A/N: This is kind of an experiment that runs parallel to my other story, Final Protocol. The development process for Final Protocol involved me choosing three witches from the Harry Potter universe as potential non-traditional, romantic interests for Harry and sketching out an adventure/romance plot tailored to each of those three witches and their backgrounds that I thought might work. Ultimately, I liked the Harry/Susan story the best because I adore the version of Susan I am using and because the Susan plot involved time travel, which is my favorite type of plot. So, I ran with it. Recently, I got to thinking that it would be fun to take a witch other than Susan, plug her into Susan's story, and see what would happen as a different character reacted to similar situations. After some deliberation, I have decided that Romilda Vane has the potential to make an interesting story and a good challenge. So, let's have some fun. Please bear with me on this prologue—it will start with some of the same prose from Final Protocol.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. It is not one of the original Harry Potter novels written by J.K. Rowling. The author of this work of fan fiction receives no financial gain, directly or indirectly, from publication of this work. In publishing this work of fan fiction, the author relies on representations contained in the article "Rowling backs Potter fan fiction," authored by Darren Waters and published by BBC News on May 27, 2004.
PARALLEL PROTOCOL
Lord Silvere
Prologue
Having just sent a message to his father with a Patronus, Ron Weasley walked the perimeter of his and Hermione's temporary campsite, casting various camouflage spells that he hoped would prevent Death Eaters from discovering the campsite's location. When he was satisfied that the spells were working and that the campsite's location was secure, Ron made his way to the tent.
Ducking in through the flap, Ron found Hermione bending over a medical exam table that had served as a camp stool until Hermione had cast a transfiguration spell on it. Atop the table rested Harry Potter's unconscious form, clothed in tattered and bloodstained battle robes.
Hermione had been patching up Harry's more life-threatening wounds and was now assessing his overall condition. "He needs professional help," she told Ron, responding to his unspoken question. "There is something wrong with his mind. Spell damage, I believe."
Harry was shivering. His green eyes were open, but lifeless. Every few seconds, some of the muscles in Harry's face would twitch as if he were having a seizure.
Ron sighed. "So, what do we—"
A subtle chime, produced by an alarm ward, alerted the occupants of the tent to the arrival of visitors near the campsite's perimeter. Ron and Hermione brandished their wands and moved toward the tent's entrance just as their visitors announced themselves from the other side of the wards.
"It's just Bill and I," Arthur Weasley called out.
Arthur, Bill, Ron, and Hermione were soon standing in a circle outside the tent discussing the situation.
"The reinforcements arrived after you two evacuated Harry. They distracted the Death Eaters and opened an escape route for everybody," Bill explained.
"How is Harry?" Arthur asked.
"Bad," Ron replied. "Hermione says it could be magic damage to his brain."
"He's not responding to anything I've done for him so far," Hermione added.
"Will he be able to recover?" Bill asked, his sharp tone betraying worry.
"I cannot make predictions without a proper diagnosis," Hermione replied.
Under his breath, Bill cursed. "This sets us back. Without Harry, there is no chance of us pursuing a successful offensive against You-Know-Who."
Arthur sighed. "And, if You-Know-Who figures out that he does not need to reserve resources for defense, he can focus on his offensive strategy."
"We need not give up yet," Hermione said. "Until Harry is dead and buried, there is some hope."
Three years later …
A sober group composed of only persons whose loyalty to each other was unquestionable had gathered in an underground chamber beneath the Forbidden Forest to discuss the business of the Order of the Phoenix.
"With Hodgson gone missing, I opted to abandon the safe house," Mrs. Weasley explained. "I don't think he would betray us, but better safe than sorry, I say."
"I hope you had some help moving the residents," Neville Longbottom said. "Weren't there a lot more children than adults in the safe house with you?"
"Yes, but Susan was there to help," Mrs. Weasley said. "She will cover for me at the temporary location while I set up a more permanent solution."
Rather than wait for the gathered Order members to raise the obvious questions, Arthur addressed them preemptively. "I'll be helping Molly in her search for a new safe house. We probably need to assign an Order member with fighting experience to help Susan."
Ron Weasley sighed. "We'll see if we can find some candidates. Perhaps one of us here could be spared on a part-time basis …"
"We'll figure something out," Bill said decisively.
Everybody nodded. A long silence followed as the Order members contemplated their situation. The Order had many members. But, it had become difficult to determine which were genuine, which were spies, and which would leave the Order when membership became too inconvenient. The had made it difficult to carry out any large-scale operation in secrecy.
Bill stood up. "Now that we have addressed the most immediate concerns, it is time to take final action on an issue that we have left on the backburner for a number of years."
"Harry," Neville said sadly.
"Yes," Bill confirmed. "Harry."
"What is your plan?" Neville asked, sounding resigned.
"The best healers to which we have access have run out of suggestions for Harry's treatment," Bill explained. "To be honest, they've been out of good ideas for at least a year. They are randomly experimenting with potions both ancient and experimental. So far, nothing has had a positive effect on Harry."
Everybody in the room was nodding sadly. After Harry had fallen in battle, Order members had spent a year predicting his eventual recovery before allowing themselves to progress through the various stages of grief.
"This isn't the end of the war. We still have options that do not depend on Harry Potter," Bill Weasley said, trying to boost morale. "And, although we may not have as many duelists available like in the early days of the war, You-Know-Who is losing popularity, even among the blood purists. New recruits will come to the Order and be able to fight."
"If we're giving up on Harry, what are we to do with him?" Neville asked. "It is becoming difficult for us to protect him from Death Eater assassins."
Bill was prepared to answer this question. It was the reason he, Hermione, and Ron had called the meeting.
"Obviously, Harry still needs protection and care. There is a small chance that Harry will be revived or recover on his own. Or, maybe we will discover a use for him despite his present condition," Bill stated.
Everybody was nodding. Emboldened, Bill proceeded. "Hermione, Ron, and I have decided that somebody should take Harry overseas and care for him. It will be easier to care for Harry if he is in a country where Death Eaters do not run amok."
"It makes sense to me," Michael Corner said from where he had his arm wrapped around his wife, Ginny.
Bill surveyed the room, glancing for a moment into the eyes of each person who was present. "We need a volunteer. It must be one of us because we are the only ones who can be completely trusted. Unfortunately, our volunteer will have to go it alone. The Order cannot spare anybody else to assist with removing Harry from the country and protecting him. If things start to improve, maybe others can follow or trade off later, but the volunteer should not count on it."
"I'm sure any of us would be willing to volunteer," Neville said as others in the room nodded, some more enthusiastically than the others.
"There is something else our potential volunteer will need to consider," Hermione said quietly. "I have developed a magical procedure that we will expect our volunteer to perform as a last resort should You-Know-Who be victorious. It could turn the whole war around. Were it any other plan, I would suggest performing the procedure now, but the chance of success is too low and the price is too high. Thus, it will have to be the Order's most desperate, final protocol."
Everybody began exchanging nervous glances.
"What does the magical procedure entail?" Neville asked, his voice low.
Bill looked to Hermione, signaling her to proceed with her explanation.
Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "The procedure involves blood magic. As with most blood magic, there will be pain for the caster. The amount of blood required also guarantees that both our volunteer and Harry will die if the spell does not work. But, the rewards could be high. In fact, the rewards could be so high that if I had any guarantee that it would work, I would do it myself right here, right now."
"And what are these possible rewards?" Neville pressed.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry and the volunteer will time travel. The time travel journey should revive Harry because only Harry's spirit will be travelling through time, and not his body, which is, I hope, the only part of him that is injured. And, even if the time travel alone is not enough, I have incorporated some other features into the spell that might help."
Seeing no opposition to this much of the procedure, Hermione continued explaining the spell. "After arriving in the past, Harry, who knows the key events that led the magical world into this war, can decide how to avert the catastrophe in which we have become doomed to live. Our volunteer can update Harry on what has happened since Harry fell in battle, but really, we would hope that events would not get to the point where such information would be useful."
"My death is probably inevitable, anyway, what with You-Know-Who on the loose and no Harry to fight him," Neville said. He stood up. "I volunteer."
"I'm sorry, but we cannot possibly allow that," Bill replied. "Your value here in our fights and planning meetings is simply too great. You cannot possibly be spared."
Neville sighed as he sat back down again. "I suppose you're right."
There were some quiet murmurs as the various Order members weighed the options. Hermione's description of her time travel spell had not inspired confidence in those Order members that were present. Not only did the blood magic sound scary, but it was slightly beyond the realm of belief.
Eventually a few of the braver and more trusting Order members put their names forward but were either rejected as had been Neville or compelled to withdraw their names after others had pointed out their essential nature to this or that project or concern.
"Well, I guess this idea was a dud," Seamus Finnegan observed.
"No," Ron declared, thumping his fist on a table. "This is the move we must make. This is an ace we can put up our sleeve. It would be folly to ignore this opportunity."
Bill nodded. "We have to make this work somehow. I want to see a fail-safe protocol like this in place. Not only that, but we cannot keep committing resources to protecting and caring for Harry. We must move forward, and this is the best way to relieve us of a burden and give us a backup advantage."
"Does it have to be somebody who is actually here tonight?" Mr. Weasley asked.
This comment drew Hermione's already-stoked ire. "The idea is that the people here are the most trusted and loyal members of the Order. If they're not here, then we ought not to trust them to do this assignment," Hermione said waspishly. She had correctly concluded that the lack of volunteers was based on a lack of confidence in the plan she had helped create and was feeling hurt and angry at the lack of support.
Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat.
"What?" Hermione barked at her mother-in-law.
"I think there are certain members of the Order who are loyal but that are not here because we do not feel that they are able to make constructive contributions to the discussion." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Are you saying we should turn my project that I have spent months working on over to a stupid person for final execution?" Hermione asked, her voice already beginning to rise a few octaves.
"Well, not necessarily stupid," Mrs. Weasley prevaricated as Ron and Bill exchanged looks with each other and nodded.
"Then what do you mean?" Hermione retorted, crossing her arms and surveying the room with narrowed eyes.
"I move that we vest Bill, Ron, and Hermione with the authority to select a person to carry out the Final Protocol without any further discussion or input from us and then adjourn," Michael Corner declared.
"Second!" both Fred and George Weasley called.
The vote in favor was unanimous.
"I don't understand why you are unhappy," Romilda Vane protested as she folded her arms across her chest. With her prominent chin, she nodded toward a box she had placed on a rickety table in the kitchen of Mrs. Weasley's newest safehouse. "We are now sitting on a wand shipment that I, and a few others, successfully intercepted. The Death Eaters are now short a dozen wands while we are up a dozen wands."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head and gestured to Romilda's blood-stained jumper, which was still dripping with blood. It appeared that Romilda may have received some sort of wound during her escapade.
"It looks a lot worse than it is," Romilda said as she quickly tried to clean herself up by casting some cleaning spells. Her attempt to tidy herself was not successful, but her lack of cleanliness would hardly have distracted anybody from her enchanting dark eyes and long black hair, let alone her tall, thin, and curvy frame.
"From what your compatriots have told me, you were lucky to escape. You could have been captured, tortured, and forced to reveal Order secrets. All that because you decided that the best way to steal wands from the Death Eaters was to walk up onto the front porch of their supply house and knock on the door."
Romilda held up her finger to silence Mrs. Weasley. "There was more strategy to it than that. Moreover, it worked. I got the wands."
Mrs. Weasley was not impressed. "After a nasty fight."
"And I had my wand at the ready the whole time," Romilda added. "I knew the risks. I was prepared for a fight."
"That is good," Mrs. Weasley observed. "But, you came close to needing more preparation than you did have."
Romilda shook her head but said nothing. She could see that convincing Mrs. Weasley was a lost cause. But she was not about to let that get her down. She turned and was about to head upstairs for a shower and some sleep when Mrs. Weasley stopped her.
"You're about to have three visitors," Mrs. Weasley informed Romilda.
Romilda blinked. "Am I? What for?"
"They have a special assignment for you," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Wait here."
With that, Mrs. Weasley left the kitchen and went upstairs.
When Romilda turned around, she was surprised to find that Bill, Ron, and Hermione Weasley had already entered the kitchen without Romilda noticing and were looking at her appraisingly from their position next to the backdoor of the safehouse.
"I am going to guess that you're the ones with the special assignment for me," Romilda said, secretly thrilled that the entire triumvirate responsible for the Order's leadership had come to her.
"Yes," Bill said drily. "We've heard of your exploits, and some of us have concluded that it makes sense for you to carry out a special assignment."
"Give me the details, and I'll do it," Romilda said, attempting to strike a casual, but confident, pose.
"Not here," Ron replied.
"Where, then?"
Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen and interrupted the discussion by handing Romilda a small suitcase filled with her belongings. "Good luck, dear," Mrs. Weasley said before exiting and leaving the group alone again.
"If that's everything you need, let's get going," Bill said.
"All right, then," Romilda said, not betraying so much as a shred of hesitation as she began following their lead.
Moving so as to avoid any detection or tracking, the governing triumvirate of the Order of the Phoenix took Romilda to an abandoned Muggle apartment building and led her up to the tenth floor. Romilda surveyed the furnishings of the flat and walked over to the windows so as to get her bearings.
Through the windows, Romilda looked out over the city of London. More than a couple of ambulances and fire engines, guarded by police and military vehicles, were moving throughout the city, their lights flashing. On the horizon, a faint green glow and flashes of colored light in the darkened sky suggested that Death Eaters had been at work.
Slowly, Romilda turned away from the window, folded her arms, and focused her attention on Bill, Ron, and Hermione. "Will you reveal the details now?" Romilda asked, making a deliberate effort to sound confident and mature as she carefully held her pose.
"Yes," Bill said. "In short, what is going to happen is that we will be entrusting Harry Potter to your custody so that you can remove him from the country and take him overseas for his own safety. Once you've established yourself overseas with Harry, you will be serving as his around-the-clock nurse and bodyguard."
"For how long?" Romilda inquired.
Bill shrugged. "Until further notice."
"Okay," Romilda said slowly, studying the faces of Bill, Ron, and Hermione as she tried to ascertain how serious each of them was being. "And that's all there is to it? Surely you have more details for me than that."
"There is also something we call the Final Protocol," Ron piped up.
They quickly explained the details and logic behind the Final Protocol to Romilda, who listened without making any interruptions.
"I can do that, too," Romilda agreed as soon as the process to execute the Final Protocol had been outlined for her. "It sounds like a great idea. I am surprised nobody thought of it before."
Hermione looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure you don't have any questions or concerns?"
"The blood magic sounds straightforward to me," Romilda responded. Had any of her old school friends been around, she would have whispered to them that as a pureblood, she was not likely to be put off by the idea of blood magic. But, Romilda had no more living school friends, and, over the years, Romilda had gained a small amount of situational awareness and tact.
"The blood magic involves dying," Hermione reiterated.
Romilda nodded. "I picked up on that. I also picked up on the idea of death only being temporary until the time travel magic kicks in."
"But we cannot guarantee the time travel magic will kick in," Hermione warned. "That is why it is our last option."
Romilda shrugged. "It is no different than going into a battle or raid. Just this night, I participated in a mission where I could have been tortured and killed if captured."
"Looks like you didn't escape unscathed," Bill said, eyeing Romilda's bloodstained jumper.
"You would be more correct than you know," Romilda responded as she shifted her pose ever so slightly and forced a smile onto her face.
Hermione arched an eyebrow at Romilda while Bill and Ron nodded in approval, apparently not yet having been briefed on the exact details of what had happened on Romilda's "mission." But even then, as boys, they would have been less likely to find fault with her bold approach.
"I do have some questions about the nursing part of this assignment," Romilda informed them.
"What kind of questions?" Hermione asked.
"First, precisely when will Harry and I arrive in the past?"
"You will arrive a couple of months before Harry's first year at Hogwarts begins," Hermione answered. "Or, in other words, a couple of years before you begin Hogwarts."
Romilda accepted this information without comment, and as she moved to her next question, she subconsciously raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a small fit of immature giggling. "So, if I'm Harry Potter's nurse, does that mean that, uh . . ." She couldn't finish and instead blushed while grinning.
Hermione's eyes bugged out. "You know what? Forget it!" she said, throwing up her hands and walking out of the room.
"Uh, just stay here for a few minutes, please," Bill instructed Romilda before he and Ron rushed out of the room to catch up with Hermione.
"This was a bad idea," Hermione said as soon as Ron and Bill caught up with her.
"No, it's not," Bill said. "Did you see how quickly she agreed to do all of that? She's on board, just like we predicted."
"Because she's an overconfident idiot," Hermione retorted. "And immature, too!"
"She doesn't have to be smart," Ron pointed out. "She lays low and stabs herself and Harry if we lose the war. If and when the spell kicks in, they go to the past and Harry is completely revived. After that, what she does is completely irrelevant. Harry will take it from there."
"And do you think Harry will appreciate us having shackled him with the likes of her?" Hermione demanded. "He does not like her. I mean, for Merlin's sake, she tried to feed him sweets laced with a love potion!"
"He will be able to ignore her," Bill pointed out.
"Not really," Hermione guiltily muttered without providing any elaboration. "As for her actions being irrelevant, she could actually mess things up pretty badly if Harry cannot control her. What if Harry decides to proceed against You-Know-Who at a slower more methodical pace but she wants to go fast? She knows enough to stir the pot and throw the timeline so far off that Harry's knowledge will be useless."
"Good point," Bill quietly murmured as a silence fell over the group.
"See?" Hermione said. "We need someone else."
"There is no one else, Hermione," Ron said. "You know that. You did all the analysis of the Order members yourself. At least two of us have vetoed every other candidate."
"Let's talk about whether she can be kept under control if and when she reaches the past with Harry," Bill said. "Let's define the concerns we are now having and then find a workable way to address them."
Hermione pursed her lips.
Romilda slowly turned away from the window as Ron, Hermione, and Bill filed back into the room. "That was more than a few minutes," she observed.
Bill shrugged. "We were just ironing out some last-minute kinks in the plan. So, are you ready to accept this assignment?"
Romilda nodded.
"Very well," Bill said as Hermione looked on with a mask of indifference. "In that case, we will need you to . . . swear a magical oath. After that we will brief you on what will be happening in the next few days."
Romilda willingly produced her wand. "What kind of oath?"
Ron produced a small piece of parchment on which he had outlined the key points of the oath. "In addition to swearing that you will carry out this assignment as instructed, you will need to swear to not intentionally betray Harry's interests and to not intentionally do anything in the fight against You-Know-Who that Harry has told you not to do."
Romilda frowned as she considered whether she wanted to swear any oath like that.
"You'll also need to swear that you will not administer love potions to Harry," Hermione said.
Romilda smirked and reflexively raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle that did not quite arrive.
"Are you going to swear the oath?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose so," Romilda responded, rolling her eyes. As Hermione, Bill, and Ron watched, she held out her wand and performed the oath. "Happy?" she asked as soon as she was finished.
"Yes," Ron said.
"Good," Romilda said, putting away her wand.
The group lingered together for a few more minutes to discuss preparations before leaving Romilda to spend the next several days alone in the building while she waited for Harry to be prepared for transport. Eventually, Ron, Hermione, and Bill said their goodbyes before apparating away.
As soon as Romilda was sure that she was alone, she pumped both of her fists in the air and let out an excited squeal. For her, this assignment seemed like a dream come true. But, the excitement was short-lived. When her Hogwarts education had ended with the fiery battle of Hogwarts in her fifth year, Romilda had learned that from time to time, one must be serious. Tonight, she had a throbbing reminder of that reality.
Romilda let the façade she'd been displaying since her encounter with Mrs. Weasley fade away. Slowly, she limped to the bathroom of the tenth-floor flat that the Order leaders had helped her commandeer. She was pleased to discover that the lights and water worked. As warm water gushed from the faucet and into the sink, Romilda removed a good amount of her clothing to reveal where a couple of cutting hexes from her earlier exploits had hit their target.
Blood was still oozing from the wounds a little more quickly than Romilda would have hoped, considering how long it had been since the wounds had been inflicted. Feeling herself going into an all too familiar state of shock, Romilda decided to go lie down on the bed before attempting to patch herself up.
"It isn't complicated," Bill Weasley told Romilda after he finished stowing her suitcase into a Muggle ambulance that the Order had procured. I understand it is as simple as pushing that pedal when you want to accelerate and the other when you want to stop. The wheel is for you to steer, of course. The magic will take care of the rest. We have spent a lot of time casting spells to handle every situation you might encounter on your journey. You will fit in with Muggles on the road perfectly."
"You also have to turn the key in the ignition to start the motor," Hermione added.
"Right," Romilda said, standing next to the open driver's door of the Muggle ambulance.
Ron Weasley was also standing by, holding three items Hermione had brought along. Hermione took one of the items, a leather satchel, and presented it to Romilda.
"Here are the recipes and information for every potion you might need to give Harry. The directions cover every brewing detail down to how to cut up the ingredients," Hermione said. "We will attempt to send you suggestions for potions and dosages. But, as you already know, communication will be limited. You may as well experiment with the potions and dosages as you see fit. We've thrown in a few recipes that we did not have a chance to try before now."
"All right," Romilda said, accepting the satchel and placing it in the ambulance. "It can't hurt to experiment as long as I keep the daggers nearby, right?"
"Let's not be rash," Hermione sighed as she relieved Ron of a briefcase and handed it to Romilda. "This contains cash and documents for the banks to which Harry's liquidated wealth has been transferred. The money has been properly laundered and passed through many accounts in many countries. Still, you should probably withdraw it mid-journey and then slowly deposit the funds elsewhere once you have settled down."
Romilda nodded as she accepted the briefcase and moved to place it with the potion recipe satchel.
Finally, Hermione took a small wooden box from Ron and handed it to Romilda as soon as the briefcase was in the ambulance.
"The Final Protocol," Hermione announced, sounding a touch dramatic. "The instructions we discussed are inside. When you arrive at your final destination, you should memorize the instructions so you can carry out the procedure quickly, if needed. Also, do not keep the instructions too close to the box in case an intruder happens to find the box or the instructions."
Romilda was placing the wooden box in the ambulance when Neville Longbottom and Arthur Weasley arrived with Harry, who was lying comatose on a stretcher. A moment of silence passed as Neville and Arthur loaded the stretcher bearing Harry into the back of the ambulance. As Ron and Hermione said their goodbyes to Harry and watched Neville and Arthur close the back doors of the ambulance, Bill Weasley took Romilda aside for a private word.
"Daily, I tell myself that Harry will recover quickly or that one day the Order will win our war of attrition against You-Know-Who," Bill said. "I wish I could say I was convinced."
"And why aren't you convinced?" Romilda asked.
"Dumbledore told Moody and Moody told me," Bill said, "that Harry is the only chance to bring You-Know-Who down. In sheer magical power, only he can hope to match You-Know-Who. There is also a prophecy."
Romilda's eyes widened with excitement. "I knew it! Will you tell me what it says?"
"No."
The expression on Romilda's face became more serious as she shook her head. "I'm afraid that I am going to have insist."
It took several moments of Romilda staring intensely into Bill's eyes before he caved in. "Suffice it to say that the prophecy predicts Harry's birth and specifies that only Harry and You-Know-Who are the only ones who can kill each other."
A curious expression came over Romilda's face as she absorbed what Bill had told her. "Is that so?"
"Yes," Bill said. "In light of that information, surely you must appreciate the importance of protecting Harry and his health," Bill instructed Romilda. "And should Harry regain his faculties, you must treat him as the leader of the Order. Even if his decisions about the fight against You-Know-Who run counter to the Order's prior strategies or seem strange, just follow Harry's lead. He has his ways of knowing You-Know-Who's mind. And, when it comes down to it, he is probably the one who must face You-Know-Who in the end. We trust him."
"As you direct," Romilda said as she took this new information to heart and kept a couple of insights to herself.
The Order members present watched Romilda climb into the driver's seat and pull the door shut as she started the motor. As she pulled away, the ambulance's lights automatically began to flash.
Soon, the ambulance was out of sight. Yet, the Order members who had seen Harry and Romilda off remained, staring into the distance at nothing.
Checking to see what kind of reception the ambulance's wireless had, Romilda guided the ambulance through the busy streets of London. As Romilda exited the city limits, the ambulance's lights stopped flashing, the appearance of the ambulance subtly changed, and the ambulance almost literally faded into the darkness of the night as it raced to remove Harry Potter from the land that had fallen beneath Lord Voldemort's shadow.