J K Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.
Chapter 11 – An Unexpected Garden
Susan walked into the room only to see Roddy lying on the floor with a look of shock on his face caused, no doubt, by looking at Susan's first born daughter. She hadn't planned on him finding out about his parenthood until after the Deluge had taken place, but apparently he had decided to spy on her when she cancelled their dinner plans. She didn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed that he was jealous, but the surprises he was about to find out about before it could be gently broken to him…well it would serve him right. Instead of saying anything Susan just stared at him waiting for his explanation. No doubt, Bonbon, one of the two family elves who Susan had smuggled out of Britain when she made her escape had put up anti-apparation wards, so Roddy was trapped.
For once Roddy had nothing to say. He didn't offer a reason why he was breaking into Susan's house or asked who was this girl as well as Alice and Augusta. Being in a mischievous mood, Susan wouldn't say anything until he spoke. It was a battle of wills and Susan probably would have won except that four more girls came into the room to see what was going on. Just as Roddy thought things couldn't get worse, who walked in but Neville Longbottom, wand in hand and in a battle stance.
"Is everything okay?" Neville asked still ready to defend Susan and the girls.
"Things could be better" Susan sighed. "But it is good as it is all out in the open now – before the Deluge. Neville, girls, this guilty-looking bloke is Roddy Owens…once known as Harry James Potter."
Now this got Roddy's attention and a comment. "Whaa…whaaa…what do you mean this is Harry Potter? I'm Roddy Owens – you know that so why are you…."
Neville went over to Roddy, who was still on the floor and gently pulled back Roddy's ear and then replied "Oh yes, it IS YOU HARRY. You've had 'work done' on your face and your abused body has been healed, but that tiny diamond-shaped birthmark behind your left ear proves that you are you – Harry!"
Since Roddy/Harry never had cause to look behind his left ear, he didn't know he had a birthmark. The expression on his face caused Neville to add "I guess you never noticed you had a birthmark behind your ear and no one told you or perhaps even noticed. However, I noticed it one day as you were drying your hair after coming out of the shower. I thought nothing of it until after you left Britain. It was said that you were getting a full make-over to disguise you fleeing so that your cowardly behavior wouldn't be discovered after Ron wrote his books."
"Just so you know, there were many of us who tried to defend your reputation, but we were threatened with lawsuits and Hannah wouldn't marry me unless I kept my mouth shut. I thought I was in love with her and would do anything to have her, so I caved. After I married her, I found out that I was being slipped love potions – not Amortenstia but other potent potions which are virtually undetectable. But I was married according to Pure-blood tradition and she was pregnant with our son, so there wasn't anything I could do without losing most of my wealth, child and reputation if I divorced her. By then, her father was the Minister of Magic and wouldn't tolerate rebellion in any form. I never told them about the letter you sent me and destroyed it for safety."
Roddy didn't say or admit to anything as at the moment he didn't trust Neville. Was he here to drag Harry back to Britain?
Apparently, Neville sensed his fear and said "Just so you know, I am not here to drag you back to Britain, any more than I would take Susan back. She knows that my girls and I are fugitives and will…never…return home."
"Neville is telling the truth" Susan added. "I too refuse to return even though I leave behind my hereditary home, much of my wealth and only have what I managed to bring with me. That consisted of the Bones Grimoire, some other priceless books, some jewelry, a few clothes, my two elves Bonbon and Berry, and enough money to finance my education and purchase this house by means of a Muggle mortgage."
"I had to leave my son behind because Hannah thought that I would never leave without him, so he has been living with the Abbotts to prevent me from 'doing anything stupid' as it is now called in Britain. However, my Grandmother died ten days ago and while settling her estate, I managed to acquire her personal fortune and with the help of my personal elf Nelly, we had been gathering a few heirlooms after Gran got sick, and three days ago the girls, Nelly and I finally escaped Britain by using fake Muggle passports and flying to Amsterdam."
"Why so desperate to escape?" Roddy asked.
"Because the Deluge is coming very soon and the only thing Britain is doing about it is to try to lure 'dark wizards' back to use the magic, claimed by Dumbledore to be the darkest of the dark, to save our country. You are the main target since 'it is well-known' that you are a dark wizard and thus expendable. They are hunting you and others to do their dirty work for them so as not to sully their magic and keep it 'pure' according to Dumbledore's definition. This is a leftover of Dumbledore's influence which now reigns supreme and thus anything done in his name for the Greater Good is excusable no matter how despicable it truly is."
"Who are the 'dark wizards' the Ministry is trying to lure back?" Roddy asked, still not admitting to his real identity.
"You, any powerful wizard/witch who has 'shamelessly abandoned' their country – especially if they are rich – any Death Eater who has still not been caught, and a few 'enemies of the state' on a special list which consists entirely of those who the Ministry – and to some extent the Weasleys – have a vendetta against."
"I'm one of them" Susan replied. "The last time I was in Britain, I was already pregnant and all I needed was to give birth to a black-haired, AK green-eyed baby, who would immediately be taken from me by the Ministry because you were on the most wanted list even then. Apparently, people thought you still had a fortune and wanted to sue you for not doing 'the job' correctly the first time and then taking too long to off Voldie, resulting in the death, injury and/or loss of property during the war. The Weasel's books did much to discredit you and said that one of the reasons you so quickly fled was to escape punishment for your crimes and the lawsuits."
"And it gets worse" Neville added. "According to Weasel, when you and Hermione robbed the Lestrange vault, unknown to Ron, who was bravely keeping watch, besides Helga's Cup, you stole a fortune in money and jewels and hid them in Hermione's bottomless bag. You made off with half of it and Hermione hid the rest of it in Australia, which is why she left. The Malfoys and the very few remaining relatives of the Lestranges are suing you and Hermione for this theft and the Weasleys filed a defamation of character suit because it was claimed that Ron was involved in the theft when he really wasn't."
"In other words, everything is the same in Britain despite the war and I'm once again a scapegoat, a probable dark lord just waiting to take over the world, a thief – even though the Goblins robbed me blind – and who knows what else" Roddy/Harry stated sadly.
"You got that right" Neville replied. "However, you are not the only one as anyone in Britain who participates in the spells to prevent the Deluge is automatically considered a dark lord and after the Deluge passes, they face a lifetime in Azkaban or get sent through the veil. Dumbledore has proclaimed it so and even went so far as to sneakily have it enacted as a law. Apparently, he called a secret session of the Wizengamot filled only with his supporters and passed it, swore them to secrecy until knowledge of the Deluge became known and the Wizengamot began to organize all of the Magicals of the world to prevent it."
"But from what is known of the Deluge, it could destroy the planet unless magic saves it" Roddy stated.
"You know that, I know it, Susan does and many others in Britain also do. From what I accidently overheard when I was tipped off by Nelly that my father-in-law was visiting Hannah things are bad. Hannah told Nelly that I wasn't supposed to know he was visiting, so naturally Nelly told me and I used a secret passageway to the drawing room that Hannah doesn't know about – because I didn't trust her enough to keep the Longbottom secrets – and got an earful."
"I overheard him telling Hannah that she should send Susan a letter, using their friendship to convince her to return to Britain. Susan is a powerful witch with elementals in her family, and although Susan never said anything to Hannah, her father found out that Susan is a wind elemental. Besides getting Dark Lords such as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger back, an elemental's magic is needed to help counteract the Deluge."
"And if Susan did return and used her magic against the Deluge, would she also be sent to Azkaban or through the veil?" Roddy asked.
Neville hung his head in shame before answering "Yes, but Hannah's father said it was Susan's duty to save her country and the dark magic she would be using – according to Dumbledore – would probably kill her anyway but at least she would die a hero and a credit to the House of Bones. But the worse thing of all was that since Susan was the last of her line, any property she had would revert to the government with Hannah receiving a portion of it for bringing her friend back."
Roddy/Harry was shocked. "But they had been friends since early childhood. How could Hannah do such a thing?"
"Greed, power, wealth, the gratitude of her father" Neville replied. "Shortly after our marriage when I found out about the potions, she actually laughed when I told her I knew. She said I was too shy to find a decent witch to marry me, especially one of her caliber and connections, so her arranging our marriage was the best thing that would ever happen to me."
Susan now added "Actually, it was the best thing to happen to Hannah as Neville is a hero – despite what any Weasley said – as well as a Pureblood and Hannah is a Half-blood. Neville has a great deal of money, good investments, valuable heirlooms and artifacts and is recognized as THE expert in Herbology in Britain. Had he been allowed to travel to do the research he wanted to do, his status would be enhanced but once he married Hannah…her father forbade him to leave even for research and even if the children stayed with Hannah."
"I'm an earth elemental" Neville replied. "Thus, I would be sacrificed like Susan and the others and Hannah would have the children and control of their inheritances. Basically I have been a prisoner in my own home allowed only to go to work at Hogwarts – I'm the Herbology Professor – but must floo home every night and for the weekend. Other than escorting Hannah to social events in support of her father, I'm an unwilling hermit confined to my ancestral home."
Susan continued the explanation and said "Neville got access to my address when Hannah sent me the first letter. He warned me about what he had overheard and begged me to not come home as it really would be the end of the House of Bones. When I moved and left no forwarding address, Hannah threw a hissy fit and demanded that her father place me on the wanted criminal list, the one you, Granger and Death Eaters are on offering an award for bringing me in."
"Luna Lovegood escaped after eloping with someone – she didn't mention who it was, but that is typical Luna. Neville sent a message with her to give to me if she ever ran across me and she did. We kept in touch and since Luna is still considered 'looney' and nothing of note, due to the unkind gossip of other Ravenclaws and the Weasleys, no one cared or even noticed when she left."
"I've been in contact with Luna without anyone finding out as she uses ravens to deliver mail. Owl mail coming into the country has been charmed to divert to a special department at the Ministry who looks it over and decides whether or not it will reach the recepient. Of course, they are looking for 'outlaws' such as us. I use Luna's raven to send messages through her to Susan, and the two of them keep other British expatriates advised of what is really going on" Neville added.
"Some are returning but not to Britain" Susan said. "A lot of people are gathering in France and helping them fight the Deluge and in doing so, hope to save Britain from the harm that the Deluge is predicted to do. I was going to tell you at dinner tonight but then Neville showed up with Alice and Augusta so I had to settle them in and get briefed by Neville."
Harry looked at the five girls assembled in the room happily listening to the explanations. There was the ebony-haired girl with the AK eyes and two girls looked a lot like a Longbottom, but who were the other two girls? Susan sensed Harry's confusion and decided that introductions were needed.
"Roddy, allow me to make the introductions of these lovely girls who have been patiently waiting to be introduced. These two cuties are Alice and Augusta Longbottom, the apples of Neville's eyes." The two girls gave a very nice curtsey and blushed.
"The dark-haired girl is Harriett Lily, and the two girls with my strawberry blond hair and your eyes are Pomona Petunia and Poppy Peony. Did you know that your Aunt Petunia's full name was Petunia Peony Primrose while your mum's full name was Lily Lilac Lotus? I looked them up in the Muggle archives on a whim."
Roddy/Harry looked like he was about to faint especially after a young boy with ebony hair and his eyes entered the room (he had been eavesdropping but decided he wanted to be acknowledged) and Susan introduced him as Henry Edgar Bones or Hal as he was known by the family.
Roddy/Harry turned paler than an albino vampire, his eyes going as wide as saucers, his mouth falling open and his body swaying a bit. However, when Susan casually mentioned that "We did have sex four times at that gathering – hence four children were conceived.
That was when Roddy/Harry fainted dead away. Nobody blamed him.