Harry Potter and the Auror's Ransom
A Fan Novel by Iris Lefay Longbottom
Drama/Adventure with lots of humor
Rating: PG
Summary: In Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, he and his friends help Frank and Aurelle Longbottom (Neville's parents) regain their sanity after being tortured years ago for Voldemort's whereabouts. Harry and Neville receive special tutoring from a Hogwarts teacher for this purpose, and Neville shows his mettle as a true Gryffindor. They get to know a fourth-year Slytherin girl who has more than one surprise up her sleeve.
AN: The Prologue introduces an original character, Ivy Parkinson. Watch for an oblique reference to the Narnia books and one to the Arthurian legend. Don't be put off by how seriously the story begins; it gets funnier, especially in Chapter Two ("The Opposition Verse"). I know the timing of this submission is deucedly awkward; I meant to finish the story months ago ….
Harry Potter
and the Auror's Ransom
Disclaimer: The characters, settings, and situations from the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling are used without permission. This book is unpublished and privately circulated by e-mail and in hard copy, and no money has changed hands in its distribution by the author. No copyright or trademark violation, nor any discourtesy to author J. K. Rowling, is intended.
Contents
Prologue: The Wizard's Niece
1. The Trempath
2. The Opposition Verse
3. Something in Autumn
4. A Coward's Life
5. A First-Class Slytherin
6. Across the Channel
7. Salazara
8. Seeing Things and Hearing Things
9. A Beautiful Mind
10. Holly and Phoenix Feather
11. The Deadness of Mr. Crouch
12. Bargain with Destiny
13. Mischief at Mungo's
14. Octavius
15. A Turn for the Understudy
16. An Offer Refused
17. The Auror's Ransom
18. Biscuits at Bungo's
19. The Snape-Potter-Longbottom Trempath
Epilogue: The Auror's Grandson
****************************************
Prologue: The Wizard's Niece
The man sitting in the study chair was not old, but his sallow face was set in bitter lines of illness and fatigue. The child standing beside him could have been no more than four years old. Both heads were bent over a tray sitting on the desk.
"What do you see?" asked the man.
"I see lots of stones, Uncle," answered the child. "Some of them are pretty. I like that one," and she pointed to a turquoise stone mottled with darker blue.
"Some of these stones are real and some are illusions," he told her.
"What are illusions?"
"Illusions are things that seem to be there, but really aren't, Ivy," he answered.
Ivy thought about this for a moment. "Like pretending?" she asked.
"Not exactly. When you pretend your stuffed owl can talk, do you really hear it?"
"Sometimes … I don't know. But I know my pretend tea doesn't taste like anything."
"An illusion is something you really see, but it really isn't there."
"Oh, I know, Uncle. Like something you see in a mirror."
"Exactly, Ivy. Three of the stones on this tray are not real, even though you can see them." He turned the tray so that the candlelight played over them, the highlights and shadows sliding from one to another. "I want you to tell me which ones are not real."
"But they're not in a mirror, so how can I know if they're real or not? Can I touch them?"
"If you touch the illusion stones, you won't feel them. Your fingers will go through them and you won't be able to pick them up. But I want to see if you can find out which ones aren't real without touching any of them."
The little girl looked closely at the stones and poised one hand over them. "I don't know how."
"You don't have to know how. Just keep looking at them," he encouraged her.
"Will you let me touch the tray, Uncle?"
"Yes, Ivy, if you're careful not to touch the stones."
Ivy nodded, put her hands on the tray and turned it the way her uncle had done. Then she gave it a gentle shake, forward and back, so that the stones rattled. She repeated the same motion twice more, and then pointed to a gleaming black stone with sharp corners near the edge of the tray. "That one didn't move like the rest of them. I think that one's not real," she said.
"Touch it and see," said her uncle. Ivy put one small hand on the stone, and her forefinger passed all the way through it. She giggled quietly.
"It feels like nothing, Uncle."
"You found one of the illusion stones, Ivy. Now look for the other two," said the man, just as absorbed as his little niece. Ivy made to shake the tray again, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "This time find one without moving the tray."
She gave him a sideways look, almost pouting. "Did I do it wrong, Uncle?"
"No, Ivy, you did well. But I want you to find the others a different way."
She turned back to the stones, and studied each one in turn. She pursed her lips and blew on them lightly as she continued to look. A few stones near the middle of the tray had formed a small pile when Ivy had shaken them, and the stones in the pile moved slightly. Then a flash of brilliant red appeared, and a tiny scarlet snake glided out from underneath the pile.
"I didn't know there was a snake on the tray, Uncle," murmured Ivy, enthralled by the minute creature.
"Neither did I," her companion told her with considerably more surprise in his voice. Ivy opened her mouth to say something else, but the snake began to hiss and she listened closely, her head bent to catch the faint sounds. Then she pointed her finger at one of the stones, a pale green translucent one this time.
"That one's not real," she said with certainty.
"Try it," he instructed her. Her finger went through it as if it wasn't there. Her mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. "How did you know that was an illusion stone?" he asked.
"The snake told me, Uncle," Ivy replied.
"The snake told you?"
"Yes, it said, 'The light green stone isn't really there.' Didn't you hear it, Uncle?"
"I don't believe I did. Are you sure?"
"Quite sure, Uncle. It was very quiet, though. Maybe your ears aren't as good as mine."
"Perhaps not," the man said a bit drily.
The snake hissed again and Ivy listened and hissed back to it. This went on for a few moments. Then Ivy turned to her uncle, looking puzzled. "There's a man everybody thinks is dead, Uncle," she said. "The snake told me to tell you he's still alive."
The man straightened in amazement and said urgently, "Who is it, Ivy? Who's still alive?"
Ivy was not frightened by his sudden sharpness. She said, "I don't know his name. The snake didn't say who he is. But he's not a nice man." She conferred with the tiny reptile again, then said, "A sick man told you about him, Uncle. A sick man that nobody believes."
"How did you know that, Ivy?" her uncle demanded.
"The snake told me. Don't you believe me?"
"Yes, I do believe you, Ivy," he sighed. "But you mustn't tell anybody about this. Not even your mother and father."
"I won't, Uncle."
A sharp knocking sounded on the door, and a woman entered and said, "There you are! It's past your bedtime, Ivy. Your sister's already asleep. Come along now."
"Oh, Mummy, /no/," the child wailed, clinging to the arm of the man's chair. "Uncle is teaching me to find stones that aren't there. We're not /finished/ yet."
"You'll have to finish tomorrow, then," the woman told her firmly. "As for you, sir, I've half a mind to send you to bed too. You're still far from well. And don't you think Ivy is a bit young for all this? You're putting too many notions in her head. Time enough for it when she goes to Hogwarts."
"Ivy shows aptitude far beyond her years, Zinnia. She's not the baby you think she is; she can profit from the right training at the right time. She takes after her grandmother, Iris Lefay. I believe she'll do you great credit someday."
"Not forgetting to mention that Iris Lefay—whom I never liked, by the way—is your own mother."
"Indeed. What of it?" the man asked testily.
"What you really mean is that you hope Ivy will do /you/ credit, Severus," Ivy's mother retorted, and led the little girl from the room.
A Fan Novel by Iris Lefay Longbottom
Drama/Adventure with lots of humor
Rating: PG
Summary: In Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, he and his friends help Frank and Aurelle Longbottom (Neville's parents) regain their sanity after being tortured years ago for Voldemort's whereabouts. Harry and Neville receive special tutoring from a Hogwarts teacher for this purpose, and Neville shows his mettle as a true Gryffindor. They get to know a fourth-year Slytherin girl who has more than one surprise up her sleeve.
AN: The Prologue introduces an original character, Ivy Parkinson. Watch for an oblique reference to the Narnia books and one to the Arthurian legend. Don't be put off by how seriously the story begins; it gets funnier, especially in Chapter Two ("The Opposition Verse"). I know the timing of this submission is deucedly awkward; I meant to finish the story months ago ….
Harry Potter
and the Auror's Ransom
Disclaimer: The characters, settings, and situations from the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling are used without permission. This book is unpublished and privately circulated by e-mail and in hard copy, and no money has changed hands in its distribution by the author. No copyright or trademark violation, nor any discourtesy to author J. K. Rowling, is intended.
Contents
Prologue: The Wizard's Niece
1. The Trempath
2. The Opposition Verse
3. Something in Autumn
4. A Coward's Life
5. A First-Class Slytherin
6. Across the Channel
7. Salazara
8. Seeing Things and Hearing Things
9. A Beautiful Mind
10. Holly and Phoenix Feather
11. The Deadness of Mr. Crouch
12. Bargain with Destiny
13. Mischief at Mungo's
14. Octavius
15. A Turn for the Understudy
16. An Offer Refused
17. The Auror's Ransom
18. Biscuits at Bungo's
19. The Snape-Potter-Longbottom Trempath
Epilogue: The Auror's Grandson
****************************************
Prologue: The Wizard's Niece
The man sitting in the study chair was not old, but his sallow face was set in bitter lines of illness and fatigue. The child standing beside him could have been no more than four years old. Both heads were bent over a tray sitting on the desk.
"What do you see?" asked the man.
"I see lots of stones, Uncle," answered the child. "Some of them are pretty. I like that one," and she pointed to a turquoise stone mottled with darker blue.
"Some of these stones are real and some are illusions," he told her.
"What are illusions?"
"Illusions are things that seem to be there, but really aren't, Ivy," he answered.
Ivy thought about this for a moment. "Like pretending?" she asked.
"Not exactly. When you pretend your stuffed owl can talk, do you really hear it?"
"Sometimes … I don't know. But I know my pretend tea doesn't taste like anything."
"An illusion is something you really see, but it really isn't there."
"Oh, I know, Uncle. Like something you see in a mirror."
"Exactly, Ivy. Three of the stones on this tray are not real, even though you can see them." He turned the tray so that the candlelight played over them, the highlights and shadows sliding from one to another. "I want you to tell me which ones are not real."
"But they're not in a mirror, so how can I know if they're real or not? Can I touch them?"
"If you touch the illusion stones, you won't feel them. Your fingers will go through them and you won't be able to pick them up. But I want to see if you can find out which ones aren't real without touching any of them."
The little girl looked closely at the stones and poised one hand over them. "I don't know how."
"You don't have to know how. Just keep looking at them," he encouraged her.
"Will you let me touch the tray, Uncle?"
"Yes, Ivy, if you're careful not to touch the stones."
Ivy nodded, put her hands on the tray and turned it the way her uncle had done. Then she gave it a gentle shake, forward and back, so that the stones rattled. She repeated the same motion twice more, and then pointed to a gleaming black stone with sharp corners near the edge of the tray. "That one didn't move like the rest of them. I think that one's not real," she said.
"Touch it and see," said her uncle. Ivy put one small hand on the stone, and her forefinger passed all the way through it. She giggled quietly.
"It feels like nothing, Uncle."
"You found one of the illusion stones, Ivy. Now look for the other two," said the man, just as absorbed as his little niece. Ivy made to shake the tray again, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "This time find one without moving the tray."
She gave him a sideways look, almost pouting. "Did I do it wrong, Uncle?"
"No, Ivy, you did well. But I want you to find the others a different way."
She turned back to the stones, and studied each one in turn. She pursed her lips and blew on them lightly as she continued to look. A few stones near the middle of the tray had formed a small pile when Ivy had shaken them, and the stones in the pile moved slightly. Then a flash of brilliant red appeared, and a tiny scarlet snake glided out from underneath the pile.
"I didn't know there was a snake on the tray, Uncle," murmured Ivy, enthralled by the minute creature.
"Neither did I," her companion told her with considerably more surprise in his voice. Ivy opened her mouth to say something else, but the snake began to hiss and she listened closely, her head bent to catch the faint sounds. Then she pointed her finger at one of the stones, a pale green translucent one this time.
"That one's not real," she said with certainty.
"Try it," he instructed her. Her finger went through it as if it wasn't there. Her mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. "How did you know that was an illusion stone?" he asked.
"The snake told me, Uncle," Ivy replied.
"The snake told you?"
"Yes, it said, 'The light green stone isn't really there.' Didn't you hear it, Uncle?"
"I don't believe I did. Are you sure?"
"Quite sure, Uncle. It was very quiet, though. Maybe your ears aren't as good as mine."
"Perhaps not," the man said a bit drily.
The snake hissed again and Ivy listened and hissed back to it. This went on for a few moments. Then Ivy turned to her uncle, looking puzzled. "There's a man everybody thinks is dead, Uncle," she said. "The snake told me to tell you he's still alive."
The man straightened in amazement and said urgently, "Who is it, Ivy? Who's still alive?"
Ivy was not frightened by his sudden sharpness. She said, "I don't know his name. The snake didn't say who he is. But he's not a nice man." She conferred with the tiny reptile again, then said, "A sick man told you about him, Uncle. A sick man that nobody believes."
"How did you know that, Ivy?" her uncle demanded.
"The snake told me. Don't you believe me?"
"Yes, I do believe you, Ivy," he sighed. "But you mustn't tell anybody about this. Not even your mother and father."
"I won't, Uncle."
A sharp knocking sounded on the door, and a woman entered and said, "There you are! It's past your bedtime, Ivy. Your sister's already asleep. Come along now."
"Oh, Mummy, /no/," the child wailed, clinging to the arm of the man's chair. "Uncle is teaching me to find stones that aren't there. We're not /finished/ yet."
"You'll have to finish tomorrow, then," the woman told her firmly. "As for you, sir, I've half a mind to send you to bed too. You're still far from well. And don't you think Ivy is a bit young for all this? You're putting too many notions in her head. Time enough for it when she goes to Hogwarts."
"Ivy shows aptitude far beyond her years, Zinnia. She's not the baby you think she is; she can profit from the right training at the right time. She takes after her grandmother, Iris Lefay. I believe she'll do you great credit someday."
"Not forgetting to mention that Iris Lefay—whom I never liked, by the way—is your own mother."
"Indeed. What of it?" the man asked testily.
"What you really mean is that you hope Ivy will do /you/ credit, Severus," Ivy's mother retorted, and led the little girl from the room.
