Chapter Four

Hermione threw her hands into the air. "There's got to be another way to break the curse."

"I hope so, for Grim's sake." Harry replied. "But Aberon seemed pretty sure about it."

"I don't suppose a love potion…"

"Probably not, but it might be worth a try."

"It would have to be a fairly advanced potion." She chewed on the end of a quill. "Lust potions are easy. Aphrodisiacs are easy. But an honest-to-god love potion…"

"… is skating close to Dark magic – manipulating the mind to feel things it wouldn't normally. And there's no guarantee it would work."

"Well what would you propose, mister know-it-all?" Hermione was frustrated.

"Learn to love him. For real. Or find someone who does that you trust enough to cast the spell."

That was an uncomfortable thought, and she shied away from it, choosing to focus on the other pieces of the problem. "I'd guess that it would be best to restore the soul first, and then counteract the poison."

"It's not that simple either. You have to do them at the same time… the brain's ability to process magic is part of what allows the soul to be restored."

"Damn it! Why did Aberon have to be so bloody brilliant? He's made this nearly impossible!" She stopped for a second and grinned ruefully. "I just realized – he would've wanted to make it impossible given the circumstances. It's just hard to see Grim like this, when I remember what he was." She turned back to the kitchen and began working on their dinner again. Harry leaned against the doorway with that look in his eyes that meant he was thinking.

"When we break into the Ministry to get Grim's soul back, we're going to need to steal as many of the others as we can also for camouflage," he said after a few minutes punctuated by the sounds of her cooking. "If Grim is the only soul that goes missing, they'll come right to you."

She tucked the casserole into the oven. "Good thought. Do I remember you saying that the jars have to remain intact?"

"That's what Aberon said. If a jar gets broken, the Soulstruck person dies."

"Could we transfer the contents to another jar and then break the original?"

"Maybe. We're going to need some help with this though. There are too many things that need to be done, and we'll be second-guessing ourselves by the time we're done planning if we do it ourselves. Bill Weasley would be my first choice. He's a curse breaker, and he knows what kinds of things to look out for. The only problem is – he may not be exactly rational on this subject. Did you see his face when he bought … Cain?"

"Unless it was a sham and he's going to try to restore him."

Harry gaped. "I hadn't thought of that. Can I use your floo?"

She nodded and lowered the wards enough that he could use the fireplace.

A few minutes later, Bill Weasley climbed out of her fireplace and shook soot and ashes off his shoulders. "So Harry, Hermione, to what do I owe the pleasure of this invitation?"

"Half a jiff, Bill." Hermione had her wand out and put her wards back up, adding the strongest privacy spells she knew. "There. Listen, we saw you today at the auction."

"You were there? I didn't see you or I would've said hello."

"We were up near the front. But that aside… what are you going to do with your new… property?"

Bill sat down heavily. "You don't pull your punches. I'll level with you. I think this is an outrage, and I want my brother back – for Mum's sake as much as anything." His eyes narrowed. "Who did you buy? Please tell me it wasn't … Scabbers or Bad Faith, senior!"

Harry grinned a little at Bill's nicknames for Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy. "I didn't buy anyone. It would've given Fudge a heart-attack."

Bill turned to Hermione. "'Fess up. Who'd you buy?"

She took a breath. "I rescued a member of the Order."

He was quick. You can't be a master curse breaker without being able to read between the lines. "The Potions Master."

"Yes – for much the same reason. Bill – he's the only person who might know what happened to Albus. If we can find Albus, we might be able to get his conviction overturned."

"Albus is the only wizard who can bring Fudge to heel." Harry agreed. "We've had every member of the Order who could be spared looking for him since… the last fight, and we haven't found him yet."

"So you want to break the spells on … what'shisname… find Albus, and then get the conviction rescinded. That's going to be a lot of work." Bill shook his head. "There are people in the Order – Rita for one – who never really trusted him… I see why you didn't involve the entire bunch of us."

"Right – now we've learned a few things about this Soulstriking business, and we thought you would have some ideas." Hermione rattled off what Aberon had told Alastor.

Bill ran a hand through his hair. "I hate dealing with third-hand information, especially when it's acquired through alcohol. You never know exactly how accurate it is. So – the potion sounds simple enough to counter – you may have to break into St. Mungo's pharmacy to get it, but a Mens Sana potion will probably lift it."

Hermione made a note: Get a Mens Sana potion – St. Mungo's Phar.

"You don't want to break into the Ministry until you know exactly where the Souljars are kept," Bill continued. "You want to break in, get them – I agree with taking as many as possible – and get out. There were thirty some people auctioned… do we have any idea how big the jars are?"

Harry shook his head. "Alastor didn't say."

"That's a pity."

"We were wondering if it was possible to transfer the contents of the Souljars into another container… my thought was that we could then smash the original containers, and the Ministry might think that the … people… had all died."

"Too easy to uncover – all it takes is for one of Fudge's minions to see ONE of the supposedly dead Soulstruck, and the game is up." Harry chewed on a hangnail. "But we could do some of them, particularly if we can also mix things up so they can't identify whose jars got smashed and who they have left."

"So – find where they're kept, how big they are, and how they're marked…"

"Then we plan the next step – how to actually get them."

Bill sat back in satisfaction. "I know Mum will cast the spell on … Cain. I wish I'd come up with a better name – but I was trying to make a point. But who's going to cast the spell on … your property?"

Hermione blushed. "I'm going to try it."

To Bill's eternal credit, he didn't snicker. Instead, he asked gently, "Do you truly love him?"

"No – I don't think anyone does. I respect him – what he was, at least. I care about what happens to him. But I don't love him! I was going to use a love potion."

"You've got guts. I'll help you all I can. But we'll have to move slowly so we don't alert anyone."

Over the course of the next few months, a few incidents took place that were seemingly unrelated.

The pharmacy at St. Mungo's was broken into, and much damage done. A few minor potions were stolen, and the investigation concluded that it was the work of random vandals.

The Daily Prophet published a joint interview with Aberon McGaven and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge about the success of the Soulstriking. The article included a picture of the two standing in the room where the Souljars were kept.

Aberon McGaven acquired a new drinking buddy – a tall wizard with long red hair worn in a ponytail.

Hermione Granger took a leave of absence from her job in Flourish & Blotts, and began spending much time in various libraries reading up on Love Potions.

The famous Harry Potter held a huge celebration in honor of his 19th birthday. Everyone who was anyone in the wizarding world was invited, and there was plenty to eat and drink.