Chapter 1: Seven years later
Bill Weasley is a top notch curse-breaker among those who work for the Ministry of Magic, but even he had trouble with the nasty curse that had been sprung on his youngest brother, Auror Ronald Weasley and a team of other aurors in training. Hermione is beside herself with worry and was unable to do anything other than identify the curse.
The spell work is, for lack of a better word; ridiculous. The connecting leys in the curse are delicate and sinisterly riddled with traps. Much like a bomb; it was designed to detonate, splinching and creating frost bites on various parts of the victim, leaving the ones affected by the curse well and truly dead should a lesser curse-breaker try to unweave the spell.
Bill's earlier attempts with the help of experienced healers only managed to arrest the development of the curse to a slower pace. It was a malicious curse thrown by a dark wizard; another nutter trying to usurp the rule of You-Know-Who.
Knowing he was losing precious time, and needed someone who is an expert curse-breaker to help him with Ron's rapidly deteriorating condition; Bill had owled the only other Curse-breaker he knew to be more skilled than anyone else. It was his old mentor who currently lived in Hokkaido; Bartholomew Fernand.
He'd sent the owl two days ago, with a letter and an emergency portkey provided by the ministry for the old Curse-breaker to travel straight to Bill Weasley's courtyard. Bill paced back and forth with worry, thinking about Ron who was currently being kept in an induced coma at St. Mungo's so he wouldn't have to suffer the excruciating pain and volatile effects of the curse. The healers couldn't do anything other than try to delay the curse from completely taking over Ron's body. His mentor is his last hope; and Bill could only pray that his elderly mentor could make the trip.
No sooner than Bill had uttered his prayer, an eagle owl came barreling through his window and dropped a letter into his hands. Bill tore it open and read.
Dear Bill,
It is with my regretful apologies I write this letter to inform you that I'm too ill to portkey in order to help you on the matter concerning young Weasley.
Fear not, someone else had volunteered to go in my place. He is highly skilled, talented in spell weaving and curse breaking. I trained him myself; yet his knowledge has far surpassed mine. He should be more than adequate at handling the situation and the Paenitentia Curse that had befallen young Ronald Weasley.
P.S. He should arrive any second now.
P.P.S. I believe you know him.
Your friend and mentor,
Bartholomew Fernand
Bill exhaled a relieved breath, unaware he was holding it in while he read the letter. If Bartholomew sang praises about this person, then Bill felt confident he could put his worries to rest and let himself hope. He was doubtful however; that he knew an expert more skilled than Bartholomew. The post script puzzled him just a little bit.
Bill apparated to his courtyard the moment his wards alerted him to the arrival of the person. He didn't know who to expect; only noting that the person who was straightening up his clothes from the whirl of the portkey travel had long dark hair that was stylishly kept, the length almost reaching his lower back. The newly arrived curse-breaker then turned to face Bill Weasley.
"Hello Bill. Long time." The dark haired stranger said. Bill gawked; speechless.
He looked very different from the last time Bill saw him; taller, much more muscular, and missing his round shaped spectacles. Still, there was no mistaking the dark hair and those intense emerald green eyes. This person is Harry Potter, the boy who lived; also the boy who shook the wizarding world at its core when he went missing without a word seven years ago.
"Harry Potter?" Bill gawped incredulously.
"Yes, Bill Weasley. As much as I would love to catch up, I believe we have a team of cursed aurors to save. Old Bart already briefed me on the details." Harry said drily. "I'll side apparate with you. Come on, get on with it, we don't have a moment to lose." The dark haired wizard placed an assertive hand on Bill's arm; a firm, confident grip.
Wordlessly complying, Bill began to apparate them away, deciding that all his questions for Harry Potter could wait till after the curse-breaker finished what he was here for.
Harry knew that coming back to Wizarding London would make him have to deal with a barrage of questions from everyone.
People he had left behind when he decided he couldn't face them and live in the tedium where his private life was fodder for the masses that is the wizarding world.
He was a young boy of seventeen who did what was expected of him as the savior, and had rid the world of Voldemort. He never asked for fame and glory but he got them, nevertheless. All he asked was a chance to live a relatively quiet life and finally be happy, but fate would never be so kind to Harry as to let him live simply. His friendship with Ron Weasley suffered when he revealed that he started going out with Draco Malfoy during the Eighth year; the year he returned to Hogwarts to complete his N.E.W.T. exams. Ron was adamant that Draco was a worthless Death Eater who didn't deserve a second chance; something Harry passionately disagreed with. They fought, and Ron's stubbornness in his refusal to acknowledge Draco as a person Harry cared about drove a wedge between them. Hermione was hopelessly stuck in the middle, but ultimately chose to side with Ron; making her disapproval of Draco clear to Harry. That resulted in Ron and Hermione leaving for Australia to retrieve Hermione's parents right after they finished sitting for their N.E.W.T.s; still having not spoken to Harry.
Harry's decision to disappear quietly and leave the country without word didn't help mend the rift between himself and his two closest friends. Years passed by; and Harry was stubborn and selfish enough to keep to the radio silence between himself and the other two thirds of the Golden Trio. In the past seven years, only his solicitor and Blaise Zabini knew of his exact whereabouts. Hermione had owled copious amounts of letters to Harry's solicitor; the first few months inquiring Harry's whereabouts, which then evolved into letters she hoped Harry's solicitor would forward to Harry over the years when no reply from Harry was forthcoming. Harry of course, knew of Hermione's effort to reach him through his ever faithful solicitor; Mr. Hilarion Bastille, but found himself unwilling to write back to her at all; except asking his solicitor to forward a wedding present to her when he received an invite to Ron & Hermione's wedding. That was little more than two years ago, Harry instructed Mr. Bastille to send a decline to the wedding invite; although he found himself portkeying in to Wizarding Britain and apparating to the Burrow; observing the wedding and celebrations in silence underneath his cloak of invisibility. Before he left, he conjured a patronus to convey his felicitations to both Ron & Hermione just before the two newlyweds went to the International Portkey office for their honeymoon. At the time he thought he never wanted to take up again the ties from his past; having made a decision to start his life anew when he first left on a journey to mend.
However, the wedding had made Harry realize how much he missed Britain and spurred him into making preparations to ready himself for a return to Wizarding Britain; and he would have, save for a small dose of uncertainty that delayed him from executing his plans for two years.
All that uncertainty became irrelevant yesterday when he received word that Ron Weasley was battling a curse for his life in St Mungo's spell damage ward. That was sufficient to make Harry pack his bags and Portkey in short notice. No matter how selfish he had grown in the past seven years, he couldn't let Ron Weasley die; not when Harry had just the skill set that might help save his old friend.
The smell of the spell damage ward assailed Harry's nose. Much like a muggle hospital, St Mungo's wards smell of disinfectants from the cleaning charms cast by the nurses. Harry quietly followed behind Bill Weasley as the older man led him to the room where they kept Ron in stasis.
Harry paused when they arrived; the room had walls made of glass. He could see Hermione beside Ron's cot looking exhausted and defeated. Bill had gone through the door and went to give Hermione a brotherly hug. Steeling himself, Harry entered into the spacious room behind Bill; completely aware of Hermione's shocked stare at seeing him there; after so many years. It took only a moment but she went straight into Harry's arms and embraced him.
"You're here, Harry. I thought you…. ." Hermione couldn't finish her sentence as tears streaked down her face and her body trembled with sobs in an overwhelming wash of emotions.
"I know. Me too." Harry replied softly. There were many things he knew he needed to say to bridge his seven year absence; but he would let his actions speak for itself for the moment. He held her and rubbed her back, wordlessly calming her down.
"Please relax Hermione, and ask the healers for revivication potions and blood replenishing potions; lots of them. Ron will need it." Harry said calmly. He needed to focus and had turned to Ron to examine the progress of the curse on the comatose body of the Weasley. When he was satisfied noting all the symptoms on Ron's body, Harry started examining the curse; once in a while throwing Bill some questions about the measures the elder Weasley had taken on the curse.
"Well? Harry, can you break this curse?" Bill asked, nervous despite his earlier confidence in Bartholomew's recommendation. Harry's lips quirked a bit and he threw Bill an amused glance.
"Not a problem. The reason you were having problems with this curse is because it is not a simple blood traitor's curse as you had suspected. Ron had somehow gotten hit or sprung with multiple curses before he got hit by the biggest one; most probably meant for someone else. One of these curses matches the Paenitentia Curse that you identified, while another is an altered variation of the Cruciatus Curse. I'll start working on loosening the knots between the curses, yeah?" Harry asserted with a no nonsense tone. Bill looked on, transfixed by Harry's quick spell work and wandless magic that seemed as natural to the savior as much as breathing. "Lineae Revelare! Maledictum Remissas!"
After almost half an hour of de-tangling the myriad of knots with the curses were enveloping Ron's magic, Harry called for Bill and the healers to help. He started explaining to them what they needed to do.
"Bill, you will need to cast a silencing charm in this room. Ron needs to wake up and let the curses progress to a certain point before I can yank them to remove them all. He will need you and Hermione to hold him down; keeping his magic from leaking through the curse lines as he rides through the worst of the pain; and the healers need to restrain him down physically as best as they can. I was hoping I didn't have to make him go through this; but at this point there is no other way."
Hermione, who had been watching quietly while Harry worked, looked up at Harry with understanding. Both Hermione and the eldest Weasley looked at Harry and agreed to do as he said.
"Let's do it." They intoned. Harry nodded to them and the healers once they were all in place around Ron. This was going to be rough on Ron. Harry poised his wand and set to reviving the ginger.
"Ennervate!"
Hours after dissolving the curse found Harry Potter and Bill Weasley at the Leaky Cauldron sipping Firewhisky. They sat at a dark table that was more secluded than the other stands there. Bill was still shaken from seeing the speed and complexity of the curse breaking and the tortured screams Ron had let loose when Harry set to work on vanquishing the curse, when at long last after what seemed like hours; Harry hissed in a garbled Parsel tongue and what sounded like Japanese spells. The curse marks left Ron's body and was transferred to a curious magical glove Harry was wearing on his left hand. Ron had immediately fainted after the exertion, with Hermione also following suit, finally relieved and depleted of energy. They had then set to work on the other aurors who, thankfully, weren't as worse off as Ron. Harry and Bill decided to let them all rest under the care of healers at St Mungo's while they grabbed food and drinks at the pub. They found themselves conversing randomly on the subject of nothing in particular.
"How are things at the Burrow now, Bill? All is well, I hope?"
"They're doing alright, I guess. Charlie's still in Romania and planning to propose to his boyfriend, last I heard. Mom and Dad are in good health; George's joke shop is running well, Percy helps out at the shop with George sometimes. Ginny made one of the Holyhead Harpies main Chasers and is enjoying a good season so far. Ron and Hermione were doing well working for the ministry; without any major incidents until Ron got hit by those blasted curses during a raid three days ago."
"And you, Bill? How have you been?" Harry questioned lightly; to which Bill visibly tensed up to.
"I'm doing alright; all things considered. Right now I'm legally separated from Fleur; and my kids are at the Burrow with Mum and Dad." Bill managed after an uncomfortable sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Look, you don't have to elaborate. I just wanted to know how you were doing; I apologize if it made you uncomfortable to talk about your situation."
"You don't need to apologize, Harry. I neglected Fleur… And ultimately, I think it was my fault that she felt she wanted to… live differently. I was barely there for her and my kids." The Fire Whiskey had loosened his tongue and the words and half-truths seemed to roll down despite Bill's reluctance to speak about his marriage.
"I'm guessing that another man is involved in this story. I know you're lying; from the way you spoke I can tell that you're the one who pushed for the separation, not Fleur." Harry said quietly. Bill looked up sharply to Harry's face at that.
"How did you know-"
"I didn't really. You just confirmed it." The younger wizard said; an amused smirk tugging at his lips.
"Merlin, you're a bit of a Slytherin, Harry Potter. Who knew?" Bill muttered, a routed look crossing his face.
"Well; I shan't press for more about it, unless you want to get yourself pissed and let out all your grievances to me tonight. I'll play the agony witch." Harry said with a smile to lighten the mood. Bill felt his tension begin to melt away when he realized how good looking Harry was when he smiled. Trying to shake off his train of thought; he shook his head and laughed quietly.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer, if I get more than a little pissed tonight." Bill smiled, wondering a little bit at how easy it was for him to talk to Harry.
"Well, another round then?"
"Definitely. While you're at it, get me some snacks!" Harry left the table to order more Fire Whiskey.
Bill took the time to take in Harry Potter's looks properly now that he had a minute. The 25 year old Savior had longer legs than he remembered, looked more muscular and thoroughly fit compared to the time Bill had seen Harry last; at Fred's funeral. He found his gaze straying to Harry's arse; encased in dragon skin leather trousers that hugged his long legs and left almost nothing to Bill's imagination of how it would look; sans said trousers. He had no doubt that the rest of Potter's physique would be just as attractive. The eldest brother of the Weasley brood found it hard to peel his eyes away as Harry walked back to their table with the drinks and snacks.
"So Harry… Were you in Japan all this time? For seven years?" Bill finally asked after they had run out of small talk.
"For the most part, yeah, I was studying curse-breaking and the fundamentals of healing. I traveled a lot to other countries as well with my Japanese mates." The green eyed brunette answered acquiescently.
It was the lack of spectacles and the long stylish hair that was plaguing Bill with questions now.
"What happened to your spectacles, Harry? And what the bloody hell happened to your hair?"
"Took you long enough to ask that," Harry let out a snort at Bill's indignant tone. "I had my eyesight corrected by a complicated Japanese spell. As for my hair… it's a long story that involved a stint as a host and bartender, and a Japanese magical hair salon. Suffice to say that I quite like wearing my hair like this, and that it's behaved quite nicely compared to when it was shorter."
"It's gorgeous. I like it." Bill murmured. He didn't mention that he felt a certain pull towards Harry; one that had begun to feel sexual in nature. Bill had known he was bisexual since before he graduated from Hogwarts; but had kept it a secret from everyone but his brother Charlie. Bloody hell; with how rocky his marriage had been these last few months with Fleur, attempting to get Harry into bed seemed tempting, especially after seeing how sexily confident the young wizard was. It didn't help that Bill had kept himself celibate for the amount of time he had been at odds with his wife.
Harry smirked and stared contemplatively at Bill's face while Bill moved to touch the careful dark haired waterfall braids on Harry's head. A look passed between them and Bill knew that Harry knew of his attraction. All thoughts of why he shouldn't do this forgotten; Bill moved in to kiss Harry on the lips.
Harry was quicker to respond; he had one hand on Bill's chest. Gently he pushed Bill away before Bill could taste his lips. Harry cleared his throat; and Bill pulled his hand away from Harry's hair; contrite when Harry's flashing emerald eyes bore straight into his.
"Look, Bill. I'm going to be direct with you. I could feel your sexual interest from before we had that third round of Firewhisky. I am very flattered that you are interested in me; as I had no idea you swung that way. However, the timing is just terrible. Not to mention I still need to see Ron and mend some bridges there; so it wouldn't do for you to get into anything sexual with me." Harry said with a playful but stern note; arching his brow below the lightning scar.
"It's none of his business who I sleep with," Bill found himself snorting moodily; to which Harry made to leave a few galleons for his share of the glasses of firewhisky on the counter. He stood, gave Bill a small grin that could only be described as lustful and stepped away to leave.
"Ask me another time, Bill Weasley. I might not say no; as long as it's just sex. I'll see you around." And Harry was gone.
Bill opened his mouth and closed it; not finding any words to say. This was not the scrawny, self-doubting 'Boy Who Lived' that he knew in passing years ago. The young man that is Harry Potter now had a sexual pull that was almost hypnotic; one that he obviously knew about, and he perceptibly wielded it to wrap people around his finger when he saw fit. This new Harry Potter is dangerously enthralling. Bill didn't expect to be intrigued by Harry Potter; but he was.
A/N: OK, so now I need help. The next chapter is pretty much already written, but please drop a line and review? Let me know whose POV you'd like to read in this story. Help a girl get out of her writer's block, pretty please? T~T Reviews is love.
