Captain Bligh and the Mutineers

by Rico Perrien

After bashing their heads against the intransigence of wizarding society, escape seemed the only solution. History might not repeat itself, but sometimes there are similarities.

2. Letters to the Escapees

Captain Bligh and the Mutineers: Letters to the Escapees

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, the Easter Bunny, the Brooklyn Bridge, or property on Long Island. This writing is for my own amusement, and hopefully that of others. Additional characters are my own inventions, needed to flesh out my imagining of 'what happens next'. No money made, no free flights to Tahiti, nothing.

Timeframe: Post DH, ignoring the epilogue

Rating: M

Author's Notes: I have assumed that the spells used for the Marauders' Map have become known, at least to the 'good guys'. Communications hidden in this fashion are shown in italics. Communications to and from the goblins of Gringott's have their own bankers' security spells, and do not require this kind of subterfuge.

Synopsis: After bashing their heads against the intransigence of wizarding society, escape seemed the only solution. History might not repeat itself, but sometimes there are similarities.

September 20, 2005

Dear Harry,

I received your letter today.

I am very sorry, but neither Fleur or I can grant the favour you ask.

I know that the debts my family owes you can never be repaid, but your request is impossible as it stands.

With our best wishes,

William Weasley

September 21, 2005

Dear Harry,

What the hell was in your letter to Bill and Fleur?

They were at our place for dinner when they got your owl. Bill opened your letter and his face went entirely white! He showed it to Fleur, who ran from the room and became violently ill.

I asked him what was wrong, and he shook his head, saying he had to leave immediately. He crumpled the parchment up and threw it into our fireplace, yelling 'Incendio Maximus!". Fleur came back into the room, and took his hand, and the two apparated away.

What's going on, mate?

Your confused friend,

Ron

September 23, 2005

Esteemed Senior Account Holder Harry Potter (Lord Potter, Lord Black, and numerous titles gained and merited through battle and personal combat against the most recent Dark Lord),

Dear Harry,

My opposite number in the Department of Benedictions and Maledictions has informed me that you have recently requested a personal favour from two of our employees in his department, namely William Weasley and Fleur Delacour Weasley.

Your nature of request falls under aspects of their work at Gringott's Bank. As such, these services are restricted to bank functions, and any freelance provision of such would violate their terms of employment as well as their oaths of confidentiality. Gringott's frowns on such practices and violation of their contracts would require the immediate extermination of the persons and their immediate families.

In addition, given the current political climate in the British wizarding society, any public indication that Gringott's might be providing free services of its staff to one or other faction within the Wizengamot would have serious repercussions. Any public awareness of such rumours would also result in stiff and painful penalties to the persons involved.

I gather that the implications of your request caused some distress to these two valued staff members. I also understand that they have very properly refused to provide these services, in the form of personal favours.

Given these facts, I understand from our own meetings with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that your request has to do in part with the protection and recovery of resources which you inherited from your parents and your godfather. As such, these actions would fall under the proper functions of my own services as manager of your accounts and property. The inter-departmental loan of these valued employees may be engaged for appropriate fees.

As you know, among our society, promotion is often through personal combat, so the use of staff by other departments must be conducted with discretion and negotiation, if only in order to prevent unnecessary and counterproductive bloodshed.

As the holder of two of our most senior accounts, I can offer the services of the two employees in question for a rate of 15% of the standard rates which would be charged for their services, were they hired by non-affiliated parties. This would come to a rate of 10 galleons per day for Mr. Weasley's services as a curse-breaker, and 9 galleons per day for Mrs. Weasley's services as spell-caster and analyst. The difference in rates is not intended to reflect on the relative merits or skills of the two persons, nor denigrate the skills of Fleur Delacour Weasley, which are excellent. It is strictly a matter of seniority, as Mr. Weasley has been in the employ of the bank for five years longer than his wife.

I might point out that, under the term of my supervision of your holdings, the combined cost for the services of these two would constitute one-one-hundredth part of one percent of the daily interest on your accounts.

If you agree to these terms, I will immediately open negotiations with Collector–of-the-who-whos-of-her-foes, the Head of their department, for their services (as there is no precise equivalent in human anatomy, this translation of her name is inexact). If you can indicate to me the approximate length of time for which the services are needed, so that their other tasks can be efficiently rescheduled and their own department will not be inconvenienced (as this might have its own serious repercussions), it would be appreciated.

One another point, as you directed, I have arranged for additional protective surveillance for Teddy Lupin and his mother.

May your hands ever flow with gold,

Nutgrabber

Senior Account Manager

September 29, 2005

Dear Harry,

Thank you for arranging things through proper channels. And thank you for understanding why we had to refuse your original requests. The Goblins are extremely unforgiving to anyone wanting to moonlight, and if your note had fallen into the wrong hands the safety of our beloved children would have been in jeopardy (and ourselves, for that matter – as a curse-breaker, death has always been a possibility and a risk I accept, but I will not risk our children).

We look forward to working with you to recover the properties that were put under the Fidelius charms by persons known and unknown. This will be an interesting and challenging task, as many such properties have effectively disappeared from the world on the death of their secret-keepers. Nutgrabber has given us a list of your holdings with this problem, and it looks rather extensive.

I also understand that you were curious about the possibility of casting new Fidelius spells on properties after the removal of the existing charm, and also the potential for placing similar charms on additional properties. One aspect which you will need to consider in this endeavour is that you would require the consent of the property owner in order to cast a new Fidelius charm; otherwise, wizards would be casting them on their enemies' houses right and left. You wouldn't want your adversaries locating your houses with malicious intent, would you?

You might consider that when the original secret keeper of a Fidelius dies, all who know the secret become secret keepers themselves. Therefore, although you Hermione and Ron were not actually part of the Order of the Phoenix, you all were admitted to 'Headquarters' and since the death of Alastor Moody, are yourselves secret keepers for this location and would not need our services to locate it. However, to remove and reapply the spells will require expert assistance.

If the Fidelius is not removed before the last of the secret-keepers dies, the location is lost forever. Several sites which are considered fables by muggles (and many magical folk as well) have been lost in this way. These include, of course, Atlantis, the Breton city of Ys, the 'lost' Lemon Gold Mine and King Solomon's Mines in Africa. Part of my job entails trying to locate some of these sites, by searching for otherwise unexplained magical signatures and/or curses, and by finding locations where people who approach or think about them suddenly forget what they are trying to find – sort of a process of elimination. So we need to get moving on some of these sites and we may have already lost our window of opportunity.

Another way you may think about to eliminate a Fidelius spell is to render it irrelevant. For example, the secret for 'Headquarters' specifically includes a reference to the Order. I do know there were other safe houses operated by the Order. If the Order ceased to exist, depending on the wording of the secrets, the protection on these properties might also cease. As a junior member of the Order, I was not let into the secrets of such houses, and so do not know where they were located. We intend to consult a senior member of the Order for further information, and this is part of our planned research program, but you might want to take this on and at the same time renew some old acquaintances.

If you can please indicate a place and time where we can meet to discuss moving forward, we will proceed.

Regards,

Bill and Fleur

October 1, 2005

Dear Harry,

Bill and Fleur came over for dinner tonight and explained what had happened when they received your note.

I thought you knew how the goblins worked better than that (I certainly hadn't realized the implications of just asking a favour from my brother). I guess not. Mate, if you didn't know, after your extensive dealings with them, I pity the poor wizards who try it and don't have an 'in' with the creatures!

In telling us all about it, Bill mentioned that they work for what is officially called the Benedictions and Maledictions Department (also known as the Blessings and Curses). Among the human employees, it's called the BM department (because the basic job of the Curses Division is to shit all over their enemies). He had to explain the joke to Fleur when she first started – contrary to the thick accent she affects when strangers are around, her English is excellent - she says that when she speaks "wit' a t'ick French haccent", people (particularly us Brits) tend to underestimate her, which can be useful.

Bill asked if I could do some reconnaissance, as I travel all over the country with the team. Not a problem, and glad to do it. Any particular areas you would like me to check out?

I understand that some of the places you are looking for have effectively disappeared, as their secret-keepers have died. Fleur has come up with some ways of looking for places that aren't there, but can you check with your very clever wives and see if they have any ideas? I suspect that Luna will have some viewpoints that none of the rest of us would ever think of.

Best regards to you and yours, love and hugs from Lavender and the kids

Ron

October 15, 2005

Dear Mr. Potter,

I find it difficult after many years of a more formal relationship to address you simply as Harry, as you have requested. I am honoured by your offer, and strongly regret my falling out with your wife, the former Hermione Granger, now Lady Potter.

I have written to Hermione several times, but my owls have returned quite frustrated (and often very tired from long journeys) with the parchments unopened. I ask that I may explain my situation to you and you may share this with her, at your discretion, if this does not intrude on your own domestic loyalties too much. I am sure that she told you her understanding of what happened, and I ask that I may be allowed the courtesy to do the same.

I come from a family which was as firmly committed to Christian morality as Hermione, although my background was a strict and puritanical Scottish Presbyterian family, rather than Church of England. I married young and, I thought, for life.

When I sought my Mastery in Charms, I too rejected the requirements of the advanced weather charms program, and so did not complete my Mastery in that discipline. I completed my Mastery in Transfiguration and was accepted as a teacher at Hogwarts when the late Albus Dumbledore was promoted to Headmaster, and replaced him as Professor of Transfiguration. This was before the first war with Lord Voldemort.

During the first war, one of the most senior of his Death Eaters was a weather master named Aloysius MacEwan. He conjured massive storms, and the Death Eaters would attack under the cover of these storms. My Sean was killed during one such attack by being personally targeted by MacEwan with a bolt of lightning. During that same battle, several senior Hogwarts students and recent graduates were killed as well. I became convinced that, had they been taught the most potent weather magics and counter-jinxes, they could have survived and we could have won the battle.

I became certain that my refusal to move past my early family teaching and be a better and more comprehensive teacher, is what killed my students. I swore that, whatever the personal cost to myself, I would learn and teach everything of a non-dark variety, which would help my students have the tools they need to survive. I am afraid I became quite obsessed about this.

It is said that with great power comes great responsibility. In my youth I saw many survivors of the so-called First World War, many of whom wished they had died 'cleanly' rather than live with crippling injuries, both physical and mental. We ask a soldier to give his life, or to have his body horribly mangled. If we can ask that, or require them to kill (in my opinion, in contravention to the commandments), why can we not ask others such as myself to put aside their childhood beliefs when it is necessary?

Like yourself, as we discussed when we met just after the Battle of Hogwarts, I have felt I could and should have done more to prepare and protect the students, and that if I had done more and taught more, it might have been the difference between life and death for so many that we lost.

What most of our students do not know is that Filius Flitwick and I have been married for the last eighteen years, so our demonstrations of the more intimate aspects of advanced charms do not go outside the bonds of our marriage. I had not told the students this fact and I recognise that my comments that under duress and in extremis witches and wizards might be called upon to engage with the others immediately around them, regardless of their personal relationships, or even whether they liked each other, could be taken as immoral.

I gather that you and your wives found yourselves in a similar extreme condition, which led to your current marital status. Although not usually recognized as legal in Great Britain, your situation is not entirely uncommon in other societies (at least from the point of view of having two legal spouses). However, it was not uncommon during the Hundred Years War in central Europe, when there was a dearth of young men of marriageable age.

Unfortunately, I did not explain that this would only be expected in extreme conditions. Also unfortunately, by this time Hermione had quit listening to the details and conditions when this might be necessary, as I had not explained my own situation and experience – at the time I thought detailing my personal history would be an unnecessary intrusion. Having fought in two wars against Voldemort, personal secrecy had become a necessary habit, and I feel I have failed my students (and one specific and fondly remembered witch) yet again.

I am heartsick over this breakdown in communications and trust. I understand that you had your own serious issues with Professor Dumbledore due to his own keeping important information from you, and find myself following his path to my regret. He had fought two Dark Lords, and we both fell into the habits of secrecy.

Enough of that. Can you imagine, an elderly dour Scottish lady whining about her own hurt feelings? That's just not done!

I trust you are not seeking to discover the locations of houses of those who you suspect of being up to no good.

You asked about the nature and founding of the Order of the Phoenix. I assume from this that you are trying to find some of the properties you inherited, which were put under the Fidelius charm.

Although you were not a member, your life and survival was one of the two foci of the Order, the other being the resistance to, and the defeat of, Tom Riddle the self-styled Lord Voldemort. As the Order was started up before you were born, our fight against the Dark Lord was the original and the essential function.

When Albus Dumbledore first proposed the Order, he recruited myself and Filius, your parents and their friends, Mr. Longbottom's parents, Mr. Weasley's two uncles (on his mother's side) but not his parents, your old friend Hagrid, and several others. In all there were twenty-seven of us, but of course were fewer at first until we recruited more. We set up safe houses for people who needed to hide, with Albus and Filius casting the spells. Unfortunately, they did not manage to get to the Longbottoms' house in time to prevent tragedy.

I was the secret-keeper for only two of the houses, which were contributed by my own family.

Although sympathetic to the Order, Molly and Arthur Weasley did not join at first as they had a very young family which took up most of their time, as well as Molly being rather worried about their safety.

Several of the rest of the houses were donated, or rather, loaned by your paternal grandfather, at your father's request. Until your godfather escaped from Azkaban, the Order had no material support from the Black family, as they were supporters of Voldemort.

I understand that your godfather's mother, Walpurga Black, actually donated a house or two to Voldemort, but no Fidelius was placed on it (I suspect if the old hag had been in better physical condition herself, she would have joined and been one of his inner circle – she could have written his manifesto for him). Whether this was done because none of the Death Eaters could perform the incantations, or where the Dark Lord was the only one who could cast it and did not trust anyone enough to allow any of his followers to keep secrets from him, I do not know. The spell-caster cannot be the secret-keeper, although this fact is not well-known even to those aware of the spell.

One perhaps amusing thought is how difficult it would have been for Lucius Malfoy and others to claim they were under the Imperious (even neglecting the assistance of their bribery) if their own homes were under a Fidelius that only Death Eaters were privy to. I guess the Dark Lord, in his arrogance, was really not concerned with the well-being of his followers should he fall, or else he just could not conceive of it ever happening.

Your question of the possibility that the Fidelius charms would fall if the Order was disbanded intrigues me, as I know little of the finer details of this extremely complex spell (I shall have to chat with Filius about it). I do know that I was aware of your parents' house in Godric's Hollow until about your first birthday, having been present at their wedding reception there and the party for your own birth. Suddenly about the start of September of that year, I could not for the life of me recall where it was, and I suspect that was when the late Headmaster cast the Fidelius spell. I suspect the wording of the spell had to do with the location of the Potter family, or your parents by name, because as soon as they were killed, I and others again knew where their house was – this is how Hagrid was able to locate you.

I know that the wording of what became called 'Headquarters' for the Order did mention the Order by name. If the Fidelius has not fallen, then this assumption about the name is likely valid.

Other than the houses my family donated to the cause (and which they would like back, I may add, being the frugal Scots they are), I do not know the precise wording of the spells used. For those houses as well, the Order was specifically mentioned.

I shall contact the surviving original members of the Order, and we will see if we can recall (either with or without pensieve help) the exact wording of the founding of the Order. It may be as simple as all agreeing that we are done with our original purpose, and call it quits. I will let you know.

A bit of news to share with you and yours. While I was writing this letter, Fred Weasley came to my office, looking for a job, and yes, I know he died in the so-called Battle of Hogwarts. He asked about employment prospects as a poltergeist. He said that being a ghost was getting boring, but a post as a poltergeist would have an interesting range of duties for an inveterate prankster. He asked if I would be willing to write a reference letter for him, if we didn't have space at Hogwarts.

Please give my regards to Hermione and Luna, and if she accepts my apologies, I would very much like to see Hermione again.

With my profound respect,

Minerva McGonagall

October 30, 2005

Dear Harry,

Yesterday was fun. Rattled some cages, twisted some noses, and gained some information I know 'they' wish we hadn't.

Sometimes my reputation as a timid little boy can be useful, like during yesterday's meeting of the Wizengamot. Previously I just sat and listened and watched the ebb and flow of political bullshit that passes for debate and discussion. They learned to pretty much ignore me.

So yesterday, I arranged for a number of the old DA gang to be present in the visitors' gallery, ready to take notes. Then I got up to speak, and droned on about the majesty of the Wizengamot and how I was proud to take my place as a member of the august body. I announced myself as Viscount Longbottom, regent and heir to the title of Lord Longbottom of Longbottom. A number of the more elderly members decided that this would be an appropriate juncture to take a potty break, nip of for a drink or a nap or whatever. Once a sufficient number of the obstructionists had left, I let them have it.

I mentioned that I was regent of our House only due to the actions of a Death Eater who at least had the loyalty to go to prison and then fight and die along with her master, unlike those despicable cowards who fought on their side or provided material support, but then loudly pleaded their innocence (helped along by substantial bribes to corrupt officials).

I demanded that, as this was the meeting closest to the date when Harry Potter first put pause to Lord Voldemort (you should have seen them cringe at that name, even now), it was most appropriate to recognise that Lord Potter had finally and decisively killed the same Voldemort (more cringing) and that we (playing the 'I'm one of you' card) should retract the outstanding warrants and demands for restitution, as being an example of petty vindictiveness as well as being illegal. I demanded immediate passage of my motion to this effect. Lord Weasley of Ottery St Catchpole (Arthur) seconded my motion and Aberforth Dumbledore (as the Head of House Dumbledore) moved for immediate passage.

You would have thought we had given old Parkinson a ceramic enema! He looked around frantically to the seats of the old fogeys who had originally passed the nonsensical laws, and they were all out of the room. (This is where the gang came in – they were able to ascertain exactly whose seats he was looking at. When we reviewed their memories later, we got the names of all the powers behind his throne, or at least the most important ones. There were a few people we hadn't thought were among them, but they apparently had covered their tracks very well, until he gave them away. They were the ones he looked towards first, and I got the impression that some of them are not at all pleased.)

Parkinson, as Chief Warlock, called for a brief recess for the chamber to consider the motion, and sent messengers scrambling to drag back the ones needed to defeat my motion. When they had duly assembled (some still with crumbs on their faces from their interrupted snacks) he started to berate me for the audacity to insult the esteemed members who had brought the laws into being originally, and that I was just a boy who didn't know his place.

That's when I let him have it, personally!

I pointed out that I had stood by your side at the Battle of the Ministry when we and four students battled a dozen Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, and that I had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and had personally killed Voldie's familiar, the snake Nagini which contained a Horcrux. I then explained (as most were puzzled by the uncommon term) that it was an abomination containing a seventh portion of Voldemort's soul, which had been ripped apart through acts of murder. I pointed out that I was the holder of the Order of Merlin 2nd class (flashed my M2 medal for them to see), and that his comments were an insult to me and according to the charter of the Order, an insult to every member of the Order, requiring a duel to the death between the insulter and each and every member of the Order. I pointed out that this meant you as well, the one person who had faced Voldemort over and over and survived and finally dispatched the evil bastard yourself! I then asked how he thought he would fare against you.

I then demanded Parkinson name his second then and there, and that I would inform the rest of the Order by owl to expect his choice of location, or else retract his statements and pay the recompense required under the Order's charter (roughly half his net worth, from our calculations).

I guess Pansy's not going to get the inheritance she expected now.

Damn, that was fun.

Anyway, the laws were rescinded, in such a way that they cannot be reinstated without invoking the insult to the Order again, and I gather 'they' really don't want that to happen. On top of that, we got the list of the real powers of the sticks-in-the-mud faction, and as you requested, I have passed a copy on to our mutual financial advisor (thanks for putting me onto him – the House of Longbottom hasn't been this flush in generations).

Regards and hugs to Luna and Hermione, and we'll see you at Christmas, wherever,

Neville (VL)

November 5, 2005

Esteemed Senior Account Holder Harry Potter (Lord Potter, Lord Black, blah, blah, blah et cetera, et cetera),

Dear Harry,

I know you prefer to neglect the use of your titles, but bank protocol dictates that senior account holders be treated with the respect they deserve. Hence the titles. However, in that light, I will hereafter respect your wishes to be just 'Harry'.

You have lately enquired about the status of properties donated by the late Lady Walpurga Black to the late and very much unlamented Tom Riddle, the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort. As you mentioned, these properties were never put under a Fidelius charm, for whatever reason.

I have found that title was never legally transferred to Mr. Riddle. Apparently, Lady Black figured that a witch's word and intent overrode any goblin-mediated legalities, and so the legal status was just exactly as she decided it was. The upshot of this bigoted misunderstanding is that the properties are yours, as your godfather's heir to the House of Black. I have engaged, for the appropriate fees of course, a team of cursebreakers under the supervision of Mr. Weasley to 'clean' out any 'residue' of Riddle's occupancy, and sufficient house elves to restore the buildings and properties to an acceptable state.

I have been advised by my opposite number in our security department, that young Lord Longbottom (de facto if not yet de jur), your godson, and a number of your other acquaintances (some of whom attended the latest meeting of the Wizengamot) have been under surveillance by some rather questionable persons. So he decided to question them.

It appears that your foes decided that, what they could not get legally in the light of day, they would achieve in the dark of night. These persons were advised of the error of their ways, under veritaserum (did you know that, with the Wizengamot's legal limit of three drops, they might tell you their names, but with ten as was administered while they were in our care, they will tell you the size and nature of their grandmother's tattoo, her underwear size and colour, and anything else they might happen to remember). In keeping with your wishes as we discussed previously, we did not leave them with a souvenir of their sojourn in our basements (it is amazing how a missing digit or limb focusses the mind), but they were left in various corners of the world without their wands or their clothes, typically in locations where the ambient language was not one they knew.

Thank you and Lord Longbottom for the list of 'the bad guys', for lack of a better term. Most of the aforementioned miscreants were indeed in the employ of those at the top of the list, and who are now under our own surveillance which are more likely to remain hidden than their rather incompetent hirelings.

I have arranged for added security for your friends, as well as your godson.

I also find it interesting that during your humans' so-called Dark Age (in Europe) another despised people were only allowed the trades of bankers and jewellers. We goblins believe that finance is just warfare in a less bloody package, and pursue it with the same intensity. After one of the so-called 'goblin rebellions' that we supposedly 'lost', in the peace treaty we were forbidden to use wands. We never used wands, ever, so this is not that great a 'punishment'!

Can you imagine any other 'war' where the losers were put in charge of the victors' economy? Well, if that is the delusion that the wizarding society needs to keep telling itself so they can sleep at night, they can certainly do so, as long as their sleep is not disturbed by our laughter.

One other point in which you might be interested. After the last so-called goblin rebellion, our people built a building, using proprietary technology such as floo systems and size-modifying elevators. Most of this building was located underground, requiring extensive tunneling. You are aware of the goblin position on ownership of things our people have built. In this case, the building housing the Ministry of Magic remains the property of Gringott's of London, and is leased to the Ministry, with a perpetual maintenance contract, for a period of nine hundred years (starting in 1867 by your calendar).

I could see if our property division would be amenable to some specific spells within a certain property, which would make life a bit more interesting to those who have held that my people are inferior and sub-human for so long.

I think they would enjoy the possibilities. After all, it was Jowlchewer in their construction department that came up with the entry-way system – as far as I know, no-one who works at the Ministry has noticed the significance and symbolism of requiring all witches and wizards entering the Ministry to flush themselves down a public toilet. He got a hefty bonus for that addition to the building's ward systems, and was made goblin-of-the-month for our London Branch.

Interesting, no?

With Respect

Nutgrabber

Senior Accounts Manager

November 20, 2005

Dear Harry, Luna and Hermione,

It was good to hear from you all again, and Minnie and I would be delighted to accept your invitation to spend Christmas and New Year's in the tropics. I will be fun to get out of this drafty castle and see Minnie get a tan you don't achieve on the coast of Scotland

I would very much like to see Luna again as during her school days, I must say that she was one of the most interesting students I ever had under my wing as the Head of Ravenclaw House.

I would also be glad to take Hermione on as an apprentice towards her Mastery in Charms. I know that some of the old stick-in-the-mud purebloods will object to allowing a muggle-born to gain a Mastery, but screw them. I don't think Adam and Eve (if you believe in that story) were a witch and wizard, so if you look back far enough we were all muggle-born. Their attitudes got a lot of my friends killed, so they can burn in hell with old Voldie and his minions!

I am also glad that Hermione and Minnie have started patching up their differences. My wife takes her responsibility as a teacher very much to heart, and to be misunderstood in that commitment hurt her deeply. She acknowledges that she should, perhaps, have explained her own coming to terms with some of the differences between the wizarding world's expectations and the outside (muggle) world.

We look forward to spending some time with you three, and give Minnie and your wives time to have some long talks.

I must add that Hermione was mistaken on a number of points concerning the Fidelius spell on the house on Grimmauld Place. Albus Dumbledore was never the secret-keeper for this location, and the Fidelius is still in effect there. I believe that Bill Weasley already alluded to this fact.

If you recall about ten years back, you were brought to the house by Alastor Moody, who showed you the slip of paper with the secret. Only the secret-keeper had that authority! When Mad-eye died, all those of us who were in on the secret became secret keepers for the place, but as Albus had died previous to your escape from Little Whinging, he was never one of them.

When you two and Mr. Weasley escaped from your second unauthorized excursion into the Ministry, Yaxley was holding on to Hermione's arm when she apparated you into the house. She feared that this meant that the secret was revealed to him, and so you would have to abandon use of the place.

However, unlike warning wards, the Fidelius covers the entire location (think of a half apple, rather than a balloon). Yaxley was indeed taken inside the perimeter, but he had no idea where he was and could not bring anyone else there, as she had not revealed the secret to him – once he was outside again (almost instantly as I understand), he would not be able to re-enter (by the way, you may not have heard but he received the Kiss four years ago, once the trials finished).

Hermione need not hold onto any residual guilt for revealing the secret, because she didnot do so.

Anyway, the three of you are each powerful enough to cast the Fidelius, should you wish me to teach it to you. If not, I would be more than happy to do the casting for you at any or all of your properties (at my usual consulting fee rates, of course – after all, I am part goblin).

You enquired as to how fast the spell could be cast, in particular for the Grimmauld house once the previous spell is removed. The procedure takes about ten minutes, but most of it can be done before removing the previous wards and charms, and the final invocation to 'seal the deal' would take about ten seconds. This still is enough time for an attack to occur, so security would be required.

Regards

Filius Flitwick (Fil)

In canoncansodoff's story 'Muggle Summer, Wizard's Fall', the concept of making a Fidelius charm irrelevant is discussed. I agree with the logic, and have used his (or her?) principle.