14: CHANGE OF SCENERY II

"Professor… rather… unusual seeing you here," said Mr. Borgin, startled at seeing Albus and Severus enter his shop.

"I was hoping perhaps you might be able to help us with something," said Albus, retrieving the miniaturized vanishing cabinet from his robes, wearing his trademark grandfatherly face.

"Ah, err… let me see… place it on the counter." Mr. Borgin gestured to the dusty counter, although his eyes seemed to light up at the object Albus had.

"You clearly recognize it," Severus sneered, as Albus placed the item on the counter. Mr. Borgin nodded, saying, "Err, yes, as a matter of fact, I have its counterpart."

"And it is exactly that which we have come to enquire about," said Albus, eyes twinkling madly.

"Err… well… you see, I have been paid a lot of money… to locate its twin…" Mr. Borgin answered, nervously.

"I strongly doubt that, Mr. Borgin," Severus sneered, "It would be unwise of you to lie to either of us."

"I daresay, some of the items in plain view here might get you more than a few years in Azkaban. We will offer a fair price," said Albus, the twinkle momentarily vanishing from his eyes. Mr. Borgin was taken aback by Albus' behaviour. The headmaster never resorted to that kind of attitude. No, it would be VERY unwise to be anything but honest here, he realized. "The mate to it is there," he said, pointing to the cabinet against the wall.

"Ah, very good, then."

"It appears this one has been damaged," Mr. Borgin noted, gesturing at the bottom of the miniaturized cabinet.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I believe I am more than capable of affecting repairs. We'll offer ten thousand galleons for its mate," Albus announced. Mr. Borgin nodded. It wasn't quite as much as he was hoping to fetch, yet, he knew better than to challenge the two wizards that stood in his shop. He only had to look out the window to know there were at least two more outside. Not to mention, it was known in dark circles, Severus was a Death Eater. Non-compliance would mean perhaps very painful retribution, in one way or another. "Very well, you have yourself a deal, professor."

"Wonderful, wonderful," said Albus, the twinkle returning to his eyes, "Let us complete our business so we don't darken your doorstep for longer than necessary."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Got everything?" Harry questioned, as he closed the lid to his trunk.

"Yeah, pretty much," answered John. Harry had already picked up most of the things in their room, including the bed. It was in the trunk. "It still floors me how easy you guys can just pick everything up and move."

"Yeah, magic does make it easier in some ways. There's still the issue of unpacking it all once we get there, though."

"Much easier than having to load a truck or whatever. And I mean, the cost too, right?" Harry only nodded, as they left the room.

They had just arrived at the stairwell, when they heard Draco's voice from the dormitory-turned-hospital. "Where am I exactly?"

"Professor Snape brought you here two days ago," came Madam Pomfrey's voice, "I would have kept you asleep for another day, but we are moving to a new location and need you awake."

"You still haven't answered—Potter!" Draco sneered, seeing his nemesis framing the doorway.

"Bloody lucky I let you come here at all," Harry said coldly, "Although as I understand it, Voldemort wants you dead now." A glimmer of fear appeared in Draco's eyes for a moment, but quickly vanished, hidden by a mask of anger. "And what, you think you're going to protect me or something?"

"That's up to the Order," answered Harry, "Personally, I would have just let Voldemort have his way with you, but I'd rather not have your death on my conscience—you know, hero complex and all." That got yet another sneer from the pale-faced boy.

"Ready, Harry?" Harry turned to see Travis and Bill behind them, along with Ron and Hermione.

"Yeah, just about. Madam Pomfrey, just about ready?"

"Just about, dear. Just collecting the remainder of my remedies and so on."

"Oh lovely," Draco groaned, "Potter's got the blood traitor AND the Mudblood here—"

"LEVIOCORPUS!" Travis hissed, and Draco found himself suspended in the air by his ankle. He gestured with his wand, and the boy was slammed against the wall so hard, he actually saw stars in front of his eyes.

"MR. FISHER!! Stop this at once!"

"NO!" Travis erupted, "I will not have anyone, and I mean ANYONE, using that bullshit in my home! Do it again, a concussion will be the least of your worries, you FUCKING POMPOUS BASTARD!"

"Travis."

"WHAT?!"

"Travis, just let it go." He turned to face Bill, and Draco fell to the floor awkwardly, as Travis lost concentration. Harry had to grin for a second at the scenario that just played out. It brought back memories of third year, when Hermione socked him in the mouth.

"Well now you've done it Mr. Fisher, you've given Mr. Malfoy a concussion," said Madam Pomfrey, clucking her tongue, casting several diagnostic charms.

"Good, he deserved it. Next time I'll bust his skull open," Travis hissed, "This is my home. I don't take shit like that in my home."

"Even so, your behaviour is equally deplorable," Madam Pomfrey admonished.

"I don't care. Malfoy, I'll make this VERY clear. You say ANYTHING like that again, I'll kill you." With that, Travis stormed down the stairs, Bill quickly following. Harry cast a glance at Draco, and he looked white as a sheet, as Madam Pomfrey administered a potion. Yes, it looked like perhaps Travis had put the fear of God into the Slytherin prince.

"A word of advice, Malfoy. Take him seriously. He meant every word," said Harry, darkly, "Now look. We really gotta go, Snape and Dumbledore will be back with the vanishing cabinet any moment."

"Harry, mate. One of them still needs to be fixed, remember?" Ron reminded. Harry nodded, only saying, "I doubt that will take long for Dumbledore to figure out."

"Indeed, Weasley." The group turned to find Severus at the top of the stairs. "If you would let me through," he sneered, practically pushing between Harry and John. "Mr. Malfoy, did we not have a discussion earlier about how you would behave here?"

"Yes sir." Draco stared down at his hands, as he was again propped up on a bed, while Madam Pomfrey fussed about.

"And why did you choose to ignore my precise instructions?" questioned Severus, coldly.

"Come on," said John. Harry nodded, and the group headed down the stairs, leaving Draco alone with his godfather.

"Ah, Harry. You've collected everything?" questioned Sirius. Harry nodded. "Excellent. Albus has been able to fix the vanishing cabinet. So, Remus and I will apparate to the island, and erect one of the vanishing cabinets there. I will then come through it, and we can begin bringing people through."

"Professor Snape will assist Madam Pomfrey," said Albus, "I do understand there's been an incident."

"I don't have anything to add, professor, if that's what you mean. I'm sure Travis already explained. If Travis wants to take a pound of his flesh, have at it, Malfoy deserves it."

"Now boys, we can't have you at each other's throat like that," Lisa scolded, "There are a lot of people here."

"So what? Mom, he called Harry's friend a Mudblood. You KNOW what that means, and I'm not gonna put up with it! If he'd been in reach, I would've decked 'im," Travis vowed.

"Travis, this isn't productive… neither of you for that matter," said Bill, "Let's get going." Both Sirius and Remus nodded, and vanished together with a POP.

Minutes later, Remus returned to the cottage through the vanishing cabinet, which had been stood in a corner by the fireplace. Then, it was a steady flow as groups were escorted through. John had to bring Cameron through, since she—or he—couldn't navigate it on his own.

The adults quickly set out arranging accommodations, temporarily creating a large canopy that would serve as a dormitory of sorts. The small beach house already on the island was by no means large enough to house nearly fifty people. Travis quickly set up the tractor, and lit the boiler; they would definitely be needing the saw mill sooner rather than later.

"So why can't you just make the wood you need?" Derek questioned. He, along with John's mother, watched, as Travis fussed about with the saw mill.

"Because most transfigurations are only temporary. Professor Dumbledore or professor McGonagall could do it, I'm sure, but I mean, I'm still just a kid, right?"

"So there are limits to magic?" Sarah said. It was a statement, rather than a question. Travis nodded, saying, "Yeah, definitely. There are some hard laws about what a witch or wizard can do—I mean, someone like Dumbledore would be able to do a lot more, but still, he's got his limits like I've got mine. Then there's stuff that you just can't do, even with magic. If that wasn't true, I'm sure Harry would still have Cedric."

"I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with John and Harry's relationship," said Sarah, "John has enough to deal with as it is."

"But do you think it's your right to tell him that?" Travis challenged, as he tossed another chunk of wood into the furnace, "I think your son's a lot happier now than when we met him. And really, Harry will protect him with his life, not that I really have to say that. Just as much as I would for Bill."

"I still can't get my head around that," said Derek, "Isn't he ten years older than you?"

"Yup. Not that it matters. I like older guys, always have. My last mate was twenty-eight… I'm not goin' into what happened and shit like that, but… we hit it off when we met, just like Bill." Derek could only nod at this point, as it still confused him.

"But, you're still a minor…" Sarah began.

"Wizard law is different than Muggle laws. I mean, if we really wanted to, we could get married, and if John and Harry—"

"Do NOT finish that sentence, Mr. Fisher," Sarah warned, looking rather pale.

"What, don't you want grand kids?" Travis grinned. Sarah promptly fainted.

She was revived shortly thereafter, at which time she gave Travis a look that could kill.

"So, what did you say to mom anyway?" questioned John. She looked at him, then at Harry, and managed, "Can w-w-wizards get pregnant?" Harry burst out laughing. "You… you're not serious, are you?" he wheezed, while John looked at him, scandalized. Sarah only nodded. "Oh bloody hell, where did that come from?"

"Well, we were talking about marriage… or I was, and it sort-of… right."

"But, can they?" Sarah appeared to be between afraid and curious.

"No, a wizard can't get pregnant. Or impregnate any other male, wizard or not, if that's what you're wondering," said Travis, "That's just… wow… never expected THAT kind of question."

"So if you wanted kids… you'd have to adopt them," Sarah assumed.

"Yeah. That's about the size of it."

"There is, of course, another way." Everyone turned to find Sirius wandering over to the group. "You know what a surrogate mother is?" Sarah nodded. "Well, in the wizard world, if two wizards want children, the more common approach is to impregnate a willing witch along with a binding magical contract. Both partners donate their essence, and it goes from there."

"Right. Err, that's a little more information than we needed, Padfoot," said Harry, looking rather green.

"Glad I could help, Prongslet," Sirius smirked, "Molly and Lisa just put out a late lunch."

"Knew I was forgetting something," said Travis, quickly looking over the instruments on the tractor, "Let's go."

A large canopy had been set up, under which were two long tables, much like one would find in the great hall at Hogwarts. In fact, they were almost identical. Most of the people brought to the island were already seated, enjoying the lunch that had been put out. Harry had a strong suspicion it wasn't just Molly and Lisa who had done the work, as there were nearly fifty people present--a small army by some standards. Harry quickly spotted Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins, and so that's where the latecomers sat. Plates of food instantly appeared in front of them.

"Wow, they don't take long," said John.

"Well, professor Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards alive," Hermione remarked. John only nodded, then smirked.

"What?" questioned Ron, stuffing half a hot dog into his mouth. That got a sour look from Hermione.

"Dude, if you sit any closer, you're gonna be in her lap." That got a scowl from Ron, and a grin from Harry.

"Oblivious. Completely oblivious, mate," Harry laughed.

"Well, he STILL has the emotional range of a tea-spoon."

Travis promptly sprayed the table with the contents of his drink, while the rest within earshot burst out laughing.

"Right," said Harry, finally recovering, "Hermione, you're gonna choke us one day."

"So, like, do we get invited to the wedding?" Travis teased.

"Well, Mr. Fisher, as long as we get invited to yours," Hermione smirked.

This time, it was Ron's turn to choke. "WHAT?!"

"Oh come off it, Ron!" Harry challenged, "All last year, all you guys did was fight… and what about the year before? Guys, if you're not meant for each other… then… I mean, Hermione, you saw me and Cedric… now I see you and Ron, just as head-over-heels as I was." Both Ron and Hermione had to nod at Harry's very blunt assessment. Both could see again, Harry was changing, maturing. It was easy to realize, they were maturing as well.

The group fell silent, each retreating to their own thoughts, as they had their lunch. That was short-lived, as a flock of owls suddenly swooped in under the canopy, and began descending on the tables, delivering large envelopes. Three of them set down on the table in front of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What is it?" questioned John.

"OWL results," said Hermione, looking caught between excited, and terrified. Harry only nodded, and accepted the envelope from the bird in front of him, offering it a piece of his hot dog. He nervously opened the envelope, and pulled the parchment out, his heart starting to race at what it might have to say.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)

HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:
Astronomy:A
Care of Magical Creatures: E
Charms:E
Defence against the Dark Arts:O
Divination:P
Herbology:E
History of Magic:D
Potions:E
Transfiguration:E (1)

He breathed a sigh of relief as he read it a second time. It was better than he had expected, in most ways. He had expected to fail Divination, and with Binns as a teacher… there was just no hope in hell he would have passed History of Magic.

The 'Exceeds Expectations' in potions was a bit of a disappointment, however. He knew professor Snape required an 'Outstanding' grade for entry into his NEWT level class. The 'E' staring back at him from the parchment effectively put an end to that idea, and along with it, his chance at becoming an Auror.

"Harry?" he felt a finger poking him in the side.

"Huh?"

"I asked, is that like a report card or something," said John. Harry nodded, and passed the parchment to him. "OWL scores."

"It determines which NEWT classes we can take in sixth and seventh years," answered Hermione.

"Okay, I know what astronomy is, and History… but what's Herbology?"

"It's the magical version of horticulture," answered Harry, "And care of magical creatures… that's like…"

"It would be like a cross between a biology class, and veterinary care," said Travis, "At least that's what I would compare it to. Potions would equal chemistry, Dark Arts Defence…"

"Defence, in a magical sense," John guessed. Travis nodded, and continued, "Charms and Transfiguration… those are very magic-specific. You've seen us do enough of that stuff." John nodded.

"So, Travis, care to share yours?" questioned Hermione. Travis nodded, and laid the parchment flat on the table for everyone to see.

TRAVIS FISHER HAS ACHIEVED:
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures/Biology: P
Charms: A
Defence against the Dark Arts: E
Arithmency/Mathematics: E
Herbology: A
History: A
Potions/Chemistry: E
Transfiguration: O
English: A

"English?" questioned Hermione.

"Yeah. You know, all the essays we get assigned?" Travis pointed out. There were nods from the group. "Just like, Arithmency and Math, Potions and Chemistry. We get OSSD equivalency in those."

"OSSD?" questioned Ron.

"Ontario Secondary School Diploma," answered Travis, "Muggle school system. I'd end up taking a bunch of other courses if I ever wanted to get said diploma."

"But why would you want to?" questioned Ron.

"Well, not everyone stays in the Wizarding world here, right? Being able to do magic is just a part of who we are, it's not the ONLY thing. If I had been born in England, I don't think I would be staying in the magical community… too many bigots and racists for my liking."

"So your reaction to Draco shows," noted Hermione.

"I'm not kidding. I won't put up with his shit… he'll end up a test dummy long before," Travis warned.

"And he's not got his goons to protect him this time," Ron smirked.

"Ronald, it's not funny!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, now you're sure this will work," Harry questioned. On a work table in front of them, was Slytherin's locket. Tied to it, was a basilisk fang, and a grenade.

"Better than that crazy rig Remus came up with," John pointed out, "It just has to mix with it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"So we stick this in like so…" John forced a length of reinforcing rod through the bundle. "End of the rope?"

"Here."

"Loop this through here…" He pushed the end of the rope through the pull-pin and tied it off.

"The beach would probably be best," Harry decided.

A few minutes later, with three hundred feet of rope strung out, the bundle was secured in the sand on the beach.

"I still think this is crazy," Harry declared, as they got to the safe distance.

"Well, if it works, you owe me a bottle of Firewhiskey, right?"

"Deal. On the count of three, then?" John nodded. "One. Two. Three!" Harry tugged roughly on the line, which removed the pin from the explosive ordinance. Three seconds later, there was a terrific blast, as a column of sand erupted on the beach. It was accompanied less than a moment later, by a horrible cry.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So there's only one more of those things left?" John questioned. The majority of the DA now gathered with Harry and John around a large bonfire they had lit on the beach, as dusk settled over the island.

"No, two. Hufflepuff's Cup, and Nagini, Voldemort's familiar. At least that's what Sirius said, remember?" said Harry. John nodded.

"Thing is, are we sure that's all of them?" questioned Ron, who then took a bite out of the hot dog he had roasted on the fire.

"Well, there's a limit," said Travis, "The more 'pieces' he makes, the less human he becomes. Six of them is quite a stretch, so it's unlikely he's made any more. I mean, there's not a whole lot of info out there about Horcruxes… again, one of the darkest things a witch or wizard can do with themselves, right?" there were nods around the group. "So, not many people want to right about that shit. Either way, what I could find… yeah."

"Which is the next thing we need to deal with," said Harry.

"What about poisoning her?" suggested Neville. That was met with a number of groans and snorts.

"Like who's gonna have the stones to pull that off, like to see 'em try it," Ron groaned.

"Someone who wouldn't be suspected, of course," said Fred.

"Someone who's already in you-know-who's inner circle," George added.

"Yeah, and who's gonna ask him?"

"Dumbledore, of course," said Luna, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. Which, of course, it was, when everyone thought about it. "Bugger." The hot dog she was roasting fell off the stick, and into the fire. She let out a sigh. "Oh well. The flairions will enjoy it."

"The what?" questioned John, but Harry shook his head as if to say, 'don't bother'.

AUTHOR NOTES:

(1) Like the other fan fiction I've written, I keep Harry's OWL results canon.