Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to J. K. Rowling
Part 3/Chapter 20
April, and there were weeks of very wet weather. Muddy puddles everywhere, and seldom a break in the continual drizzle. Archie was contacted. Pony Club tests for their members. Could they use the indoor arena Saturday? Archie said he'd ask the boss and get back to her. Bellamy agreed, though they all had to be a bit more careful what they did when the Pony Club came.
Ursula had undertaken a project the previous year, and now the indoor arena, occasionally again functioning as a Quidditch pitch, was surrounded on three sides by fields of thousands of daffodils. But there were sheets of water lying around, and few were picked. It made a very happy sight though, lightening the spirit when the sky remained grey and dreary.
Margaret and Bellamy watched the Pony Club tests with interest. Margaret would soon be nine, and wanted to join. "When can we start taking Susan visiting?" asked Margaret. Susan fascinated Margaret, who still carried her own redheaded doll with her wherever she went.
"Soon," said Bellamy. "But Pat can't apparate, and it's too dangerous to try and take two passengers at once."
Margaret changed the subject. "You said that Peter had done brilliantly, that he has a lot of courage."
"They've been attacking him at school, trying to make him tell where you live, so they can try and get me." Bellamy was frowning. He didn't like his friends getting hurt because of him, and he looked at the vivid redhead beside him. But then he grinned. Margaret could just scream, and no-one would be game to come within miles.
For her ninth birthday, Margaret was given a wand, and she, too, joined the defence classes. She was talented, and when Bellamy took a hand as teacher, she learned the body bind spell, though the stun spell would probably take a few years yet. She now mostly rode Jedda too, instead of her own small pony. Either Victor or one of her parents would tow the horse box the few miles to where the Pony Club meetings were normally held. And Margaret, too, was always accompanied by an extra witch or wizard. It would be too easy for Bellamy to be attacked through his family, and amazing that it hadn't happened so far.
The rain eased off in May, and the sun shone. The brood mares started having their foals, and again, a large flock of ewes started lambing. The owner of the sheep checked them every day, but usually Bellamy was before him, walking the dew wet grass in the early morning before he went to work, and helping where help was needed. Not every lamb survived, even so, but all the ewes did. Bob Barton thought it must be the good pasture. He'd had so few problems with his sheep here the last couple of years.
Clare spent a lot of time outdoors at her easel. She loved painting the young animals. Ursula and Kitty were looking for someone to teach them anti-conception spells for dogs and cats. Xander would shortly be a father, and although the pups would be useful, they didn't want too many dogs, and there were always too many cats.
Bellamy hadn't talked about the clouded years to Pat for weeks. And when she asked again about it, he showed her something different. "You want to know what I was like then. But I was the same person I am now. It's just that I wasn't thinking - just being." And he showed her some new pictures, a blurred woman watching him indulgently as she ate an ice-cream with him. "I was given treats sometimes, I don't think for any particular reason, just that people were kind." And he mentioned, "Even at work now, the aurors sometimes do that, bring me ice-creams because they know I like them." He grinned. "People still like to look after me."
Pat squeezed his hand as she sat beside him in the spa. She knew he thought he didn't need looking after. Pat thought he did.
A few days later, he showed her another woman, eyes raised to the sky. "I was choosing a shirt to wear. She thought it was too bright."
Pat laughed. That hadn't changed. And then there was another picture, for some reason, more misty, and this time two dark complexioned men were pointing him to a rack of shirts, and telling him to choose. "Who were the men?" Pat asked.
"Bruno and Angelo. They shared a cabin with me in the Costa Rivera."
By now Pat suspected that it was one or two of his cabin-mates that may have taken advantage of him, or maybe even raped him. He was getting closer. Pat thought that he might have an unhealed wound - that he needed to talk about it, so that he could accept it.
But Pat was wrong. Bellamy accepted and understood that his friends had used his body, but if he told Pat, he wanted her to understand. They had given him love, and it was that love that had enabled him to come back. But how would anyone understand that he could have been drugged and raped, and yet they had loved?
Susan was five months old. She laughed and chortled, and looked at people with brightly dark and knowing eyes. "When can we tell if she's a witch?" asked Pat.
"Oh, she's a witch, all right," said Bellamy, in between blowing raspberries on the baby's tummy, to Susan's noisy delight.
"How can you tell?"
Bellamy looked at her in surprise. "I hadn't thought about it, but I guess I have learned to tell, just from the feel of the person."
Bellamy wanted to show his incredibly beautiful baby to his friends, the aurors, and Therese and Katrina were especially roped in to help the next time he did the work in London.
They were very late to start that day, as every department of the Ministry had a visit from the great wizard carrying his baby. Susan had to be thoroughly admired before work commenced.
In Medj Affairs, after the visit, Penelope shook her head despairingly at Rocky, "You'd think no-one else had ever had a baby!"
Rocky giggled. She thought it was charming. She'd be showing her new baby to Grandfather Harry at the first opportunity. Of course, she was only three months pregnant so far.
Katrina and Therese meantime, showed Pat the portrait of her husband that hung in the aurors' tea-room. Pat went close, and studied it, and quite suddenly her own eyes were swimming in tears.
"It's a bit like that, isn't it?" said Katrina, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Pat went to the window and looked out for a few minutes, until Therese said that Julia wanted her to visit.
Bellamy kept them waiting. He still had his daughter, and Dieter was looking for him. He was supposed to have an auror with him at all times, even within the Ministry building.
Dieter finally found him talking to Nathan, sitting on the edge of his large and impressive desk, and swinging his feet. Susan sat in a little chair on the floor, presumably conjured. Xander sat next to her, ears pricked in alert attention.
"You're holding everyone up," said Dieter, critically.
"Sorry," said Bellamy, and picked up his daughter, but forgot to vanish the small reclining chair that Susan had been using. The next visitor to Nathan's office would soon be tripping over it.
Pat and Susan went shopping, and then home, and Bellamy started work. He soon caught up. He was very fast, usually.
Toward the end of the day, a wizard walked in. He looked to be in his sixties. "Mr. Darby," said Graham routinely. "Writing on his chest."
Bellamy regarded Mr. Darby. Alec Darby said casually, "I hear you have a very beautiful baby."
Bellamy chuckled. "How beautiful?"
"Oh, extremely beautiful!" Bellamy laughed again, and waved his wand.
"Gone?" said Darby.
Bellamy nodded. "Gone."
"Great, I want to marry again, and that writing would have been just too embarrassing."
Ryde started to indicate that the wizard should leave now. But Darby turned back. "By the way, I've always wondered why you don't just find the reward, and get rid of it yourself. After all, you can probably break any spells safeguarding it."
Bellamy looked up, struck. "I've always left stuff like that to the aurors, but you might be right."
Ryde asked Darby, "Do you know anything about it?"
"I might know a bit."
Ryde whistled, and Scott appeared. "Take Mr. Darby to Bruce. He might be able to help a little."
Graham at his desk, said, "Unusual spell. I wonder what it said that was so embarrassing!"
Bellamy looked amused, "I might tell you later."
Graham looked up, and suddenly narrowed his eyes. Could it be? And a little later, out of earshot of the aurors, Bellamy told him what the writing had said. I tried to kill the great wizard. Graham was a little shocked, but Bellamy told him casually that it was over forty years ago, and, of course, the man perfectly obviously knew about beautiful babies, even if he'd never laid eyes on Susan.
He told Pat about it later, in the spa again. It was a time for relaxed talking, the spa. Pat thought it an excellent idea to get rid of the reward. The amount was too large. There were too many plots, too many attempts to kill her husband. One day, one would have to succeed. "You're so much safer in the medj world," commented Pat. "No-one tried to kill you in Sydney, and you survived twenty years wandering, quite defenceless."
Bellamy smiled at her. "No-one tried to kill me, but I made a few people very cross." He showed her a picture of Bruno looking very annoyed. "That was in Morocco. I wandered off, gave all my money to beggars, and then sat on the footpath and waited for someone to tell me what to do next."
"Morocco's not a good place to get lost," commented Pat.
"My friends were amazingly good. They often took me on excursions, especially Bruno and Angelo. I gave them trouble, too, sometimes," and he showed her Angelo looking very annoyed, and for the first time, she heard his voice, speaking quite severely, although in Italian, of course, so she barely gathered the gist.
"I don't remember what I did then. I might not even have quite understood what I did wrong at the time, but they still kept giving me the treat of an excursion when we were in port."
He was quiet for a time, staring at the fading picture of Angelo. And then he spoke again, "They were so good to me."
Over the next days, he showed her more pictures of his cabin-mates. A clear picture of Angelo in a library. "You had your glasses by then," commented Pat.
Bellamy nodded. "I remember the last month or so on the Costa Rivera quite clearly. I think I was getting better, then."
He showed her another picture, perfectly clear. The man had on an expression of polite interest. But then he glanced to the side, at another figure shown less clearly, and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "That was Romano. It was that horse book, and I was telling him all about Mischief, I think. Romano didn't know me well, and even he was patient."
"Not one of your room-mates, then?" said Pat.
Bellamy had stopped talking, and Pat had the feeling that he really wanted to tell her. But he was silent. After a while, Pat said, "I don't think we've got a copy of that horse book in the library. Maybe we should get one."
Bellamy had all the information that Bruce could give him about the origins and the likely whereabouts of the reward. Unfortunately, it was very little. "It's surrounded by enchantments, and it's said that only the person who's responsible for your death will be able to find it."
"I'll search for hidden places to start with," said Bellamy. "I can feel spells, often, and maybe if I'm close to a hidden place, I'll be able to find it."
"Will you take an auror?"
Bellamy shook his head. "Someone might have a perfectly good reason for keeping their home secret. I won't betray any secrets unless I have to."
Bruce was a little indignant. "Things are not supposed to be hidden from the Ministry of Magic!"
"My own home's still hidden from the Ministry," but then he frowned, "Isn't it?"
"I think so," said Bruce uncertainly. "At least, I don't know where it is. Julia or Dianne might, though."
Bellamy was still looking narrow-eyed at him. "People are supposed to forget, unless I tell them myself, but Manfred sent aurors there ten years or so ago."
Bruce was uncomfortable. Bellamy took his eyes off him to his relief.
Systematically, that Saturday, Bellamy started searching the country for any place hidden by spells and enchantments. Bruce's information was so scanty that he thought it best simply to search the whole country, even if it took months. Don was asked to postpone further spell-breaking trips after the next two weeks' work, which were already arranged.
Bellamy already knew that he could feel the spells that hid an area from almost ten miles away. But it was going to be exhausting apparating all over the country, in five mile steps. And the spells that hid a few piles of gold might be less perceptible than those that hid a castle, a property, or even a house. But he started looking, all that Saturday, and half of Sunday, not worrying about areas that only had medj-repelling magic. That was useful and common, used for things like Quidditch pitches, and wizard cemeteries, even a lot of perfectly ordinary wizard homes had that sort of magic. And nearly all of them had spells that repelled salesmen and religious fanatics.
That weekend, he found a large horde of fire-whisky, presumably hidden from someone's wife, and a shed with piles of valuables, probably stolen property. He marked the area he'd searched off his map. He'd continue next weekend.
Monday, in the aeroplane as they flew to Norway, Graham did his checks, as he always insisted on, beginning and end of every week. It only took a second, just two sensors held briefly to the back of his hand, and he'd note the results. "You've already exhausted yourself!" he exclaimed. "I would have stopped you apparating if I'd known."
Dieter turned around at the exclamation. Bellamy was looking uncomfortable. "I'll be fine. Don't fuss!"
Dieter asked, "What have you been doing? Not making like a tornado, again."
"What?" asked Bellamy, taken off balance.
"Beth's island. They said you soared around in the air and tore the place to pieces."
"I didn't soar around in the air and I didn't kill anyone," and he leaned his head back in his seat, and said, "Excuse me, I'm going to have a sleep."
Graham grinned at his grumpiness. He'd ask Dieter later about Beth's island. He hadn't heard that story, though he knew, of course, that Beth was dead.
They only did a half day's work that first day, as they usually did the first day in a country. But Graham said he was still not allowed to apparate. Bellamy glared at him, and Graham thought that he was going to apparate anyway. But then he shrugged and said mildly that he was probably right.
That evening at dinner, Ryde asked casually, "So what were you doing on the weekend?"
Bellamy answered, "I'm trying to find the reward for my death. If I succeed, you might all be out of a job!"
Ryde grinned. "We'll risk it."
"Don't tell anyone, of course," cautioned Bellamy. "It'd be a pest if someone heard and shifted it to a place I've already searched."
He was content that evening to stay in the hotel, listening to talk. He remembered something, and asked Ryde whether he knew anything about steeple chases in the auror department. Ryde grinned, "I won the race."
Bellamy laughed. "I'd love to have seen it," and he cast his eyes about the large room, littered with couches and chairs.
"Don't you dare!" said Dieter. "They'd never let us back."
"Well, anyway, I've grown out of that sort of nonsense," said Ryde, though Scott and Jeremy were looking speculative.
"There's a spa if you want," Dieter mentioned.
"Good idea," replied Bellamy, and was quite pleased when Dieter joined him.
"You called me Franz last time I was in a spa with you," Dieter casually commented.
"Franz was a real friend." Bellamy grinned. "He loathed me at first. Here he was trying to do his job, and I'd just clear out and leave the aurors behind."
"You still do that, if you choose," said Dieter.
"I'm very careful these days," replied Bellamy. "I don't think there's been so many trying to kill me since I first left school." A frown crossed his face. "What bothers me is the fear they might go for my family. I'd let them kill me if it was the only way to rescue Susan or Pat."
"Wizards wouldn't do a thing like that!" declared Dieter. "We're not barbarians!"
"Wizards are often barbarians," said Bellamy calmly, "But luckily that particular sort of barbarism doesn't seem to be a part of the culture." They talked a long time that evening, most of it while in the spa.
He slept well. The nightmares that had plagued him for most of his life were rare these days. Work was routine, and Graham made no objection to him apparating home the following day. Jeremy asked him the standard question, How did he apparate so far, and Bellamy gave the standard answer - that it was easy enough done in stages. The older ones knew perfectly well that he didn't do it in stages, but said nothing. He could pretend to himself that he still had a few secrets if he chose.
Tuesday night, he was home, and it was Pat who shared a spa with him. It wasn't talking he had in mind, but Pat protested that they couldn't do anything like that in front of Susan. And Susan was indeed watching from her place close, looking far too wise for her age.
It was not until a couple of evenings later that Pat asked specifically about his other room-mates on the Costa Rivera. He showed her Taddeo and Silvio, cavorting in the pool. And again, the image was blurred. She commented, but he said that he would have been swimming, too, and he wouldn't have been wearing his glasses in the pool in any case.
"They were only in their early twenties, identical twins, and they were always happy, always laughing. They hugged a lot."
"Were they good to you, too?"
"They were all very good to me."
"Others?"
"There were also Nino and Mario." But his clearest picture of Nino was of him playing with his hair. And when he thought of Mario, it was not of his appearance, but rather it was the feeling of the great comfort of having his big furry body close to his own. He wasn't sure that he'd ever tell Pat that, although he knew that she was a brilliant woman, with a great understanding.
Again on the weekend, he searched for hidden places. And this time he found a large property that looked totally neglected, as if it had been forgotten for a century or more. He walked the property a long time, searching, looking for signs of bags of gold. But he had the feeling no human had been there for years. He brought back Bruce and Homer, and the three of them wandered and searched.
Bellamy suddenly said, "I know what it reminds me of - I've got an old painting of a landscape. I'm sure this is it."
Homer whistled, and Bruce and Bellamy went to see what he'd found. Bellamy stared a long time at the skeleton of an enormous snake. "It's Nagini," he finally said. "This was the home of Voldemort, the most famous dark wizard of them all."
"We did him in history," said Bruce, awed. "Are you sure?"
Bellamy nodded. "It has to be. It's hidden, and no-one could ever find him, and he had a snake friend." He looked at Bruce. "Do you want me to take the spells off, or will that cause problems with Medjkind?"
Bruce furrowed his brow. "Best leave it for now."
Bellamy cast his eyes around again. "It might not be easy, Voldemort was a very powerful wizard, and the spells are so old."
"Will you be able to find it again?"
"Of course," said Bellamy, "And brace yourselves, I might just take off the anti-apparation spells so you can apparate back in as soon as it's no longer hidden."
He put a hand to his shirt, and then asked if he could borrow a wand. Dieter smiled, and handed over his wand. Bellamy raised it, and after a moment, a tingling was felt in the air. "That's done," he said, casually, and returned the wand. "Easier than I thought." He reckoned he'd done a good day's work then, and went home.
He showed Silvio and Taddeo to Pat again when she asked. He showed her the pair laughing in a street somewhere, and then another image, a clear one. Taddeo was looking very worried. "I'd slipped the leash," he commented. "After I went for a swim the first time, they kept a very close guard on me."
Pat stared, but Bellamy was looking uncomfortable, and only showed her the pair again, sitting close on a couch, and watching a film. "They were always watching films, but never read a book." And then he showed them again, laughing hilariously, and playing leapfrog along the crew deck. "They were good at playing."
He was quiet a while, and Pat was quiet too. She thought she'd get more from him if she didn't push. Finally, Bellamy said, as if casually, "They used to play with each other all the time - sexually I mean. They said they'd been doing it together since they were thirteen."
And then he rolled over in the spa, and suddenly he was in a position to kiss. Susan had been left in the care of Kitty for an hour, although it was Margaret who watched the baby possessively, hoping she'd wake up so that she'd have an excuse to do something.
Pat stayed awake late that night, in bed with her husband, wanting to stroke a little, but reluctant to disturb him. Had it been the twins, then? But he spoke of them with affection. Maybe it was one of those he'd scarcely spoken of, Nino or Mario.
In the next few days, he avoided speaking of that time at all, and told her about Voldemort instead. There had been a book, and she already knew the cause of the zigzag scar on his forehead. But Bellamy knew a lot that wasn't in the book, and sometimes what he said was not what the book said. It was so long ago, and it was still so hard to believe that it was the same man whom she'd married that had lived in those days.
Work finished, and Bellamy had a break for a while. He hadn't been definite, and Don knew only that he'd be told when he was ready to start again.
***chapter end***
