A/N: I typically don't use these at the beginning of chapters but for this I'll break tradition. Numerous reviewers have suggested that I've done a disservice to this story by allowing Harry to forgive Hermione or forgive her so quickly. While I understand what you are saying, I respectfully disagreed. Remember that Harry had been gone for four years prior to the start of this story. That's a long time. While he was still angry at the beginning of the story, I think that a lot of the real sting had been taken out of his feelings for her. I can't ask you to simply accept my story decisions. However, I can say that I've written this story how I feel like it would have happened. If you don't like the story, don't read it. Otherwise, please stick to providing helpful commentary in your reviews.
For those of you that are enjoying the story, also let me know. This is easily the longest chapter I've ever written and I hope it's up to your standards.
March 24
12:26 PM
The Harpies' Haven
Holyhead, Wales
After four days of milling around his office, Harry was certainly ready to leave for France. However, both Arthur and Percy wouldn't authorize him to leave for another week. Apparently, his venture into Russia had attracted some attention, especially with the ever burning fire that he had left on the coast of the Siberian Sea that the Russian Ministry couldn't put out. So, Harry was stuck going through run of the mill days, looking for more information but knowing he was going to find none.
He had spent a lot of time with Ron, Hermione and Cho over the past few days and he could certainly say that while his hunt of The Jester was almost always on his mind, he had had more fun that he could remember for a long time with them. Another trip to a bar had left Harry carrying a carried away Cho back to her apartment for the second time. The next morning, for the same time in as many weeks, Cho Chang swore off alcohol altogether. Harry chuckled to himself, knowing that she would be back eventually.
But, what Harry was looking forward to most was happening today: the season final between the Holyhead Harpies and the Puddlemore United. The match was to be held between the two highest scoring teams in league history. This was a fact that almost everyone celebrated the two clubs for. However, Harry just saw it as neither teams had a good Seeker who could win the match before things got out of hands.
This was mostly true. The Seeker of the Harpies was Galvin Gudgeon, a transfer from Chudley who was famous for being the only Seeker in recent memory to have the Snitch bounce off his face...twice. The only reason that Gudgeon was playing was because starting Seeker Gwen Gingrich had broken her arm after a 75 foot fall in the first match of the season and had been too terrified to get back on a broom.
On the other side, things were barely better. The United's seeker, Jonathan Brower, was one of the worst flyers in league history. Routinely, he hit the goals at either end of the pitch. From what Harry heard, the only reason they kept him around was because he was prone to suddenly flying like Viktor Krum or Aidan Lynch. The risk was worth the reward.
As Harry, Cho and the rest of the Weasleys climbed to the Top Box for the match, Harry recollected on his various Quidditch memories. It was then that he realized just how much he had missed the sport. Just the feeling of a broomstick the few days before was like heaven. He couldn't imagine what the rush of chasing after the Snitch would feel like but he knew it would be fantastic.
Harry took his seat in between Arthur and Cho in the front of the Top Box. The last time that Harry had been in this box had been the last game that Ginny had played before she had tried to kill herself. She had scored eight goals, each of them equally insane, as she led her team to victory. After the game, she had approached Harry asking him to take her back. He had politely refused and left by himself. Only two hours later, he got that horrible letter.
Flashing back to the present, Harry watched as the Harpies trained. Over the past few weeks, Ginny's playing time had stared to stabilize and she had taken an already good season and turned in into one that could have her named league MVP for the first time after having already been named an All-Star for the second time in her career. In fact, the announcement was supposed to occur before the game today and Harry was greatly looking forward to it.
Suddenly, Harry was shaken from his thoughts when he noticed that Arthur was no longer sitting next to him. Instead, it was an incredibly wealthy looking man. He looked tall, despite being seated, with white hair, slicked back, and the most neatly trimmed silver beard that Harry had ever seen. His eyes were grey but in a way that wasn't threatening at all. His cloak was as black as black could be and he wore white robes underneath them, showing off a great deal of contrast.
"Good evening, Mr. Potter." he said formally. "I hope I did not startle you."
"You did a bit, if I'm honest. I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't know who you are."
"Forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Ian Young." he said, extending his hand towards Harry. Harry took his hand and shook it firmly. While Harry couldn't place the face, the name certainly sounded familiar.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Young, but I can't think of where I should know you from." Harry replied honestly.
"No bother, dear boy, none at all." Ian replied excitedly. "You may know me as a fringe member of the Wizengamot. However, I am probably more widely known as the new owner of the Pride of Portree Quidditch Club."
Now Harry knew where he had heard, or rather read, that name. Ian Young was one of the wealthiest wizards in the country. He did sit on the Wizengamot but only rarely did he vote or express his influence. In the past, he had been a partial owner of Zonko's Joke Shop and The Three Broomsticks. Now, he was going to be using his immense wealth to bring one of the most boring Quidditch clubs to life. At least, that's what he had said.
"Now, I remember!" Harry said excitedly. "Congratulations on your purchase!"
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. I had hoped to talk to you about it a bit." he replied, a bit more business-like than in the past.
"That's fine." Harry replied firmly. "What can I do for you?"
"I would like you to be the starting Seeker for the Pride of Portree next season."
Suddenly, Harry's mind went blank. While he certainly loved Quidditch, he had never actually consider it as an option for a career. He had been quite good, aside from the frequent accidents he seemed to take part in, if he did say so.
"Mr. Young-"
"Ian." he corrected Harry.
"Ian," Harry replied properly. "I haven't played Quidditch competitively since January of 1997. I practiced for awhile after that and I can still fly but I guarantee I would be rusty at best, totally useless at worst."
"Mr. Potter, the Pride need a boost. Four of the teams starters have left the team to join other clubs already and I'm having a real struggle keeping the others. The Pride of Portree has been a model of mediocrity for years. I want you to change that. If you come in and you feel out of shape or we think it won't work, we pull you and no one ever knows that you even worked with us. But, if you get out there and you feel how I think you feel, we sign you."
"Ian, I don't really-"
"Don't tell me you don't need the money, Potter." he replied firmly. "We all know how broke you were, and probably are. You let someone write a book about you, for Merlin's sake."
"When do I do this tryout then, if I'm interested?" Harry added hastily. He was definitely interested. What Cho had said a while back had truly stuck with him. When this was all over, he didn't have to keep chasing Dark wizards around the rest of the world. He could be whatever he wanted. For the time being, Chaser or Seeker sounded a lot better than Auror.
"Send me an owl and we can set up a time. You'll have to meet with our manager and work out for her but I don't see that being a problem. We will probably work you in a number of positions to start with, depending on what open players we can get. Do you have any problem with that?"
"I hate Keeper. Other than that, I"m game." Harry answered.
"Well, if you sign, we shouldn't have to worry about that much." Ian said with a grin. "We have one of the best keepers in the league who's already agreed to sign if you sign."
"Who?" Harry asked curiously.
"You know him, played with him even."
"Oliver?"
"The one and the same." Ian replied. "He's said that if you join, he'll sign over from Puddlemore."
"Fantastic." Harry replied.
Ian looked like he was going to say more but suddenly, a voice rang over the whole stadium.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the season final between the Holyhead Harpies and the Puddlemore United!"
"Look's like we'll get to see our boy in action!" Ian said with a shout as he stood. "Send me an owl when you're ready and we'll work with you, Mr. Potter."
"Thank you, Mr. Young." Harry said as he allowed Ian to walk away, turning to fix his eyes on the stage that had been set up in the middle of the pitch. Both teams stood lining the sides of the stage while a man stood in the center, speaking to the crowd.
"Again, we welcome you this evening and both clubs thank you for your support!" the announcer said, his voice magically magnified over the crowd. "Now, before we get to the match, we have ourselves a bit of an announcement to make!"
Harry couldn't remember being this nervous. Not for a long time anyway. He pulled out his Omnioculars and aimed them towards Ginny. Unlike him, she appeared to be totally cool. He was impressed with her ability to be completely calm in a situation like this.
"Tradition states that the league's Most Valuable Player will be announced now! But first, some information on this player! This player played in all twenty of her teams matches, scoring 130 goals for a whopping 6.5 goals per match. This player caught the Snitch on two separate occasions as a back-up Seeker and scored a league record 22 goals in one match against the Chudley Cannons!"
Harry heard Ron audibly scoff as this was announced. In his youth, Ron's Cannons had been terrible. However, with new ownership including George Weasley, they were certainly on their way back up. Rarely now did something like this happen.
"Playing in her fifth year in the league, your Most Valuable Player is two-time All-Star Ginevra Weasley!"
The entire stadium stood and applauded as Ginny stepped forward to accept the trophy. For years, Harry had always thought that he would be the one for her, the one that would be there to love her and congratulate her after the match for her accomplishments. It was with a small measure of sadness that Harry realized that he and Ginny were still friends, just nothing more.
"Now, onto the match!" the announcer said and with a wave of his wand, the stage disappeared and both teams were standing on the ground. "And now you're teams! First, for the United! I give you Brower, Hoffman, Snyder, Bell, Conrad and Wood!"
Instantly, the United team leapt onto their brooms and took off into the night, taking their places for the match.
"And on the Harpies side, we have Gudgeon, Hanson, Zimmerman, Grant! In her final game as a Harpie, two-time league MVP and twelve-time All-Star, Gwenog Jones! Finally, your reigning league MVP and two-time All Star, Ginny Weasley!"
Once their team was announced, the Harpies took off as well. However, before Ginny went to her place, she raced up along the Top Box, highfiving her family and friends. When she got to Harry, she stopped to hug him.
"Congratulations, Ginny." Harry whispered in her ear.
"I knew you would be here when I finally won it." she replied before pulling away with a tear in her eyes.
"Go get 'em, Gin!" Harry shouted as she saluted the stadium and turned back to take her place on the pitch.
The moment Ginny took her place, the referee for the match, a older man named Gordon Harper, flew out onto the pitch. Within seconds, he released the balls and the match began. As Harry watched, he couldn't imagine flying that fast, much less pick out the Snitch in all the chaos that was in front of him.
However, his old Seeker eyes did pick up something, proving that he may not have been as out of practice as he thought. Just a minute after the match started, he saw the golden glint of the Snitch dive as Gudgeon and Brower followed it. Harry stood and watched as the two Seeker dove over two hundred feet. Finally, Brower pulled back just as Ginny pull a goal in passed Wood that no one saw because they were watching Gudgeon perform either one of the greatest or most terrifying things they would ever see.
Suddenly, just feet before Gudgeon hit the ground, he pulled up, his hands raised high. Sure enough, Harry saw that he had the Snitch in hand. As the referee checked to make sure that he had the real Snitch, the announcement was made.
"With a score of 160-0, the Holyhead Harpies have won the Quidditch League Cup!"
Harry realized that he had just watched one of the quickest matches in League history. Standing with the rest of the Weasleys, he clapped until his hands were sore as Ginny flew back up to the Top Box with the League Cup in her hands. As Harry celebrated with the rest of them, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ian Young smiling behind him.
"That'll be us next year, son." he said.
"Get her." Harry said, nodding towards Ginny. "Get her and it could be."
March 27
3:12 PM
Pride Pitch
Portree, Scotland
Three days after Ginny's match and the day before he was scheduled to leave for France with Ron, Harry had woken up early in the morning and secretly sent an owl to Ian, telling him that he was ready for his tryout. After waiting for several hours for a reply, Harry finally saw an owl flying towards his home. When the owl arrived, it simply told him a time (3:30 PM) and a place (Pride Pitch).
So, when the time came, Harry couldn't help but arrive early. So, Harry took his Thunderbolt out of the small carrying case he had brought it in and took off gently. As Harry floated around in a Quidditch pitch for the first time in years, Harry had a massive feeling of deja vu. On and off for six years, Harry had been the star Seeker for the Gryffindor team. Then, it just stopped and he hadn't put much time into thinking about it ever again.
Suddenly, Harry got a sudden urge. Flying high into the sky, he crested his climb at nearly six hundred feet in the air. Floating for a moment, Harry pushed the nose of the broomstick directly down. Within seconds, Harry was pushed into a perfectly vertical dive. Within seconds, Harry's eyes, not protected by goggles, were watering and through it, Harry could barely see the ground coming up quickly. However, just moments before he would have crashed into the ground for a certain and grizzly death, he pulled out of the dive, leveling himself out and screaming across the flat surface of the pitch.
Harry finished his run with a few rolls and a couple flips before landing gracefully back on the soft grass. As he landed, he suddenly heard the sound of applause. Startled, Harry looked up to the top of the bleachers to see Ian Young and a young woman, the manager Harry assumed, applauding him as they climbed down the bleachers.
"Rusty, Mr. Potter? I think not." he said as he reached the bottom, walking onto the pitch towards Harry.
"Need to remember goggles next time." Harry replied, shaking the man's hand. It wasn't until he turned to the manager to shake her hand before he realized who she was.
"Gwenog Jones?" Harry asked in surprise.
"One and the same." she said firmly. "Ian knew I was retiring and offered me the manager's job here. He said that his new team captain was going to be marvelous. I'm surprised, Potter. You flew much better than I remember."
"Remember?" Harry asked.
"I watched one of your matches your sixth year. I was scouting Ginny Weasley. We had heard good things about her from a few people and so I came to take a look. You fly pretty well."
"It's all in the broom." Harry replied sheepishly.
"I see that." Gwenog replied looking down at the broom. "The new Thunderbolt. That will definitely be an advantage."
"Yes, it will." Ian replied with a hungry smile on his face. "Now, Harry, do you mind doing a little more flying for us?"
"Of course."
Harry spent the next forty minutes flying circles around the pitch, catching everything that was thrown his way. In fact, as time went on, Harry almost become bored by the monotony of it. Thankfully, Gwenog had a surprise for him. On her last throw, she threw a Muggle baseball up in the air. However, she then took her wand out and, with a wave, created 11 copies of it. Instantly, Harry knew the challenge and raced to catch all of them, which he did successfully.
Harry landed to another fanfare of happy applause. As he approached them, he could see they both had smiles on their faces.
"You may be one the most natural flyers I've ever seen, Potter." Gwenog said brightly. "And that's coming from me."
"Mr. Potter, I believe we need to work on a contract." Ian said, extending his hand for yet another handshake. The man certainly did like his handshakes.
"I have a couple things I would like to ask first." Harry said nervously. Unlike when he made his demands with Arthur and Hermione, Harry didn't feel like he had the right to ask what he was going to. But, he felt that he needed to.
"Fire away!" Ian replied excitedly.
"First, my contract can't start until I finish with my investigation with the Ministry." Harry said firmly.
"Done." Ian replied happily. "We need you there more than we need you here right now."
"Thanks. Second, give Oliver whatever he wants. He's the best keeper I've ever played with."
"Also done." Ian answered. "In fact, Oliver is schedule to come in later today to sign his contract. Anything else, Mr. Potter?"
"One more. Spend whatever you want on whoever you want. But, I want Ginny Weasley on this team."
This was the point that Harry knew was the least likely to go over well. At least from the standpoint that Ginny and Gwenog had their immense differences and he knew that it would be difficult to get them to work together.
"No." Gwenog said. "Absolutely not. Ginny Weasley is a head case."
"Ginny Weasley is not a head case." Harry replied violently. "Ginny, after losing her brother and countless other people she knew at Hogwarts, felt abandoned by the one person she had counted on most: me. Now, regardless of whether she was right or not, she has righted her ship and she won the league MVP last season."
"That doesn't matter. She doesn't play or I don't coach." Gwenog replied bluntly.
Harry turned to Ian.
"You do everything you can to sign Ginny Weasley or I don't play. If Ginny decides to play elsewhere, which she won't if you negotiate properly with her, that's fine. But, I will be talking to Ginny and if she feels like you are holding out on her, I walk."
Suddenly, Gwenog turned to Ian.
"You know what we talked about. I can veto any roster decision I don't like."
"And I can veto you." Harry replied defiantly. "Players play, coaches coach. If he doesn't have me, he doesn't have Oliver Wood. If he doesn't have either of us, Portree ends up 12th in the league again."
Harry knew that he was putting Ian in a rough place. But, if he was coming back to play, he was going to do it right and with the right people. Ian thought about it for a couple seconds. Then, with a turn, he faced Gwenog.
"Gwenog, I'm afraid that he's right." Ian said sadly. "Ms. Weasley will be contacted about playing for the Pride."
With a huff, Gwenog stormed off the field. Harry and Ian watched as she left the field before Ian turned back to Harry.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I believe we need to find a new manager." Ian replied firmly.
"Not necessarily." Harry replied. "Plenty of teams just have their team captain act as manager."
"Would you want to do that?"
"No." Harry shot back firmly. "No, I have no interest in doing that. But, I know that Ginny was on schedule to be team captain next season at Holyhead. Bring her in, make her team captain and game manager. Make me and Oliver assistant captains and we can help with practices."
"A team run by Gryffindors?" Ian mused softly. "I like it."
"Me too. Reminds me of old times." Harry replied with a grin.
"Let's go talk numbers, Mr. Potter."
Harry was just about to follow Ian to wherever they were going to talk 'numbers' when a bright light shook Harry's attention. Running over the landscape towards them was a bright white otter. Instantly, Harry knew exactly what it was and knew that it couldn't be good.
Once it was within several feet of him, the otter stopped in place and stood on its back two feet. Speaking with the voice of Hermione, it gave him this message:
"Molly is fading fast. Come to St. Mungo's to say goodbye."
Instantly, Harry was on his broom. He would Apparate to St. Mungo's as he got closer but he knew that the faster way to get there would be on broom. He turned to Ian.
"My apologies, Ian. We'll talk money later."
"Go, dear boy." Ian said sadly.
With his blessing, Harry took off. He knew that he would have to get at least half the way back to London before he would be able to Apparate. That meant flying nearly two hours at top speed before he could even get to a safe Apparation distance. Harry was going to have to push the boundaries of the greatest broom in the world to get to the deathbed of the only mother he had ever known.
6:10 PM
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
London, UK
As Harry Apparated into the waiting room outside the Permanent Injuries ward, he startled the few members of the Weasley family that were sitting out there. Strange as it was, it seemed that every member of the family that Harry hadn't seen in years was there.
"Harry?" Bill said as he stood up from the couch he had been seated on.
"Bill, it's good to see you." Harry said sadly. "Is she?"
"She's still hanging in there." Bill said softly.
"Harry, how are you?" Fleur said next to him. Harry was shocked to hear that almost all of her French accent was gone.
"I was fine until I heard the news. Does anyone know why?"
"No." Charlie said as he stood up next to him. "The Healers said they kind of expected it to be like this, though. They thought that when she went, it would be relatively quick."
"You should go in and see her, Harry." Bill said next to him.
"I agree, Harry." a light and lilting voice behind him spoke up. Harry turned around to see Luna Lovegood seated behind him.
"Luna?" Harry asked in shock.
"Oh yes. That is, unless today is Thursday, and then I may be the kindred Spring spirit. He brings happiness and rain to those who plant his trees. He's a wonderful spirit."
"I'm sure." Harry replied in confusion. Luna Lovegood had always been his most confusing friend.
Suddenly, Harry heard a door open behind him. He turned to see Ginny making her way out of the ward. When she saw him, it was as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She marched across the waiting room and wrapped her arms around Harry's torso, sobbing into his chest. Harry firmly wrapped his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could. He felt the warmth of her tears on his sweaty training shirt as she continued to sob.
Several minutes later, she broke away from him, looking up at him with teary eyes.
"What took you so long?" she asked desperately. "I've been waiting for you forever."
"I was in Portree." Harry replied shortly. "I had to fly halfway back before I could even Apparate here."
"Portree? What were you doing in Portree?" she asked again.
Harry had wanted to keep his Quidditch foray a secret as long as he could. Unfortunately, Harry was a terrible liar and Ginny was one of the few people who could always tell when he was lying.
"Trying out for the Pride." Harry replied simply. "Ian Young asked me the other night at your match."
"Seriously?" she asked in shock. "You're going to play Quidditch."
"Yeah." Harry replied shortly. "Expect an owl soon."
"Why?"
"Just a hunch." Harry said with a smile. "Now, let's go see Molly."
Harry felt terrible that he hadn't been in to see Molly yet despite all the time that he had spent back in London. However, with everything going on, he would have liked to think that she would have understood.
"How is she today?" Harry whispered as they entered the room.
"She knows its coming but she's in good spirits."
"Will she recognize me?"
"She won't stop talking about you." Ginny said with an embarrassed grin. "I think she'll recognize you."
Ginny and Harry walked the length of the ward to the far corner where Molly's bed was. As Harry got closer, he noticed that she looked rather healthy and joyous, although Harry could still see the weakness in her eyes. It was that weakness that let Harry know that she truly was fading.
"Ginny, what's wrong with her?" Harry asked.
"They think it's a rare case of magical consumption." Ginny replied. "It's non-communicable and it's incredibly rare. Basically, your body stops producing magic and when you use up all of your magic, you begin to slowly lose control. Memories, ability to case simple spells, anything. Eventually, when your magic runs out, you die. A witch or wizard can't live without their magic."
"Wow." Harry replied simply. "I thought they didn't know what it was."
"They still don't really. They won't be able to tell for certain until after. But, they know that her blood pressure and brain activity has been slowing down over the past few days. This morning, it dived to an unrecoverable level. Sometime before the night is over, she'll slip away."
Harry couldn't imagine dying this way, laying in a bed and waiting for your body to betray you. And for it to happen to one of his favorite people in the world, well, it broke his heart.
"Harry?"
That voice was one that he hadn't heard for quite awhile. Harry looked towards the corner of the room where Molly Weasley was staring directly at him.
"Harry, is that you?"
Slowly, Harry stepped in towards Molly. Seated around her was Arthur, Hermione, Ron, George and Percy. Harry stepped through passed all of them and took a seat directly next to her.
"Hello, Molly." Harry said softly.
"Merlin's beard, it is Harry!" she said in surprise. "You've changed your glasses. I must say that it is a good look for you."
"Well, thank you." Harry said with an embarrassed grin. "How are you today?"
"Fine. Fine." she said absentmindedly. "I haven't seen you in years. How are you?"
"Better now that I've seen you." Harry said, intentionally buttering her up.
"Oh, Harry, you are too kind to an old woman." she said, giggling weakly as she spoke. "Now, have you found yourself a woman to be happy with, Harry?"
"No." Harry replied with a smile. "No, not yet, but I am looking."
"Good. Good. All you need is to be happy, Harry. You've been through so much and had so little good in your life. Find a girl and be happy, Harry."
"I'm doing my best."
"Good." Molly replied softly as she laid back into her bed. "Ginny's available now, I hear."
"Mum..." Ginny growled next to him.
"What's this?" Harry replied.
"I believe that my youngest daughter broke up with Dean yesterday." Molly said with a devious smile.
Harry turned to Ginny. "Is that true?"
"Yeah, it's true." Ginny said as she rolled her eyes. "Dean wouldn't come to my match because he was going out with Seamus. He only came to three matches this year and he left early from one, got too drunk to operate at another and complained because it was a late night for the last one."
"Wow." Harry replied softly. "I thought he liked Quidditch."
"He liked playing Quidditch. He hates watching it."
"That's too bad." Molly replied. "I liked that boy."
"Me too." Ginny grumbled.
"Like I said, Harry, just be happy. If there's anyone that deserves it, it's you."
Then as if she had been waiting to give that message, Molly settled back into her bed, pulling the covers up over her and slowly closed her eyes. Instantly, Arthur jumped forward next to her.
"Molly!"
Molly's eyes leapt open for a second before they closed slightly and aimed towards Arthur. Instantly, the doors at the end of the hall burst open and the rest of the Weasleys came screaming across the room to the bed at the end. As they closed in around her, she smiled as she saw her family surrounding her.
"Arthur, you are wonderful. Look at all of these wonderful people. Look at the success that we've raised." she said, using all of her strength to raise her voice just above a whisper.
"Molly, what am I supposed to do?" Arthur replied with tears streaming down his face. He knew what was coming and it was coming soon.
"Take care of yourself and let the family do what it does best." Molly replied with a weak smile.
"What's that?" George asked.
"We survive. We always survive." Molly replied as her eyes closed again. "I love you, Arthur. I love all of you..."
"Molly! Molly, come back!" Arthur shouted.
This time, Molly's eyes didn't open. Suddenly, everyone watched as she gave one last breath and then released. This time, she didn't breath in again. Harry sat there in shock as Arthur collapsed on the body of his wife, sobbing uncontrollably. Harry looked next to him and saw Ginny, crying silently to herself. He pulled her in close and tucked her under his arms, running his hand through her hair and she sobbed to herself. He couldn't believe that Molly Weasley, a bastion of life and love, couldn't live or love anymore.
It was a loss that shook Harry to the core. Harry turned and, remaining strong for the Weasleys, brought Ginny back into his arms again. All of this felt too familiar. In fact, he had done something very similar at Fred's funeral.
Suddenly, something snapped inside him. Harry was tired of being strong. Harry was tired of needing to be strong. He knew that he needed to stop The Jester before any of this got worse. Molly may have died for natural reasons but it hurt all the same. In his head, Harry made a silent vow. No one that he cared about would be hurt by the Jester. Not one of them.
March 29
4:13 PM
The Burrow
Ottery St. Catchpole, UK
An hour after the funeral of Molly Weasley ended, Harry, Cho, Ron and Ginny still sat outside The Burrow near the tree where Fred, and now Molly, had been buried. No one had said anything because nothing needed to be said. Harry knew the hurt that the Weasleys felt because he felt it himself. Molly had been a mother to him. He often said like a mother, but he now knew that wasn't enough. She was the mother that his birth mother would have wanted for him.
Suddenly, Ron broke the silence.
"When are we leaving?" he said roughly, his voice thick with disuse.
"Tomorrow." Harry replied softly.
"Where are you going?" Ginny asked.
"Ron and I convinced Fleur to get us some information on the castle that Grindelwald lived in. We're going there to check that out and then heading to the Ministry to see if we can't get into Christoph's place."
"Christoph is dead. Wouldn't they have taken all that already?" Cho asked.
"Probably not. Apparently, Christoph was from a fairly influential French family. Odds are that until they finish his private family ceremony next week after our Ministry sends his body to them, his home should still be full of all the evil junk he had there." Ron replied.
"Evil junk? Did you really just say evil junk?" Ginny asked, a barely conceiled smile on her face. Harry thought that it was nice to see her smile again. Of all the Weasley children, she appeared to have taken it the hardest over the past few days, locking herself in her old room and refusing to come out for hours. Finally, Harry and Ron had nearly blown in her door and told her that if she didn't go eat, they were going to start hiding gnomes in her room. That had been the only time other than this moment that Harry could remember her smiling since Molly's passing.
"I did say evil junk!" Ron replied with a forced indignant attitude. "The man probably owns a lot of evil junk!"
"Did I just hear the Ministry's most respected Auror say evil junk?" George said as he marched across the lawn towards them.
"I said evil junk and I don't care who knows it!" Ron said, leaping from his seat. However, as Ron landed on the ground, his right foot hit a tree root, causing him to tumble backwards. Unable to get his balance, he fell backwards, rolling down the hill and into the lake. While the lake wasn't anywhere near freezing, it certainly wasn't warm enough to swim in.
Suddenly, Ron leapt up out of the water.
"COLD!" he said as he sprinted back up the hill, gathering his wand which had fallen out of his pocket on the way. With a wave of his wand, his clothing was dried and he appeared warm again, although the small shivers in his shoulders told another story.
"You always were the most graceful Weasley." George said seriously.
Finally, fighting it as much they could, the group gathered burst into laughter. They laughed for minutes on end. Suddenly, the laughter turned into stories of Fred and of Molly. They turned into stories of Sirius and slimy Severus Snape. When the rest of the Weasley family marched out onto the lawn to join them, they too joined in the racous, telling funny stories of their time at Hogwarts and their escapades at their childhood home.
For what seemed like hours, they talked and shared and laughed and cried. Even Cho and Ileana, Charlie's Romanian girlfriend, who were the two that were the most unfamiliar with these stories, laughed along.
Eventually, they all forgot how they had gotten to telling stories of Ron, Harry and the Ford Angila and Fred, George and their fiery exit at Hogwarts. Eventually, all they could remember was the good.
They continued telling stories until the late hours in the night. But eventually, the crowd thinned out. Percy and Audrey, his new girlfriend, headed home. Bill and Fleur Flooed back to Egpyt with a promise of returning back to the Burrow soon. George and Angelina had to return to the shop early the next morning. Charlie and Ileana retired to his old bedroom. Arthur went to bed, albeit in the front sitting room. Finally, it was just Harry, Cho, Ron and Ginny again and again they were silent. The four sat and watched as the moon crept over the fields behind the Burrow and rose over the tree.
"I wish I had a family like yours." Cho said softly.
"Why do you say that?" Ron asked.
"I love my family but it's just me. My parents are usually off on some vacation to some exotic place. I don't have much in the way of an extended family. My mum's family lives in Hong Kong and I've only met them once. My dad's family is in Scotland and they hate us. I was an only child. I don't really have much in the way of a family."
"Me neither." Harry replied.
"But you do, Harry." Cho shot back. "Actually, as I watched you all this evening, it was amazing to think that you weren't actually related to them. It seemed impossible. You fit in so well with them, even though you've been gone for years."
"They're the only family I've ever known. The only one that always cared about me. Uncle Vernon never gave a shit about me but then he died the year after the Battle of Hogwarts. I've only seen Petunia and Dudley a couple times since then and although I think we understand each other better, it's still weird."
Suddenly, Harry felt Ron put a hand on his shoulder.
"Mate, you know as well as I do, they may be blood, but they aren't family."
That, more than anything that Ron had ever said, made sense.
"You know what?"
"What?" Ron asked.
"Molly always was good at bringing people together."
March 31
1:14 PM
The Burrow
Ottery St. Catchpole, UK
After two days of ensuring that Ron was around to ensure that all of Molly's estates were settled, they were ready to leave. Unlike the last time that Harry had left the country, he didn't feel the need to fly all the way there. The rumors that plagued the Russian Ministry (which turned out to be true) didn't apply to the French. While they may have been known for intentionally avoiding world conflict, they certainly weren't known for housing Dark wizards.
"Are we ready to go?" Ron asked as he walked out of the back door.
"I certainly hope so." Harry replied.
In the backyard of the Burrow stood Harry, Ron, Cho and Hermione. While Harry and Ron were going to France searching for information on Grindelwald and The Frenchman, Cho and Hermione had agreed to stay behind and work on securing the Ministry and the magical and non-magical population of England. However, just because they were staying didn't mean they were happy about it.
"I really wish you would let us come." Cho said as she approached Harry.
"I know." Harry replied softly. "But, I'm the one in charge of bringing The Jester in and Ron has more expertise on the pair of them than anyone. I need you and Hermione to lock things down here. Be prepared to shut the whole place down at anytime."
"We will." Cho said with a smile that nearly knocked me back. "Just come home safe. Please?"
"I'll make sure I get your man back, alright?" Ron said with a smile as he said his goodbyes to Hermione.
"You better." Cho said roughly.
"Your man?" Harry asked quietly. "What's up with that?"
"Shut up." Cho replied before kissing Harry square on the lips.
Suddenly, lights flashed in Harry's head as he was instantly whipped back to the Room of Requirement in his fifth year underneath the mistletoe. Then, Harry remembered that he wasn't in the Room of Requirement but the back yard of the Burrow. Quickly, Harry and Cho broke apart upon the realization that Ron and Hermione were staring at them.
"What?" Cho asked. "You've never seen people kiss before."
"I have. I remember you two jumping all over each other while Voldemort was trying to kill us." Harry added.
"Keep going, mate." Ron replied with a grin. "I'll leave you in France."
"They'll kick me out. But, you, they love you there, Ronnie."
"I knew I should have let those French tourists get attacked by that pack of werewolves."
"Oh yes, that would have looked good in the papers." Hermione replied sarcastically. "Head Auror fails to save French tourists: Head of DMLE rolls her eyes and punches him in the face."
"It would have saved me from having to do that damn parade in Nice." Ron replied.
"Amen, brother." Harry answered before turning to Cho. "We have to leave. Stay at the Manor and tell Kreature or Winky to put up the wards until I get back."
"I will. Be safe." Cho said before finally letting Harry go.
"We will." Harry replied before finally turning to Ron. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Let's go." Harry replied before Disapparating into the afternoon sky.
2:20 PM Paris Time/1:20 PM London Time
Somewhere in France
The moment that Harry and Ron hit the ground, they knew that they were in a place that would rather not be. Fleur had given them the exact coordinates to Grindelwald's castle and she had certainly been correct. Apparently the rumors had been true. Everyone knew where he had been during his reign but no one wanted to stand up to him.
The castle was like out of story book, albeit a dark and twisted one. It had three matching spires that shot up out of the rest of the castle into the sky. The rest of the castle was black and shined like glass in the sun. Harry wondered if it was made out of some kind of black rock or glass. In front of them stood a massive gate, again black and menacing. Somehow, the magic around the castle appeared to have even corrupted the sky around it, making it dark and threatening. As Harry thought that, several large bolts of lightning struck inside the gates.
Swallowing his fear, Harry approached the gate and as he got closer, he could make out an inscription on it.
"Nigrum castum de mirum. Ad maius bonum. Morte ad Muggles." Harry whispered softly. "What do you think it means?"
"It's Latin." Ron replied. "When I went through the Academy, I took some basic language courses. I'm not sure exactly what it say but I think I've got an idea."
"Well what is it?"
"The first part says something about a black castle. I assume that's the name of this place." Ron answered.
"Good guess." Harry shot back, eyeing the black castle in the distance.
"Thanks." Ron replied sarcastically. "The second part is fairly obvious. I know that 'maius' is more and 'bonum' is probably some like good or bonus or something."
"For the greater good." Harry whispered.
"Exactly." Ron replied. "And I'm fairly certain that the last part means death to Muggles."
"Great." Harry replied as he pushed on the gate. Surprisingly, it opened for him. Harry looked at Ron with a worried and curious look.
"Maybe it recognizes magic?" Ron asked.
"I hope so. Either that or we're walking into a big trap." Harry replied as he pushed the gate open fully and walked through.
After the quick walk to the large front door of the castle, Harry pushed that door open as well. However, what he saw on the inside of the castle was the exact opposite of what he expected. Unlike Vinogradoff's home in Siberia, this house was bright and ornate, lavishly decorated with rarities and delicacies from across the world.
Then, Harry saw something that instantly put him on edge.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ron asked next to him.
Harry approached the table in the large entryway. Sure enough, laying on the table was a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry picked it up and checked the date.
"January 18, 2004." Harry read aloud.
"That's the day before we captured The Frenchman." Ron whispered as he approached him.
"Then that's no coincidence." Harry replied. "How long had the Frenchman been active as a Dark wizard?"
"Weeks after you left, he showed up. But, he was fairly well trained."
"He must have been visiting Grindelwald in prison." Harry whispered softly to himself. "He was working for both of them. Do you think he continued to use this place?"
"Must have. He left a paper here, didn't he?" Ron replied.
"Alright, let's split up." Harry said. "I'll take the second floor. You take this one. Patronuses if you find something or get attacked by something."
"You think something is going to attack us?" Ron asked.
"You didn't see Vinogradoff's place. It was pretty defensive."
"Good point." Ron replied before turning to start his search.
With Ron starting his search, Harry climbed the stairs to the second floor and started his search. For nearly an hour, Harry found nothing and didn't hear from Ron. As they searched, all he was able to find was a bunch of bedrooms. Harry wondered if Grindelwald used this place to house his army during his heyday.
As time passed, Harry and Ron climbed the castle, finding nothing. For a Dark wizard, he certainly did a good job of hiding his darkness. Other than the message on the front gate and the overall creepiness of the outside of the castle, everything appeared to be completely normal.
After searching all nine floors and two of the three spires, there was only one place left to look: the tallest of the three spires. Harry assumed that it would have been too cliche for Grindelwald to actually hide something up there. As it was, Harry didn't expect to find anything up there.
It took nearly twenty minutes to climb this tallest tower. When they finally reached the top, they were able to look out one of the windows and see the beginnings of a cloud forming around the tower. Once Harry was done looking out the window, he looked around the rest of the room. It was a completely empty platform. Other than a fireplace in the far corner, there was literally nothing in the room. Sure enough, there was nothing there.
"Dammit!" Ron shouted. "Where the fuck does he keep his evil junk?"
"Evil junk again, huh?"
"Yeah." Ron replied with a grin that was suddenly dropped when he again realized that we had found nothing. "Do you imagine that we missed something?"
"I think that we had to." Harry answered. "Either that or The Frenchman emptied the place out, which wouldn't surprise me."
"No kidding, mate." Ron replied as he walked over to the fireplace.
The pair of them stood in the empty landing for ten minutes, doing their due diligence and searching the room for any nook or cranny that may lead to somewhere that couldn't be seen. Finally, they were forced to give up their search.
"Well, I hope Christoph's place turns up more." Harry said as they marched down the stairs. However, just as he said that, he noticed something on the wall. A marker that he somehow knew would be their saving grace.
"Ron."
"What?"
"Look at that." Harry said, pointing at the wall.
There on the wall was the mark of the Deathly Hallows or the mark of Grindelwald as some people knew it. For some reason, Harry knew this is where they needed to go. It was light etched into the wall, barely noticeable if you didn't know what you were looking for.
"Do you think there's something behind that?"
"You bet I do." Harry replied hungrily.
"How do we get back there?"
"March up the stairs." Harry ordered.
"How is that going to get us into that room?" Ron asked nervously.
"Before I try and use brain power to get this open, I'm going to try and blow it open." Harry said with a smile.
Instantly, Ron sprinted up the stairs and Harry ran down them. Once he thought that Ron was far enough away, Harry turned back to the wall and raised his wand towards it.
"Bombara Maxima!" Harry shouted before ducking down the stairs.
When the blue flash that erupted from his wand hit the wall, there was a massive explosion that rocked the tower. As the rocks and dust settled, Harry walked back up the stairs to the spot where he had hit the wall. Surprisingly, it had mostly worked. A large hole almost large enough for one of them to make it through replaced where the wall had been. With some quick wandwork, Harry expanded the hole to the size of a large set of double doors.
"Follow me!" Harry shouted as Ron came rushing down the stairs.
Stepping inside, Harry immediately saw that they had reached the right place. Posted around the room, covering the wall like wallpaper, were thousands of pieces of parchment. Quickly, Harry moved to examine them. As he looked them over, he saw a list of names.
Grindelwald
myself
Azoli
You-Know-Who
Draco Malfoy?
Severus Snape?
Harry Potter?
Ignoring the shock that Harry felt when he saw his own name on the list, he looked at the papers next to it on the wall. These were even more interesting. They appeared to be a chart with the names on it.
Tier 1
?
Tier 2
Voldemort (trained by ?)
Grindelwald (trained by ?)
Potter? (trained by ?)
Tier 3
Azoli (trained by Voldemort and ?)
Snape and Malfoy? (trained by Voldemort)
Tier 4
myself (trained by Azoli and Grindelwald)
As Harry read, he realized what he was looking at. The Frenchman was trying to chart The Network from the bottom. But what really startled Harry was the person on the top of the list. For the longest time, Harry had assumed that either Grindelwald or Voldemort was secretly on the top of the list. However, to see a member of The Network put the list together and assume that there was someone else entirely pulling the strings, it certainly made him nervous.
However, that was when Harry noticed the third, and most frightening thing, on this particular wall. They were photographs. But, they weren't just any photographs. They were photos of him. There were even some of him in Alaska. This group, and the Frenchman in particular, had been following him. Almost all of the pictures were of him by himself. However, there were two with his friend, Noah, walking down the main streets of Barrow.
Suddenly, Harry realized that Ron was directly behind him.
"Harry? Is this what I think it is?"
"Christoph was watching me. Or he had people watching me. Either way, they knew where I was." Harry whispered softly.
"That's not cool."
"No, it isn't. Not at all." Harry said before pulling all of the charts and photos of the wall and shoving them into his bag. "Let's get out of here."
5:00 PM Paris Time/4:00 PM London Time
Ministry of Magic
Paris, France
"Mr. Weasley, we are so glad to see you."
That voice belonged to Monsieur Victor Debouillet. Debouillet was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in France and a large admirer of Harry's best friend. The year before Harry left, Ron had saved a large group of French tourist from a werewolf attack. For a time, Ron was one of the most famous men in wizarding France, even participating in a parade in the city of Nice.
Harry, on the other hand, was not looked upon as favorably. Large parts of France still believed that Harry made up large parts of his story about Lord Voldemort, some of them even going as far to say that the Battle of Hogwarts was a farce used to cover up an accident that Harry had created at the castle. Needless to say, Harry was not very comfortable with visiting the Ministry in Paris.
"Thanks, Victor." Ron replied, shaking the Auror's hand. "You know my friend, Harry."
"I do know of Mr. Potter." Debouillet replied dismissively. "However, I do not believe that we have had the pleasure of meeting."
Pleasure was not the word that Harry was looking for.
"Mr. Debouillet, thanks for meeting with us on such short notice." Harry said, appearing as gracious as possible.
"It is only a minor inconvenience." Debouillet said even though his eyes suggested otherwise.
"Victor, is there a place where we can meet privately?" Ron said, obviously noticing the tension between the other two.
"But, of course." Debouillet replied before turning and leading them out of the large entryway they had been standing in.
After a short trip on the lifts at the end of the entryway, they reached the top floor of the Ministry and Victor's office. Unlike any Auror's office that Harry had ever seen, Victor's office was immaculate, looking as though it had never been worked in.
"I believe this will work." Victor said as he took his seat behind his desk. "Please, sit."
Doing as they were told, Harry and Ron sat down opposite the French Auror. After looking through a couple of files on his desk for a few moments, Debouillet looked up at them.
"Now, the letter that I received from Fleur Weasley was very vague." he said. "What is it exactly that you wish to speak to me about?"
Harry, knowing that his presence alone could potentially cause trouble, kept his mouth shut as Ron began to explain their situation.
"Bruno Christoph's home. We need access to it." Ron said bluntly.
"May I ask why?"
"Of course." Ron replied graciously. "Christoph was working with Azoli Vinogradoff AKA The Jester. Originally, we believed that they were the only two out there. However, we have reason to believe that they are both connected to a third, and more powerful, witch or wizard. We have already searched Vinogradoff's home in Siberia. Now, we would like to be able to take a look at Christoph's to see if we can make the connection."
Harry sat in silence, hoping that Debouillet would simply grant their request. Of course, he knew that it would never be that simple.
"Mr. Potter, what is your place here?"
"I am the person in charge of the investigation into the whereabouts of The Jester." Harry replied honestly.
"Then, why is it that Mr. Weasley is the one speaking?" Debouillet asked pressingly.
"Because we both know that his presence is far more welcome here than mine is."
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." Debouillet replied, an evil grin on his face. "We love you here."
"I'm grateful." Harry shot back simply.
"So, you sought to manipulate me then? Make it seem as if Mr. Weasley was in charge of the investigation when it was really you. That does seem like something that someone as manipulative and dishonest as you would come up with."
"Vict-" Ron attempted to interject.
"Silence, Mr. Weasley." he growled, covering Ron up. "I expected better than this from you."
"B-"
"Bruno Christoph's father, William, is a very close friend of mine. I have know the Christoph's for four decades." Debouillet said, getting angrier by the minute. "To think that someone would accuse Bruno of something like this is outrageous and I will not stand for it!"
"Won't stand for it?" Ron asked, losing his cool all at once. "Bruno Christoph confessed to his crimes! When given Veritaserum, his story matched his confession exactly! I caught him myself! He tied a Muggle woman to a bed and raped her for two months!"
"Ron!" Harry shouted, signaling for Ron to quit.
"Sorry." Ron said quickly.
Harry had figured that something like this was going to happen. Harry had actually met The Frenchman's father once before and he knew that he was very wealthy, very popular, very corrupt and very willing to kill or bribe anyone to get his way. Whether or not Debouillet had been bribed remained to be seen, although Harry doubted that he had. No, Harry just assumed that Victor Debouillet had the same issues with him that everyone else in France had.
"Ronald, Mr. Potter, I'm afraid there's simply nothing we can do for you." Debouillet added with an smug look on his face.
Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Harry stood and motioned for Ron to follow him. Also sensing defeat, Ron stood and with a curt nod towards Victor, made his way to follow Harry out of the door. They nearly got to the door when Victor said one sentence too many.
"Thanks for your time, Potter. I hope you don't take your usual route after one of your many failures."
For some reason, Harry stopped at the door. He could see Ron next to him, imploring him to keep going. But, he simply couldn't. Turning back to face Victor, he spoke up.
"And what route would that be?" Harry asked roughly.
"Well, usually it would end with either the death of someone you love or a drunk escape. However, since you've had everyone you loved killed, I imagine that the bottom of a pint glass will do."
What made Victor say that, he couldn't be sure. However, he could be sure that he would regret it. With one large motion, the door was locked and silence and Victor Debouillet was thrown against the wall. Harry could see Ron looking on nervously as Harry pinned Debouillet against the wall. With a wave of his wand, Harry tossed the desk in front of him to the side, clearing a path to the pinned Auror.
Quickly, Harry stepped up and, after loading up as much as he could, threw a massive punch into his midsection. The very instant the punch landed, Harry heard Debouillet exhale desperately as all of the air in his lungs was forced out of them.
"I don't know who you think you are." Harry said as he started to withdraw his wand again. "But, I have killed people much better than you and for much less. Either way, that was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. We were leaving, you had won! All you had to do was let us leave and you would have never heard from us again. But, instead, you ran your mouth and now...well, now, you'll give us the information we need or you'll die."
"Harry, don't you th-"
"Ron, not now." Harry replied menacingly before facing Debouillet again. "Now, we need an address."
"F-f-uck you!" Debouillet gasped.
"Fine." Harry replied before raising his wand. "Crucio!"
Harry knew that he was pressing hard. But, there was nothing he could do to control himself. Something about the day, with the information they had found at Grindelwald's castle and the attitude of the prick in front of him, had sent him over the edge. For the time being, he had no interest in coming back.
Debouillet screamed in pain as his curse coursed through his body, sending pain to every nerve he had. Finally, after nearly a minute, Harry let up. Debouillet's breathing was ragged and shallow as he tried his best to recover from the pain he had just been in. With another wave of his wand, Harry released Debouillet from the wall, sending him crashing to the floor.
Debouillet wasted no time. The moment he touched the floor, he was up, sprinting at Harry, despite the fact that his wand had flown across the room when he had been thrown backwards.
"Expulso!"
The white beam of light blasted Debouillet in the chest and sent him flying backwards into the wall. When he hit, various item from the shelves above him came crashing down, hitting him on the head.
"Tell me what I want to know, Vic." Harry said, obviously disrespecting him.
"No!"
"Your loss. Literally." Harry answered before lifting his wand. "Diffindo!"
With a flash and a scream, Debouillet's right hand collapsed to the floor. Debouillet looked in shock as blood came rushing out of the wound. Finally, Harry's patience wore thin. Stabbing his wand into thin air, Harry picked Debouillet up and flipped him upside-down, hanging him from his ankle. As Debouillet's arms fell down, blood flowed freely from the wound. Harry knelt down to head level and spoke softly.
"I've done this once before. You have about seven minutes. At seven minutes, you will start to get very nauseous. At eight, you will throw up. At nine, you will hallucinate and at ten, you will pass out and never wake up again. Or, you can tell me what I want to know and then I can fix your hand in one. If you don't tell me what I want to know now, I leave and place several magical locks over the door and you will die hanging in mid-air."
"Fine! Fine!" Debouillet shouted. "He lived 5 Rue Louis Rouffe in Marseilles! Now let me go!"
"Will do." Harry replied as he gave three distinctly different waves of his wand. Sure enough, with the first wave of his wand, Debouillet collapsed to the floor. With another, Harry attached his hand back to his arm. However, with the last wave, Debouillet's eyes blanked out.
"Memory charm?" Ron asked behind him, sounding almost frightened.
"Yes." Harry replied. "He remembers taking a nap and meeting with us briefly. He'll have no idea what happened."
"Good. So, Marseilles, he said?" Ron asked.
"Yes. I'm getting sick of all this travelling."