SORCERS APPREHENSION NEW Chapter 36, a harry potter fanfic

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Apprehension by lostintransit
Chapter 36 : Who and Where We Are Now.

Rating: Mature

Chapter Reviews: 2

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02/11/97

Caught off guard, Harry looked at Ginny, then Ron and Hermione. "Eh! Where to start … there are many things I can only guess at …" Harry stopped and thought for a minute "When I banished Voldemort from Madam Pince's mind I hurt him, physically. At the time I thought he should feel a little of the pain he's been doling out to us all these years. But after it was over, I realised that I may have caused him to revert to the form he had during my first year. If that's happened, he'll go underground again, until he can regain his body once more."

"How could you hurt him physically, Potter? He was only a mental projection." Moody asked.

"Even a mental projection requires a link. Magic travels that link and it can travel both ways, I sent my magic to him just as he was sending his to Madam Pince. That was why I almost passed out. It took a real effort to hijack Voldemorts link." Harry explained as he turned to look at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, "I have the power to defeat Voldemort. But to do so I must complete the task given to me by you Headmaster." Harry wiped his eyes clear, before speaking again, "Albus, the task you set me, I've destroyed one and acquired another, I think it's time to include the Order in the hunt."

"Very well Harry, but I suggest that you divulge the minimum amount of information and only after an unbreakable vow has been made. The knowledge of these objects does not need to be brought back into the world." Dumbledore replied.

Harry hesitated as he looked around the room at those present, "Harry everyone here is a sworn member of the Order …" the Headmistress began, Harry instantly looked at Percy.

"Yes Harry, I took Giner... Lady Potter's advice and stopped acting like a Gryffindor. Minerva inducted me into the Order this morning." Percy said.

"… can you update us on what you suspect is going on with the magic at Hogwarts, the devices you recovered from ... well from you know where and anything else you feel we should know." The Headmistress concluded.

"Minerva," Arthur said, "perhaps Kingsley should be here for this."

"Yes of course, Arthur." The Headmistress agreed. Opening a drawer in the side of her desk, she withdrew a small mirror. Holding it up before her face she spoke into it "Kingsley?". Moments later a thin reedy facsimile of Kingsley's voice issued from the mirror, "Minerva, what is it, what's happened?"

"Kingsley, we are having an Order meeting in my office, now. Can you get away? It's important." She asked.

"Give me five minutes and I'll be there, can you open the floo ... no, on second thoughts that's traceable. I could apparate, but it would take at least a dozen jumps to shake off any ..." Kingsley mused out loud.

"Kingsley," Harry spoke up.

"Harry?" he replied.

"Yeah, it's me. If you sit in your chair in your office, I can bring you here without anyone noticing. Just make sure you're alone. Its 12:43 now, be ready at 12:50 ok?" Harry said.

"How? Are you sure Harry?" Kingsley asked apprehensively.

"Yeah Kingsley, it'll be ok, trust me." Harry said.

"Ok Harry, let me go make sure I'm not going to be disturbed." Kingsley said and the mirror went blank.

"Gin, do you mind if I get up?" Harry asked, "I think better when I can walk about." Ginny got up and Harry walked over to the fireplace, pacing in front of it, before beginning to speak, "Anyone who doesn't want to hear what I have to say should leave now. If you do want to stay, then you must be willing to do what I say. I'm sorry Minerva, Arthur … everyone, but I'm not willing to entrust what I know, what I suspect, to anyone-else's control, these are my terms."

Nobody moved or said anything for a few minutes. Then the Headmistress said "Can everyone stand up please." All present complied and she banished all the armchairs and replaced them with rows of benches. "We need the room." She said coming out from behind her desk and taking a seat on the front row bench. Harry stared dumbfounded, "Minerva I don't … that's not my place …" Harry stammered at the implication of the Headmistress giving up her seat.

"Professor Potter, you know why that is untrue, you've sat there before. Now, this is your show, please." She indicated he should take his place behind the Head's desk. "Kingsley should be ready, Harry."

Harry walked over to the Headmistress and placed his hand on top of hers, folded in her lap, and gently squeezed his thanks for her support. A brief nod was her reply before Harry removed his hand and placed it palm down on the bench beside her, concentrating he stood back and closed his eyes … without a sound Kingsley appeared sitting beside the Headmistress. "Hi Kingsley." Harry said in welcome. "How in Merlin's name did you do that, Harry?" Kingsley asked.

Harry walked around the Headmistresses desk and sat down "That's part of what we're here to discuss Kingsley." Harry waved his hand and blocked all the other Head's portraits except for Dumbledore. "But first everyone needs to make the following unbreakable vow; I will not divulge or speak of anything imparted to me here today, intentionally or accidentally, to anyone not here, without the permission of Harry James Potter."

"Harry I'm not taking a vow like that unless you tell me what's going on." Kingsley stated, "Arthur's running the Order now and I'm running the Ministry or at least I'm trying to and the last time I looked," he turned to glance at Professor McGonagall sitting beside him on the bench, "Minerva was running this school. Why are you trying to take charge, all of a sudden?" Kingsley asked suspiciously.

"I'm not trying to take charge Kingsley … the things I know … suspect … I can't entrust to anyone else." Harry answered vaguely, as Ginny got up and moved to sit beside him on the arm of the Headmistresses chair.

Harry put his arm around Ginny's waist as she snuggled into him. "Couldn't feel you properly from over there." She whispered in his ear. Smiling he kissed her hand.

"Dad, do you trust me?" Harry asked Arthur Weasley.

"Yes son, absolutely." Arthur replied knowing that Harry had acquired great knowledge.

"Minerva, you offered me the chance to teach here at Hogwarts, why?" Harry asked the Headmistress.

"Because there was nothing left for us to teach you Harry, especially not now, with all that's happened." The Headmistress replied vaguely.

"Kingsley, if I'd wanted to be Interim Minister for Magic, do you think I could have swayed the vote in my favour rather than against?" Harry asked.

Kingsley thought about this for a moment before answering "I think you could have, but you're young Harry, there are more capable and more experienced people to run things. You are powerful Harry but power needs to be tempered with experience."

"Kingsley, I've more experience than you could possibly know." Harry sighed, low enough that only those near him really heard.

"Harry I want you to do something for me." The Headmistress requested.

"Anything Minerva." Harry agreed immediately.

Holding up a piece of parchment, she said, "Transfigure this into a diamond for me."

Harry didn't even draw his wand; reaching from where he was happily embraced by Ginny he touched the corner of the parchment the Headmistress held and with a subdued flash, a diamond dropped to tinkle on the Headmistresses mahogany desk.

Ignoring the gasps and rapidly indrawn breaths of those about them, the headmistress continued "Can you summon a vial of the potion you made for Professor Lupin, please Harry?"

Holding out his hand as if plucking the vial from mid-air, Harry handed her a vial of iridescent blue potion, giving off a faint mist or smoke. The Headmistress handed it to Professor Slughorn. "Horace, Remus could you tell us what this is and verify its quality?" she said.

"Feldspar!" the Headmistress called. Immediately the Gargoyle that normally guarded the staircase to the Head's office stepped out of the wall behind Harry, like someone stepping through a waterfall. He was alert and ready to defend the Headmistress. In a voice like two stones being ground together he said, "What trouble, Headmistress?"

"Harry Potter has threatened me … kill him." The Headmistress said.

Harry, too shocked to respond, sat gaping at the Headmistress. Feldspar on the other hand looked between the Headmistress and Harry before speaking, "Headmistress, I will not attack the essence of this school, it would be easier for me to destroy myself. Forgive me." And with that Feldspar walked back into the wall, leaving a shocked and speechless group of wizards and witches all staring at the Headmistress and Harry.

Molly Weasley was the first to find her voice "Headmistress, what is the meaning of all this." She said outraged "How dare you try and have that stone horror attack my son!"

"Molly," the Headmistress said, placatingly holding up her hand palm out, to stem Molly's tirade, "Feldspar refused to attack Harry, do you see? He refused a direct order from the Head of Hogwarts." She stopped to let that sink in with those present. "Remus, Horace, what is that potion that Harry has summoned and of what quality?"

"Headmistress, this is the Wolfsbane potion." Professor Slughorn confirmed.

"And is it brewed properly Horace?" the Headmistress enquired.

"Headmistress, this is perhaps, the most, subtle ... delicate, adaptation of a potion, I have ever had the pleasure to behold. The standard potion is very difficult to brew, as you know, but this ..." he shook his head in disbelief "... cardamom pods added to further reduce the anger; puff adder scales to lessen the pain of bone reconstitution and something else I can't quite identify, to help the imbiber to keep a clear head and the faculty of speech. It's ... amazing ... I feel its I who should be looking for instruction from you Harry." Professor Slughorn concluded.

"Thorny Olive or Silverthorn." Harry mumbled, his cheeks glowing an embarrassed red.

"I'm no potions master Minerva, but this is most definitely a fine example of the Wolfsbane potion. I've taken it enough times to qualify that much." Remus replied.

"Professor Dumbledore, as both a renowned alchemist and my mentor in Transfiguration, would you care to comment on Harry's efforts?" Minerva asked.

"Harry although I cannot sample your potion, I would stand with Horace and Remus in saying that, that is an exceptional piece of alchemy; the Silverthorn was a particularly nice touch. Silverthorn's a very underused ingredient these days. Your transfiguration on the other hand is, well ... impossible. The elements needed to create a gem stone are just not present in sufficient quantity in parchment. I certainly could not have done what you did with that piece of parchment and even if I could, I certainly could not have done it with such ease." Professor Dumbledore confirmed.

"… used the coal from the fire …" Harry mumbled again, looking even more embarrassed by the praise.

"Feldspar is another matter." Dumbledore continued, "In all my years associated with this school, he has never before refused to defend the Headmaster or mistress. His whole purpose is the preservation of the personification of Hogwarts. Minerva, I think you realise, as well as I, that Hogwarts has accepted Harry as its champion."

"Kingsley, this is why Harry is a Professor here, his knowledge far exceeds his seventeen years. I think if you take the vow and hear what Harry has to say, you will see why Arthur and I have so much faith in him." The Headmistress said.

"Kingsley, I never went looking for any of this." Harry said quietly "Until I was eleven years old, I was nobody. I slept in a closet, waited hand and foot on a family that despised me, never receiving or feeling I deserved any positive attention, only abuse and deprivation. The last six years, Voldemort has tried to kill me again and again … I've lost those I cared for again and again … " Harry stopped as Ginny sat in his lap and hugged him close. Leaning back, she removed his glasses, kissing away the budding tears from his eyes.

Harry continued, "… but I've got friends now, family, and the love they bring." Harry looked up more tears unshed but brimming in his eyes. Ginny just held him tighter as he continued, "And now I've got Ginny … Kingsley, if I could leave here now and live the rest of my life with Ginny, in peace, I would." He kissed his wife before turning back to his audience, his eyes, pale white and glowing, his voice stronger and commanding, "Tom Riddle will not let me do that. He has to be stopped and I'm the only one who can stop him. I need us to work together, I need to make sure that I get Tom."

Nobody spoke but all eyes remained fixed on Harry as he paused to gain control of his emotions lowering his head to Ginny's and closing his eyes, when he looked back at Kingsley his eyes were once again emerald green, "So when I say, I need you all to take this vow, can you believe it's out of need and not the desire for power?" Harry asked the Interim Minister.

"Yes Harry, if you wanted power you could take it far more easily than Voldemort ever could, even after all his years of terror." Kingsley replied.

"Will you make the vow Kingsley?"

"Yes Harry I will." And so saying everyone in the room withdrew their wands and made the vow, all except Ginny, who sat in her wedding dress holding her husband tightly.

"OK Harry, where has all your power come from and why didn't Ginny make the vow?" Kingsley asked, eyeing Ginny's wedding attire.

Harry secured the room with a mumbled incantation and looked at them all for a moment before he answered. "As you are all aware my animagus form is a dragon. That's not entirely true, I'm not an animagus, I am …" he looked affectionately at Ginny "… Ginny and I are … Elder Dragons."

Most of the room's inhabitants gasped, looking worriedly at each other, others just looked confused, "I thought tha was what ya turned into on the Quidditch pitch, Harry … tha's why I asked Minerva to change your registration photograph. But I didn't want to believe it; but you're sayin' its true?" Hagrid asked, in a sad, disbelieving little voice.

"Harry the Elder Dragons were exterminated along with anyone who supported them. They were a worse evil than Voldemort, they were Sorcerers, practisers of the Forbidden." Hermione said "You two can't be …"

Denise and Nehir left Fred and George's side and flanked Harry and Ginny's chair, "That is not the truth Hermione. You must forget these lies and listen to the Royal Ones." Denise stated. Harry looked at her funny.

"Ms. Granger, Hagrid calm yourselves. The Elder Dragons were not evil; their magic is no darker than your own, let Harry explain." Dumbledore insisted.

"Royal Ones?" Hermione asked Denise.

Denise looked at Harry, mortified "Roya … Harry I'm sorry … I …"

"OK let's start from the top. If anyone has any questions just stop me and I'll try and answer them." Harry took a deep breath and continued "The Su-Sihirbaz are not mermaids as we know them, half man half fish … they are half man half Elder Dragon. They are our link to white magic; our link to the Elder Dragons. The Merpeople have taken human spouses for millennia and most have lived among us, as we do not fair as well in their world as they do in ours. They gave us our magic; all white magic originates with the Elder Dragons. Wizardkind tried to eliminate its very own magical progenitors out of envy and ambition. The Su-Sihirbaz see the Elder dragons as royalty. I've tried to explain to Denise and Nehir that I'm just Harry, but old habits die hard."

"Nehir, Denise, you two are mermaids!" Molly gasped.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley, we are Su-Sihirbaz, we are half human, half dragon." Nehir replied, downcast, "You must believe me … us … we did not trick your sons …"

Mrs. Weasley slowly got up from her seat and walked over to Nehir "Nehir Potter, I would welcome you as part of my family no matter what you were. Do you think I care that you're not the same as me? Bill's part werewolf, Fleur's part vela, Ron's part vampire, Ginny's a dragon and it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference, we're all family." Molly gave Nehir and then Denise a hug before being replaced by Fred and George.

"Our magic, the Forbidden is no more evil than a reductor curse or a slicing hex. How many people here thought me transfiguring this diamond, was evil?" Harry said holding up the small gem to show them all, "That was Forbidden magic, so was bringing Kingsley here, is it evil?" he threw the gem to Ron who caught it in surprise.

"My wandless magic never struck any of you as unusual?" Dumbledore asked from his portrait on the wall, "Harry's Grandmother, many times removed, taught me that. Taught me a little of the Forbidden out of friendship."

"As to Ginny not taking the vow Kingsley, she didn't take it because she's my wife and we are core paired, we are one and the same person." Harry explained before continuing. "We are magic … how can I make you understand? There are dark magics that pervert and steal from others to achieve their ends; that violate the laws of nature and creation, they are demonic or so far from our ideas of good that they can only be described as evil. The Killing curse, takes the soul, the life force of its victim; there is no good use for such magic. Magics that twist and maim, that cause nothing but pain and suffering are evil, only good or nourishing to those of a demonic nature." He glanced almost imperceptibly at Ron "We are not demonic we are if anything the opposite. The Elder hid rather than fight their persecutors, their own grandchildren; they did this even when they had the upper-hand.

"Harry lets say for the moment we suspend our disbelief?" the Headmistress suggested. Harry bowed his head in acceptance. "What can you tell us about the devices you and Ginny recovered when you restored the magic to the seventh floor?"

With a flick of his wand he brought the two magic stealing devices from his room to appear on the desk before him. Looking at Kingsley he began "As you and Ron were the only two to get a look at the device at Iona, you should have a look at these, but please … DO NOT … touch them."

Kingsley stood to look at the devices now sitting on the Headmistresses desk, "Where did you get these Harry?" he asked, looking at the hybrid devices from every angle he could, without touching them.

Ron made his way over to the desk and looked at the devices, "They look like the device at Iona, as far as I can remember, anyway. What are they Harry?" he asked.

"These are the reason, the seventh floor was without magic for the last few days. They are magic storage devices, that blue crystal is solidified magic" Harry replied, stowing his wand inside his robes, "and until I was able to shut them down, they were aware and hostile … malevolent even."

"You mean possessed or spirit bound?" Kingsley asked.

"No Kingsley, they were … are, alive; they have a soul and a rudimentary mind or consciousness." Harry replied. Ron reached for one of the devices. A dark presence seemed to emanate from the device as his hand neared it. A guttural, brutal voice reverberated discordantly from the device causing Ron to stumble, his face contorted in rage as he answered in the same language. He rose to his full height and dominated the presence emanating from the device with his own, his body radiating waves of darkness all focused on the device sitting on the desk.

Reacting on instinct Harry began to transform into his true form. Realising at the last minute where he was he reached out instead and placed the palm of his hands on the nape of Deniz and Nehir's necks. In the blink of an eye the twin mermaids were gone, replaced by twin dragons, eight foot high replica's of Harry's true form; they hissed a warning at Ron and the device emanating dark magic as they sent random pieces of furniture in all directions to make room for their increased bulk. Ron backed away from the device and the dark magic receded as Fred and George regained their feet from where they'd also been pushed aside by their girlfriends' transformation.

In the space of seconds every wand was out pointed at various targets, some switching from target to target unsure who or what posed the greater threat. Before any spells could be cast Harry's voice rang out "STOP!" was all he said and held his hand out. Every wand in the room flew to his outstretched hand before he continued his eyes ablaze with power. "Ron, control that side of your magic."

Ron resisted the urge to attack the device on the desk as Nehir and Deniz growled in warning at his hesitation to obey Harry. "That must be destroyed." He squeezed out passed his rage. The rest of the room gaped at Harry, flanked by two dragons his eyes blazing white and his hand hovering over a pile of wands scattered on the Headmistresses desk.

"Do you trust me Ron? Are you with us still? Or will you allow the shadows to claim you?" Harry asked in a whisper. Ron looked at the fear on Hermione's face before he turned away without answering and sat as far from the device as he could, his head in his hands.

Harry placed his hands once again on the dragons beside him and Nehir and Deniz returned to their human shape. With a clap of his hands, Harry restored the furniture to its proper state and place before he continued gently, "Ron do you want to explain what just happened? Why you reacted as you did to these devices?"

Ron sat tense with rage as he began to answer, "That …" he spat pointing at the devices on the desk, "… needs to be destroyed. It is not possessed as you understand it Kingsley it has a lesser demon residing within it. Inside that metal piping is the demonic plane. Those runes etched onto its pipes are the contract. It's alive and aware and needs to be destroyed."

"And the language you spoke to it?" Harry asked.

"I don't know if it they have a name for it, it's their language Deamhanta. I am part demon, incubus and vampire that is why it reacted to me. It challenged me."
Hermione got up and examined the device "I don't recognise these runes." She said to no-one in particular.

"I'd be surprised if you did Ms. Granger." Professor Dumbledore replied from his place on the wall, "That is Gobbledegook and ancient Gobbledegook from what I can see from here."

"Yes Headmaster that metal work is goblin wrought, as was this and many more like them." Harry said summoning the Dementor's Teat he'd taken from Godric's Hollow. "Alastor, perhaps you can explain what this is." Harry said holding up the Teat.

As Moody explained what the Teat was and why it was outlawed. Harry tried to sort out what to tell everyone about the Horcruxes. "So, the Goblins discovered how to bind souls centuries ago. Does anyone here know what a Horcrux is?" seeing some heads shake Harry continued, "A Horcrux is a vessel, in which a wizard can store part of their soul. If the wizard's body is destroyed instead of passing from this world, the part of the wizard's soul that had lived within his or her body would remain in a semi-alive form, until it could regain a body."

"That's how V-V-Voldemort returned! The Tri-wizard tournament … Merlin preserve us." McGonagall gasped.

"Yes." Harry replied.

"You said to Albus that you destroyed one and found another do you mean that 'He Who Must Not be Named' split his soul twice, he's lost most of his soul already. Surely he hasn't made another Horcrux." Kingsley enquired.

"Tom Riddle made six Horcruxes seventeen years ago splitting his soul into seven parts. Before his own killing curse ripped the remains of his soul from his body but it didn't pass on. It remained here anchored by his horcruxes. Professor Dumbledore and now I, have been tracking them down and destroying them. He cannot die until all of them are destroyed."

"How did he make them, Harry?" Seamus asked.

"That is something I'm not willing to discuss. Let's just say to create a Horcrux, you must want to split your soul and you must have a suitable vessel. Ragnuk, the greatest Goblin metal smith knew this, he created this sword." Harry said holding out his hand where the sword of Gryffindor appeared. "Goblin metal smiths bind their souls to such items and then reclaim them after their souls have gorged on the magic of their users. This way they extend their lives. I believe that Voldemort may have learned much from the Goblin metal smiths, but their metal smiths guard their secrets even closer than their gold. His first attempt at a Horcrux he made while attending this very school, a diary in which he bound part of his soul."

Mrs. Weasley's hand went to her mouth "Oh no Harry, not the diary that almost killed my baby!" she gasped.

"Yeah Mum, but it was flawed, it bound his soul, but to release it he needed the soul of someone else and their body." Harry choked.

"He didn't get me love, because of you." Ginny said softly, kissing the fledgling tears from his eyes.

Taking a moment to get himself under control, he continued, "Then Tom used the Peverell signet ring to make his next Horcrux, accompanied by the murder of his Father, step-mother and Uncle in the process. Again I'm guessing, but I'd say he used the ring as the symbol of his magical ancestry." Harry explained, "But it too was flawed, needing someone to wear it before the soul contained could be released."

"Yes Harry, I believe you're correct, as I found out to my left hands detriment." Dumbledore's portrait confirmed, "But he was closer to his actual goal. If a weaker wizard had worn that ring, I believe that Tom could have taken possession of their body."

Harry nodded "Possibly but he would only gain one more attempt at life ... however, you destroyed it Headmaster and that left four. Tom then found a solution to his Horcrux problem, Goblin wrought metalwork, like that Dementors Teat. His inspiration, the Founders and the magical items they left behind, magical items that were Goblin wrought, then altered by the Founders. His first acquisition was Helga Hufflepuffs cup …" Harry summoned the cup from his trunk to appear in his hand "… murdering Hepzibah Smith to acquire it. After that Tom disappeared but we know he found Salazar Slytherin's Locket, as it was destroyed by the very Dementor I took that Teat off. I also believe he acquired something of Ravenclaw's, possibly my ... I mean her diadem. Tom also made Nagini a kind of Horcrux, they shared their souls, she took part of Tom's and he part of hers, almost in mockery of a true pairing. A marriage made in hell, consummated with shared rage. Once I can find and destroy the Ravenclaw Horcrux and destroy this cup, I can destroy Nagini and then Tom, but not until then." Harry said, placing Helga Hufflepuff's cup gently on the Headmistresses desk.

"I don't understand Harry." Hermione enquired, "How are the Founders items the solution to his Horcrux problem?"

"Two reasons Hermione; one they are already possessed of a soul, a soul that has gorged itself on magic, that of the Goblin who created them. Two they were altered by the founders using astral transmutation, they were made aware, aware enough to act, aware enough to be independent. For want of a better way of putting it they are alive and inanimate at the same time. They are perpetual and they would give Tom Riddle the opportunity to possess whoever used them and still allow him to claim true immortality … as each host died Tom would remain within his Horcrux … alive … ready to claim the next wizard or witch to use the Founders item. " Harry explained. "True immortality."

"So what do we do now?" Arthur Weasley asked in a strained voice, "How did you destroy these horcruxes?"

"I stabbed the diary with the basilisks fang before it could take complete control of Ginny." Harry said, before receiving a deep kiss from his wife.

"I placed the ring on my finger before stabbing it with the sword of Gryffindor. To less than satisfactory results, as Tom's protections almost took my life." Dumbledore added.

" ... and a Dementor devoured the soul fragments in Slytherin's locket. Loosing it's own life ... if that's what you want to call it ... in the process." Harry concluded after surfacing from his wife's ministrations.

"Can I see the cup Harry?" asked Ron, unsure how Harry would react.

Harry picked up the cup and tossed it to Ron. Ron caught it and dropped it just as quick as a flash of magic knocked him off his bench. Quicker than anyone could see Ron was up and moving towards the cup, using the sleeve of his robes he picked it up with his left hand and looked around sheepishly at his audience. Placing it back carefully on the Headmistresses desk Ron looked at Harry and Ginny, "OK that didn't go well!" he said in a pained voice.

"What happened?" Harry asked his best mate with concern.

"I don't think Tom Riddle trusts my kind very much." Ron replied

"Are you alright Ron?" Ginny replied as Hermione rushed to Ron's aid.

"I'm fine Gin." Ron assured her wincing as Madam Pomfrey appeared by his side.

"I'll be the judge of that Mr. Weasley." She said, grasping his hand which he had cradled to his chest. Molly held Arthur's hand and looked on with some trepidation. When Ron's hand was removed from his chest everyone could see the extent of his injuries. Every inch of exposed skin was red raw and blistered.

"You need to come with me Mr. Weasley." The Matron said, "This is severe curse damage and will take some effort to put right. I'm afraid there will undoubtedly be some scarring."

"Madam Pomfrey," Ron said stopping the Matron in her tracks and removing his injured hand from her care, "there really is no need to trouble yourself." Ron placed his injured hand back inside his robes.

"Nonsense Mr. Weasley that hand needs to be tended." She said taking his arm again and carefully removing his hand from inside his robes and glancing down at it. "What ... how is that possible?" she gasped.

Harry looked at Ron's hand, it was perfectly whole and unblemished. Ron looked up at Harry and sighed "It was a cursed wound, black magic against black magic ... useless." Ron explained.

"I don't understand Mr. Weasley ..." Madam Pomfrey began

"It's like Harry said dark magic is demonic in nature, so am I ..." Ron began before Hermione cut him off.

"No you are not Ronald Weasley! You might have access to dark magic but you are not evil." She said, as she carefully examined his hand.

"Ok love let's just say I can handle some dark magic." Ron conceded, then whispered to Harry. "I think I can take Voldemort's protection off the cup, Harry. If I can ..." Ron left the rest unsaid.

Harry nodded before turning back to address everyone else "Minerva still runs the school, Arthur you still head the Order and Kingsley you still head the Ministry all I need is for you to keep me in the loop and believe me when I say something needs to be done. Can you all do that?" Harry asked.

"That depends Harry, the ministry cannot break its own laws. If you want something done it would have to be legal." Kingsley insisted.

"If it's not, I'll ask the ministry not to be there, for make no mistake Kingsley, I will do anything to make sure Tom Riddle is removed and that those I love stay safe." Harry replied with cold fury.

"That almost sounds like a threat Harry; your way or else." Kingsley suggested.

"Can you trust everyone at the ministry as you should those here Kingsley? Were the best efforts of Fudge, Umbridge even Scrimgeour and many more like them aimed at stopping Voldemort or at ensuring their own continued power by any means possible? Even if that meant torturing students and fraternising with suspected Death Eaters." Harry asked a subdued Minister. "Have you managed to make such sweeping changes at the Ministry in such short time?"

"No, of course not," Kingsley snapped, now a little irate, "but we cannot sink to their level Harry, if we do we are no better than them and we just replace one evil with another" Kingsley insisted. Those present gasped involuntarily at the implication that Harry was or could be like Voldemort.

"Minister Shacklebolt, do I have your permission to remove Tom Riddle using any means available?" Harry asked as officially as he could, "Because if I don't then I have nothing further to add to this discussion. The Order worked outside Ministry channels before, it can do so again if necessary."

"Damn it Harry, you know I want the same outcome as you do, all I'm saying is we should try and achieve it legally if we can ..." Kingsley tried to negotiate but Harry stopped him "Voldemort doesn't play by those rules, he never has. He kills, maims and destroys without regard for legalities. It's time to fight him and his henchmen the way they have fought us for thirty years. We strike fast and often, we strike first and keep them running so they can't strike back."

Kingsley looked troubled by Harry's pronouncements but he nodded his head in acknowledgement if not acceptance. "Are we all agreed then?" Harry asked.

Everyone nodded even if some still had doubtful looks upon their faces "Good ... look we all need some time to think about this, to plan to ... hell to just come to terms with everything that's happened recently." Harry stopped and allowed his words to sink in. With a smile full of joy he continued "Ok enough doom and gloom, here's what we need to do first ... ... celebrate! I've just married the most beautiful woman in the world." Harry said, laughing, before kissing his wife and calling for Dobby, Drojo, Kreacher and Calista to bring food and drink for his guests.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Apprehension : Who and Where We Are Now.

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