Disclaimer: All portions of the HP universe/worlds/characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies. All portions of the Hunter x Hunter universe/worlds/characters are the property of Yoshihiro Togashi and Shueisha Inc. (publisher). This story is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written for my own enjoyment. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), angst, drama, and who knows what else.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Discussions x Introductions x and Spies
Harry had barely stepped out of the makeshift infirmary when he felt himself grabbed and slammed up against the wall by an extremely ticked off Canary as she pinned him in place with her baton and snapped, "You left me behind. Twice."
"No, if I had left you behind, then you wouldn't be here right now," Harry corrected as he ignored the way her baton was digging into his chest.
"You dumped us the moment we arrived and took off on your own twice," Canary bit out with a furious glare.
"No, I left you in the care of someone I trust while I attempted to save my godfather and uncle."
"You could have taken us with you…"
"No, I couldn't."
"Don't give me that; you brought us all the way here, you could have easily taken us with you again. We could have helped you fight!"
"No, you couldn't…"
Anger flashed in Canary's eyes as she brought her leg up to knee Harry in the stomach while she hissed out, "I am not weak."
"Bloody hell, Canary, I never said you were," Harry retorted around a grunt of pain.
"You just told me I couldn't fight."
"No I didn't, you cut me off before I could finish explaining why I couldn't take you with me. I had to leave you and both boys behind because I knew that I would not be able to protect the three of you and fight at the same time…"
"How is that not calling me weak?" Canary demanded as she pulled her baton back a couple of inches before snapping it forward against his chest a second time hard enough to leave a bruise.
"Damn it, woman; I'm trying to explain!" Harry bellowed as he reached up to grab hold of her skull basher in order to prevent her from hitting him with it again. "It has nothing to do with how strong you are and everything to do with the fact that I knew I would be facing demons that you could not defend yourself from!"
"How do you know? You didn't even give me a chance to face your enemies!"
"Because you lack the magic to see them, damn it! This isn't some joyride through the Underground to chase after petty thugs, thieves, and assassins, Canary. The creatures I faced tonight, they can't kill you. No, they do far worse. They feed off of the misery of their victims and devour their souls; the more horrifying your past, the more appetizing you are to them. My godfather is still alive but he's a good as dead because his body is nothing but an empty husk that will slowly die over the next few weeks."
Harry paused for a moment to let that sink in before he added, "I had no idea if there would be more dementors hunting for Moony or not and I was not about to risk yours or the boys' souls needlessly. You want to help me fight this Merlin be-damned war? Fine, but I'll be damned if I'm going to drag the three of you off before you can be properly prepared for the dangers that you can face!"
"And if there'd been other enemies present aside from the soul eating demons?"
"Do you remember the first time we sparred, when you told me that you would never tolerate a boy who thought you were weak?" Harry asked quietly as his gold eyes bore into Canary's frustrated gray eyes. "And do you remember what you told me on the night before I faced Gido, when you agreed to be my girlfriend? When you told me that you would not stay with a boyfriend who was weak?"
Canary's frowned in confusion over the seemingly off-topic questions as she replied, "I remember."
"Well, I'm telling you now, that I won't stay with a girl that thinks me so weak that I can't fight my own battles," Harry stated as he felt his stomach twist up into knots over the idea of breaking things off with Canary. "If you can't trust me enough to let me to deal with the dangers I was trained to face here in this world, then I need to know now so that I can send you back to Kukuroo Mountain because I can't afford to fight you each time you dislike the decisions I make when it comes to fighting this war."
"I know you're not weak," Canary quietly offered as she ceased applying pressure to the baton that was still pressed against Harry's chest. "I was frustrated because you left me behind without even bothering to give me an explanation as to why you weren't taking me and seeing you return covered in so much blood didn't help."
"In the future, so long as there is time for me to explain why I'm not taking you with me, then I will do so. If I can't give you that explanation before I leave, then I will provide you with one at the first available opportunity. Once you and the two brats have a better idea of the dangers we'll face above and beyond other witches and wizards, there will be fewer reasons for me not to take you with me."
"I think I can live with that."
"Good," Harry replied as the whites of his eyes and his pupils returned to their normal color as his anger faded back to a slow burn and his magic mostly withdrew to his core while the knots in his stomach eased. He then let go of her baton with one hand so he could gesture between the two of them as he asked, "Are we alright now?"
"Yes," Canary answered with a small smile.
Harry gave her an answering smile before he leaned forward to kiss her only for her to step back and halt his forward movement with the weighted end of her baton. The smile on his face morphed into a small frown of confusion as he tipped his head to one side and silently questioned her with his eyes.
"You need to clean yourself up before we kiss and make up," Canary dryly pointed out as she gestured to his blood soaked clothes.
"As my lady jay commands," Harry agreed with a slight grimace as the reminder of his current state of filth brought back the terrible memories of what had happened to Sirius and Remus.
Harry still wouldn't get to 'kiss and make up' with his girlfriend after a shower and a change of clothes as he'd been waylaid by Ron and Hermione; his two oldest friends demanding answers – though they didn't yet know who exactly it was they were demanding answers from since they had never been told that he was using an alias (for both their protection and his in the beginning).
Knowing that they wouldn't be the only ones seeking answers, Harry had told them to round up everyone that had already answered Bill's summons so that he could tell everyone all at once and introduce Canary, Gon, and Killua at the same time. The meeting would take place in the cottage's library; the second biggest room in the house (the biggest room had been the parlor, which had already been commandeered by Fleur for an infirmary).
Twenty-eight minutes later, Harry was standing up in front of the group of witches and wizards that believed in him enough (or possibly trusted Bill enough) to fight at his side. There were a total of fifty-three magicals that had been vetted personally by Bill.
There was no surprise that Charlie, the twins, Ginny, and Ron had been included in the group but he had been completely shocked by the inclusion of Percy and the distinct lack of Molly and Arthur. Also not surprising was the fact that the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team was present; including Oliver (who'd graduated at the end of his third year) and Lee (the ever popular announcer of all Quidditch games at Hogwarts). On the other hand, he was a bit surprised to see Viktor and four of his fellow graduates from Durmstrang and a trio of wizards and witches he recalled as being part of the Beauxbatons contingent from his fourth year.
In addition to Hermione, there were also another twelve of their year mates present; Lavender, Parvati, Dean, Seamus, and Neville from Gryffindor; Padma, Lisa, Su, and Terry from Ravenclaw; and Hannah, Susan, and Justin from Hufflepuff. On top of that, there were several individuals from other years present; such as Colin and Denis, a girl with long blonde hair, Roger (from Ravenclaw), Penelope (Percy's girlfriend), and five others that Harry didn't recognize.
Then there were another eleven adults that Harry didn't know; three of Charlie's friends/co-workers, a young woman with mousy brown hair and a heart-shaped face that was tear streaked, two of Bill's fellow curse breakers, an older woman he thought might be Augusta Longbottom (she was wearing a vulture on her hat), another older woman wearing a monocle, a tall black man, and two goblin warriors.
And he couldn't forget to count Bill and Fleur; the couple responsible for gathering the rest of the magicals that were present (though Hermione and Ron were most likely responsible for all of the Hogwarts age students present). He supposed he should count Remus as well (if the man survived the night), the trio of non-magicals that had tagged along with him (because all three would throw a fit if he didn't include them), and himself as well. All in all, he had far more people on his side than he'd expected (even if the number was one less than he truly wanted; the loss of his godfather cut deeply).
"First, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming," Harry stated once everyone had found a seat and after he'd finished inspecting the faces of everyone present. "It means more to me than words could say that all of you are willing to stand beside me or my cousin and whether you are here because you believe in my cousin or you are here because you believe in a friend or family member doesn't change the fact that you are here of your own free will. That said, before I fill you in on exactly what is going on and why I asked Bill to gather everyone here, I'm going to need two things from all of you. The first thing I need from you is a sworn oath that you are not here in order to spy on me or anyone else present tonight for Voldemort, Dumbledore, or the Ministry…"
A cacophony of protests and angry cries of outrage met Harry's ears as everyone present surged to their feet except for the trio of non-magicals present and began yelling at Harry. He let them continue their vocal protestations for a full two minutes before he got fed up with the interruption and put a stop to it.
"Sit down and shut up!" Harry ordered coldly as he unleashed a burst of Ren that had all of the magicals in the room flinching back in shock as silence fell over the room once more. "I am sorry that my demand has offended your delicate sensibilities and pride but I'll be damned if I am going to take any risks. Our world is at war, damn it, and by Merlin's shorn beard I am not going to sacrifice any more lives by blindly trusting any one of you just because we are friends or because you are the family or friend of someone who I know. That's what got James and Lily Potter killed after they trusted Pettigrew to keep their location secret."
"Sirius Black was responsible…" the woman wearing the monocle began before Harry cut her off.
"That is a lie! My cousin's godfather was never his parent's Secret Keeper and if not for Fudge wearing his ass for a hat, then his godfather would have been cleared of all charges back at the end of his third year after the true betrayer and murderer was uncovered! Hell, if the bloody incompetent Ministry had actually bothered to give his godfather a bloody damned trial in the first place, he never would have spent twelve years in prison for a bloody crime he didn't commit! And if not for that same Merlin-be-damned Ministry and the closet dark lord, Dumbledore; his godfather would not have become a soulless husk earlier this evening and his honorary uncle wouldn't be hovering at death's door!"
"What happened to Sirius and Professor Lupin?" Ron inquired as the adults present squirmed uncomfortably in their seats in the wake of Harry's angry retort.
"Padfoot was kissed by one of the forty dementors that the Ministry set on him; Dumbledore had set him and Moony up to die in order to flush Harry out of hiding. I barely got to Tintagel Castle in time to save Moony from five rogue werewolves that had been under the influence of an experimental potion that allowed them to assume their werewolf forms outside of the moon's cycle. I don't even know if Remus is going to live through the night and Sirius is… he's as good as dead."
"Do you know what happened to the dementors?" the monocled woman demanded at the same time as Hermione asked, "How exactly are you related to Harry? It was my understanding that his only remaining relatives were muggles."
"I'm not answering any more questions until everyone present has sworn that they have no ulterior motives for being here," Harry firmly insisted as he tried to ignore the guilt he felt about hiding his identity from his friends for the moment; he could not risk revealing himself to everyone that was present. "If you are not willing to give me a sworn oath that you are not here under orders from Dumbledore, Voldemort, Fudge, or one of their lackeys, then I will be wiping your memory of the last two hours and kicking you out of my house. There will be no exceptions; no matter how much anyone here trusts you or how much Harry trusts you. I will not take a chance that there is a spy in our midst."
Everyone gave the required oath (bar the three non-magicals since they lacked the magic to swear an oath) and out of everyone present there were exactly three spies found; Percy had been a spy sent by Umbridge and Fudge, the Black man had been Dumbledore's spy, and one of the unfamiliar faces from the Hogwarts group (a contemporary of Oliver and Percy's year) had been Voldemort's spy. Harry was unsurprised, Bill was mortified (both for missing three spies and because his brother had been one of the spies), and the rest of those present were somewhere between shocked and grimly accepting that Harry's paranoia had been warranted after all.
Bill, the monocled woman, and one of the goblins would haul the three spies off to interrogate them and wipe their memories of everything they'd heard or seen since the moment they stepped into the house. While they were doing that, Harry made arrangements with an obviously pregnant Pinny and the adolescent Tilley (who were both currently working in the Kent house) to provide everyone with refreshments while they waited for the others to return; the interrogations expected to be finished fairly quickly thanks to the Veritaserum that Harry had had on hand.
An hour and eighteen minutes after the three spies had been uncovered, Harry once again found himself standing in front of fifty-some individuals. The only real difference, aside from the three absent faces, was the fact that everyone present was showing him quite a bit more respect than they had prior to the three spies being caught.
"Now that our security has been assured, I will start by introducing myself," Harry stated as he let his gaze wander over the gathered witches and wizards before he allowed his eyes to search out his girlfriend. "My name is James Evans. I will be turning eighteen tomorrow. I am Harry Potter's older cousin. And…"
"We've met Harry's cousin; his name is Dudley and he looks more like a baby whale," Fred and George corrected in stereo as they cut off Harry's introduction. "You don't look anything like a baby whale."
"That's funny; Harry and I always saw Dudley as more of a pig in a wig," Harry snorted with a slight shake of his head as he gave a brief thought to his cousin. "As for the validity of my claim, my father was the bastard son of Lily's father and until a year ago, I hadn't even known that Harry existed or that I was a wizard; though it certainly explained many things that had happened to me growing up. My father left my teenaged mother before I was born and she dumped me in an orphanage just as soon as I was born. I've spent the last year getting to know Harry after the goblins helped him escape Dumbledore's grasp in the wake of the Tri-Wizard Tournament fiasco that left Harry traumatized and one of the champions dead."
"Can you prove that you are who you say you are?" the monocled woman asked.
"Yes, Madam…?"
"Bones. Amelia Bones; former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Gringotts will vouch for the authenticity of Mr. Evans's claim," one of the goblins interjected before Harry could pull out any of his documents. "My direct supervisor was the goblin in charge of handling Mr. Evans's Inheritance Test."
"Thank you, Master Goblin," Harry acknowledged with a polite nod.
"If you've been in touch with Harry, do you know where he is now?" Ginny demanded from her seat between Hermione and one of the twins.
"He's currently sitting in our makeshift infirmary holding a vigil over the dying body of his godfather," Bill solemnly announced to Harry's complete surprise. "I'm going to ask all of you to give him space for the next couple of days and leave him to grieve in peace until he is ready to face you again; Harry is currently blaming himself for what happened to Sirius and he told me that he really didn't want any company at the moment."
"Will you answer my earlier question regarding the dementors now, Mr. Evans?" Madam Bones requested while most everyone else's attention was on the news that Harry was present. "I would also appreciate knowing what happened to the out-of-phase werewolves you mentioned."
"I destroyed every last dementor and I killed all five werewolves," Harry answered as he shoved down his surprise over Bill's claim that he was in the infirmary with his godfather.
"Dementors can not be destroyed by any magical means," the woman with the heart-shaped face insisted as she frowned at Harry.
"I didn't use magic to destroy them."
"Would you be willing to allow us to view your memory of both fights?" Madam Bones requested in a tone that made it sound more like she was ordering Harry to cooperate.
"We would be most interested in seeing those memories as well," the other goblin present stated on the heels of Madam Bones's request.
"We can discuss the matter after the meeting," Harry reluctantly agreed as he realized he'd need to offer them a measure of proof to support his claim; he just needed to make certain that the number of people allowed to view those memories were slightly restricted in order to protect himself. "For now, I would like to get this meeting back on track; starting with proper introductions since I am not familiar with most of your faces. I will start by finishing my introduction so that every one here is fully aware of exactly who I am."
Harry then fished his Hunter's license out of his mokeskin pouch, double checked to insure that he'd grabbed the card with his alias's name on it and not the one with his birth name, and held the plastic card up so that everyone could clearly see the logo on the card. A number of the older adults paled drastically the moment they recognized the logo on the card; including Madam Bones and Mrs. Longbottom.
"I see a few of you recognized my license; for those of you who did not, allow me to explain. This card is my Hunter's License. It was issued to me this past January by the Hunter's Association. And I am what is known as a Dark Wizard Hunter; meaning that it is my job to hunt down and capture or kill wizarding criminals that prey upon non-magicals."
For the second time that night, the room descended into pandemonium as those who were raised in the magical world flew into a panic upon learning that Harry was a Hunter. It was not an unexpected development; Bill had warned Harry that magicals feared Hunters. Harry had considered keeping his status as a Hunter secret from all but a select few but after giving the matter some thought, he'd realized it was best to be upfront with those fighting on his side from the start.
If only to prevent them from deserting him out of fear the moment they learned the truth.
Harry let them have another few minutes before he whistled sharply in order to grab their attention once more. As the room fell silent, Harry let his gaze slip over the pale faces of everyone present as he waited for their complete attention.
"I realize that those of you who were raised in magical households have been taught to fear Hunters; however, most of what you have been told about Hunters and the Hunter's Association is made up of heavy exaggerations and outright lies. We do not exist solely to hunt down and slaughter or destroy any and everything magical. There are some Hunters in the past that have killed witches and wizards but that was because we were hired to do so by our clients. As Chairman Netero once told me; not all Hunters are saints."
"That said, my job is really no different than an auror's or a policeman's job; I hunt criminals. The criminals I hunt just happen to be witches and wizards that have no regard for the lives, property, and laws of their non-magical cousins. I am not here to harm the general public. I am here to help my cousin deal with Voldemort, Dumbledore, and the corrupt and incompetent Fudge Administration and see justice administered. Once I have dealt with both terrorist factions and Fudge, then I will leave the clean up and restructuring of your government to magical Britain."
"Why are you lumping Dumbledore in the same group as You-Know-Who?" the young woman with the heart shaped asked as she frowned at Harry.
"Before I answer that, could you tell me who you are?"
"Tonks. Just Tonks. Sirius Black was my mother's cousin."
"Thank you, Tonks. To answer your question, Dumbledore is a closet Dark Lord; he has systematically destroyed Britain's magical educational and judicial systems using the power he's collected throughout his long life. He has also personally destroyed my family. I'm certain mine is not the only family he has destroyed either. The only difference between Dumbledore and Voldemort is that Voldemort openly declared his intentions while Dumbledore works from the shadows and presents a grandfatherly façade when he stands in the light."
"I don't just expect you to take my word for it though," Harry added as he tucked his hands in his pockets and swept his gaze over the room again. "Tell me, those of you here who lived through Voldemort's first rise; how many powerful 'light-sided' families were wiped out?"
"Dozens and most of those that were targeted were part of Dumbledore's vigilante group," Madam Longbottom answered in a heavy voice laden with old grief and lingering anger and frustration.
"And how many of powerful 'dark-sided' families were decimated?"
"A very small handful and those individuals were killed by Voldemort when they refused to join him," Madam Bones answered with a slight frown. "That still doesn't prove that Dumbledore is a dark wizard. All that proves is that You-Know-Who was ruthless."
"True, but you all witnessed how quickly, easily, and effectively I cleared the room of spies earlier, correct? Now, as I understand it, Dumbledore knew full well that there was a spy in the midst of the resistance; why did he not take the same actions that I took in order to flush that spy out? If that doesn't make you question his motives, how about this; Voldemort did not spring up from out of no where fully grown. He was born in Great Britain and educated at Hogwarts just like most everyone in this room."
"Dumbledore himself taught Voldemort when Voldemort was at Hogwarts; only at the time he was known by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. If you take his birth name and rearrange the letters, it spells out; I am Lord Voldemort. By Riddle's fifth year, he'd already committed his first murder; a murder that took place on school grounds. How many of those here that attended Hogwarts know who Moaning Myrtle is? Most of you, I see. Myrtle was Riddle's first murder victim. Of course, Hagrid was framed for her death by Riddle and expelled for a crime he didn't commit."
"Dumbledore knew Hagrid was innocent; otherwise, why would he vouch for him and arrange for Hagrid to be apprenticed to the groundskeeper at the time? Hagrid has been loyal to Dumbledore ever since because Dumbledore 'rescued' him. Yet Dumbledore made no move to clear his name. Dumbledore also knew that Sirius was innocent of the crimes for which he'd been accused of but again, he never made any effort to see Sirius's name cleared."
The same goblin that had vouched for Harry's identity stood up and cleared his throat before he added, "The Goblin Nation has evidence of dozens upon dozens of additional crimes for which Dumbledore is guilty of committing. One of which includes theft of those vaults that belonged to those wizarding families that were wiped out during the Dark Lord's first rise through the use of legal loopholes and forged or forced wills that suspiciously named Dumbledore or his Order of the Phoenix as the sole beneficiary."
"We've also collected a considerable wealth of disconcerting facts through our foreign connections," Bill continued as soon as the goblin retook his seat. "One of which is that Dumbledore was the close friend and lover of Gellert Grindelwald and the godfather of Griselda Grindelwald; both of which were confirmed by Grindelwald himself through a Veritaserum inquiry two months ago."
"Wait a moment… I thought Grindelwald was dead," Harry interjected with a frown.
"No, Grindelvald vas captured, tried before da International Confederation of Vizards, and vhen found guilty, he vas imprisoned for life in Nurmengard Prison," Viktor corrected for the benefit of those who had not previously been aware of the man's fate. "I personally attended da interrogation and heard first hand of his relationship vith Dumbledore."
"Huh, you learn something new every day. I wonder if that is why Dumbledore sought to wipe half of my family off of the face of the earth."
"What do you mean?" Hermione inquired curiously.
"My great-grandfather, Gregory Evans, personally killed Griselda Grindelwald and a number of other high profile targets during World War II or what the magicals call the Grindelwald Conflict."
"That is not true; it was the Gilded Juggernaut that killed Griselda," Madam Longbottom corrected with a shake of her head. "A man also known as…"
"Hunter Firebrand…?" Harry finished as he flashed the elderly witch a smile. "Hunter Firebrand was Gregory Evans and I have spoken with two different individuals that knew him; one was his best friend and the other an assassin who'd been hired to eliminate a number of high profile targets from Hitler and Grindelwald's side at the time. I have a single picture of my great-grandfather and my grandfather that was taken not long before Gellert killed him in retaliation for Griselda's death that I can show you later if you wish."
"I will hold you to that, young man."
Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement before he once again brought the meeting back on track, "Now that we've established that Dumbledore's reputation is not quite as stain free as he'd like you to believe, I'd like to finish the introductions so that everyone knows who everyone is before we get down to business. I will get the ball rolling by introducing my companions starting with my friend and fellow Hunter; Gon Freecss. Next is my friend; Killua Zoldyck. And last but certainly not least, is Killua's bodyguard and my lovely girlfriend; Canary."
"I will warn you now," Harry stated as his voice grew cold. "If I catch any of you threatening my friends due to their non-magical heritage; I will kick you out of my house so fast your head will spin. If I see anyone casting magic on them without their explicit permission and my knowledge, for any reason, I will make you regret it before I wipe your memory and kick you to the curb. I will not tolerate any prejudice in this house or in those I fight alongside. We are here to bring down three terrorist factions and I expect all of you to behave accordingly and treat each other with respect. That includes my house elves."
More than a few people squirmed beneath the intensity of Harry's gaze; a number of them uncomfortable with the presence of two Hunters. He was also certain that a few people had recognized Killua's last name as he'd seen a few people flinch at the mere mention of the famous family of assassins. And lastly, he'd noticed more than a few of the younger witches were pouting over the revelation that he was not available and Harry just barely stopped a shudder of his own from tracing down his spine at having to fend off fan-girls while trying to fight a war at the same time.
After a few minutes Harry broke the silence once more as he absently commented, "And I suppose everyone here should be made aware that my cousin took and passed the Hunter's Exam at the same time as Gon and I did this past January; meaning that Harry is a full fledged Dark Wizard Hunter just like me and our great-grandfather. That information is also not to leave this room."
That news had mixed reactions; some people seemed to grow more hopeful upon learning that he was a Hunter while others seemed to be dismayed. Harry took note of those that were unhappy with the news before he asked everyone to stand up and introduce themselves so that he could matches names to faces for those people he didn't know. Once all of the introductions had been made, the group would spend the next three hours sharing information, comparing notes, organizing their data, and making tentative plans.
At the end of those three hours, Harry dismissed the majority of the group before he spent another half an hour discussing his memories of fighting the dementors and the out of phase werewolves with Bill, Madam Bones, and the goblins. Harry agreed to share both memories in addition to agreeing to speak to 'Harry' on their behalf in order to view some of his earlier memories (such as his various encounters he'd had with Riddle/Voldemort and the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack). Harry then had a quick word with Bill to find out when and how 'Harry' had shown up in the temporary infirmary; that was how he learned the goblins had created a new golem to stand in for him to prevent anyone from seeing through his ruse shortly after he'd left the bank to rush after Sirius earlier.
Once he had finished his conversation with Bill, Harry collected Canary, Killua, and Gon and led them to the room he'd used to clean himself up earlier; the three of them would be bunking down with him so he could keep an eye on them and because the house was rather crowded. It wouldn't be that much different than the room they had shared at Heaven's Arena aside from the fact that it was a little smaller and lacked any technology whatsoever. Harry planned to set up his tent in any case since it offered extra privacy, a kitchen, and extra room.
He was also long used to living out of the portable flat.
Harry had barely ushered his girlfriend and younger friends into the room before Hermione, Neville, and the four youngest Weasleys turned up looking for answers. Knowing he owed his friends the truth, Harry allowed them inside before he raised several privacy wards to insure that no one else would overhear or interrupt them before he called on Pinny and asked her to provide refreshments and extra chairs.
AN: A little bit of angst, a bit of drama, and a dash of plot thrown in. This chapter was an utter pain to write. Not sure if I'm one hundred percent happy with it but it is at least finished. I'm also sorry to say that it will be the only chapter that is posted this weekend as the next chapter of this story is only half finished right now. I did at least do what I could to get this chapter finished and ready for posting so I had something to offer those of you who have been reading this story.
I have already replaced chapters 1-14 w/ updated & edited chapters, though as usual, there were not any significant changes to the basic story, so there is no need for you to go back and re-read the entire thing. Chapters 15-28 will be updated tomorrow and then chapters 29-34 will be updated on Sunday. If, between now and Sunday, I actually manage to finish writing chapter 36, I will of course post it as well but don't count on it as it is being a right pain right now.
Anywho, the next story you can expect to see updated will be Have Fox, Will Travel (one of my HP/Naruto crossovers) and that will be updated next weekend with Dark x Wizard x Hunter (my other HP/HxH crossover) being updated the weekend after that. ~ Jenn