The Unbreakable Vow 25
by
Ash Darklighter
It all belongs to JK Rowling and I thank her for her inspiration – There are no galleons to be made from me. This little story is my first Harry Potter fic. It is AU and of course comments are welcome. My thanks to Tad and Mona for their help.
Hogwarts
Albus Dumbledore sighed deeply, something he seemed to be doing a lot of recently. He was also feeling every one of his one hundred and fifty odd years. His trademark twinkle was completely absent from his blue eyes because the news he was processing was anything but joyous. He opened his mouth to say something and found that he could not. He looked down at the quill in his shaking hands and stilled their trembling.
Minerva McGonagall looked at her long-time friend and colleague with concern. "Albus," she said softly, her soft Scottish voice laced with concern.
"Call the Order, Minerva. It has to be done and they must be told. It's not fair to keep this from them."
Minerva reached out and patted one of his wrinkled hands. "You knew this day would come again, Albus. He was going to come back just like he did the last time."
"I knew…but I hoped that it would never come." They'd had five years of an uneasy peace but it wasn't enough – it wasn't nearly enough. "We could have done more – we should have been able to help Harry. We've now lost that chance."
"We've made a lot of progress…" she began.
"Not enough, Minerva."
Minerva shook her head and said briskly. "We haven't lost that chance. We can still help Harry do what he has to."
"Harry's gone, Minerva, and I don't know where he is. I'm not surprised that he lost his faith in me. He became a man in front of my eyes and I didn't see it. I was obsessed with giving him the childhood he was never going to have. He's vulnerable in both worlds and it was my fault."
"Harry's resourceful. He won't have given up and will find a way - maybe he already has," Minerva claimed stoutly. "He'll find a way to repair his magic. He's a remarkable young man and now we have a clue to his whereabouts. It's a slim clue but it's more than we had before."
The headmaster gave a slow nod. "He's alive."
"He came through for us. Severus would not have survived if he had been left to lie unattended any longer." Her lips twitched. "Although, I'm not sure if Severus would want to survive and again be indebted to a Potter. Harry will do the right thing."
Dumbledore sat up straight. "True," he murmured softly. Her words had given him new heart. He had to have faith. "Call the Order," he repeated. "We have to give them the information."
Minerva's lips tightened but she nodded. Lifting her wand, she cast her Patronus and watched as several translucent cats sped away.
xxxx
Remus Lupin arrived at the gates of Hogwarts clutching tightly to the hand of Nymphadora Tonks, followed closely by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hermione Granger who had been summoned from the Ministry of Magic.
"This is the first time that I've left work on time for months," Hermione was saying animatedly. "Percy always has overtime for me to do and I don't mind really. I'm enjoying the work but it's nice just to walk out at five like everyone else does. I wonder why Professor Dumbledore is asking us to gather at Hogwarts during term time. I mean, the Order usually meets at Grimmauld Place."
Remus stepped forward. "Hermione, Kingsley," he murmured, "I believe I can answer that."
Hermione stopped talking. "What's wrong?" she asked. The werewolf looked more drained than usual and the hope that they would be dealing with something routine drained away.
"You heard about Snape?"
Hermione shook her bushy head. "No. Percy's had a lot of extra work for me to do with the new Floo network about to open and I was unable to make the last meeting."
Remus sighed. "Come on, we must hurry." They began making their way towards the castle. "Snape attended a meeting on Halloween…"
"What sort of a meeting," asked Hermione.
"It was purported to be a social gathering," Remus' smile was glacial.
"That doesn't sound too serious," said Hermione.
Remus refrained from saying anything but gave her a look which left her feeling foolish.
"It was held at Malfoy Manor," Tonks snapped, unable to keep quiet. "You've been in the Order long enough to know that Snape has to attend these do's and they contain the members of wizarding society that the Aurors would most like to consign to Azkaban. Every time he attends one of these meetings, he risks his life."
"Please, Dora." Remus pleaded.
"For all your intelligence, Hermione, sometimes you don't think." Tonks wasn't letting the bushy- haired witch get away with anything.
Hermione looked stricken. "I'm sorry, Tonks," she said quietly.
"Snape wasn't seen again for two whole days and that is cause enough for an alarm," said Remus wearily. "He never leaves the school for more than an evening during term time. When he did turn up, it was unconscious, badly beaten and left at the school gates."
Kingsley closed his eyes. "He's alive?"
"Yes."
"Has he regained consciousness?"
"Not that I know of."
Kingsley swore.
Hermione was glad that Ron was arriving with his mother and not there to say something tactless. No matter how many times she told him that Snape was on their side, Ron could never quite believe it. Snape had been unfair to her and Ron from the moment he had met them but that paled in comparison to his treatment of Harry. "He still keeps up with his old…er contacts on a regular basis?" she enquired delicately.
Tonks snorted. "You could say that."
"He doesn't want to do it, you know." Remus produced a light at the end of his wand and headed away from the front of the school. "This way," he murmured. "We don't want to be tramping our way through the main entrance hall just before dinner."
"Dumbledore is worried," said Tonks. "And with good reason, I think."
Ahead, the small group saw the outline of an open door and the distinctive shape of a certain witch waiting for them.
"There's Minerva ahead," observed Kingsley as he lengthened his stride.
The Transfiguration professor ushered them quickly inside. "Good. I'm glad you got here so promptly. Hestia and Dedalus arrived a few minutes ago so I think that's everyone who can manage."
Hermione shrewdly assessed her former teacher. By the way the witch held herself, Hermione could tell that Professor McGonagall was tense and on edge.
Minerva glanced at the Order members without meeting their eyes. "Quickly now. Follow me."
They followed her along a corridor, Hermione couldn't remember seeing before, but this was Hogwarts and nothing could surprise her as far as this building was concerned.
"Polo mints!" Minerva intoned to the gargoyle guarding the stairs to Professor Dumbledore's office. The statue shifted aside and they began the slow spiral up to Dumbledore's sanctum.
When they arrived, Hermione noted the crowd of anxious faces, some familiar and some she'd never seen before. Dumbledore was recruiting again and she didn't like to think what that might mean. She spotted Ron next to his mother. He motioned to the empty chair next to him and with a thankful smile, she slipped in beside him.
"What's happening?" she asked him quietly. "Remus filled me in on some of it but..."
Ron shrugged. "Don't know." He glanced at his mother. "Mum?"
Molly Weasley shook her head, looking concerned. "It's something to do with Snape. That's all I know."
The door swung open before Ron could make any disparaging comments about the Potions Professor and Dumbledore stepped through. "I'm glad to see so many of you could make it this evening," he said. "I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy lives." The headmaster sat down behind his desk, smoothing down his rich purple robes as he did so, then laying his wand on the desk in front of him.
"What of Severus?" asked Remus immediately.
"He regained consciousness two days ago and was able to speak to me this morning. The news he had to tell me was not good." Dumbledore looked down at his hands. These were the wrinkled, vein-streaked hands of an old man. He was too old for this but he had no choice. To do nothing was unthinkable.
"He's back, isn't he?" The gruff voice belonged to the retired Auror, Mad-Eye Moody, a man scarred and mutilated by countless battles against dark wizards. Moody had put many a Death Eater behind bars and knew the score. There was only one wizard that could inspire such quiet dread. Moody knew the name of the wizard who had returned ready to plunge the wizarding world into such darkness.
"Alastor…" Dumbledore let his gaze linger on the friends, former pupils and colleagues that he would be endangering once more. "Yes, we cannot hide from the truth any longer. The eye of the storm has passed and we shall be blown by its winds soon enough. Voldemort has returned once more." A good majority of the witches and wizards in front of him flinched and cried out at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. How could they fight him when they couldn't even hear his name mentioned?
"Quiet!" Moody shouted above the noise, his magical eye swivelling around the room before finally coming to rest on the headmaster's face. "We'll do what we did before, Albus. We'll fight him as best we can. We'd best start thinking about recruiting again and at least Scrimgeour's not Fudge." He was talking about the current head of the Ministry of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. The former, Cornelius Fudge, had refused to believe them when they'd revealed Voldemort's second rising. "All this shrieking and moaning won't get the job done."
"He's right," said Remus.
Albus found his eyes tracking to where Bill Weasley stood with his pretty French wife and twin brothers. The head of the Weasley clan hadn't looked surprised in the least by the news of Voldemort's return. The goblins did have their own ways of getting information and would have told certain wizards in their employ. Added to that, Bill's brother Charlie was still working at the Rumanian dragon reserve. There had been strange reports coming from the East – just like before.
"So, it's come at last," said Remus. "We've had longer than we thought."
"It's still not long enough," said Minerva.
"Severus can no longer act as our spy in Voldemort's camp." The headmaster uttered this with a weary finality. "If he's lucky, they'll assume that they've already killed him. They nearly succeeded."
"I'm surprised that his spying remained undetected for so long. It pays testament to the man's skill and strength of character," Kingsley observed. "Many of us were unsure where his loyalties truly lay."
Ron muttered something under his breath about trusting Snape which luckily only Hermione heard and earned him a sharp dig in the ribs. "Grow up, Ron," she hissed.
"I have always trusted Severus Snape." Dumbledore steepled his long fingers in front of him. "He's in the infirmary under the care of Madam Pomfrey and is truly lucky to be alive. They tortured him and would have left him to die if he hadn't been found by an amazing twist of fate and transported to the school."
"How did he escape?" asked Molly Weasley. "They don't normally just let their enemies go."
"He was left to die and a passing wizard found him, recognised him and portkeyed him to us," explained Dumbledore, keeping the facts to a minimum. It helped that he knew little more than that.
"You expect us to believe that a passing wizard just happened to stumble over Snape?" asked Ron.
"That's exactly what happened, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore's voice was calm and controlled.
"Do we know the wizard that did so?" Ron asked. "Is he or she one of us and can we trust them? Or do we need to find them and Obliviate them?"
Dumbledore glanced at his deputy headmistress.
"We should tell them," she urged softly.
"We were lucky. The wizard who found Severus understood the need for secrecy and sent him straight to us rather than St. Mungos. Our Potions professor would not have survived if he'd been sent there. Voldemort has his agents and spies in every place." Dumbledore gazed around the room and everyone present suddenly realised what he was about to say would change everything. "It was Harry Potter," he said finally.
All hell broke loose. If it hadn't been under such serious circumstances, Albus might have found it amusing. He raised his wand and sent a shower of red and gold sparks into the air. "Thank you," he said as the cacophony subsided.
"Potter!" exclaimed Moody suspiciously. "Potter helped Snape? The boy cannot stand the man."
"Harry would not let that stop him from saving someone," stated Dumbledore.
Ron stood up. "Snape saw Harry. Are you sure it was Harry?"
Momentarily there was an angry expression in the twinkling blue eyes but it passed quickly. "Quite sure, Mr. Weasley."
Ron's mouth dropped open in horror. "Does that mean that Harry has turned dark – that he's joined You-know-who?"
The twins and Bill were instantly on their feet shouting at Ron in disbelief.
Hermione pulled Ron back into his chair. "Professor Dumbledore, how could Professor Snape have seen Harry? If he was as injured as you say…"
"A good question, Miss Granger," said Albus. "I wondered about that too. But I can assure you, I believe Severus is telling the truth. He was inclined to disbelieve it himself. People at the point of death have many strange tales of their experiences. Severus thought he was seeing James Potter, his childhood enemy, guiding him into the afterlife."
Remus closed his eyes looking pained. "Why did he change his mind? What made Severus think that it was Harry?"
"The young man in his vision gave us three clues. One, he had green eyes; two, he called him 'Professor…'"
Remus let out a dry chuckle. "James would never have referred to Severus in such a fashion."
Dumbledore sighed. "I agree."
"What was the third reason?" asked Tonks, her hair shifting from bubblegum pink to a dark mauve.
"This," said the headmaster. He held out his hand and in it was a seven sided silver coin.
"I know what that is," said Molly Weasley triumphantly. "Arthur had a Muggle coin collection. It's…a fifty pins."
"Pence," corrected Hermione. "It's a fifty pence piece - standard currency if you're a Muggle. Professor Snape was right," she said flatly. "Harry found him and sent him home to Hogwarts."
Bill's eyes slid across to Fred and George. Harry hadn't thought that a hallucinating Snape had registered his identity. They would have to let Harry know that the Order knew. The twins gave miniscule nods. This changed things quite a bit.
"We have to find Harry," Hermione burbled anxiously. "If You-know-who is back, he'll be able to find Harry through his scar."
"We're sure that he's not one of Snape's old crowd?" asked Ron hesitantly and found himself on the receiving end of a slap from his mother.
"Ronald Weasley, how dare you suggest such a thing about Harry," she cried angrily. "You-know-who killed his parents. He would never join him."
"The Harry I thought I knew would never have walked out on us," stated Ron, hurt lacing his voice.
"I'm sure he had his reasons," Dumbledore said quietly. "I wish he had talked to us..."
"And you wouldn't happen to know what those reasons were, Professor?" asked Bill pointedly. "Would you have really listened?"The whole room stared at him.
Dumbledore frowned, sensing some sort of intent in the casually phrased question. "Is there something you would like to know, Mr. Weasley?" he asked. "You don't seem to be surprised by any of this."
Bill met the headmaster's gaze straight on. There was no point lying to Dumbledore but that didn't mean to say that Bill would tell him anything either. "I'm not surprised. Oh, I don't know the specifics but I have contacts through Gringotts which indicated that the Dark Lord might be planning a return and, no, I cannot tell you who they are. It's more than my job and possibly my life is worth. But it seems to me, you know more about Harry than the poor kid did himself."
"Bill," Fleur murmured softly, laying her hand on her husband's arm. "Leave it."
He looked down at her silvery head and smiled. "I'm sorry, Cherie, but far too much pressure was placed upon a boy. If I'd been Harry, I would have gone long before he did."
"If V…Voldemort is back," said Tonks, "then it's more important than ever that we find Harry. If it's true what everyone suspects and Harry's the only one that can kill him, we have to find him before the Death Eaters do." She looked at Kingsley. "Can we do it without alerting the Ministry? It's still chock-full of You-know-who's supporters."
"I don't think Harry was very well when he left us," said Hermione in a small voice. "He looked really white all the time and he had these debilitating headaches."
"But he often had headaches," interrupted Ron. "You-know-who made his scar ache all the time. It got really red sometimes."
"No, Ron," said Hermione softly. "Something was wrong."
Ron blinked. "You could be right, Hermione. He was acting kinda funny – really secretive. But then that could have been because he was going to run away."
"At least we know that the boy is still alive," said Hestia Jones, a black-haired, rosy-faced witch who worked at the Ministry.
"That is a blessing," said Minerva.
"Could I have a word with Severus?" asked Moody. "See if he can tell me anything about where he was found. That's if he's in any shape to talk?"
"He's on the mend but it will be a slow process," admitted Dumbledore. "Severus hadn't much of an idea where he ended up. He recalled being chased through trees and he suspects it was somewhere in the north of England or somewhere in Scotland."
"Well, that narrows it down," muttered Ron.
Hermione glared at him. "It's better than nothing," she whispered.
"Could Severus have been mistaken?" asked Remus, knowing the answer but wanting to ask one more time.
"He could have but I am convinced that he is not," said Dumbledore. "Remember, Harry always thought of others before himself."
"His saving people thing," murmured Hermione to Ron.
Dumbledore picked up his quill again and made some notes on a parchment in front of him before saying, "Alastor…borrow my Pensieve. I have a small one for portability. Perhaps you and Severus could examine his memories for clues. You may see something that I did not."
Kingsley looked at his watch. "If Snape thinks that he saw Harry Potter then he probably did see Harry Potter. Whether it was real or a figment of his imagination we shall have to decide."
"You've lost me, Kingsley," said Tonks, looking confused.
"Whether Snape really saw Harry is open to debate," the dark-skinned Auror said. "In his mind, his rescuer was Harry. We have to determine what really happened."
Dumbledore leaned forward across his desk interrupting the two Aurors. "I have spent some time considering this. Severus was in no shape or form to be able to portkey himself back to Hogwarts. He was given help. I have to hope that it was indeed Harry. Without Harry, we have no hope."
The aged wizard's words silenced the room until there was an urgent knock at the door.
"Come in, Hagrid."
The half-giant stared at the crush of wizards in the headmaster's office. "I'll mebbe just stand here, if that's aw'right, Professor Dumbledore. But this couldn't wait." Hagrid stood wringing his hands."
"What is wrong, Hagrid?" Dumbledore said soothingly. Hagrid's eyes were wild and a little red.
"It's Hedwig," he stammered. "She's gone."
"What!" exclaimed Minerva. "But that's...Harry's owl."
"Yes." He fished a grubby, crumpled handkerchief from the pocket of his moleskin coat. "Harry sent her to me before he…left. But she's been anxious and frettin' for about a week now and two days ago, all of a sudden she just flew off."
"Perhaps she's just gone hunting," said Molly.
Hagrid shook his head. "Mebbe she has but she's a creature o' habit and always came home. I've been searching all over for her and there's no sign."
"She's been restless since Halloween?" said Minerva with a look at the headmaster. Everything had happened on All Hallows Eve.
Dumbledore frowned and looked at one of the instruments on his desk. It hadn't moved to his knowledge since Harry's magic had gone and the boy had disappeared. It was chugging slowly round in a circle; in fact, it was doing more than that. It was spinning faster and faster. "Harry!" he whispered. "Hedwig sensed her master. She's gone to Harry." He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "There was a tracking charm on the bird?"
"No," admitted Hagrid apologetically. "She didn't like it. I had to take it off. The charm didn't agree with her. She's a right clever bird."
"Professor, what is that?" asked Hermione, pointing at the instrument.
All the eyes focused on the little spinning object.
"This?" He smiled sadly. "I used it to monitor Harry's safety when he lived at Privet Drive. When Harry...left us, it stopped working."
"It can tell us where he is?" asked Remus, hope shining in his hazel eyes.
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. "No. But it proves that he's definitely alive."
Hermione looked at Ron wondering why the gizmo hadn't been working before. Harry had, in effect left the wizarding world every summer. But it didn't look as if the headmaster was going to tell them.
Bill stood up. "I really need to go but let me know what you want me to do. I'll see what I can learn from my contact without compromising his position. But before we go I want to tell you all some better news." He looked at Fleur and raised an eyebrow.
"Oui," she said, standing up.
He grinned and put his arm around her. "Fleur and I are going to have a little word with Madam Pomfrey. I was going to tell the family our news two nights ago but I was unexpectedly called into work."
"Tell us what?" Molly asked, her voice shaking. But she'd guessed.
Bill chuckled. "Albus, are you taking names for places at Hogwarts in roughly eleven or twelve years time?"
Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle. "Are you telling me that there will be another Weasley present?"
"I am." Bill pulled a prettily blushing Fleur closer and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "Everything's going well but we'd like to have a word with Poppy."
Molly gasped and threw herself at her son and Fleur, tears in her eyes. "I'll have to start knitting. Your father would be so proud. Go…" she urged. "Go and see Poppy and come for dinner tomorrow."
Bill chuckled and with a last glance around the room and a nod to Fred and George, the parents-to-be left.
"Even in our darkest hour we have real magic happening," said Kingsley, his dark face wreathed in smiles.
Hermione grinned. "Uncle Ron."
"Hey," Ron drew himself up. "That's right. I'll be able to teach him Quidditch and chess."
"You could even do that if it's a girl," said Hermione. "It might be a girl. There's fifty percent chance of that happening."
"The Weasleys tend to run to boys apart from…Ginny," said Molly, her happy tears turning to misery. "I miss my little girl, Albus. It's good to hear that Harry's alive even if we don't know where he is but what about my daughter? What about Ginny?"
"Molly…" Dumbledore couldn't say anything to make the woman feel better. He hadn't been able to protect and help her daughter. He hadn't really tried, if he'd been honest. There hadn't been anything he could have done. The Malfoys' contract had been expertly drawn up.
"She told me she was going away - that she couldn't marry Draco Malfoy."
"I thought you didn't remember," said Fred.
Molly gave him a look. "Of course I remembered. But I wasn't telling the Aurors that, was I? She didn't even want me to say anything to Harry because she thought he would go after her and she didn't want him to get into trouble on her behalf. But she said she would only be gone for a short time and it's been five years. I have to hope that if Harry's alive and well, Ginny is too."
Tonks moved towards Molly and wrapped her arms around her. "Ssh!" she soothed. "We'll find her for you. Maybe she's with Harry and they've been keeping one another safe all this time."
"Do you think so?" asked Molly.
"Yes," said Tonks. "Harry loved her. He wouldn't have abandoned her to Malfoy."
Minerva drew her wand and conjured up a large pot of tea and several cups. "Here, Molly," she said kindly, handing her a cup. "This will make you feel better."
"Thank you, Minerva."
The deputy headmistress began doling out tea and with a few flicks of his wrist, Albus produced sandwiches and cakes. "The house elves prepared these for us. Help yourself."
Hermione gave a sigh of relief as she helped herself to a pumpkin pasty. "I didn't have time to get anything before I left the Ministry."
Dumbledore nodded genially at her and then turned his attention to the tall, dark-skinned Auror. "Kingsley?"
"I'll go and set up a meeting with Rufus and probably Amelia Bones - if that's alright with you, Albus?" He grabbed a few sandwiches. "My duty shift starts in an hour and I won't have time to eat."
"Take some extra sandwiches. Amelia will listen to you and Rufus should too. He's far more sensible than Cornelius ever was although once he has set his mind on something he can be just as obdurate." Dumbledore looked at Alastor Moody.
"I'll go and have that chat with Severus now," said Moody. "If Poppy's dealing with Fleur and Bill, she'll leave us in peace."
"Take it easy on him, Alastor. He's not anywhere near recovery. He's not even complaining about being in the hospital wing. Or perhaps, not complaining over much."
The grizzled ex-Auror nodded. "I don't like the man much but even I admit that he's been through a lot for us, Albus," he said and stomped out of the room.
Albus turned his twinkling blue eyes in another direction. "Remus…"
"The werewolves again?" murmured the last of the Marauders with weary fatalism. "It didn't work before."
"Sound them out for me, Remus. I can have Severus brewing Wolfsbane on a bigger scale if necessary. But deliver your message and return; I can't spare you for long."
"I'll contact Olympe," put in Hagrid, "and speak to Grawpy about the giants. "Olympe and Grawpy will want to help. I know they will. Grawp knows the Gurg." The Gurg was the leader of the giants.
"Thank you, Hagrid." Albus looked towards Fawkes who sang a soft note. "I suspect that Hedwig has set out to find her master. Don't worry about Hedwig."
"She's a smart bird," said the half-giant with a proud smile, his beetle-black eyes shining at the thought of Harry and his faithful Hedwig reuniting. "One of the smartest owls I ever come across. She'll find him. I only wish that I thought to leave a note to Harry tied to her leg."
"Molly, I suggest you get the wards on the Burrow checked properly," suggested Minerva. "In fact..." She glanced round at the remaining witches and wizards. "That goes for all of you. Hermione…your parents?"
"Still in Australia," said the bushy-haired girl thankfully. "They like the lifestyle out there. They have their memories back but are continuing to live as the Wilkins. I miss them but it's safer this way."
"I agree." Minerva's face softened. Hermione had always been a favourite of hers.
"What about the Ministry?" wondered Fred. "I know Tonks and Kingsley can check out the Aurors. Hermione, I know it's tricky for you because Percy thinks that you're chatting daily to Harry and Ginny and is watching you carefully just in case you slip up. He'd do anything to get back at the Order."
"Percy's not a Death Eater," Fred. "Being one would mean that he has to break some rules and use a few Unforgiveables."
"No, he just consorts with them, the prat," sneered George. "But you might be able to see how he interacts with any of our marked families."
"I could," Hermione agreed. "He is watching what I do very closely and he asks a lot of questions, most of which I don't answer."
"We'll set our genius minds to inventing things for the war effort," stated Fred modestly. "Can I borrow your mobile phone?" he asked suddenly. "You'll get it back."
Hermione levelled upon them a warning glare worthy of their mother. "I'd better."
"Although it may not be in full working order..."
Hermione dug into her bag and produced the sleek object. "I was thinking of getting a new one but that doesn't give you license to destroy it," she warned, her eyes narrowing.
"We'll be really careful," they chorused together.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sure you will." She frowned. "What exactly do you want it for?"
"Oh…this and that," said George with a wink. "This and that."
xxxxx
Bill quickly ushered Fleur down the stairs. "Hurry," he murmured.
"Bill…"
"Not here." He jerked his head to where several occupants of one of the portraits were observing them with great interest. "Walls have ears," he explained.
"Is this to do with the baby?"
"Of course it is. We're going to tell Poppy all about it."
"Oh!" Fleur's lips twitched knowingly as she let herself be rushed through the school and up the stairs to the infirmary.
"Poppy!" Bill called loudly. "Poppy!"
The mediwitch came bustling out of her office, starched petticoats rustling. "Really, Mr. Weasley, do you have to be so noisy?" she asked indignantly. "I do have student patients here, you know."
"How is Professor Snape?" asked Fleur quietly. "The headmaster told us."
"Recovering," she said looking towards the screened off area in the corner. "He'll be alright."
"You wouldn't have a galleon to lend me?" Bill asked casually.
"A galleon!" Poppy echoed, looking confused.
"A friend of mine," he said softly. "In fact, a relative by marriage…" His gaze caught the mediwitch's. "My friend would like to see that galleon tonight."
Fleur gave a little gasp. Bill had divulged some snippets of information about his previous night's encounters with Harry and Ginny but he hadn't told her about the marriage. "They are married, Bill? But..."
Poppy's eyes widened and she glanced around her hurriedly to see if anyone was within earshot. "Come into my office," she instructed and swiftly proceeded to put up several privacy charms as they did so.
"We've seen Harry and he wants you to go and see him. He's prepared for you to activate your portkey as soon as you're ready. He'll allow the wards to let you through."
"He's alright, Ginny and…" Poppy stopped. "You really saw Harry and Ginny?"
"Yes."
"And they were well?"
Bill's eyes narrowed. Poppy was behaving a little strangely. "Yes, they were well. I was called into work unexpectedly and found that the job was to ward his property. He's apparently been in constant contact with the goblins."
"Oh, good. Goblins' wards are amongst the most difficult to break." Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you want to see Severus?"
Bill shook his head. "Not today. I suspect others will want to quiz him."
"I heard there was a meeting." Poppy pulled her mediwitch's bag from a cupboard and began packing it with potion vials.
"You-know-who is back, Poppy," Fleur said a little tearfully. "And this man is making me a mother. I shall be fat and..."
"You didn't complain at the time," said Bill in astonishment.
"No, because you are like a Frenchman in bed, Bill Weasley," she said slyly, the tears gone in an instant.
Poppy blinked, looking stunned. "Well," she said, even if Fleur had given her more information than she'd ever wanted to learn about the eldest Weasley. "Congratulations on the impending birth." She chuckled. Bill's face almost matched his hair and Fleur was looking more than satisfied with the effects her words had produced.
Bill shook his head, the fang earring dancing against the lobe. Oh, his wife was good. "You will be beautiful," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "Very beautiful, ma belle."
"Do you need me to check you over?" Poppy looked at Fleur's bright eyes, fresh complexion and shining hair and whipped out her wand.
"Non," replied Fleur. "I feel a little sick in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoons but otherwise…very good. Bill needed to tell you about Harry. That is why we are here."
"It's difficult to get away during term time," Poppy admitted, especially with Snape being indisposed. "Did Harry say what it was about?" How much did Bill know about Harry's situation?
"I think he wants you to check his magic."
"He told you...?" Poppy asked warily.
Bill nodded. "He said that he was hexed by You-know-who at the last Hogsmeade fight and how you were there for him when he needed you. How he lost his magic." The last was said in a whisper. Bill couldn't imagine many things worse than that.
Poppy's smile was grim. "By some chance of fate, I'd been reviewing obscure dark hexes from a book in the library at Grimmauld Place only days before. I was able to stabilise his core but I couldn't undo what had been done. Only the headmaster and probably Minerva are aware of what happened to Harry."
"It should stay that way," said Fleur. "Harry cannot be seen to be vulnerable. He has too many enemies."
"He did say it was urgent," Bill said. "It was Harry that found Snape."
"And Harry's linked to…" Poppy stopped and looked at the couple before her. She really had no choice where Harry was concerned and she wouldn't have it any other way."I'll go after I've done my rounds. As I said, I cannot leave the infirmary for any length of time during term. It will have to be a flying visit."
"Good. I think that's all he needs but it's for his own safety," murmured Bill. "He said that he owes you a lot."
Poppy grabbed another vial of what looked like Pepper-up and threw it into her bag. "Can you let Harry know that I'll be there as soon as I can?"
Bill looked at his watch. "Yes. I have to contact him in half an hour. We've set up a regular time."
The Weasleys left and Poppy began her preparation for the early evening round. There were a couple of children she'd dosed with Pepper-up earlier on that day and they were allowed to go to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Be back here first thing tomorrow morning after breakfast for a follow-up dose," she instructed.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," they chorused and disappeared as quickly as they could.
"Poppy!"
"Goodness, I'm popular today," she said dryly as Alastor Moody made his way into the infirmary.
"I wondered if I could have a word with Severus?" he asked. "Dumbledore seemed to think that he might be up to a chat."
"A chat only, Alastor," she warned. "Not an interrogation. He's not well enough for that."
"He's on the mend though?"
"Oh yes," she said. "He'll live."
"Well, then."
Poppy unlocked a cupboard on the wall and pulled out several vials of different coloured potions. Beckoning to Moody to follow her, she led the way to a far corner of the infirmary and pushed aside the screens. "Severus," she called quietly. "You have a visitor."
The Potions Professor opened his eyes and Moody stifled his gasp. The man looked worse than he'd ever seen him. His sallow skin seemed to be paper thin and stretched over his cheekbones, making the hooked nose more pronounced than ever. His eyes had lost their malevolent glitter and had sunk dully into his skull.
"I hear that you're feeling better," he said gruffly.
"I'm alive," said Snape coldly, his voice a thin rasp of sound rattling from his chest.
Poppy fussed around him, putting pillows behind his thin shoulders. "Drink," she said, pointing to the potions she wanted him to take.
"Do you want something to eat, Alastor?" she asked, conjuring a chair beside Snape's bed. "Severus must take some of these potions with food. You can make sure that he eats properly and I'll go to the Great Hall for dinner."
"Off you go, Poppy. Didn't Weasley and that French wife of his come visiting?"
"They did and it's wonderful news about the baby."
Snape groaned. "That family breeds faster than rabbits. In time, this school will be overrun by red- haired dunderheads."
"Severus," Poppy said admonishingly, hiding a smile. "This will be a first grandchild for Molly…" Poppy paused. Well, it was the first one that Molly would know about. "You must be on the mend," she said. "Your tongue's regaining its usual bite."
"Why Poppy, I didn't know you cared," snapped Severus. He felt very much out of his depth, stuck in bed without his usual black teaching garb to hide behind.
Poppy shook her head at him and whisked away to deal with his evening meal. Five minutes later, the two wizards were conversing desultorily over the house-elves offering.
"Pumpkin juice only, Severus," she said, switching goblets and smiled as he scowled. "But a nice try."
She decided to eat her own meal in her office before making an appearance in the Great Hall. Dumbledore was eating with the remaining members of the Order in his office. If she was going to go to Harry's it had to be now and it had to be quick. Walking to a deserted corridor without portraits, Poppy reached into her pocket and whispered. "Gillyweed."
xxxxx
Harry shut down the mirror and sighed as he replaced it in the drawer. "It never gets any easier," he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Ginny was playing with Jamie in the family room as Harry wandered through on his way to the kitchen. "You're not speaking to yourself again?"
"It's when I start answering my own questions that you should get worried, Ginny-love. Poppy should be arriving very soon," he said. "Dumbledore called an Order meeting tonight and informed them of the return of Tom and my alive-and-kicking status."
"They know?" Ginny appeared at the kitchen door, a sleepy Jamie perched on her hip.
"Snape wasn't as out of it as I thought he was. At first he thought that I was my father leading him into the afterlife." He grinned. "Now there's a pleasant thought. I can't see Snape just going with him. He'd be sniping insults all the way."
"That would be right." Ginny chuckled. "When did he realise that you weren't just a vision of loveliness?"
"Aw thanks, sweetheart. I'm glad you care." Harry grabbed the ingredients for tea and started chopping the onions.
"You could do that with magic, you know," she said.
"Too easy. I like to cook and part of me thinks that they will find us if I do too much. I know the Fidelius should shield us to an extent but we have powerful people searching for us on both sides."
"Chop away then," Ginny said. "But seriously, Harry, when did Snape decide you were Potter junior?"
"I called him 'Professor' and my eyes are green. My father's eyes were brown." He looked at her. "I wasn't going into work, so I was Harry not Gary."
Ginny's lips flickered into a brief smile before fading away. "You know what this means…"
Harry looked up and blinked. "Yes…uh…Ginny."
"What?"
"There's an owl at our window."
"What!"
"There's an owl at our window. A white…owl. Hedwig," he breathed, the expression on his face completely full of wonder. The knife clattered onto the chopping board. "Ginny, it's Hedwig."
Her brown eyes widened as her husband dashed out the back door and returned with the bird on his arm. Jamie's eyes were like saucers. He'd never seen an owl before and nothing like the one that was hooting softly into his father's ear.
"Birdy," he said.
"Yes," said Ginny, tears in her eyes at the awestruck expression on Harry's face. She knew that he'd desperately missed his owl. Hedwig had been his first true friend in the wizarding world.
"She found me," he said, tears shimmering in his green eyes.
"Jamie, this is Hedwig." Ginny brought the fascinated child close to the bird.
"Birdy," he said again. "Daddy's birdy."
Harry smiled happily. "You got it, son."
Ginny quickly transfigured a stool into a perch for the owl and poured water into a dish as her husband could only sit and croon words into the bird's soft white feathers.
A sound like a soft chime rang through the house. "Someone has breached the wards but it's a welcome guest," Harry murmured.
"Poppy?"
"Probably."
"Okay, Jamie, you're going to meet your Auntie Poppy," Ginny said to her son, smoothing his hair to no effect with her fingers. "She's going to be very pleased to see you. You're a bit bigger than the last time she was here."
"Auntie Poppy," said Jamie looking extremely pleased with himself. "Big."
Harry placed Hedwig on the conjured perch where she took a drink of water and began to preen herself. "I'll go and meet her." He moved through the house and opened the front door.
"Harry!"
"Poppy!" Harry embraced the mediwitch. "Come inside. Everyone's waiting to see you."
"I can't stay long," Poppy muttered anxiously. "There's a budding outbreak of wizard's flu amongst the first year Hufflepuffs and I've got Severus in the infirmary…"
Harry ushered her into the house. "How is he?"
"He'll survive. I take it that it was you who found him?"
Harry nodded. "Luck or fate made me the wizard who, er...stood on him."
"You stood on him!" Poppy's mouth dropped open in horror.
"You didn't have to heal footprints on his torso?" asked Harry with a wicked gleam in his eye. "He was under an invisibility cloak. I didn't know he was there until I stood on the poor blighter." Harry looked a bit self-conscious.
Poppy shook her head at the boy and enfolded Ginny in her arms. "Where's this baby of yours?"
"Not a baby," said a voice clearly. "Big."
Poppy knelt before the little dark-haired child and looked up at Ginny in amusement. "Where did the Weasley genes go? He's a complete Potter if I ever saw one."
"Temperament," said Harry with a wink at his wife. "Actually, he has Ginny's smile and sometimes if you look at the curve of his face you can see her contribution there."
"Harry James Potter!" Ginny cried, affronted. "I'll give you 'contribution'. You try being pregnant next time."
Harry gave his wife a kiss. "I love you."
"I know you do. Jamie looked like you at birth and nothing has changed. His eyes weren't as green then - they were more a sort of cloudy blue. That didn't last long."
Poppy held out her arms to the toddler. "Are you going to give Auntie Poppy a kiss?"
Jamie looked at the woman and smiled. "Yes." He puckered up and bestowed on Poppy a sloppy kiss.
"You're honoured," Ginny said admiringly. "He wouldn't go near Caroline or Helen at the nursery yesterday."
"Muggle friends of Ginny's," Harry supplied.
"Currently all my friends are Muggles," Ginny retorted. "And they're lovely girls. I wish I could tell them who I really am but I know I can't."
"I'm used to children." Poppy checked the watch pinned to the front of her apron and sighed. "I'm sorry to be so hurried but…"
"You've got Snape in the infirmary and you don't trust him to try and leave." He grinned cheekily at her. "I would bet that he hates being confined to bed almost as much as I do."
Poppy humphed irritably. "Do none of my patients want to regain their health quickly?"
"I wouldn't be here without you, Poppy. Never think that I don't appreciate what you've done for me," Harry declared. "I want you to test my magic, please." He grinned excitedly. "I think it's back at full strength and um...Ginny's pregnant again."
"Again!" Poppy's eyebrows went up to her hairline.
Ginny drew herself up. "We didn't want Jamie to be an only child but I'm not going for my mother's record, thank you very much. This isn't an accident. Jamie's eighteen months old and will be two when the baby is born."
"She's decided that we're having another boy," Harry said with a contented look on his face. "We didn't know how much time we had before the war restarted and we refused to sit and wait while life passed us by. We've let our lives be run by Tom Riddle and his masked pals for far too long."
Poppy smiled "I'm glad you've finally spoken to your family, Ginny, and it's wonderful news about the new baby. Jamie will love having a brother...or a sister."
"Just Bill and the Twins," she said. "We're going for either my mother or Remus and Tonks next..."
"Ron and Hermione?" queried Poppy. "You really hurt them, you two. Ron is still bitter about it. You could be a Death Eater yourself for all he knows."
"I know we hurt them. If there had been any other way…" Harry ran his hand over Jamie's head. "The Malfoys are still out there. Percy will want his revenge no matter how petty. We made him look foolish." He lifted his head. "My family come first."
Poppy nodded. "Come on then, let's test your magic." She held out her wand and began to flick it in the complicated movements Harry remembered.
The tube appeared and Jamie oohed at the sight. The colours began to swirl faster and faster until they came together. They shifted and swirled, almost incandescent in their brightness. Ginny picked up Jamie and turned his head away as the colours became almost painful to look at.
"See!" shouted Jamie, swirling in Ginny's arms. "Want see."
Poppy let the tube vanish and there was silence in the kitchen. "I've never seen anything like that before," she said softly.
"It was bright, Harry. So bright," marvelled Ginny. She put Jamie down and he clung to his father's trouser leg.
"Is it back then?" he asked.
Poppy gave him an 'are you serious' look. "Yes, of course it's back, you silly boy. In fact the improvement is almost unbelievable. This shouldn't have happened, Harry - not this quickly. But then, you've never performed to the accepted levels."
"He's not like other wizards, is our Boy-who-lived-to-defeat-all the-odds."
"Ginnyyyy!" mumbled Harry blushing, ducking his face.
"Right, Mrs Potter, let's check on you." Poppy was wielding her wand around Ginny's abdomen. "You are pregnant, right enough, Ginny." She smiled at the young couple. "June, I would think."
"I knew I was pregnant. I just wanted you to confirm it," Ginny said with a wry smile. "Some witches take forever to get pregnant. Maybe I do take after my mother."
"In all the ways that count," said Poppy. "Molly loves all her children the same whether she'd had one or twenty and she misses you."
Ginny looked down. "I know, Poppy," she whispered. "I miss her more than I can say."
"Mum…mum…mum…" Jamie lifted his hand and a toy zoomed in from the other side of the room.
"Well, I never!" exclaimed Poppy.
"It's random," said Harry. "He does it one minute and then there's nothing for weeks."
"Yes, but to show accidental magic like that at his age – he's not yet two." Poppy laughed. "A true combination of Potter and Weasley."
"No one knows about him, Poppy?" Ginny asked apprehensively.
Poppy smiled reassuringly. "I never told a soul. You didn't tell Bill?"
"I wanted to but I couldn't. Not until Mum knows. It wouldn't be fair."
"Well I can give you some news about Bill. He's just announced to the Order that Fleur's pregnant. He would love to know that his child has a cousin."
Ginny and Harry shared a smile. "We'll tell him soon."
"I'd better get back, Harry. But I would start using your magic regularly just to stabilise it. We'd love you to visit."
"It will be soon, I promise." He shrugged lightly. "With Voldemort on the rise once more I'll have to come home. I have no choice."
They shared a slightly desperate hug before Poppy dug into her pocket for the galleon. "Hogwarts infirmary," she announced and was gone.
Jamie stared at the space where Poppy had once stood in complete bewilderment. The lady had been there a minute ago and now she was gone. "Auntie Poppy," he wailed suddenly.
"She'll be back soon," said Harry.
"There's the phone," muttered Ginny as she bent to comfort Jamie.
"I'll get it," said Harry. "It's probably one of those stupid marketing calls. We should really go on that list that stops people from ringing you."
He grabbed the handset. "Hello?"
"Gary, my boy."
"Excuse me?" Harry checked his watch but it wasn't yet the time that Bill had said he would call. Then his common sense reasserted itself and he recognised the voices. "Fred…George?"
"Our esteemed partner," said the voice rather loudly.
Harry had to admit to himself that he found it difficult to tell them apart when he was next to them. He had no hope on the other end of a telephone. "Mr. Weasley, I presume?" he said.
"Gred here, Gary, old chap. We borrowed Hermione's phone for experimentation and it works."
"You did ask her if you could use it, didn't you?"
"She gave it to us with her blessing," said Fred. "She may not be so happy when we return it but she did say that she was planning to get a new one."
"Where are you phoning from?" Harry asked
"Dad's shed at The Burrow. He did a lot more serious experimenting with Muggle technology than we thought and his notes are most illuminating." Fred's voice became more serious. "Our father was a brilliant man; he just never got the credit for it."
"I agree." Harry fought the lump in his throat as he thought about Arthur. He shook his head and then paused. "Are you sure that Hermione really let you use it? It doesn't sound like her."
Fred chuckled. "Oh ye of little faith. Of course she did. I think she has planned to purchase a new one. It could be useful in the war effort."
"It could if you could get it to work in a highly magical environment." Harry's mind pondered the possibilities for a moment. If anyone could get it to work Fred and George could. "Say hello to your sister." He passed the phone to Ginny.
"Boys?" Ginny said with trepidation. "I can't believe she actually let you borrow her phone."
"She did. "George had taken over the phone from Fred. "We can see why ours didn't work very well. Did you know that we tried to make one once."
"Oh." Ginny could well believe it. "What's this about Bill and Fleur?"
"We are to be uncles," said George with satisfaction. Ginny wanted to shout that they were already uncles.
"Tell them 'congratulations'. It's a wonderful feeling."
"What did you say?" Fred exclaimed.
Ginny froze. "I said that I'm sure it must be a wonderful feeling."
"They're delighted. The mission to repopulate the world with Weasleys has begun," said George.
"Harry and I would like you to bring Mum here at the weekend. We've discussed it." She caught Harry's eye and he gave her a supportive thumbs-up.
"Did Harry see Poppy?" asked George. "According to Bill, he and Fleur spoke to her."
Ginny's smile lit up her whole face but, of course, George couldn't see that. "He did," she said.
"Everything's good?"
"Better than good. His magic's in good shape."
"I'll speak to the boys about Mum," said George. "It would make her so happy and would calm down the baby knitting frenzy she's embarked upon."
"Thanks. Saturday morning would be perfect." Ginny put down the handset and looked towards Harry. "It's time to announce our return to friends and family."
"That's what we're doing, Ginny-love, however we need to find out what the enemy is up to first."
"Mum will tell us."
"She's loyal to Dumbledore," said Harry mulishly. "And she thinks that we're children."
"Not now. We're of age, we're married and we have Jamie. She'll want to protect Jamie. I think that will make her tell us anything she knows." She looked up at her husband. "Dumbledore's not truly the enemy, Harry. I know he didn't treat either of us right but we're fighting Voldemort not one another."
"I know, sweetheart, but he still makes me feel so...angry." Harry enfolded her in his arms.
"Me too." Ginny leaned against him with a thankful little sigh. "We need to be seen to be back. Our enemies can't find us here. Maybe, we should rub their noses in it a little."
"And how do you suggest we do that, wife of mine?"
Ginny's smile was full of mischief. "Let me think on it."
xxxxxx
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