty wench" like Fleur couldn't be a match for
sweet Harry. The illogic and outright nonsense on the part of
Dumbledore's supporters went beyond all bounds. Not only had these
people gained my trust and then stabbed me in the back, but now they
were pretending that nothing had happened and daring to insult my
fiancée. What right have they got to do that?!
- Harry! - Sebastian's voice came from far away. - Calm down. You can't
do anything now. - I looked at the hand that clutched the letter in
surprise. There were small electric shocks, like tiny bolts of lightning
coming from my fingers. Taking a deep breath, I tossed the parchment
aside and tried to relax. Sebastian was right. No matter how much anger I
felt at these people, I couldn't do anything right now. I'm sure I'll still
have a chance to ask them some questions in private.
- What was that? - I asked my future father-in-law when I was back to
normal.
- An uncontrolled release of magic," he shrugged. - I'm sure you've
experienced that as a child. I used to react about the same way to such
letters, but now I'm almost used to it. Like there's anything to get used to.
- He whispered the last sentence under his breath, but I heard it anyway.
- I didn't encounter much in the way of magic when I was a kid. - I
stretched out, not wanting to go into details. - What do you think it's all
for? Do they think it will work?
- I don't know, Albus Dumbledore has many titles, but none of them
contain the word 'stupid'. I'm afraid it's not as simple as it may seem.
I nodded.
- He seems to have some sort of....
- Master! - Ricky appeared in front of Sebastian completely silently as
usual. - Albus Dumbledore sir is standing at the gate demanding to be let
in.
- ... plan.
Chapter 22: Confrontation
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- Give me the one you call Harry Potter and no one gets hurt! - Albus
Dumbledore's loud voice echoed throughout the manor.
- Almost word for word," I whispered under my breath. If Albus knew
what he looked like now...
- Word for word what? - Fleur was sitting next to me, looking out of the
window, watching the old man who was striding majestically along the
gate, but not trying to get in yet.
- It's just something I remembered, don't mind me. - While I'd slept after
training, Apolline and Gabrielle had gone to visit relatives, and I hadn't
even been able to say goodbye to them. A small part of me was glad to
have avoided an awkward conversation and another apology on my part.
Sebastian assured me that she understood and wasn't angry, but I felt that
I needed to talk to her personally about it, so that we wouldn't be
misunderstood or alienated.
As a result, it was just me, my fiancée, her father, and the two
housekeepers. Harry might not realise it at the moment, but I had seen
what the greatest light wizard in the world could do, so I was sober about
our chances.
- Threatening me in my own house? Not a very good stain on your
reputation, Dumbledore. - Sebastian's voice was no less loud. Both
wizards were very familiar with the Sonorus spell. - This isn't England,
where everyone dances to your tune. You're in a foreign country and
you're threatening a senior politician. Leave the area immediately and no
one will get hurt.
It was nice to realise that not everyone was shy in front of a man with a
list of titles longer than his beard.
- Monsieur Delacourt," Albus spread his hands apart and added some
good-naturedness to his voice. - You misunderstand me. I am in no way
trying to threaten you. I just need to talk to Harry. I'm sure you know
that he has an important role to play in the events in Britain. And it's up
to me, his mentor, to help him through whatever challenges lie in his
path. Let me in and we'll sort this out.
- A mentor?! You miserable old man who took everything from me! - I
couldn't help but intervene in the conversation. And yes, Sonorus came
out right the first time. - You think I'm not Harry, and the last time we
met, you cursed me! I'm not going anywhere with you.
Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit offended. In fact, he began to look
pleased. Sebastian, standing nearby, on the other hand, looked at me
with disapproval. When I saw Albus clutching something in his hand and
heard the clapping of apparitions, I realised my mistake. Dumbledore
wasn't sure I was here, and I had just confirmed it myself. Another bad
move by stupid and impulsive Harry Potter.
Six people appeared around Dumbledore. They weren't wearing hoods,
and I had time to get a good look at their faces. Even at this distance, it
was clearly visible that the leader of the Order of the Phoenix had
summoned his best men: Black, Lupin, Tonks, Brushover, and one of the
Weasleys, most likely Bill. When I saw the last member of the
unauthorised rally, I involuntarily cursed: Severus Snape was still in the
Headmaster's good graces.
- This is no longer a threat, but a full-blown assault, Dumbledore. -
Sebastian was still perfectly calm. - Think again, do you really want to
start a war between our countries? I can arrange that.
- There's no need to worry, Mr Delacourt. It's just my support. I'm
concerned that Harry may pose a serious threat and these men can
protect you from him.
- Oh, that's it, so these men are here to protect me? That's so touching. It's
nice that you're concerned about my health. Well, if you think Harry
Potter is so dangerous, then I, as a good host, should be concerned for
your safety in turn. - With those words, clapping resounded again in the
square outside the manor fence, but this time there was noticeably more
of it. People in red robes surrounded the members of the Order of the
Phoenix, but they didn't pull out their wands just yet.
- French Aurorate," one of them said loudly. - You are on private
property, please leave this place immediately.
The reaction to the appearance of the lawmen among Dumbledore's
supporters was rather different: while Tonks, Kingsley, Weasley and
Lupin acted defiantly calm, pulling empty hands from their pockets,
Snape and Black, who had a much more tense relationship with the
Aurors in their home country, on the contrary, bristled and raised their
wands, ready to attack. Albus seemed to take no notice of this.
- 'Mr Delacourt,' he continued to shout in his voice to the entire
neighbourhood. 'Vain son of a bitch. - I don't think it's necessary. We're
not here to threaten you or conflict with the French aurorate. I just want
to talk to Harry.
- Harry or what we call Harry? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific
in your own wording, Mr Head of the International Confederation of
Wizards. - The arrival of the reinforcements seemed to have a bad effect
on Sebastian. He had obviously expected it to solve all problems at once.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Dumbledore that well.
- As you have rightly noticed, Mr Delacourt, I am the head of the
international confederation of wizards, which gives me some undeniable
privileges, including in this country. I ask you to recall the Aurors and
hand Harry Potter over to me so that I can find out who exactly is hiding
under his disguise.
- This young man is under my protection. Whoever you think he is, I
assure you he poses no threat to us. - No one who heard that statement
escaped the "to us" clause. No one except Albus, who didn't seem to care
what people said at all.
- Mr Delacourt, I'm afraid I must insist. You have no idea what this man
is capable of. He cursed his godfather. What's more, he was suspected of
murdering a Hogwarts student.
- Suspected? I was executed for that! Man, you like to play down the
facts, but even for you, that's a bit much. And I was executed because of
you. - I couldn't control myself again.
- If you were executed, why are you here now? - He asked me a
reasonable question. - Don't blame me, Harry.
- I'm here because not everything has to go according to your plan. Just
because you fooled the people standing next to you doesn't mean I'm
going to be the same. I want nothing to do with you, and I'm not going
anywhere with you. - Before I could even finish, I realised how pathetic
that sounded. No words could shake Albus Dumbledore's self-confidence,
and no phrase could make his supporters doubt his ideals. However,
despite this, I decided to continue:
- Bill, what are you doing here? You lost your father to this old man's
will, and yet you continue to blindly follow him without asking any
questions. Don't ask him any questions, because all you'll get in return is
more bullshit. Ask them to yourself! - Turning to Weasley, I realised that
there was another reason why he was here, and that reason was sitting
next to me right now. - Fleur will never be with you, Bill, and you know
it. Give up hope and move on, right now you should be with your family,
not involved in dodgy operations dreamed up by Dumbledore.
Leaving Weasley alone with his thoughts, I switched on:
- Tonks, Kingsley, what are you doing here? You're Aurors, are you really
ready to attack your foreign colleagues just because the Headmaster told
you to? Do you really think you're willing to go to war and be court-
martialled for a cause you don't even know about? Lupin, I'm not going
to ask why you're here, you're just a tame wolf cub. You never once
visited me as a child, you betrayed me at the first opportunity, and you
continue to do everything you can to make sure my parents spit in your
face on the other side of the world. That goes for you too, Black. Let me
guess, you didn't even think about what I said to you the last time we
met. You just, as usual, let it slide. Well, that's your choice. You're a big
dog, and a big dog shouldn't be left without an owner, or he'll be put to
sleep. Snape... don't forget to show me the memory of you killing
Dumbledore later. I'd be curious to see it. - I hadn't expected myself to
speak like that. Even without any amplification in my voice, I could hear
my former potions professor gritting his teeth.
- That's enough, Mr Potter. - Dumbledore cast aside all good-naturedness
as he saw the thoughtful expression appear on the faces of his
subordinates. 'Unfortunately, it won't be for long. - I let you speak, and
you have proven once again that you are not the Harry Potter we knew.
Our Harry was a kind and loving boy, always willing to come to the aid
of those closest to him. None of these qualities apply to you. Leave the
estate immediately and come with me to England. Otherwise, I will have
to use force.
The jokes are over. Dumbledore is so serious that neither Sebastian's
position nor the Aurors around him can shake his confidence. Even if this
is a declaration of war, I'm sure that the head of the Wizengamot has
thought this through and will get away with it. The members of the
Order of the Phoenix drew their wands, albeit with some delay, but they
were in no hurry to point them at the Aurors. They, for their part, were
not in the habit of hesitating, taking aim at all the guests from England. I
couldn't help but respect these unknown mages. None of them trembled
before the great light wizard, even though they realised that they had no
chance in an open confrontation.
I realised that I couldn't stay on the sidelines any longer. People were
about to fight over me, while I hid under the window like the last
criminal, occasionally letting loose a comment. Rising to my feet, I
grabbed my wand more comfortably and walked towards the exit. Fleur,
who saw this, immediately jumped to her feet.
- Wait, Harry, you can't go in there. Don't you realise that's exactly what
they want?
- I do, love. I understand perfectly well, but I don't have a choice. I won't
let any Auror get hurt because of me.
- They're well-trained and they know what they're doing. - It was
Sebastian, coming towards us but keeping his eyes on the events
unfolding in front of the manor.
- They may be the best wizards in the French Aurorate, but you and I
know perfectly well that they can't stand up to Dumbledore. Given that
this is all happening because of me, I can't stay away.
- I thought we were doing everything here to keep you out of it, Harry. -
Fleur's father said disapprovingly. - 'You just said you weren't going to act
on Dumbledore's will, and five minutes later you're acting on his will. Is
it that Gryffindor thing again?
I guess for him the name of my home faculty is already a swear word.
- No, it's not an impulsive and thoughtless act. It's the only way out of
this situation that I can see. We can go on and on, but it won't change
anything. I will try to dissuade the Order from taking aggressive action.
- But Harry! What if they don't stop, will you fight again? I'm coming
with you! - Fleur was extremely determined.
- No, Fleur, absolutely not. It's bad enough that they already know I'm
hiding in your house. There's no need to show how close we really are.
I'm already risking you just by being here. The most important thing is
that you're safe.
- He's right, Fleur. You really shouldn't show your face. Not only is
Dumbledore and his Order there, but according to Harry, there's a Death
Eaters who will tell his master about you in great detail. The Dark Lord
won't bother with little things like standing at the gate and talking
loudly. And I don't want to see if he can flatten our family estate.
- But they're going to take him away, Papa. I can't let that happen!
- Don't worry. The Aurors won't let them. Besides, as long as Harry stays
within the grounds, he's protected by charms.
- See, Fleur, it'll be all right. - I came close to her and put my arm around
her waist, whispering in her ear, "I promised I wouldn't leave you alone.
Don't worry, everything will be fine.
At that moment I was more proud than ever of my future wife. No tears
or silly words. She just squeezed me tighter in her arms and then stepped
aside.
- We've got your back, Harry. But try not to be too heroic. - Sebastian's
admonition was as succinct as possible.
I only nodded in response, then walked down the corridor towards the
exit. The situation outside was heating up by the minute. I could literally
feel how one wrong move on either side would lead to a brutal fight.
The part of Harry in me felt a kind of satisfaction, rushing towards the
danger. But in this, he and I were alike: it was impossible to stand by
when someone was in danger of getting hurt through your fault. In
addition to mindless heroism, however, I tried to act more rationally.
Suddenly I thought of a scene from the canon that would probably never
be repeated in this world. Summoning Dobby, I clarified a point with him
and, receiving a satisfactory answer, smiled. It was unlikely that
Dumbledore could expect something like this.
As I stepped outside, I noted that the positions of everyone involved in
the sides of the conflict had not changed one bit. The man in charge of
the Auror unit continued to insist that the English leave the area. They,
in turn, glanced at Dumbledore, waiting for further instructions. Only
Albus kept his eyes on the manor, and he was the first to notice me.
- 'Glad you decided to join us, Harry. Come on. - Everyone seemed to
relax after those words, but as soon as I shook my head, my wands were
raised again.
- I told you I'm not going anywhere with you, Albus. You're insane. You
need to be locked up in a clinic and Silencio put on so you can stop
messing with people's heads. Look around you, what are you doing?
You're willing to start an armed conflict just because of your erroneous
conclusions unsupported by any facts.
- I think you've insulted me enough times already, boy. - Albus pulled out
his wand for the first time and pointed it at me. - But everything has a
limit. What I do is completely none of your business. You're coming with
me right now. And don't think that fence is going to stop me.
Without dignifying him with an answer, I decided to use the trump card
I'd just invented:
- Dobby, come on.
Standing slightly away from me, so as not to attract any stares, the
houseboy snapped his fingers, and then Albus Dumbledore's wand flew
out of his hands and into the hands of my brave assistant. Everyone was
so taken aback by the situation that I managed to send the houseboy
away, with a command not to give such a powerful weapon to anyone.
The faces of those present were worth looking at. While most of the
Aurors stood back and paid no attention to what had happened, the
members of the Order were torn between wanting to attack me
immediately and rushing to find the elf. Albus' face, to my regret,
remained completely impenetrable.
- Well, Harry, you've made your choice. Let's go! - As soon as the English
began to apparate away, I decided that victory was mine. - Fawkes!
A bright flash over my shoulder came so fast I didn't have time to react. A
sharp jerk carried me away from the manor, and most likely from France
altogether. My last thought was that Dumbledore had a trump card, too.
And one I could have guessed at.
Chapter 23: Plen
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I lost track of time. Wakefulness mixed with restless slumber, thoughts
flooded my mind, and the endless questions in my head had no answer.
How long have I been here? How is Fleur? Why doesn't anyone come to
see me? I was ready for a visit from anyone, even Riddle himself, but the
door to my makeshift cell remained closed.
It wasn't my usual cell. At least, not like the one I woke up in last time. It
looked like a small room, but the lack of windows, the small size of the
room, and the sparse furnishings, which included only a shabby cabinet
and an old bed whose springs were digging into my body, made it clear
that I was a prisoner. The door, which seemed so flimsy, withstood all my
blows, even when I armed myself with the foot of the bed. The loud
knocking attracted no one's attention.
I showed up here a few days ago. Fawkes literally threw me to the floor
and disappeared immediately, managing to snatch my wand out of my
hand and cast a reproachful look, as if regretting having once saved my
life in the Chamber of Secrets. I waited for the members of the Order of
the Phoenix to burst through that door and start pointing their wands at
me, but nothing happened. I waited and waited, listening to the sounds,
keeping my eyes on the door, wondering exactly what was going to
happen and how I should react so I wouldn't get hurt, but all of my
thinking went blank. Food appeared on the bedside table twice a day. It
was meagre, but I hardly felt hungry at all. And not a single visitor. What
was the point of kidnapping me if they didn't want anything from me?
For the first time, I heartily entertained the thought that Dobby had
become the owner of the elder wand. He had succeeded where the Dark
Lord had failed, and Grindelwald, as I recall, had been on his way for
years. Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Dobby - Elder Wand's resume was
looking more and more impressive. Then I really started to get seriously
worried about the houseboy, though. If Albus never honoured me with a
visit, it was quite possible he was hunting an elf, and I had no idea how
far he might go in search of a lost relic.
Dobby I tried to call out almost immediately. I was so used to elven
magic being ignored that I was literally taken aback when the houseboy
never showed up. I guess wizards are getting smarter. I hope my loved
ones are okay and the Order didn't hurt them. I liked Sebastian and
Bernard a hell of a lot. They never once asked if someone else was really
living inside me, as Dumbledore claimed. Nor did they inquire about the
spell I threw at Black. Bernard only shrugged his shoulders at my
question, saying that all means are good in battle.
The longer I was here, however, my thoughts became more and more
disordered. It was the lack of information and lack of basic
communication. I had no idea where I was, no idea what my former
supporters wanted from me, and no one to talk to. Even Death never
appeared once during my sleep, though I tried to call out to him out of
desperation.
Out of idleness, I began to try to conjure without a wand. There were still
scraps of stories in my memory, in which the hero could vaporise a wall
with a simple wave of his hand, or break through any anti-apparatus
charms. Unfortunately, all I was able to do was summon tiny bolts of
lightning from my fingers again, and for that I had to remember the letter
from Weasley's mother again.
It didn't add to the optimism that, apart from the food appearing on the
table, there was no magic going on around me. I smelled awful, and the
toilet in the corner of the den didn't seem to be cleaning itself. I finally
decided that everyone was just waiting for me to die of suffocation.
Strange, it would have been so much easier to just stop feeding me.
Despair. Despair was getting the better of me by the second. While I rot
here, Riddle continues to consolidate his position, Fleur burns with
worry, and Dumbledore tries to concoct what he thinks is another
brilliant plan. If I haven't been able to keep up with events before, now
the backlog is starting to become catastrophic. How will I be able to fulfil
the mission assigned to me if I am in a hopeless situation? I don't even
know what day it is. Obviously, this is where I met New Year's Eve, but
how long has it been since then? I had originally wanted to finish off
Riddle before he broke into Azkaban. It almost seemed ridiculous now.
***
I figured it was about day eight when the situation changed dramatically.
I was habitually trying to lift a feather from my pillow with a wave of my
hand, and failing miserably, when footsteps began to sound in the room
outside the door. The sound was so unfamiliar to the surroundings that I
panicked for a second, looking around for a place to hide. Exhaling
deeply, I relaxed and stared at the door. Now, at the very least, I would
be able to get some information, and that was better than nothing.
The door opened completely silently, as if it had been open all this time
and I'd just been pushing the wrong way. A complete stranger appeared
on the threshold. His grey hair and the same grey, neatly trimmed beard
betrayed his age, but his attentive gaze and the inner strength with which
he held himself told me that the man in front of me was not as simple as
he might seem at first glance. Once inside, he wrinkled his nose painfully.
- Instead of trying to levitate feathers, you'd better try to get rid of that
smell. - He said with a wave of his hand, eliminating the established
scent of my home. I sneezed involuntarily at the freshness, but he ignored
it. - If you really are the one who keeps the whole of Britain in awe, then
my opinion of English sorcerers has become even worse.
I took my time answering, watching my guest carefully and analysing his
words. He had obviously seen my attempts at wandless magic, which
meant I wasn't as alone here as I thought. And his words about my
compatriots suggested that he himself was a citizen of another country.
The demonstration of magic without the use of a wand confirmed my
suspicions about this man's power. Another height beyond my reach. At
least for now.
- Do you think silence will help you? Or are you thinking of escaping?
Look, the door's open, it's all yours. - He pointed to a door he hadn't
bothered to close, but I didn't move. - Well, I suppose that's the right
thing to do. Though I don't really care, to be honest. Young Albus asked
me to hide you from everyone, and I honoured his request, but if you
were to run away, I wouldn't grieve. Besides, he asked for three days, but
he's so caught up in a political standoff with your Minister that it's been
much longer than that.
Young Albus. I'll have to call the old man that at least once to see the
look on his face at this moment. If I ever see him again, of course. The
way my probation officer referred to Dumbledore made me wonder about
his personality.
- For all I know, you should be dead by now. - I was so unused to
speaking that my voice came out of my mouth as something between a
cackle and a wheeze instead of my usual voice.
- You got it, huh? You've got the beginnings of reason in you, and that's
commendable. But you shouldn't poke a man more than forty times your
age. It's rude, to say the least.
- Oh, forgive me for being so young. You're not the one who's kept me
locked up indefinitely without even a bath. My indiscretion knows no
bounds. - As usual, sarcasm was the first thing to kick in.
- You got off easy, boy. When I found out what you'd done to my greatest
creation, I was ready to put you in real agony. Young Albus talked me
out of it. You should be grateful. Because of your childish games, the
stone was so damaged that the only thing left to do was destroy it.
- I should have just kept the stone to myself rather than let Dumbledore
play, as you put it, childish games with your greatest creation. Either
way, you don't seem like the type to die. That's a pity. There'd be one less
marasmus in this world.
I knew I shouldn't be rude to a wizard who not only had a direct
influence on my imprisonment, but was probably more powerful than
Dumbledore, but I couldn't help it. Another person starts accusing me of
something right from the doorstep. At this rate, I'm really going to
believe that I'm guilty of all the sins of the world.
- I see Albus is wrong about you," he looked at me with obvious distaste. -
Years ago I had the chance to talk to young Tom, and he was much more
courteous. You seem to be just a punk with a craving for attention. - I
shuddered at how Snape-like that sounded.
- I hope we're done exchanging pleasantries and you'll finally explain why
you're keeping me here. - I had no intention of becoming courteous to
this man, despite all his merits. And I didn't give a damn how he felt
about it.
- Just be thankful you're safe and sound. I'm not going to explain
anything to you. You can ask Albus those questions, he'll be here soon. I
just needed to make sure you were in your right mind. I can see that you
are, if you call that sane. Continue to take advantage of my hospitality,
cheeky boy. If Dumbledore doesn't deal with you, I will.
With that, he walked out and locked the door, leaving me to wonder
what exactly was wrong with him. If he thinks I'm a common brat and
not the reincarnation of the Dark Lord, why is he keeping me here? Is
Dumbledore so eloquent that he could convince even Flamel himself? Or
does this alchemist have his own agenda? Well, either way, I've found out
where I am and who's holding me. But that didn't help me at all. On the
contrary, new questions arose, and the usual unanswered ones arose.
No sooner had I loaded myself with another batch of doubts than I heard
footsteps in the corridor again. This time I guessed who had decided to
honour me with a visit, taking a break from his political games. If he had
indeed been visiting the Ministry regularly all this time, trying to get in
touch with Fudge, then I could be worried about Dobby. I guess it's
another part of the plan to marinate me in confinement so I'll be more
talkative.
Albus was alone. Any hint of good-naturedness was gone from his eyes,
and he was squinting at me as if expecting an attack. To my surprise, I
noticed him pointing a painfully familiar wand at me. Following my
gaze, Dumbledore decided to start there.
- It was a good idea to get the houseboy to take my wand away. I didn't
see that coming. Your out-of-the-box thinking is to be commended.
Fortunately, since Fawkes is my familiar, I can call myself the full owner
of my new wand. It may no longer be the guide my phoenix feather was,
but it's still a very powerful wand. Dark blue... Can you tell me what it's
made of? It doesn't matter, I'll ask Garrick later. I can't deny I can feel my
spells getting a little stronger. Here, look: Stupefy, Legilimens!
Dumbledore pointed his wand at my face and stared intently into my
eyes. I couldn't move and thought with horror about how he was about to
find out all my secrets. However, nothing happened at first. I didn't feel
any intrusion into my own mind and was just playing peek-a-boo with
the old man. Albus realised too that not everything was going according
to plan and frowned in surprise.
- What an interesting defence. - He whispered some kind of spell and
circled his wand around me. - Ah, that's it. Very clever, Harry. - At first I
didn't know what he was talking about, but then I noticed that the rings
on my fingers, which had been hidden from everyone all this time and
which I had forgotten about, were visible. He paid no attention to the
Potter family crest, obviously already aware of my new title from his
solicitor, but the other unassuming ring caught his eye. On my first visit
to the family vault, I had acquired a compact artefact to protect my
thoughts. It had been a whim, and I had never imagined that this modest-
looking piece of jewellery would one day save me from mental intrusion.
- I remember, I remember. It was the ring James had inherited from his
grandfather. Artefacts like that are very rare, Harry. And I've always
wondered exactly how they work. Unfortunately for you, they can't be
removed by anyone but the wearer, and I know how well you resist
Imperius. So I'm left with no other choice. - At first I didn't even realise
what he was up to, but the pale green beam and the infernal pain that
pierced my entire body answered that question. In my heart I didn't want
to believe it, and I hoped I was wrong, but the pain persisted, and it was
clear - Dumbledore had cut off my finger, along with the ring.
I felt tears come to my eyes. The pain, the disbelief, and the inability to
move led to despair. All I could do was stare hatefully at the old man. For
the first time in all my life, I felt such a clear desire to kill a living
person. That bastard had gone too far in his belief that he was right. I
don't know how long he has to live with his bloody arm, but I'm not
going to let him live to see the end of it.
- Now, now, Harry," Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit embarrassed,
"it's only your left little finger. You don't have to worry so much. - A new
wave of pain, even more intense than before, washed over me. - You see,
all you have to do is cauterise the wound and it won't hurt. - He picked
up the severed finger from the floor and tossed it aside, leaving the ring,
which had been a Potter family artefact, in his hand. - Yes, an extremely
interesting piece.
He looked at it for a few moments before tossing it into the pocket of his
regular coloured robe. I struggled to take in what was happening, trying
with all my might to shrug off the pain and concentrate. The carelessness
with which Dumbledore had done what he had done made it truly
horrifying. I was afraid that, having learnt my secrets, he would just as
easily do something far more serious.
- Well," he continued his monologue, taking advantage of the fact that I
was still under the spell and unable to move. - I suppose we should
continue. Not that I'm in a hurry, but curiosity is eating me up. Have you
noticed I'm addressing you as Harry? I can't figure out who you really
are. Besides, Pernella's made some lovely pastries for tea, I don't want
them to get cold. Legilimens!
The second attempt to enter my mind was much more successful - my
head was filled with various incoherent images, rapidly changing each
other. Here I was fighting a Basilisk in my second year, here I was
running away from Dudley and his friends when I was seven, here I was
helping Veselur hanging on the edge of a cliff, here I was sitting with
Fleur in the still-burning Shell. It seemed as if Dumbledore was rushing
through my thoughts, not knowing where to turn. But it turned out that I
had simply underestimated one of the best Legilimens in the world. While
I was seeing scattered memories, Dumbledore was specifically going over
my life since my sudden resurrection. However, among those images, the
shape of Death had never once appeared.
- Interesting, interesting," the old man said thoughtfully, breaking eye
contact. - There seems to be nothing unusual. But there's a part of it that's
blocked by a strong block. Well, let's try to increase the pressure.
Once again, Dumbledore intruded into my head and intensified the
pressure, making me almost incapacitated. The images were coming at
me incoherently, one after another, at such a speed that I couldn't make
sense of them. I was no longer thinking about secrets and mysteries. My
only coherent thought was to keep my mind and not turn into the
drooling vegetable I had been a short time before.
I don't know how long it lasted. I don't think it was more than five
minutes, though it felt like hours to me. As I regained consciousness, I
realised that I was vomiting non-stop. My body continued to be
restrained by the spell and my mouth was barely open, and I was in
serious danger of dying a not-so-pretty death by choking on my own
vomit, but I couldn't even concentrate on that as my head was being torn
from the inside out by millions of hammers that seemed to be pounding
into every brain cell at the same time. If it hadn't been for the magic, I
would have collapsed to the floor a long time ago and sprawled in a
shapeless heap because of the unbearable weakness, but, at Dumbledore's
command, I continued to stand, unable to see anything because of the
tears in my eyes.
With a magnanimous wave of his hand, he let me fall, then stepped aside,
allowing my stomach to rid itself of its contents. My head was tearing
apart. I was coughing up a choking cough that made the hammers pound
even harder. I struggled to keep myself grounded in reality and not fall
into darkness. Dumbledore wasn't saying anything and it was unclear to
me exactly what he had learnt. I was afraid that if I blacked out now, I
would never wake up again.
After a little bit of breathing, I was able to lift my head off the floor and
look at the man I now absolutely hated more than anything else in the
world.
- Look at your uncooperative behaviour," the old man said as he conjured
a small mirror in front of me. A dark red face, red eyes that looked like
they had no blood vessels left, blood dripping from my nose and down
my chin, my mouth open and a trickle of saliva reaching for the floor.
When I saw what Dumbledore had done to me in a few minutes, I felt
myself start to shiver. A wave of anger unlike anything I'd ever seen
before started somewhere in my stomach, and it wanted to burst out. I
looked at my former headmaster again and raised myself up a little on
my hands, screaming loudly, putting all the pain I'd felt because of that
man into that scream.
Feeling that I couldn't resist any longer, I let go of my anger, and a wave
of force hit me in all directions, sweeping away the few pieces of
furniture and tearing the door off its hinges. The last thing I saw before I
finally blacked out was a surprised Dumbledore failing to put up a shield
and the force literally throwing him away.
Chapter 24: "I'm reborn as Rudeus
Greyrat"
The fanfic "I'm reborn as Rudeus Greyrat" has been blocked, I realise that
not everyone can donate to patreon to read it, so I'm going to make it
free (I'd be happy for a free subscription) , you can read it in full at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium.
And there are other stories I've written there that may or may not be here
yet.
Anyway guys, thanks for supporting me after all the blocking and
deleting of stories, I really appreciate it, it's much more important than
money. Money is just a tool, it's more important to stay human and be
kind to others. Have a happy and peaceful day.
Your FanFictionForge or you can be Kira.
Chapter 25: Potion
20 advanced chapters on:
pat reon.com/FanFictionPremium
Enjoy reading.
------------------------------------------
- Harry, calm down, they just don't understand. - Fleur stroked my
shoulder soothingly. - You'll see, things will be back to normal soon.
- It won't, Fleur. I've been through a similar situation in my second year,
when everyone thought I was the heir to Slytherin. The whole school
despised me then, even though it wasn't my fault. It's the same now. But I
didn't throw my name in the cup, I just wanted to have a quiet school
year. Do you believe me? - Harry looked hopefully at the Beauxbaton
champion.
- I do, Harry. I believe you. - She moved closer, and seemed to want to
take my hand, but changed her mind at the last moment and bit her
lower lip. - Maybe I didn't believe you at first, but that was only because I
didn't know you at all. I don't have any doubts now. And I'm sorry for
what happened. But don't worry, now that we're closer, I'll help you in
any way I can.
I didn't notice the pause in her sentence as I continued to lament the fact
that everyone had turned their backs on me.
- Dumbledore did it, I'm sure. Only he could have done this to me. It was
probably his idea to get me to go back to my former friends as soon as
possible, or to get me to listen to him again, or whatever! - I jumped up
from the couch in the Room of Requirement, unable to contain all the
things that had been building up over the past few months. - I'd believed
him, Fleur. I honoured him, he was a wise mentor to me. And all this
year, I keep being amazed at how blind I was. - I walked from side to
side, barely paying attention to the French woman looking at me, a look
full of regret. - If it hadn't been for Dobby, the Headmaster would still
have total control over me.
Fleur seemed to have made up her mind. Her features smoothed, and she
rose to her feet and came slowly toward me. She hesitated for a second
before reaching out her arms and hugging me gently, making me freeze,
unable to move. The closeness of another person was so unexpected that I
didn't know what to do. And the fact that it was a girl I had strange
feelings for that I couldn't yet explain to myself made my hesitation all
the more noticeable.
When Fleur decided she wasn't getting any reaction and began to berate
herself for her haste, I snapped out of my stupor and returned the
embrace, pulling the Frenchwoman gently against me. Despite the slight
age difference, I was a little taller, so I pressed my nose against her
temple and breathed in the wonderful scent of her hair.
For a few minutes we just stood there, embraced in the middle of the
Room of Requirement, neither of us wanting to break the magic of this
amazing moment. All thoughts of being treated unfairly by English
wizards, whose opinions change faster than the direction of a weather
vane in a hurricane, were blotted out of my head by the scent of fresh
meadow flowers coming from the Frenchwoman.
- Harry," Fleur was the first to break the silence, but made no attempt to
break contact. I could feel her warm breath on my neck. - It's early April,
it's only a short time away. I'm with you.
- You're right. And thank you. The school year is coming to an end, I
have one last test to pass, and I can get out of Hogwarts. If you weren't in
your final year, I'd be seriously considering transferring to Beauxbaton. -
It was only after I finished speaking that I realised exactly what I had
said, and I immediately blushed. It was a good thing Fleur's face wasn't
visible at that moment. I tried to quickly change the subject: "Though
Dumbledore would probably think of something else to keep me here.
- Don't think about Dumbledore," Fleur whispered to me. I thought she
was smiling. She pulled back and looked into my eyes, and I was
surprised to note that her face was the same shade of crimson that was
probably adorning me right now. - Let's talk about something else.
Something that has nothing to do with dark wizards, brash old men
manipulating people, and all sorts of tournaments where you can die at
any moment. - She took my hand and led me back to the couch, sitting
down next to me.
I could barely hear what she was saying, as I was in a real panic. Fleur
was holding my hand, sitting so close that her leg was pressing against
mine, and the slight smile on her lips said she was enjoying it. The smell
of her hair still surrounded me and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks,
making her, if that was even possible, even more beautiful. She was
saying something, but I couldn't make out the words, just admiring this
girl who had come into my life when I didn't expect anything good.
Fleur was silent, apparently expecting me to say something, but I was
sure that if I opened my mouth now, not a single intelligible word would
come out. So I just smiled openly for the first time in months, thinking
that I guess I knew what that feeling was called now.
***
It was hard to come back to reality. I could hear voices, but I couldn't
understand the words. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't listen. I
tried to remember where I was, but the thoughts inside my skull behaved
like tiny fish - you reach out your hand to one of them, and it
immediately bounces away. Vivid images were replaced by faded
memories, but I couldn't concentrate on them. All I could manage was to
keep myself in some semblance of consciousness without falling into the
final blackness.
I don't know how long I spent in this state. At some point, as I tried to
concentrate once again, I suddenly saw the face of a girl with blond hair
and blue eyes. Her face was very close to mine. She was biting her lower
lip and looking into my eyes, and there was a slight blush on her cheeks.
Following the image, the scent of fresh meadow flowers filled me. The
kind of scent that you can only encounter on a bright, summer day, when
nature is basking in the sun and hurrying to share its good mood with
you.
The scent triggered some mechanism in my head, and suddenly all the
images made sense, as if someone had turned an invisible switch and
adjusted the contrast. I still didn't move, but I remembered where I was.
The voices beside me grew louder, and now I could make out exactly
what they were saying.
- Albus, are you sure you can't use magic? He's not coming round. I don't
want to know exactly what you did to him, but if he dies, you'll have to
clean it up yourself.
- Don't worry, Nicholas, he's fine. That much magical release at his age
couldn't have been without consequences. When I saw him start to come
round, I thought that his mental defences would be as weak as possible at
that moment, but as a result I only managed to see one memory, after
which he blacked out again. That's why I called you.
Now I can see why I dreamt about one of my and Fleur's nights in the
Room of Requirement during the tournament. It's Dumbledore sticking
his nose where it doesn't belong again. When I remembered what kind of
magical outburst they were talking about, I almost smiled - the flight of
surprised headmaster is forever going into the collection of fond
memories.
- You can't even handle a child without my help," Flamel grumbled, "why
is all this happening in my house?
- I told you, I needed a place where no one would look for him and where
he couldn't cross paths with anyone he knew. Young Harry has a gift for
eloquence, and now he's trying to dissuade my supporters from following
the path of light. Besides, he knows too much. For instance, he somehow
found out about a delicate request I made to Severus. Only the two of us
knew about it. There's no telling what other information is in that head.
We need to get what we can out of it.
- Not us, but you. I don't give a damn about the games you're playing
with this young man. You know how many of those I've seen in my life?
Well, you wouldn't know. You think because you've lived over a hundred
years, you're the wisest man in the world. You're wrong, Albus, and more
so every year. But let's not start that argument again. What did you call
me here for? If you wanted me to help the boy wake up, you won't need
it - he's already awake and he's just pretending to be. If you want the
potion, I'll get it for you.
When I realised there was no point in pretending, I opened my eyes and
tried to look around. My whole body was aching, and every attempt to
move required a tremendous effort, so I just wiggled my eyes from side to
side. It was clear that I was still in the same room I'd spent the last few
days of my life in. The furniture that had been restored after my anger
was in its original places. Dumbledore was standing at the front door,
looking at me with interest, as if I were some rare animal, and Flamel
had gone out, returning a few seconds later with a vial in his hands.
Before I could even open my mouth, Albus swung his hand, casting
Silentio on me. The wand I had taken from the Potters' safe obeyed him
without question.
- 'No, no, Harry, I've listened to enough insults directed at me, so it would
be better for everyone if you kept quiet. - Taking the vial from Flamel's
hands, he walked over to me. - I strongly advise you to drink this potion.
I don't want to do you any more physical harm. - When he saw that the
threat had no effect on me, he sighed. - Well, that's your choice.
It took him a few seconds and a few passes, and now I was bound in a
paralysing spell, lying flat and staring at the ceiling, my mouth open just
long enough for Dumbledore to bring a vial to it and pour its contents
down my throat. Unable to move and unwilling to choke, I swallowed the
swamp-coloured liquid and waited in horror for what would happen next.
I didn't know what the potion was for, but nothing was happening, and I
decided that either something like this had no effect on me, or it had
been prepared incorrectly.
- Albus, I don't know what you did to that boy's head, but I can hear his
thoughts without even trying. If he had any shields, you simply destroyed
them. That was a very serious offence at all times, and not even all your
titles could save your reputation if someone found out about it. As for
you, young Harry, in case you didn't know, I have been the best Potions
Master in the world for half a millennium. And surely I know best how to
prepare this potion and whether or not it can work on you. - Even after
several centuries of living, Flamel had never realised that vanity does not
make a man beautiful. - If you want to know what this potion was, I'll tell
you - it's my own creation. It helps to restore a person's memory after an
Obliviate, or, as in your case, to remove blocks from memories.
Before he could finish, I felt a slight tingling in my head, which grew
stronger with each passing moment. I didn't notice it at first because of
the pain in my whole body, but soon it felt like someone was drilling into
my skull from the inside, trying to get out. I couldn't move, I couldn't
scream, and all I could do was stare blankly, not even realising what I
was seeing.
Soon the pain was gone, and Dumbledore, noticing that my body had
relaxed, pointed his wand at me.
- Well, let's try again. Legilimens! - Once again, the old man raped my
mind, searching it for answers to his questions. I tried to fight back,
thinking of some absolutely insignificant things, but Dumbledore swatted
away my attempts like mosquitoes, continuing to move towards his goal.
Unfortunately, I had no idea what occlumency was, so all I had to do was
bear it, gritting my teeth. Although, I couldn't even grit my teeth.
After stopping the torture, the old man looked first at me and then at
Flamel in surprise.
- It didn't work! I'm surprised. I don't know who put that block in, but it
looks like we're going to need something bigger, Nicholas.
- Are you sure? The boy's barely alive as it is.
- Don't worry about him. Young Harry's a lot tougher than he looks. In
any case, I feel we're close to a solution. By removing the block, I should
be able to figure out exactly who took over this body.
- All right, I'll go get Pernella's potion now. But I'm not responsible for the
consequences.
Dumbledore just waved his hand, certain that he was right. When he was
alone with me, he stared at my face for a few seconds, not trying to
penetrate my mind. It was like he was pretending to care about my
condition.
- I'll lift the mute spell. Try to control yourself, Harry. You don't look too
good, don't make it worse.
When I felt like I could speak again, I wanted to say what I thought about
what was going on, but I managed to hold back. Even if I wasn't the
brightest, I'd already realised that it would be useless to try to tell Albus
anything.
- How did you find me? - I wheezed, barely audible.
- Through letters, of course. OWLs, actually. You really don't get it, do
you?
I didn't dissuade him and told him I was just confirming my thoughts.
- Why don't you just Cruciatus me and get what you want?
- You're thinking like a real Dark Lord, Harry. Though I'll admit, I'm not
so sure it was Tom's Horcrux that took over your body. It could be
someone far worse. And torture, in my humble opinion, is completely
unnecessary. I don't want to hurt you, and I certainly won't stoop to dark
magic. I'm only doing what is necessary. As you know very well, albeit
unbeknownst to you, I don't have long to live, and I have to do what I
can to rid the world of the next threat.
- You old bastard, you've gone off the deep end.
- Good talk, Harry," Dumbledore said without changing his tone, tucking
his wand into his pocket. - Pernella's potion is more targeted, so it's
guaranteed to help.
Flamel entered the room, handed him another vial and leaned against the
doorjamb, watching with interest.
Repeating his previous manipulations, Dumbledore made me swallow the
potion without even letting me prepare myself for the imminent pain.
This time I already knew that just because there wasn't an immediate
effect didn't mean it wouldn't hit me in a few seconds. Some part of me
wanted to tell them everything they needed to know, just to make this
torment stop, but I held on, knowing that once I knew the truth, the
headmaster of the school for young wizards wouldn't stop. Especially
when he realised that I knew the future.
This time was different-there was no growing itch. Just in an instant, a
bomb went off in my head. Before I could even realise the pain that
came, my consciousness instantly faded. There were no images, no
memories, just the sensation of falling in pitch blackness, but that too
soon faded, leaving me with one last thought - it looked like the old men
had overdone it this time.
Chapter 26: Dump
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- Hello again, Harry Potter. - Emerging from the blackness, I found myself
sitting in a chair in a familiar light-filled room with no windows or doors.
- Hello," I mumbled, trying to figure out what exactly had happened.
- Hello? - Death looked surprised. - Is that a courtesy? Get rid of it, it
doesn't suit you. Although, maybe I should have had a good dig at your
head from the beginning to teach you some manners....
- What happened? - I asked, not reacting to his statement. Shaking my
head, I looked around and realised that I wasn't in any pain. I was still
wearing the same jeans and T-shirt, but they smelled nice, like they'd just
been washed. Death was also wearing the same suit as when we first met.
Seems like someone should change their wardrobe more often.
- I'll show you. It's better to see it once, as they say. And I have a normal
suit, I like it. - I cringed-reading my thoughts had been having a vividly
negative effect lately, but he didn't comment on it.
A large mirror appeared in front of us, hanging in the air. At first it
reflected the surroundings, but then the image rippled and the device
turned into a kind of television, broadcasting a recording of the events in
a room I was painfully familiar with.
- Unfortunately, there's no sound, but I think you'll understand," Death
said. I noticed the expression with which he was looking at Flamel, and
the answer immediately followed: - yes, this man was able to hide from
me quite well. He and his wife have managed what almost no one else
has. But that's okay, now that the elixir is over, their time is coming to an
end. I can't wait to see them again.
Meanwhile, on the screen, everything was indeed clear without sound.
Dumbledore and Flamel, seeing that I had blacked out, first tried to bring
me to my senses by improvised means, and when they failed, they
decided to use magic. My body, lying on the bed, subjected to mental
torture, was pierced by all sorts of spells, which I could not recognise.
Flamel seemed desperate enough to release a red beam at me, voicing the
spell he was casting. I could read from his lips that my body had been
affected by the second Unforgivable.
When that didn't work either, he sat down on the edge of the bed and
slumped his shoulders frustratedly. Dumbledore, for his part, tried to use
the mind-reading spell on me again, which I could now recognise from
the movements of my wand, but after a few seconds he broke contact and
stepped aside. They discussed something for a while longer, gesturing
with their hands, and then Dumbledore simply waved his hand and
called for his phoenix, which grabbed my body with its claws and
vanished.
I was silent, unable to say the obvious thing. Death watched me with
interest, trying to make sense of my thoughts. Finally, I let out a long
breath and covered my face with my hands, shaking my head.
- This is unbelievable," I mumbled, feeling fear tugging at my throat.
Would this be the end of my story? Would Harry Potter have such an
ignominious end? To die because of two leaders of light who poisoned
me with a potion, in some basement with no way to contact anyone.
What could be more romantic. And what about Fleur? She doesn't know
what's wrong with me or where I am, but through our connection, she's
bound to sense that something terrible has happened. So I've broken my
word and left her alone... What about Dobby? I hope he takes care of my
failing wife.
No. I'm not giving up that easily. I took my hands away from my face and
looked at Death with a hard stare. All I've been doing the last few days is
feeling sorry for myself or squirming in fear, and it's time to stop doing
that. The only person sitting in front of me, if he can be called a person,
is the only one who can influence the situation. And, after all, there was
a reason I was back in front of him right after my demise, because this
time there was no nobility in my death.
- Well done, Harry. I like your ability to pull yourself together quickly.
You really are here for a reason. At first I was disappointed and wanted
to just let you pass, but then I decided that as the new owner of two of
my gifts at once, you could be honoured with another chance. Besides,
you still haven't fulfilled your mission - Tom Riddle still continues to
avoid me. And if you don't deal with it, maybe no one will. - He paused,
as if disengaged from the conversation, but soon continued: - Don't think
it's always going to be like this now. I'm not your wish-granting genie. I'm
used to taking lives, not giving them.
- I don't know if I deserve a chance like this again," I said, my eyes
lowered. "Given how easily I was caught and killed, there's no guarantee
it won't happen again soon. I'm too weak for such proceedings.
Sometimes, I feel like I'm sitting in a sandbox, picking at it with a toy
shovel, and behind me are several excavators capable of demolishing the
entire sandbox with a single stroke. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for
your trust and I won't back down until the very end, it's just that you're
the only one I can discuss all this with. And by the way, why didn't you
show up while I was in captivity, because you must have heard me
calling you?
- I didn't show up because I had to. Don't think you're so special that you
can call Death at any time. You just wanted to complain about your hard
life, and I'm not interested in that kind of thing. You have no idea what a
really hard life is. I've seen countless of them. - I felt the slight
resentment in his words directed at me, but then he softened. - Besides, I
couldn't show up, because that would reflect in your memory, which has
been so fascinating to study. You've probably realised that the block in
your memories that they've never been able to break was put there by
me. And it's not an easy thing to do. There's all sorts of information
hidden in there that you shouldn't know, being just Harry, as well as my
interference. In fact, Dumbledore never found out anything. And if you
had opened your mouth less, he would have known even less, and maybe
this whole thing wouldn't have happened at all.
I thought about what he said. The fact that I often do rash things that
make me suffer later was clear enough. But could it be that even my
words led to failure? The answer came immediately: it could. All the
things I'd said to Dumbledore, about his arrangement with Snape or the
cursed hand, I'd said to knock him off his game, to show him that he
wasn't so omniscient, to prove that Harry Potter shouldn't be written off.
But for the Headmaster it wasn't just a jab - it was a serious blow to his
ego, because there was something going on that he didn't understand.
And that's what made him want to dig into my head in the first place.
That, not some suspicion that I might be the new Dark Lord.
- It's good to know you're not a bad judge of judgement, Harry. Albeit a
little late. I hope you find it useful in the future, because if you don't
change anything, I'll let you pass me by next time. - The threat worked. I
liked this life, and I didn't want to give it up.
- But wait. Dumbledore's had two of your gifts all this time, too.
- So? If he were dead right now, I'd be offering him the same thing I'm
offering you. Or maybe you wouldn't. They're my gifts, and I alone decide
what to do with the person who has them. Either way, all he has now is
the stone. Make sure it stays that way.
- So, do I understand correctly that you can revive me in the same body,
at the same time, without demanding anything in return? Sounds too
good to be true. Last time, you said I earned it with a noble death, and
the place and time of my new life was completely random. Now the
reward is even greater, but the payoff is noticeably less. I'm sorry, but
you don't seem like someone who would give gratuitous gifts to random
people. - I was expecting a catch and couldn't believe I'd be so lucky.
When I saw my dead body in the image, I felt something inside of me
snap, and that light of hope that flickered after his words beckoned
unbelievably strongly.
- You see, Harry, you and I have very different ideas. For you, it's an
opportunity to return, to finish what you started, to reunite with your
beloved and live a long, happy life. For me, it's just an adjustment of
plans as I throw you back into the cauldron of this world. I can add some
new task if you want, but you haven't even managed one, so that can
wait. Just remember that you owe me now.
I nodded, agreeing with his thoughts and realising that perhaps killing
Tom Riddle wasn't the hardest thing I had yet to do in my life. Death,
meanwhile, continued:
- 'Besides, it's much simpler this time. All those two men did was
miscalculate their strength. They wanted so badly to break through the
block I put in place that they literally burned out most of your mind.
Your heart, unable to take the strain, stopped. If last time I had to
operate on entire souls, now it is enough a small point intervention to
bring you back to normal. It won't require much effort. - Again he
seemed to switch off, freezing in one pose. When he came back, he
looked at me with interest - Besides, I'll be interested to see your reaction
when you return to the world of the living.
I wish I could say I was intrigued by him, but his smile made me
uncomfortable.
- Couldn't you bring me back a little sooner? Like when Dumbledore first
showed up at Delacourt Manor.
- No, I won't adjust the time. It's a lot more complicated than that, and
frankly, I don't feel like it. So you'll be back in the same body, bruised
and fingerless. You should be grateful for that, too.
- I am grateful, you can see it in my mind. - I meant what I said, the
chance to come back was worth everything.
- I see it. But I also see my own self-doubt. It's strange, when we first met,
I didn't see that in you, you were more direct and brash. It seems you've
completely merged with this body's past personality, which has made you
softer. I don't know how this will affect future events, but it will be
curious to watch. Now you must go, I have a new guest to meet. He's
planning a very interesting experiment in one of the realities. You'll
notice I've been watching him at times during our conversation. It seems
he has failed, and now he will be here.
Death stood up from his chair and began to transform before my eyes,
covered in a black haze. A few seconds later, standing across from me
was no longer the familiar middle-aged man, but a stunning brunette in a
black evening gown. She had pale skin and bright red lipstick on her lips.
She gracefully sat down on the same chair and threw one leg over the
other, causing the dress to ride up slightly, revealing her thighs.
- That's not fair! - I exclaimed, standing up, "Why should anyone else see
you like that, but me?
She waved her hand, no longer looking in my direction, and I didn't get a
chance to finish, falling back into the darkness.
***
I woke up abruptly this time, as if I'd been in deep water for a long time
and had just surfaced. Eyes wide open, I inhaled deeply and coughed. All
the pain I'd forgotten about came back at me with renewed force: a
tearing headache, a gash on my left pinky finger, bruises and cuts that
had come from nowhere, all at the same time, and I couldn't stand up
and look around. All I could realise at the moment was that I was on the
street. A slight breeze and clouds floating lazily overhead confirmed it. I
also realised quite quickly that I smelled awful. It smelled worse than it
did after six months in Azkaban. That being said, I had no wand, and I
didn't know what to do next.
For the first few minutes I expected one of my captors to notice that I
wasn't dead again and the torture to continue, but nothing happened.
After breathing and enduring the most acute bouts of pain, I began to rise
slowly.
Seeing the surroundings made it clear to me that the surrounding stench
was only partly my fault. It was also clear how Albus dealt with the
waste material: I was lying on the highest pile of rubbish, in the middle
of a huge landfill. Mountains of waste surrounded me on all sides and
from where I stood I could see it all spread out for hundreds of metres
around. I could see where my bruises had come from - the nasty firebird
had just thrown me down, not wanting to get dirty.
Dumbledore threw me in the dump. Like rubbish. A lot of heroes like to
say they've been treated inappropriately, but how about this? That old
bastard literally threw me away. No funeral, no goodbyes, my body was
going to rot in this place and no one would ever know the truth.
With each passing moment, I felt the stench surrounding me on all sides
more and more. It was as if someone had collected a bag full of rotten
eggs, put it over my head and tied it up. Given this, and my physical
condition, I realised that I couldn't even make it to the end of the dump.
And where to go, anyway? It was the same picture in all directions, and I
didn't even know what city or country I was in.
Deciding that I had to get out of here as quickly as possible, I realised I
needed help and it was time to use my heavy artillery.
- Dobby! - I shouted into the void, realising that no outsiders could hear
me here anyway. There might be locals around here, but if they hadn't
shown up when Phoenix had appeared in the middle of the dump with
the teenager's body in his claws, they wouldn't show up again. The
houseboy was gone, and I had already decided that Dumbledore had
caught up with him when a loud pop sounded next to me.
- Harry's master po...tter...sir! - Dobby couldn't keep his footing on the
pile of plastic bottles he'd emerged on, and rolled down the mountain as
he continued to speak. When he reappeared in front of me, he continued
as if nothing had happened: - Dobby is so glad you are alive! Mistress
Fleur cried, and said you were dead, and then she said you weren't, and
Dobby always knew you weren't, for if you were, Dobby wouldn't know,
but Dobby knew you weren't, and Mistress Fleur now knows you weren't,
and....
- Dobby! - I shouted a bit louder than I wanted to. I didn't want to add a
twitching eye to the list of my current physical attributes. - I'm not dead,
Dobby, it's all right. - The pain in my head was building up again, and I
felt like I was going to pass out. - Look, mate, I need somewhere to hide
and heal. So nobody knows where I am. Can you hide me and then go to
Fleur and tell her I'm fine and I'll be back soon?
Dobby nodded vigorously at the word 'can', as if he was sure that nothing
was impossible for him.
- Dobby will do everything, Master Harry Potter sir, don't worry.
I really wanted to worry, for knowing the zeal of the houseboy, he might
have decided to hide me somewhere on Mars. But I didn't have the
energy left for any further instructions or arguments, so I just put my
hand on his shoulder, trusting Dobby completely with my life.
Chapter 27: Sanctuary
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Honestly, myself, I couldn't think of a suitable place to hide and lay low
for a while. Fleur's place was off-limits to me, as I didn't want to draw
even more attention to her. Riddle would be the first to look for me, and
thanks to Snape, he would know that I was definitely not at Delacourt
Manor. I hope I can keep the new family safe by my absence.
And no one else should be looking for me, because once again
Dumbledore thinks I'm dead, and he killed me himself, even if he didn't
want to. Though maybe if he got all the knowledge out of my head that
he wanted, he would have killed me anyway. I'll get to the old man yet.
Fleur would know I was okay, and that's what mattered. Either way, I
didn't know where to go. The paranoia in my head was developing at a
rapid pace, and every place that came to mind was soon criticised. I
couldn't go to the flat, because the goblins knew about it, and they were
big talkers. I couldn't go to Godric's Hollow, for the ruined house, even
though it belonged to me, must be under someone's watch, for it must be
a memorial and all that. I could take my chances and hide at Hogwarts,
which would be the last place they'd look for me, but it was probably the
beginning of term, and one of my former friends had a Marauder's Map
that would give me away before I could get to the Room of Requirement.
With each option denied, I was starting to get more and more worried.
Dobby was apparating at my command in several leaps to cover his
tracks, and such exertion did nothing to alleviate the headache. On the
third or fourth jump, I passed out, and I could only hope that Dobby,
despite his apparent simplicity, would come to the same conclusions as I
had by thinking of a better place.
***
When I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling with an amazing bas-relief
depicting some kind of battle. There were people, centaurs, mermaids,
and even a couple of giants. And the picture was so detailed that I could
see every little detail. Amazing work that must have cost a lot of money.
So I was definitely not in a hospital.
Turning my head, I was surprised to note that I didn't have any pain, I
felt fresh and rested, and only a faint throbbing in my temples reminded
me of a headache.
When I held my hands up to my face, I almost shrieked-all my fingers
were in place, and my left pinky was no different from the rest. I thought
of nothing better than to bite it, and it responded with a pleasant pain
that told me it wasn't some magical prosthesis, but actual restored flesh.
It was only as I savoured the fullness of the returned sensation that I
noticed that the magnificent bas-relief was not the only decoration in the
room. I was lying on a large bed with posts on which a canopy hung at
the sides. The carved wood with gold elements seemed a bit fancy, but
the comfort I felt overrode any design flaws. The room had the same
carved furniture, a huge white rug on the floor, and a large number of
gold-rimmed paintings on the walls, but they were all empty.
At first I thought that Dobby had been transporting me straight to
Buckingham Palace, but then I realised that the Queen's chambers were
unlikely to have centaur pictures. So I'm in a magical house. Or rather,
I'm in the home of some rich wizards. And what rich wizards do I know
that Dobby can get into? Oh, shit.
- Master, are you awake? - The houseboy appeared beside me, staring at
me with his huge eyes.
- Dobby, are we in the Malfoy house? How did you even think of that? -
The elf was immediately confused and began nervously rubbing the
sheet, which in his understanding was clothes.
- Master asked me to hide it so no one would find it. But Master was sick
and needed help. Dobby wanted to take it to the hospital, but then the
master would be recognised. So Dobby got his old friends to help him
hide his master. And Mitty helped his master to get well. - At that
moment, another houseboy appeared next to Dobby and started looking
at me with interest.
- Mitty? - I decided to ask, and he nodded.
- Yes, Harry Potter sir. I am Mitty, House elf of the Malfoy family. I have
healing powers. Dobby asked me to help, and I did. I've regrown your
finger, healed your bruises and dealt with your headaches. I also cleaned
your clothes. I hope you don't mind. Master Draco often gets injured
while training or flying on a broomstick, so I am good at dealing with
such injuries. Master Lucius and Mistress Narcissa are always pleased
with Mitty and do not punish him.
This House elf expresses himself better than many people. Now I feel
even more strongly that the Malfoys got rid of Dobby on purpose.
- So the Malfoy family has several House elf, each with their own area of
responsibility?
- Yes, Master Ga...
- That's right, Harry Potter sir," Mitty looked disapprovingly at Dobby,
who was trying to cut in on the conversation, and continued: - "there are
five elves on the estate, responsible for cooking, cleaning, gardening,
healing and shopping. There used to be an elf who did various requests
and errands for the masters," another, much more disapproving glance to
the side, "but the masters decided to give up that position and divide his
duties between us.
- Thank you very much, Mitty, for that detailed explanation. And thank
you, Dobby, for getting me out and bringing me here. But hang on. Mitty,
won't your hosts mind you bringing a stranger into their house? And why
are you helping Dobby, I can see you two aren't exactly on good terms.
Dobby looked down at the floor, but the healer elf nodded and continued
his measured speech.
- Dobby has lived with us for many years, Harry Potter sir, I personally
delivered his mother. Even though he has left us and gone, I will always
treat him as my son. - My houseboy let out a loud sob and Mitty placed a
hand on his shoulder affectionately, smiling. I felt superfluous, in this
togetherness of creatures that wizards never paid much attention to.
Well, except Granger, but I'd rather not mention her.
- As for your first question," Mitty continued, "a fortnight ago, before he
left, Master Lucius personally warned us that he had opened access to the
manor for you. He said it was unlikely you would ever be here again, but
that if you did, we should help you and honour any request. Within
reason, of course, is how he put it. I believe that helping you heal your
wounds and rest is reasonable. He also asked me to warn you that you
may not be the only guest at the manor while he and Mistress Narcissa
are on holiday in Europe. He said he hoped that this would smooth over
some of the misunderstandings that had arisen between you, and be a
kind of thank you. He didn't say for what, but, Mistress Narcissa
understood him.
I was liking this elf more and more by the minute. He was behaving as
dignified as possible for a houseboy. In fact, the more I get to know
house elves, the more I'm surprised by their differences. Ricky, for
example, is quiet and efficient. Dobby, on the other hand, prefers to act
spectacularly and boldly. Kreacher, in turn, is a rather lazy and vindictive
elf, but Mitty is calm and wise. I wonder, if I ever gather an army of
House elf, how long will it take me to take over the world? I digress,
though.
- So Lucius knew I was coming to his house? That's odd, because even I
didn't know that, and I didn't think it would happen.
- I didn't, Harry Potter sir, I just assumed it. And as you can see, he was
right. I hope you're well and happy. If you need anything you can call me
or tell Dobby. Even though he may not have the rights in this house now
that he used to, he'll be able to find any of us quickly.
- Thanks a lot again Mitty, you've been a great help to me, your masters
must be proud of you.
In response to my words he only nodded and silently disappeared,
leaving me alone with my own elf.
- You're good, Dobby. I wouldn't have thought of that. They won't be
looking for me here.
- Is Master Harry Potter sir not angry? Dobby was afraid the master
would be angry because the master doesn't like Draco and Lucius.
- 'Don't worry, Dobby. Lucius and his wife are away for an indefinite
period of time, and their son is at Hogwarts and will be there until at
least the Easter holidays, so we have the house to ourselves. The main
thing is not to overstay our welcome.
Not knowing what to think about the whole situation, I decided to just
relax for a while and get a good night's rest. Despite such a helpful action
on the part of the elder Malfoy, it was unlikely that I would ever have
friendly feelings for him. Just remember the fact that he almost killed me
at the end of my second year, and only Dobby could stop him. Plus, he's
Draco's father, that blond misunderstanding who can't live without
shitting on someone. Although, in light of my new attitude towards Ron
and Hermione, some of Draco's jokes now seem rather amusing. As for
Narcissa, I know next to nothing about her. I remember that in the
original interpretation of the story she would save my life, but to what
extent she has similar traits here, I don't know.
In any case, it would be necessary to leave this house at the earliest
opportunity, it was only important to determine in advance exactly
where to go. Part of me couldn't think of anything but Fleur, and I
couldn't wait to see her again, but I tried to suppress that urge, because
the farther I was from her, the safer she was. Besides, she should not
draw attention to herself now, for the reason that Sebastian had a lot of
work to do, and should not be distracted. It is up to Sebastian to make
sure that France is properly prepared for a possible war. I, for my part,
will endeavour to make sure that war does not cross the Channel.
- Dobby, go to Delacourt Manor and tell Fleur I'm all right. Just don't tell
her where I am. - I knew she'd be angry, but I didn't see any other way. -
Tell her I love her, and we'll be together again soon.
Dobby nodded and disappeared. Not as silent as the other elves, but I
wasn't picky. I rolled over on the bed, savouring its softness, and tried to
sleep again, getting rid of all my worries, but something was keeping me
awake. Some little thing that indicated that I hadn't taken everything into
account and hadn't paid attention to everything.
Trying to understand what it was, I replayed the events of the last few
days in my head several times, but not finding what my subconscious was
trying to tell me, I gave up. I decided that I couldn't sleep, so I decided to
walk around the estate and see how the wealthiest wizards in Britain
lived.
As soon as I got to my feet, another House elf I hadn't seen before
appeared beside me.
- Harry Potter sir would you like to dine? - The house elf looked at me
with a hunted look, as if I was going to punch him when he offered me
food.
- That would be great, thank you," I tried to look as friendly as possible. -
What's your name?
- I'm Dinky, sir," the creature squeaked, not at all relaxed by my
friendliness.
- Nice to meet you, Dinky," he sounded like the elf in charge of cooking.
Only why is he so scared, are the Malfoys beating him up for being a bad
cook? - Are you scared, Dinky? I'm not going to hurt you.
He relaxed a little, but still tried to keep a respectful distance.
- It's alright Harry Potter sir, everything will be ready in a few minutes,
I'll set the table in the small sitting room.
He apparated away and I headed for the bathroom. Inside I had to call
Mitty again and ask him to explain how everything worked in here. The
large bathroom in the centre of the room, tiled in dark green, stood out
with a copper hue and lots of taps on the sides. In some ways, it
reminded me of the headmen's bath at Hogwarts, only on a smaller scale
and more ornate. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to figure out how to
use it myself. More than anything at this point, I wanted to be in the
cosy, little shower of my flat, where everything worked perfectly well
without magic.
After Mitty explained everything to me, I lay down in the tub, soaking
my head in the warm water, and exhaled in satisfaction. How I had
missed this. I'd been a prisoner, and I'd died, and I'd been in a landfill,
and now I was getting rid of all the effects, becoming a fresh and awake
Harry Potter again.
After I got out of the bath, I put on the same jeans and black t-shirt with
a print of some rock band on it, and went in search of the small living
room. This time it was decided not to yank the elves and use their help.
That way I could both find my way and explore my surroundings.
It wasn't just a manor house, but a palace with everything you could
possibly need. My room was on the third floor, and as I made my way
down the corridors, I found more than ten bedrooms, several halls of
various sizes, including a huge space that seemed to be used for balls, a
dueling ground, two laboratories, and even a small museum with various
pieces of art. To my immense relief, I never encountered a single moving
portrait. There were a few frames in the corridors, but all the canvases
were still empty, as if their occupants had abruptly decided to go off to
visit someone. The reason for this became clear later, when I found only
broken frames in the place of a few paintings, apparently subjected to a
powerful explosive spell. Lucius had had enough of the talking portraits,
and I couldn't blame him, they did look a little creepy.
After more than half an hour of wandering, I was finally able to find the
room that was the small sitting room. This was clear because this was
where the table was set for one person. It was only when I saw the plates
of food, which were steaming with a tantalising aroma, that I realised
how hungry I was. How good it had been in the beginning, with everyone
trying to feed me and give me wine, but now such simple pleasures were
much rarer in my life.
After I'd paid tribute to Dinky's cooking, who, in the absence of my hosts,
had obviously missed cooking, and pleased me with five dishes at once,
including a magnificent steak, I leaned back in my chair and patted
myself on the stomach in the best Vernon tradition.
- Thank you so much, Dinky," I said, glancing at the elf who'd been
hiding behind the door the whole time. - It's delicious.
- Harry Potter sir can't thank Dinky enough," squeaked the houseboy,
who, judging by his appearance, was even younger than Dobby. - It was
Dinky's duty to feed the hosts and their guests.
- Even if it is, there are always different ways to feed a guest, Dinky.
You've put in the time and effort to make it delicious, so I owe you a debt
of gratitude. After all, you could have just cooked something inedible and
not wasted the host's food.
- Harry Potter sir didn't like the food? - Obviously he didn't understand
the point I was trying to make. - Please don't punish Dinky, Dinky will be
fine! I'll cook more, just don't send a red ray at me like another guest of
the hosts! Dinky will try harder, just don't punish him! - He ran up and
put his arm round my leg, tears were streaming from his eyes, and there
was such a plea in his voice that I felt uneasy.
- Calm down, Dinky, I won't punish you. I liked everything," I tried to
soothe the distraught houseboy by putting my hands on his shoulders,
but it only made him shudder and shake even more. - It was delicious,
don't worry, you...
I froze in mid-sentence, feeling the pieces of the puzzle in my head
coming together. That's what was bugging me! Mitty said there might be
other guests here besides me, but who are they? And Dinky's so afraid I'm
going to curse him with a red ray because it's happened to him before... A
red ray, that's Cruciatus!
And who would show up at the Malfoy house at any moment throwing
Cruciatus at House elf? There's only one person I know of. And is it a
person?
I'm such an idiot. I knew that Riddle had lived at Malfoy Manor for a
while, but I didn't pay any attention to that fact, thinking that since the
Malfoys were gone, there was no reason for him to be here. But this
environment was perfect for his ego, regardless of whether or not the real
owners were present. Either way, this is probably where he holds his
Eater meetings, enjoying the luxuries that belong to him. We need to
leave now. I don't want to run away from Dumbledore and fall right into
Riddle's hands.
- Dinky, tell me, this other guest you speak of, does he come here with
other people and does he look like a snake? - I decided to confirm my
suspicions. What if I'm exaggerating and it's just some Blaise Zabini
throwing tickling charms at the housemates. But Dinky nodded sharply,
confirming that it was time for me to find a new habitat. Somewhere I
could spend more than one day.
- Don't be afraid, Dinky. I'm not going to punish you. If these people are
cursing you, why don't you just hide? - He looked at me as if I had said
the biggest stupid thing in the world.
- Master Lucius said Dinky must obey the guests," he explained. - How
can I hide, with these people demanding food.
Yes, I've been too confident in the independence of houseboys, forgetting
that they can't disobey their masters' orders. Only the likes of Dobby can
do that. Speaking of Dobby, I never asked him about the Elder Wand. I
didn't depend on it, but I wanted to have a weapon in case things didn't
go as planned.
- All right, I got it. Say, Dinky, how often do these people come?
- They show up every day at seven o'clock sharp. - There was an
immediate reply.
Glancing at the large wall clock, which, like the rest of the room, was
clearly an antique, I realised that I still had plenty of time. A whole
minute and a half.
Chapter 28: Listener
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It took about ten seconds for the panic to pass. It took me just as long to
decide what to do next. If at first it seemed that I was in a real trap, then
it became clear - I had a great chance to get back into the game, having
learnt the plans of a gang of fans of eating what can not be eaten. I didn't
bother trying to escape - an ill-considered apparatchik with the help of
one of the local elves could have led to more serious problems. In fact, it
wasn't so bad - the Eaters didn't know I was here. Moreover, it was far
from certain that the Lord himself would honour them with a visit today.
After all, he's hardly the punctual and responsible master that he'd want
to see his subjects at the same time every day.
A quick questioning of Dinka revealed the following: the number of
guests can vary greatly, for sometimes only three or four people come,
and sometimes a full drawing-room is filled with the leader. The duration
of such gatherings also directly depends on the number of people and the
intensity of their conversations. Sometimes the pure-blooded snobs
scatter around the house and don't leave until late at night.
My excitement was involuntarily transmitted to Dinky, who became even
more twitchy. He was now glancing at his watch every five seconds, just
like me. I tried to reassure him, imploring him to do as he always did,
but I'm not sure he understood me. The fact that Dobby still hadn't turned
up also added to the worry. I hope Fleur's doing well.
Exactly forty seconds before seven o'clock, I realised that I shouldn't
burden Dinky with more requests - he was barely on his feet as it was. As
a result, I called out to Mitty, asking him to hide me so that I could hear
and see everything that was going on in the room. The housekeeper
quickly orientated himself and led me into a small den, which had a
discreet door leading into it from the living room. Judging by the décor,
one of the housekeepers was sleeping here. Most likely Dinky himself.
Mitty waved his hands a few times, and then I was invisible and
undetectable to standard search spells. If I looked closely, I could see the
silhouettes of my hands, but in the dark chamber that was more than
enough. Seriously, why don't wizards pay enough attention to elven
magic? If these guys wanted to, they could stage a rebellion bigger than
all the goblins put together.
The local healer pointed me to the usual keyhole in the door, through
which I could keep an eye on events, and left to greet the guests, whose
arrival was signalled by loud clapping somewhere off to the side of the
main hall. A glance at my watch told me that some of the Eaters were
incredibly punctual sons of bitches.
As I made myself comfortable, I prayed to all the gods that this time I'd
be able to do what I'd planned and not end up being captured, tortured,
and killed again. As ambiguous as it sounded, I wouldn't survive another
time.
The quick footsteps made me freeze and turn to stone, so that no rustle
would betray my presence. Three men in black robes entered the room.
They weren't wearing the same masks I'd seen during the Lord's rebirth at
the end of fourth year, so I was able to see their faces. Two of the men
looked like Crabbe and Goyle, but I didn't recognise the third. Maybe it
was an Eater I hadn't seen before.
- Why do we keep gathering here? As I recall, the peacock lover called
this the small drawing room. Small, you know? I mean, there's also a big
living room, which I think the Dark Lord would have liked a lot better.
- Come on, Avery, don't start that again. We've talked about this before--
my lord likes it here. He finds the great drawing room extremely
tasteless. - It was either Crabbe or Goyle. Which meant the third was
Avery, another Eater from the old guard who'd been at the graveyard.
- You know, you're right, Goyle, it's none of my business. If my lord says
we should gather somewhere in the gutter next time, I'll be there first
thing in the morning.
- And I appreciate that, my loyal friend. - A whistling whisper echoed
through the room, and I involuntarily raised my hand to touch the scar,
and then shivered. The scar was no longer more than a cut on my skin,
but you couldn't get rid of reflexes that easily. - Don't worry, I would
never demand something so disgusting from my supporters. Our good
friend Lucius has graciously given us full possession of his house and
disappeared. Let us not upset him with our refusal.
Someone I didn't want to see for as long as possible entered the room. My
forehead was covered in sweat and my heart seemed to be pounding so
loudly that someone was bound to turn around and look at the small,
unremarkable door. However, that wasn't happening. Tom Riddle floated
down the hall, leaving a plume of black smoke behind him, and the
Eaters bowed servilely, greeting their master. I tried to look at my enemy
in great detail at the same time, and at the same time to make sure he
didn't feel my gaze on him.
I had hoped that the destruction of the Horcruxes would somehow
weaken him, make him more vulnerable, but he looked even better than
he had since his rebirth. His skin was no longer so grey, and his stature
and gait gave off the appearance of a confident man. If you didn't look
closely, you'd think he was just a bald wizard who had nothing to do
with a snake.
- Forgive me, my lord," Crabbe said, "but there are rumours that Lucius
has not disappeared, but has gone to Azkaban, because you were
unhappy with him.
- Crucio," the Dark Lord threw his wand lazily, and my former classmate's
father immediately collapsed to the floor. - Don't you dare accuse me
based on some rumour, Crabbe," he said, lifting the spell. - That's
everybody's business. If you think Malfoy is in Azkaban, we'll get him out
soon enough.
Avery and Goyle helped Crabbe up with precise, practised movements. It
was immediately clear that each of them was regularly exposed to the
second Unforgivable, for the Eater didn't even cry out, only discreetly
healed his bitten lip and cleaned up the blood.
- Yes, my lord, forgive my impertinence," he said, bowing his head low.
But they were distracted from the subject by new guests. Seven more
Eaters entered the drawing room, wearing the same black robes.
- You're late, gentlemen," Riddle said, playing with his wand in his hand,
"do you want to keep your master waiting?
They only bowed their heads in response, mumbling nonstop apologies. I
was beginning to feel more and more like I was attending some kind of
cheap performance. If I could understand the Lord boasting about his
successes and cursing the servants who had let him down, because he
was enjoying his newfound body, what was the point of all this now?
According to the housekeepers, they see each other almost every day,
surely all the Eaters know exactly what they can be cursed for, so why
are they testing their master's patience on purpose?
On the other hand, I'm just exaggerating. To me, the Dark Lord throwing
Crucio in all directions is the most natural cliché, even if it is his standard
behaviour. I don't understand why all those pureblood lords crawl on
their knees and put up with everything, but that's none of my business.
Perhaps they, just like Lucius, have long since become disillusioned with
the one they once called master, or perhaps they just like being
subordinate.
Shaking my head, I tried to push the last thought out of it. I didn't want
to start imagining it. Okay, I need to think about Fleur right away. Here's
Fleur in the Ransom Room, and here's Fleur in the same nightie, right,
and here's Fleur... Now that's much better.
While I was bringing harmony and order back into my thoughts, the
Eaters were seated around the table, talking quietly about something.
Riddle sat at the head of the table, looking at his subjects, not rushing to
join the conversation. Maybe he was just listening, or maybe he was
using mental influence to find out what they were really thinking.
Glancing round at everyone, he shrugged, ending all conversation and
drawing everyone's attention. He'd be a great trainer, that was for sure.
Look at the way he trained those animals.
- Gentlemen. It's time to report on our progress in furthering our cause.
How many of you would like to begin? - When there were no volunteers,
Riddle grimaced. - 'Well, then, let's start with you, Parkinson. In Lucius's
absence, and after Nott's death, it was you on whom I placed my hopes of
handling the Minister and other higher-ups. Tell us what you've been able
to achieve, everyone will be interested to hear.
Pansy's father shuddered visibly at this mocking tone. Looking at him, I
realised that his progress was not as good as his master had hoped.
Riddle, too, seems to be aware of this, and wants to give him a spanking.
Well, if I continue to be tortured in front of me, I won't be upset at all.
- My Lord," Parkinson began, not daring to look his lord in the eye,
"despite the Daily Prophet article we spoke of earlier, Fudge still doubts
your resurrection. You masterfully manage to remain in the shadows
while I convince him that the memories demonstrated by this Skitter are
nothing more than a fabrication. If you'd let me, I'd get rid of the
journalist who dares to defame your name.
- No, Parkinson," Riddle said in the same unhurried manner. - I
appreciate your eagerness, but if anything happens to her, it will arouse
more suspicion. Take your time, the girl will soon pay for her insolence.
Go on.
- Yes, my Lord. Besides, I managed to convince the Minister that this is
all a plan of old Dumbledore, who wants to scare the people of Britain
with your resurrection in order to remove Fudge from his position. - He
continued in a much quieter voice: "Unfortunately, I have not yet been
able to prove that Potter is guilty of killing that boy. Those memories
came so suddenly that even that empty-headed cretin Fudge believed
them, clearing the young man of all charges. It would take a lot of work
to dissuade him of that. - I tensed when I heard my own name. The
number of events that had happened disturbed my sense of time, and it
had only been half a month since I'd sent my memories to Skitter and
Bones.
- Let it go. It's not worth the gamble. Fudge will never admit to the public
that he was wrong unless it can be blamed on someone else. And he
personally granted Potter a pardon. So he can't say the puppy was guilty
all along. Let the wizards think what they want, but I know the little boy
isn't a holy martyr who died in vain. He's alive and hiding somewhere.
Severus," he turned to the potions master, whom I hadn't noticed at first.
- What have you heard about this? You should know Potter's whereabouts
best.
- There has been no change since my last report on the subject, my Lord.
- Snape was laconic. I noticed that he had much less servility in his voice
than the others who spoke, but Riddle took no notice. - Dumbledore is
still holding the boy in an undisclosed location without informing any of
his supporters. Nor does he speak of his motives, though I have tried
several times to find out.
- Does he still believe that ridiculous joke you told me? Is the boy my
reincarnation? - Tom laughed a cold laugh. - Fear, friends, the new Dark
Lord who holds all of Britain in fear! - This time the laughter was
supported by everyone. - Surely the ability for dark magic had been
passed down to him from his dirty-blooded mum. - The laughter grew
louder, but Snape did it in a strained way.
- I'll never understand the old man," Riddle continued, amused. - How
could anyone in their right mind think that this puppy is my equal? No
prophecy could give him the powers and knowledge he needs. What do
you think, Severus, how does he explain it?
- Dumbledore used to think Potter was the only one who could defeat
you, my Lord. But now I don't know what to think. As far as I can tell, he
has the boy in his grasp. The Headmaster is often missing somewhere,
and yesterday he came back to Hogwarts in a bad mood and didn't speak
to anyone. I'm doing my best to find out Potter's whereabouts and bring
him to you, but dean and teaching duties don't give me the amount of
time I need.
- Yes, yes, you work hard, Severus, and I appreciate it. But you'd better
hurry. I need to know what Dumbledore is up to, because he's the only
one who can interfere with my plans. As for Potter... The boy will show
up on his own sooner or later. I remember that he's completely out of his
head and wants to die as quickly as possible. I'll help him soon enough.
I shivered, realising that the discussion of my humble person had come to
an end. For the first time, I was glad that everyone in this world thinks
they're so clever. They're so intent on outsmarting each other that they'll
soon get tangled up in their own web. Riddle doesn't know what
Dumbledore is doing, Albus doesn't know what the Lord is doing, Snape,
meanwhile, has to know both in order not to let his masters down, and
there are a lot of wizards swirling around all of this, ready to rush into
battle at the snap of their fingers.
The devourers continued to report to their master on the work they had
done, but I stopped listening so desperately, only taking in the gist. For
example, Fenrir reported that all the werewolves were ready to join the
war as soon as necessary. McNair reported that the Aurorate was in
disarray, with no one preparing for full-scale battles, and Avery presented
a plan to infiltrate Azkaban, which was immediately rejected. As I paid
closer attention to the matter, I realised that the Eater was proposing a
complex, multi-stage combination involving bribery, stealthy infiltration
and blackmail. Even I realised that this was not Riddle's style at all, who
liked brute force and the way things were done.
It was also clear that the Dark Lord feared infiltrating Azkaban, as it
would be direct proof of his resurrection, which he was trying to hide.
However, I remembered how in the history I know, even the escape of
Riddle's most loyal supporters did not convince the Ministry of my
rightness. Well, soon the man at the head of the table would realise how
much impunity he could act with, and then he would have no doubts.
A loud clap in the middle of the living room made me tense up. Strange -
wizards apparated at the main entrance and only then came here. Even
Riddle himself hadn't avoided that route. It turns out there are spells in
the manor that forbid such apparitions. But who could have appeared in
the drawing room? I looked through the narrow keyhole, and then I
froze. In the far corner, not far from the Dark Lord himself, Dobby
appeared, oblivious to his surroundings.
- Master G--
- Get away, you bloody elf! - One of the Eaters exclaimed, and only now
did I notice how tense they were at the sudden apparition. They all had
wands in their hands, aimed at my houseboy. Luckily, Dobby had time to
see I was gone before he finished his sentence, disappearing as abruptly
as he'd appeared. A crucio from Riddle, narrowing his eyes, hit the wall.
- Whose elf is that? - He asked in a hissing voice. It was noticeable that
he was furious. - Didn't I tell you that houseboys shouldn't be brought
along? He only managed to say one letter, and I didn't get a good look at
the crest on his clothes because you spooked him. Is he yours, Goyle?
Crucio!
Another red beam crossed the table and reached the Eater, who didn't
even have time to rise from his seat. Goyle was sprawled on the table,
writhing in agony, clawing at the tablecloth with his fingernails and
scattering the plates of food Dinky had promptly served him. Giving his
servant a chance to respond, Riddle drew his wand aside.
- No, my Lord," Goyle wheezed, coming to his senses, "I do not know this
elf. But he seemed familiar, as if I'd seen him before.
- Very interesting. - The lord continued to clutch his wand, causing
everyone else at the table to tense up. - So there could be an unknown
houseboy in this house at any moment?
I sat still, afraid that someone would remember the elf and what had
happened to him. The next thought that came into my head was even
more frightening: Snape saw Dobby just a short time ago outside
Delacourt Manor! He knows it's my elf! Of course, it had been dark then,
and the houseboy had been quite far away, but if the Potions Master now
made his suspicions known to one of his masters, it would all be over.
But Snape remained silent. He didn't look around, he didn't become more
thoughtful, not a single muscle on his face trembled at all. Either he
didn't understand, or he was so good at spying that he had learnt to
master himself.
- Lord," Macnair spoke first, "the elf had some kind of note in his hand.
Perhaps he just wanted to send a message to one of the Malfoys, but his
master didn't know they weren't home?
- Pass on a message? - OWLs sceptically replied Lord, -You could use a
fireplace or an owl for that.
- You are right, Lord," continued the Ministerial Executioner, "but this
house is disconnected from the fireplace network, and an owl takes time.
In any case, I don't think we need to worry about some slave.'' - The
others immediately supported that statement with nods of agreement,
and I exhaled slowly. Dobby had just been nearly killed because I hadn't
warned him of the danger. And what was that note I hadn't paid
attention to myself?
- You underestimate House elf too much," Riddle didn't support the
general mood. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, realising that this reptile
was thinking what I was thinking. - But this time I'll agree with you. If
any of you remember whose elf this is, let me know immediately. In the
meantime, let's get on with it.
Then we started talking again about further plans, arguments about who
to recruit and who to get rid of, and other internal problems. I tried to
memorise everything they talked about, thinking it might help me in the
future, but I soon gave up. There were too many names and terms I didn't
know. For example, a Mr Green, whom some people suggest I should try
to get on my side, and others suggest I should eliminate immediately,
was of no interest to me. If I took on any more, it would be the last straw
that broke the camel's back.
When the meeting was drawing to a close, and the discussion of all the
unknown people had bored me enough to make me distracted, Parkinson
took the floor again:
- My Lord, there are too many doubters in Britain now. They choose
neither side, preferring to remain neutral.
- I don't need people who might try to betray me.
- Of course, lord, you're right, but we could use them anyway, because
the more people we have, the more tasks we can do at once. And if there
are any doubts about their loyalty, they can be eliminated immediately.
- What do you suggest? - Asked Riddle, who was clearly interested in the
subject. More people who can be tortured all the time, of course.
Sometimes it seems that a bloodthirsty maniac needs people just for that.
- I think we should do some sort of demonstration. - The other Eaters
murmured disapprovingly, and Parkinson hurried on, "Of course, the
Overlord doesn't need to be personally involved. If it's just us, then I can
convince the fool Fudge that they're just wannabes sent by Dumbledore
to prove a point. In the meantime, we'll show people it's time to choose
sides. Yes, most people will still always believe the Minister and the
official press, but those with brains will realise that the rumours are not
unfounded. And we need people with brains. Yes, Crabbe, Goyle?
Those present laughed, seeing the incomprehension on the faces of the
said comrades.
- It's stupid, and it's not worth the risk," Snape said in his favourite
manner. - Of those who can draw conclusions, not all will come to us.
Many will go to bow to Dumbledore, and in doing so we will only
increase the number of the old man's supporters.
- It seems to me that everyone who wanted to support Dumbledore is
already doing so," Parkinson said.
- He's right, Severus," Riddle interjected, watching his subordinates'
argument intently. - Dumbledore's army will grow regardless. It's a good
idea, Parkinson, you've done well. A little action will help the doubters
and show them that they won't be able to sit on the sidelines like they
did fifteen years ago. The best thing to do would be to attack one of the
neutral families. Since you suggested it, you're the one who'll make the
plan. I want to know the details tomorrow.
The satisfied Eater rose from his seat and bowed, assuring his master that
everything would be done in the best possible way. The others only
nodded, realising that they would be privy to the details when necessary.
With a wave of his hand, Riddle dismissed all those gathered, with
instructions to be here at the same time tomorrow. He himself, however,
was in no hurry to leave.
Snape was the last to rise from the table and, like everyone else, bowed
to his master, then walked towards the exit. As he left the drawing room,
he turned his head and looked at the keyhole through which I was
watching. Even though it was impossible to see me, I realised that he
knew I was here.
Chapter 29: Meeting
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Even though all the Eaters were gone, I began to feel even more tense.
Now, apart from the House elf, it was just me and the Dark Lord in the
house. And if he could feel as free as possible, I had to control the
volume of my own breathing. I had no idea what Riddle was capable of,
and I didn't want to test it.
He leaned back in his chair comfortably, calling the houseboy over and
ordering him to pour him a glass of wine. Examining the ruby liquid in
the glass, the Lord was in no hurry to let go of Dinky, seriously pondering
something.
- Tell me, elf," he said, his voice full of dislike. It was as if he hated the
very thought of dealing with someone like that. - There was another
housekeeper here not so long ago. Whose is it?
- I don't know, Dark Lord sir," Dinky was shaking so hard that it seemed
the whole room would shake from his vibrations. Still, he tried to keep
my secret, for which I was very grateful.
- I think you're lying, elf. - Without changing his tone, Riddle said. - But
you can't lie to me, can you?
- Dinky can't lie to a friend of Master Lucius, Dark Lord Sir, Dinky would
have to punish himself.
- A friend," he made some hissing sound remotely like laughter, "yes,
don't forget I'm Lucius' friend. And if I find out you're lying, don't worry,
I'll punish you myself. You know how it goes, don't you? - He took his
wand in his hand and twirled it defiantly in front of the houseboy's face.
He began to shake even more.
- Don't punish me, Dark Lord sir, Dinky doesn't know what kind of elf it
was, Dinky didn't see it, other elves often come here.
- Crucio! - Dinky collapsed to the floor and gave a thin squeak that made
me bite my lip bloody. I wanted to run out and spit on all the conspiracy,
but at the last moment I restrained myself. Forgive me, brave houseboy. -
I just said I'd punish you for lying. You say elves come here often, but
this is the first time I've seen anyone not one of your five in over a
month. So who was it? Answer me! - A new portion of the unforgivable
spell hit the lying housekeeper right between the shoulder blades,
causing him to twist on the floor, choking on his own scream.
- But Dinky didn't see it," the little elf cried, and I felt a pang of
helplessness in my eyes. - How can Dinky tell who it was if Dinky doesn't
know?
- Good. - The soulless bastard didn't seem intent on giving up so easily. -
Then list me all the wizards who have clearance in this house and can
send an elf here.
I realised that was the end of it. Dinky could claim to the last that he
hadn't seen any elf, because he really hadn't witnessed Dobby's
appearance, but he wouldn't be turned away from a direct order from the
one Lucius had told to help. The houseboy began listing all the family
names he knew. There were over twenty families on the list, but I was
waiting for a specific name, and the predictable reaction that would
follow.
Dinky tried to delay this moment as much as he could, he didn't just list
surnames, he tried to remember each particular wizard, and there were
seven of them, for example, in the Parkinson family alone. And according
to the housekeeper, each of them could send an elf to the Malfoy house if
necessary. Watching Riddle's face, I realised that if Dinky now started
listing more names of the housekeepers themselves, he would experience
another unforgivable, only this time it was already green.
- In addition to old friends Master Lucius, Mistress Narcissa and Master
Draco, access to the house had also recently been granted to Dark Lord
Sir and Harry Potter Sir. All of these wizards can send a House elf to the
house on some errand. - Dinky spoke fast and slurred, I had to listen to
what he was saying, but I noted that he didn't hesitate at my name, just
mentioning that I had access too. It was worth noting how good an
opportunist Lucius was: to the Dark Lord and Harry Potter, no more, no
less. All that's left is to give Dumbledore access, make a torture chamber
for all non-wizards in the basement, and open a homeless shelter on the
first floor.
- Harry Potter? - Riddle hissed, looking around the room in surprise. -
How long had Lucius given him access?
- A fortnight ago, Dark Lord sir," Dinky said faintly.
- Very interesting," the wizard stretched out, "It seems that Lucius was not
executed as I had hoped, but rather cowardly escaped. And he did it with
the boy's help. That's a lot of coincidences. Or is this just another one of
Dumbledore's tricks?
Riddle was talking to himself in a low voice, and I was amazed at how
quickly he was coming to the right conclusions. I shouldn't have
forgotten that this soulless creature was over seventy years old, most of
which he'd spent perfecting not only his magical skills, but his mind as
well.
Raising his head, Riddle surveyed the living room again, but this time he
did so more carefully. Raising his wand. He took a wide swing and spoke
loudly:
- Homenum Revelio!
A dense wave of air struck from his wand in all directions and began to
gradually expand, covering every corner of the room. Without stopping
in front of obstacles, the wave literally passed through them. When it
reached my den, the wave passed through me, but I didn't feel any
change. It seemed that the magic of the housekeeper was able to handle
the ordeal.
I didn't understand why he didn't just continue torturing the elf, asking
him for all the information about me. After all, in a few more minutes,
Dinky would probably tell me there was an inconspicuous den where
someone was hiding. But the Lord seemed bored with the houseboy's
chatter, so he decided to look into the matter himself.
After waiting for the wave to pass through all the rooms and leave the
mansion, Tom performed the spell twice more, directing it in different
directions. After that he tried other spells, among which I recognised only
Finite. When they didn't work either, he shook his head thoughtfully.
- Interesting, interesting. If Potter isn't here, why did his houseboy come,
and with a note. Maybe it was a letter for me? - I shuddered. The last
thing I needed was for him to start reading my mail. What if it was a
letter from Fleur? Although, the idea of sending Riddle a note with a
houseboy was rather tempting. - There's no doubt it's his elf. Only such a
bratty boy could have an elf like that, completely unaware of the rules of
decorum. Barty told me that the pup has a special mantle.....
Rising from his chair, the Lord began to use some new spell, which
apparently could no longer pass through solid objects, so he had to go
round every corner. I marvelled at his meticulousness. When he left the
living room, he started to go around the other rooms as well, thankfully
ignoring the den I was hiding in. Relaxedly exhaling, however, I was in
no hurry to take any action. Riddle is looking for me in the house. Even
though he's not entirely sure I'm here, that doesn't stop him from
spending his time searching thoroughly. What would happen if he found
me, I didn't want to think about.
I realised that while the Lord was making his rounds of the other rooms, I
had a chance to leave, but the question of where exactly to go came up
again. Just when I thought hiding in the Malfoy house wasn't a bad idea,
I was on the verge of failing. At this rate, wherever I go, I'm bound to run
into trouble.
Hmm, what if I go where I always run into trouble? As I thought about it,
I realised that I couldn't think of anything better.
Turning my attention back to the living room, I noticed that Dinky was
lying on the floor, and for a moment I was seized with real anger. Why is
everything happening like this? I'm a bloody hitman, and with knowledge
of future events! I was supposed to enjoy my life, to sort out all my
problems in a week and relax on a tropical island with my own harem!
Well, I don't need a harem because I have Fleur, but what went wrong
with the rest of it? Why am I instead constantly in hiding, lying dead in a
junkyard, with absolutely everyone trying to kill me, including the
goblins I don't know very well. And now, as the crown of my entire local
existence, I'm sitting in the den where the House elf lives, in the house of
people I have less than favourable feelings for, and that same elf is lying
on the floor suffering for just trying to help me. At what point did things
go so wrong?
Pulling myself together, I decided to deal with the problems as they
came, hoping that one day all these worries would be far behind me and
I would just enjoy life with my Veela.
Not hearing Riddle, I called out quietly to Dinky, figuring the Lord was
checking the rooms on the other floor. Sooner or later he'd reach the
bedroom I'd woken up in, and by then I'd better be out of the house.
Dinky didn't react at first, but soon Mitty appeared beside him, gently
lifting the younger house elf and moving him silently into my den. With
the arrival of the two House Elves, my hiding place immediately became
crowded. Unwittingly, I noticed that this room resembled my closet
under the stairs quite a bit.
Laying Dinky down on what looked like a bed, Mitty made a few passes
with his hands and then turned to me.
- He's fine, Harry Potter sir, he's just nervous.
- Thank you, Mitty. Tell Dinky he's a very brave elf when he wakes up.
- All right," the local healer nodded, "but you need to leave now, or
things could get much worse.
I couldn't help but marvel at this housekeeper's insight.
- You're right, but I can't leave. Firstly, I don't have my wand to apparate,
and secondly, if I just disappear, Riddle might continue his torture with
you, and I don't want to let that happen.
- Dobby will move you Harry Potter sir, he's hiding in the house, all you
have to do is call out to him. And don't worry about the torture, we're
used to it.
It sounded so ordinary that I flinched. How can you get used to torture?
And what if at some point Mitty's skills weren't enough to treat the
effects, what then? The wounded elf would simply be decapitated and his
head placed on the mantelpiece? Even though I had no intention of
following in Granger's footsteps by starting a major campaign in defence
of house-elves, I feel it necessary to do what I can to spare these creatures
from unnecessary violence. And I can do that now. At the very least, I
can make sure Riddle doesn't torture them to find out about me anymore.
- Mitty, I'll show myself to the Lord so he won't touch you. Hide, and
don't show your face unless absolutely necessary. If I manage to get
away, he'll probably be furious, so stay out of his sight. I don't know if
this will help, but I'm ordering you not to show your faces to the Eaters.
Dobby," I whispered into the void, and my houseboy appeared beside me,
making the already cramped room uncomfortable. Harry Potter and the
three houseboys were locked in a cramped pantry, a perfect start to a
joke.
- Master Ga-" I covered his mouth with my hand, afraid that Riddle would
hear us.
- Shh, Dobby, it's all right. Say, have you got that wand with you? - The
houseboy nodded and pulled out the Elder Wand from somewhere in the
bowels of his bedroll. If at first I had any doubts about who one of
Death's gifts belonged to, it was enough to take it in my hand. There it
was, that wave of power travelling through the body of a wizard
receiving a worthy weapon. It seemed that Dobby, as with Fawkes and
Dumbledore, had made me the owner of the Elder Wand, since I was
unable to use it myself.
- Dobby, on my command, you will transport me somewhere near where
we first met. Understood? - He nodded again, not daring to say anything.
Well done.
There was a small risk that Riddle would get to the local houseboys and
try to find out where I'd gone, so I didn't say where I'd gone in front of
them, just a description that only Dobby could understand.
Part of me whispered that I was doing something stupid, that I should
just wait, but I knew that wasn't an option. The Lord wouldn't rest until
he'd turned the house upside down. And even if he doesn't find me, he'll
keep torturing the elves to get the answers he wants. If I show myself to
him before I disappear, he'll probably leave the housekeepers alone,
realising they can't tell him anything important anymore.
- That's it, let's go.
I exhaled and waved my wand, opening the door to the living room.
Carefully stepping outside, I listened, but didn't notice anything out of
the ordinary. Dobby followed me, and Mitty picked up Dinky and
apparated out.
Moving to the far corner from the entrance, I put my wand to my throat
and used Sonorus.
- Hey, Riddle, Dumbledore said to say hi to you!" my loud voice echoed
throughout the manor. I tried to add a little more confusion to the warm
relationship between this sweet couple. Nothing happened for the first
few seconds, and I was beginning to fear that the Lord might sneak up on
me unnoticed, but soon a reply came:
- Potter! I knew you were here. - The hissing voice seemed to come from
every corner. A wave of warmth came over me again, and I realised that
Riddle had used the same spell to figure out exactly where I was. Mitty's
cloaking magic seemed to have stopped working. - Enjoying the Malfoy
hospitality? Stay where you are, I'll be right down.
- I'll be right down. Tell me something, if you've got some of my blood in
you now, can I call you Tom Potter? - I tried to make him mad so he'd do
something reckless. That's exactly what he did: he burst into the living
room and, without aiming, threw an Avada that passed within three
metres of me.
As I waved him off and dodged another spell, I squeezed Dobby's
shoulder and felt the familiar tug in my stomach, pulling me away from
the psychopath.
Chapter 30: Home sweet home
Guys, Lots of shelling of my city, You can google Kharkiv.
(In general new horrible tactics, first they make a volley of rockets to
destroy houses, and then wait and launch rockets in the same place to kill
more rescuers, firemen. So it's pretty hot here, explosions all day long.)
Here's a video. This is the village where I was born and lived until I was 3
years old, and then came to visit almost every summer (my grandmother
lived there). In general, there is not much left of it, as it is 6 km away
from the country that attacked us.
https://youtube.com/shorts/iGCxpSeM5Rs?si=EzY-8Z4lZv2XQ-Be
In general, waiting for you on Patreon, as well as do not forget about the
comments and likes. It's very important for me, there are a lot of my
unpublished books.
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
Enjoy reading.
---
I walked down the snow covered street and enjoyed my surroundings,
breathing in the fresh, frosty air. Even though I was wearing only a t-
shirt, the warming charms of the Elder Wand made me feel comfortable.
There were neat little houses along the street, decorated for Christmas,
and not all the owners had had time to take down the garlands, even
though it had been more than a week since the holiday.
It was dark all around, the day was ending, and lights were burning in
the windows. In one house you could see the kitchen, where a family of
several people sat around the table and talked excitedly, interrupted now
and then by bursts of laughter. In another house, the lights were dimmed
and constantly flickered, as if someone was watching television. In the
third, on the contrary, there was clearly a party going on, but the owner
knew the rules, so despite the large number of people flickering in the
windows and the bright lights, the music was barely blasting outside, and
only a slight shudder of bass gave away what was going on inside.
I walked away from the centre of the street, trying not to attract
attention, but a couple of times I caught a few surprised looks, which
quickly turned into outright dislike. Yes, the locals quickly recognised me
as the very scoundrel who attends a school for troubled teenagers. I must
say that a skinny teenager who walks in a T-shirt in the deep evening of
January could not dissuade them from this belief. I didn't try, I just kept
walking, not looking round.
Dobby had misunderstood me when I'd asked him to take us "closer to
where we met," so I'd had to walk nearly a kilometre. The houseboy
himself immediately vanished after arriving, having gone off to scout the
area, and I enjoyed the walk. The frosty air tickled my nostrils and
cleared my mind, so the panic of seeing Riddle had already subsided,
leaving only worry for the Malfoy houseboys. Hopefully nothing would
happen to them.
And seeing Riddle didn't upset me at all. It would be both a jab at Snape,
who claimed I was being held back by Dumbledore, and at Albus, who
Riddle thought was up to something. Let them sort it out, and I would
briefly become a follower of a character with a painted face from a long-
forgotten comic book - sowing chaos and watching.
As I approached Number Four on Yew Street, I turned round a little
earlier, so as not to be seen by Old Lady Figg, and crept in from the back
door. There were no lights on anywhere, and I realised that I was finally
in luck - the Dursleys weren't home. At least one conversation that I
would be accused of having again would be avoided. I don't know for
how long, but hopefully they won't show up until at least tomorrow. I
suddenly realised that I was here in winter for the first time since I
turned ten. Considering that we don't socialise much with the Dursleys, I
have no idea how they spend their Christmas holidays.
Pulling the key out from under the mat, I quietly opened the door and
listened. There was still the possibility that my relatives had simply gone
to bed early, but the lack of loud snoring confirmed my initial
assumption. Once inside, I kept the lights off so as not to attract the
neighbours' attention, and walked by feel into the kitchen. I had cleaned
the house so often that I knew all the passages by heart, so it wasn't
difficult. Dobby was waiting for me in the kitchen, having found some
groceries and was preparing supper by means of a small lamp.
- Master Harry Potter sir," he greeted me, "there was no one in the house
and Dobby used the groceries.
- Okay Dobby, I seem to have eaten recently, but I won't refuse. Are you
sure that light can't be seen from the street?
- No, it's a weak light. Dobby can do better," he said, raising his hand.
- No, no," I managed to stop him, "the neighbours mustn't know there's
someone in the house, so no noise and no light in the window. And no
magic. - I didn't know exactly how the Ministry reacted to witchcraft in a
non-magical neighbourhood, but I decided not to take any chances. If
they couldn't track a simple apparition of a housekeeper, they were much
better at spotting other elven spells, as I remembered from the summer
before my sophomore year. I didn't need to call in an auror squad. I
realised that the Aurors themselves were no threat to me, but firstly, I
was still officially dead, and secondly, there were probably spies among
them, not just Dumbledore's but Riddle's as well.
Dobby nodded, going back to cooking, and I settled back on the couch,
putting my feet up on Petunia's coffee table. Well, I was home again. Or
rather, in the place I was supposed to consider home. After everything
that had happened to me here, I couldn't call it home in the full sense of
the word. In fact, I have no such place now. Delacourt Manor is
Delacourt Manor, not Harry Potter Manor, I've spent too little time in the
flat to get used to it, and Godric's Hollow is a mythical place to me. Yes, I
know it exists, and I used to live there, but the events there were so
tragic that it's unlikely I'll ever be able to stay there in peace.
So it turns out that I have a dozen places where I can hide and sleep, but
none of them is my home, it is always a home for someone else. These
thoughts made me sad. I hope someday Fleur and I will have a place that
we can confidently call our own without reservation.
Distracted by my own thoughts, I didn't notice when Dobby finished
cooking and set the table. As I savoured the food, I remembered that the
houseboy had some sort of note they'd been talking about when he'd
suddenly appeared at the Eaters' meeting.
- Dobby, what was that letter you had?
The houseboy, who I had literally forced to sit at the table and eat with
me, was so nervous that he didn't even immediately realise what I was
talking about. Soon, however, his already large eyes opened even wider,
and he jumped up sharply from his chair and came running towards me.
- Master Harry Potter sir, I'm sorry Dobby, Dobby forgot to give Mistress
Fleur's letter, Dobby is a bad elf!
Managing to stop him before he started banging his head against
something, I assured him that it was possible to forget anything under
those circumstances. I had forgotten all about the letter myself.
When Dobby calmed down, he handed me a quadruple-folded piece of
paper, which I unfolded and began to read:
Harry! Are you all right?! I don't know what's going on! For a moment, I
felt my connection to you disappear completely. Not just weak like last
time, but completely severed. You can't imagine what it felt like. As if
some internal organ disappears without warning, without which you just
can't live. But then the connection came back and was just as strong.
Mum and Gran can't explain what it was. Maybe you can. I'm sure it
happened for a reason and something happened to you.
Tell me, where are you now? When that phoenix kidnapped you right off
our property, I didn't know what to think. Father was very angry at
himself for not having thought of it, and at you, because you knew
Dumbledore would do something like that! There are several Ministry
workers updating the defences on the estate now, and I'm watching them
work, trying to memorise the spells they use. I'm also continuing to train
with Bernard. I'm sure I can defeat you the next time we meet.
Do you realise how angry I am? I thought you'd been kidnapped, that
something terrible had happened to you, and you just hide and send
Dobby to me instead of turning up yourself! Just get caught, Harry
Potter, and I'll quickly explain to you what a big mistake you've made
leaving your fiancée alone for so long!
I hope you're well. Come back soon, or give me your location. After all,
you haven't seen the lingerie set I bought on my last shopping trip. I'm
sure you'll love it.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours, Fleur.
There was a note below in a different handwriting:
Harry, I don't know what's going on with you, but I hope it's under
control. Fleur's very nervous. I didn't read what she wrote, but I'm sure it
was threats mixed with concern. You still have a lot to learn about Veela
characters.
I tried to find out where you were being held, but I couldn't, as my
government wouldn't get involved. According to them, if one British
wizard took another British wizard off our land, then let it stay that way.
Plus, because the phoenix did it, I didn't even have direct evidence of
Dumbledore's guilt. I'm sorry.
If you need any help, feel free to reach out, I'll do my best. I appreciate
you trying to keep Fleur out of England, even if you didn't choose the
most successful method to do so. We're doing well, no outside wizards
have been detected near the estate. The Minister, on my tip-off, has
organised a surveillance of all British wizards entering France. Three
have already been arrested, but there were no marks on their hands.
Don't be a hero. Fleur already thought you were dead. Don't do this to
her again.
Sebastian.
Leaning back on the back of the couch, I rolled my head back and rubbed
my eyes. Too much information. Though if I simplified it as much as
possible, it was simple and succinct: they were fine. That thought
reassured me. Yeah, I'd probably have to go through a couple of
unpleasant moments with Fleur. And, too bad, it looked like I wouldn't be
able to tell her the whole truth again, but I'd have to shrug it off.
Hmm, Death never once told me that I shouldn't tell anyone how I ended
up here. So why shouldn't I share it with the person closest to me? The
answer came immediately - I was afraid. Afraid that once I knew the
truth, Fleur would turn her back on me, leave me forever. After all, she
loves Harry, and what will happen when she finds out that I'm not quite
the Harry she once knew? That truth could break two hearts at once. And
I'd have no more family, no more loving fiancée, and no more innocent
underwear jokes that make me blush.
That sounds pretty damn selfish, Harry," I corrected myself. She deserves
to know the truth. Or rather, she's the only one who deserves to know it.
I didn't care how other people reacted as long as they didn't try to kill
me, but I knew now that I couldn't go on living with Fleur and
pretending that nothing had happened.
I'd been sure that I didn't need to tell Fleur anything, that it wouldn't
matter, but now I had to explain the new loss of our connection.
Moreover, I now had a debt to Death, and that was not the sort of thing
that could be explained by mere ambiguities. Well, then it must be done.
Sitting in the darkness of the living room, in the house of my unloved
relatives, I have made a decision that will quite possibly remove the last
ray of light from my life forever, leaving only boundless apathy. Even
though I don't know how my fiancée will react to such revelations, a
worm of doubt has already settled in my soul, gnawing at me from the
inside. In my imagination, unspoilt by happy news, Fleur is already
looking at me with dislike, as a total stranger who tried to trick her into
marrying him, and then turns round and walks out of my life.
I shook my head so vigorously, trying to push away the bleak image, that
Dobby reappeared, who had already cleaned up our dinner and was now
camped for the night in my favourite closet under the stairs.
- Is everything alright, Master Harry Potter sir? - He looked at me
worriedly, and I realised that if the truth was to be told to those people
who followed me no matter what the circumstances, Dobby, though he
wasn't human, deserved to know it just as much.
- No, Dobby, it's not all right. There's something I need to tell you. The
thing is, I'm not exactly the same Harry who saved you in your second
year, you know? - I can't think of a worse explanation. Hopefully I'll have
a better one by the time I talk to Fleur. The houseboy, however, was not
at all embarrassed, nor did he think his master had gone completely mad.
- I know, Master Harry Potter sir. When you first summoned Dobby to
your flat, Dobby noticed that you had changed.
- But why didn't you react in any way? - I asked in surprise.
- 'Dobby doesn't understand,' he lowered his ears frustratedly, 'Dobby
sensed that the magic of Harry Potter's master Sir Harry Potter had
changed slightly, but it didn't matter to Dobby. Dobby always wanted to
serve a wizard as powerful and kind as Harry Potter sir, and Dobby's
dream has come true. You are still kind and powerful and you are still
Harry Potter. Dobby doesn't realise what it means to react.
Despite the confusing nature of his words, the houseboy is logical. Really,
what does it matter to him what's going on inside me?
- You're right, Dobby, I'm sorry. I'm just worried that if I tell Fleur the
truth, she'll leave me.
- Master Harry Potter sir doesn't have to apologise to Dobby. Dobby is
always ready to help. If Mistress Fleur loves Harry Potter sir, she will
understand. - The elf shrugged his shoulders plaintively, as if it was
something taken for granted. I wish I had the same confidence.
- You're right, Dobby. Well, let's go to bed, good night.
I let go of the houseboy and laid down on the sofa in the living room,
bringing myself a pillow and a blanket. At first I thought I wouldn't be
able to fall asleep after all of today's worries, because at least I'd seen
Riddle today, and at most I'd made the decision to tell Fleur the truth,
but as soon as my head touched the cushion, all thoughts vanished and I
fell into a heavy sleep, full of dark visions.
Chapter 31: Friends and enemies
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It was such a peaceful morning that I was a bit shocked. No one woke me
up, no one stormed in with accusations, no one poked me with a stick,
everything was surprisingly calm. As I ate my breakfast in a measured
manner, I remembered the worries of yesterday and realised that I hadn't
replied to Fleur's letter. Armed with pen and paper, I sketched out a short
message, assuring the Frenchwoman that I was all right and in a safe
place, which I could not say. I also endeavoured to assure her that I
would appear as soon as I could and tell her all about it. I didn't think
she'd be very reassured, but I wasn't capable of much more than that
right now.
I wrote a note to Sebastian on another piece of paper, also trying to
reassure him that I was fine. I used the only magic I had available to me
to send Dobby to deliver both messages, telling him to return as soon as
possible. Albeit it was an extremely convenient way of delivering the
letters, but given that, as I had already ascertained, Dobby doesn't watch
where he apparates to, it was far from as safe. However, Hedwig was in
France, enjoying hospitality at Delacourt Manor, so I had no other choice.
As I pondered my next course of action, I returned again and again to the
conversation I had overheard yesterday. I wondered if Riddle had
realised I'd heard what I'd heard, would he change his plans, or would he
once again ignore me? I knew that there was another meeting of the
Eaters scheduled for today, but I had no idea how I was supposed to find
out what was going to be discussed. If I knew who the Lord's followers
were going to attack, I might be able to stop them.
No, I was still soberly assessing my chances in an open confrontation, but
surprise, right? I don't think Riddle would tell everyone that I'd been to
Malfoy Manor, because that would show his subordinates that he wasn't
as omniscient as he wanted to appear. But then there's the risk that the
Lord will decide to be directly involved in the attack. His presence
guarantees that there will be no survivors, which means that no one will
be able to confirm his revival.
In fact, the stupidity of the British mages amazed me more and more
every day. I showed them the memories, where everything is perfectly
visible. Moreover, I showed them not only to a journalist with a dubious
reputation, but also directly to the head of the Department of Magical
Law Enforcement. Shouldn't they have checked the authenticity of these
memories and made sure that they were real? But still everyone doubts,
and it is the fault of the stupid minister, holding on to his chair with both
hands.
Is this cowardly man, who is not very clever, really capable of leading the
whole country round by the nose? Although, if the country is made up of
people like Crabbe, Goyle, Weasley and Lupin who can't see beyond their
own noses, it's no surprise.
I could have continued to marvel at the stupidity of the people living
here, but I was distracted by a sharp knock on the window. Reflexively, I
grabbed my wand and rolled off the couch and hid behind the kitchen
cabinet, peering out cautiously, but it was only a grey, unremarkable
owl, looking at me with obvious surprise. Remembering that I shouldn't
make owls sit out in the cold, I went to the window, and after looking
around, opened the sash to let the bird in. After circling the living room,
the owl dropped a small envelope on the table and flew back out without
stopping anywhere.
How do those damn owls keep finding me? Is there no way to protect
myself from it? Dumbledore found me with the help of owls even in
another country. And now, when no one is supposed to know where I am,
all it takes is a short note written to me to pinpoint the correct address.
Shaking my head, I hesitated to touch the envelope, especially when I
saw the Gringotts stamp on it. I'd already been trapped in a similar way
last time. I don't think Dumbledore will use the same methods, especially
if he thinks I'm dead, but it's still a concern. On the other hand, it could
have been word from Veselur, who I haven't heard from in a while.
Remembering that Gryffindor was a vocation, not a diagnosis, I armed
myself with Petunia's kitchen utensils and carefully opened the envelope
without touching it. When nothing spurted out of it, no smoke or
anything equally unpleasant happened, I decided to pick it up and look
inside. The envelope contained a small note and one Knut, which I shook
out onto the table. Unfolding the note, I decided to wonder what exactly
the bank needed from me:
Lord Potter
You are invited to visit our bank tomorrow at 12:00 noon for some
urgent matters. The portal will automatically go off at that time, all you
have to do is touch it.
Manager.
This is the most succinct email I've received in a while. No specifics, no
rants, as brief as possible. And the signature is weird. Is the manager the
director of Gringotts, or the trolley manager? It doesn't make sense, but it
doesn't look like a trap. It's doubly strange that I'm being invited to solve
some issues, but it's not Veselur who's doing it, it's someone else. I have
time to think about whether I should go to the bank or ignore the
message. First I need to wait for Dobby and load him up with new
errands.
While waiting for the housekeeper, I took a bath, picked out some new
clothes from Dudley's wardrobe that were at least a little bit my size, and
visited my room. Despite the fact that I hadn't turned up over the
summer, the Dursleys hadn't touched the room, leaving it just as I'd left it
a year and a half ago, travelling to the Quidditch World Cup finals.
The furnishings gave little indication that anyone lived here. I carried all
my belongings in my suitcase, and I didn't have much, so the only things
lying around the room as a reminder to the Dursleys of my nephew were
a couple of clean parchments on the table and a handful of owl biscuits
on the windowsill. The layer of dust covering the meagre furniture
suggested that no one ever came in here, even to clean, as if this room
were cursed and forgotten. Though perhaps they really do feel that way.
I went to the window and looked outside, feeling a little nostalgic. I
remembered the Weasleys dragging me out of this room, ripping out the
bars on the windows. I wondered if it had been their own idea that time,
or Dumbledore's request. Although, it was mostly the twins doing
everything back then, so maybe it was their own idea. I'd like to believe
that something in this world was being done for me, not because it was
part of a plan, but just because it was the right thing to do.
Dobby appearing next to me pulled me away from my memories and
back to the real world. No matter what had happened before, I needed to
finish this page of my life, and end the chapter by starting something
completely new. Contrary to my expectations, the houseboy had no
letter.
- What kept you, Dobby? I thought you were waiting for Fleur to write
back.
- Sorry, Master Harry Potter sir, Dobby was waiting for a reply, but when
Mistress Fleur finished reading the letter, she started asking Dobby lots of
questions and Dobby couldn't answer because Master Harry Potter sir
forbade telling where he was. And Mistress Fleur insisted and Dobby
didn't know what to do, so Dobby came here.
- In short, you ran away. You did the right thing," I added hastily, when I
saw that the houseboy was starting to try on the walls, as was his custom.
- And by the way, Dobby, let's get rid of that long address you keep
using. It's flattering, but it's not necessary. Why don't you just pick one
word and that'll do it. Not master. You can call me Harry, or Potter, or
sir, whatever you prefer.
At the suggestion of calling me Potter, Dobby made a face like he was
going to die on the spot. I can't say he liked the idea, but there was
nothing he could do about it, so he just nodded uncertainly.
- Okay, ho... sir.
- There, that's much better. Say, are Fleur and Sebastian all right?
- Yes, ho... Ga... sir. - Nothing, he'll get used to it. - Mistress Fleur's in
training, her father's at work at the Ministry. Mistress Fleur said she's
learnt a couple of new spells, and when Harry Potter sir comes back, she's
going to stick her wand straight into his....
- All right, all right, Dobby, I get it, don't go on. - I think I've gone pale. -
Let's assume she meant the pocket.
Dobby shook his head negatively, but I pretended not to notice. I'd
married Veela and left her alone in the dark. My own fault.
- Dobby, I have a few more errands for you, if you don't mind. - When he
nodded, I continued: - "First, go to Malfoy Manor, and make sure the
elves are all right. If any of them need help, try to give it, or call me. See
if you can talk to Mitty or Dinky so they can listen to what the Eaters will
be talking about today, but in a way that they won't be noticed. - I'd love
to do it myself, but I'm sure if I show up on the estate grounds now,
Riddle will know about it immediately.
- After you're done there, go to our flat and get my things from there.
Only the ones in the bedroom! - I was quick to clarify. I didn't want
Dobby to move the whole flat here, along with all the furniture. - I need
the clothes that were left there and the stuff in the drawer. Just be
careful and make sure no-one's in there first. There's a chance the flat is
being watched. - The elf nodded and apparated away. He did it almost
silently. He's growing up.
Well, I don't think I've forgotten anything. This shouldn't take Dobby
long. I wonder if I should talk to him about a pay rise. I don't know what
I'd do without his help. Probably rotting in a landfill.
No sooner had I stepped away from the window than another owl
crashed in. Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't paid attention as it flew up, so
the sharp tap on the window made me jump with surprise. Those nerves
will finish me off before anyone else does.
- You've got to be kidding me! - I exclaimed into the void, looking
reproachfully at the beautiful light grey owl, which in response only
pecked at the window, demanding to be let in.
Realising that I couldn't hide from these owls, I opened the window.
Once inside, the bird immediately smelled the treat and began to chew it
vigorously. I hope the biscuits didn't spoil after lying there for so long, I
didn't want to have to fight with the owl again.
I gently removed a rather weighty bundle from her paw, and tossed it
back on the bed. I wondered what was in it. The attached envelope had
only my name in neat handwriting and no other information. I wanted to
ask the owl whose it was, of course, but I'd never been good with owl
language. It didn't wait for an answer and, as soon as it had eaten
everything, flew outside without even bothering to say goodbye.
When I closed the window, I went to the package, and I realised that I
wouldn't be able to open it without touching it. I still didn't risk using
magic, trusting my own intuition, so once again I hoped it was all right.
When I carefully unsealed the parcel and put the envelope aside, I stared
at the book, which had the laconic title Occlumency. Whoever had sent
me this book was, unfortunately, a little late. It's never too late to learn,
though. The black cover, as if made of leather, and the silver letters on it
said that the book was not cheap, but when I opened it, I stared in
surprise at the emblem of the Hogwarts library. Had someone stolen this
book from the school to send it to me?
Intrigued enough to forget about the possible dangers, I boldly opened
the envelope and started reading the next letter, smiling and relaxing
almost immediately:
Hello, mysterious stranger from Slanted Alley. Or should I call you
Harry? I don't know which you prefer, so we'll leave the choice up to
you. Writing to you is an equally mysterious blonde girl you may know
by the alias Luna Lovegood. At this point, my entire conspiracy is
revealed, and the brainiacs tell me to get to the point sooner rather than
later.
I don't know if my owl will be able to deliver this letter, for I hear you've
been executed... Terrible. I know you're alive, but as soon as I start
writing these lines, I feel sick to my stomach. I know what you're
thinking, but I don't think it's the Nargles. Although... Maybe you're right.
Anyway, if Alpina (that's my owl, if she refused to introduce herself)
managed to find you, I'd like to thank you for the Christmas present. I'm
sorry, but you caught me off guard, like the time my dad tried to show
me a walleye and I didn't have time to come up with a decent response.
I'm at Hogwarts now. The place is crawling with brainiacs who stop
people from making good decisions. For example, Professor Umbridge
makes us keep our distance from other students and not get together. She
suspects Professor Dumbledore of wanting to take over the Ministry. I
hear Minister Fudge has a whole army of heliopaths on standby to
prevent this. So if you're thinking of taking over the Ministry, keep that
in mind! I've also heard that all our mail is being read. You have no idea
what I had to do to keep that letter a secret.
Luckily, I remembered in time that I could use the restricted section of
the school library to copy a book and give it to you. I didn't steal it! At
first I thought about free access books, and even asked Madam Pince for
advice, but as soon as I mentioned that I should be wary of dickheads,
she was gone. So here you go, you're welcome to use it. I hope you find
this knowledge useful, because everyone needs to protect themselves
from brainiacs sometimes.
If you'd like to hear more school news from a freelance correspondent for
The Prick, I spend every Sunday in Hogsmeade. Let me know if you
wouldn't mind seeing me. Your letter will probably be intercepted,
though, so it's best not to answer anything. Just know that every Sunday
from twelve to six.
Thanks again for the gift.
Your friend, Luna.
Luna is an absolutely amazing girl. Firstly, she's very perceptive, even if
nobody notices it, and secondly, with one letter, which doesn't really say
anything important, she was able to dispel my sadness and put me in a
good mood. It's great to have a friend who doesn't ask anything in return.
Deciding that I wouldn't mind seeing her and getting to know more about
Hogwarts affairs, I found out that Sunday was tomorrow. Well, if I
decided to take a chance and show up in Hogsmeade, I should accept the
invitation from Gringotts. After all, my financial well-being directly
depends on goblins, and if my paranoia ruins good relations with magical
financiers, I'll regret it many times in the future. What I would also regret
if it was a trap, I decided not to think about.
Having made an important decision, I calmed down a bit. I would worry
about it tomorrow, and today could be devoted to rest and preliminary
preparations. Dobby would bring my cloak of invisibility and the
flywheel I'd pocketed at the Ministry. I might be able to use it, but I don't
know exactly how to use it or what it can do. I remember that you can
only be transported for a few hours, and that you can't cross with
yourself, but it didn't come with any more detailed instructions.
Since I'm going to Gringotts tomorrow, I'll also need to visit a number of
shops, and pick up some useful items, including a broom and a couple of
potions. Yes, tomorrow would be a busy day, and I wanted everything to
go as planned, without any unpleasant surprises.
I was about to go downstairs to make dinner, something to keep me busy
while I waited for news from the housekeeper, but I was distracted by the
sound of the front door opening. As I froze on the stairs, I thought at first
it was the Dursleys, but the man who came inside was clearly alone. I
was clutching my wand in my hands, wondering who it could be, when I
was hit by a wave of compressed air that travelled through me and out
the back of my head. I had encountered this spell only yesterday and had
not forgotten that someone had used Gomenum Revelio in this way. I
mean, there's a wizard down there who didn't come here to play console
games with Dudley. As I contemplated whether I should confront him or
retreat quietly, a voice from the hallway gave me no choice:
- It took me fifteen minutes to find you, Potter. This is the second place
I've checked. And here I was hoping you'd wised up a little. Enough
hiding, come downstairs.
Unable to believe my ears, I nevertheless took my time coming out of my
improvised hiding place.
- Snape?! What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be training the little
snakes at school right now? - I thought I heard a gloating chuckle.
- The boy. Still as cheeky and stupid as ever. I don't know who to share
my find with. You ran away from Dumbledore and you ran away from
the Dark Lord. Again. Amazing luck for someone as mediocre as you.
- Get out, Snape," I said through gritted teeth. - Your ugly face is the last
thing I want to see.
- Accio, Potter. - Snape hissed, who clearly didn't like what I said. Before
I could react, I felt my body being literally yanked into the air, and then
swiftly carried down the stairs and into the hallway. As I fell in front of
my former professor, I pointed my wand at him, but he knocked it out of
my hands with a kick, then swaddled me in ropes and levitated me to the
living room couch.
- Still as pathetic as ever, Potter," he said, sitting down across from me. I
waited for his next move, knowing that I was in no position to win, but at
the same time trying to loosen the restraints imperceptibly. - What do
they see in you? One tries to kill you, the other kidnaps you and keeps
you somewhere without telling anyone what it was for. They can't help
but see that it's foolish to waste time on a narcissistic young man.
Snape was dragging out his words in his usual manner, scrutinising my
face. He felt his complete superiority and was probably mentally
calculating which of his masters could best reward him.
- Aren't you supposed to protect me? - I asked, trying to remember what I
knew about the hereditary debts of life.
- Do you know? - He was surprised, but quickly pulled himself together. -
I've noticed, though, that you know a lot of things you shouldn't know. In
any case, my duty was done. You may not remember this, but when you
were lying on the ground after the third trial in an inadequate state,
mumbling something about resurrecting the Dark Lord, Barty Crouch
Junior, who was hiding under the guise of Moody, pulled you aside and
decided to finish what Master had started by using Avada on you. I saved
you, ungrateful boy, by blocking your body with a stone at the last
moment and saving myself from that noose around your neck. Barty
wasn't so lucky, though.
- Saved himself from the noose? - I had absolutely no recollection of what
had happened in the first few minutes after I'd tumbled out with Cedric's
body onto the platform in front of the maze. Though some questions from
Moody and a flash of green and flicker at the edge of my consciousness.
It seems the potionist did save me then, but he was only doing it for
himself, so my attitude towards him hasn't improved one bit. - You've got
so many of those loops, you won't get rid of them for the rest of your life.
A very short one, I must admit, given the impulsiveness of one of your
masters.
- Maybe you're right," Snape shrugged lightly, then smiled unpleasantly. -
Was right before, Potter. But now that I have you, I'll be able to improve
my position considerably.
- What's become of you, Snape? Where had that impenetrable bastard
gone, the one with the most intense emotions expressed only by a raised
eyebrow? - I really couldn't understand what was wrong with the man I'd
genuinely hated since I'd first arrived at Hogwarts. - You're acting like a
cheap villain, and you're not thinking straight at all. You call me stupid,
but you honestly believe that Riddle will pat your head and let you go?
- Maybe he will, Potter, maybe he will. - He let all my jokes pass, not
intending to answer any questions. - I feel like the end is near, Potter,
and whoever wins, I'll be in good standing. That's all that matters. And I
don't care what some brat with nothing in his life but an inflated ego
thinks about me. - He answered me kindly, believing that he had
explained his position sufficiently.
- What if I win, Snape? Do you think you'd be in good standing then, too?
- He only twisted his face into a semblance of a smile in response.
- Forget what I said about your inflated ego. Your ego would have to be
the size of Hogwarts to make a statement like that. Are you going to win?
Nobody's at war with you, Potter, you're just a snotty little brat who
thinks he's the centre of the universe. How can you win? In a few minutes
you'll be finished, and this time for good. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to
show you killing Dumbledore like you asked. - It seems he's made up his
mind exactly who to give me to. Only one of his masters wouldn't be so
petty. - But before that, I want to know where you got all that extra
knowledge from.
I tensed inwardly, realising that someone was going to poke around in
my head again. I remembered perfectly well how such an attempt had
ended recently. But Snape, sitting with his back to the living room exit,
didn't see what I saw. What I saw was Dobby, who had returned in time
and was now hiding in the hallway with my wand in his hands, not
knowing what to do next. I tried to point as inconspicuously as I could at
the ropes entangling my body, and I think he understood me.
Snape pointed his wand at me, and I recognised again the familiar
movements followed by the rough penetration of my mind.
- Legi...
- Dobby, come on! - I shouted, trying to get ahead of the Potions Master.
- No, no, no, no more houseboys! - Snape interrupted the spell and turned
around sharply, throwing a powerful shield in front of him. - Do you
think I've forgotten you have a stupid elf? He's the reason I figured it all
out last night.
But the potionist, who thought he'd calculated everything, hadn't taken
into account one thing - Dobby wasn't aiming at him. As a result, the pale
yellow beam that flew out of the houseboy's hands flew past Snape's
shield and hit me, removing the ropes and giving me mobility. Abruptly
rolling off the couch, I ducked under the table, dodging Snape's paralyser
at the last moment. "How fast he is," I thought. My former potions
professor was practically standing still, managing to block Dobby's spells
while still attacking me. The powerful tabletop under which I was
crawling towards the houseboy was saving my back for now, but that
could only last until Snape started using something more serious.
Realising that we wouldn't last a minute at this rate, I shouted loudly:
- Dobby, do the knife trick! - The houseboy made a sharp pass with his
hands and almost a dozen knives lying in the Dursleys' kitchen flew into
the air, circling around the Potions Master.
Snape, however, was not considered one of the most dangerous fighters
in all of Britain for nothing. With precise, broad sweeps of his wand, he
managed to deflect all the knives aimed in his direction. The Slytherin
Dean's swift movements and focussed gaze showed that he was not about
to give up the luck that was already in his hands. Dodging another
cleaver that flew past, he threw his left arm out towards Dobby and
performed a repelling spell without using his wand. The houseboy was
thrown back into the wall, along which he rolled slowly to the floor,
unconscious. Without pausing for a moment, Snape turned towards the
table I was under and threw a powerful bombardment from his wand,
shattering the wood into splinters and finally turning the exemplary-
looking kitchen into a war zone.
Fortunately, when he was distracted by the knives, I kept creeping
forward, and even though the table wasn't large, I was about a metre and
a half away from where the explosive curse had hit. When I saw that
Dobby wasn't showing any signs of life, I jumped forwards towards the
kitchen exit, finding myself next to the body of the houseboy and
grabbing my wand, which was lying next to him.
- No, Snape! - I shouted loudly, hiding behind the wall. - You're not
taking any more of my loved ones! - Leaning out from around the corner,
I pointed my wand at him, -Expelliarmus!
The potionist dismissively brushed off my disarming and immediately
attacked back, causing me to have to hide behind the wall again. He
didn't even break a sweat, and looked at me with the same disdain.
- Look, Potter, now even the houseboys are suffering because of you. I
wish you'd stayed dead, it would have been much better for everyone.
What are you talking about? I'm not going to kill that houseboy, I don't
need him. So who did I take from you, Potter? Come out and tell me. You
think you can hide in there much longer?
- You can keep pretending you don't know what this is about, but we
both know who caused the deaths of my father and my mother!
Sectumsempra! - I used that spell again, wanting to cause the person in
front of me real pain.
I don't know what shocked him more: that I knew his own spell or that I
knew about how he had betrayed his love, but hesitating, Snape raised
his shield a moment later than necessary. Most other wizards in his
position at such close range wouldn't have had a chance to defend
themselves, but he almost made it in time. The shield didn't stop only the
top two blades from digging into the potionist somewhere near his
collarbone. The power of the spell was so great that even that was
enough to leave deep wounds on Snape's body and throw him to the
rubble left by the table.
I waited in my improvised hiding place for a few moments, waiting for a
response, but when nothing happened, I carefully peeked into the room,
seeing that he was still lying on his back.
As I got close to him, I could see the fear and confusion in his eyes.
Apparently the wounds were more serious than I first thought. Part of me
gloated that the unloved professor had suffered from his own invention.
His trembling hands tried to point the wand at himself and heal his
wounds, but his fingers wouldn't listen, and no spell would work. He
looked at me in surprise and tried to say something, but I didn't listen,
pointing my wand at his chest.
- You've said enough here, Snape. I'm not going to listen to any more of
your revelations. - I was furious. All those years of him subjecting me to
endless humiliation was literally pushing me over the edge, compelling
me to finish this man off once and for all. I really wanted to do it,
something dark and grim rising in my chest. But as soon as I hesitated for
a second, searching for the most appropriate spell, it was gone. I realised
clearly that I wasn't a killer. I will not decide if a man is worthy of life. I
would kill Riddle or Dumbledore without regret if given the opportunity,
but I will not kill Snape.
- I won't kill you," I said, staring at the body lying in front of me. For the
first time in my memory, Snape looked truly pitiful. Live. Live and
remember how you lost everything that was good in your life. Remember
that Lily died because of you, and all you could do as revenge was kiss
the mantle of her murderer. - I raised my wand again and threw the
paralyser at him before conjuring the simplest of healing charms, closing
his wounds and preventing him from dying from blood loss. I realised
that it had been about twenty minutes since Snape had appeared in this
house and cast his first spell, but the aurors still hadn't shown up. Had all
my assumptions about witchcraft in non-wizarding territories been
wrong? Or had Snape taken care of it in advance, casting some sort of
concealment spell? It didn't matter now; I had to get out of here.
I looked around me and was surprised to see that, apart from a couple of
scratches from the table that had been smashed to pieces, I wasn't injured
at all. I felt pretty good, and I wasn't even tired. With Dobby's invaluable
help, I had managed to defeat one of the strongest mages in the world,
not only to escape another captivity, but also to protect my mind from
new interference.
Going upstairs, I found all the items Dobby had brought, reduced them
and put them in my pocket, then used Enervite on the housekeeper
himself, making sure he was alright. The elf took turns apologising and
thanking me, but I only thanked him in return, patting him on the
shoulder.
Looking around, we went out the back door, and I threw on my
invisibility cloak, asking Dobby to become invisible, which he promptly
did. The noise made by our confrontation with Snape drew the attention
of all the neighbours, who looked out of their windows and worriedly
into the street. And if ordinary neighbours would call the police, then Old
Lady Figg must have guessed what kind of flashes she was seeing in the
window. Which means, either way, the wizards will be here soon. I don't
know who will be able to get there first, but Snape will be patched up for
sure.
I realised that my words were meaningless to him. He'd be even angrier
now, and the next time we met he'd try to kill me even more actively, but
the main thing was that I'd managed to keep my anger in check and not
get on a road that would be almost impossible to turn back from.
Adjusting my robe more comfortably, I made my way out of the grounds
and slowly made my way towards the park, walking away from the next
house that couldn't be my refuge for more than a day.
Chapter 32: Just like me
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For a while I was just walking down the street, not really thinking about
where exactly I was going. I could feel Dobby walking beside me and
kept wanting to say something. Remembering exactly what I had given
him to do before I met Snape, I decided he wanted to talk about it.
- What is it, Dobby, tell me. Quietly, don't forget no-one can see us.
- 'Ho... sir,' he almost managed, 'why did Professor Snape sir try to kill
you? Dobby thought Professor Snape sir was nice, Dobby had seen him a
lot at Malfoy Manor before, and Professor Snape sir had always been nice
to Dobby.
- He didn't want to kill me, Dobby. He wanted to kidnap me and hand me
over to the Dark Lord. You know Snape serves him. It's the Lord who
wants to kill me. By the way, what about the housekeepers at the manor,
are they all right?
- 'Yes, sir,' Dobby did not pursue the subject of the good Professor Snape
sir. - The Malfoy House Elves are fine. They haven't been abused again.
Mitty was able to hide Dinky and cured him. Mitty said he would try to
listen to what the Eaters would talk about, but couldn't promise that.
- That's good. Thank you, Dobby. - It was worth noting that the elf had
become more restrained, and he didn't start saying that he wasn't worthy
and that everyone was too nice to him. Maybe he wanted to say
something like that, but I didn't give him the chance. - You know, Dobby,
why don't you go to Fleur's, you've had enough of running from house to
house with me. Get some rest, you've done a good job. And if I need any
help, I'll call you straight away. Deal?
The elf really should have rested. Seeing that he hesitated, I decided to
make one thing clear:
- And don't worry about Fleur. Just tell her I've forbidden you to say
anything. And tell her I miss her terribly.
I don't think my messages are making things any better. I mean, I love
you, honey, but I'm not gonna say anything. After reassuring myself that I
was only fifteen and could be weird in relationships sometimes, I hoped
Fleur wouldn't get any angrier. I would love to have her around, but how
can I do that when every day someone makes an attempt on my life and I
have to find a new place to sleep.
After persuading Dobby to rest, I moved far enough away from the house
so as not to attract too much attention and apparated to London, not far
from The Leaky Cauldron. Just before I jumped, I heard the clapping of
incoming wizards in the distance. I guess I was right about magic in a
non-wizarding neighbourhood after all, I just hadn't taken into account
the slowness of the local law enforcement.
I was so sick of not being able to hide anywhere that I thought for a
second I'd just walk into this bar and get a room, but common sense won
out. So I walked around the Cauldron on the other side of the street,
walked a couple more blocks, and finally found an unremarkable
ordinary hotel, where I immediately rented a room for three days.
Ambitious, but maybe at least here I could avoid being found.
After ordering dinner for the room, I checked all my things once more
and realised that I couldn't avoid Gringotts. The wallet I'd taken on my
first visit to the bank after escaping Azkaban refused to convert Galleons
into pounds. No matter how hard I tried, nothing would happen to it.
There were a fair number of gold coins in it, but if I took them out, no
new ones appeared in their place, as if this peculiar artefact had lost all
its magical properties and was just an inconvenient money bag.
I put off this question until tomorrow, thought over the plan of action
once more, and went to bed.
***
In the morning I woke up much later than usual. I was woken up by the
maid who was going to clean the room. After assuring her that it wasn't
necessary, I ate breakfast and started to get ready for my scheduled
appointments. Putting all my things in my jacket pockets, I decided not
to leave anything at the hotel, because I had no idea where I would end
up in the evening. After I got dressed and put on my invisibility cloak, I
took the portal provided by the goblins in my left hand and waited. I
clutched my wand tightly in my right hand, ready to use it if necessary.
The portal went off at exactly noon, pulling me out of the non-magical
part of London and throwing me straight into one of Gringotts' offices. As
soon as I felt the hard surface beneath my feet, I let the Knut out of my
hands, trying to pretend that the portal had worked on its own and hadn't
brought anyone with it.
- Your stealth is not necessary, Lord Potter, we are alone here. - Only now
did I notice the old goblin sitting at the head of the long desk. This office
was noticeably larger than Veselur's, and much more richly decorated.
The massive desk in the centre of the room seemed to be carved out of a
single piece of marble, flanked by several armchairs that appeared to be
seating guests. The walls were lined with weapons ranging from small
dirks, to huge halberds the size of Hagrid's. Everything about the place
suggested that the goblin sitting in front of me held a high position in the
local hierarchy - he was clearly not a cart driver.
Realising that there was no one else here but us, I threw off my robe and
said hello.
- Hello. You are, I take it, the manager who sent me the invitation. I
apologise for my secrecy, but there was an incident during my last visit
to the bank that I would like to avoid in the future.
- I understand, Lord Potter, there is no need to apologise. I am indeed the
manager of Gringotts Bank. You may call me Director if you prefer. I had
a name once, but I've been in this position for over a hundred years, so
I've forgotten it.
Looking at the goblin with interest, I realised that he was almost the most
important representative of their race, at least in Britain. I have been
given a serious honour, but how did I earn it?
- I suggest we get straight to the point," the manager said. I would not
call him Director, a word I have only negative memories of. He waited
until I sat down in the chair nearest to him and continued: - "As you
understand, I am far from often meeting with wizards, and usually it
happens only on serious matters. This case was no exception. The fact is
that Gringotts Bank needs to notify you personally about the temporary
freezing of your account and the change of attorney.
I was stunned. What had happened? Had one of my enemies convinced
the goblins to deny me financial security?
- I'm afraid I don't understand. What is the reason for such a decision of
the bank? And where is Veselur? I have an excellent solicitor, and I have
no complaints against him. It seems there's been a mistake.
- I understand your concern, Lord Potter, and I can assure you that it is
standard procedure when a solicitor can no longer fulfil his duties. As
soon as a new trustee for your account is identified, the freeze will be
lifted immediately.
- What about Veselur? - I repeated my question, inwardly tense.
- Unfortunately, Veselur has been found guilty of financial fraud, and he
has been suspended immediately. His fate should not concern you at all.
- What kind of fraud? I'm not sure what my solicitor was accused of. And
what does freezing have to do with it? I think such procedures take place
quite often, are accounts blocked every time and wizards have no access
to their own money? - Now I understood why my wallet didn't work
yesterday.
- Okay, - the manager sighed, - I'll try to explain in more detail. The thing
is that the day before yesterday your former attorney transferred more
than two hundred thousand Galleons to another wizard's account. Did
you agree to this?
- No," I said, confused. Had Veselur robbed me?
- I didn't doubt it, for he had no proof of your consent. Fortunately, the
attorney of the wizard whose account the funds came to, did not hide this
information, and turned to me. We care about our clients, Lord Potter,
and we tried to thoroughly investigate the situation. As a result, we
found out that the transfer was illegal. Veselur was immediately
suspended and taken into custody.
- I am grateful to you, manager, for your prompt action," he nodded, "but
could you tell us to whose account the funds were transferred? And for
what purpose, for as far as I can tell, Veselur does not profit from it.
- You are mistaken. Firstly, a goblin is entitled to a considerable
commission from the transfer, and from a transfer of this size the
commission can be equal to a year's salary. And secondly, he could also
have forged the paperwork by making a mistake on purpose. The
proceedings are ongoing. As for your question, it was the account of
Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. We have concluded that it is
due to the fact that Albus Dumbledore attacked you in the office of this
very Veselur very recently. Do you have any guesses?
- 'Yes, I do have one suggestion,' everything fell into place. - It's a setup. If
you remember, it was Veselur who discovered that Dumbledore's solicitor
was illegally using the bank's records for his own purposes. So Bromstein
took his revenge. He first glamoured the cart when my solicitor and I
nearly crashed that very day, and now apparently he's come up with
something more elaborate. Obviously, my solicitor is not to blame for
anything.
- I'm afraid it's not that simple, Lord Potter. I understand what you're
saying, but we have no way of finding out the truth through potions or
mind-penetration like wizards do, because your methods don't work on
us. Veselur said almost exactly what you said, so we checked and made
sure that Bromstein spent the whole day behind the cash register in the
main hall, and he had no way to perform such a complex manipulation.
- So he had accomplices! - I was amazed at how easily goblins could get
rid of an employee. - Why don't you interrogate Dumbledore? Ask him
why my solicitor is transferring money to him.
- There are regular transfers to Albus Dumbledore's account, no surprise
there. Many wizards seek to help Hogwarts through him or support his
secret organisation, which is a secret to almost no one. That's why
Veselur chose this account, because no one would pay attention to a
transfer from Harry Potter to the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Many people,
including goblins, know that you used to be bound together by a very
good relationship. Even though this sum is much larger than other such
transfers, if it weren't for Bromstein, we would never have known the
truth. I have no choice but to thank him for his vigilance. There's no way
to prove that this is some kind of conspiracy.
- But," I said with a frustrated expression, "would you really believe that
liar Bromstein, who tried to kill me? And give up a good employee? -
Seeing that my words didn't hurt him in any way, I continued quietly: -
What will happen to Veselur now?
- There will be a trial soon, after which he will most likely be executed.
He broke one of Gringotts's cardinal rules. It's hard to imagine a more
serious offence. When the sentence is carried out, we can begin the
search for a new solicitor for your account. We have several candidates,
but after the events that have transpired, I feel it is my duty to conduct a
more thorough vetting. As for the amount of money that was transferred,
you will need to write a petition to get it back. Given that I am
personally aware of the situation, the money will be returned to your
vault as soon as possible.
I pretty much didn't listen to what he was saying, thinking about Veselur.
In fact, this was all my fault, because if I hadn't fallen for Dumbledore or
dragged him into Veselur's office, things might have gone a lot
differently. Suddenly a rather absurd thought occurred to me, and after
thinking for a while about how immoral it was, I decided to voice it:
- Tell me, manager, what if this money, this two hundred thousand
Galleons, which, in fact, represents a fortune, I will not return to my
account, but will make it my gift to the bank, for their prompt action and
defence of my interests? - After watching the goblin become animated, I
continued: - and the bank, as a return favour, will give me my former
attorney to deal with him myself?
- Are you trying to buy the goblin? - Seeing that he was starting to get
angry, I hurried to develop my thought.
- No, I just want to personally deal with the person who wanted to
deprive me of my financial well-being. You understand, don't you?
Besides, just by executing him, you won't get any profit, but by giving
him to me, you'll get rid of the one who broke the laws of this place, but
you'll also find yourself in a serious plus. And I'll choose which
punishment to use. - I hope I've hinted enough that I want to personally
execute Veselur. He looked at me with a hard stare after a while, and I
thought I'd be sent to the next cell for suggesting such a thing, but in the
end, money prevailed.
- An hour later in the lobby. - He rose with that short phrase, clearly
signalling that the audience was over. Nodding, I hurried out of the office
before he changed his mind.
One of the goblins standing in the corridor escorted me to the exit. On
my way out, I put my robe back on, and decided to go shopping in it. I'd
rather the shopkeepers think I was strange than have someone spot me in
the crowd again.
Although, what crowd am I talking about? Leaving the bank, and trying
not to think about what had happened, I looked round the alley. It looked
even more bleak, if that was even possible. In the absence of
schoolchildren, whose holidays were over, there was hardly anyone here.
At first glance, I could count no more than twenty wizards walking
briskly towards a particular shop without looking around.
Feeling more confident in my invisibility cloak, I followed the route I had
planned, but soon I realised that I wouldn't be able to make the purchases
I had planned. For example, I wanted to buy myself a new Lightning Bolt,
but it cost three times as much as what I had in my wallet. Just a little
while ago I was thinking that I had too much money, and now I have to
save money. There was no telling when the goblins would be able to find
me a new attorney.
As a result, I decided to limit myself to a visit to the potions shop. Even
though it was my least favourite subject at Hogwarts, I could still assess
the degree of usefulness of this or that potion. Moreover, many potions
were truly indispensable, and I would have gladly bought up half the
shop, but now I had to limit myself to just a few flasks, on which I spent
almost all of my available funds. The vendor was not at all surprised
when first a voice came out of nowhere and then coins appeared on the
counter. He silently stacked everything I needed and watched me closely
to make sure I didn't steal anything on my way out.
As I scattered the potions into my pockets, I realised that I was becoming
more and more like a walking suitcase. Once again I thought about the
necessity of having a house of my own, and for a while I looked around
at the windows of the neighbouring shops, most of which were closed.
People didn't know what to expect, because at first it had been clear that
the Dark Lord had returned, but now the authorities said it wasn't
certain. The mages did not take any chances and waited for some clearer
information to understand what to expect in the future, but no specifics
appeared, and the magical world slowly fell into disrepair.
When I returned to the hall, I saw a small group of goblins in the far
corner of the hall, with Veselur standing among them. He didn't look
good, but it was obvious that he hadn't been bullied or tortured. He just
looked like someone who had been slandered, dishonourably dismissed,
and was about to be executed. As I came close to them, without removing
my robe, I said quietly:
- I am here.
The steward nodded and pointed to my former solicitor.
- Here, he's all yours, Lord Potter. Do as you see fit. We will notify you
when the accounts are available again. - With that, he turned around
and, along with the other goblins, walked away, leaving us alone.
- Harry? - Veselur whispered, trying not to attract attention.
- Harry-Harry," I replied, watching all the guards watching our actions. -
Come on, wizard, you need to rest.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I pictured the alleyway next to the inn
exactly as I had imagined it and immediately apparated away.
Once I was outside and made sure no one had seen the goblin suddenly
appear out of thin air, I threw off my invisibility cloak and put it on him.
If in the wizarding world Harry Potter is more surprising to passers-by
than a goblin, it's just the opposite here.
When I got Veselur to my room, I closed the door and relaxed a little.
Well, this is by far the most expensive goblin in history. Still, I didn't feel
any pity for the money spent.
- Harry, why did you do that? - He looked around warily, as if he thought
I was really going to deal with him without witnesses.
- What do you mean? So you wouldn't get executed, obviously. - I leaned
back relaxed on the couch, giving him full leeway.
- You don't think I was trying to rob you?
- Of course not, Veselur. I realise that this was Bromstein's doing, and he
was able to set you up very cleverly. Your kin are good at taking care of
their customers, but they'd do well to take care of the tribesmen they're
too quick to condemn to death.
- Well, I haven't been sentenced yet," he calmed down when I realised I
didn't think he was a liar, "but it was coming, you're right. But how did
you do it? I just don't know what to say. You saved my life for the second
time! Harry, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you. And I have no
idea what you offered the manager to get me out.
- It was nothing, don't worry. - I decided not to tell him how much his life
cost me, so as not to upset him any further. - The important thing is that
it's over. I'm going to order some food, and then you need to sleep. From
the look on your face, you haven't done that in a while. - He suddenly
laughed.
- I'm sorry, I just remembered meeting you less than a month ago. I
thought you were mentally ill then. 'I'd like to hire a solicitor and meet
him.' - He tried to sparody my voice and laughed again. - 'And who knew
then that you would be a real saviour to me.
- This is my fault, Veselur, so don't think you owe me anything. After all,
if I hadn't turned up, Bromstein would never have set you up.
- I'm afraid I'll never be able to stop thinking about the fact that you
saved my life, Harry. After the trolley incident, I was plotting my revenge
on Bromstein, but somehow he found out about it and managed to beat
me to it... Wait, where are we anyway? - He only seemed to be paying
attention to his surroundings now.
- We're in a hotel in a non-magical part of London. I don't think anyone
will find us here, so we can rest easy.
- What happened to your flat? Did someone find it? We put so many
charms on it, it shouldn't have happened.
- Honestly, I don't know if it was discovered or not," I shrugged, "It's just
that the goblins know about it, and I didn't want to risk showing up there
while a half-blood maniac was looking for me.
- It's stupid, Harry. - Veselur shook his head. - 'Please don't judge my
nation by Bromstein alone. As you may have noticed, we take our
interactions with wizards very responsibly, and our punishments are
extremely serious. Even more so, I have only been helped to impose
protection by goblins with whom I have been on friendly terms for many
years. None of them would reveal your secret. Besides, no one knows
they were involved at all.
I felt awkward. I think I'm actually getting paranoid.
- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, but I'm being found literally
everywhere these days. This is the third place I've slept in the last three
days. I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
- I understand, Harry, it's okay. Just know that you can feel safe there. -
That was great news. Looks like I'd written off my cosy flat early and it
was worth going back there.
After asking Veselur about his taste preferences, I ordered dinner for the
room and made sure the goblin was comfortable. After waiting for him to
eat, I placed him on the couch and decided I had time for one more
meeting I wanted to make today.
- Harry, what should I do next? - Veselur asked, seeing that I was going
somewhere.
- For starters, get some sleep. If you're talking about the longer term, I
don't know yet. When I get back, we'll discuss the options available, see if
we can come up with something suitable. - I didn't see it as a big
problem. I think a creature with an excellent grasp of economics and
accounting can always find a suitable job.
- That's good. I'll think about it," he replied, yawning.
After wishing him a good night's sleep, I made sure the door was closed
and the sign was on the handle outside. The last thing I needed was for
the maid to come across a goblin in my room.
As I walked downstairs, I thought about the fact that everything had gone
rather well. I had saved the goblin from death, no matter how much it
took. Besides, his story was remarkably similar to my own: unjust
accusation and instant judgement - sounds extremely familiar.
Fortunately, I was able to break the sequence, and Veselur didn't have to
hear his own people sentencing him to death.
Stepping out into the same alleyway, I habitually looked around, adjusted
my newly donned robe, and apparated.
Chapter 33: Dream Team
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It wasn't until I was in Hogsmeade that I realised how much of a risk I
was taking. Not only did I not know where exactly to look for Luna, but I
had completely overlooked the number of students around me. My eyes
were blurry with familiar faces, and my anger was slowly rising inside of
me-all these kids had judged me, none of them had spoken up for me.
However, Luna hadn't tried to defend me either, but I still considered her
my friend.
If Slanting Alley was having a bad time, the shopkeepers in Hogsmeade
seemed to be making a month's worth of sales every Sunday. Students
from all four faculties were out of the castle in a wave, sweeping
everything they could get their hands on off the shelves. And I had
apparently got here at rush hour, when even the biggest sleepers had
reached the village.
Looking around, I realised that the biggest pandemonium was usually
near the Three Broomsticks bar and the Sweet Kingdom shop. However,
despite the apparent freedom, many students were clearly feeling out of
place: some were constantly looking around for someone in the crowd,
while others were only looking at their feet, trying to attract as little
attention as possible. It didn't take a detective to realise that Umbridge
was largely to blame for the situation. Seeing how at ease the Slytherins
were with themselves only reinforced that opinion.
My absence hadn't changed the Ministry's policy; they were still trying to
defeat Dumbledore in a non-existent fight, and Umbridge was clearly
acting on a principle I knew well: the less freedom students had, the
more compliant they were. I think she'll regret what she's done, just like
the story I know, but this time I won't be the person to leave her in the
forest alone with the centaurs and the giant. Probably not.
- Ron, come quick, I see an empty table!
When I heard the familiar voice, I froze, listening to how I felt. Ginny,
Hermione and Ron were approaching the bar and were about to go
inside, laughing at some joke. To my surprise I realised that the sight of
my former friends didn't evoke any emotion from me. To me they were
just unpleasant, unfamiliar people, like most of the people around me. It
was a little strange to watch the laughing redheads. They seemed to be
grieving for their father nowhere near as much as Granger tried to
convince me.
Moving to follow them, I found myself once again in the Three
Broomsticks under my robes, just as I had almost exactly two years ago.
But this time I quickly realised that my venture was completely pointless.
Granger was habitually talking about lessons, and Weasley about
Quidditch. I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought they might
know something about Dumbledore's plans or, at the very least, would sit
there and repent for betraying me, but nothing like that predictably
happened.
I'd figured it out with them at the beginning of fourth year, when I
realised that they were friends with me out of choice, so I didn't feel the
same negativity towards them as I did towards Sirius, for example. But
the resentment didn't go away - blind kids, trying to seem important but
in reality just following a leash.
As I was about to leave, I heard something that made me linger:
- Do you think Harry is really dating that Delacourt girl? - Ginny asked. -
I heard Sirius talking about it at the meeting.
- I don't think so," Granger said authoritatively. - He's probably just
hiding in their house. I just don't understand why they're letting him do
it. Don't they realise he's a dark wizard who needs to be arrested as soon
as possible?
- I think they're really together. That French whore must have bewitched
him and now she's playing him for all he's worth. - Ginny intervened
again. - What do you think, Ron?
- He's a murderer," my former best friend said through gritted teeth. His
face was habitually red. - Why did he get a girl like that? She should be
with someone who deserves it, not a loser!
- Ron!" Hermione shrieked angrily. - And who do you think she should be
with, you?
- Or maybe with me," he smiled dreamily, completely oblivious to the
fact that he had offended his friend. - But certainly not with him. He
killed Cedric, escaped from Azkaban, and cursed Sirius! Don't you
remember, Hermione?
- Actually, he didn't kill Cedric, we read that paper," Ginny replied. - And
he was convicted on a false charge.
- Oh, come on," Ron waved his hand. - Do you still believe Skitter? Surely
those memories were fake.
- No, Ron. - Hermione, though offended, couldn't sit with her mouth
closed for long. - Amelia Bones herself had confirmed that the memories
were real. He'd been cleared of all charges, after all, and had even been
invited to appear before the Ministry to receive compensation.
Really? I didn't see anything about compensation. I wish I could come for
it, I could use the money right now.
- But he didn't, or we would have heard about it," Ron said. - Of course,
rich Harry Potter wouldn't want any crumbs. He'd rather keep hiding like
a coward while people are dying here. While my father dies here! - The
redhead made no effort to keep his voice down, and the people at the
neighbouring tables began to look at him in bewilderment. The level of
inadequacy was steadily rising. Now I seem to be to blame for that, too.
My sister took his hand in hers.
- He was my father too, Ron, don't think you're the only one who feels
bad. And I'm just as angry at Harry, who could have chosen someone
much better instead of that brainless bitch. - Who's talking about what,
but the redhead's talking about my relationship. This was the second time
she'd insulted Fleur, and I wasn't going to let it go unchallenged.
Realising that I couldn't listen to any more of this nonsense, I carefully
walked over to the table where several Slytherin seniors were sitting,
then pulled the edge of my wand out from under my robes and pointed it
at the Weasleys. To their regret and my slight satisfaction, of all the spells
with colourless beams that could be useful in a situation like this, I only
remembered a rather unpleasant curse that completely stripped a person
of their powers, rendering them completely helpless.
I couldn't aim properly in the position I was in, so the curse hit Ron
instead of Ginny, who immediately collapsed face-first into the table as if
the air had been sucked out of him.
- Ron!" Hermione shrieked loudly, shoving the redhead in the shoulder,
but he didn't react, slowly slumping under the table.
- It's them! - Ginny jabbed her finger accusingly at the Slytherins, who
were watching the developments with interest.
- Even so, what are you going to do? - One of them asked defiantly. I
think it's Montague, but I can't say for sure.
The youngest of the Weasleys had to hand it to her - she didn't give the
youngest Weasley any credit, and immediately threw a Stupefy at the
speaker, which he managed to dodge. The Slytherins, as if on cue,
jumped up from the table and armed themselves with wands, pointing
them at the two Gryffindors and the one torso that was already
completely under the table.
Well, this is bound to be interesting, but I have to get going. In the event
of an open confrontation, there's a risk of me getting caught in an
accidental spell, and I can't have that.
As I made my way to the exit, I passed Rosmerta, who was hurrying to
settle the argument, and was about to go outside when I saw a small
group of girls sitting in the corner, including the one I was looking for.
Luna looked in my direction and smiled. Fortunately, her reputation
allowed her to smile into the void without attracting any attention. At
first I thought the robe was off and I could be seen, but then I realised
she was wearing some strange glasses that allowed her to see those who
didn't want her to. She rose from her seat, said something to her friends
and, I was surprised to note, to Neville, who was nestled among them,
and then left the bar, holding the door for me discreetly.
We walked in silence for a while, looking for somewhere less crowded,
until we were on the outskirts of the village. I tried to walk so that there
were no footprints in the snow, so I lagged a little behind, and came up
when Luna was already sitting on a bench, chatting happily with her feet.
Sitting down next to her I decided to ask the first thing that came to
mind:
- Hi Luna. You and Neville?
- Hi, Harry. You and Fleur? - She parried promptly.
- One-to-one. - I grinned. Leaning back on the back of the bench. - How
did you know?
- Your friends should be quieter. I think half the school already knows
you were seen together.
- They're not my friends, Luna.
- But you know exactly who I'm talking about. - She looked in my
direction and smiled. - How did you know?
- I just assumed. Saw him sitting with you.
- Neville's nice. He promised to help me look for a bunting this summer.
His grandmother has agreed to let him come and visit me.
- I'm happy for you," I said sincerely. I had almost no negativity towards
Longbottom. - Neville's a good guy. I hope you can find what you're
looking for.
- I hope you can find what you're looking for too, Harry. - I wasn't quite
sure what she was talking about, but decided not to elaborate. - Thanks
for coming. Alpina isn't back yet, and I was worried something had
happened to her.
- I had her yesterday, so your owl arrived just in time. I think she'll be
back by today.
- You were in France? Then she'll need a couple of days.
- No, I was just outside London. - Although I was enjoying the small talk,
I decided to add a bit of substance: How was school? I'm sorry, I lost
track of time a bit, so I don't even know how long ago the holidays
ended.
- I realise time with Veela can fly by. - Did Luna just tease me? That's
new. - Relax, Harry, it's a joke. I know you're going through a rough time.
I think you should get yourself a piece of jewellery like mine. - She
pointed to the strange necklace of beer corks hanging around her neck. -
It's a charm to ward off the Nargles. You could use this right now. Or you
can have mine.
- No, no," I was quick to interrupt her before she took the necklace off. -
You're going to need it too, Luna, and I'd rather make myself another
one.
- Well, look, I can help you if you need it. We've been at school for a
week now - we arrived just last Sunday. Hogwarts isn't what it used to
be, Harry. It used to be a peaceful place, but now it's crawling with
brainiacs and you never know what you're in for.
I decided to keep silent about the fact that the castle was never a
peaceful place for me and instead focused on her words. Luna continued:
- I think they're going to ban hiking in Hogsmeade soon too, so you made
it just in time. Professor Umbridge comes up with a new ban every week,
and they say terrible things about practising with her. For example, I
heard that someone from Gryffindor was tortured with a bloody quill
recently. Even heliopaths can't do that. It's frightening.
Luna spoke all in one tone, and I could only guess her emotions from the
words she sounded. But if even she's scared, then what about the other
students. It seemed that I was a deterrent to Umbridge, because she could
concentrate all her energies on me, but now she was harassing everyone,
indiscriminately, at the slightest suspicion.
- A blood feather? Aren't those artefacts forbidden? I think I should talk
to one of the teachers about it. - Maybe they'll do something about it this
time.
- We tried, Harry, but Professor Flitwick says he can't do anything
without proof, cos then he'd just get sacked. And what Professor
Dumbledore does, I don't know. Sometimes he doesn't seem to care at all
what happens to the students in his school. - Luna was genuinely upset or
frightened, all the lightness and dreaminess was gone from her words,
even the references to strange creatures were much less.
- You have detention soon? - I guessed.
- Wednesday, after class. Professor Umbridge asked me what the textbook
said in the last Defence lesson, and I couldn't answer because the Nargles
had made my textbook disappear. She didn't like that explanation. She
started shouting that the Nargles didn't exist and I was lying. - I
shuddered. I think I know what Luna's punishment will be. This can't be
allowed to happen.
- Don't be afraid, Luna. - I couldn't get out from under my robe, so I just
moved closer to her, snuggling up against her side and thus expressing
support. - She won't torture you, I'll think of something.
- Thank you, Harry, but I don't think there's anything you can do. She
feels at home at the school, and she's supported by the Ministry, and the
teachers don't seem to be hindering her. We can only hope that the curse
of the post is working, and this is the only year Professor Umbridge will
be our teacher.
- She still has time to do a lot of things before the end of the year. - I
shook my head and only then realised that Luna couldn't see me. - You
know, I saved a goblin today. I guess I just can't live without that stupid
nobility. So if I'm saving goblins, shouldn't I try to save a few hundred
children? Even though I don't have any positive feelings for them. It's just
weird that I'm the only one trying to do something about it.
- You saved a goblin? - Luna immediately perked up. - How did you do
that? You just have to do an interview with Pridira where you talk about
your involvement in DOLBOEG!
- Um... Where?
- DOLBOEG! - I think she was really surprised I didn't know the term. -
The Ancient Society of Goblin Unity Wrestling Fans. I'm a member of that
society, too. We like to fight to keep the goblins as one people. It's true
that no one has ever been able to save one of them before. Now you can
be our leader if you want to.
- It wasn't quite like that, Luna. Anyway, I'll think about it, thanks for the
offer. - This girl managed to dumbfound me again, and I tried to change
the subject. - By the way, as a correspondent for the Pridira, do you have
any inside information? It would be interesting to hear.
- Secret information... - she stretched out, thinking. - For example, there's
a rumour going around the school that a giant has appeared in the
Forbidden Forest. Would that work?
- A giant? - I'd forgotten all about Hagrid's brother he's hiding in the
forest. I think it's time we introduced them to Umbridge. - We should
meet him. I wonder how he feels about the colour pink.
- Do you want him to eat Umbridge? - She was horrified, and I decided
that Luna's psyche wasn't ready for my methods. - But he'd probably
choke, or get indigestion. That's too cruel for a giant, Harry. - We both
laughed, and I felt pleased that I had been able to help Luna relax a little.
- By the way," Luna continued, "there was no Professor Snape at breakfast
today. Nor at dinner last night. Maybe the giant ate him too?
- Snape broke into my house yesterday and we had a bit of a row. - I
decided not to keep this information from her, knowing she wouldn't tell
anyone anyway. Assuming, however, that Dumbledore suddenly starts
poking around in her head, though I have no idea under what
circumstances that might happen, he could just as easily get that
information from Snape.
- Did you kill the professor, Harry? - Luna looked through her robe
straight into my eyes, an unconcealed sadness in her gaze that made me
uncomfortable.
- No, Luna, I didn't kill him. He tried to kidnap me and give me to the
Dark Lord, I wounded him and escaped. I think he's either at Mungo's or
in the Hospital Wing. Or maybe I'm overestimating my powers and he's
perfectly fine, resting in the dungeons. Either way, the wizards arrived on
the scene as soon as I left. Although, there's always the possibility that
they all hated Snape terribly and finished what I started, but that's not
my concern anymore.
She relaxed a little, occasionally glancing at me from under the fringes
that fell over her eyes. We enjoyed a few minutes of cosy silence. I
realised that I wasn't learning anything new, but it was nice to see that at
least some things were still going the way I knew them. Besides, I felt
quite relaxed despite the fact that I had to hide. I just enjoyed spending
time like this, discussing rumours and gossip without rushing into the
fire.
- What are you thinking about, Harry? The amount of brainwashing
going on round your head is growing.
- I think I like just sitting on a bench like this and relaxing. Thank you,
Luna, for inviting me.
- I needed it too, Harry. All my classmates are just as scared as I am, so
sometimes you need to share with someone from the outside. Don't think
it's any easier for school kids than it is for you.
- Luna, there you are! - Neville emerged from the corner of the nearest
house and walked towards us. I tensed up, trying not to make any noise. -
Who are you talking to? I'd heard something about being a schoolboy not
being easy. - He looked around.
Luna jumped to her feet and came between us, making a strange pass
with her foot. It wasn't until a few moments later that I realised she'd
managed to brush my footprints off the snow with that movement, for
which I was bloody grateful.
- Hello, Neville. I was talking to my mate. There, look, it's Gurry Plitter,"
she pointed behind her back, where, of course, there was no one. I almost
laughed when I heard her friend's name. - He says it's hard for him now,
because of the snow he can't lick the stems of the plants he likes so much.
And I say it's not easy for schoolchildren either, because although we
can't appreciate the beauty of licking stems, it's always sad when you
can't lick something. Isn't it?
I couldn't see her face, but I was sure that not a single muscle on her face
had flinched during this impromptu tirade. I held on with all my might,
trying not to laugh out loud. I think I even grunted faintly. Luckily,
Neville was so impressed that he didn't pay any attention to it. Luna did,
though, turning in my direction and frowning amusedly before waving
her hand at someone behind me.
- Goodbye, Gurry Plitter. I wish you a quick lick on all the stalks. I hope
to see you again. - She waved once more before taking Neville under her
arm and leading him towards the castle.
- Yes, goodbye," he muttered, staring desperately into the void. - It's good
for you to lick that... well... lick that.
I laughed out loud, wiping away the tears as I waited for them to get far
enough away. Neville was a nice guy after all, even if he was a bit shy.
Hopefully he and Luna would get along.
I looked around, making sure that no one was paying any attention to the
laughter out of nowhere, and decided to go back to the Three
Broomsticks, because I needed to get an important ingredient to execute
my plan.
There was nothing in the bar to indicate that there had been a skirmish
here recently. The Gryffindors were nowhere to be seen, and the
Slytherins were still sitting at their table, sipping various drinks and
discussing some unimportant topic. Hoping to hear something about the
Death Eaters' plans, I was quickly disappointed when I realised they knew
nothing.
Taking out the necessary item, I made my way out away from the people
and looked around, moving into an alleyway before heading up to my
room.
Well, it had been a very busy day, and a good one for once, for
everything had gone off without any unpleasant incidents, which was
quite an achievement for a Harry Potter. After washing up and enjoying
dinner, I made sure that Veselur was still fast asleep and decided to
summarise.
So, what we have: the heroic and mysterious Harry Potter, the hot in
every sense Veela Fleur Delacour, who is Harry's fiancée, the crazy
houseboy Dobby, who has become less crazy, but still stands out from his
kin, the goblin-exile Veselur, who is unknown what he can do, and
among his own people is probably considered dead, and the out-of-this-
world girl Luna Lovegood, who can disarm anyone with a single phrase.
What about the Eaters or the Order, that's where the true power lies. A
true dream team!
Chapter 34: Information
Businessmen, I'm worse than a writer, xD.
But here's a bit of new information.
My second fanfic based on Akame ga KILL. Posted on patreon, you can
already read it.
Plot: In 1937, the scientists of the Reich were tasked with breeding a
"true Aryan", a superhuman. The results exceeded all expectations -
among the thousands of "true Aryans" were bred several unique.
In 1940, an unknown spatial anomaly was discovered in the occupied
territory of Poland. After its discovery, research into the nature of the
portals began, resulting in the most notable ones disappearing. Love
Interest - Esdeath.
I'll start posting on webnovel on the 22nd of April. (Expect that.)
Guys, don't forget that patreon has FREE fanfics for you to read.
There are also Harry Potter works there that aren't available anywhere
else.
For example: One of the galaxy's most dangerous criminals is finally
caught and sentenced to death. But something goes wrong during the
execution, and his soul, or whatever it was, is transmigrated into Harry
Potter.
- And the body... Nothing, the main thing is that he's alive..... The game
begins again.
And 3 more fanfics you might like.
You can read the first chapters for free and decide if it's interesting to you
or not.
I hope you like my stories, because despite the war, I try to keep going.
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium.
Your favourite or not so favourite FanFictionForge or Kira
Chapter 35: Magical creatures
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The next day started rather hectic. I was woken up by some fiddling in
the room, which was getting louder by the minute. I didn't notice it at
first, trying to snatch a few more minutes of sleep as Fleur and I rejoiced
in our reunion. But when something rattled, I jumped out of bed,
grabbing my wand from the nightstand and pointing it at the possible
enemy.
Taking a closer look at the source of the noise, I exhaled relaxedly and
put the wand away, clapping my hands loudly to attract attention. Dobby
and Veselur, clutching at each other and rolling around on the floor, paid
no attention to me as they continued to pummel each other frantically.
Neither of them used magic, using only their own strength, which, to put
it bluntly, they didn't have much of.
When I realised that I had to intervene, I selflessly rushed into the centre
of the fight and pulled my opponents apart, getting a couple of blows to
the ribs.
- Stop it! - I shouted loudly as I continued to keep the creatures away
from each other. The House elf and the goblin were still trying to get at
each other, but my arms were preventing them from getting within the
necessary distance. As a result, they just had to shake the air. When they
realised that there was a third party in their skirmish, they looked at me
at the same time and started talking:
- Sir, that goblin tried to attack you, sir, he was in your room, Dobby
tried to stop him!
- Harry, what kind of crazy houseboy is that?! I'd just got off the sofa and
gone to the bathroom when he attacked me!
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
Well, now that I've made friends like that, I have to live with it.
- Okay, first of all, let's take turns. Secondly, it's my own fault for not
introducing you, although I didn't realise Dobby would be here so early.
Right. Dobby, this is Veselur, my former solicitor, who I picked up from
Greenogtts yesterday. - I almost said I'd bought the goblin back. - Veselur,
this is Dobby, my House elf, my indispensable assistant and my saviour. -
The house elf is at a loss for words again. - Now we are all in the same
boat, so let's not quarrel.
Having realised that they misunderstood each other, the goblin and the
elf glared at each other for a few seconds, then shook hands and sat
down on the sofa. I dread to imagine what this couple might do in the
future. Sitting down opposite, I decided to clarify a few things and
determine the vector of further actions.
- Dobby, is there something urgent, or did you just miss me? - I decided
to start with the elf, as he was always easy. All I had to do was learn to
speak to him more thoughtfully, for now I had confused him with a
single phrase. Obviously he had something important to say, but by his
logic, and I was getting good at his logic, if he said it, it would mean he
didn't miss me. And if he chose the second option, he wouldn't be able to
tell me the news he'd brought. The houseboy didn't think to choose two
options at once. - All right, all right, Dobby, I know you missed me. Tell
me what you've been up to.
- Dobby spoke to Mitty yesterday. - The houseboy managed to pull
himself together and reminded me of the events at Malfoy Manor. - Mitty
said he knew where and when the attack would take place. Mitty said
Harry Potter sir shouldn't get involved because the attack will be
massive. Dobby agrees with Mitty. Harry Potter sir Harry Potter sir could
get hurt.
Veselur looked at all this with an unreadable expression on his face, as if
he wanted to laugh and bang the houseboy on the head at the same time.
I, for my part, was used to the elf's odd way of speaking, and had learnt
to pick out the main points from his words.
- So Mitty heard what the Eaters were saying? Well, that's great! We can
stop them from killing someone. And if we can do that, it's a risk we have
to take, even though I'm glad you care about me.
- Can we stop them? We?" Veselur looked at me in surprise. - I'd love to
help you, Harry, whatever you're up to, but if a goblin openly attacks a
wizard, it won't matter if I'm banished or not. You don't want to start
another war on top of the one we're already in. Besides, I have to agree
with your houseboy. He may have some strange words, but he makes a
good point: going up against the Reavers is suicide.
- You make it sound as if I'm just going to stand in a field alone against
them. I'm soberly assessing the forces, and I don't plan to face them head-
on. It would be best to simply warn their target in advance, but the
problem is that the Lord's followers will pick a new one, and I'll get tired
of warning everyone sooner or later. It makes sense to make a trap out of
their action for themselves, but I haven't figured out exactly how to do
that yet.
They both looked at me sceptically. Even Dobby.
- Oh, come on. First of all, Dobby, tell me exactly what's planned and
when. Then we can work something out together. You're right about your
involvement, Merrylour. We don't need another uprising. By the way,
have you thought of what you're planning to do? If you want, you can
just stay in the flat as long as you want. That's right, the flat! - Because I
had to wake up abruptly, I wasn't thinking straight. My brain switched on
gradually, throwing in thoughts one after another so fast that I didn't
have time to filter them.
- Harry, did you take some sort of potion? - Veselur stared intently into
my eyes, as if he wanted to examine my pupils. - I don't know much
about human magic, but you're acting strange. - Dobby nodded.
- No, just a lot on my mind. Let's go in order," I said, more to myself than
to them, realising it was time to start reading the book Luna had given
me, if only to put my head in order. - Dobby, can you get us into the flat?
Veselur said it should be safe there, and I believe him.
The housekeeper nodded again, and the goblin assured me again that no
one could find my place without my consent.
- So," I gathered what I'd managed to get out of my pockets yesterday and
surveyed the mess these two had made when I'd first met them. Despite
their small size, they had managed to do quite a bit of damage to the
hotel room. And the cherry on the cake was the broken floor lamp lying
in the middle of the room. I pointed it out:
- Do either of you have the money to pay for that? - When they both
shook their heads in the negative, I scratched the back of my head. - I
don't either. The only option left is to get out of here as fast as we can.
I hope the hotel won't go broke on damaged goods. I had time to think
that I'd paid for three days, but I'd only been here for two, so it could be
considered compensation for the damage, when Veselur asked a
reasonable question:
- Why don't you just fix everything here? You have magic. Even I can do
it, I just have to try to remember what spells are needed.
- I don't think it's a good idea to do magic in a non-magical
neighbourhood," I tried to stop him. - It'll reflect on the Ministry
somehow, and the Aurors will be here in a flash. If there's a single person
among them who wants to know what exactly happened, they'll only
have to look at the maid's or the porter's memories to see me.
My logic was almost perfect; I was even beginning to feel proud of myself
for being able to summarise in a concise and exhaustive manner why it
was not worthwhile to conjure here. Veselur didn't appreciate my talent,
however, looking at me like I was an idiot.
- Don't tell me, Harry, that all this time you haven't done any witchcraft
outside the magical zone at all because you were afraid of the Aurors? - It
sounded far from pretty in his interpretation, but I nodded uncertainly.
Leaving out the details, that's what it was. In response to my nod, he only
sighed and shook his head. - I never thought I'd ever have to explain
wizarding laws to a wizard. You see, Harry, have you ever wondered
why, for example, when you were a child, wizards didn't appear near you
after your magical emissions?
- I did. But I thought it was Dumbledore, who didn't want me to get to
know the world before my time.
- Hmm. Yeah, well, there's always an explanation in your case. But do
you realise how many muggleborns and half-bloods prefer to live in the
normal world and regularly use witchcraft for domestic purposes. Yes, I
don't know much about it, and I don't care much about it, but think
about it, how often do you think Aurors should react to such outbreaks of
magic? And I'll tell you - so often that there aren't enough aurors to go
around. And that's not just a guess - I was present at one of the
negotiations once, and one of the highest-ranking members of the
Ministry at the time said so himself.
- But wait, I remember exactly how, before my second year, Dobby had
conjured in my house, and I'd received a warning letter. And I hadn't
even used my wand then. - The houseboy lowered his ears frustratedly,
and Veselur nodded as if that only confirmed his words.
- That's right, before second year. When you were still wearing the
tracking charms. They must have called you by name then, as if they
were sure it was you. Do you see where I'm going with this? There's a
register of underage witches in one of the Ministry's departments. It's the
same register as Hogwarts. But if in the school records a child appears at
the first magical discharge, then in the Ministry's - only at the age of
eleven, when you get your own wand. And at seventeen, upon reaching
the age of majority, he disappears from this register, becoming an
independent unit, which does not need constant supervision. So it didn't
matter to them who had done the sorcery that time. They learnt that
magic happened in your immediate vicinity thanks to the tracking
charms on you. They knew you were the only wizard in the
neighbourhood, so they didn't hesitate for a second to punish you.
- It's too complicated," I grumbled, trying to make sense of everything
he'd said. So, when Hagrid gave Dudley a tail, no one noticed because I
didn't have my wand yet? Or because we were in a place where no
wizards were listed? Or because Hagrid was witchcrafting illegally,
because as far as I remember, he shouldn't have a wand at all? I feel like
this requires a long and thoughtful lecture, which I don't have time for
right now.
- It's no big deal. You should talk to one of the wizards about it, they can
explain it more clearly. I'm not really familiar with the subject. At least I
remembered what to do.
He jumped to his feet and waved his two hands, making a gesture with
his fingers. The room immediately began to transform: the shards from
the floor lamp returned to their places, becoming a whole lamp again,
the torn cushion from the sofa absorbed all the fluff, got rid of the cut
and flew back to its place, even my bed was fully made. I watched the
transformation of the room in amazement, realising that it would have
taken me much longer to do the same thing.
- It's a pleasure to conjure," Veselur grinned smugly, looking at me. - Now
do you understand why your Ministry doesn't want a conflict with
goblins? Now let's see if any message from the wizards appears.
- When Snape broke into my house, the aurors didn't show up until about
thirty minutes after the sorcery," I stretched out uncertainly, still not
understanding exactly how tracking magic worked.
- Did you see the aurors? They shouldn't have shown up, because you and
Snape are both of legal age, so you're not subject to supervision. Or were
either of you throwing unforgivable? Though, even then, it's unlikely
they would have detected such activity. Snape, as an Eater, must have
taken care of that.
- No," I said in surprise. I'd heard that wizards had appeared, but I didn't
know who they were. I'd expected Aurors, so I had no doubt it was them.
- No one used the Unforgivables. I walked away and left Snape injured,
thinking the wizards would turn up and take him away.
- You see. Snape probably just called for help using some sort of amulet.
Who turned up, I don't know. But the Aurorate only triggers notification
charms when unforgivable spells are used, at least according to official
information they can tell where they were cast. In reality, you see, they
only catch those who don't hide. I don't know how exactly it works, but it
doesn't matter. What's important is that if you're an adult wizard and you
haven't received a tracking spell, or whatever they're called, no one can
detect you.
- But wait," I still didn't fully understand how it worked, "because Dobby
then...
- It's Dobby's fault, sir," the house elf, who had been listening intently to
our conversation, decided to intervene. - House elfs can hide their magic
and always do, but Dobby wasn't hiding his magic this time, sir. Dobby
was trying to get Sir Harry Potter Sir expelled from school and then Sir
would not get into Hogwarts as Dobby wanted. Dobby was trying to save
Sir Harry Potter Sir! Sorry Dobby, it's Dobby's fault.
- Even a houseboy understands how this works. - Veselur grinned again
and shook his head, amazed at my ignorance.
It all came together now. Dobby had tried to talk me out of going to
Hogwarts in the first place, and he'd tried to set me up in such an
underhanded way that he'd almost succeeded. So I was free to conjure
wherever I wanted without fear of being found, because not only was I of
legal age, but my wands weren't the kind of wands that the Ministry
could trace.
- I see," I said, chastising myself for overreacting. It was strange, really,
because I hadn't thought about such things at first, and it wasn't until I
fully embraced Harry's consciousness that I became much more worried
and concerned about such things. Death was right - I had become more
gentle and cautious. That said, I couldn't say it helped me much. - Well, I
guess my paranoia was stronger than I thought. Don't worry, Dobby, I
understand.
- And as you can see, we haven't received any alerts," Veselur said,
pointing to the fact that several minutes had passed since his sorcery.
- Thank you for the clarification. I don't think I understand everything,
but one thing is clear: you shouldn't be so careful.
- Caution is never a bad thing, Harry," my former attorney corrected me,
"and you're welcome. It's the least I can do.
- Now that we're done here, I suggest we move to the flat.
We all agreed, and Dobby took us to my apartment, which occupied a
whole floor in a London block of flats.
It was only once I was in my own home that I realised how much I'd
missed it. I had become so attached to the place in a few days that I was
subconsciously sad that I couldn't come back. The first thing I did was
head to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of wine.
- Harry, ten o'clock in the morning. - Veselur seemed determined to be
my mentor.
- Come on, it's ten in the morning!
Shaking his head, the goblin waited for me to enjoy my drink before
pointing to the houseboy, who immediately rushed to clean up the dust
that had accumulated.
- Dobby, calm down," I caught the elf's attention and invited him to join
our conversation. - You'll have time, and the dust won't go anywhere
without you.
He nodded obediently and followed us into the living room, where I
immediately settled into my favourite armchair, leaving my companions
to choose where to sit.
- Tell me," I said to the elf, "what did Mitty find out?
- Mitty heard that the Eaters are going to attack the Bones family home
next weekend when Miss Bones is home.
I nodded, realising that I could find out the specific time of the attack
later. As I remembered the story I knew - Riddle had personally killed
Amelia. Would he show up this time, too? Probably not. It would have to
be an action to compromise Dumbledore, and the Lord himself would still
have to remain in the shadows. On the other hand, the Eaters were going
to attack a neutral family, and ended up targeting one of the most
powerful wizards in Britain.
- Thank you Dobby, that's extremely valuable information. And thank
Mitty the next time you see him. - I've been quiet for a while. - So, we
have less than a week to figure out how to stop the Reavers from killing
the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Any ideas?
Chapter 36: Dolores
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In reality, I couldn't come up with a single valuable idea, Veselur had
long since stopped being involved and was asleep, and Dobby had said I
shouldn't get involved and had gone to Fleur with another short message
from me.
I was sitting at the table alone, and instead of blueprints and diagrams,
there was only a glass of wine on it. We'd spent all day trying to figure
out a way to protect Amelia, but in the end we'd only agreed that the
goblin shouldn't be involved in this personally, because his interference
could make things much worse.
But on the bright side, I fully appreciated how useful an ally I had.
Veselur had so much information that I learnt more about the magical
world in one day with him than I had in the previous four years. He told
me again how the Ministry monitored magic, explained why, despite her
high position, Amelia Bones didn't have a tenth of Fudge's authority
among the magical population, and made it clear that Flamel, whom I'd
told him I'd met, wasn't to be discounted, because he'd meddled in
Britain's magical community more than once in recent years, albeit
secretly.
Having installed Gabby's gift, which Dobby had brought from Delacourt
Manor, in one of the bedrooms, we were able to turn it into a full hall,
where we had a friendly sparring session with the goblin. Veselur was so
happy to be able to conjure without supervision from his superiors that
he was happy to show off what he could do. And he could do a lot of
things, from simple household charms, with the help of which he painted
the walls of the room blue with a single wave of his hand, to frankly
dangerous spells, from which I managed to dodge at the last moment. At
the same time, half of the goblins' combat arsenal completely ignored my
shields, flying through them.
Fortunately, he had a good grasp of healing magic, as I'd seen when the
goblin had fixed my eyesight, so all my injuries were quickly repaired.
Even though I couldn't learn the spells he used, this training was better
than the ones with Bernard in many ways. Firstly, I was up against a
completely new style, where any swing of my arm could send something
nasty flying at me, and secondly, the goblin was a small and very skittish
target, which made me concentrate on aiming as much as possible.
After spending several hours on this improvised range, and at some point
involving Dobby, who was trying to hit me simultaneously with the
goblin with various objects materialised from the air, I was completely
exhausted, realising that I urgently needed a rest.
The goblin, on the other hand, was not the least bit tired. He showed me
a few more spells he knew, including something similar to Incendio, and
flames burst from his hands, destroying the stone Dobby had prepared in
a minute. Once again I regretted that I couldn't use it in combat. As the
most experienced of us, Veselur was the perfect chief strategist, and I had
a couple of his ideas in my head. But sometimes I thought of bringing
him to fight the Eaters and watching him scatter them with his unknown
spells. Maybe I was overestimating his strength or underestimating the
Lord's supporters.
The next day passed in the same rhythm: we trained, prepared a plan,
and argued constantly. The presence of the goblin seemed to loosen up
Dobby, who was no longer shy to openly enter the conversation and offer
his ideas. He was still of the opinion that I shouldn't go there, though. I
knew in my heart that he was right, that no matter how good the plan
was, I'd have to improvise in the end, but I couldn't help it. If you
continue to be cautious and stay on the sidelines, you'll spend your life
running away from problems. And I want to get back to Fleur as soon as
possible and just enjoy my teenage life.
The Frenchwoman kept reminding me of how mean I was being to her,
which didn't put me in a good mood. I could feel the sadness that
pervaded her messages, and I was tempted to either rush over to the
estate or bring her here, but at the last moment I stopped myself,
realising it was a bad idea. If I went to Fleur, I risked bringing uninvited
guests back to their house, and if I brought her here, I wouldn't be able to
dissuade her from getting into fights, which I couldn't allow. I'm glad
she's still training and able to defend herself against an experienced
wizard, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let her test her abilities in the
field.
Meanwhile, Wednesday came, the very day Luna risked a lifelong scar on
her wrist. I decided not to reinvent the wheel and go with the tried-and-
true method, albeit with forced adjustments. For example, I had to spend
a few minutes in front of the mirror to cast a series of cosmetic charms I'd
learnt in a book in my fourth year.
Telling Dobby to be on standby in case I needed help, I habitually threw
on my invisibility cloak over my regular clothes and apparated to the
outskirts of Hogsmeade, to a deserted spot I'd spotted beforehand.
A look around the village confirmed my previous assumptions - without
the crowds of schoolchildren, it was just as bleak as Slanting Alley. The
streets were practically empty, and the shops, which were popular on
Sundays, could not boast a tenth of those customers.
As I approached the familiar owl post office and looked around
habitually, I threw off my robe and stepped inside, greeting the local
employee. He didn't see anything suspicious about the brown-eyed blond
man, who looked to be in his twenties, and went back to reading the
paper, while I went to a small table and began writing a message:
Professor Umbridge!
I think I found something strange in the Forbidden Forest. I saw that dim-
witted Hagrid carrying a whole lamb up there and decided to track down
exactly who he was feeding. Unfortunately, he spotted the tracking and I
couldn't get to the end, but from the sounds of it, it's the same
Dumbledore's secret weapon you mentioned. Professor Umbridge, you
were right! The old man is up to something to destroy the Ministry's
power, and now we have a chance to stop him!
I'll be waiting for you at the far edge of the Forbidden Forest. I don't want
you to be seen with me on the street, for the old man's admirers might
then guess that we know everything, and we can't let that happen! Come
as soon as possible, for the sooner we thwart Dumbledore's plans, the
sooner the Ministry can rid itself of this source of slander!
I hope I've done a good enough job of portraying a servile Slytherin and
Dolores will buy it. I didn't sign the letter, as I wasn't entirely sure of the
name of the man whose hair I was able to steal on Sunday. I hope he is
among the admirers of this lover of pink, or it won't work.
After sending the owl away, I went to scout the area beforehand, trying
to enter the forest so as not to disturb the enchantments surrounding
Hogwarts. I didn't know how far away they were, or if Dumbledore could
see everyone, but from what I remembered from Granger's tedious
lectures, the far edge of the forest wasn't part of the castle grounds,
which allowed me to remain invisible to the charms.
I'd been in the forest a few times before, both when I'd been running from
spiders and when I'd been looking for the unicorn killer, so I had a pretty
good sense of where Hagrid kept his brother. However, in addition to the
giant, I wanted to involve the centaurs in the case as well, albeit without
their knowledge.
After looking around and spotting a path, I sat down on a rock and took
out one of the two vials of Polyjuice potion I'd bought the last time I'd
been to Slanting Alley. Throwing in the hair I'd obtained at the Three
Broomsticks on Sunday, I waited a moment and sharply tipped the
contents of the vial into myself, shuddering at the horrible taste. Almost
immediately, I felt a change in my body. The Slytherin was noticeably
broader in the shoulders than I was, and I mentally thanked myself for
thinking of that beforehand and wearing the loosest clothes possible.
What I'd forgotten was that I had some trouble with transfiguration. No
matter how many times I tried to turn my jacket into the same robe I'd
seen on the Slytherins in Hogsmeade, I couldn't do it. I couldn't get the
colour, or the size, or once it didn't work at all, as if the Elder Wand was
so disappointed in its new owner that it stopped working. When I was
beginning to seriously fear that I wouldn't be ready in time for Umbridge,
magic took pity on me and gave me a satisfactory result. I immediately
put the resulting robe on myself and realised that it was rather short - I
could see my usual trainers from underneath, which couldn't possibly be
part of a blood purity guardian's wardrobe. But when I saw glimpses of
pink in the distance, I realised I couldn't do anything about it, and hoped
Umbridge wouldn't notice, excited by my fictitious discovery.
- Montague? - She came close enough for me to get a good look at her in
detail. Fortunately, she was alone. - I thought you were reluctant to
become one of the vigilantes serving for the good of the school and the
Ministry? - Umbridge looked at me intently, and I faltered a little,
realising that I had no idea of this Montague's relationship with Dolores.
- You're right, Professor Umbridge," I added the maximum amount of
contrition to my voice. - I had doubted that Dumbledore was capable of
such a lie. But now that I'd seen it for myself, I realised how wrong I'd
been. Forgive me.
- Well," she said patronisingly, ignoring the fact that I hadn't seen
anything in the letter, but now I supposedly had seen everything. - As a
representative of the Ministry of Magic, I believe that everyone is entitled
to a second chance. Show me what you saw, and I'll consider rewarding
you.
Bowing low, I was the first to move down the path, heading deeper into
the Forbidden Forest. Umbridge followed, grumbling at every step.
Lovely woman. Her pink shoes were clearly not designed for this kind of
snowdrifting, but she persevered, hoping to expose Dumbledore and
serve herself to Fudge.
When I got far enough away without seeing any sign of the giant, I was
beginning to worry that I'd taken the wrong route, but there was a loud
cracking sound in the distance, like someone snapping a tree in half, and
I relaxed. Besides, we'd been accompanied by a few centaurs for some
time now, trying to remain inconspicuous. Umbridge didn't see them,
looking more at her feet, but I noticed their scowling faces among the
trees, and also noted that some of them were holding bows with arrows
already drawn.
- How much longer, Montague? - I pulled away from Dolores a little so
that she had to shout. - Are you sure there's something up ahead? If I find
out you're wrong, you'll be in trouble.
- It's all right, Professor, just a bit more. Be careful, I've heard there are
Centaurs here and they don't like strangers. - She said something, but I
couldn't hear her and hurried to ask again. The second time I heard the
answer, but I decided to fix the result: "I'm sorry, Professor Umbridge, I
still can't hear you.
- Those filthy horse brats won't be able to interfere with my plans! - She
shouted loudly to the entire forest. Now I was sure the centaurs had
heard everything. I saw one of them aiming a bow at Dolores, and I
gestured discreetly for him to wait a moment. I don't know if he
understood me, or if he saw my attempts at all, but no shot was fired.
Suddenly the forest parted before me, and I came to a small clearing, in
the middle of which Grochh was sitting. He was about fifteen feet tall at
first glance. He wore fur shorts and a waistcoat that left most of his body
bare, but he didn't seem to mind the cold. He was busily hacking a small
tree to pieces, paying no attention to his guest.
I made way for Umbridge, who, as soon as she saw what she was seeing,
froze with her mouth hanging open.
- Now, Professor, it looks like this is exactly what you were talking about.
Dumbledore really is up to something terrible.
Coffin, hearing my voice, regarded us for a few seconds, then decided to
come closer. He was chained to the tree and couldn't get far away from
it, but Umbridge and I were able to get a good look at Hagrid's brother
towering over us.
- You did well, Mr Montague," Dolores said. - Unfortunately for you, this
must be my triumph alone.
She pointed her wand at me, about to cast a spell, but a sharp noise
behind her made her turn round. Several centaurs had entered the
clearing, holding us at gunpoint.
- Get out, you animals, I am the First Deputy Minister of Magic! -
Umbridge's voice gave away her uncertainty, but she pointed her wand at
the centaur closest to us.
- We don't care who you are. But you have invaded our land and insulted
our people, and for that you will have to answer.
Umbridge moved her wand from one centaur to another, but she didn't
risk attacking, and I just stood there with my hands slightly raised,
showing that I wasn't going to fight.
- Montague, why aren't you attacking? - She shouted, turning to me.
- I'm not allowed to use magic outside of class, Professor. Have you
forgotten? Besides, you just wanted to attack me. Is this what the
Ministry's gratitude looks like?
Stunned by my words, she hesitated for a second, but quickly pulled
herself together.
- Attack, I am your professor and I command you! - She didn't seem to
have a good idea of how far the power of a school professor extends.
Nevertheless, I obeyed and, to her satisfaction, slowly pulled my wand
out of my pocket. The centaurs visibly tensed, but I pointed the wand at
Dolores and said loudly:
- Expelliarmus! - The wand flew out of her hands and fell right under the
hooves of one of the centaurs, who immediately stepped on it, breaking it
in half.
- Filthy animals! - Umbridge shrieked, seeing what had become of her
weapon. - You're going to regret this! And you, Montague, are going to
regret what you did. You should have attacked those beasts, not me!
- They're not beasts, Professor, they're centaurs," I said in a calm voice,
infuriating her even more. - And they have done me no harm. Moreover,
they are in their right, because we did invade their lands. And I wouldn't
have done it if you hadn't made me.
Dolores took a couple of steps backwards as if I had struck her, and then
flew up into the air, for now she was within reach of Groszyk, who was
watching the events unfolding in his clearing with obvious interest.
Grabbing Umbridge by the torso, he lifted her up sharply, bringing her
up to his face and scrutinising her closely. Umbridge's shriek echoed
throughout the forest, but neither I, nor the centaurs, made any attempt
to help her free.
I felt my body begin to change, taking on a familiar shape. That meant it
had been exactly an hour since I'd taken the Polyjuice potion. Dolores,
who saw the metamorphosis of my body, was silent for a moment, and
then began to scream even louder.
- Potter! I knew you were alive! You set this whole thing up, you're with
Dumbledore! Help me get free now! - Apparently, cosmetic charms don't
last after you've used a reversal spell.
- That's right, Dolores. I set this whole thing up. And no, I'm not going to
help you. I'd rather help the schoolchildren you torture every day in your
office.
- Po-o-o-ttee-er! - Umbridge kicked desperately at the giant's fist, which
brought her too close to his face, and inadvertently hit his hand right in
his eye with a full swing.
Groszyk howled resentfully and reflexively squeezed his hand harder,
causing a sickening crunch to resound through the clearing.
I hurriedly turned away, but I didn't look in the direction of the former
Hogwarts professor, whose screams had gone silent. The centaurs, on the
other hand, kept their eyes on the spectacle, and I didn't see a single face
that showed disapproval. They picked up the body that had fallen from
Grochh's hands and moved on into the forest, paying no attention to me.
Only the last centaur, who looked older than the others, stopped in front
of me.
- We won't hurt you today, Harry Potter. But be careful, not even the
stars can predict your fate.
He followed his kin, leaving me alone with the giant. He watched with a
sad face as all his toys left, and let out a strange howl. I took one last
look around the clearing and burned the remains of Umbridge's wand,
eliminating all traces of our presence here, and apparated home, still not
feeling an ounce of sympathy for the woman.
Chapter 37: Warm-up
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Mr Gurry Plitter.
Professor Umbridge is missing. She hasn't been seen in the castle for two
days. The Minister himself came to the school at breakfast today and had
a long argument with Dumbledore. The teachers are not paying any
attention to one of them missing. They seem to seriously believe it's
another Nargle prank. Professor Snape, who only returned to work
yesterday, had to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts as well. He looks
very pale, and now you can't tell him from a vampire at all. By the way,
did you know that if you make a deal with the Verlans, you can become a
vampire for a while? When my dad told me that, I was completely
shocked. I'm sure you're feeling the same way right now.
Either way, I'm sure you did it. I don't know exactly how you did it, but
thank you very much. No, thank you so much, Harry, from all the
students who were able to breathe easy, and from me personally! You
have no idea what happened when it became clear that Professor
Umbridge wouldn't be returning to her duties anytime soon - the number
of brainiacs in the Great Hall began to literally melt away! And it's all
thanks to you. Yes, I'm sure it is. That's what a famous hero does -
promises to save everyone and saves everyone. But those children who
read those tales of the boy who survived probably didn't think about
what the hero himself is experiencing at that moment. But it bothers me.
If you ever want to discuss what happened and share it with me, you
know where to find me.
Remember, if Fudge finds out about your involvement, the Heliopaths
will be after you. Be careful!
Your friend, Luna.
I put the letter aside, wiped my eyes, and reached for my glass, which,
thanks to Dobby's efforts, was always full. Apparently, Umbridge's body
hadn't been found yet. Maybe they never would. Well, I could only
commend myself for a successful operation, but I felt no joy at all. No, I
did not blame myself for what I had done, but the realisation that I had
brought a man to his death still gave an unpleasant feeling somewhere
inside, preventing me from rejoicing in simple things.
Not even a letter from Luna, full of thanks, could lift my spirits. Dobby
and Veselur, who could see that I was in a bad mood, tried to cheer me
up, but I knew I needed Fleur. She always manages to find the right
words. She's my ray of light that can dispel even the darkest gloom. But
until she's here, I'll have to make do on my own.
With a little more owl biscuit for Alpina, who was much friendlier this
time, I reread the letter again, noting the fact that Snape was back in
action. As I had surmised, nothing fatal had happened to him. Perhaps
our paths will cross again someday, we'll see how our next meeting turns
out.
- Harry, are you ready? - Veselur peeked into the kitchen and reminded
me that we had another training session to attend.
I'd been practicing practically all my free time as a fourth year, pushing
myself to the point of exhaustion and realising that to really represent
something serious in a real fight, I'd need to train at this pace for at least
a year. Nevertheless, I kept up the pace, feeling that Veselur was finding
it harder and harder to beat me each time.
The last time I'd been able to hold out against the pair of them and
Dobby for nearly twenty minutes, it had taken a double attack, with the
houseboy throwing more than ten darts at me at different heights and the
goblin launching some kind of choking curse that went through my
shield, to bring me to the floor.
During the training, all unnecessary worries flew out of my mind. I learnt
to concentrate on what was important, and the book on Occlumency that
Luna had given me helped me with that. I read it every night, gradually
learning the basics. Of course, I couldn't imagine any shields in my head,
but the simple breathing exercises allowed me to organise my thoughts
and be more productive. Now I wasn't sputtering in all directions. At least
I wanted to think so. During sparring, I didn't get distracted by my
thoughts, focusing on watching.
I was getting better at fighting, which Veselur noted as he dodged my
paralyser once again. It would be interesting to fight Bernard again and
see if I could last more than five minutes. Besides, Lord Potter shouldn't
be weaker than his wife, who was there training while I sipped my wine.
As I entered our makeshift dueling chamber, I noticed the goblin and the
houseboy whispering about something. Looks like some new tactics are
waiting for me. As I took my seat, I bowed lightly to my opponents and
received nods in return.
I wore a robe for battles, even though I was well aware of how
uncomfortable it was. It was a long cloth, and when I made a particularly
sharp turn, I would get tangled in the fabric and fall to the ground. But it
was better to learn how to fight in the usual conditions for wizards, than
to hone my skills in my favourite jeans and T-shirt, and then embarrass
myself in a robe.
Releasing two Stupefai in their direction, I took a step to the side and
prepared for defence, bending my knees slightly for a sharper dash.
Reflecting my spells with his shield, the goblin gave Dobby some sort of
sign and raised his hands in the air. I knew a powerful electric spell
would follow. The first time I saw that lightning, I risked taking it on my
shield, and I haven't made that mistake since. It should be noted that
Veselur did not spare me, constantly repeating the banal phrase about
everything that does not kill us.
Preparing to dodge the lightning, I fired a binding spell at Dobby, but he
managed to take a step to the side and disappeared into thin air.
- No fair! - I exclaimed, losing my concentration, only to dodge the
goblin's blast at the last moment.
- Are you going to say that to the Eaters too? - He asked nonchalantly,
throwing his arms out to the sides and blasting me with a powerful wave
of air. My shield was up, but Veselur was already sending out the next
beams, and I was fleeing from them with a jerk to the side.
- But you're not Eaters! - I shouted in a moment of calm. - I can't beat
you, and you're hiding.
- You were close last time. It's time to increase the difficulty level.
At that moment, Dobby, who remained invisible, threw several wooden
blocks imitating knives at me. We were fighting at full strength, but we
were careful not to get to the point of outright life-threatening. At least
Dobby and I didn't. The bloodthirsty goblin had no regard for such
conventions.
When I noticed where the bars had come from, I immediately threw
Petrificus at it, followed by Aguamenti, figuring that the water would
give away the housekeeper even when he was invisible. The first beam
hit the wall, but the water jet didn't reach the target, and as a result I just
made a puddle on the floor. The laughing goblin decided to use this
advantage by releasing the same fire spell. It vaporised the puddle in a
flash, creating a cloud of vapour that made me unable to see Veselur
either. Assuming he couldn't see me either, I took a few steps away from
Dobby and cast Revelio, which could locate not only people but all living
things in a given area.
Noticing that they were trying to get around me from both sides, but not
very confidently, since they couldn't see me because of the vapour, I
decided to enhance the effect by conjuring up a head bubble and making
a wide sweep of my wand, releasing a thick jet of rather acrid smoke that
filled the room rapidly.
Using Revelio a few more times, I marked the location of my opponents
and sent spells at them, trying to take them out one by one. Dobby kept
firing a wide radius of objects at me, but Veselur didn't take any action as
he kept moving around. Focusing on the houseboy, I was able to get
pretty close to him while remaining undetected, and then released a spell
of cotton legs and a binding spell right after. The houseboy collapsed to
the floor and was immediately entangled from head to toe.
As I rejoiced in my victory over the House elf, I felt a sharp blow to my
back. It looked like Veselur had had enough of playing hide and seek. He
used that spell sending a wave of air again and dispelled the smoke,
along with throwing me into the wall. As I grouped up, I managed to
land on my feet, and I immediately had to go into a deafening defence.
The goblin's hands flashed so fast that I didn't have time to realise which
spell was coming next, dodging at the limit of my strength.
According to our agreement they could not help each other and the one
who was eliminated waited for the end of the fight, no longer taking part
in it, so Dobby just lay on the ground and watched the events unfold with
interest. And the goblin, realising that he was alone, stopped restraining
his strength and threw a hail of blows at me.
- Easy! - I shouted, dodging another slash. - I wanted to live to be old!
- Don't worry, I'll take it easy. - Veselur smiled, reminding me that
goblins were not a peaceful people. He kept coming closer and closer,
and I knew that soon I wouldn't be able to keep up.
I ducked forward under the beam of the spell, pointing my wand upwards
and unleashing Aguamenti, which hit the ceiling with a geyser. The
goblin instinctively recoiled, though I didn't direct the jet at him, and
that gave me a few moments to launch a powerful Diffindo at him.
Taking the spell on his shield, he smiled victoriously as he raised his arms
again, at which point a veritable waterfall came crashing down on him.
The water I fired upwards travelled in a parabola, thanks to the high
ceiling of the hall, and landed precisely on the goblin's head, splashing
him from head to toe. Taking aim, I fired two point freezes, ice-blocking
his hands, and, after making sure he couldn't continue, he began to do a
victory dance, bouncing around the dueling ground and making strange
noises.
Dobby freed himself from the ropes restraining him and helped Veselur,
and then both of them came over to me.
- Well done, Harry! You like to do things out of the box. I'll admit, I
didn't expect to be defeated by a jet of water. - I thanked him profusely
for his warm words. My mood had improved so much that I'd almost
forgotten all my worries. - Since you did well, next time we can give
Dobby more powers than just throwing objects.
The houseboy nodded frantically, and I tensed up.
- Dobby can do a lot of spells, sir. Look! - He turned sharply to the side,
thrust his hand forward, and a jet of strange blue flame burst out. -
Dobby had learnt to make blue fire when he was nine.
He wanted to show me something else, but I stopped him. That
demonstration was enough for me to realise that our next fights would be
much harder.
I left the hall and headed for the shower, my thoughts returning to what
had been and what was to come. The Death Eaters' attack on the Bones
house was getting closer and I was nervous about it, no matter how much
I wanted to show that I wasn't. Thanks to Mitty, we'd learnt that the
Lord's followers were planning to raid the house on Saturday night to
make sure Amelia was home, but the Malfoy elf hadn't been able to find
out what their plan was, or how many of them there would be. So it
turned out that I would have to act almost blindly, guided by
circumstances. As always, though.
I washed up and sat down at the table where Dobby had set dinner, and
asked Veselur a question that had been bothering me for a long time:
- Tell me, if goblins are so good at magic, what do you need cold
weapons for? The guards at the entrance to the bank, every guard inside,
and the manager has all the walls covered with them. And I remember
from my History of Magic lessons that goblins often armed themselves
with swords and axes during uprisings. - Veselur grinned, but didn't
answer, as if he was thinking about something. - If it's a mystery, you
don't have to answer, I'm just curious.
- It's a serious mystery to some people. I don't think even your Ministry
can answer that question before they've done a good job of digging
through the archives. And what my kin would do to me if they knew I
was telling this to a wizard..." He was silent again, reliving his moments
of exile, and I didn't rush him.
- It's quite simple, really. Goblins have always had their own magic, but it
was originally more attacking. We operated from a position of strength
and perfected it centuries ago. One day we wondered what wands were
for, as these guides essentially limit a wizard's power. But soon we
realised all the advantages of focusing magic, and decided to try
something of our own. That's how we got enchanted weapons. One such
blade could easily cut through any mage's shield, and an axe could cut
through a giant's shin. At least, that's what our elders tell us. But after
one lost rebellion, the humans forbade us to use magic. They hoped we
would soon forget that we had ever wielded it at all.
He sipped from his glass, then continued:
- All we had to do was use weapons that didn't have any magic in them
anymore. But in every family, parents secretly trained their children,
believing that someday the magic of the goblins would be revealed to the
world again. The old treaties are still in force. Any goblin found using
magic by anyone other than his own tribesman will be executed
immediately. You don't realise, Harry, the risks I took when I treated
your eyesight. But when the wizard asked me to use magic, I couldn't
help myself. That's how it is that we all have magic, but in public we can
only flaunt weapons that serve as a reminder of the old days, primarily
for ourselves.
He finished speaking, and we were silent for a while. I realised that in
case of an open rebellion the goblins would spit on the old agreements,
but as long as they were happy with their own position, the wizards
could sleep well.
- So, none of you have tried to revolt?
- Why would they? - He grinned his usual sly smile. - The wizards are
under our control. I'm sorry, Harry, but they are. We own your money.
You've seen for yourself that all it takes is one word from the manager,
and here's the almighty Harry Potter with nothing to pay for a broken
lamp. Wizards may look down on us, putting us on a par with House elf,
no offence intended, Dobby, but you don't know how many times I've
seen people groveling to the steward, begging him to open an account or
give them a loan or do anything else to help them get their finances in
order. That's why we don't benefit from revolt. If there weren't more
pathetic rats like Bromstein among us, I'd say we've built the perfect
society. But alas, there's no escaping the likes of him. And I can't count
myself in that society anymore. I'm on my own now, and I'd rather not be
seen by my tribesmen.
I felt sad again, but this time it was because of my solicitor. I had no
sympathy for the goblin race, but this particular goblin had been wrongly
accused and was now alone in a foreign world.
- We'll figure something out, Veselur. After all, maybe we should try to
get a job at some other Gringotts. I'm sure there's a bank like that in
Paris.
- No, Harry, it's not just a job, it's also a home, and I'd be a complete
stranger there. But you're right, it's not the time to lose heart. I should be
grateful I'm alive. There are those at the bank who believe in my
innocence. I'll contact them later and maybe they'll have an idea. But
now it's too soon - the manager must be watching them. He's definitely
guessing that you didn't kill me, he's too clever and cunning.
He got up from the table, thanked Dobby for dinner, gave me a friendly
clap on the shoulder, and went to his room. I helped the houseboy clear
the table, even though he didn't like it, and then fell into bed and started
reading another chapter of Occlumency, trying to figure out exactly what
those shields I'd heard so much about were supposed to look like.
Realising that I wasn't concentrating properly, I put the book aside and
closed my eyes, once again wondering what would happen tomorrow.
Tomorrow I have a battle to fight. And that fight has to be on my terms.
Chapter 38: Fight
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Realising that I wouldn't be able to sleep, I wished I'd bought the
Dreamless Sleep Potion, because I was going to have to spend the next
night without sleep as well, and I didn't know if I had the strength. I don't
want to sleep through the whole thing.
I got out of bed and strode into the kitchen to make some coffee.
Fortunately, the flat was equipped with the usual appliances, such as the
cooker and fridge, and I could manage without Dobby's help, because I'd
had to learn how to use non-magical technology before I could even
reach the cooker. Thanks to the Dursleys for that. I grinned, imagining
my relatives coming home to find the living room destroyed.
Sitting down at the table and picking up yesterday's issue of the Prophet,
which was lying there, I took a quick look at the articles and realised that
Britain was completely messed up. On the first page was a leaked story
about a missing Hogwarts professor, where the journalist tried to lead the
reader to believe that it was Dumbledore's fault. And on the third page
there was an article telling that the same Dumbledore at the next
congress of the International Confederation of Magicians was able to get
the support of several foreign governments that agreed to come to
England's aid in case of an armed conflict.
It seems to me that ordinary wizards who don't take part in such games
should have long ago lost their minds from the abundance of
contradictory information coming in. I just put the paper aside, knowing
that Umbridge's disappearance was not the Headmaster's fault, and that
the governments of other countries sympathise with my homeland only
in words. If it came to war, I doubted that any of them would be much
help. Or maybe they would, but not to the wrong side.
After breakfast, I began to think of something to do for the rest of the
evening, and the first thing I decided to do was to write to Fleur. Taking
pen and paper, I thought about what to say to her, then decided to just
share my thoughts:
Flower
I had a dream about you today. I didn't sleep well, but in those moments
when I closed my eyes, I almost always saw you. True, most of the time
you were angry and even pointed your wand at me. Sweetheart, you're
not that angry, are you? I hope what you said about sticking your wand
in one interesting place was a joke. After all, when we meet, only one of
us will be sticking anything. Yeah, sorry, I have a terrible sense of
humour, I know. I hope you're blushing at least a little. I love it when
you blush, you get even hotter, if that's even possible.
I think about you every minute. I know it sounds like I'm writing from
Azkaban and there's no way for us to meet, it's so dreary, but we have to
wait a little longer. You can see for yourself that almost every day I run
into unwanted faces and have to move. If anything happens to you
through my fault, my life will be over, you can be sure of that.
Sometimes I entertain myself with thoughts of how our lives will turn
out. Have you thought about getting married? I know I have. You girls
just want to daydream about what the ceremony will be like. Do you
have any ideas? I think it'd be great if a dragon brought the rings down
the aisle. Imagine a dragon coming down from the sky with our rings in
its paw. But that idea is negotiable.
Either way, I'm doing everything I can to bring our reunion closer. And to
be honest, I'm also a little apprehensive about it. I promised to tell you
something you don't know about me, and I'm afraid to see your reaction.
I'm sorry, don't think about it yet, I'm afraid to imagine what you might
imagine. Nothing criminal, just another Harry Potter mystery. Intrigued?
Love you
Harry.
When I finished the letter, I immediately wanted to crumple it up and
throw it in the fireplace, it was so ridiculous, but I decided to keep it and
not even cross out the last piece. How does she do it? I've already
proposed to her and spent the night with her, but I'm still starting to
stutter when I talk to her like I did when I first met her. Hopefully the
thought of the wedding and Harry's secret can take her mind off her sad
thoughts. Though, there's always the possibility that once she learns the
secret, she won't have to think about the wedding, because there won't be
a ceremony.
After folding the message and leaving it on the table for Dobby to deliver
to Delacourt Manor, I was about to go outside to do one more thing, but
then I changed my mind. The thing is, I've long thought of finding people
in non-wizarding London through whom firearms can be purchased. I
don't know how effective a gun is in skirmishes with wizards, but it's
always nice to have an additional argument in a dispute. If shot in the
head at close range, the mage is unlikely to have time to put up a shield,
although, pureblood sorcerers probably have some amulets protecting
them from such attacks.
In any case, my idea failed at the planning stage, because I had no money
to buy something like that. There was also an option to use magic and
simply steal the necessary weapons, but, after a little thinking, I also
abandoned this idea - it would take time, which I do not have now. But if
everything went well tonight, I'd be sure to get a couple of pistols or a
rifle in the future.
I grinned as I imagined myself sitting in the Astronomy Tower of
Hogwarts, looking down at the wizards through a telescopic sight,
wondering what would come of it.
***
The day passed like a blur. I was, for what seemed like the thousandth
time, rearranging the things I'd planned to take with me when I realised I
couldn't stay at home any longer. Adrenaline was slowly rushing through
my bloodstream, making me more likely to spring into action. Dobby was
in France, waiting to hear from Fleur, and Veselur was sitting in a chair,
watching me. By the look of him, he was as nervous as I was. He was
tempted to say something a couple of times, and finally made up his
mind:
- Harry, I have to go with you. You need some support.
- No, Veselur, we've been over this. I need you here. If anything goes
wrong, Dobby gets me out and you heal me. Knowing how I like to get
hurt, you're probably going to have a lot of work to do. Be prepared.
He shook his head, accepting my arguments, but he couldn't agree with
them. I understood him - if I were him, I couldn't sit on the sidelines
either, but I also knew we were doing the right thing.
- That's it, I can't sit here any longer. Dobby! - The houseboy immediately
materialised in front of me. - I'm sorry I didn't let you wait for an answer.
Is Fleur all right?
- Yes, sir, she's reading the message and frowning. - Looks like she's
getting to the part about secrets.
- Take me to the Bones family home, then go back to her. If she asks, tell
her I needed to be transported to a place I've never been. Just don't be
specific, don't make her nervous.
Dobby nodded, Veselur wished me luck, and the housekeeper and I
travelled to a large, handsome house that stood some distance from the
other, much smaller buildings. It was a small, neat little village that
seemed to be inhabited by ordinary people. At least I saw cars parked
outside some of the houses.
Of the Bones family, I only knew Amelia and Susan, but my classmate
should be at Hogwarts right now, so I assumed there would only be one
person in the house. However, the house spoke to the fact that this family
used to be much larger, a prime example of how internal wars affect the
lives of wizards. The structure was slightly smaller than Delacourt Manor,
but it had two floors and, at first glance, over ten rooms.
From the outside, it was hard to tell the interior layout, but I didn't need
to, so I just appreciated the delicate bas-reliefs that adorned the walls and
the openwork frames on the windows. It was about nine o'clock in the
evening, and in the dusk around me it might have seemed uninhabited,
except that there were three windows with lights on. Someone was
obviously home, and, judging by the quiet atmosphere, was not expecting
any trouble.
Once again, wondering why all wizards who had the ability to do so
didn't cast Fidelius spells on their homes, I began to walk around the
perimeter of the building, trying to find the best vantage point to view
the surrounding area. I didn't know how far the protective spells that I
was sure were there would extend, so I stayed away from the fence and
made a wider circle, and soon found a suitable tree where I could see
almost the entire area, including the space in front of the gate. I sat down
and renewed my warming charms, adjusted my invisibility cloak, and
waited for the intruders.
***
It had been almost three hours since I'd arrived, and I was dozing off
when I heard the clapping of apparatuses nearby. When I opened my
eyes, I noticed that it was dark outside, and the lights in the windows
were out. As I peered into the darkness, I could make out six wizards
appearing in front of the main gate. The devourers hadn't underestimated
Amelia, having prepared in earnest. They began to spread out around the
perimeter, and it was getting harder and harder for me to see them
because of the black robes that literally blended in with their
surroundings. Fortunately, there were no clouds in the sky, and the pale
light of the moon gave me some idea of what was happening.
At the same time, the Eaters raised their wanded hands upward, releasing
bright beams, and I felt myself pressed to the ground for a moment. It
looked like they had used some sort of anti-apparition spell, covering the
entire area. When I realised that there was no point in staying hidden, I
watched their actions for a while longer and jumped to the ground,
invisibly following them.
The Lord's followers were able to remove the defences around the house
without disturbing the spells, and I sighed, realising that they weren't as
clueless as I had wanted to think. As soon as the dome that covered the
area appeared in the air for a moment and then disappeared, they moved
forward, approaching the house from all sides.
Marking the Eater closest to me, I followed, casting a spell on my trainers
so he wouldn't be spooked by the crunch of snow behind me. When I got
close enough, I pulled out my wand and threw a non-verbal Silencio at
his back, adding Expelliarmus, Stupefy and a binding spell before he
could recover. Fortunately, the Eaters were so confident of their success
that they had not expected the attack in any way, and all four spells hit
their target. The wizard collapsed into the snow, entangled in the ropes,
and I ran over to him, picking up the fallen wand and breaking it in half.
Yes, I decided not to be petty and collect trophies, breaking the enemy's
weapon immediately. Realising that this Eater was from the inner circle
and might be able to conjure without a wand, I added another paralyser.
That should be enough for a few hours. He continued to lie face down in
the snow, and I turned his head slightly so he wouldn't suffocate, noting
that I'd been able to take Avery down in five seconds.
Once I'd dealt with one of the attackers, I moved after the next, noting
that the others had already passed halfway inside, but had slowed down,
moving in small steps and looking around. Waiting until my new target
was hidden from the others by the corner of the house, I did the same,
and another Eater was neutralised. I didn't look at who it was, realising
that I didn't have time to deal with them all.
Deciding that it was time to give our party a little more momentum, I
raised my wand above my head and fired my favourite fireworks spell, a
variation on the red sparks from the Three Wizards Tournament, but with
a loud pop. On the one hand, I was able to warn Amelia that it was time
to wake up, and on the other, I let the Eaters know that they could hide
no longer, which they gladly did, rushing towards the house at full speed,
hiding behind any cover and looking around for a new opponent.
Watching them from around the corner, I realised that they weren't
bothered by the absence of their two comrades, assuming they were on
the other side of the house. With no opportunity to attack either of them
because of the chance of being discovered, I began to await further action
on their part. They lurked close to the front door and were talking about
something, but from this distance I could not hear what they were saying.
One of them raised his wand and a silvery wolf burst out of it,
disappearing quickly into the darkness.
When I realised that it was Patronus, who had probably gone to get
reinforcements, I knew I couldn't wait any longer, and I was about to
attack the group with some powerful explosive, trying to get them all at
once, when Amelia, whom I'd already forgotten about, entered the fray,
thinking she hadn't woken up. A powerful blue wave of a spell I didn't
recognise flew from the second-floor window at the Eaters, but they had
time to react at the last moment, jumping away. Bones didn't hesitate and
continued to attack the attackers, but when they started firing back, she
disappeared from the window, probably changing her position.
Nodding to each other, the Eaters spread out again, running up to the
ground floor windows and blasting them down with explosive spells to
get inside the house. Realising that there was no hiding, they made a
veritable cacophony of sounds that made me cringe. One of the white-
masked men, however, was in no hurry to get inside, hiding outside and
apparently waiting for reinforcements. He was looking around, wand at
the ready, so I tried to proceed as carefully as I could, knowing that the
longer I delayed, the harder it would be for Amelia.
Waiting until he looked in the opposite direction, I threw my usual
Stupefai at him, but he somehow managed to react in time and raised his
shield at the last moment, peering into the darkness in front of him.
- There's an invisible man in here! - He shouted loudly for all to hear. -
Avada Kedavra!
He hurled a killing curse at the paralyser, but I had already taken a few
steps away to get around the shield he'd put up again. Mentally
grumbling at the loss of conspiracy, I launched the colourless spell I'd
recently used on Ron. It had a shorter lifespan, but it didn't give away the
attacker's location with a bright beam.
This time the spell hit its target, and I watched with satisfaction as the
wizard who'd tried to kill me fell to the stone steps with all his might,
slamming his head into them. That's how you can knock a man out
without using magic. I levitated him to the side, broke my wand and cast
distraction charms on top of him so no one would notice him before he
did.
As I ran inside the house, I heard the sounds of fighting on the first floor
and rushed to find the stairs, realising that there were three more Eaters
here, and dealing with them alone in open combat would be difficult
even for the head of the Ministry's department. Nevertheless, I kept
looking around for a possible ambush.
A loud woman's scream from above made me throw caution aside and
rush up the stairs I'd found, for fear of finding the corpse of the woman I
was trying to save.
Thanks to the muffling charms that continued to cling to my shoes, I was
able to burst into the spacious second-floor hall unnoticed. I saw the brief
but brutal battle that had taken place here. Two Eaters lay against the
wall in shapeless heaps, a mixture of blood and bones. Only their black
robes and white masks, still shining, gave them away as supporters of the
Dark Lord. Amelia didn't seem to mind them as much as I did.
The lady of the house was lying on the floor, writhing in agony under the
red beam of Cruciatus. The last remaining Eater was badly bruised, but
he kept his hand firmly pointed in the woman's direction. He was
enjoying it. I didn't need to see his face to know he was enjoying the pain
he was inflicting. He felt triumph and knew that, despite his losses, the
Dark Lord would be pleased with him.
I, on the other hand, felt uncontaminated anger. I remembered how I'd
been writhing under Riddle's Cruciatus, rolling around on the ground in
an abandoned graveyard. Realising that second year spell time was over,
I raised my wand hand, pulling it out from under my robes and said
loudly:
- Avada Kedavra! - My hand did not waver. There was no doubt in my
mind. Even my conscience, which sometimes spoke to me in little Harry's
voice, was silent. It was as if the Eater had hit an invisible obstacle. He
held his hand up for a moment, but collapsed to the floor, never to rise
again.
Amelia was breathing hard and struggling to regain consciousness, but I
noted with respect that even under torture she hadn't let go of the wand
she was trying to point in my direction.
- Calmly," I walked over to her, pulling off my robe. Leaning over, I dug
into the pockets of my jacket and pulled out an anaesthetic potion. -
Here, drink this, it's a painkiller. I have no idea if it helps after Crucio,
but it won't make it worse. She stared at my face for a few seconds,
trying to focus her gaze, then nodded and took the vial I held out, tipping
the contents into herself.
While she tried to come to her senses, I helped her up and sat her down
on the chair that had miraculously survived, then leaned against the wall
and watched her actions. Subconsciously, I was expecting nausea or some
other nasty feeling I should have had after the Avada, but nothing
happened.
Amelia looked to be in her early forties. Her dark brown hair was pulled
back into a sloppy bun, obviously a quick fix. She had neat features,
expressive lips, and the keen, intense gaze she'd given me as soon as she'd
been able to deal with the effects of the curse. She wore only a white
dressing gown, which, after the battle, had a few cuts and stains. Trying
not to pay attention to the body of the sorceress showing through the
gaps, I, however, drew her attention to a long cut on her arm.
- You are wounded. - I nodded at the wound. I have some healing
ointment if you'd like.
She shook her head, and with a careless flick of her wand she not only
healed the wound but also tidied her dressing gown, then looked at me
again.
- Potter. - She was stating the obvious, even though we'd never met, as
far as I could remember. - I was at the first round of the Tournament,
watching you fly against a dragon. It was spectacular. What are you
doing here? - I decided not to comment on my first challenge, realising
that it was as spectacular as it was stupid.
- I heard about the attack on you and thought I could help. - I decided to
be succinct without divulging too much information. We don't know
what kind of character Bones has. If it turns out that she's Umbridge's
best friend, I shouldn't have stopped the Eaters from killing her in the
first place.
- Do you think that's explanation enough? You could have just warned
me to be prepared.
- I did," I shrugged, showing that I wasn't particularly interested in her
claims. - Remember the fireworks? That was my warning.
- You mean you found out about the attack five minutes before it
happened?
- No, I found out three days before, but I thought it would make a good
trap for the Eaters. As you can see, it worked out well. I'm sorry you had
to endure the pain, but you now have the bodies of six members of
Riddle's inner circle. That's not bad at all. - Seeing her uncomprehending
look looking round the room, he decided to clarify: - three more are
outside. They're alive, you can interrogate them.
- They might as well have killed me.
- Well, they didn't, did they? - I shrugged again, realising she was right,
but not willing to admit it. Instead of just thanking me, she's trying to
chastise me. - And if I didn't show up, then I'd definitely get killed. If this
is the end of your stream of thanks, I suggest you prepare for the sequel.
They've sent a signal for help, so a new batch of wizards in black will be
here soon.
- You're right. I'm sorry, Harry. - She squeezed my shoulder, trying to
show her remorse with that simple gesture. - Thank you. The last few
months have been stressful for me and I seem to have forgotten what
sincere gratitude feels like.
- It hasn't been a difficult time for you alone. - I smiled, accepting the
apology.
- Yeah, I can't imagine what you've been through. And I understand why
you're reluctant to make contact with the Ministry. If even after you sent
me your memories, the situation in the country hasn't changed a bit. -
She shook her head dejectedly. - Now was not the time for such talk.
Calling the House elf, she ordered him to collect all the bodies in the
room to see who had risked attacking her, then made him hide and stay
hidden until she called him again. This houseboy was unusually silent.
He also found the body I'd tried to hide under the spell, and then he
bowed silently and disappeared. Amelia paid no attention to his
behaviour, approaching the first dead man who had tortured her and
ripping off his mask. Without commenting in any way on what she saw,
she made her way to the next one. After examining them all in turn, she
turned to me.
- Two alive and four dead. All of the ones that escaped Azkaban fourteen
years ago.
- Four?
- Yes, this one," she pointed to the Eater who had tried to kill me at the
entrance, "has a fractured skull. What kind of spell is that?
- It's not a spell. - I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. - It's
just that when I knocked him out, he collapsed headfirst onto your steps
and I guess the steps won. And by the way, I'd really appreciate it if I
wasn't sent to jail for using the unforgivable in front of you.
- What unforgivable? - Bones replied laconically, continuing to examine
the bodies. After updating the spells on the ones that were still alive, she
nodded in satisfaction and turned back to me.
- Good work. I'd be happy to have you in my department if you ever want
it.
- I'm fifteen," I smiled and shook my head. - Besides, working for the
Ministry is the last thing I want to do anytime soon, no offence.
She was about to reply, but she was interrupted by a set of claps outside.
Tensing, I went to the window, but looking at Amelia, I realised she was
calm.
- The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has a bit of an
advantage, Harry. I called for reinforcements as well.
Looking out the window, I saw more than a dozen aurors arising from
outside the anti-apparition charms erected by the Eaters enter the
grounds of the manor.
Chapter 39: The Second Wave
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- I guess it's time for me to say goodbye," I said, pulling on my invisibility
cloak again. - After the events of the summer, aurors don't hold any
positive emotions for me. And, if it's not too much trouble, could you
keep my presence here quiet? Many of those who know I'm alive still
think I'm the new Dark Lord, and the sight of these corpses obviously
won't rid them of that opinion.
- If you insist, Harry. - Amelia nodded. - That's odd, I've heard from
Hogwarts teachers that you crave fame.
I grimaced, knowing full well which of the professors there would say
something like that.
- Perhaps that very same professor was rushing here with the other
Riddle acolytes at the moment, and you would have a chance to check
with him on that point.
- I've noticed that you've been avoiding using the name Voldemort," she
said it without any embarrassment, expecting to see my reaction, but I
didn't raise an eyebrow. - Why?
- Because I find the name so ridiculous that it doesn't deserve any
attention. To me, he's not Lord Voldemort at all, just a maniacal Tom
Riddle hiding his half-blood and non-wizard father.
- Muggle. - She decided to correct me.
- No. I find that title rather derogatory, and I don't use it in my speech
either. Rest assured, Amelia, sooner or later wizards will regret their
disdain for non-wizards.
- I am aware of the fact that the Dark Lord is a half-blood. - She didn't
comment on what I said about ordinary people. - But how do you know
that? It's secret information available to a few.
- Are you serious? - I looked at her sceptically, realising that I had almost
no time left to get away. - I've been fighting him practically my entire
conscious life. Do you really think you know something about him that I
don't? I'm afraid to disappoint you. However, perhaps someday you and I
can continue this conversation, but for now, I'll take my leave.
When we heard more clapping outside, we looked out the window again,
seeing that the long-awaited reinforcements of the Eaters had arrived.
There was no one to reinforce them, though.
If at first I'd assumed that the Aurors could handle the Dark Lord's
supporters on their own, and that my involvement was no longer
required, it soon became clear how wrong I'd been. The Eaters were
noticeably outnumbered. About twenty of them appeared behind the
lawmen, and this time not all of them wore white masks. Other militants
joined the members of the inner circle. I even thought I saw Fenrir, who
was easily recognisable without ever having met him. That meant that
the enemy's most bloodthirsty forces had been unleashed into battle.
The Aurors, unsure of what exactly to expect on the grounds, slowly
made their way towards the house, looking around. They reacted quickly
to the clapping behind them and turned around sharply, but the Eaters,
for their part, knew exactly why they had come. And it was they who
were the first to release their spells.
Watching the unfolding events from the window, I clenched my fists.
Amelia beside me watched in pain as the Aurors died one by one. I had
secretly hoped that she, like Sebastian, had personal guards thanks to her
position, but I hadn't realised that they would be incapacitated so
quickly.
Mage-police who had not expected such resistance, against ruthless
assassins unrestrained by any laws or morals - the outcome was a
foregone conclusion. I couldn't have helped these people in time if I had
wanted to. It wasn't even a couple of minutes before it was all over-all
the Aurors, some of whom were still alive, were lying in the grounds
outside the house, and the Eaters had lost only six of them as they
continued to approach the house in a tight formation.
Seeing that they were going to finish off the surviving foes, I couldn't
stand by any longer and, opening the window, fired an aimed Bombard
at the largest cluster of pureblood bastards. Bones must have been
thinking the same thing, because another explosive curse flew at them
right after. The Eaters who hadn't had time to cover themselves with
their shields were blown to pieces, but most of them were able to jump
away before they saw the rays coming. The moans of the wounded
Aurors were joined by more cries of pain, but the dark mages did not
rush to their aid, firing at the windows of the house and slowly
destroying the structure.
- Looks like you're going to need major repairs. - I stated, taking cover
behind the window sill.
She didn't answer, staring in front of her. I realised that the deaths of her
subordinates had hit her harder than I had originally thought, so I
decided not to touch her.
I looked out carefully and saw that a new wave of attackers was closing
in on the house. I fired a targeted Reducto, disabling another one, and
had to duck back into the house when I was hit by a barrage of spells, the
most harmless of which was a slashing spell that could sever my head
from my shoulders in one fell swoop.
I sat down on the floor again, frantically wondering what to do next.
Things were out of control, I'd lost all the surprise I'd hoped for, and now
I was literally surrounded by people who would kill me without a second
thought. Realising I needed help, I turned to Bones and took her hand.
- Amelia," she looked at me with unfocused eyes. - I understand your
feelings, but this is not the time or place for grieving. There are survivors
among your Aurors, and we must help them as soon as possible.
My words seemed to have the desired effect, for she managed to pull
herself together and nodded firmly.
- You're right. But... These people have been with me for over ten years.
And now they've died so quickly fighting for me.
- This is war, Amelia. Your superiors may not admit it, but it's a war, and
people are dying every day. We have a chance to seriously thin out
Riddle's forces. We're already doing that, but in order to help your
people, we need to get rid of those Eaters coming into your house. Do
you understand?
- Yes. Let's do it. - When she saw me throw on my robe, she clung tighter
to my arm. - You're not going to leave me, are you? I don't care what
spells you use, Harry. And I'm not going to ask where you learnt it.
You've saved my life before, but I'm going to ask you to help me again.
- I'm not going anywhere, don't worry. I just prefer to keep a low profile.
If you see anyone enter the hall, cast the spell immediately.
She nodded again and got to her feet, hiding in the far corner and
pointing her wand at the corridor. I, in turn, renewed the spell on my
shoes and moved forward, listening for sounds. I had a feeling that the
Eaters should have made their way into the house and upstairs by now,
but all I could hear was some sort of commotion on the ground floor,
when suddenly a sharp, loud shriek pierced the surrounding silence.
Guessing what was going on there, I went to the stairs and lurked,
waiting for the assailants to come into sight. The noise at the bottom
gradually increased, as if there was a battle going on again, but who
exactly Riddle's followers were fighting was a mystery.
- He's behind us! - The frightened shout was abruptly interrupted and the
sounds of fighting could be heard again.
- Avada Kedavra! - The green flare was so powerful that I noticed it while
standing on the first floor.
After the death curse had been pronounced, there was a brief spell and a
rumble from downstairs, then a loud animal growl, and then the house
was quiet.
I felt like a character in some cheap horror film. My wand hand was
sweating, and my body was trembling. But I kept looking at the stairs,
and relaxed when, instead of the expected monster, I saw the Eaters
coming up slowly. They were clearly frightened, looking around
nervously and spinning around so sharply that they grazed their mates. I
don't know what exactly happened downstairs, but only four of them
reached the first floor.
Letting two of them pass me so Amelia would have a chance to get even
for her fallen comrades, I let the other two go forward a little, and took
aim at the back of the trailing one. At first I wanted to use Avada again,
but I decided not to give myself away by verbalising, and I let out a silent
Diffindo, hitting the Eater squarely in the neck. He made a gurgling
sound and clutched at the wound, trying to stop the gushing blood with
his hand, but his efforts were futile. Falling to his knees, he collapsed on
his side and gave no further sign of life.
At the same time, a loud female voice and a green flash from the side of
the hall told me that Amelia was not experiencing the same difficulties as
I was. Realising that our little trap had worked and that there were only
two Eaters left, I peered down the dark corridor separating me from the
hall and realised that both of them had already gone out to Bones.
Hurrying after them, I burst into the room and hurled a Stupefy at my
nearest opponent, assuming at the last moment that the Lord's living
supporters would be useful later. He slumped awkwardly to the floor, his
eyes spinning frantically as he tried to see where the spell had come
from. Unfortunately, in my haste to help the woman, I'd forgotten about
the bodies we'd left in the same room earlier, and as a result, I tripped
over one of them, catching my robe in the process.
The last one left standing was a member of the inner circle and looked
unharmed. Fending off Amelia's attacks and sending spells back at me, he
was distracted by the noise from the side and stared at me in surprise as
the robe came off completely, revealing my face.
- Potter?! - He shouted, and I knew who it was by the sound of his voice,
having heard him only a short while ago.
- Parkinson?! - I repeated his intonation as if I was just as surprised.
Despite his obvious surprise, he didn't lose his concentration and
continued to successfully fight Bones, turning so that we were both in
front of his eyes. He abruptly threw some purple curse at me, but I was
ready for it and jumped aside, not risking taking it on my shield.
- It's just great that you're here, Potter! Don't go anywhere!
I realised what he was up to and tried to stop him, throwing all the
curses I could think of, but he just deftly spun on his axis, letting them
pass, before slipping his hand under his robes and pulling out something,
holding it in his hand. With another wave of his wand, he pulled the
body of one of the lying Eaters toward him, shielding it from both my
Reducto and Amelia's Avada, then clutched the object in his hand and
disappeared.
- Shit!" I exclaimed loudly, kicking the paralysed Eater with all my might.
- Missed!
- That was the last one, I guess. What happened to the others, did you
have to deal with them all by yourself?
- It wasn't the last one. - I whispered, ignoring her question. - We have to
go now.
- Where? I have to help my men. - She pointed to the courtyard outside
the window, where the wounded Aurors lay, then swung her wand
sharply and sent a Patronus to someone.
- Didn't you hear what he said?! - I shouted, forgetting all politeness. -
Parkinson's about to bring his master here! Who did you call Patronus? It
didn't matter, though.
I hurriedly pulled on the robe that had fallen off, then looked out the
window and realised that things had finally spiralled out of control. We
only had one guest this time. He was walking slowly around the grounds,
paying no attention to the bodies lying there. Even though I couldn't see
from this distance, I was sure that those Aurors who hadn't passed out yet
were about to do so at the mere sight of the figure in front of them.
I knew it was impossible, but I could feel Riddle looking me straight in
the eye as he slowly approached the house.
- Harry Potter. Long time no see. - The hissing voice echoed throughout
the area, and I realised that my presence was now definitely known to all
the survivors. - Come out, boy, no more hiding. Come out and I'll spare
your new girlfriend. Although, don't you think she's a little old for you?
Still, I've heard love has its quirks. - I turned pale, thinking he was
threatening Fleur, but it was simpler than that." "My dear Amelia, you
don't think a young man can fully satisfy your needs, do you?
He laughed, and I looked at Bones, who had already recovered from her
horror at seeing the Dark Lord in her yard, and was now peering
cautiously out of the window, watching his actions. At Riddle's
insinuations, she only frowned, not giving in to his provocations. Looking
over to where I was standing, she shook her head.
- 'Don't go out there, Harry. Help is on its way.
- Help? I'm afraid there's no help, Amelia. The new Auror squad will just
end up next to the old one. But I'm really not going out. If I'm to take this
fight, it'll be on my terms.
Stepping to the far end of the hall, I stood near the entrance to one of the
bedrooms. The door was off its hinges, but in this case, that was to my
advantage.
Amelia looked out once more, and then ducked as a huge explosion blew
the window and its frame off, hurling it into the wall opposite. Riddle
laughed again, not about to lower the volume of his voice.
- What, you won't come out? Then I'll kill her first, so you can see it, and
then I'll come after you. Although maybe you and I should go to France
and visit your other girlfriend first. I bet she'd love to see me.
- Amelia, I'll be here," I waved my hand from under my robes, no longer
paying any attention to Riddle's words. - Protect yourself and don't be
surprised by anything.
- What are you up to? You're not going to fight him, are you? This is
madness! Leave while you still have a chance.
- That chance was gone before I was born," I said quietly, feeling the
weight of it on my shoulders, "when some mediocre fortune-teller made
the prophecy that started it all.
- What are you talking about, Harry?
- It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I have an opportunity to
end this reptile once and for all, and I'm not going to let it go.
Another explosion from the ground floor told us that Riddle hadn't
bothered to open the front door and had simply blown it off its hinges. As
I froze in place, I felt myself stabbing. Amelia continued to stand by the
remains of the window, pointing her wand into the corridor. Her hand
wasn't shaking, unlike mine. The thought crossed my mind that she
would make an excellent Minister.
The measured footsteps coming from the staircase made me concentrate.
Riddle walked leisurely into the hall and surveyed the room, paying
particular attention to the bodies lying at his feet. He didn't even glance
at Amelia, her arm outstretched in front of her, pretending she wasn't
there.
- You failed me," he said to those Eaters who were conscious, "But you
caught Potter. There is a reward for that.
He looked around the room once more and looked at Amelia, who was
staring at him with a hateful look.
- Why aren't you attacking? I remember your brother was much more
determined. It didn't help him, though.
- Reducto! - Bones gave in to the provocation and shouted the spell
loudly, but Riddle only raised his shield lazily, then sent Amelia into the
wall with a wave of his hand. She shrieked and slid to the floor, but
remained conscious as she continued to watch his actions.
- How trivial. - The lord pretended to yawn. - I expected more from you
Amelia. But where is your young friend? Where are you, Harry? Come
out, don't be afraid. You know you can't hide from me. You're not having
as much fun as the Malfoys? It's all right, we're going to have a lot of fun
together. I know you're here, Potter!
He abruptly changed his tone and waved his wand, launching Revelio.
The wave had no sooner reached me than he turned around abruptly and
smiled, raising his wand and turning his back to me.
- You're right, Riddle, I'm here. - He twitched and started to turn back
around. - Avada Kedavra!
The green beam flew straight at him, but by some incredible, truly
serpentine movement, he managed to twist round and let it pass him,
falling on his side.
But I wasn't looking at it anymore. Once again hiding under my robes, I
ran into the bedroom I had prepared in advance.
- Insolent boy, Avada Kedavra! - Riddle's scream echoed throughout the
house, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a beam that carried only
death in it.
Chapter 40: Trap
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I felt the whole world spinning around me.
Standing in the same room with the door blown off, I could see shadows
moving in the hall, flashes of colour outside the windows, but I couldn't
hear a sound, as if someone had turned the volume down. I'd felt that
way once before, but that time I hadn't known what to expect, I'd been
worried sick with worry about Sirius, and Granger had been in charge.
Now I could fully appreciate how amazing the device was in my hands.
And once again, I was amazed that a third year girl could have been
entrusted with the Flywheel.
I'd risked only one turn for several reasons: first, I didn't fully understand
how the thing worked or what it could do. Secondly, I needed to get into
the time period when the protective charms were already removed, so as
not to accidentally disturb them with my sudden appearance. And
thirdly, I was sadly aware that I couldn't help those aurors if I wanted to
without giving myself away. Remembering that Granger had taken three
turns that time to set us back three hours, I logically assumed that an
hour would be enough for me.
It was a major part of the plan I had devised with Veselur and Dobby - to
use the Flywheel to save myself and possibly defeat my enemy. Even
though I didn't think Riddle would show up in person, my knowledge of
the original story told me that the possibility was there. Admittedly, this
time I was the cause of his appearance myself, glowering at Parkinson
and letting him get away with it.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I once again put the spell on
my shoes, once again adjusted my robes, and stepped cautiously out into
the hall, watching what was happening. Amelia was standing at the
window, in her off-white dressing gown, staring intently at the action
unfolding there. To her left was myself. I knew I should be there, but my
robe kept me safely hidden from everyone's gaze, including my own.
Remembering what would happen next, I waited until my younger, albeit
only an hour younger, version rushed to the window, throwing Bombarda
out, and walked cautiously down the hall towards the stairs.
Already on my way out, I noticed the body of one of the Eaters, whose
leg was sticking straight up the passage. Realising that it was the cause of
my failure, I wanted to move it out of the way, but I stopped myself at
the last moment. I'm sorry, Harry, you can't change time.
As I went downstairs, I realised that I was now going to have to fight the
Eaters that had broken through. That had been my assumption when I'd
heard the screams from upstairs. And now all I had to do was make sure
of it. It had ended rather ambiguously, but did that mean I was going to
be killed? But I didn't need to think about that.
When I saw the dark mages stretching around the perimeter of the house,
going to climb into the windows at the same time, I moved to the far end
of the house and decided to move smoothly from there, eliminating them
one by one and trying to make as little noise as possible. A real ninja. I
wish I had one of those swords Veselur was talking about, things would
be a lot more interesting. It's too bloodthirsty, though. I've already killed
enough people today to give me nightmares for months. And now there's
going to be even more people. It was a good idea, though, so when I saw
a rack of knives in the kitchen, I pulled one out and held it in my left
hand. Just in case.
Wondering why the Eaters couldn't just crowd through the door like
normal people did, I missed the moment when a silhouette in a black
robe suddenly appeared at the nearest window. He simply soared above
the ground, using some spell unknown to me, and carried himself over
the frame. The glass was still shattered by the blast wave from the very
first spell Amelia had fired today.
Carefully landing a few feet away from me, he looked around and slowly
moved forward. The layout of the house looked like this, with a long
corridor running along the windows on the ground floor, with rooms
branching off from it. Stretching out, Riddle's followers had time to
quickly check each room, and gather at the staircase. At least, that was
the plan as I watched the attacker who was furthest from the entrance.
Waiting until no one was looking in his direction, I pulled out my wand
and cast four spells at him as quickly as possible: Silenzio to stop him
from informing his comrades of his problem, Expelliarmus to stop him
from answering me, Stupefai to stop him from twitching, and Vingardium
Leviosa to stop him from collapsing to the floor, causing a commotion
throughout the house, and lift him gently into the air. It was impossible
to miss from that distance, and now the Eater was floating in the air in
front of me with his eyes wide open.
Wondering whether or not to kill him, I decided not to, leaving him to
the mercy of the Aurors. If I killed Riddle, the hooded boy would go to
Azkaban. If I don't, then I don't care what happens to him next. Slowly
placing him on the floor, I added the familiar binding spell and snapped
his wand in half.
Moving on, I had time to do the same to two more devourers when my
perfect crime was interrupted by their colleague suddenly turning the
corner. I froze, coming face to face with him. At first he didn't notice me
because of my robes, but as he lowered his gaze he realised he could see
my wand-holding hand dangling in the air. I had to give him credit for
his reaction - he jerked to the side throwing his wand up, but I, as the
youngest catcher in the last hundred years, had better reflexes, and I
instantly caught him off guard, reaching my left hand out and jabbing my
knife into his side.
He screamed loudly, drawing the attention of his mates. Pulling my wand
from his hand and taking the knife out of his wound, I dashed to the side
and hid behind the couch, wiping the knife against its upholstery.
Breaking my wand, I saw two Eaters slowly approaching the body. One of
them squatted down and examined the injured man. The other was
looking around, eyeing every nook and cranny.
- He's unconscious, he's been hit by something cutting. - The first
muttered, conjuring bandages for his mate.
At that moment I crept up on the second, realising that I had to take
them both out at once. But as soon as I pulled out my wand, the
squatting one saw it and shouted loudly:
- He's in the back!
Realising that there was no time, I pulled out my knife again and plunged
it into the neck of the Eater who was turning towards me, at the same
time drawing my wand and taking aim at the shouting man.
- Avada Kedavra! - I shouted loudly, and a powerful stream of green light
literally passed through me, smashing into the man's chest and dropping
him beside his colleagues.
Looking around, I realised that the other Eaters had decided not to help
their comrades, moving purposefully upwards, knowing that that was
where their target was hiding. Bringing my wand up to my eyes, I
realised why they called her Elder. That flow that came out of her said
that she was clearly enjoying what was going on. A wand with a trail of
blood running through history. Many wizards have sought to wield it, but
few have died their deaths. Perhaps I should get rid of her in the future if
she continues to act like this.
Examining the wand, it was only at the last moment that I noticed the
spell beam coming towards me. I jerked to the side, unable to move out
of the line of fire completely, and immediately felt a sharp pain in my left
shoulder. Looking up, I saw Fenrir standing a few metres away from me,
grinning with pleasure.
- Potter. - He said in a low, ominous voice that didn't match the broad
smile. - I didn't expect to see you here.
I wasn't in the mood for a long conversation, realising that I was losing
more blood by the second, so I rolled to the side and fired a Reducto at
him, which he managed to shield himself from.
- Do you want to play?
Raising his arm, Greyback fired a yellow beam in my direction and
followed it up with a bind. It looked like he was trying to take me alive,
which was to my advantage.
Reflecting both spells, I used my first year knowledge again and lifted the
couch I'd been hiding behind into the air. As I threw it at the werewolf, I
felt myself growing tired. My strength was draining away. I didn't know
if it was the wound or the fact that I'd been fighting for hours, but I knew
that if I didn't finish Fenrir as soon as possible, I'd never finish him.
He used the explosive to rip the couch to shreds, but that was exactly
what I'd been waiting for, sending a powerful jet of air at him at the same
time. The splinters flew back at the werewolf, and his shield didn't stop
all of them. I could see the wooden stakes smashing into his chest and
shoulder, but his regeneration allowed him to ignore such wounds.
He roared loudly, showing his true nature, and lunged at me without his
wand, trying to transform into a wolf as he went. Before he could do
what he intended, I leapt towards him, slipping between his arms and
thrusting my knife at him, aiming for his heart.
He collapsed on top of me, dead. Looks like the knife was silver. Though
maybe a regular knife was enough for him. I lay under the carcass for a
few moments, trying to get out without disturbing my left arm. When I
did, I examined the body and saw that I had caught it mid-
transformation, when its limbs had already begun to curve and become
furred, but its torso was still human. Quite an unpleasant sight.
Realising that I couldn't get the knife out, I crouched down beside him
and tried to examine the wound. My precious cloak of invisibility was
hopelessly ruined-the cutting spell had gone through it like paper, cutting
the shoulder to the bone. I put on a bandage and tried to stop the blood,
knowing it wasn't over yet. But the wound was clearly not easy - blood
kept oozing out, no matter how many bandages I applied. Remembering
all my meagre knowledge of healing magic, I slapped myself on the
forehead, realising that I still had potions.
Digging into my pockets, I pulled out two vials. I uncorked the first,
clamped the towel in my teeth, and poured its contents over the wound,
watching through the pain to see if the healing ointment would do the
trick. When he saw that the blood was slowing down, he conjured the
bandages again, and then wrapped the same towel around his arm. It was
extremely uncomfortable, but I did my best. After that, I drank the
contents of the second vial, which contained an invigorating potion.
When I felt a small surge of strength and the pain lessened, I realised that
I was able to hold out a little longer. The noise upstairs told me that the
matter was coming to a close, which meant that Parkinson was about to
go after his master. Getting to my feet, I moved away from the dead
werewolf and tried to hide so Riddle wouldn't see me before I did.
I tried using Reparo on my robes for fun, but it expectedly had no effect.
Nevertheless, I tried to wrap myself in it so that the hole wouldn't be very
visible. It was better than staying completely out in the open anyway.
Leaning my head back against the wall, I tried to calm my frantically
pounding heart, ready to burst out of my chest at any moment. A
multitude of emotions enveloped me from all sides: fear, anticipation,
fatigue, anger, pity. I realised that these were probably the last minutes
of my life. Would I want to change anything? Probably not. Use the
flywheel again if something went wrong? No way, I couldn't take it. I
regretted not saying goodbye to Fleur, but hopefully Dobby and Veselur
would be able to explain to her what had happened. I didn't have
anything else to regret. Even if I met Death now, I could definitely tell
him I'd done my best.
A loud clap signalled the Dark Lord's arrival. I listened to his jokes again,
wondering if this reptile even knew what love and sex were, then
watched him walk to the front door. As he approached, he swung his
wand lazily, knocking the door off its hinges and throwing it a few
metres into the distance. Once inside, he looked around, glancing at
Fenrir's body, but his face showed no emotion. I was still wary of glaring
at him openly, afraid he might feel the stare, but he turned away and
walked towards the stairs, leisurely ascending the steps.
Once I was on my feet, I silently followed, watching my step and trying
not to hit any debris. Did I say something about an overhaul? I thought it
would be easier for Amelia to tear down the house and build a new one.
When I reached the first floor, I listened to the conversation going on in
the hall as I continued to slowly creep closer. Here was Riddle provoking
Amelia with the mention of her brother, who he had apparently
personally killed in the first war, and now he was starting to look for me.
- I know you're here, Potter!
I felt a wave of air pass through me, and Riddle immediately turned
around to face me, smiling contentedly. I had to do my best not to twitch
or give away my presence in any way, standing right in front of him.
- You're right, Riddle, I'm here," my voice came from across the room.
There was a look of immense surprise on the Lord's face as he abruptly
started to turn back around, raising his wand. - Avada Kedavra!
I saw the beam I'd fired fly straight at him, but Riddle managed to dodge
and fall to the floor, letting the spell pass over him. Stepping aside, I let
the curse pass further down the corridor and pointed my wand at Riddle.
He propped himself up on his hands and, seeing that I was nowhere to be
seen, shouted loudly:
- Cheeky boy, Avada Kedavra!
- Avada Kedavra! - I shout loudly at the same time as him, giving him no
opportunity to dodge again. His wand is pointed forward, a spell that I
know is aimed at the void. He can't defend himself, he can't dodge, he
doesn't even have time to look in my direction. The elder wand, as if
delighted to have another opportunity to take someone's life, again
unleashes a powerful stream of deadly light that hits the half-lying Riddle
and literally covers him, ripping the remnants of what was once called a
soul from his pathetic body.
He doesn't know that he no longer has Horcruxes and is mortal, but the
important thing is that I know it, watching his demise closely, trying not
to miss a single, even the tiniest detail. I see the light in his eyes go out,
the arm he was leaning on as he released the spell go under, his collapsed
body fall to the floor.
I fall to the floor beside him, losing what little strength I have left. I'm
covered in other people's and my own blood, I'm having trouble
breathing, and my shoulder hurts like hell. At Death's torn third gift, I
clutch his first gift in my hand.
I feel a sense of satisfaction.
Chapter 41: Playing Ahead
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I realised that nothing was over yet. That there were Death Eaters lying
all around me, and I needed to update the spell on them to keep it up at
the worst possible moment, that the Aurors were still suffering in the
courtyard, that the ones Amelia had summoned were rushing in, and that
I wasn't ready for any arguments or confrontations, but I couldn't help
myself. I lay next to the corpse of the Dark Lord and stared up at the
ceiling, allowing myself a brief respite. Giving myself a chance to savour
this triumph.
- Ha... Harry? - Amelia walked over to where parts of my body were
sticking out from under my robe and then gently pulled it aside, looking
at me with a look full of tears. - You did it, Harry. I don't know how you
did it, but you did it.
She shifted her gaze from me to the other end of the hall where she had
seen me a few moments ago, then shook her head.
- I don't understand how that's possible. You were just there, but now
you're here. You moved silently, which means it's not an apparition, and
besides, the house is covered by a dome. A portal? Also impossible - too
fast and too quiet. What did you do? And where did the other Eaters go?
- Amelia," I sighed and settled into a sitting position. - I'll tell you
everything, but don't you think we have more important things to do
right now? Dobby!
- Master Harry Potter sir! - The excitement of the houseboy had forgotten
all our arrangements. He started hugging me and bouncing merrily,
oblivious to his surroundings. - Dobby's so happy you're alive! Dobby was
so worried! Dobby urgently needs to tell the goblin that you're alright
because he's as worried as Dobby is! But Dobby is bigger!
- Dobby," I said quietly, trying to interrupt his shouting. Bones looked at
my houseboy with undisguised surprise, as if she couldn't believe they
weren't all like her silent elf. Dobby looked at me and began to listen. -
Go to St Mungo's and tell them that Amelia Bones's house was attacked
by Eaters and there are injured. Tell them to send some medical teams.
The houseboy nodded and was about to carry out the errand when
Amelia stopped him.
- It will take time for them to verify this information. The brigades aren't
as quick as we'd like them to be.
Thinking about the peculiarities of calling a doctor in the magical world,
I decided to give Dobby a little more authority.
- Tell them it's a personal request from Harry Potter. Let's see if my name
really means anything to the wizards of Britain. - I'd forgotten that most
people still thought I was dead, and the medics might not respond to the
call at all, thinking it was some kind of joke.
The housekeeper nodded, and Amelia helped me up, leading me into one
of the surviving rooms and sitting me down on the couch.
- I'm not sure this will speed them up. But we have no better choice. I
sent the Patronus to Scrimjer, but he's in no hurry either, as you can see.
Thinking about Scrimger, I decided to involve another group of people in
our party, trying to have a little influence on the future life of the entire
magical society of this country in general and one fifteen-year-old wizard
in particular. After checking with Amelia about how exactly to send a
voice message with the Patronus, I waved my wand, and soon the silver,
glowing stag was galloping away, dispelling the darkness outside the
window.
- Did you decide to call Dumbledore? - Amelia drew a logical, but
completely wrong conclusion.
- No, not at all. Now I'm not ready to meet the old man, because I will
definitely try to kill him, but my current state will not allow it.
- Kill Dumbledore? - She frowned. - Harry, you'll be a hero forever now,
of course, but your bloodthirsty tendencies are frightening.
I grinned and realised that in the long game with the old man, I needed
to play it safe. I may have killed Riddle, fulfilling my main purpose, but
Dumbledore and Flamel were unharmed and almost unharmed, apart
from the younger man's black hand. It couldn't be left like this.
- Amelia, to be frank, I've called in the reporters. I want them to be the
first to see exactly what happened here, capture everything, and have
time to preserve the original version of events before anyone tries to
interrupt them. - She nodded, accepting my argument, but I wasn't done
yet: "But the main thing I want to do is for Britain to see exactly who was
not afraid to stand up to the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself.
Who defeated him and who was able to save everyone, despite Fudge's
assurances. And I'm not talking about me now.
There was a realisation in her eyes. Surprise was replaced by doubt,
turning to determination. Looking at me firmly, she frowned.
- Mr Potter. Am I to understand that you are trying to make me the new
Minister of Magic without my consent?
- Unfortunately, you are absolutely right, Madam Bones. - I had no
qualms about it, knowing that she's not really against it. - Let's drop the
formalities, I'm still just Harry to you. And don't try to pretend you're
offended. After all, if you don't like the idea, no one is forcing you to
accept the post, you can just enjoy the honours.
- You know, Harry," she looked at me with interest, "until yesterday I
thought Susan was incredibly intelligent for her age. But now I realise
she's not the only one. That's very perceptive of you. Say, would you like
to come and see us in the holidays when she's home?
- I'm sorry," I smiled at her attempt to look after my niece's welfare, "but
I'm already engaged.
- I'm sorry," she sounded upset. She suddenly remembered what exactly
was going on in her house. Summoning her elf, who was thankfully
unharmed, she gave him a few orders and then began to watch them
being carried out.
The housekeeper renewed the paralysers on all the living Eaters, and
began stacking them in the yard. As a result, there were three uneven
piles in front of the house - one with the dead Lord's supporters, one with
the ones who could still give some evidence, and one with the Aurors in
separate rows. Bones and I looked over the surviving lawmen and made
sure they were going to be all right.
Deciding to help the housekeeper a little, I took the liberty of finding a
particularly long and sturdy wooden beam among the destruction
everywhere and sticking it into the ground. Then I levitated Riddle's body
and literally nailed it to the beam. The corpse towered over the area,
showing anyone who showed up that this reptile was finished.
After observing my actions but not commenting on them, Amelia decided
to continue our conversation:
- Still, I want to know what exactly you want to make me Minister for. I
can't deny that it's an attractive opportunity, and with your help," she put
her hand around her surroundings, "I have a chance. But why?
I sighed, realising that this was going to be a long story. After a bit of
silence, I waved my wand and summoned several of the small glass flasks
I'd seen in the house earlier. Silently filling them with my memories, I
tried to clearly visualise exactly what I wanted to show her. It had to be
exhaustive information about many things, but at the same time I
couldn't let my secrets shine through. When I had finished, I looked at
Bones and began to describe the reasons for my decision:
- Firstly, you, even though we've only known each other for a few hours,
are the only person with any real weight in this country that I can trust
in any way. And I hope I can trust you and not get another stab in the
back. - She nodded curtly, and I continued: - Secondly, I don't really give
a damn about what's going on in this country. In all the time I've known
the magical world, I've almost always had to experience negativity here.
But I realise that's a path that leads nowhere. I can't even begin to
imagine how difficult it will be for you to fix this, but I hope that by
picking a reliable team, you can pull Britain out of the mire. Take care of
education at Hogwarts, where almost all disciplines are lame, establish
contact between different segments of the population, improve relations
with magical creatures, implement non-magical technologies. But I'm not
the one to tell you all that. As far as I can tell, you understand it all as
well as I do.
She nodded again, realising that being a true Minister was a hard job,
requiring an iron will and all the strength she had. I know she can do it.
- I have no intention of getting involved in politics in any way for the
next few years and just want to live for myself. But if you need any kind
of support, you can always contact me. I'll do what I can. And one more
thing: I need your help with something, and hopefully, when things settle
down a bit, you'll be able to make time for it. - I handed her the vials of
my memories. Everything was in there: a couple of episodes from my life
with the Dursleys, Hagrid breaking in in the middle of the night,
Cerberus, a troll, the obstacle course at the end of first year, Riddle's face
on the back of Quirrell's head, acromantulas, a huge basilisk I fight,
petrified students, Dementors at a Quidditch match, and a bunch of other
times when I was in danger. I also haven't forgotten to add to this the
way Dumbledore tried to drugging me with potions in an attempt to
regain my trust, and how he kidnapped me more recently, holding me
captive with Flamel and raping my mind before dumping me in a landfill.
- Here is the answer to why I want to kill Dumbledore. If you succeed, I'd
like to initiate a trial. Just a normal trial, not like the one I had last time.
- I hastened to clarify, not mentioning that Black hadn't had much better
luck once, either. - If not, well, I'll try to think of something else.
Amelia tucked the vials into the pocket of her dressing gown and thought
hard about something. I was slow to break the long silence, wondering
why no one had shown up here yet. She'd have to do something about
that slowness, too.
- You do realise that all this talk is pointless at the moment, don't you? -
Bones asked. - I'm not the Minister of Magic. I might be able to start a
trial from my position, but all those grandiose goals you're talking about
might just remain goals.
- Again, I realise it won't be easy, and the whole thing is a matter of
years, no less. But as for your future destination - I have little doubt
about that. Fudge will be out as soon as the truth is known, that is, in
five or ten minutes. I hope he'll be locked up in Azkaban for all his
crimes. And who can take his place besides you? Scrimgeour's an auror
and the war's just ended. All that's left is to find Parkinson and make sure
all the Azkaban Eaters are there for the rest of their lives. Kingsley? Don't
be ridiculous. If anything, I can provide a few compromising facts about
him if you need to play dirty. Who else could be your competition?
- I don't know, Harry. - She shook her head as if she couldn't believe she'd
just been asleep a few hours ago, unaware of the turmoil to come. - You
talk a good game, but if the Wizengamot really does remove Fudge from
office, there will be a real war for his place.
- You'll have the support of the people in that war. And mine, if that
means anything.
I wondered if I was doing the right thing by trusting her with my
memories, and my intuition immediately told me it was okay. If she can't
handle this, then I'll have to attack Dumbledore personally. I'm not going
to let the old man die of his own accord, not after everything he's done.
And by acting quickly, I can keep him from taking part in this victory.
I was distracted from my thoughts by a slight buzzing sound. Turning to
its source, I saw a small beetle circling around us. Grinning, I reached
forward with an open palm, allowing the beetle to land.
- Look, Amelia, my Patronus was much more effective.
She looked bewildered, first at me and then at the beetle sitting on my
hand, which I addressed:
- Hello, Rita. Have you been here long?
The beetle soared into the air and transformed into a short blonde
woman dressed in a dark trouser suit. She looked around the yard,
spotted the makeshift scarecrow I'd made, and froze with her mouth
open, brightly outlined in red lipstick.
- Harry, is that who I think it is? - She ignored my question, just as she
ignored Amelia's surprise, clearly unaware of the journalist's animagic
abilities.
- Depends on who you're thinking of. If it's the one some people call by
the ridiculous name of Lord Voldemort, then yes, that's exactly what his
dead body is.
- How? What? - Skeeter was completely speechless. More and more
details of what had happened were revealed to her: the piles of bodies,
the ruined house, and my extremely painful appearance.
While she was trying to find words and regain her journalistic grip, the
courtyard was filled with more clapping. A multitude of people appeared
at the gates, and more and more appeared with each passing moment. I
saw an auror squad led by a man with a mane of hair. Apparently, this
was the Scrimgeour. Thanks to the lights suspended over the courtyard in
advance, I could see that Kingsley and Tonks were standing among the
aurors. A group of wizards with small suitcases in their hands appeared
not far from that group. It looked like the medics had finally arrived.
Some people appeared one by one, and I couldn't recognise who they
were. Maybe they were journalists, or maybe they were just some other
representatives of the Ministry.
Regardless of the purpose of the wizards' arrival, they all stopped at the
gate, surveying the scene before them. Driving their gazes around the
grounds, they soon settled on Riddle's body and winced. I'm pretty sure I
noticed one of them naturally crossing himself.
- What happened here! - Rita came to her senses and realised that her
colleagues could now snatch the main scoop from under her nose.
- Well, ladies," I rose to my feet and staggered heavily, realising that I
urgently needed a rest. - I'm afraid I must leave you.
- Absolutely not! - Skitter exclaimed. - I need an interview!
- Amelia will do a much better job than I can. I'm sure she can find the
right words.
I winked at Bones, who hugged me gently, once again thanking me for
saving her.
I took one last look round the grounds, glanced at Broustver, who was
still staring at me, called for Dobby, and carried on into the flat, leaving
Amelia alone in this huge, boiling cauldron. I hope she makes it.
Chapter 42: Really
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Once in the flat, I realised I could barely stand on my feet. Collapsing
onto the bed, I trusted my condition completely to Dobby and Veselur.
The goblin was all around me, both happy that I'd made it and worried
about my condition, while the houseboy helped me get rid of my clothes
and remove the dirt and blood covering my body.
I realised that I needed to do it myself, that I needed to go for a shower,
but I couldn't even get my hand off the bed. My strength had finally left
me, the tension of the last few hours had wrung me out like a rag,
leaving only endless fatigue. Most likely, the Elder Wand was also
involved. After all, such powerful waves of the killing spell must have
had some effect on my physical state. But I decided to postpone that
question until my next meeting with Death. Perhaps he could explain to
me exactly what it was. If he's going to see me at all, of course.
As I watched my friends' movements, I noted Veselur's failure to fully
heal the wound on my shoulder. He had tried all the spells that had saved
me from injury during our sparring sessions, but Fenrir seemed to be
using something much darker. Desperate, they decided to call for Mitty,
who I'd given access to the flat.
The Malfoy elf had already learnt from somewhere that I had managed to
defeat the evil wizard, and was unusually talkative, but I couldn't answer
him properly, limiting myself to one-word phrases.
Together, the three of them managed to patch up my injuries, clean me
up, and put me to bed. It was saved by the fact that the Malfoy houseboy
was familiar with the curse, as he had encountered it many times before.
And I rejoiced at this care, realising that I had made the right choice in
picking my friends. Closing my eyes, I realised that tomorrow I could
finally go to Fleur and tell her everything that was eating me. Hopefully,
she wouldn't turn her back on me.
***
When I woke up, I listened to myself and realised I wasn't in any pain. I
felt refreshed and rested, as if I hadn't been through all the misadventures
of the night before. I looked outside the window and saw that it was still
dark - it looked like I had slept all day.
I got out of bed and went for a shower before walking into the kitchen
and saying hello to my lodgers.
- Harry, how are you feeling? - Veselur looked me over from head to toe
and seemed satisfied with what he saw.
- Oddly enough, fine. - I answered, sitting down at the table and enjoying
the coffee Dobby had served me. - Nothing hurts. Thank you for taking
care of me. - The elf nodded happily, and the goblin just waved his hand
without meaning to. - How are we doing? Anything new?
Veselur grinned and shook his head, pointing to a stack of papers I hadn't
noticed.
- You have no idea. - He stretched, watching with interest as I pulled the
stack toward me and started picking at it.
The stack consisted of two newspapers, obviously brought by Dobby, a
few letters, and some invitations, which, unlike the letters, were not
wrapped in envelopes.
Picking up the Prophet, I saw a screaming headline announcing the death
of the Dark Lord. On the front page were two photographs-one of Riddle's
body, nailed by me to a wooden beam, swaying slightly in the breeze.
The other was of myself, as Amelia hugged me. I don't know how Skitter
does it, but she managed to capture the moment. Now everyone could see
exactly who was involved in the fall of the dark forces. Even though I
didn't want to shine the spotlight, the collodograph wasn't bad, and I
decided that Amelia could use this image of a caring woman right now.
Equally important to the public was the fact that I was alive. Now that
my name had been cleared, and I had taken part for the second time in
the murder of a maniac who had terrorised Britain for years, my
resurrection was being presented as nothing less than a grace. Even
though I didn't get a front page, it was still a pleasure to read about how
I, at my young age, dealt with all the injustices of my life and
triumphantly returned to save everyone. That said, how exactly I escaped
death, the journalists did not elaborate. That's okay, if it was ever
needed, I already had a suitable explanation prepared about the
regenerating soul I'd received from Fleur.
Flicking through the newspaper, I noted that it was not just about these
events. That said, so much had happened while I was asleep that I
couldn't choose which article to tackle first. I decided that I should
concentrate on the important things first, so I began the story of what
had happened at the Bownes' house. Amelia had hidden almost nothing,
telling it exactly as it happened. She mentioned that I had warned her of
the attack and saved her.
She blamed the Death Eaters' deaths on the Aurors, who had killed far
more enemies in the heat of battle than they had originally thought. She
killed three, including the one who'd cast Cruciatus on her. I, in her
version of the story, had limited myself to the spells from the school
curriculum, binding and immobilising enemies. It's because of me that
the Aurorate has the opportunity to interrogate the prisoners.
Fortunately, none of the prisoners saw me kill their colleagues. Even the
one I stabbed quickly blacked out and missed all the fun. The only kill on
my account was the Lord himself. Bones didn't take credit for that one,
though I wouldn't have minded. Fortunately, the Prophet filed it in such a
way that an orphan's revenge for murdered parents was realised, and the
spell used was not mentioned.
Looking through the rest of the articles, I wasn't the least bit surprised to
see that an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot unanimously removed
Fudge as Minister and he was immediately taken into custody. The article
was accompanied by an amusing photograph of Cornelius holding his
cauldron and looking as surprised as if he didn't realise what he was
being accused of. Amelia was appointed acting officer. Everything was
going according to plan. Hopefully, she would be officially confirmed
soon.
There was no mention of Dumbledore and his supporters in the paper,
and I tensed inwardly, knowing that the old man could be expected to
say anything. But there was an article about how the law enforcement
had managed to track down and arrest Parkinson. Well, by the looks of it,
only Malfoy and Snape were still at large. The former will have to be
made to understand that if he wants to continue to enjoy his freedom, he
should support the new Minister in everything he does, but the latter I'd
like to see in a cell next door to his friends.
Putting the Prophet aside, I picked up another paper, but it said much the
same thing. Except that they hadn't got as exclusive a collodograph as
Rita had done.
The letters and invitations were far less exciting: unknown to me, wizards
were inviting me to some sort of celebrations and balls in honour of
getting rid of the Dark Lord, but I certainly wasn't going to let the hosts
of those events brag to the guests about Harry Potter being there. The
letters were from Luna, Granger, and Malfoy. Folding them up and
putting them in my pocket, I decided that I would familiarise myself with
their contents a little later. I couldn't put off seeing Fleur any longer. I
was dreading it, but at the same time I longed to feel her body in my
arms as soon as possible.
Thanking Dobby, I asked him to bring a bouquet of some meadow
flowers and put on my most decent suit, nervously smoothing out the
small creases.
- A real groom. - Veselur looked at me appraisingly and smiled. - Don't
worry, it'll be fine.
- You don't understand," I started to say, but he just waved his hand.
- That you're not the Harry you used to be? - He laughed when he saw
the surprised look on my face. - I understand. I'm your family's solicitor
after all, Harry. It's my job to note any changes that happen to the
account holders I manage. If you don't, you'll be out of a job in no time. I
realised your escape from Azkaban wasn't as easy as you wanted to make
it seem when we first met. But it doesn't matter. Just because a person
has some new character traits doesn't mean they should be called an
impostor.
I just shook my head, realising that I had once again underestimated the
goblin.
- How did you know? Whether you're an attorney or not, we've never met
before so you might have noticed my changed character.
- Aura, Harry. Goblins don't just look at a wizard's blood, they look at
their aura. That said, thanks to our long lives, we have very good
memories. And you're wrong, we've met before. Though maybe you don't
remember that, since you were only eight months old. - He grinned. -
Every wizard has an aura from birth. It doesn't affect anything and
doesn't change with age, only grows stronger. Humans don't see it and
deny its existence. But for goblins, the aura is a way of identifying their
client. If someone drinks that Polyjuice potion of yours and turns into
you, I'll notice it right away. So it turns out I saw your aura when you
were a baby, but it's a little different now. Not much, but enough to make
it impossible to explain with simple reasons. And by the way, I've heard
Veela have a similar ability. I don't know if your fiancée has it, but her
mother does.
That last sentence left me stunned, trying to digest what I'd heard.
So Apolline knew there was something wrong with me? After all, she'd
seen me at the second trial and could see that my aura had changed. She
might not have noticed it at the time, or she might have forgotten. Maybe
Fleur has that ability too. And then she already knows everything? Oh,
too many assumptions and not enough information. Instead of guessing,
it's better to go and find out.
- I didn't realise it was possible. Thank you for telling me, Veselur. And
double thanks for not kicking me out of the bank the other day.
- You're welcome, Harry. Your aura may have changed a bit, but it's still
yours, so I was cool with it. Now, go and make sure everything's all right.
Dobby and I aren't going anywhere.
He pointed behind me, where a houseboy was already standing with
fresh, freshly cut flowers. I don't know where he'd managed to get them
in the middle of January, but I was grateful. I always was.
With a loud exhale, I put my hand on the houseboy's shoulder and
immediately moved to the gates of the very house where I'd found my
new family.
- Harry Potter sir! - Ricky was pleased to see me. - I'll let Mistress Fleur
know you're here.
- No, no, wait. - I stopped him. - Let it be a surprise.
- As you wish.
With a bow, Ricky disappeared, as did Dobby, whom I'd sent back to
London. After wrinkling my nose a little at the gate, I strode resolutely
inside, approaching the front door and slipping into the house. As soon as
I had taken a few steps down the corridor, Sebastian came out of the
nearest room to meet me. He looked at the guest in surprise, but
recognising him as his future son-in-law, he was about to say something
when I put my finger to my lips, pointing upstairs towards Fleur's room.
He understood, smiled and nodded, then squeezed me in a hug, which I
immediately responded to. Patting me on the shoulders, he continued to
smile brightly, clearly knowing all about the night's events, and stepped
aside, letting me pass towards the stairs.
When I reached the room, I gathered my will into a fist and knocked
gently, waiting for an invitation to enter. At that moment, I felt like a
fifteen-year-old teenager for the first time. The short separation had
brought back a lot of insecurity, and now I felt as if everything that had
happened lately had happened to someone else, and I was still the same
Harry from the Room of Requirement, worried only about liking the
other champion and the possibility of running into a snot-tail in the
maze.
But once I heard her voice, stepped inside, and saw her, all my worries
were washed away by a wave of new sensations. Fleur was sitting in a
chair, holding a letter that turned out to be my last note. She was
rereading something and ignored the door, frowning her eyebrows and
biting her lip. She was wearing only a light blue dressing gown that came
to mid-thigh, and Veela was clearly fresh out of the shower, as I could
tell from the slightly damp hair. She was so sweet, so homely, that one
glance was enough to realise how much I missed her and how much I
missed her. She was the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,
and no matter what happened to me in the future, no matter where I
went, I would always want to go back to her.
- Fleur," I said in a suddenly hoarse voice, catching her attention.
Her head snapped up, and she looked at me and froze, as if she couldn't
believe I was really here. Jumping up from her chair, she tossed the note
aside and ran over to me, literally jumping into my arms.
- Harry! - She clung to me so tightly that I started to gasp. - Harry, you're
back!
- Of course I'm back, love. - I stroked her back, savouring the scent of her.
The one I'd been dreaming about. - I missed you so much. I'm sorry I left
you alone.
When she pulled away, she swung round to slap me, and then, before I
could react, she kissed my lips, trying to convey her feelings.
Enjoying the touch of her soft lips, I paid no attention to my cheek
burning with fire, nor to the mercilessly crumpled flowers that had fallen
from my hands, nor to all the doubts that had been swirling in my head a
moment ago. If every time we meet like this, I'm ready to kill a few more
Dark Lords.
- Why are you here, Harry? - She pulled away slightly, but made no
attempt to break free of my embrace. - Have you finally realised that
you're wrong, and that I can help you with this difficult task?
Frowning in surprise, I realised she didn't know anything. Either
Sebastian hadn't had time to tell her the news from Britain, or he hadn't
seen fit to do so, knowing that it would be a pleasure to please her
personally.
- Fleur, you had a subscription to the Prophet. - I hinted that all the
answers were in today's English paper. Or don't owls deliver to France?
- I'm afraid to look there," she whispered, lowering her gaze.
- You should read today's edition," I said with a smile, taking her chin
gently and kissing her again, and she responded eagerly.
My hands slowly stroked her back, and I was almost completely lost in
the sensation when Fleur managed to pull away and slip out of the
embrace, running out of the room.
- Daddy, I need today's issue of the Daily Prophet right away! - Her loud
voice echoed through the manor. I smiled, realising that she was so
intrigued that she hadn't even thought to ask Ricky for help. Sebastian
didn't seem to answer anything, but soon an even louder shriek of joy
mixed with surprise rang through the house. Bursting back into the room,
Fleur was clutching a newspaper in her hands, shaking it in the air.
- 'Harry, it's... Is he dead? How did this happen? Was it you? Did you kill
him?! Tell me everything!
I smiled in response to this endless stream of questions, and pulled her to
me, taking the paper from her hands.
- You've got the most important thing, darling. I'll tell you everything,
don't worry. But now I'd like to talk about something else, if you don't
mind. - I sat down on the sofa, and she immediately settled on my lap,
not wanting to let me out of her embrace.
- I was just rereading your last message to Harry. - I smirked, and she
immediately slapped my arm. - No, not the part where you speculate
about who's going to shove what and who's going to shove who. It's the
part where you're talking about some secret. How long have you had
secrets from me, Harry Potter? Maybe they have something to do with
that woman.
I didn't know who she was talking about at first, and then I saw her
pointing her finger at the newspaper, where the front page had a collage
of Amelia hugging me.
- No, they're not related to Madame Bones. - I smiled lightly and pulled
away from her, moving aside. As much as I wanted our touching each
other to never end, I knew that telling her about my lies while holding
her in my lap would be wrong. Once again contemplating where to start,
I looked up at her wary face, which had become that way since I'd pulled
away.
- Fleur, I've been told recently that Veelas have the ability to see people's
auras. Can you do that?
She frowned, not understanding what I was getting at, but then her eyes
widened in realisation. She jumped to her feet and exclaimed:
- So I wasn't imagining it then! I saw that your aura was a little different,
but I thought I didn't fully know how to use it, or that I didn't remember
what it was like before! And Mum couldn't help me figure it out, because
she didn't know what your aura used to look like. And I didn't pay any
attention to it, because it's a gift that's essentially useless. So... it wasn't
just me? - She froze in astonishment and sat back in her chair, keeping
her gaze on me. I shook my head.
- No, darling, it wasn't my imagination.
I discarded all my prearranged phrases and just told her everything.
Everything that had happened to me in the last month. The fact that part
of me had once had a very different life that had ended in sudden death,
the way I'd woken up in Azkaban and merged with Harry's mind,
realising the situation I was in. How over time I had become a whole
person, with Harry's knowledge combined with some knowledge of how
events in the world might have unfolded. How I realised almost
immediately that I missed her and tried to get back to her as soon as
possible. How at first I didn't want to tell her, thinking it didn't matter,
but then I realised I couldn't hide anything from her.
I told her how I had fallen for Dumbledore at Gringotts, how he had kept
me in Flamel's house, how they had tried to break the block that Death
had put in place and ended up killing me. How Death gave me an
assignment I couldn't get out of, how he managed to bring me back to life
a second time, after which I ended up in a junkyard. How I stayed in his
debt. How events got further and further away from the line I knew, how
I learned of the impending attack on House Bones, how I bought the
goblin back from Gringotts for two hundred thousand Galleons. How I'd
met Luna and killed Umbridge, how I'd killed the Eaters last night, how
I'd used the Time Flywheel, and how I'd finally managed to finish off
Riddle.
Realising that my story was getting darker and darker with each
successive fact, I stopped talking, staring down at the floor and not
daring to look up at Fleur, who hadn't made a sound since the beginning
of my little confession.
- I'm sorry, flower, that I didn't tell you sooner. - I whispered, trying to
fill the oppressive silence that had settled between us. - I shouldn't have
hidden it.
- What...what did...what was your name...used to be? - I risked a glance
at her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. Opening my mouth, I
realised I had no answer to her question.
- I don't remember. - I answered, realising that I didn't remember
anything. - I don't have any memories of the past. Sometimes it feels like
it was just a dream. But I know it wasn't.
Standing up from her seat, she walked quickly towards me. I stepped up
to meet her, not knowing what to expect, and received another powerful
slap.
- How could you?! - Fleur exclaimed, and I felt my heart sink into the
void. - How could you put yourself in such danger? How could you let
Dumbledore kill you? How could you hide it? How could you doubt me!
She screamed, and after each question, she beat me in the chest with her
fist. Her sobs were getting worse, and I had no idea what was going on or
how to react.
- Give me a hug, you idiot! - Fleur exclaimed, realising that I was frozen
like a statue.
I realised that she wasn't going to turn away from me, even after all the
things I'd kept from her. Reluctantly, I lifted my hands and gently pulled
her against me, realising that I was holding the greatest treasure of my
life.
- You're not angry? - I asked when she stopped crying and just snuggled
against me. I could feel my suit getting wet around my shoulder, but I
realised it was worth all the suits in the world.
- Angry," she replied. - Angry as hell, and yet I feel very happy at the
same time. If you thought your revelations would make me dislike you,
you're a bigger fool than I thought.
- You thought I was a dummy? - I asked in surprise as I continued to rest
my nose against the top of her head. - I thought you thought I was the
smartest and most resourceful.
Fleur jumped and laughed, letting out all the negative emotions that had
built up. Pulling away, she looked at me. Her eyes were red and her nose
was swollen, and I vowed to myself to make sure this was the last time
she cried.
- You're right, I think you're resourceful. You're about as resourceful as a
bludgeon. Nothing else can explain why you've been avoiding your own
safe flat, hiding in the middle of nowhere. And why you thought I'd fall
out of love with you because you had a new soul in your body. My
connection allows me to feel the changes that are happening to you. And
I know for a fact that you are still the same Harry Potter who once won
me over with your courage, will, and ability to think beyond your years
with maturity.
- Thank you. - I smiled, feeling like the happiest person in the world.
- And to you, Harry. For dealing with all the hardships and coming back
to me. I'm going to find Dumbledore and torture him for a very long time
for everything he did to you.
- There's no need for that. I've asked Amelia to help me in this matter,
and I hope she can do it.
- Oh, Amelia, you mean. - She squinted. - Maybe there's a moon out there
somewhere. Harry Potter's own all-female squad?
- Come on, Fleur. - I smiled, realising she was jealous of me for no reason.
- I don't need anyone else, just you. You're the only one who's been filling
my thoughts all this time, day and night.
- Well," she took her wand in her hand and made a wide sweep, casting
some kind of spell toward the door, then pushed me onto the bed,
causing me to sit down in front of her. - You're going to have to show me
how much you missed me.
Reaching out, I slid my hands lightly over her hips, moving up and
pulling up her already short dressing gown. Leaning forward, I kissed her
belly and began to move downwards while my hands reached her
buttocks and squeezed tightly. Hearing the moan that escaped her throat,
I pulled her towards me, dropping her onto the bed.
- You have no idea how hard. - I whispered, rolling over and on top of
her, pulling open her dressing gown and forgetting everything else.
Chapter 43: Opinions
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We didn't leave the room for most of the next day, enjoying each other's
company. I talked about all my experiences and funny situations that had
happened during my absence, and Fleur told me about her time here,
alternating between training with Bernard and thinking about what kind
of punishment I should be subjected to. We had no interest in the press,
and were glad that no one had disturbed our togetherness, but sooner or
later it had to end.
The first to give in, as expected, was Sebastian, who, through Ricky,
demanded that we come down for dinner. Fleur lifted her head from my
chest, where it lay, and tried to get up, but I held her against me,
preventing any such opportunity.
- Harry," she twisted round and kissed my neck, "I don't want to get up
either, but if we don't come downstairs, Daddy will come himself.
Realising she was right, I let out a sorrowful sigh, to which she smiled,
and started to get up as well, gathering up my costume that was scattered
around the room.
- Fleur," I walked over to her, showing her the shirt that had no buttons
left. - Could you explain why this can't be handled by Reparo?
She blushed slightly, remembering the details of last night, and waved
her wand, after which all the buttons that had been scattered around the
room returned to their places.
- Someone needs to take care of the knowledge of household magic in
addition to combat spells. - She stretched as she continued to dress.
- I thought we'd split up the duties. I'm better at destroying things than
fixing them, after all.
- Look, Harry, when I beat you in a duel, I'll make you study the entire
spell book for young housewives.
- That's too cruel," I twitched, "then if I win, you'll agree to two of any
wedding ideas I have.
- Just one. And no dragons!
- I'll have to try to come up with something equally epic," I said
disappointedly.
- I guess I should be more specific. - Fleur was trying to sound serious,
but I knew she was enjoying the discussion, even though it was a year
and a half away. - No creature that could maim or swallow a guest whole
should be present at the wedding.
- Fleur! - I never realised you were so cruel. I don't know if I could live
with a girl who wouldn't even let me invite a tiny family of acromantulas
to my wedding!
All I got in response was an elbow in the side. We reached the hall,
where not only Sebastian was sitting at the table, but Apolline as well.
- Mum!" Fleur hugged her mother, and then I went to her for a hug.
- Apolline," I decided to say what I was going to say right away so I
wouldn't forget. - I'm sorry you had to move because of me. I hope it
didn't disrupt your plans too much.
- Come on, Harry," she smiled disarmingly. - 'I know what you've been
through and believe me, it's the least we could do. Besides, I heard there
was some conflict at our gate recently. So it's a good thing Gaby wasn't
there. I sent her to school, so she's fine. Besides, you did well and it's
over. We can breathe easy.
- 'Yes, Harry,' Sebastian continued her thought. - 'On behalf of our family
and all of magical France, I want to thank you for what you did. You
prevented a war that threatened our country and rid the world of the
Dark Lord. I've looked over the official reports and I was amazed at the
way you fought. But tell me, I saw your training with Bernard, how did
you defeat Riddle? There's no specifics in the reports.
- I didn't engage in open confrontation, operating mostly from beneath
the invisibility cloak. - I was pleased with his praise, and I realised that
they had more to tell than what was written in the Prophet. - In fact, I
defeated the Lord himself almost without a fight, using a move he didn't
expect. Fenrir, the werewolf leader on Riddle's side, was much harder. He
almost killed me. It took us a while to heal my shoulder from his spell.
And at one point he started turning into a wolf.
I shuddered at the memory. Sebastian and Apolline were stunned silent,
and Fleur clutched my hand, which she continued to hold in hers even as
she sat at the table.
- You should know that those reports weren't entirely accurate," I
continued. - Amelia had helped me and kept my actions secret so that the
British mages wouldn't brand me a dark wizard again. However, my
actions were far from harmless.
- I understand, Harry, but this is war. And we won't blame you for using
the enemy's methods. How are you feeling, how's your shoulder, is it
okay? - After waiting for my nod, Sebastian continued: - I spoke to our
Minister about the possibility of awarding you some sort of order, but
unfortunately he refused, claiming that most French mages would not
understand rewarding an English wizard for killing an English Dark Lord.
- No big deal. - I smiled, fully accepting the Minister's position. That
would indeed be strange. - I'm afraid I've already received the greatest
honour France has to offer.
I squeezed Fleur's hand, and she blushed again, while her parents smiled,
not commenting on such a simple compliment.
Dinner was spent in leisurely conversation and discussion of future plans.
I told them that I had a few more things to settle, after which I wanted to
take Fleur away and go on a trip where I could rest from all my worries.
And only after that would it be time to plan the rest of my life. My
fiancée was thrilled with the idea and immediately started talking to her
mother about where to go, while Sebastian and I discussed the political
events that had taken place since a notorious phoenix had kidnapped me
from the courtyard of this house. Father Fleur handed me a fresh batch of
letters that had arrived at the manor during my stay here, and I felt a
little irritated.
I hadn't read three of yesterday's yet, and here were new ones. Once
Harry Potter had shown his good side, everyone immediately felt the
urgent need to write to him. After thanking everyone for the wonderful
dinner, I left Fleur to talk to her mother and went up to my room,
determined to get this over with. Asking Dobby to fetch the letters from
the flat, I took the first of them and began to read.
A mysterious stranger who was no longer mysterious at all.
You, Harry, have stirred up the whole of Hogwarts with your actions.
Now no one remembers the missing professor. Now all anyone talks
about is the fact that you're alive.
Yes, despite your failed conspiracy, hardly anyone knew that. But now
those who thought you were guilty are just as fiercely defending your
honour to all doubters. I've seen two Harry Potter duels already, and the
Prophet only came an hour ago! What's more, a senior Hufflepuff girl
claims she didn't believe you because of the influence of brainiacs. I'm
going to be friends with her.
If you're wondering about the reaction of your former friends, they're
rejoicing over the Dark Lord's death, and Ronald seems pretty sure he
had a direct hand in it. At least, he claims that without his help, you
could never have done something like this. Tell me, just because you and
I sat on the same bench and are DOLBOEG members together, does that
mean I also made an invaluable contribution to the victory? Don't thank
me, I did it for the public good.
No professors in sight today, they seem to have better things to do than
supervise a few hundred kids, some of whom are picking their noses with
a chopstick right now, right in front of my eyes.
I want to thank you again, Harry, for saving us all from this nightmare.
I'm going to Hogsmeade now, like I do every Sunday, but I know you
won't be there today. You're probably sleeping now, or nursing your
injuries, after all, if the newspaper is to be believed, it's only been seven
hours since your triumph. Anyway, if you want to chat and find out more
details about how the Nargles helped you defeat your enemy, you know
how to find me. Now I must go - Neville has promised to show me
something special. I hope it's a devil's head, but then we should be very
careful.
Your mate, Luna.
We'll have to try and visit Luna in Hogsmeade next Sunday and take
Fleur along to introduce them. The shrewd girl was thinking again about
things that no one else had thought about, and I felt a pleasant warmth
spread through my chest. Luna didn't care exactly how I'd won or what
I'd done, but she did care that I was probably hurt. And Weasley didn't
seem to have learnt anything. Perhaps I should teach him another lesson
a little later.
Putting the Ravenclaw student's letter aside, I picked up an envelope
from Lucius, who, as always, was quick to respond to any events that
occurred, even when he was in another country.
Lord Potter
Obviously, you were being sly when you said you weren't worth
believing in. Not even a month ago, you were able to do what everyone
else has been unable to do for years. My family and I are deeply grateful
to you for ridding the world of this maniac. I'll admit I once liked his
beliefs, but I was disillusioned before the end of the first war. I consider
it my greatest victory that I was able to save my wife from being tagged.
Had it not been for you, not only she, but my son as well, would not have
escaped that fate.
My House elf told me that you travelled to my estate and met people you
never expected to see. Well, I'm glad you had a happy ending. I hope
you've been comfortable and comfortable for the past few hours.
Given the current state of affairs, I plan to cut short my sudden holiday
and return home. There is an urgent need to get my financial affairs in
order, but I won't burden you with unnecessary details. I realise that this
may seem indelicate of me, but do you have any ideas on how to
facilitate my return without me immediately being thrown into Azkaban?
As you may recall, I've been there before, and I'd like to avoid another
visit. For my part, I guarantee my full support in all matters, as long as
they do not contradict common sense, and assistance if you need it.
I await your reply
Lord Lucius Malfoy.
This letter no longer gave me the same pleasant emotions as the previous
one. I was grateful to Malfoy, at least for his foresight, because if it hadn't
been for his housekeepers, who knows how things would have turned
out. But I didn't want him among my close friends at all. You never know
what to expect from someone who might try to throw Avada at a twelve-
year-old at any moment. On the other hand, I could talk to Amelia about
his status, and I had a couple of requests for him in return.
After sketching out a response, I went up to the owlery in the attic and
immediately received a tangible peck on the head. Why do all the women
I love always hit me? I totally deserved it, though.
- I'm sorry, girl, for leaving you alone and not visiting. - I tried to pet
Hedwig, who looked mortally offended. - You know I've had to move.
Have you ever felt my location change? Imagine if I had to carry you
around with me all the time. And here, look at this: warm, dry,
comfortable, flying through the woods, catching mice, and everything's
fine.
I guess she was convinced by my arguments, because she sat on my
shoulder and rubbed her head against my cheek,
- It's good to see you, too. I'm not going anywhere now, I'll just get your
place ready in our flat and I'll pick you up right away, okay? - I felt that
she might not understand the meaning of my words, but she understood
their message, which she immediately confirmed with a loud whoop. -
That's good. Now I have a job for you. Can you deliver this to Lucius
Malfoy?
Holding out her paw, Hedwig waited for me to tie the letter and then
flew out into the dark French night, carrying a message that could help
several people at once. And not just people.
Back in the room, I grimaced as I realised that the next letter was from
Granger. After checking it for possible poisons and portals with Dobby's
help, I pulled out the folded sheet inside and began to read.
Harry!
You didn't reply to my previous letter, but I don't take offence as it seems
you've had a lot on your plate. I can't believe you killed He-Who-Must-
Not-Be-Named! Ron thinks you're definitely a murderer now and will
soon be the new Dark Lord, but I'm not so sure. I don't know what's
happened to you, but you need to come back to us right away so we can
help you sort things out. What were you thinking, going off to fight him
alone? You could always call us, your friends, so we could help you. I
realise we've had our differences, but do they matter when the peace of
the magical world is at stake?
I've recently learnt how to perform spells non-verbally, and I'm sure it
would be of great use to you. And if you'd come and tell us right away,
we could have persuaded Professor Dumbledore to come with us, and
then...
Crumpling the sheet in my hand, I tossed it aside, not bothering to finish
reading this nonsense. Granger still lived in her own tiny world, where
she was the smartest and most capable and the authority of adults was
the size of Mount Everest. I regretted killing Riddle so quickly. Maybe I
should have let him go one-on-one with the stuck-up girl to see how he
couldn't do anything about the non-verbal spells and capitulated by
raising the white flag. And she was quite seriously surprised that I hadn't
responded to her letter, by which, among other things, Dumbledore was
able to find out where I was. How badly does she not understand what's
going on?
Realising that the mood was ruined, I decided to end it all by reading the
rest of the letters. Most of them were from members of the Order of the
Phoenix, who managed to intersperse congratulations on my victory with
exhortations that I was too young to be hanging around on my own and
that I needed to report to them right away. Then they could help me cope
with all the glory that had come with it, and protect me from the possible
aggression of the Lord's supporters who were still out there. I'm teary-
eyed. Not from that noble concern, but from laughter. I didn't read the
Weasley and Lupin's mother's letters for that reason. If Amelia could help
me, very soon I might be able to shake their blind faith in the
Headmaster. Not destroy it, no, because that's impossible, but open
someone's eyes.
Harry
I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me earlier, and I realise
more and more each time. I was blind. I realised what you were shouting
in my face then. I listened but didn't hear, certain that you were just a
copy of the Dark Lord. Now it's obvious how wrong I was. You were right
to curse me then. You should have killed me.
I can't tell you how much I regret everything I did to you. You trusted
me, you finally saved me from the Dementors, you let me avoid going
back to Azkaban, and I did nothing to protect you from unfair
accusations. What's more, I agreed with everything you were accused of,
I watched with interest as you were led away from the courtroom by the
guards, and I didn't even realise that that was how I had once been led
away myself. I didn't scream or try to prove my innocence. I was so
shocked by what had happened that I couldn't do anything. And I
recognised that look on your face at that moment. But I only recognise it
now, when I'm sitting at home practically alone, drinking firewhiskey
and revisiting old photographs.
I'm sorry, I'm an old dog and overly sentimental, but now that I don't
have wise Dumbledore over my head whispering in my ear exactly how
to think, I can make a sober assessment of what happened. And if I'm
right, and you and I really are alike, then I know you'll never be able to
forgive me for what I did.
I don't dare ask that. I just hope that you'll be okay. If I ever see any
mention of another Harry Potter feat in the paper, or a small article
about your wedding to that French witch, or anything else that says
you're doing well, you know I'll be truly proud of you.
I'm sorry I let you down. I was a shitty godfather and I'll answer for it to
James and Lily when I see them.
Sirius
Putting the letter aside, I thought for a long moment, not knowing how to
respond to this. Sirius had hurt me the most, but could he be excused for
being basically a confused man who had been alone with the Dementors
for too long? If I let my feelings get the best of me, I'd forgive him
immediately and run to hug him happily, but would I want that?
Probably not. My trust isn't something that can be trampled on and then
regained. Although, I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised that not
everyone was still zombified by the old man. Perhaps my scheme wasn't
as much of a failure as I'd previously thought.
After a quick glance through the ten remaining letters from unknown
wizards, I realised that I couldn't escape the public glory. Almost all of
them congratulated me on my victory, claimed that from the very
beginning they believed in my innocence and invited me to visit,
opaquely hinting at their young daughters, nieces, sisters and other
relatives, whom I just had to meet. One letter was very different from the
others, though, in which a woman who'd said she'd seen the Grindelwald
Rebellion claimed to see right through me, even though we'd never met.
She told me that I needed to confess my crimes, that I needed to be
punished for them, that I was not human, but an inferi who had risen
from the dead. Shaking my head, I set the letter aside with the others so
that I could burn it in the fireplace later.
I didn't notice Fleur enter the room, sitting down next to me and resting
her head on my shoulder. She smiled and shook her head as she looked at
the amount of paper she'd written.
- Let me guess: everyone suddenly thought they were always on your
side. - She stretched out, not looking at the letters.
- Yeah," I sighed, leaning back and pulling her to me. - There are some
surprises, though. For example, someone named Christine Red is
convinced I'm an inferi. I don't know how you didn't notice that before.
- Fool. - She sighed, slapping me on the shoulder. - Inferi, by the way,
unlike you, are very docile. Maybe I'll get a couple when I get tired of
you.
- Bored, huh? - I fake furrowed my eyebrows and rushed to tickle her,
which made her shriek and laugh. The tickling ended quickly when my
hands began to just caress her body and my lips began to cover her neck
with kisses. Fleur wrapped her legs around me, pulling me close, and ran
her hands through my hair, tilting my head more and more, giving me
more access. When my hands were already under her jumper and up to
her breasts, we were unceremoniously interrupted by Ricky, who
appeared in the centre of the room. Fleur let out a frustrated sigh, sensing
that my hands were no longer giving her pleasure.
- Harry Potter sir," Ricky pretended as if nothing had happened. - There's
a letter for you.
- No, no, no. Thank you, Ricky, but I've had enough letters for one day.
I've got more important things to do.
- I'm sorry, sir, but this was delivered by an elf right to the gates of the
manor. It may be urgent.
I wondered who I knew who might have sent a letter with an elf, and I
was wary, thinking it was from Dumbledore, but then I realised that the
old man would have used Fawkes. Thanking the housekeeper again, I
picked up the letter and saw that it was from Amelia. Looks like there
really is something urgent here.
Chapter 44: Consumables
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As I pondered how exactly to get to the Ministry, I decided not to flush
myself down the toilet like the others did, but to use a more decent
phone box. Seriously, what can wizards who willingly stand with their
feet in the toilet every day achieve?
The letter I received from Amelia yesterday was rather vague, with
almost no specifics. She briefly enquired about my condition and urged
me to visit her this afternoon, to settle a number of matters. Realising
that it was unlikely that anyone would dare to attack me at the Ministry,
I took Fleur with me, and we were now descending underground to the
indignant cries of my fiancée, who didn't understand why British wizards
couldn't make a proper entrance.
As soon as I was in the atrium, the mages there, noticing me, froze,
looking at me and my companion in surprise. I reached for my wand
warily, not knowing what to expect from them, but one of them started
clapping, and soon the others joined in, giving me a standing ovation.
- Bravo, bravo, Mr Potter, welcome back!
- Thank you, Harry!
- I always believed in you, Harry!
Shouts of encouragement came from all directions. As more and more
Ministry staff began to flock into the atrium, I knew I had to leave as
quickly as possible. Waving to the crowd, I gripped Fleur's hand tighter
and led her towards the entrance, noting the flashes of the reporters'
cameras as they made their way through the pandemonium towards us.
I was about to show my wand to the guard, but he just waved his hand,
letting me through without any formalities. It was only when I ducked
into the lift, which was thankfully empty, that I was able to exhale
relaxedly.
- I'm afraid I can't get used to this. I wish they'd keep shying away from
me.
- Come on, Harry," Fleur was feeling much more confident. She seemed
to like the fact that everyone could see her holding my hand, showing
that I wasn't free. - You've gained influence, and that's never unnecessary.
Once we got down to the correct floor, we approached the Minister's
office, around which sat several people, amongst whom I recognised
Percy Weasley. He wisely pretended that we didn't know each other, but
the others were clearly agitated at the sight of me. Taking a seat in the
corridor, I decided to wait my turn, but the receptionist informed me that
Madame Bones had asked me to see her as soon as I arrived.
When I entered the office, I saw Amelia sitting at the head of a massive
dark desk, piled high with papers. Her eyes were red and her features
were slack, a clear sign that she was in urgent need of rest. I felt
uncomfortable.
- Tell him that the situation is now under control, that he can call
anytime, and that I'll be sure to contact him later when I've cleared up a
bit of the backlog.
She was talking to a portrait of a man who looked like a frog. Apparently,
this is the portrait that can contact the Prime Minister in Downing Street.
Noticing me, Amelia smiled and stood up, coming closer.
- 'Hello Harry,' she gave me a hug like an old friend, before scrutinising
me carefully, 'I'm glad you were able to respond so quickly to the
invitation. You look well, looks like you were able to heal your shoulder.
- Hello, Amelia," I smiled, for it was really good to see her. - I'm sorry,
but I don't want to lie by saying the same thing. You don't look well, did
you manage to get any sleep, or since the other night, have you
continued to stay up? I'm sorry to put all this on your shoulders. And by
the way, this is my fiancée, Fleur Delacour. Fleur, this is Amelia Bones,
the person who will lead Magical Britain to success.
They smiled at each other and shook, hands, after which Amelia pointed
to our chairs and sat down at the table, not the least bit offended by my
words.
- Nice to meet you, Fleur. If I can call you that. Harry told me about you
when I was trying to get to know my niece better. - She laughed, and her
features smoothed out.
- It's a pleasure. Of course you can call me that, Madame Bones. But
Harry hasn't told me anything about it," she looked at me unhappily, but
soon laughed, too, at the look on my face that said everything I thought
about such discussions in the Minister's office.
- Please just call me Amelia when we're alone. This shawking is making
my eye twitch. - Waiting until Fleur nodded, she looked at me. - As for
your question, Harry, I slept, though not as long as I would have liked.
There's a lot to do, you're well aware of that yourself. I'm trying to get
the major issues sorted out as soon as possible, before everyone realises
how much the country has changed, but I'm still not getting there. News
travels faster.
- How's that going? I read that Fudge was arrested, which is very good
news.
- Yeah, that wasn't a problem. Once we realised that, despite the obvious
evidence, he was still denying the Dark Lord's resurrection, there was no
doubt about his guilt. And then Parkinson revealed how he'd bribed the
Minister to hide the truth. Anyway, like you said, I got the chair quickly.
- What about Dumbledore? - Frankly, I was worried that I hadn't heard
from the old man in two days. Knowing him, he must be up to
something, especially when he found out I wasn't dead again.
- And that, Harry, is the very reason I called you here. As you realise, I
wouldn't have invited you just to brag about your successes, which are,
moreover, extremely few. As soon as the Wizengamot meeting that
suspended Fudge and appointed me was over, Albus started telling me
amazing stories about how you weren't who you said you were. He was
so convincing that I might even have believed him, had it not been for
the memories you had given me the day before. I read the contents and I
was horrified. I just couldn't believe that Dumbledore had done all that to
a child.
She looked at me and realised that I didn't want to discuss any of this.
Fleur, who was aware of the main complaints but had little idea of my
life with the Dursleys, comfortingly squeezed my hand.
- Now you understand the reason for my words," I said to Bones, recalling
our conversation at her house.
- Yes, I can understand you now. And today, in just half an hour, I want
to bring him to justice.
- Already? So soon? - I was really surprised. - Thank you very much,
Amelia, but I could have waited, cos you've got a lot on your plate
besides my personal vendetta.
- Firstly, it's the least I can do for you, Harry, as a thank you for saving
the whole country in general and me in particular. And secondly, not
only do you need it, but I need it too. Dumbledore knew that Riddle had
risen from the dead, but did nothing to prevent it. Plus, he's still a big
threat because of his influence. And I want to deal with it once and for
all. I'm sorry, but your memories will be the main reason for the trial.
- I understand that. You're right, this needs to be over as soon as possible,
and then we can both breathe easy. But I have a hard time believing he'd
just agree to be a defendant.
- He doesn't know yet. - Amelia smiled. - He's the chairman of the
Wizengamot, and I'm his deputy. Snape's hearing starts in half an hour,
and there's a lot of questions about it. After that, I'll press charges against
the Headmaster of Hogwarts, since I have the right to do so now, so that
he doesn't have time to prepare his defence and get the right people
involved.
- Clever," I laughed, anticipating the look on Dumbledore's face at that
moment. - I hope I can help. Is he facing Azkaban?
- Absolutely. For trespassing, at the very least. It'll be a short sentence,
but enough to keep him away for a while. Unfortunately, I can't say the
same for Flamel. He's not a British citizen, and you'll have to deal with
him in France, where every other mage honours him almost more than
his own minister. Am I right, Fleur?
- Unfortunately, you are. - She looked at me sadly. - Even my father is a
great admirer of Flamel's talent for alchemy and potions.
- Well, I'll deal with that later. - I stretched out, wondering what my
chances were against Flamel in an open conflict. - By the way, if
Dumbledore does get sent to Azkaban, don't forget to protect his cell
from the phoenix's apparition. And don't forget, he's also very good at
wandless magic.
- Don't worry, Harry, we'll take all that into account. After all, he's seen
bigger prisoners in Azkaban's time. You, on the other hand, be prepared
for him to try and talk to you. In addition to slandering you, he's been
inquiring about your whereabouts for the past two days. Fortunately, I
don't know him. From your memories, I understand how he found you in
France and I'm sure he was going to do something similar soon, but he's
been too busy for now. The advantages of playing against Dumbledore is
that he doesn't trust anyone with his secrets, doing a lot of things alone
and wasting time doing it.
- There's something strange going on in Azkaban in general. - I put
thoughts of Dumbledore aside and recalled my impressions of the first
few hours after waking up. - Where I was, people were being
experimented on. And the head of that wing is obsessed with me-I saw a
lot of newspaper clippings about me in his office.
- Yeah, I've heard about the experiments. I'll get to it soon. - I realised
that if Amelia said that, she'd really try to get to the bottom of it. -
Unfortunately, we can't ask your admirer whose office you visited. When
it turned out you were no longer in your cell, Fudge kept it quiet but
sacked the man. I tried to help him and took him in, but he died in my
yard... Well, good intentions don't always lead to good results.
She wanted to say something else, but then Patronus appeared in the
office, informing us that the meeting was about to begin.
Inviting us to follow her, Amelia walked towards the courtroom, telling
us exactly what to expect as she went. I remembered how my trial had
gone, but this time it was planned a little differently. Amelia had decided
to give every person arrested a chance to clear their name, earning them
a few more points in the eyes of the British mages. Now even those who
were absolutely guilty could ask to be interrogated using truth serum or
Legilimensia, but few dared to do so for fear of exposing more of their
own crimes.
Using the lift again, we reached the same floor I'd been on when I'd
visited the Mystery Department the other day. When the doors opened,
however, I was confronted with a very different environment. Magic of
some sort. As we walked down the corridor, we entered the same hall
that I had fond memories of. Amelia went to her seat to the right of the
chairman, who wasn't there yet, and Fleur and I, trying to attract as little
attention as possible, went up the steps and took a seat at the edge of the
arena. And while I almost managed to make myself inconspicuous, Fleur,
unfortunately, has no such function. I don't really regret it, though. I love
the way she shines in any setting. After restricting ourselves to a few
glazed looks, we prepared to watch the coming action.
I was nervous, not knowing where this was going to lead. I was much
more used to waving my wand than deciding things with words, but my
life depended on the decision that would be made here. I realised that
while Snape's hearing was going on, I needed to keep a low profile so
that Dumbledore wouldn't notice me before I did. But would I be able to
keep from loudly accusing the Potions Master who had bullied me all
four years of my studies? Amelia was counting on my help. Even if she
didn't say it out loud, I felt that she had another reason to put
Dumbledore away - even with all her current merits, the old man could
take over from her, and then the country would be no better off than it
had been under Fudge. Dumbledore's ideas of goodness and justice have
become so distorted that people will suffer, but they'll be sure that it's
anyone's fault but the new Minister's.
I tried to position myself so that Fleur could not be seen from the
rostrum, and watched the action unfolding below. There was a lot to see:
the entire central podium was filled with wizards in burgundy robes,
among whom I recognised not only Amelia but, to my particular surprise,
Sirius, who seemed to have regained his family seat, and Percy, too.
Perhaps I should inquire about my own place among the judges of the
Wizengamot, but I didn't feel like doing that just yet.
There were a few empty seats, and it was obvious that those were the
seats where the Eaters who'd been killed or captured in the recent
skirmish were supposed to be sitting. According to Amelia, she and I had
managed to get rid of almost every known member of the inner circle.
Comparing the data with the information she'd received from Parkinson,
she'd been able to figure out that only the two Carrows were still at large,
who'd been left out of the operation because they'd been rendered
useless. All the others, including Yaxley, Crabb, Goyle and the others,
might otherwise now be sitting among the judges, making the decisions
they wanted, but had suffered in the recent incident. Moreover, it was
Yaxley who had been the unlucky one I had accidentally killed by
dropping his head on the steps.
On the sides of the grandstand, all the seats were taken. More than ten
rows of chairs going up on each side allowed room for nearly two
hundred wizards who wanted to be present for the most high-profile
proceedings. A dozen reporters, led by Skitter, took a separate seat in a
corner, feathers and witchcraft cameras ready to make sure nothing was
overlooked. Everything was ready.
The hall door opened and Albus Dumbledore walked to his seat at the
head of the podium in complete silence. The Headmaster didn't look well
- he was glum, and all the stoicism he had recently boasted was gone
from his gait. He wore a silver robe that reflected the light of the magical
lamps, which gave him a certain importance, but many noticed how he
hid his left arm under the robe, not wanting to show the injury to
everyone present. As Dumbledore took his seat, he looked at Bones with
a displeased look, clearly unwilling to prosecute his own ward, but was
forced to get on with his duties, loudly announcing the start of the
hearing.
I didn't bother to listen to the entire court being introduced and waited
until Snape was ushered into the room, seated in a chair in the centre of
the empty space. His arms and legs were immediately shackled, but I
could see that the Dean of Slytherin felt quite comfortable turning his
head round and round. He was confident that Dumbledore would be able
to protect him. The sly bastard really believed that no matter who won
the war, he would remain in good standing. And I warned him that a
third party could win.
- Do you wish to have a Truth Serum or Legilimension applied to you? -
Dumbledore asked, when all the preliminary introductions were over.
- No." Snape curled his lips into a semblance of a smile, believing that
only Dumbledore could surpass him in mental magic. - I wish you to
represent the defence.
The people in the room murmured unhappily, and I watched the faces of
those present carefully. Apparently, defendants don't often behave so
brazenly. But Snape knew that Albus would come to his aid and help him
sort out this misunderstanding sooner rather than later.
- I'm afraid that, as Chief Justice, I cannot grant your request,"
Dumbledore said in a neutral voice, not looking at the professor.
I almost laughed out loud as I watched Snape's expression change. The
man who kept an impenetrable mask in every situation was currently
realising that he had just been written off. Thrown on the scrapheap,
figuratively speaking. He realised that Dumbledore wasn't going to help
him, that all his hopes were in vain, and that he was about to end up in
Azkaban. By an effort of will, he managed to pull himself together.
- I'll take the truth serum, then. I have a story to tell. - The audience
became animated, eager for more hidden information.
- You've already declined that offer. I suggest we move on to the
accusations being made. - Dumbledore easily detected Snape's
unsophisticated plan to drag him down with him, and easily deflected the
threat using his power. Despite the curiosity of the mages, no one
interrupted or resented, realising that the head of the Wizengamot had
the authority to decide such matters personally.
It was simple and elegant, and I was once again convinced that
Dumbledore, in any condition, could outplay anyone with time to
prepare. He must have decided in advance that he didn't need Snape
anymore. And really, what was the point of having a spy if there was
nowhere else to spy? And if anyone questions why the Headmaster has
been protecting this professor for the past fifteen years, the answer is so
simple that even I know it: "I wanted to give Severus a second chance so
he could start a new life. Unfortunately, he decided to return to his
previous crimes despite my best efforts."
Shaking my head, I felt a sort of pity for the man. One master wiped his
feet on him, and the other threw him away without even giving him a
chance to answer anything. One of Britain's most powerful mages was
now sitting in the centre of the hall, chained to a chair, shouting about
how Dumbledore was forcing him to spy for the Dark Lord, but no one
was listening. When Amelia announced that Snape had been the cause of
the Potters' deaths, the meeting could safely be considered over. It took a
while for the rumble of indignation to die down. I didn't stand aside and
shouted a few insults, too, without fear of being seen. And Black rose
from his seat, about to throw himself at the traitor. Albus looked at Bones
in surprise, not understanding how she knew such information, but she
pretended not to notice.
As a result, Snape had been accused of aiding and abetting the Dark Lord,
based on witness testimony and the mark on his arm. After Riddle's
death, the mark was almost invisible, but the outline of a skull could still
be seen. The Dean had no record of involvement in any actions or crimes,
so he was sentenced to five years of Azkaban at the intermediate level.
Amelia was tempted to use the serum and find out more about the
professor's activities in order to increase the sentence, but Dumbledore
prevented her from doing so, assuring her that everything was quite
obvious as it was.
Well, five years wasn't so terrible for all that Snape had done. You could
say he got off easy. I wished I could add assaulting me to his list of
charges, but I was still sitting quietly, waiting for a chance to speak up.
As soon as the Aurors led Snape out of the hall, I knew the opportunity
was coming.
- Gentlemen, please remain seated. - Bones's loud voice echoed through
the hall, taking the wizards who were about to leave by surprise. - We
have another hearing today.
- You are confused, my dear Amelia," Dumbledore smiled as if he hadn't
just sent his servant to the Dementors. - I was only scheduled to preside
over Severus's case today.
- That's right, Dumbledore, the next case will be presided over by your
first deputy, which is me. - She took a seat in the centre of the podium,
ignoring the old man's surprise, then announced: - 'the hearing begins in
the case of bullying an orphan, regularly exposing several hundred
Hogwarts students to mortal danger, and the illegal use of mental magic.
The accused is Albus Dumbledore.
Those present exhaled in shock, unable to believe what they were
hearing, and the Headmaster himself kept his gaze fixed on Amelia. I
couldn't see the expression on his face, but Bones didn't flinch, pointing
him to a chair in the centre of the room before continuing:
- Mr Potter, please take your seat on the prosecution side. I rose to my
feet and walked in the direction indicated, feeling a sepulchral silence
surrounding me. My gaze was directed solely at the Headmaster, to
whom I was mentally conveying how much I wished for his suffering.
Well, this is going to be interesting.
Chapter 45: Back to your seats
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- This is illegal, Amelia! - Dumbledore said loudly, adding more authority
to his voice. - I haven't been charged with anything, I haven't received
any notices, but a trial is already starting? So you want to seek justice? -
He circled his hand around the room, drawing the attention of everyone
present. - And this is the woman you want to make your Minister?
His question caused more murmurs in the hall, where most of those
seated were clearly taking his side.
- I would agree with your arguments, Albus," Bones replied just as loudly,
silencing everyone, "if they had any weight. However, I am reminded of
the trial that Harry Potter went through not too long ago. As I recall, he
didn't get any notice either. He was also given no opportunity to defend
himself. He was simply sentenced to execution based on what you said.
So how is this situation any worse? Unlike him, you will have a chance to
answer the charges.
The mages murmured again, this time agreeing with Amelia's reasoning.
A veritable herd, going where they were told. Many of them were staring
at me, but I tried to keep as detached as possible, not making eye contact
with Black, Dumbledore, or anyone else. Occasionally I would look up
and glance to the end of the hall, where I could get a glimpse of Fleur.
She smiled lightly, giving me a silent expression of support, and that was
enough.
Amelia had chosen the right tactic, deciding to initially press the point
that Albus had sentenced the one who had saved everyone from the Dark
Lord to a Dementor's kiss. It was a bit of a stretch, as Dumbledore wasn't
the only one making decisions at the time, but it was enough to ensure
that no one questioned the correctness of the proceedings that had been
started. At a wave of Bones' hand, the two Aurors approached
Dumbledore, pulled his wand from his pocket and searched him
thoroughly for any other artefacts before leading him to the same chair in
the centre.
Realising that he wasn't going to get away with it that easily, the
Headmaster was quite calm, and didn't even seem perturbed when the
familiar dark blue wand was slipped into the Auror's pocket. Albus was
sure that all this was just to give young Harry a little ego boost, and that
he would be able to respond with dignity later on. However, I wasn't
going to let that happen, and as far as I could tell, Amelia had put it all
on that judgement as well.
- Do you wish to have a Truth Serum or Legilimensional applied to you? -
Amelia asked the standard question. I was about to suggest that they put
the Serum in his mouth regardless of how he felt about it, but then I
realised that perhaps Albus, as someone well versed in mental magic,
would know a way to defend himself against it, and then the trial would
turn into a disaster.
- I don't think that's necessary. Let's get this over with quickly, after
which I'd like to question the boy. I don't think you would deny me such
an opportunity, given the way you deal with the head of the
Wizengamot.
Dumbledore wanted to demonstrate his status and remind everyone
present that they were making a big mistake, but he didn't take into
account one fact - during the last few days the British wizards' opinion
about my person had changed a lot again, and now many of them didn't
like such a dismissive attitude to the newfound hero of the magical
world.
Amelia did not respond to this statement, giving another sign to the
aurors. They waved their wands and levitated about a dozen strange
large plates into the hall, in which I was surprised to recognise the
memory pools. As far as I knew, these were extremely rare artefacts, and
it was not at all clear where Amelia had managed to get so many at once,
but it was very wise of her: why describe events when you can show
them.
- As you can see," she turned to the audience, "these are the so-called
memory pools. I think you all know how they work. Each of the ten pools
contains a memory, courtesy of Mr Potter. We've duplicated them so you
can all view them at the same time. The Head of the Auror's Office, Mr
Scrimgeour, and the Head of St Mungo's, Mr Smethwick, have personally
verified the authenticity of these memories.
The men sitting nearby nodded, confirming that everything the mages
would see was real. I realised that absolutely all of these people would be
going through my memories now, reviewing and discussing the not-so-
pleasant parts of young Harry's life. Would I be willing to take such a
step to end Dumbledore? Out of the corner of my eye, I noted that
Amelia was looking at me with some guilt, as if she understood my
heartache. The answer came immediately - ready. The only thing in there
is that what was happening to me was the Headmaster's fault, and he will
have to answer for it all.
Dumbledore, too, realised that the situation was far worse than he had
first thought. He tried to convince everyone that he had to personally
verify the authenticity of my memories, as a great expert in this field, but
the intrigued mages were already standing at each pool in groups of four
and diving into my memory. Realising that things were getting out of
hand, Albus stared at me.
- What's in these memories, Harry? - He asked demandingly.
- Harry again. - I glared back at him. - Everything they need to know is in
there. Including our fun times at Flamel's house. What are you up to
again, Albus? I can't believe you didn't do something stupid when you
learnt of Riddle's death.
- You can't remember that,' whispered the stunned Headmaster. - You're
dead, we both made sure of that.
- You were wrong," I said, not about to tell him the truth. - I still had
vague memories of captivity. So, what's your plan? You found out I was
alive and fulfilled the prophecy. Were you really just going to let me go
after everything that happened between us?
I kept asking questions, realising that apart from the two aurors flanking
him, no one could hear us. He relaxed a little, believing that I didn't
remember how it had ended that time.
- I'm going to get to you a little later. - He tried to pull himself together,
but it wasn't working very well. - You've ruined enough of my plans, so
I'll be better prepared this time.
Apparently, time flows a little differently in the abysses, because after
about twenty minutes the wizards surfaced, looking dumbfounded. Their
place was immediately taken by the next people who wanted to look at
Harry Potter's life.
- If you have time. - I ended our conversation, realising that my proactive
play had paid off a hundred percent. If I'd delayed a few more days, I
didn't know what the cunning old man would have done.
- It's monstrous.
- They tortured him, did you see that?
- I've never seen such huge basilisks in books.
- I thought he was growing up in a good place, and all this time he's been
scrubbing Muggle floors and living in a cupboard!
- The Dark Lord tried to come back as early as ninety-one, and
Dumbledore, knowing this, did nothing....
The stunned mages discussed what they had seen, returning to their
seats. Many of them cast glances at me and Dumbledore, and these
glances were radically opposite. After waiting for everyone to watch the
memories, Amelia ordered the clouding to be removed. I noticed Skitter
walking up to her, after which one of the vials ended up in the
journalist's hands.
As I looked around the room, trying to get a sense of their mood, I
noticed a small group I hadn't noticed before - Lupin, Molly, Tonks,
Kingsley, McGonagall and a few others were discussing what they'd seen,
with occasional glances in the direction of their leader.
- Well, gentlemen and ladies," Amelia decided to continue the meeting. -
Now that you are clear on the nature of the claims, I suggest we proceed
with the hearing. Firstly, since the accused has not seen the memories in
question, I will ask a few follow-up questions. Tell me, did you know who
it was that turned students at your school to stone three years ago? As far
as I could find out from the archives, you were present at the school
when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened fifty years ago. Why did
you take no action to prevent the attacks? I hasten to remind you that
many in this room have children attending Hogwarts.
- I only found out about the Basilisk at the end of the year when Mr
Potter told me this information. I was unable to take any action as the
board of trustees had removed me from my position as Headmaster. - I
could sense Albus' discomfort at having to justify himself. He decided to
play dumb, but I doubted that tactic would pay off.
- I ask the judges to point out the fact that the Gryffindor sophomore
guessed who exactly was the Slytherin monster much earlier than the
Headmaster, whose primary duty is to protect the students. - Amelia
continued: - well, perhaps this was one big misunderstanding. Then I will
ask you to explain the presence of a cerberus and a troll in the school,
which only miraculously did not cause the deaths of the students.
- The Cerberus was guarding an important magical artefact, and all
students were repeatedly told not to visit that part of the castle. As for
the troll, it was brought in by one of the teachers, I did my best to save
the children. - Dumbledore felt quite confident - he had answers to all
these questions ready for a long time.
- Well, since you brought it up, I'd like to ask you about the teachers. I'm
not talking about Professor Snape, who was here before you, and who
used to abuse students from three faculties every year. The court is
interested in the teachers who held the position of Professor of Defence
Against the Dark Arts. There was a werewolf," the hall sighed loudly, but
Amelia hurried to continue, realising that now she could also mend
relations with that race a little. - I have no prejudice against werewolves,
and I'm glad they hold such honourable positions if their qualifications
allow it, but is it normal for a teacher to regularly miss her classes
because of the full moon? I don't think it's conducive to learning the
material. Especially when the substitute professor is the same Snape.
Even though she didn't give away that she knew Lupin, many of the
people in the room looked in his direction, which made him tense.
Amelia, meanwhile, continued.
- I'm also not referring to the professor torturing children with a bloody
feather," another sigh, "though I don't understand why you would allow
it. In any case, Professor Umbridge is missing and seems to have fled the
country. That's a question we'll ask Fudge, since it was his idea to send
her to Hogwarts. Now I'm talking about the professor whose body was
taken over by the Dark Lord, the professor who was a Death Eaters and
hid all year under the guise of the late Alastor Moody, and the professor
who not only knew nothing about this very defence, but tried to wipe the
memories of two students. How do you explain that not only did you
allow them to work, but you didn't notice their strange behaviour all
year. As I recall, Alastor was a good friend of yours, so in a year you
never noticed any oddity in his behaviour?
The people sighed a lot less this time, as they had seen it all in
flashbacks. That said, after talking to Snape on Tees Street, I was able to
get the moment when Barty Crouch Junior's identity is revealed out of
my memory, omitting the fact that Snape saved my life.
- As many of you know, the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts
professor is cursed. No faculty member holds it for more than a year. You
can deduce that there aren't a lot of people who want it. I didn't have a
choice about who to appoint.
- That doesn't explain why you didn't notice their strange behaviour.
Professor Quirrell tried to kill a fresher during a Quidditch match in front
of the whole school. What did you do to make sense of the incident?
- I believe I have answered all the questions regarding the faculty. If you
have nothing more to ask, it's time to let me go. I don't think I have to
answer to you for my actions in a position I've held for over forty years.
Many clearly didn't like the fact that Dumbledore was avoiding answers,
but Bones decided not to insist.
- Very well. I would like it entered into the record that the accused has
recanted his testimony. We will now turn to your relationship with Mr
Potter. Everyone here has seen how many times you put his life in
danger. Everyone has seen how he was treated by the relatives he lived
with until he was eleven years old. You knew exactly how he was living,
considering that his letter from Hogwarts had a closet as his address,
which is where he lived. In case anyone here didn't get it, I'll clarify -
Albus Dumbledore took a hero of the magical world, a year-old boy who
had just saved us all, and sent him to a non-wizarding family as a house
elf. I honestly don't understand how Mr Potter had the courage and
nobility to save us all again, considering what the wizards did to him.
Amelia had achieved exactly the effect she had expected - Dumbledore
was being looked at with obvious negativity. Without giving him a
chance to speak, she continued:
- Everyone has seen how he's been in danger every year because of you.
I'm not going to ask why this happened. I'm sure you already have a
decent answer prepared. However, I will ask you to tell me about a
recent episode. You abducted Mr Potter and held him in a room with
Nicholas Flamel. Can you tell the court what that was for and how it
ended?
I realised the case was coming to a head and I tensed up. Dumbledore is
not a man who will accept his own punishment so easily. I wonder how it
was explained to everyone that I was to be executed, but here I am,
walking down the street, giving away my memories, killing Dark Lords.
Or are these mages so used to the illogic of what's going on that they
don't ask questions anymore?
- After seeing Tom Riddle's revival memories, I realised that only Harry
could have provided them. After doing a little investigating, I found out
that he had escaped from Azkaban, where he was supposed to be. Strange
that you don't prosecute him for escaping. However, I was able to find
out that Harry... Has some knowledge," he began to choose his words
carefully, realising he was treading on dangerous ground, "that he didn't
have before. In case you've forgotten, the Ministry and the Prophet
assured us six months ago that Mr Potter was the new Dark Lord. I
decided to conduct my own investigation and save the magical world of
Britain from a possible threat. However, instead of the expected
gratitude, I am being tried as some sort of criminal.
- Strange. Just a fortnight ago, you claimed Minister Fudge was lying,
and now you're saying you believed him. Mr Potter was acquitted on all
counts a month ago, so we won't judge him. But go on with what
happened next.
- I noticed a strong block in Mr Potter's memories and realised I needed
to open it up to find out the truth.
- I ask that we put on record the fact that Albus Dumbledore himself
admitted to the illegal use of Legilimenship.
- How do you not realise that this was necessary! - Dumbledore
exclaimed, his whole demeanour showing that he was deeply offended. -
I acted solely for the common good! To save my country, I hid Potter in a
secluded place and, with the help of my friend and mentor, tried to find
out what was hidden in his memories. Unfortunately, we were
unsuccessful. The block is so strong that I can't imagine the power of the
wizard who placed it. I strongly advise you to pursue this matter before
it's too late. When we realised we were making Mr Potter uncomfortable
by our actions, we sent him home. This situation is not worth the
attention of such honourable wizards.
Loud whispers went up in the hall, but Albus didn't realise what it was
about yet, deciding that this was the end of questions for him.
- 'You do realise that we know you're lying, don't you, Dumbledore?
We've just watched Mr Potter's memories and it wasn't like that at all. -
This question was asked by Scrimgeour, as the others stared at the
Headmaster in astonishment.
Albus was beginning to realise that I had lied to him and remembered
everything perfectly well, but the words had already been said.
- You tortured Mr Potter, fed him potions, held him captive for over a
week, starved him, your friend and mentor released the Cruciatus curse
on him, and then you threw Harry unconscious into the dump! - Amelia
was enraged and practically screaming. Albus turned white.
- Mr Green, given all the circumstances, what punishment can the
accused be subjected to?
I looked at the man Bones was addressing and remembered that he could
have been one of the Dark Lord's primary victims.
- Illegal mental influence, captivity, torture, and systematic neglect of his
own duties as Headmaster of Hogwarts. - Green listed off a list of
offences. - I'm sure this is only a fraction of what we've learnt.
- You're probably right, Mr Green," Amelia nodded, "we can do a more
thorough investigation in the future.
- For now, I would suggest that the accused be dismissed from all his
posts, and imprisoned in Azkaban for two years. If new circumstances are
discovered, the term can be reconsidered.
- Well," said Bones, who had clearly hoped for more. - Do you have
anything to add to that, Mr Potter?
Everyone looked at me again, as if oblivious to my presence. After
thinking about it, I decided not to mention things like my first year in the
Forbidden Forest, or the meeting at Gringotts. Two years is enough for
someone with a cursed arm that shouldn't even make it to summer.
Deciding to add a little more drama, I rose from my seat:
- The honourable court has mentioned almost all the issues of interest to
me, but one point remained unclear to me: why did you do this to me,
Professor Dumbledore? - The sad voice only added to the effect. I knew
the answer, and I was being mean, but I needed to break even the most
stubborn of fanatics. - I was only a year old, my parents had just been
murdered, and you abandoned me to the common people and forgot
about me for ten years. Before I went to Hogwarts, I didn't even know
magic existed. I was punished for any misdemeanour, forced to work and
starved. I was convinced that my parents had died in a car accident. And
even when I told all this, they still kept sending me there every summer.
Why? Why did you deprive me of my childhood and put me in constant
danger? I know you put your spy Mrs Figg in the house next door and she
regularly reported everything that was happening to me. So why didn't
you intervene? - I was silent for a few seconds, as if unable to cope with
my emotions, inwardly applauding myself for my excellent acting. Two
elderly ladies in the front row furtively wiped away tears.
Exhaling loudly, I shook my head and sat back down, saying I had
nothing to add.
- So you also had a spy? - Amelia was the first to deal with her emotions,
realising I was faking it. - However, I call for a vote. Those in favour of
Mr Green's verdict, please raise your hand.
The hands of almost everyone present were raised in the air. With some
hesitation, Tonks raised her hand, followed by Lupin, Brustover, and
McGonagall. Molly continued to sit motionless, glaring disapprovingly at
her fellow Order members.
After waiting for the votes to be counted, Amelia asked for a vote from
those who thought Dumbledore was innocent. Three hands went up in
the air, including Mother Weasley's.
I realised that I had achieved exactly the result I wanted, but I didn't
relax, instead I became even more focused. My wand slid into my hand, I
was sure Albus was going to pull something off, and he wasn't wrong.
Realising that he had lost, and was about to go to prison for this farce
called a trial, Dumbledore visibly calmed down, looking around
calculatingly.
- 'Well, I confess I did not expect such gratitude from you for all that I
have done for the good of society during my lifetime.'
He moved his hand sharply, using some kind of wandless spell, and
immediately the restraints fell away from him, throwing his arms up,
ready to enlist the help of his phoenix while the aurors just pointed their
wands at him, but I was ready.
Aiming above his head, I released the Stupefai as soon as I saw the first
burst of fire.
Appearing exactly at that spot, Fawkes was immediately hit by my
paralyser, and was thrown aside. Letting out a loud claw, the bird
demonstrated that the spell hadn't worked to its full potential, but still
couldn't get up off the floor. The Aurors took advantage of the time I had
gained and fired several spells at Albus, packing him full for further
transport to the prison. Seeing several people pointing their wands at the
phoenix lying there, I jumped up from my seat, running over to them and
covering the bird's body.
- Don't touch it! - I exclaimed, turning to Fawkes, who had saved my life
at the end of my second year.
- Forgive me, Fawkes, but it had to be done. Your master is not as kind as
he pretends to be. He tortures and kills people, gets rid of them as soon
as he doesn't need them. - I was close to the lying bird, which had
stopped making any sound and was trying to get to its feet. Nobody could
hear me but him. - You noticed it yourself. I don't think the phoenix likes
his master's behaviour. You don't do the nicest things on his orders
either, mate. You binned me a while ago, in case you've forgotten. But
I'm not angry, I know you can't disobey. Unfortunately, I have no other
option at the moment. Dumbledore will be sitting where you can't get to
him. Think about all this, Fawkes.
I felt I was doing the right thing. I've seen a lot in the magical world
already, but this is still the only phoenix I've ever seen with my own eyes.
I don't know how they got together with Albus, but if even some of the
information I know about immortal birds is true, then Fawkes just can't
be bad. I'm sure Dumbledore's influence is to blame, and when he dies,
the phoenix can find a new, more suitable host. After all, he saved my life
once.
Fawkes managed to get up, looked around, saw Dumbledore's bound
hands and feet about to be carried out of the hall, but didn't react. Then
he stared intently into my eyes, and I didn't look away, though I found it
surprisingly hard. With another clawing sound, the phoenix disappeared
in a flash. Alone.
Rising to my feet, I looked around the hall and realised I had everything
under control. Dumbledore's body levitated past me, giving me a hateful
glare, and then Fleur ran down from the bleachers and hugged me
tightly.
- It worked, Harry! - She pressed her lips to mine, ignoring the fact that
everyone was immediately staring in our direction.
- Um... Harry... Could you give us a moment, please.
Breaking away from the tantalising lips of my future wife, I turned
around unhappily, recognising that voice. A group of Ordinarians
approached us, with Sirius standing behind them, looking anywhere but
at me. Lupin, who had torn me away from the important business at
hand, decided to continue, realising he had captured my attention.
- Harry... We congratulate you on your victory.
I stood hugging Fleur and saw Molly open her mouth to say something.
Interrupting the werewolf, I pointed my finger accusingly at her.
- If you say one word in Fleur's direction, I'll curse you, Molly, I promise.
She shut her mouth in shock, and the others pretended nothing had
happened. When Lupin started to speak again, I interrupted him again.
- Look, let me save you and me some time. You all need to realise one
simple thing. You. You disgust me. Disgusting. - They flinched at the
hatred in my words. - Some I dislike less, like Kingsley and Tonks. I don't
know you, and I can't judge your actions, I don't care what your motives
are, so I'm just going to ask you to leave me alone. There are some people
I hate more than others. Like you, Molly, and your whole family. I
thought of you as my family, and you betrayed me. What's more, even
today, when you found out all about your pet Dumbledore, you still sided
with him, so stay out of my sight and I'll try to forget you ever existed. I
hate you too, Minerva. In all the time I spent at Hogwarts, you did
nothing to protect the students of your faculty. You also knew how I was
living with the Dursleys and did nothing about it either. I hope this
situation teaches you something. Maybe you'll start paying a little
attention to Gryffindors.
I saw a few reporters eavesdropping on our conversation, but I was
getting carried away. The sight of those faces alone was enough to bring
back the darkest memories in me.
- And you, Lupin, are the one I hate the most. Your best friends were
murdered, and in ten years you never once wondered what happened to
their son. Where were you, feeling sorry for yourself? And when you had
the chance, you betrayed me again. Please don't pretend to care right
now. Just walk away.
After waiting until they had all stepped aside, without answering
anything, I looked at Black.
- Sirius," I fell silent, not knowing what to say. As a result, I walked over
to him and held out my hand. - I'm sorry I cursed you the other day, I
didn't know how else to get through to you.
He looked at me in surprise, thinking he was about to get his dose of
hate, but I waited patiently. When he realised that this wasn't a joke,
Sirius shook my hand gently in return and smiled softly.
- I understand.
- I understand, too, Sirius. I'm going away from this madhouse for a
while, but when I get back, I'll text you to meet up. Is that okay with
you?
He smiled wider, and shook his head.
- I'll wait as long as it takes, Harry. Thank you.
- No problem, Tramp, I'll see you around. - I clapped him on the
shoulder, and left him to realise what had happened, walking over to
Amelia.
- 'Well, that went pretty well,' she said once I was next to her.
- More than well. Two years without Dumbledore, and Britain is almost
saved!
She smiled, and once again I noted that she needed to rest.
- Amelia, I understand, but if you don't go home now and go to bed for at
least twelve hours, I'm going to turn into the new Dark Lord.
- Don't, Harry, it's going to take a long time to clean up the past," Bones
laughed, accepting my joking threat. - I promise I'll go home right now.
Luckily, the bedroom had already been restored. Thank you for your
concern. And for helping me get through today. I feel like we're on the
right track.
- No problem. I'll be away for the next few weeks, but your elf can find
me. I got you into this, so I'll help you.
- It's a deal. I'll see you then?
- See you later.
We hugged goodbye, after which she also said goodbye to Fleur, and the
Frenchwoman and I left the courtroom, which by then was almost empty.
I took Fleur in my arms and began to twirl her round and round, which
made her shriek. It's all behind me now. Someday I might make it to
Flamel, but that didn't seem to matter now. I felt free for the first time, I
felt that I could go wherever I wanted and do whatever I wanted without
worrying that someone might attack me.
Once on the ground again, Fleur kissed me gently, knowing exactly how I
felt and enjoying it just as much.
- So, Harry, home?
- Home.
Chapter 46: Calm
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- This is even better than I expected! - Veselur was enthusiastically
showing off his new office, describing exactly what he was now working
with. - Lucius was nowhere near as bad as I expected from what you told
me.
It's a good thing Lucius didn't hear it himself. After talking to Amelia, I
made arrangements with her for Malfoy's return, who in turn promised to
express her support and give her the help she needed. Including
financially. Another request I made of Lucius was a job for Veselur.
Fortunately, as soon as he learnt that I had a goblin who needed a job, he
immediately arranged for him to be the chief accountant in his firm
without any questions asked.
Now everyone was happy - Lucius was free of all charges and making a
steady profit, Amelia was able to make the right contacts and fill the
Ministry's coffers, Veselur was working with the finances again without
having to report to other goblins, and I was finally getting some rest.
Fleur and I had just returned from a two-month trip, during which we
had visited over a dozen countries, enjoying the beauty of nature,
architecture, and each other. After spending so much time with Veela, I
realised that I had fallen even more in love, if that was even possible. She
only laughed at my statement, but confirmed that she felt similar
emotions.
Luckily, Gringotts was able to find me a new solicitor and set up
accounts, which allowed me to afford such a trip. On top of that, we've
also started building our house, which should be our nest for years to
come. Spending time with Fleur and planning my own future life allowed
me to let go of all the negativity that had been building up in me over the
years and I felt like I was breathing.
I hadn't met up with my former friends and acquaintances, but I was
going to meet up with Sirius soon. We'd see what would come of it.
Perhaps he would manage to become a part of my life again.
Another piece of happy news for me was the death of Dumbledore. It
seemed that the Azkaban environment and the influence of the
Dementors, as well as the lack of the necessary potions, had accelerated
the curse's effects. If rumours were to be believed, by the time of his
death, almost Albus' entire body had turned black. Fawkes never once
attempted to break through to get his master out. Despite all the crimes
of the former Headmaster of Hogwarts, many mages still mourned for
him. Some even tried to blame Amelia, that it was because of her that the
great wizard passed away. But thankfully, such were in the minority.
After returning from Veselur's to the flat where we now lived, I grabbed
Fleur and apparated to Hogsmeade. It was Sunday, which meant we
could see Luna and see how she was doing. I'd introduced them before
the holiday, but we hadn't been able to talk properly then, because
literally every student in Hogsmeade was staring at me like I was an
Inferi. Hopefully, the situation had calmed down in the past two months.
When I arrived near the Sweet Kingdom, I led Fleur through the streets of
the village, breathing in the spring air and watching the students running
from shop to shop. Aside from Luna, I looked for my former friends in the
crowd to avoid bumping into them. I didn't want to spoil my mood at all.
Luckily, we found the blonde first. She was standing alone and studying a
shop window when I leaned in close to her ear and said quietly:
- 'If you really want something, you can try to negotiate with the Nargles,
and then they'll help you get it.
She turned around in surprise and smiled and hugged me tightly, then
did the same to Fleur.
- Harry, Fleur, it's good to see you!
- Just Harry? No more Gurry Plitters? Or whatever the correct term is, I
can't remember anymore.
Luna laughed and led us towards our favourite bench, explaining on the
way that Fleur would need a nickname then too. The Frenchwoman
politely declined, assuring us that she was quite happy with her own
name, and then asked about the latest news.
Back in the country, we familiarised ourselves with what was happening
here, and I was convinced how right Amelia's choice as Minister had
been. She had been able to make many changes in such a short time,
including taking a serious look at the issue of pre-school education for
wizards from non-wizarding families, not only to prepare them for entry
into the world, but also to make sure they were treated properly. Major
changes in the teaching staff and the Hogwarts curriculum were planned
for the summer, so students would regret not paying enough attention to
their studies.
- All is quiet at Hogwarts," Luna said, her feet wiggling as usual. -
Professor McGonagall is doing a much better job as Headmaster than
Professor Dumbledore. She's also staying on as Transfiguration teacher
and Dean of Gryffindor, but that's only until the end of the year. There's a
lot of brainwashing going on around her, but she doesn't seem to notice
it. There are some changes planned for the summer, but I don't know
what they are. After all, you're the one who's friends with Minister Bones,
Harry, so you know best.
Last time we met, I was a little worried about how Fleur would react to
Luna's unusual speeches, but it turns out they've known each other since
the Tournament and hit it off right away.
- I don't know anything yet," I shrugged, "we just got back, I haven't seen
Amelia yet.
- Where have you been, what have you seen? I want to go somewhere
too. In the summer my dad and I are going to Denmark to see the biggest
community of mermaids. But summer is a long time away.
Fleur immediately started talking about our holiday, remembering all the
amazing things that had happened to us. For me, the most unusual was
meeting a small group of Indian magicians in Calcutta. Each of them was
a serpentist, and when I told them that I used to have this knowledge but
it had disappeared over time, they helped me to regain the skill. It turned
out that if I had ever spoken to snakes, it only took a little magic to
remind me exactly how to do it. So from now on I was once again a true
dark mage according to the local population.
I decided to put the skill to the test soon by breaking into the Chamber of
Secrets. Perhaps I could salvage some ingredients left by the basilisk, or
just look for hidden rooms. Hogwarts didn't evoke such negativity in me
anymore. After carrying around bad memories for so long, I was able to
almost get rid of them, and now it was not uncommon for me to
remember something pleasant about the castle. Like the amazing ceiling
of the Great Hall, or the cosy evenings in the Gryffindor common room.
Besides, there was no old man in the castle now, which meant it was
much safer.
Listening to the girls' conversation, I hurriedly stepped in when Fleur
started to tell me exactly what we were doing in the Indian Ocean,
sailing away from the rest of the humans.
- What are your plans, Harry? - Luna thankfully didn't give it much
thought, changing the subject.
- We're building a house now, and when we're done we'll get settled in,
and we'll be sure to expect you at the housewarming party. And if you're
talking about work, I don't even know. I'm thinking of starting my own
business, but Fleur doesn't like the idea. So we're still thinking about it.
- What do you think, Fleur? - Luna happily agreed to visit our new house
when it's finished and shifted her gaze to my fiancée.
- Harry's exaggerating," she stretched out, looking at me like I was the
biggest liar. - I just don't think it's fair to sell Harry Potter stuff. Whatever
segment of the market he's in, he'll pull in all the customers, leaving the
rest of us out of work. Even if he had the worst products in the world,
everyone would still want to buy something that the Dark Lord's victor
had a hand in creating.
Luna and I laughed, realising that she had a point.
- That's why I think," Fleur continued, "that Harry should first take care of
his education, pass his exams, wait for his wedding, give his bride the
most unforgettable honeymoon in the world, and then think about a job.
- You know, Harry, Fleur has beaten you to the punch," Luna said. - From
now on, I declare that she is the one in charge of smart ideas in your
family.
Fleur squared her shoulders proudly, looking at me mockingly.
- I'm glad someone noticed," she said, hugging Luna.
- That's fine," I pretended to be offended. - She beat me in a duel, and
now I can't even get a giant squid to perform at our wedding.
Luna laughed in surprise at this picture, and Fleur was even prouder, not
mentioning that she had defeated me in a completely dishonourable
manner. We had fought on a deserted beach, and at some point she had
simply unbuttoned the top of her swimming costume, letting it fall. Of
course, I immediately forgot all about the fight, which she took
advantage of.
After chatting for nearly another hour, we agreed to meet up the
following Sunday, after which we said goodbye to Luna and headed off to
our flat. Dobby had not only managed to tidy the place up during our
absence, but had also helped the Bones' housekeeper rebuild their home.
At first I didn't want to burden him with too much work, but then it
became clear that a housekeeper gets bored without work. And when he's
bored, he shows up every three minutes, waiting for instructions. It
doesn't matter where we are at that moment. When Dobby appeared next
to the narrow cable car we were on in the Alps and immediately flew
down from a great height, I realised that I was ready to give him any job
to do, as long as it was something to keep him busy.
It was now evident that this work had done him good, for he looked calm
and contented, so I did not yet devise a new challenge for the elf.
After eating dinner and enjoying each other's company on the home bed,
Fleur and I went to bed. I was pleased that the day had gone much better
than I could have expected. I hadn't met anyone I didn't want to see, and
all my friends were doing well. Tomorrow I would go to the Ministry and
talk to Amelia, with whom we had only exchanged a couple of letters in
the past. Maybe she can help me pass my fifth year exams without having
to go back to Hogwarts. If so, I'd have to get serious about my studies,
since I was definitely behind my peers in some subjects.
And then I could go out with Fleur in the evening. My plans were so
ordinary that I still couldn't believe it. As I fell asleep, I once again
thanked Death for giving me this second chance.
***
- Thank him in person," Death said, sitting across from me. - Did you
think I'd forgotten about you?
- Honestly, I did. I figured since I'd done what I had to do, you weren't
interested in me anymore.
- That's partly true, Harry, but only partly. For instance, I didn't thank
you for what you did. You did me a big favour by bringing Riddle in, so
thank you. Secondly, you have questions about my gifts, and I can
answer them. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner - I've been a bit
busy.
Wondering what Death could be doing for more than two months, I
decided not to ask him. And he, though he must have read it in my mind,
didn't react.
- You don't have to thank me," I said. - I did what I had to do. As for your
gifts, the wand scared me a little before, but it's fine now, and
unfortunately the robe is in disrepair.
- Yes, I saw that moment. - He snapped his fingers and my invisibility
robe appeared on the table in front of us, with a noticeable slit near my
left shoulder. Another click, and the robe looked like new again. Death
waved his hand and it disappeared. The whole thing took him no more
than three seconds. - Here, use it, and let it remain in your lineage. As for
the wand, no need to worry. It was just getting used to its new owner,
testing his magical potential. The wand will obey you without question,
you can be sure of that.
- Well, thank you very much. And thank you for bringing me back to life.
I think I've found myself in this world, and that's pretty damn good.
- Speaking of resurrection. I hope you haven't forgotten that you still owe
me a debt. Sooner or later, I might need it.
I nodded, remembering that perfectly well. For the first few days after
defeating Riddle, I'd fallen asleep with some apprehension that I might
wake up in a completely different place, but as time went on, I stopped
worrying, deciding that if it was going to happen, it was bound to
happen. Besides, he brought me back to life and gave me another chance
- for that I'm willing to do anything.
- That's fine. I'll see you later, Harry. It's been a pleasure watching you.
Maybe someday I'll get to see you thrashing around again.
I said goodbye and opened my eyes in my bed. Fleur, snuggled against
my side, was smiling contentedly in her sleep, and I kissed her nose
lightly, which made her wrinkle her nose.
I pulled the blanket back, snuggled her tighter, and fell back asleep,
confident that I was ready for anything as long as she was with me.
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