Partners?
A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy chapter thirty eight. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. Also, thank you for the great feedback.
Chapter 38: Two Brooms over Devon
At the Burrow the twins along with Hermione were discussing plans, "We can't send an owl, they'll see it..." Said Hermione.
"Messenger Patronus is out, we can't cast it." Fred pointed out, George looked towards the window.
"I have an idea, who wants to take a little flight to London?" He smirked watching Freds eyes as his brother caught on.
"You are a genius, only slightly less intelligent than me." Fred looked to Hermione, "You feel like flying?"
"I don't fly..I haven't since.." Since my third year, when Harry and I rode Buckbeak...had that been the moment she realized that her crush on Harry? She couldn't say...but she knew that feeling of being in the air with him had been its own kind of magic. Hermione looked to them, "I don't know if I can do it.."
Fred looked at her and smiled, "I'll fly then, you just hold on tight." Not knowing if she was insane for agreeing, Hermione nodded. George thought for a moment, "Alright, let's get everything we're taking with us, shrink it down so it'll fit in our pockets. Then we'll go outside one at a time, and before they know we're gone we'll be already be past Crewkerne..."
Scene Break
Mafalda Hopkirk sighed as she looked at the stack of paperwork on her desk. Ever since the Prophet article listing possible wives for Harry Potter came out, her life had been miserable. She had been teased by nearly everyone in her office, even people from other offices had stopped in to ask how 'the husband' was doing today. I had a silly little bit of hero-worship, now these ruddy idiots won't let me be.. She grumbled as she opened her desk and took out a bar of chocolate. "I can't believe these people...I've only seen Harry Potter in person once, and that was because he was being tried for casting the patronus charm.." She bit angrily into the muggle dark chocolate bar.
Just then the wardstone on her desk began to flash red, "Oh what now.." she mumbled through a mouthful of her candy bar. Gulping she put her hand over the wardstone. WEASLEY BROOMS SPOTTED FLYING NORTH AND WEST She muttered a curse before rising, she'd have to go speak with Arthur Weasley, he might know why brooms with his families magical signature were off the family property.
In his office Arthur Weasley was going over paperwork of his own. Apparently a muggleborn wizard had been selling enchanted keys to muggle thieves. He was glad of the distraction, anything to keep him from thinking about the mess that his life had became recently. Molly what have you done to our family? What have I let myself be blind to..my oldest son using a love potion on his fiancee...my youngest two acting like it's no big deal... His door opened and a frowning witch walked in, closing it behind her.
"Mafalda, what can I do for you?"
"Arthur, I am sorry to bother you, but I didn't think you'd want me to go through official channels..my wardstone just reported brooms with your families signature on them traveling in the direction of London.."
"London? But the only people I know in London are..." His eyes grew wide, "Mafalda I need to use the floo, I'll be back in a moment.." He rose and rushed past her. Mafaldas frown grew and she followed him walking briskly and then flat out running to keep pace.
"What is this about Arthur?"
"If those brooms are coming to London that only means one thing; someone from my house is on the way to see Harry Potter." He paused looking at the line of people using the public floos. "Damn it, I won't get there in time like this.." He began to pace frantically as he tried to find the shortest line. That was when Mafalda slapped him.
"Arthur Weasley! Calm down! Come with me." Mafalda grabbed his arm and led him through the halls. "My department has a set of private floos, we can use them."
"We?"
"Yes. If I don't have something to put in my report I will be called up by my superiors. I hope the explanation you have will be worth it."
Mafalda took him into a chamber, along the wall were three fireplaces. Arthur rushed to one of them and threw some powder into the flames, "Grimmauld Place!" he shouted. A moment passed and the face of Narcissa appeared.
"Mr. Weasley? Can I help you?"
"Mrs. Malfoy, I mean Potter-Black...I need to speak to Harry, it's urgent! I think my children are on their way to his house!"
Narcissa frowned and then vanished from the flames. She reappeared a moment later, "Harry said that we can open the floo for you, please step through quickly."
Mafalda walked up to him, pushing him through and then stepping through herself into Grimmauld Place.
Scene Break
High above the city of Andover, Hermione felt her stomach drop as Fred dodged an angry goose. She tightened her grip around his waist and swallowed another shriek. This is not for me, she decided, This is definitely not for me..I hate flying, I hate flying, I hate it...at least Fred is good at this..She relaxed her grip on him slightly as the pair leveled off again.
Fred turned slightly, "Alright back there Mione?" He had noticed that she wasn't enjoying the open air nearly as much as he or his brother did. Unlike George who kept swooping and speeding up, Fred was trying to keep the broom as steady as possible for her. I swear, she's made that burbling noise ten times in the past five minutes...He chuckled to himself pulling the broom higher so that they were still above the clouds.
Hermione looked around them, up here, where she couldn't see the sky, it was beautiful. Fred turned, noticing the look of wonder on her face, he smiled to her. She is pretty, I can see why Ron has always had a thing for her...The thought that he was taking her away from his brother did not fill him with the same unease that he had imagined it would. Ron and Ginny are being gits right now, they think that Mums idea of using love potions on Harry and Mione are going to make everything perfect..
He's kind of handsome...they aren't completely identical..Fred has a little scar just over his lip...wait why am I looking at his lip..Hermione shook her head softly, maybe I'm going stir crazy up here..She thought to herself as Fred turned back to face the clouds.
George slowed his pace so that he was coming back up towards them, "We're nearly there by now. We'll touch down outside of Chiswick and we can take the Knight Bus from there." He shouted to the pair. Fred and Hermione nodded, Fred lowering the broom so they could go closer to the ground to see where they are.
Scene Break
At Grimmauld Place, Arthur had explained why he had been joined by Mafalda Hopkirk. "It was her departments floo..she's the one who told me that they were heading to London, this is the only place I could imagine someone traveling to."
Tonks nodded, "Arthur's right Hubs, if it had been the banshee, she'd have apparated to the Leaky Cauldron first so she wasn't spotted." They were sitting around the table that previously had been used as the meeting place for the Order. Harry was sitting between Narcissa and Tonks, while Fleur and the woman he knew as Josephine Reed stood with their backs to the wall.
Mafalda sat beside Arthur, "I am sorry Lord Potter-Black, but I had to follow him, if he'd been wrong...I couldn't put on my report that there was broomflight from Devon to London and I didn't investigate it."
"I understand Ms. Hopkirk.." Harry sighed and rubbed his temples, "It's just that earlier I told Molly Weasley that she was not to contact me ever again. There has been..trouble between her eldest son and my betrothed Fleur Delacour.."
Another one? Sweet Maeve, how many wives are you going to end up with? Mafalda swallowed her questions regarding all of this and then looked to Arthur. The Weasley patriarch ran a shaking hand through his thinning hair and sighed, "Harry, I know that Molly loves our children to a fault..but you had every right to do this..just please don't blame Ron and Ginny for-"
"Molly referred to Fleur as a whore." Narcissa stated bluntly. "Her son admitted, with you present, to using mind altering potions on her, and your wife tried to blame Harry for Bill being unemployed."
"I know that...I don't know what got into Bill.." He started, but Tonks stopped him with a hand.
"I know, it's the same thing that broke Charlie and I up...they've been raised by their mother to think that they can do no wrong, and anything that happens to them will be fixed by her." Tonks said, her hair moving from a relatively calm brown to a more annoyed dark blue.
Just then Harry felt the wards thump. "I think whoever left the Burrow is here now." He said rising along with Tonks. She moved in front of Harry, her wand lowered, but in her hand. "I'll open the door." She said stopping Harry just at the entrance hall.
Tonks opened the door to find Fred, George, and Hermione standing there. "Harry! We got here as quickly as we could, Mrs. Weasley is planning on drugging Fleur the next time she's alone!" Hermione said as she rushed in past Tonks.
"What?" That was all Harry could get out before he was tackled by a patented 'Hermy-hug'.
"She's going to give Ginny a love potion for you once Fleur is back with Bill." She said against his chest.
"She's right Harry."
"We all heard it." Came the response from the twins, who only just now it seemed, noticed the appearance of their father.
"Hey dad." They said as one.
Tonks' hair was growing long and curly, it's shade going from the blue it had been to a dull black. "That miserable bitch." She spat out, "I'll hex her bloody head off her shoulders!" Harry broke from the embrace of his best friend and pulled Tonks into his arms.
"It's okay Dora, she's not going to succeed. We'll get Madam Bones to send some Aurors." He whispered against her cheek as he embraced her. Tonks began to calm down slowly, she drew in a deep breath and squeezed her husband. "I'll go to the DMLE office now, Arthur, you need to get back to your department."
She kissed Harry softly then went to the dining room to use the floo. Arthur looked to Mafalda, "They came here to warn Harry..."
"They did, which is why I'm going to record this as an anomaly. However, if they ever decide to go joyflying again I will snap their wands myself. Now come on, I've got to get you back before they come to talk to you." She grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the dining room.
Finally it was just Harry, the twins, and Hermione. He looked to them, "You know if the Aurors don't take her to Azkaban she'll kill you three right?"
"If she doesn't Bill will."
"If Bill doesn't, Ron and Gin-Gin might try to poison our soups."
"Harry, could I use Hedwig to send an owl to my parents? I want them to know where I am." Hermione asked.
"Sure, go on to the study, Narcissa is probably in there, please be polite to her." He said, to which Hermione nodded.
"We aren't going back."
"We left Hogwarts, we're leaving the Burrow."
"You got room to rent?" Fred and George asked.