Partners?
A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy chapter thirty seven. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. Also, thank you for the great feedback.
Chapter 37: Plans and Secrets
Who could have attacked us? Death Eaters wouldn't have used a cutting spell like that, they prefer blasting hexes...Tonks frowned and looked to Harry, "Let's get everyone back to Grimmauld place, we can figure out what to do from there."
Before anyone could apparate there was the tell-tale pop of apparation as the street filled with Aurors led by Kingsley Shacklebolt. He walked over to the group, "What happened? One of our patrols saw Harry summon a stone slab and then it exploded."
"Someone shot a curse at us from over there." Tonks said pointing with a free hand. She had just noticed Harry was bleeding and had began picking the bits of stone from his face and arms. Narcissa knelt and took her place, "Nymphadora, please escort Auror Shacklebolt to the building you think the attack came from."
Before Tonks could answer Narcissa had already turned away from them, casting healing charms to close the smaller wounds. She sighed softly as she reached up onto the table and took a napkin, tearing it into strips to dab at the blood on her husbands face. "Harry, are you alright?"
"I'm fine Narcissa..I've had worse than some shrapnel.." He rose and shook his head before turning to the assembled Delacours, "Are you four alright?"
"'arry, who could 'ave done this? Could it 'ave been...'im?" Harry thought and shook his head, frowning a bit. "No, his followers like to cast spells that explode or burn..this was something more spur of the moment."
"Could it have been Weasley?" Jean Luc asked next, "He has reason to hate us all, especially you. Could he have seen us and decided to attack?"
Excellent questions, but questions that wouldn't be answered at that moment. Kingsley and Tonks walked back over to the group, "We've identified the magical signal of the spell as a cutting charm. That's third year stuff. So whoever did it wasn't planning it." She told the group then looked to her boss, "I want to get them back to our place before we get attacked again. I'll floo into the Ministry later to give a formal statement."
The tall Auror nodded and then left the group to speak with his Aurors on the scene. Tonks turned to Harry, "Mr. Delacour thinks it might have been Bill." Harry told her. Tonks' hair turned black, making her look very similar to a still insane Bellatrix. "If it is him I will turn him into a block of granite and leave him at the bottom of the Thames."
Scene Break
At the Burrow things were very quiet and tense. Ginny was up in her room fuming Those damned witches have tried to take my Harry from me. But that's alright, I have Mums recipe for love potion and when we're at Hogwarts they won't be able to keep him bewitched. He'll be mine again, we'll get those bints out of the house that should be mine. She looked at her work, she had chopped the root on her table finely. This would need to steep for a few days before she could strain it, boil it, and then strain it again. She'd have her love potion by the beginning of term.
Ron was out on the Quidditch pitch. He wasn't flying right now, just sitting there looking at the clouds pass. Stupid lucky Potter...he gets all that money, a fancy house, beautiful women...he even gets to ruin Malfoys life by telling him that he's his new father...At least I have Hermione..for now. Potter will probably try to steal her away from me..I'll talk to Mum, she'll know what to do...
Bill had apparated back to the house now. He stood in the kitchen talking to his mother, "He's got Fleurs family here now...telling them all sorts of rubbish. There's got to be something we can do Mum." Molly patted her eldest sons shoulder, "I'm sure there is son. In fact I know it, just keep hanging around the Alley. Eventually she'll be there without supervision, then you can 'talk' to her. I don't care if you fill her so full of amortentia that she's catatonic, so long as she stays out of Ginny's way."
Unbeknownst to Molly and Bill a small ear on a string wound its way back up from the hall. At the top of that string Fred and George were uncharacteristically grim.
"Mums 'round the bend."
"Bill's not much better."
The twins nodded to each other then went to see Hermione, she needed to know the new plan.
Hermione was, for the first time in a very long time, having a hard time reading. She was trying to calm herself but today she was finding her copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' wasn't helping. She looked up to see Fred and George walking into the room and then closing the door. One of the twins muttered a silencing charm and then they both turned to face her.
"We've got an issue"
"Mum-"
"-and Bill"
"Are planning something..."
"We think they want to hurt Fleur in order to get to Harry."
Hermiones eyes grew huge, "We've got to warn him."
One of the twins sighed,
"It's not that simple, if we send an owl out now"
"She'll know"
"We need to get the message to Harry"
"And company"
"Without them knowing it"
She thought for a moment, "Well, I have been looking at what's called a 'messenger patronus'"
Scene Break
Back at Grimmauld Place, the group were settled around the dining room table. Harry and went upstairs to tell Bellatrix what had happened and their suspicions.
"That foul little..Harry I'm completely willing to go back to Azkaban. I will kill him. I will burn that little shed of our theirs down and I will make sure no one gets out." Bellatrix paced from one end to the other of their room. Harry stopped her by putting his arms around her, "Bella..we don't know for sure what's going on."
"Who else could it have been? If a Death Eater had used the cutting charm they'd have been laughed out of the group..and by 'laughed out' I mean 'fed to Nagini.'" Bellatrix sighed against her husbands neck, "I'm a free woman now, I should've been there."
"If you had been there, there's a good chance that you'd have been blamed. Or worse, the Aurors wouldn't have asked if you were at fault, they'd have taken you back," He said.
"I'm not stupid. I would have been in my glamour." She frowned and moved away. "I'm tired of being trapped here. I've been to Gringotts and nowhere else. I feel like I'm going crazy stuck here while the rest of the world is trying to kill you...or marry you."
She sat on the corner of the bed. "I am crazy you know, even without the compulsion charm. I'm needy, I'm possessive..."
Harry sat beside her, taking her hand in his, "You are protective. You want to be with the person who loves you very much..I'm not going to marry Fleur unless all three of you agree with it."
"It's not that simple, she's told us what you've done for her...she's probably as in love with you as we are.." Bellatrix sighed looking down at her hands, "I'm not going to be happy about it right away..I probably won't be happy about it for a while..but you should probably marry her."
Scene Break
Minerva McGonagall's hands shook as she opened the door to her new office. Albus Dumbledore had been accused of attempting to drug Harry Potter. He had confessed to the attempt while under veritaserum. Now the school board had removed him and had made her the new Headmistress. How could this have happened...the Albus I knew was a good man..he'd never have done this..Fawkes was gone, the phoenix had disappeared last night. The portraits of the former Headmasters watched her as she stood there.
"Welcome Madam Headmistress." Said the portrait of Phineas Black, "I hope you will be a better one than the last."
"What do you mean Headmaster Black?"
"That fool was so wrapped up in his own nonsense he thought we never noticed his actions. He was so convinced that he was the only one who could save the world that he would use compulsion charmed candies to make sure that those who came to see him, saw things from his perspective." The man inside the portrait sneered, "People like to insult my beloved Slytherin House, when betrayal can come from anyone, not just the ambitious."
"Albus would never-"
"Madam Headmistress," Came the reedy voice of Armando Dippet, "He could, he did. To you and to others."
"Why have you not told anyone before?" McGonagall asked, looking down she saw the crystal bowl of lemon drops, disgusted she banished the whole bowl into the fireplace.
"We cannot break the confidence of the current Headmaster. However, now that he is gone, we can tell you everything you need to know." Phineas told her, "First let me tell you about a visit between the former headmaster and professor Trelawney.."
Scene Break
Downstairs at Grimmauld Place Harry and Bellatrix had rejoined the group. The paperwork was prepared, Harry and Fleur would enter a betrothal agreement. If, before the beginning of the new term at Hogwarts, they both wanted to do this, the vow would be solemnized and they would arrange the wedding for Yule.
Harry mentally sighed, another marriage...well, at least all of the women I'm attached to are beautiful and intelligent. If we do this, I'll make Fleur the Lady Delacour after her father dies.. He looked over to Narcissa who was reading the paperwork and nodding softly, She's the one who understands all this stuff. That's why she wanted to be the Primary Wife...Narcissa and Bellatrix both were trapped in bad arranged marriages before, so at least if I let her iron out the details I know she'll be fair to Fleur.
"So Harry, this is traditionally the year you decide your future yes?" Mrs. Delacour asked him. He nodded, "Yes ma'am, I was thinking about becoming an Auror.."
"I'm rubbing off on you, eh Hubs?" Tonks teased him putting her arm around him.
"I was already thinking about it before all of this Dora..besides, I doubt we'd be partnered up."
"I don't know, I am supposed to keep you safe after all...I'm sure Madam Bones would let me stay extra close..." She kissed his temple, her hair turning soft pink as thoughts of the two of them fighting evil together as Aurors raced through her mind.
"Nymphadora can help guide you through what electives you'll need. Once things have calmed down we will go back into the Alley and get any books you might need." Narcissa jotted a note down on her parchment and then stood. "I will be in the study preparing the papers to send to Gringotts and the Ministry."
Tonks watched she left the group then turned back to Harry, "Alright Hubs, first thing we'll need is a practical guide to combat spells...I'd recommend Larson's 'How not to be killed'."