Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters contained herein, I merely make them dance in what I hope is true to their rhythm.
Chapter Twenty
A Family Affair
"Ron," said Hermione. "Your mother is going to be Hera. Are you sure you're okay with this?
Ron could only stare into space. "I'm not sure," he said. "I mean it makes sense, doesn't it? Hera is supposed to be the mother of most of the gods, and my mum is, well, the best mum ever. What do you think, Harry?" he asked, looking at his friend.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, mate," he said. "She is your mum, although she was a better mum to me than Aunt Petunia ever was." He shrugged. "It's your call."
Ron breathed out a huge sigh. "Okay," he said. "Let's get this over with."
They all gathered around Ron, who still held the book of heirs, and touched Mrs. Weasley's name. In an instant they were all whisked away, leaving Wrath behind lying on the ground, still unconscious.
They reappeared in front of a familiar crooked building. Well, familiar for three of them.
"Well, there's a sight for sore eyes," said Ron. Harry grinned as he looked at the Burrow, which had been more of a home to him than Privet Drive had ever been. Hermione smiled as well. For these three young wizards, this was where they belonged: with their family. Ron started toward the back door where the Wellington boots still lay.
"Ron," said Harry. "What do you think your mum will think about you being, well, you know, a god."
Ron stopped in his tracks and stared at Harry. "I don't know," he said. "I suppose I never actually thought about it."
Hermione grimaced. "I never thought about it either," she said. "What will the rest of your family think?"
"It looks like we're about to find out," said Jack, pointing at a woman that was striding toward them menacingly.
"Oh dear," said Harry.
"Ooh, she looks maaaaad," said Steve.
"Never mind that," muttered Ron. "What about me?"
"Where have you been?" shouted Mrs. Weasley.
"This feels familiar," said Harry in a low voice. "It's like the first time I came here."
Mrs. Weasley was staring at her son. "I got a letter from Hogwarts," she said. "It was from your little sister, Ronald Weasley, and it said that you three had gone off gallivanting with people who claimed to be gods. I assume that's the rest of you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes over her spectacles.
They all nodded. Even Ares, who had formerly been Sun Tzu looked worried for their safety.
Ron spoke up, rather bravely, if Pandora had anything to think about it. "That's right, mum," he said. "And guess what? Hermione and I are gods too!"
Mrs. Weasley's eyes shifted immediately to Hermione, who was looking at the ground, and then to Harry. "And what about you, Harry dear?" she asked tenderly.
Harry shook his head. "I've had enough of the god complex for a lifetime, Mrs. Weasley," he said.
She nodded. "I suppose it's a bit like when these two became prefects back in your fifth year, and you weren't chosen. Although I imagine you are a bit more pleased about it this time." she said.
"I say, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione timidly. "Don't you think you're taking this awfully well?"
"Oh please, Hermione dear," said Mrs. Weasley, chuckling. "You can call me Molly. We are as good as family, after all." She looked around at the people crowded in her yard, and fixed her eyes back on Ron. "So are you just coming to tell me that you're gods?" she asked. "It is nice to be kept in the loop, you know."
"Actually, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermes stepping forward. "It's a bit more complicated than that.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "Who are you anyway?"
Hermes bowed low and introduced himself. So did Jack, Steve, and Pandora. Mrs. Weasley did a double take when Pandora said her name, but she otherwise seemed to ignore it. "So what are you here for then if it's not to keep me up to date on your activities" she asked.
Hermes took a deep breath, but Ron cut in. "You're going to be a god too, mum!" he said excitedly.
"What?" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. "Don't be ridiculous. I can't be a god! Where did you come up with such a ridiculous notion?"
Hermes stepped towards her and began the long process of telling their story to her. When he got to the part of Ron becoming Dionysus, she looked at her son. "You were drinking?" she cried.
"Oh, it's better than that, mum," said Ron. "Watch what I can do now!" He showed her how he could shoot wine from his palms.
"And without a wand, too," Mrs. Weasley breathed. "Well, I suppose that means it's definitely true," she said. "But where do fit in all of this?"
Hermes went briefly over their coming to Troy and finding Helen to make her Aphrodite, her failing her test, and Sun Tzu becoming Ares.
"My son beat Sun Tzu in a chess match!" Mrs. Weasley said. "I couldn't be prouder!"
"And then we had to find Hera," said Hermes. "Your name and picture were in the book." He showed her the book of heirs with her face staring up at her. "Hera chose you to be her successor, long ago."
"But," muttered Mrs. Weasley, "but why would Hera choose me, of all people?"
"Please, Molly," said Hermione. "Hera is the goddess of marriage and family. There's nobody else I know that cares more about her family than you do. And that goes for the non blood members of your family as well."
Harry nodded. "That's right," he said. "You've always welcomed me here, ever since I was twelve years old."
"Well, of course," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're my son as much as Ron is, and the same goes for you, Hermione. You're as much a daughter to me as Ginny is. Never mind that neither you have the Weasley red hair. You're family." She said this all as though it were a matter of fact. Harry and Hermione beamed at her.
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry softly.
"It's Molly, dear," she said. She looked back at Hermes. "So Hera chose me as a successor," she said. "I presume I am required to pass some kind of test?"
Hermes nodded. "Although from the way I see it, you passed it a long time ago."
"What's the test?" asked Jack.
Hermes consulted the book. "The heir of Hera must demonstrate her maternal instincts to an extreme measure." He looked up. "It's worded oddly, but that's what it says. You are a mother to these two, yet you did not bear them as children," he said to Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes," she said. "And I am a mother to two more girls, one of which is a daughter in law and four... I mean five other sons."
"Mrs. Weasley?" asked Jack questioningly. "What do you mean by that?"
Mrs. Weasley was silent on the matter. Ron spoke up thickly, his voice cracking a bit. "We told you we were in a war, Captain," he said. "My brother Fred, he... he didn't make it through."
Harry didn't meet anyone's eyes here. Pandora knew he must still feel guilty, though it was needless. Everyone here knew it wasn't his fault.
"I see," said Jack. "Is he buried nearby?"
Molly shook her head. "His twin, George, insisted that Fred be burned. They had always talked about it, after the war started. What they would want to be done with their bodies if they didn't make it." She wiped a tear from her face. "I never imagined, in my deepest horrors, that they would ever be apart. George hasn't been the same since."
"May I speak with him?" asked Jack. "I've lost people that are very close to me as well. It would help me to speak to him, and listen to him if he will speak to me."
Molly nodded. "Come with me," she said, and he followed her into the Burrow.
"Are you all right, Ron?" asked Pandora. The ginger's face was wan.
Ron forced a smile. "I'm fine," he said. "No, I'm not," he added immediately. "I'm not fine at all. It's not just losing Fred that hurts, though it does. It's losing George too. When we lost Fred, George lost a bigger part of himself than just his ear." He sighed and wiped his face. "And we lost a big part of George in that too. They were never apart. Never. I can't remember a time when they were ever apart. Just when we were transporting Harry, and George lost his ear, and then at the end, when..." he couldn't finish, and Hermione put her arm around him. She whispered in his ear, and he nodded.
"It's my..." Harry started.
"Don't you dare, Harry Potter," said Hermione. "Don't you dare say that it's your fault. Nobody thinks that. Do you hear me?"
Harry looked at her for a while, and then nodded.
Hermes nodded. "It seems that the Master missed a deadly sin," he said. "One that is worse than all of the others combined."
"What's that?" asked Pandora.
"Guilt," said Hermes. "It eats you alive from the inside out. The only way to defeat it is to forgive yourself. Nobody else can do it for you."
Harry nodded. "It's just... there's so many that I have to be forgiven for," he said. "Hedwig, Mad Eye, Dobby, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Dumbledore, Cedric, Colin. I feel like it's my fault that Teddy is going to grow up without parents." He took a deep breath and let it out. "It's just going to take some time," he said at last.
Ron looked up at his best friend, his brother, and drew him into a hug. He pulled Hermione into the hug as well, and the three of them stood there and held each other for a while. "We're good, mate," whispered Ron. "Nothing's going to tear the Golden Trio apart ever again."
Harry snorted. "The Golden Trio?" he asked.
"Yeah!" said Ron. "That's what people are calling us. The three kids that took down Voldemort."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, how about you show those of us unfamiliar with your home around? We need to do something while we wait for your mother and Jack."
He grinned at her. "Sure," he said, and he beckoned everyone to follow him. "Come on. It's not much, but it's home."
"I think it's brilliant," said Harry. "I always have."
They wandered around the Weasley's land for a while, and Ron and Harry even demonstrated a little bit of what Quidditch was. Pandora was very impressed with how good of a flier Harry was. Then Ron showed them the bushes where the gnomes liked to hide. Steve managed to flush some out, and they emerged, sopping wet. Sun Tzu grabbed three of them deftly and hurled them out of the grounds. Ron nodded at him. "That will keep them out for a while, but they'll be back. They always come back."
It was late in the evening and getting dark when Jack and Mrs. Weasley finally emerged from the Burrow's kitchen. The group was surprised when they saw another young man in tow. He was stocky, a bit shorter than Ron, and he was missing part of one ear. Harry walked straight to him.
"Hi George," he said. "How are you?"
George looked up at Harry with an indeterminable expression on his face. Without warning, he reached out and pulled Harry into a hug. "I don't blame you," he whispered in Harry's ear. "We knew what we were getting into, and we gave them hell while we were at it." He pulled away and reached into his back pocket.
"What's that, George?" asked Ron.
"It's the last Weasley's Wildfire Whizbang," said George. "I've got the normal batch of ingredients in here, with just one more." He took a deep breath. "Fred was the final component in this one."
Their wasn't an eye among them that didn't widen at this. "Are you sure, Georgie?" asked Mrs. Weasley, laying a hand on her son's arm.
George nodded and cracked a crooked smile. "He always did want to go out with a bang," he said. "Now this way, he really can."
Without saying another word, George went out past the Quidditch paddock with the rest of them following. They barely noticed Mr. Weasley exiting the Burrow and falling into step behind them. There were several pops around them, and the rest of the Weasley clan was there too, along the twins' old friend, Lee Jordan, and Harry's old Quidditch team, including Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell.
When at last George came to a stop high on top of the nearest hill, he set the firework on the ground. He looked up at the group and smiled. "Talk about a celebration of his life, huh?" he said. "Thank you all for being here. I'm not much good at the sentimental things, mainly just the mental ones." He looked down at the town of Ottery St. Catchpole far below them, then up to the sky. "You always loved this spot, Freddie," he said in a lower voice. "You used to say that you could see the whole world from here, and that you were on top of the world. I don't know if that's true, but now the whole world will be able to see you from here on into eternity."
He bent down, taking his wand out. "Go into the stars and get up to no good for me, brother," he said, and he touched the tip of his wand to the firework. It sparked up, and he moved back from it.
Seconds later, it flew up into the sky and burst into a shower of red and gold. As they watched, it spelled out the words 'Mischief Managed'. Nobody's eyes were dry at this point. The words didn't fade, but they spread out, and more fireworks seemed to jump away from it, and curled up higher and higher into the sky. Soon it was too far away to see, but they knew that it would go on forever.
Down in the town below, there were some Muggles that looked into the sky in confusion, wondering where the words had come from and what they meant. They felt an odd sense of impishness, and several of them had the urge to play pranks on their friends, though nobody could quite say why.
As the large group walked back towards the Burrow together, Harry sidled up to Pandora.
"He's got a headstone at Hogwarts," he said. "All the people that died in the battle have them. There was a big ceremony. People at the Ministry wanted me to speak. I couldn't. It was like I was having to own up to killing them myself, though I know that's not what it was about." He sighed. "It's a big cemetery, that."
Pandora put a hand on his shoulder, but didn't say anything. In situations like this, there wasn't really anything someone could say.
Ginny Weasley was walking on Harry's other side, holding his hand. She cast a glance at Pandora every few minutes, but said nothing.
When they arrived at the Burrow, Ginny drew Harry aside to talk to him alone. Pandora felt a sense of loss as he moved away from her.
"Yeah, Ginny and Harry have been something or other for a couple of years now," said a voice, and Pandora jumped.
Ron and Hermione had been walking behind them the whole way back with their arms around each other. Ron had been the one who had spoken.
"What do you mean?" asked Pandora. "Does he love her? Does she love him?"
Hermione nodded. "They do," she said. "Ginny's loved Harry for years, though at the beginning it was mainly just the idea of Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, that she loved. She heard all sorts of stories about him." She laughed. "Even when I found out I was a witch, and I started reading everything I could get my hands on about it. When I came across Harry's story in several books, I couldn't help but want to get to know him a little."
Ron laughed. "But you were so bossy when we first met, we didn't really want anything to do with you!" he said. "But then the troll happened, and we couldn't really not be friends after that."
Pandora wasn't sure what exactly they were talking about, and her confusion showed. Hermione smiled at her.
"I'll get all of our adventures written down someday," she said. "Maybe I'll even publish them under a pseudonym. That's a false name, Ronald," she said to her boyfriend as his mouth opened.
"I wasn't going to ask that," said Ron. "I was going to ask what Harry would think about doing something like that. It's not like the adventures don't involve him at all. He would have to tell you a lot to fill in the gaps."
"I remember a lot of what he told us when we weren't there over the years, Ron," she said. "I think that it's all a matter of getting it down on paper. Oh, don't look at me like that," she said. "Of course I'm going to ask his permission to publish it."
Ron twisted his face into what must have been a 'suit yourself' expression. Pandora was still fretting over what they had said about Harry and Ginny. Hermione noticed her down in the dumps look and put a hand on her shoulder. "Harry fell in love with Ginny a couple of years ago, and by then she had finally gotten to know Harry for who he really was, and not what the story books said about him. They're right for each other."
Pandora nodded. "I can be a little jealous though, right?" she asked.
Hermione clapped a hand to her forehead. "Envy!" she said, and looked at Pandora very seriously now. "Try not to get too jealous," she said. "If you start feeling it become overwhelming, let me know. Come on, Ron," she said. "We have to let the others know." The two of them ran off, leaving Pandora standing at the back door by the Wellington boots. She could see a couple of gnomes sneaking back through the bushes on the far side of the garden.
She sat down and tried to control her emotions. Envy couldn't already be here, could she? It was certainly possible that the other homunculi had grown worried, if they could grow worried, about Wrath and gone to ancient China to check on him. When they found him bound and unconscious, they would be furious, not least because Wrath himself would be furious and exploding with his own emotion. They would move swiftly to get the last remaining gods under control.
As she sat there, her mind turned a bit more towards Harry and Ginny. Why did that girl have to take the man that should rightfully belong to her? Pandora hadn't spent as much time with Harry as Ginny surely had over the years, but she felt that she knew who he was as a person. She stood up, intending to tell that girl what she thought of her.
Then it struck her. She was definitely being influenced by Envy. She had to go and tell Hermione. Just as she was looking around, trying to figure out where the witch had gotten to, she came running back around the house with Ron, Harry, Jack, Steve, Sun Tzu, and Hermes in tow. Pandora felt a twist of something like hate as she saw Ginny following them closely, and did her best to suppress it.
"Envy is definitely here, Hermione," Pandora said as the group slowed to a stop in front of her. "She's making me want to do... nasty things to her," she finished lamely, nodding at Ginny. She hung her head. "I'm sorry."
Hermione nodded. "That settles it," she said. She turned to look at her companions. "Envy is here, and she means to stop us from gaining Mrs. Weasley as Hera. We have to act quickly. There are a lot of fully qualified witches and wizards here as well, so that will help. We need to fan out and fill them in on what's going on, so they can be wary of any attack on their own psyche. If anybody feels the slightest twinge of jealousy, send a patronus to me as quickly as you can."
"I'll stay with George," Ron said at once. "He hasn't been able to produce a Patronus since..." he couldn't finish, but Hermione nodded to him, and he ran off to find his brother.
"Harry, I need you to send your Patronus out to the others that are still straggling on the hill," said Hermione. "Let them know to prepare for battle. They don't quite need to know why, or what we're trying to do, but you know how to keep a secret, don't you?"
Harry nodded grimly, and raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried, and an enormous silver stag erupted from the end of his wand and cantered around them. It came to a stop in front of Harry and he leaned close to whisper in its ear. After a few moments, it sprinted away up to the hill.
"What's going on, Harry?" asked Ginny, and Pandora felt that twinge again. Who was she to ask questions? But she shook it off.
"Ginny, these are the gods of Olympus," he said. "They're trying to get your mum to be Hera. I'll explain later, but right now someone is here trying to cause harm." He looked up towards the Quidditch paddock, where he could see some people flying around. "Can you get up to them and warn them to be ready?" he asked her.
She nodded at once. "Of course," she said, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. She cast one more glance at Pandora, as though to say 'he's mine', and then ran off, summoning her broom to her as she went.
Harry shot Pandora a look. "She's getting hit by Envy too, I think," he said. "She was asking what the deal was with you, and I had to tell her that we were just friends I don't know how many times." He looked at her seriously. "We are friends, right?"
Pandora smiled and nodded. "Of course we are, Harry," she said. "Even if I want more, that's what we are." She clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she had just said.
"You want more?" asked Harry slowly, and then he smacked his own head. "It's not just Envy here!" he said quickly, turning to Hermione. "Greed is here too, and probably the others. This could get bad quickly," he said.
Hermione nodded. "Binders and stunners," she said, and turned to the others. "Knock them out if you can," she said. "They can't be killed, so we have to just knock them out. That way they can't use their power to influence anyone." She looked at Hermes. "Which of them will be the most dangerous?" she asked.
Hermes took a deep breath. "I'm not sure," he said. "Wrath would be very dangerous on his own, of course, because of his nature. He could cause chaos just by showing up, with this many mortals here." He scratched his chin. "Lust could be bad, because that would be very distracting. Pride would be bad, because he could make people think that they're indestructible and do stupid things." Then he nodded. "The most dangerous by far though, would be Sloth. He'll make people not want to do any work whatsoever, including to defend themselves. They'll just lay on the ground and allow themselves to be trampled or killed."
Hermione nodded. "So if we can take Sloth out first, that would help us the most," she said. "But we really need to incapacitate all of them." She looked at Sun Tzu. "I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this," she said. "But do you have a plan for battle?"
Ares nodded. "We must gather everyone together," he said. "And I'm sorry, but we must have all of the mortals unconscious."
"What?" cried Jack. "Why?"
"Because they will be susceptible to the homunculi's powers," said Sun Tzu. "If they are unconscious, the homunculi will have no power over them. The only exceptions, I think, should be the woman with red hair, Mrs. Weasley, and Pandora here." He looked at Pandora solemnly. "If the opportunity comes for them to be tested, they must be awake to pass it."
Jack looked at Hermes. "I thought you said Mrs. Weasley had already passed the test," he said.
Hermes consulted the book of heirs, and shook his head. "I said that as far as I was concerned, she had passed the test," he said, but pointed to the book. "The book has other ideas though." They all looked at it, and sure enough, Mrs. Weasley's name and picture were still in the successor box.
"Okay," said Jack, and looked at Harry and Hermione. "Can you send your silver animal messenger spells to all the witches and wizards to tell them to gather in the yard right here?"
Harry and Hermione nodded and raised their wands. "Expecto Patronum!" they both called, and the stag was this time joined by a silver otter, and they went off.
Less than a minute later, a large number of pops sounded, and they were surrounded by everybody that was present on the property. Ron came over to them. "What's going on?" he asked. Hermione held up a hand to tell him to wait, and stood in front of the crowd.
"We are under attack!" she said. "They are creatures that can influence your minds and emotions, like a dementor. However, there is no sufficient way to repel them, like a patronus. They do not need spells to use their power." She took a deep breath. "The only way to render their power ineffective is to be unconscious!"
Their was a great murmuring at this, and Oliver Wood spoke up. "Are you suggesting that we stun ourselves, Hermione?"
She nodded. "That's the only way to ensure that they won't take over your emotions," she said.
"What do you think, Harry?" asked Ginny, and thirty pairs of eyes turned to the bespectacled wizard.
Harry sighed and nodded. "I'll be unconscious too," he said. "I'll be useless in this fight."
Pandora knew that Harry was young. He wasn't much older than herself. Still, the gathered wizards and witches looked to him as a leader. So when he said it was okay to knock yourself out for this fight, they listened.
All except for one person. Molly Weasley wouldn't hear of it.
"Absolutely not!" she said adamantly. "We're a family, and we're stronger together than we are apart. I don't care if you people are gods, or whatever kind of powers these creatures have. I'm not going to let any of my family leave themselves that vulnerable."
"Mum, shut up!" said Ron, shocking everyone. "Don't you understand? These creatures attack your mind directly. If you're awake, you're vulnerable."
"Besides," said Steve, and he casually blasted a gnome back through the bushes he had just crawled through with a jet of water from his hand. "I believe we'll be more than a match for them."
Molly frowned. "You can't be sure of that," she said. "There's safety in numbers, right? The more of us, the safer we'll be."
Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry, Molly, but you're wrong there," she said. "The more of you there are, the more power they'll have. The more of you there are, the more people they can control, and the harder it will be to beat them. Some of us have already begun to feel their effects." She nodded at Pandora.
"It's true, Mrs. Weasley," said Pandora. "I wanted to hurt your daughter because of the effect of one of these creatures. I don't even know your daughter, and I hated her, because she had something I wanted."
Mrs. Weasley inexplicably smiled at this. "Well of course you did, Pandora dear," she said. "Who wouldn't want what she has?" Her eyes flickered to Harry. "I wouldn't mind a bit of it myself."
"Stupefy!" shouted a voice, and a jet of red light hit Mrs. Weasley right between the eyes. She fell down, but a bunch of wands were drawn as she hit the ground and aiming in the direction the spell had come from.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Mrs. Weasley?" he said as he recognized the figure emerging from around the side of the house.
"I'm sorry," she said. "She took me by surprise." She looked down at what appeared to be herself lying on the ground. "It seems that these creatures have access to Polyjuice Potion."
Hermione frowned. "But Polyjuice Potion is only for human transformations, I know that better than anyone," she said. "But it does raise the possibility that these creatures, or at least one of them, can take the shape of someone else as an inherent ability."
Jack stepped forward. "I'm sorry about this, Mrs. Weasley, but with this development we will have to bind you and your doppelganger up until we determine which of you is the real one."
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "After sitting with you as we talked to my son, I would expect nothing less from you, Captain." She conjured two chairs and levitated her double into one of them. She then settled herself in the other. "Go ahead, then," she said.
Jack nodded to Ron and Hermione, who stepped forward. "Incarcerous," they said, and ropes flew out of their wands and bound the two Mrs. Weasley's to the chairs. "Ennervate," said Ron, pointing his wand at the stunned one.
She woke up, blinked a little, and looked around. "Where am I? Why am in this chair?" she asked, then looked to her right, where the other Mrs. Weasley was watching her warily. "My goodness!" she said. "Somebody's made Polyjuice Potion with bits of me! Untie me and stun her now!"
"Sorry, Mum," said Ron. "But we can't let you free until we know for sure that you are who you say you are. Dad?" he called, looking around for his father.
Arthur Weasley stepped forward and knelt in front of the two women. "Molly," he began.
"Yes, Arthur?" said the two Mrs. Weasleys at once.
"You," he said, pointing at the one that the other had stunned. "Tell me what I said when Ginny was born."
She smiled at him. "You said she was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen," she said. "You said that you were so happy to finally have a gorgeous baby girl."
Arthur made no indication that she was correct or incorrect, but looked at the other Mrs. Weasley. "And you," he said. "Tell me what I said when Ginny was born."
There were tears running down her face when she answered. "You couldn't speak," she said. "You didn't want to let go of her though. You would carry her around for hours when we brought her home from St. Mungo's."
Arthur adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. When he moved his hand away, Hermione could see the tears coming from behind them. He drew his wand and released the woman from her bonds. He leaned in to give her a kiss, and then he turned to the other Molly.
"I knew you weren't my Mollywobbles," he said, smiling crookedly. "She would never talk that way to someone." He turned to Pandora. "I don't know this woman, but I apologize for the way she spoke to you. I don't know you either, but if my children have accepted you, I trust you." He turned back to the fake Molly, who had turned back into Envy, and pointed his wand at her. "How many of your fellows are here right now?" he asked. "Speak quickly and I will make sure you're unconscious for the part of what I will do to you for befouling my wife's image."
Envy sneered at him. "I know what kind of man you are," she said. "You wouldn't dare." She smirked. "I'll make you watch as I carve your gorgeous Ginny that left you speechless out of the womb up into pieces."
Mrs. Weasley's eyes flashed. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" Her wand was back out and fire flew from it to hit the legs of the chair that Envy was sitting in.
"Are you ready to speak now?" asked Mr. Weasley calmly.
Envy laughed. "You've already felt the effects of one of them," she said. "Are you feeling a little wrathful?" She laughed again. "You should feel the others soon enough. Is anyone getting hungry by the way?"
Harry's stomach rumbled. "It's now, everyone!" he cried out, and raised his wand to his temple. "Stupefy!" he cried, and he fell to the ground. Ron caught him before he hit the ground.
"He never thinks things like that through," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "Everyone lay down before you stun yourself, please!"
The gathered witches and wizards did as they were told, and with many more cries of "Stupefy!" and as many flashes of red light, they were all unconscious.
Envy swore. "It's getting rather hot," she said. Steve turned to Envy and shot out jets of water from both hands. One doused the flames of the chair, and the other one hit Envy straight in the face, leaving her sputtering.
"Thank you," said Envy, spitting out water. "I've got three of my companions here," she said finally. Sloth, Pride, and Lust are dealing with matters on Olympus." She wagged her eyebrows. "Don't you think you should get back there to handle them?"
Jack shrugged. "All in good time," he said. "We have to take care of one of our own here." He looked over at Hermes. "Is there any change?"
Hermes was looking back at Hera's page. "Nothing yet," he said. "Unfortunately, there's no way for any of us, including Mrs. Weasley, to know if it's taken affect aside from looking at the book."
"How about a meal?" said Envy. "There's nothing more maternal than a home cooked meal for the family, is there?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled sweetly at Envy. "I had one prepared a long time ago," she said, and turned to the others. "It's in the kitchen if you would like some, go ahead and serve yourselves."
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," said Envy. "You may not like what you find."
"Oh?" said Jack. "And what might we find in there besides a home cooked meal?"
Envy smiled wickedly. "That meal might not be there anymore. Gluttony gets awfully hungry," he said.
"We'll take our chances," said Ron, and he turned to lead the rest of them inside. "My mum really is the best cook, you know," he said, now completely ignoring Envy's sputtering. "She's of course had to work really hard to become so, having nine people in the family and not a large budget to work with, but she's made an art form out of it, really."
As they went inside, Envy called out after them. "You're making a mistake, I tell you!" she cried. "Gluttony has eaten larger things than you, and he doesn't even chew his food! He just swallows it whole!"
Jack was the last one to go through the door. Before he did, he turned and walked over to Envy. "You know, I really don't like your tone," he said. He took his gun out and hit Envy over the head with it, effectively knocking her out. "I do hate to hit a woman, but you're not really a woman anyway," he said casually, holstering his gun and going inside with the others.
"It feels odd, leaving everyone else unconscious outside," said Pandora. "Do you think they'll be all right? After all, we don't know where the other three are exactly, and we can't know for sure that the ones she mentioned are actually at Olympus."
Jack nodded. "She's definitely a liar," he said. "For all we know, the ones she mentioned at Olympus could be here, and the other ones could be at Olympus." He looked at Hermione. "Isn't there some sort of spell that could identify them if they were here?" he asked.
She thought for a moment. "Well, there's Homenum Revelio, but that's to find out if there's humans around. We know there's all of the humans out there, but the homunculi aren't human."
"Try it on me," said Ron. "If I'm a god, that might mean I don't show up as a human anymore."
"That's clever, Ron," she said. "But the homunculi aren't gods anymore, so wouldn't they be different from you?"
He nodded. "It doesn't hurt to try it though, right?" he asked.
She nodded at him. "Okay," she said, and pointed her wand at him. "Homenum Revelio!" she said. Ron's body glowed blue.
"Bloody hell," he said. "That was different."
"What does it do on regular humans?" asked Jack.
Hermione turned to Pandora and cast the spell again. Pandora's body glowed red.
"Okay," said Jack. "Do you think it would do something different for homunculi?"
Hermione smiled. "There's a way to find out," she said, and pointed her wand at the wall, at the area they knew where Envy was still sitting. "Homenum Revelio," she said, and they saw a green glow come from that spot.
"We could cast it on the whole party," said Ron instantly.
"Cast it on the house as well," said Sun Tzu. "We do not know if they may be hiding somewhere inside."
Ron nodded. "Right," he said, and he cast the spell on the inside of the house. There was a green glow coming from room a couple floors above them. He looked at Hermione. "That's Fred and George's old room," he said, and started towards the stairs.
She grabbed his arm. "Wait," she said. "We don't know which one it is, and there's no real way to find out."
Hermes raised his hand. "I might have a way," he said, and he flapped the tips of his wings.
Hermione looked like she could have kissed him. "That's brilliant," she said. "Be careful though."
Hermes stepped outside, and Hermione followed him. She cast the Homenum Revelio spell on the people knocked out on the ground and they all came up red. She nodded, satisfied, but then something green caught her eye, just beyond the gnome bushes. She crept over several people's still forms, and cast the spell silently, aiming at the spot she had seen. There was a green glow coming from the spot, and she immediately fired a stunner at it, in case whatever it was decided to jump out at her.
Unfortunately, she hadn't thought to check around the side of the house when they had come out. While Hermes was confirming that Greed was the one upstairs in the twins' room, another homunculus had crept around the side of the house and grabbed Hermione.
"You'll regret that," said Wrath in her ear. "Gluttony gets very hungry when he wakes up, and I'll make sure you're right there when he does."
Ron heard a scream from outside. "Hermione!" he shouted, and he burst out of the door just in time to see Wrath vanish from the spot with Hermione in tow. Meanwhile, Hermes came down, reporting that Greed had just vanished from the room upstairs, appeared beyond the bushes with the unconscious Gluttony, and disappear.
Ron sank to his knees, tears coming down his face. The others had rushed out behind him, and Jack squeezed the young man's shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said. "We'll get her back."
"You're damn right we will," said Mrs. Weasley. "They won't get away with this for long." She knelt down next to her youngest son and wrapped him up in a hug. "I promise."
Ron wept.