Chapter 21

Two for the Bush Beats a Hand Alone

*** Alright, please don't have a heart attack! This is likely not the new update schedule. It'd probably be safer to consider it a fluke. Of course, the webmaster's back from his vacation, so the Thay PW should be up again soon. Ergo, no promises on what a schedule might look like.

Not mine … yadah, yadah. You know the drill.

Points of view shift from one side of the scrying crystal to the other (changing the way convo's are documented). Figure it out. You can do it, Duffy Moon!

"Hmm. I believe I see her, but I don't see him around."

Harry could almost hear the 'harumph' coming from the other side of Gnarl's scrying crystal. Maybe if you had taken a pair of omnioculars instead of that antique ….

"Hey! I love this spyglass. It makes me feel all dashing and piratey!"

That's not even a real word. Honestly!

The Overlord couldn't help but grin while picturing Hermione's likely expression.

As unamusing as I find your banter, master … madam, are those 'ward' things going to give you any problem, sire?

Being keyed in to the wards should supersede any intent wards he has up. I have no idea about the minions, however. If they should register as inferi AND if he has any wards against inferi up OR the keying doesn't prevent the wards from registering Harry's intent for the minions ….

As Gnarl and Hermione started arguing about the unknown back at the Tower, Harry tuned them out and summoned a nameless minion to his side. "C'hello. You now have a name. I hereby dub thee Wardcheck!" Harry allowed the minion to bounce up and down in pleasure for a moment before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and throwing him over the top of the sand dune which he and the rest of his minions were behind. Lifting his spyglass back up to one eye, Harry watched the minion land and tumble down the dune. Once the Brown had stopped rolling, Harry gestured towards the cottage. Grinning happily, honored to serve, the minion rushed forward to a point well past where Harry knew the ward line would be. Extending his gauntlet, Harry willed the minion to stop and return before anyone in the cottage might notice him.

"Good news, guys. Since the minions are tied to me, it seems that neither the fidelious nor any of the wards affect them."

What!? Harry!

The Overlord could practically hear his minion master's sigh at the scrying crystal. Plan B it was, then.

Collapsing the spyglass' cylinder, Harry couldn't hide his grin. "Yeppir. I now return us to our regularly scheduled attack. Are you ready, Gnarl?"

One moment, sire.

Hermione watched in confusion as Gnarl stood in his chair and crawled up onto the table. As he positioned himself to be able to look straight down at the crystal, he pulled a gray box from inside of his robes and set it next to the large stone. She was about to ask the minion about it when she was distracted by the pool gate disgorging a familiar figure leading several Browns carrying an unconscious female.

"What? NO Luna, just … no!"

"But you told me I couldn't get Blaise!" the blond whined. "So I need this one to keep things in balance!"

"Blaise?" came Harry's voice from the crystal. "That was some bird in Slytherin, wasn't it?"

Back in England, Harry jerked his head back in surprise as it seemed that some wild grizzly bear was in his throne room and growling at the crystal. After a long silence, Hermione's voice could be made out. I'm not even going to go there. I won't! You can deal with this when you get back. I'm washing my hands of it!

"Sheesh, Mione. Are you sure you're over that … um … 'condition'? It doesn't sound like it."

Yes! Now just go kill something. Before I do!

"Okay, but please keep quiet. Gnarl and I have been working on this and I don't need him distracted."

Distracted? From what?

"Just a little Overlordish surprise we've been whipping up. You can 'harumph' at me later. Well, as long as it works."

Just … be careful, Harry.

Have fun storming the cottage, sire!

Harry grinned and lifted his gauntlet. With a wave of his arm, he bellowed "Minions … HO!"

A wave of Browns led by Bob surged over the top of the dune. A second wave followed them, a group of Reds flanked on either side by a small group of Greens. The two Blues with him were to hold back unless needed. A female scream rent the air as a small group of Browns smashed into the cottage door. A larger group rushed towards the bikini clad blond who had screamed upon sighting the minions. Harry watched as the girl spun around and rushed towards a chair further down the beach.

Harry snickered. I was right. Not too many places to put a wand in a bikini!

There was a cracking noise as Harry Apparated to a point between the girl and the chair she was rushing towards. The unfamiliar girl couldn't stop her momentum as – rather than use his 'wand' – Harry merely crouched down and positioned his elbow and shoulder towards her. Under his helmet, Harry frowned as the teenager slammed into him. She looked like a veela, but it certainly wasn't Fleur.

"Gabrielle!" came a panicked shout from the direction of the cottage.

Ah. Well, that explains it. I've got to admit, it looks like she grew up in all the right places! Harry looked up from the downed and now vomiting teenager to see Fleur rushing from the back door of the cottage with her wand in hand. She spun and Disapparated shortly after he had already heard a cracking noise come from his left.

A4-5!

Harry Disapparated as a stunner speared right through where he had been standing moments before.

G12-11!

Harry Apparated again and planted his feet. Activating his shield, he shot a ball of fire towards Bill who tried to twist away but was unable to avoid all the flames. The redhead used his wand to douse his robes with a stream of water as an ugly looking curse from Fleur bounced off of Harry's shield. "Reds … pile on the girl. Greens and Browns, harass the male. Gnarl -" Harry pointed his wand at Fleur "- target and close." Harry spun and appeared next to where Fleur had already Disapparated from, but he had expected that.

B6-4! Harry smiled as he vanished with a loud 'crack.'

As Fleur reappeared, she extended her wand towards where the armored figure which had attacked them should still be. Before she could even reorient herself, she was startled by the sound of Apparation from immediately behind her. She began to twist around as what felt to her like a lead pipe smashed into the back of her wand hand.

Ignoring Fleur's cry of pain as her hand broke, Harry backhanded her with his gauntleted fist as he once more raised his halo shield. He ignored Bill's furious barrage of spells as he casually planted a boot onto the chest of the dazed veela and slowly exchanged his wand for his sword. "Hey, Bill! You might want to stop that and bring your wand over here before your wife gets a shave," Harry called out.

Seeing the sword casually hovering over his wife's neck, Bill Weasley glanced over to Gabrielle. She was being held down by several house elf-like creatures. In resignation, he carefully shifted his grip to a two-fingered hold on the wand's tip and slowly walked over to the armored figure.

"Take my wand and tell me what you want with us. Apparently you don't intend to kill us," began Bill.

"Kill the three of you? Merlin, no! That would be a waste of two perfectly good veela!"

Bill saw only a blur before his wand was lying on the sand. Right next to his hand.

"By the way … good decision on dumping the long hair and earring. Made you look like a girl."

As Bill and Fleur stared at Bill's bleeding stump in shock, Harry motioned to his minions. Several Reds and Browns quickly rushed to hold down Fleur. If veela actually did have any flame powers, the Reds would suppress and absorb them before they could do any harm. Stepping away from Fleur, the Overlord had Gabrielle brought over to her sister's side. He frowned at the drying sick on the side of Gabrielle's face. She'd definitely need a bath before he made use of her.

Hmm. How old is she anyways? Lessee … she was maybe eight. Add two til 6th year, then add eight. Brilliant! A legal teen! Harry chuckled evilly. He would still get his sister sandwich. Not that it would have stopped me, to be honest. Well, I would have felt bad about it afterward. Well, I would have thought about feeling bad. For a few seconds, at least. Maybe.

Fleur started to scream, the sound blaring thru the crystal. Hermione ignored it and moved around to the open gray box next to the crystal while Gnarl clambered down from the table. Her jaw dropped when she saw the pegboard within it. "Are you completely round the twist, Harry? Battleship!?"

"Well ...it worked, didn't it? The portal had to be far enough from the cottage – hold on a second." The roar of the Overlord's flame spell could be heard as Bill screams added to Fleur's. "Jeez, Bill. Maybe you should have kept the 'ring and the hair. You scream like a girl. Sorry, folks just had to cutterize the wound before he bled out."

Two people rolled their eyes. "That's cauterize, Harry!" came from one.

Gnarl remained silent wondering who was the greater idiot. His master for enjoying his silly game or the girl for thinking that the Overlord was actually that stupid. "Honestly!" he muttered.

Hermione looked up at the minion master. "What? Did you say something, Gnarl?"

Gnarl simply shook his head in reply.

"As I was saying, you told me about that charm that would let someone see all around them. I didn't want the headache it would cause, but it gave me the idea to have Gnarl looking all around for me. Add in another number for my facing, and Bob's your uncle! I didn't even have to use the runestone."

"Harry," said Hermione very slowly. "What runestone?"

"Erm. The one I bought from the goblins."

Hermione tapped her foot, ignoring the screams that Gabrielle was now adding to the near cacophony. At least, she was screaming curses in French rather than just screaming for the sake of it. "The runestone which does …?"

Now the screaming and cursing was joined by a low muttering.

"Harry?"

"The runestone that when activated suppresses Apparation in a thirty-three and three-quarter meter radius?" he asked.

"Why didn't you just use that, then?"

"Because that wouldn't have been as much – erm. Because not using it left me with a backup plan if Plan A didn't work?"

"You can be a real child, Harry!"

"Aww, but that's why you love me."

"No, Harry. I love you in spite of that!"

"Meh. You say apples. I say oranges. Now let me shut them up. I can barely hear myself think. Then I'll put your addition to the test."

Harry turned to the pile that was Bill Weasley struggling against a group of Browns. "Shaddup, Bill! Petrificus totalus! Sheesh, Bill … you were beginning to hurt my ears." Harry tapped his rod against the palm of his gauntlet. "I know I'm forgetting something here."

"Who are you?" cried Fleur. "What do you want with us?"

The Overlord snapped his fingers. Or at least tried to. It's not the easiest feat to perform in gauntlets. "That's it! The Big Reveal! Thank you, Fleur. I can't believe I forgot that. Probably because this was so anticlimactic. I must say, taking you three down was a lot easier than I expected." Turning towards the paralyzed Weasley, he mockingly shifted into a dramatic stance and aimed his rod at the prone redhead. Using a sepulchral voice which reverberated from deep within his helmet, he intoned, "William Weasley. I name you anathema and claim you as the next victim of the Line War which your family's crime has brought upon yourselves."

"What?" screamed Fleur on Bill's behalf. "What are you talking about?"

"The attempted extinguishing of the line of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter." Taking off his helmet, he smiled at Bill then turned to give Fleur a small wave. "Hi!" he said brightly.

"Sacredieu!"

Harry looked at her, puzzled. "I thought it was 'sacre bleu,' or something like that?"

Is she wearing a mustache, striped chemise, and a beret?

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Never mind, Harry. Just go ahead and put the fear of Potter into them. I know you love doing that.

"Snape never understood … it's not arrogance if you can back it up!" Ignoring those without red hair for the moment, Harry returned his attention to Bill. "Billy, my boy, once again I'm going to go ahead and break one of my own rules. Normally, whenever a prisoner wants to know my 'dastardly plan,' I simply kill them and say 'No' to their corpse. But you're a Weasley. And the Weasleys were practically family. I've got several sweaters to prove it! Of course, why my surrogate family would team up with a school headmaster to end my life, I'll never know. Why won't I ever know? Because I'm not going to bother asking! For whatever reason, the Weasleys dug their graves and now they have to lay in them.

"You may have been out of touch while hiding here at your cottage, so allow me to give you the highlights. Let's see … several unrelated Order members ... but they aren't that important at the moment. Ronald was eaten alive by my minions. I think his head is a hand-puppet somewhere in my tower. George is history. Fred's body was desecrated for that one! Charlie -"

I did that one, Hermione chirped proudly.

"Yes, yes you did. Excuse the interruption, Bill. Hermione's on the other side of a scrying crystal at the moment. She's the one that killed Charlie. I bet that one was a shocker!"

Tell Bill I said, "Hello."

Harry nodded. "She says, 'Hi,' by the way. Where was I? Ahh, the Burrow is gone. And you're wife and sister-in-law are about to join Ginny and Mrs. Weasley as my personal fuck toys."

Um … Harry?

"Yes, Mione?"

Mrs. Weasley?

"Oh, right. Um … heh. Funny story, that. A few nights ago, I woke up and was kind'a hungry. I wandered down to the kitchens for a late night snack and … well … it was like what climbers say about mountains. She was there."

Harry. I'm not about to tell you who you can and can't have sex with. But why didn't you say anything?

"Well," Harry defended, "it's kind of like going for a ride on a Cleansweep-50. Even if it was a fun ride, it's hardly the kind of thing you brag to others about." Lifting his hand to the side of his mouth, Harry stage-whispered to Molly's eldest, "Actually, I was terrified the whole time. I kept thinking I might need a mining helmet and a two-by-four nailed to my arse. Well, that first time."

That's disgusting, Harry. And 'that FIRST time'?

"Well, I took Ginny down with me the following night. Mothers and daughters earn gold stars on the man-card. And there's nothing wrong with 'disgusting.' In moderation. I've even been thinking about you … Luna … and a cup."

WHAT!? That's just sick! Grinning, Harry was about to say something before he heard a heartfelt sigh on the other end. But … if that's what you want … I can't speak for Luna, but –.

"Stop right there, Hermione! That's just … EWW! I was joking, darling." Turning to Bill, Harry shrugged. "Don't get me wrong … total obedience is great, but it can really take the fun out of things sometimes."

Oh? Uh … yeah. I knew that! That's why I … uh … had you going there for a minute ... didn't I?

Nice attempt at a save, Hermione. The implementation was rubbish, but it was a nice try nevertheless.

Luna! Where have you been?

I was getting the latest slave for Harry settled. What's this about a cup?

Harry interrupted at that point. "Don't worry about it, Luna. You're just in time for the field test of Hermione's modifications."

Fleur stared at the dead man who was holding conversations with voices in his head. "Vous êtes fou!"

"Uh?"

She thinks you're insane, Harry.

"Oh. According to my bankers, I'm merely eccentric. And if anyone's entitled to being 'mad,' Fleur, I think I should more than qualify for that right." Harry raised his gauntlet before the two restrained veela. "But that's not anything that will concern you anymore. Dominor!"

The Overlord's minions released the two females as they began to convulse in pain. Harry watched dispassionately as his Evil Presence worked them through the various stages of the spell. At the point Hermione had told him, Harry clenched his fist and lowered his hand.

The two veela swayed uncertainly on their feet for a moment before regaining their balance. Their faces were now slack and devoid of expression. As one, the two blondes dropped to their knees and fell forward, prostrating themselves before the Overlord.

"We are the slaves of our Evil Master. Now and forever, body and soul, we belong to the Overlord," droned Fleur.

Equally devoid of emotion, Gabrielle intoned, "We are yours, master. 'Evil' shall be our new middle name … right after Hermione."

LUNA!

Harry laughed.

I can't believe you! That's what you were doing … you were mucking about with the verification statement subset!

Harry could hear Luna giggle on the other side. "I like it. I think it's cute," he offered in Luna's defense.

Grrrrr. FINE! I won't kill her, then.

Relax, Hermione. You're way too uptight.

Grrrrr.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "As amusing as this is … something's wrong. They're acting just like drones."

Oh. That's just to make sure that they are under your control. Just instruct them to act normally or to be themselves and their personality template will come on line. They will still obey you and be your slaves, but they will act more like their old selves. You can even instruct them to turn the personality template on or off. I know you sometimes seem to like that kink. Well, if Ginny is any indicator.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "You know me too well, Mione. Alright, you two! For right now, be yourselves. We'll test the switching feature later tonight."

"Oui, master," smiled Gabrielle as the two veela got to their feet and brushed sand from themselves.

"Save that title for the bedroom. For right now, please just call me Harry."

"Oui, Harry. Is there anything you would like us to do for you?" asked Fleur.

The two sisters stood beside each other wearing pleasant expressions as they waited for instructions. Harry rubbed his chin in thought as he motioned for a Blue to take care of Fleur's broken hand.

"Yes, first … Gabrielle. Go inside and wash that off your face. But hurry up and get back here. I want you involved in this, too." Pulling a wicked looking knife from his boot, Harry continued with Fleur, "We're going to disembowel Bill and then you and Gabrielle are going to strangle him with his intestines."

"Certainement, Harry. I hope that I won't disappoint you, though. I've never disemboweled someone before."

Harry frowned and dropped to one knee in the sand beside Bill's paralyzed form. "Hm. You're right. It can be hard for a novice to do and make sure that it doesn't kill them from the off." With a gesture, Harry bade Fleur to drop to her knees on the other side of her husband. "There's a trick to it, you see …. waitaminit! Where's Horatio? Horatio?"

"Mastah!"

"Ah, there you are did you bring your –." Seeing the camera hanging from a strap around Horatio's neck, Harry shook his head. "Right! Stupid question. Of course you did." A few quick swipes of the blade and Bill's abdomen was bared. Placing the knife in Fleur's healed hand, Harry placed one of his own over hers to guide her while pushing on Bill's flesh with his other. Glancing down, Harry smiled into Bill's wildly dilated-in-terror eyes. "He's ready for his close up, Mr. DeMille."

The flash on Horatio's camera went off as Harry and Fleur began their work.

xXxXx

THUNK!

"I think we should consider placing a permanent cushioning charm on this table."

Ignoring Luna, Hermione sadly shook her head and rubbed circles on Harry's back in an attempt to show support.

"It isn't fair," groaned Harry. I should be balls deep in two veelas right now!" Lifting his head from the table, Harry tried to take care of Luna's latest acquisition. "Look … I'm really sorry about this. Luna's got this weird 'enslaving people' thing, and I guess things got out of hand. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll have Hermione obliviate you and then we can have you taken back home."

The young woman sitting across from the Overlord looked up with a strange expression on her face. "Might I ask a boon of thee, Lord Potter?"

Harry raised his eyebrows at the formal phrasing of the request. "Very well, Millicent. What boon does a child of House Bulstrode seek from House Potter?"

Millicent Bulstrode stood and rushed around the table to kneel at Harry's side. "Please, please, my lord … don't send me back! I'll do anything you want! I doubt you find my features pleasing, but I can clean … I can cook. A little. I can …."

THUNK!

Hermione grimaced. "That charm might not be such a bad idea, Luna."

Harry rolled his forehead left and right on the table's surface. "I don't believe it. The idiot was actually right! Mental! Every bloody single one of you."

Hermione made sympathetic noises as she switched to massaging Harry's shoulders. "Tell me, Millicent, both Luna and I know why we choose to be here with Harry. Why would you?"

"You're both so attractive … you'd never understand. It's not easy being not beautiful!"

"So tell us what it's like to be ugly."

"Luna!" hissed a shocked Hermione.

"What?"

"There's no reason to be rude!"

Luna cocked her head to the side. Confused, she pointed toward Millicent. "She's the one who brought it up."

"That's alright, Miss Granger. It's not like I don't know the truth. I've heard it almost every day since I was born ... and see it every day in the mirror. My mother died in childbirth three months after an injury took away my father's ability to reproduce. He's told me many times how, when left with an ugly baby girl as his sole heir, he used the pain curse on the midwife till she frothed at the mouth and was driven insane."

"That's horrible! It shouldn't matter that his sole heir was a … baby girl. From what I've read, he could have simply set up a Line Continuation betrothal if the family name was so important to him."

"When I was ten-years-old, he presented me to Lord Crabbe and Lord Goyle for that very purpose."

Hermione was hesitant to ask. That, of course, wasn't about to stop Luna. "So what happened?"

"They both laughed at him. Lord Goyle went so far as to say that his family's blood would never mingle with a gorilla's … no matter how pure-blooded it was."

Hermione could only gasp in shock.

"Growing up, my grandfather was the only person who ever showed me any affection. He taught me how to fish … how to hunt. I was twelve when he had a serious talk with me by the campfire. He told me not to worry about not being the most handsome of blokes. That's what the Imperius Curse and Amortenia were made for. Grandfather was a kind man, but a bit touched in the head."

"I … I don't know what to say, Millicent."

"'Boy, your life has been a steaming pile of shite'?" Luna helpfully offered.

"Luna!" Hermione hissed again.

"What!?"

"Never mind!" Shaking her head, Hermione returned her attention to the still kneeling young woman. "I truly am sorry for you, Millicent, but – pardon if I sound callous – why do you believe you would be happier here?"

Tears began to form in Millicent's eyes. "I know I'm not going to suddenly stop being ugly here. Or even be accepted, much less wanted. But I couldn't deal with going back and living with the humiliation on top of everything else! I won't! I can't!" Her voice cracked as tears began to freely fall down her face. "It's all anyone talks about anymore … either the deaths or the disappearance of practically all the girls in my old class. When Gran'da first took me fishing, I remember crying all night about his unhooking the small ones and throwing them back into the lake. No one wanted them either!"

His head still on the table, Harry spoke up for the first time since questioning the boon. "Practically all the girls, Luna?"

The blond pulled a long scroll from her robes and glanced at the list. "A few must have not been reported to the Aurors yet. Pretty much, only a few teachers remain."

"Teachers?" groaned Harry.

"Sinistra, Hooch, and McGonagall should do it."

Harry lifted his head in surprise. "Well … okay on the first and a definite on the second. But make sure her boots come with her. McGonagall, though? Yechh! And she's on MY list, anyway."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Harry?" Luna carefully edged forward to be slightly ahead of Hermione. "I was thinking 'Favorite Student' … 'Favorite Teacher' … wucka, wucka." Without looking at the girl beside her, Luna subtly started waggling her eyebrows and jerking her head back towards Hermione.

"I'm standing right here, Luna!" Hermione yelled, outraged.

Puzzled, Luna turned to look at the brunette. "Yes you are. Would you like a chair?"

Harry snorted in amusement. After a pause, he tilted his head and stared into the distance. "That's absolutely disgusting. But somehow strangely arousing. I'll take it under consideration."

Hermione's shoulders slumped in defeat. Sighing in resignation, she straightened them again and thrust out her chest proudly. Whatever Harry ended up deciding, her Master's will be done ... even if that meant her putting on a show with Professor McGonagall for his pleasure!

Harry returned his attention to the crying girl kneeling before him. He simply stared at her for a long time. Finally, he sighed and allowed his own shoulders to slump. "We're going to keep her, aren't we?"

Luna bumped her shoulder into Hermione's. "You see, Hermione, I keep telling you that he's a lot brighter than you think he is."

Harry and Hermione both simply sighed in response.

"You mean I don't have to go back?" asked Millicent, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.

"Would you go so far as to say that you'd rather die than get sent back?"

"Yes, my lord! Absolutely!"

Harry nodded then stood up from his chair. "Follow me, then." With determination in his stride, Harry marched from the room. Millicent immediately leaped to her feat and followed him out, a bounce in her step.

Luna and Hermione looked at each other, both obviously puzzled. "You don't think he's going to just kill her, do you?" asked Hermione.

"I hope not! The Slytherin pool really doesn't have that much left in it! Aside from Blaise, of course."

After a shake of Hermione's head, the two rushed to catch up to the Overlord. By the time they caught up to Harry, he was already striding through the throne room and obviously heading for the tower grounds.

Two Browns in partial plate armor threw open the main doors as their master approached. Harry ignored them as he exited the tower and turned in the direction of the training field. Covering the distance at a quick clip, he crossed the field and went up to a podium which had been set up for whenever he would address his troops. Mounting a small platform to stand behind the podium and have a clear view of the men training, he pointed his rod to his throat. "Sonorus! O Captain! My Captain!"

Used to the summons, a burly man rushed over from where he had been observing a number of new recruits to quickly drop to one knee before the Overlord. Slapping his closed fist to his chest in salute, he barked, "At your command, Sire!"

Hermione shook her head. She definitely needed to come up with a schedule. Harry needed a lot more sex each day. He was spending way too much time in front of the television at Castle Harry.

Harry gestured for the commander of his human troops to rise and then pointed to Millicent. "I have a project for you. I want this woman trained to become one of the best of my elite. An ultimate warrior. If she should resist instruction, ever give up, or not progress as well as you think she should, her head is to be chopped off and mounted at the gate with the others. Will you do this for me, commander?" They both knew it wasn't a question, but Harry did like to keep up appearances on occasion.

"It shall be as you desire, my liege!"

Harry then turned his full attention on Millicent. "Last chance, Miss Bulstrode. This is for real. You can still choose to be obliviated and returned to England, but this is your last opportunity to take that offer."

There was no hesitation. Millicent dropped to one knee and slapped her fist to her chest as she had seen the commander do. "My life is yours, Lord Potter! I will not disappoint you."

Harry nodded and watched as his commander led Millicent away. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Mental! Every bloody one of you!"

In some strange way, Harry found himself not in the mood to immediately sample his two veela. Not quite yet, anyway. He needed something to put him back into the proper mindset.

Stepping down from the podium, Harry headed back toward the tower. Fleur, Gabrielle, and probably Hermione and Luna would have to wait. He had a letter to write … a tale to conclude.

xXxXx

Cupping his hands, Arthur filled his palms with water from the basinet. Splashing the frigid water onto his face, he looked into the mirror and saw a man he didn't recognize. The last few – has it actually been less than a week!?, he wondered – days, he seemed to have aged decades. Charlie dead … most of his other sons and even his own wife missing … his baby girl nowhere to be found … his family's home destroyed ….

"What in Merlin's name is going on here!" he suddenly screamed at the old man who looked back at him from the mirror.

The only response was a tapping at the window of the room he was currently renting at the Leaky Cauldron.

"If that's more empty platitudes from you, Albus, I'll be shot of you so quickly you won't know –" Arthur sighed, losing steam. The empty platitudes of others seemed to be the only thing he had left at the moment. Listlessly, he shuffled over to the window to let in the nondescript owl. Untying the large envelope from the creature, he simply waved it away without even offering it a bit of water.

With a snap of its wings, the owl left in disgust.

Opening the envelope, Arthur Weasley found a letter and a wizarding photo. The photograph showed his wife and daughter tied-up, gagged, and blindfolded. They seemed to listlessly struggle in the image and in the foreground could be seen a copy of today's Daily Prophet.

Tearing his eyes away, Arthur turned his attention to the letter.

Artie! Hey, how yah doing? Probably not too well. My guess is that you're wondering what the heck is going on! "What kind of bad luck is my family suffering from?" might be going through your head.

The answer would be … ME! Tah-da! Of course, answers often only lead to more questions. I really think we should get together. "Clear the air," so to speak. I've reserved a table at the Lido Café in Hyde Park for us. Don't worry … there are so many repelling charms around it that no one other than us will even know that the table exists.

Of course, if any Auror, Order member, or Dumbledore, even suspects that it (or our meeting) exists because of you … well … I wouldn't be able to send you a similar picture tomorrow with tomorrow's Prophet in it.

It's what muggle kidnappers call a "proof of life" photo. I've heard about your hobbies. I thought you'd appreciate it.

I'm well aware that Albus likely gets rimjobs from you and/or other Weasleys, but … it's time to grow a pair and make a decision. What's more important to you? Albus? Or your family?

If your family is your answer (which I only give a 5% chance to considering how seriously you seem to worship at the altar of Albus Dumbledore) we can have a civilized conversation and get our problems resolved. Otherwise, well … the next photo I'll send will be a lot more entertaining for me than it would be for you. It would remind me of a muggle game show. "I can identify that individual with only four chunks!"

What happens next is up to you. If you wish to discuss the situation with me, here are the directions to the table in Hyde Park and what time you should arrive ….