They all sped forward in a swirl of colours and a rush of wind, the kettle pulling them onwards…until Harry's feet hit the ground so hard that his knees buckled and if it wasn't for the strong arm around his waist he would have fallen, the kettle clattered to the ground and he stepped away from Percival.
They had arrived in the basement kitchen of number twelve Grimmauld Place. In the dim glow of the fire, Kreacher could be seen sending a plate of biscuits and a complete tea set flying to the table. Sirius was hurrying towards them, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in the clothes he had been wearing when Harry and Percival had last seen him.
Playing it up for the Weasleys he said, "What's going on?" He reached out a hand to help Ginny up from where she had fallen on the floor. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured…"
"Ask Harry," said Fred.
"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George.
"It was…" Harry began; this was even worse than telling McGonagall. The twins and Ginny were staring at him, Ron was strangely silent. "I had a - a kind of- vision…"
And he told them all that he had seen, he would have altered his story to imply that he had been on the side-lines watching but Ron was there, looking at him with hard eyes. When Harry had finished Fred, George and Ginny continued to stare at him for a moment. Harry didn't know if he was imagining it or not, but after Dumbledore's tone, he fancied that there was something accusatory in their looks.
"Is Mum here?" Ginny asked turning to Sirius.
"She probably doesn't even know what happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect that Dumbledore is letting her know now."
"We've got to go to St Mungo's" said Ginny urgently. She looked around at her brothers; they were of course all in their pyjamas. "Sirius can you lend us cloaks or anything."
"It will only take me a minute to enlarge your trunks, but I can't let you go tearing off to St Mungo's."
"Course we can go to St Mungo's if we want," Fred interrupted, with a mulish expression. "He's our dad!"
Sirius' eyes softened, "I know, but we can't explain how you knew that Arthur was injured before the hospital had even informed his wife."
"What does that matter?" said George hotly.
"It matters," Sirius explained flatly, "because we do not wish to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of what is happening hundreds of miles away. Think about what the Ministry would do with that information."
Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry would do. Ron was still ashen-faced and silent.
"I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother. They won't let you in to St Mungo's before she has seen him anyway. All right?"
Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny however took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and a shrug, he sank on to the chair next to Ginny. Percival looked over at Harry and nodded to the table. Harry blushed as they both sat down. The twins glared at Sirius for another minute, then took seats opposite Ginny and Ron.
"That's right," said Sirius encouragingly. "Come on, let's all…let's all have a drink while we are waiting. I guess no one wants the tea." With a wave he sent it back over to the bench. "Accio Butterbeer."
He raised his wand as he spoke, and the bottles came flying towards them out of the pantry, skidded along the table, scattering the debris of Sirius's meal, and stopped neatly in front of them. They all drank, and for a while the only sounds were those of the crackling of the kitchen fire and the soft thud of their bottles on the table.
Harry was only drinking to have something to do with his hands. His stomach was full of horrible hot, bubbling guilt. They would not be here if it was not for him, they would all still be asleep in their beds. There was a small part of his mind, that sounded an awful lot like Percival, that was telling him that he had raised the alarm which had ensured that Mr Weasley had been found. However, Dumbledore's questions had thrown him, as had the looks that Ron had been giving him. He knew there was no way he had actually attacked Ron's dad, after the events in the Room of Requirement, unless astral travel was a thing in the wizarding world. But Dumbledore had asked Snape about Harry's visions and Harry had been successfully blocking them, maybe if he hadn't been, he would have seen something sooner and Mr Weasley could have been warned instead of rescued.
'Don't be stupid' he told himself, trying to keep calm, though the hand on his Butterbeer bottle was shaking. 'Snape told you to keep practicing. But maybe Snape was wrong? And what had happened in Dumbledore's Office? Was that a sign that Riddle was now aware of the connection?' Suddenly there was a feeling of warmth on his arm. Harry glanced down to see that Percival had reached out and placed his hand on Harry's forearm, stilling the shake.
"Whatever you are thinking now stop it," he said fiercely, looking the younger boy dead in the eye. "Mr Weasley has been found because of your vision."
"What if there are others who haven't been?" Harry hissed back. "Besides I …I think he knows."
Nearly imperceptibly the black eyes widened, Percival stood and grabbed Harry by the shoulder and led him to the library.
In the kitchen, the redheads watched them leave.
"So, what is going on there?" Sirius asked.
Ron and the twins just shook their heads.
"Not sure," Ginny shrugged. "They were ok until two days ago…"
"Huh," Ron murmured. "Oh, that was the morning after…."
"The morning after what?" Sirius asked.
"Well the morning after Cho kissed Harry."
"Cho kissed Harry!" Fred choked on his butterbeer.
"Yeah, she hung around after we all left the rec room and pounced on him apparently. You should have seen him when he got back to the common room. It was hilarious."
"So, is Percival upset at Harry?"
Ron shrugged, "Not that I know."
Percival pushed Harry into one of the wing-backed chairs and sat in the other.
"So, tell me what is going on in that head of yours."
"I think he knows," Harry whispered, gazing at the fire.
"Who knows what?"
"Um, Snape came to see me when I was in the hospital wing. The Headmaster had asked if I had noticed any changes to my connection with Riddle, he seemed to be implying that I should be getting visions. I told Snape that I hadn't and that you have been teaching me Occlumency. He encouraged me to continue. He thought that if Riddle knew about it, he would use the connection somehow. I think he knows about it now. This….with Mr Weasley…seems to have triggered something. When we were leaving, I had the urge to strike out at Dumbledore."
"How did it compare to when you got upset at me or Neville? Could it just be that he's angry and you were feeling it too?"
Harry thought about the feeling and shook his head, "No, it ….feels different. This was anger specifically aimed at the Headmaster. I think he could see what I saw."
"We'll have to look at some techniques for shoring up your protection around the connection." They heard a surprised exclamation from the kitchen. "Come on, let's see what that is all about."
It seemed that a message had just been delivered by Fawkes, Sirius was just passing the parchment over to George, who un-folded it and read aloud: 'Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum.'
George looked around the table, noting that Harry and Percival had re-entered the room. "Still alive," he said slowly. "But that makes it sound…"
He did not need to finish the sentence. It sounded to Harry, too, as though Mr Weasley was hovering somewhere between life and death. Still pale, Ron stared at the back of his mother's letter as though it still might speak words of comfort to him. Fred pulled the parchment out of George's hands and read it for himself, then looked up at Harry, who had sat down and picked up his butterbeer bottle with a shaking hand.
The group settled in at the table to await news. At one point during the night Sirius made a half-hearted attempt to convince them all to go to bed, needless to say it failed miserably. They ended up sitting in silence watching the candle wicks burning slowly lower and lower into the liquid wax, speaking only to check the time, to wonder what was happening and to reassure each other that if it was bad news they would have been told straight away, for Mrs Weasley must long since have arrived at St Mungo's.
At ten past five in the morning by Ron's watch, the door swung open and Mrs Weasley bustled into the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when they all turned to look at her, Fred, Ron and Harry half rising in their chairs, she gave a wan smile.
"He's going to be okay," she reassured them, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."
"Breakfast," Sirius stated loudly over the relieved noises of the Weasleys gathered at the table. "Kreacher!"
With a pop the Elf appeared.
"Would you mind making bacon and eggs, tea and toast please?"
With a grunt Kreacher moved towards the stove. Harry and Percival moved to set the table, being sure to keep out of the way, as Ginny and Fred moved to hug their mother, having no doubt Ron and George would follow.
In the Headmaster's Tower a bearded man, sat contemplating the latest turn of events. Certainly, he wasn't sure what Umbridge had been planning, but her machinations had failed regardless. Watching her actions amused him, all the planning, lying and manipulation, all for naught. He smirked, she really was an amateur, it was no wonder really, she was less than half his age, maybe she would improve with time. No, there were very few in his league. The closest was locked away in a tower, never to be seen by the world again. A deep chuckle passed his lips. Yes, perhaps it was time to visit Nurmengard again. After the school year finished. Yes, then he could take a little holiday away, his pawns wouldn't get up to too much trouble over the few weeks of the summer holidays.
Tap, tap.
Stifling a groan, Dumbledore waved a hand to allow the girl into his office. He had been expecting her visit.
"Professor," she began, clearly panicked. "I woke up this morning and he's gone! I…I…"
Peering over his spectacles, he twinkled at her, "Miss Granger, I sent them away. It appears that Arthur was injured last night."
"Poor Mr Weasley….but, Harry's gone too, as is …."
"Yes," the Headmaster nodded his head amiably. "Yes, I sent young Harry with them, poor boy. I thought it best given the situation. Of course, it is best if I keep Mr Graves with him for the time being, so I can keep my eye on the situation. If we watch him closely we should be able to prevent him from leading Harry astray. A word here and there and he can be shown that the boy isn't infallible. A book or item in the right place and Harry will know that the boy cannot be trusted. Yes, after last night Harry should already be coming into an awareness of the risks."
"What happened last night, Professor?"
He could have laughed at how easy it was to coax the girl into asking the right questions, "It appears that the time has come at last. Harry himself remains mostly unaware, except on a subconscious level of course, but there is a connection which ties him to Voldemort. It has been there since the night that his parents died. Tonight, he witnessed the actions of Voldemort that resulted in Arthur Weasley being mortally injured. Who knows how that connection might be used in the future," he said solemnly.
Hermione gasped.
"Indeed. It is entirely possible that Voldemort could possess Harry through this connection and all unsuspecting he could be putting others at risk."
"Harry would never forgive himself if he got anyone else hurt," Hermione declared.
Dumbledore hummed his agreement, "What are your plans for the holidays, my dear?"
"Oh, my parents are taking me skiing." Hermione smiled.
"Such a shame."
Hermione looked at Dumbledore's frown and couldn't help but ask, "What's a shame, Professor?"
"Oh," Dumbledore shook his head as if, trying to settle his thoughts. "I had thought if you were available, you could keep an eye on Harry, for when Voldemort inevitably tries to possess him. I won't be able to attend Grimmauld place for more than a couple of brief visits myself, as I have a great many other duties to attend to at this time of the year. And it would put this old man's mind at rest to know that you were there monitoring the situation. You would be able to continue your efforts to inform Harry of Mr Graves duplicity as well. Though you might need to employ a subtler method."
"Is Percival really that bad Professor? I mean," Hermione hastened to add seeing Dumbledore's eyes glint like stones, "he carried Harry all the way to the hospital wing when he was sick. That doesn't seem like something that someone who was trying to harm him would do."
"Hermione," Dumbledore tutted, chiding the child. "This is where you are still so naïve. It's all an act, Mr Graves is manipulating Harry. He has done this one good deed and in turn he will ask a price that I am afraid Harry will be unable to pay. Perhaps I have misjudged you, I thought you were able to see these manipulations. Maybe I should choose someone else to keep a watch over Harry for me." He leant forwards and rested his chin on his fingertips, contemplating the girl in front of him solemnly.
"No, no Professor, I can tell when someone is being manipulated. Really I can."
"Perhaps then, it is because you aren't willing to do what needs to be done to look after Harry? Poor Harry who has lost so much, and desperately needs someone to guide him and be his friend."
"Harry got hurt the last time, I tried to help," Hermione said in a small voice.
And there is was, the opening, a small wandless compulsion to trust him was cast at the girl, it looked like he had done nothing more than tap his finger on the desk. "Hmmm, you did your best, and you were marginally successful; even if some of the outcomes were a bit of a surprise. It wasn't your fault that Harry was hurt. You were acting in his best interest, even if he doesn't know it yet."
He had to give the girl credit for her creativity in dealing with the situation, even if it did mean that he had to re-administer all of Harry's potions and obliviate Madame Pomfrey, again. If she had a little more experience, she might have been able to make Harry believe that Mr Graves had poisoned him, sadly that was a missed opportunity. He looked at her smiling face.
"Yes I,,,I'm sure you're right. I wasn't trying to hurt him, just to make sure that any potions Percival had given him were out of his system," She smiled as her confidence grew. "Um, Professor, do you think it would be possible for me to have…."
His face clouded over for a second before he affected his patented disappointed Grandfather mien, "After losing the last book? Do you have any idea of how precious the information it contained was? And now you expect me to just hand you another," he scolded. "No, you need to demonstrate your worthiness. Those books are not to be trifled with. They are not mere text books. They are repositories of ancient wisdom that only those of stout mind and heart can ever hope to master and are coveted as such throughout the wizarding world. I had thought that you appreciated and respected the information that was given to you. That you were growing in strength magically, and mentally and were ready for that next step. To discover I was mistaken was very disappointing Miss Granger."
The girl swallowed as she stared at her lap, face burning in shame.
"I…I guess I could owl my parents and see about cutting short our holiday?" she offered hesitantly.
"That would be appreciated," he smiled at her genially, dismissing her with a wave.
She certainly was a bright young thing. As soon as Albus had heard about her from Minerva he knew, it was as if Ariana had been reincarnated once more. His brilliant little sister. So quick and bright and funny. Always scurrying from place to place. In many ways she had been the glue that held their family together. In life she had been just as brilliant and bright as Albus himself. She would have followed exactly in his footsteps if it hadn't been for those wretched creatures. They had spoiled everything. Because of them his father was sent to Azkaban, his Mother no longer had any time to spend with her sons, as she was focussed on her daughters care, and Aberforth….Albus snorted. Aberforth just accepted that it was so.
Thinking of Arianna inevitably bought him back to the dark tower and the man now residing in it. His mother had finally passed on due to an unfortunate bout of Arianna's accidental magic leaving the two brothers to look after their sister. Oh, how he had raged at the time. His …brother had said that he would stay and look after her, but Albus knew, oh yes Albus knew that he hadn't meant it. It had all been lies, so that Aberforth would look like the knight in shining armour and he the villain. How would it have looked for the Dumbledore family if the boy who had only just taken his OWLS pulled out of school to look after their sister and not the older brother! No, it couldn't be, and his denial of Gellert had broken the man's heart and mind. He had flown into a rage, which in turn had led to spell fire. Arianna, his brilliant little sister whose mind was like a light being passed through a kaleidoscope, so very fractured, wandered in drawn by the energy and flashes of light. Aberforth, the hero as always, had tried to stop her, but he was on the wrong side of the room and too late. Then in a flash of orange light she was gone. This girl though, this new brilliant child, she was going to be everything that Arianna never had the chance to be. He hoped he'd chosen better than the last time.
Remus continued to tromp through the countryside, trying to ignore the rain dripping down his face. The weather had taken a turn for the worse just as he left Soren's tribe and the rain was now nearly continuous. A patronus from Sirius had reached him a day ago, so he was aware of Arthur's injuries and that the children were now at Grimmauld place. Shrugging his bag further up his shoulder he kept walking. Soren had mentioned that there were a few members of Greyback's tribe in the nearby hills and he had been hit by the urge to try and contact them to see if he couldn't speak to them about the war.
The rain continued to fall as with fatigued muscles, his legs pushed him up to the crest of the hill. Why was he doing this anyway? He let out a huff, thinking longingly about the library at Grimmauld place with its warm fire and comfortable chairs. Sirius might even have the kettle boiled. He had promised Dumbledore though. The view down the other side of the hill was uninspiring, a miserable blackthorn filled landscape set against a dull flat, grey sky. He trudged on.
Suddenly his foot failed to find purchase on the mud slick ground, and Remus was sliding, down the hillside on his rump. Expelling a breathless expletive, he tried to push himself up, but was overcome by dizziness. He must have hit his head in the fall. Well he wasn't in any rush, perhaps he would just lie in the middle of the bramble hedge that had arrested his fall for a while. At some point, Remus must have passed into unconsciousness, because the next thing he remembered was blinking open his eyes to see a starry sky, the clouds having blown away sometime during the evening. Moving his cold, stiff and sore limbs was a pain, but he persisted, and gathered up his bag once more. His left ankle protested as he transferred his weight onto it, well, he wasn't going to get to far, but he could probably hobble a little way up the path that the hedge lined and find a more protected place to rest. A hollowed out space under the hedge was all the shelter that Remus could find so he passed the rest of the night curled up on himself, trying to keep warm.
It was another two days before he saw the first of Fenrir's tribe, a dirty looking man, on the horizon keeping watch over the landscape, his shadow a black relief against the setting sun. Remus continued moving on, driven by an unstoppable force. The following night, Remus saw a farm house in the distance, a twinkling light shining out of the window. Tomorrow, he would reach there tomorrow.
Stretching out the last of the kinks in his spine, Remus headed off with renewed determination. Unfortunately, in the light of day, it seemed that the dwelling was further away than he had guessed. The earliest he would reach it would be that evening, and with his injured ankle, he might not even make it by then.
As the sun was dipping, it seemed that his morning prediction had been right, the lights were twinkling in the window once more as he made his way through the gate at the bottom of the property. There was a faint smell of wood smoke in the air, tainted by some kind of meat, that must have been cooking on the spit and his stomach growled. It was nearly enough to make him burst in through the door, begging to be fed. However halfway across the yard, a strange premonition twisted in his gut, and he paused. Remus was a naturally cautious person, years of being exiled had taught him that. Knowing it was rude and feeling a bit like a 'peeping tom', he made his way over to the window, and chanced a look inside. As he had thought there was a pig roasting on the spit over the fire, but there was no-one in the kitchen. He hesitated, should he make his way around the house to look in another window or just knock at the door? Voices broke through his train of thought.
"And he'll be here soon?" a deep masculine voice asked.
"Yes, I would have expected him to be here already, but he was travelling on foot," a second voice replied.
"What does he look like?"
"Sandy blonde hair, the usual scars, green eyes. He's one of yours."
"So, what makes you think he's coming here? Fenrir isn't known for being all that welcoming to those that are trying to convince us to be wizards."
"Oh, the boy is a great believer in second chances, after all he has been given several himself."
"And you expect Fenrir to just let him come in and talk to those that are weak minded, and take them away?"
"Oh, no, my dear boy. I expect Fenrir to kill him," the voice said in an amused tone. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you did what needs to be done first though. It would eliminate the threat after all."
It was a pity that Remus couldn't see them, for some reason that second voice seemed so familiar to him, and the name of its owner danced at the edges of his memory. There was a pop and then a man walked into the room.
"Sofia!" he called. "Sofia, come serve dinner I'm ravenous."
"I'm coming Taren," a feminine voice replied.
Remus rolled away from the window to lean against the wall, unsure what to make of the conversation. Should he knock anyway? They might not have been talking about him. No, that was ridiculous, they had obviously been talking about him. What was worse, was that there was clearly a spy in the Order again! He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach, this was how it had started last time. Then he had lost his pack. It couldn't be allowed to happen again. His head fell back onto the wall with a soft thunk. He should head back, and warn Sirius.
Bang.
The next thing the blonde werewolf knew, he was face down on the ground and there was a heavy weight on his back.
"Think you could sneak up on us did ya? Well I was warned about the likes of you."
His arms were jerked roughly up behind his back and tied together. There was a tug on his arms, straining the sockets as he was hauled upright, then he was pushed roughly past the house. A dark building loomed, there was a clanking of chains as a door was rolled open, and then smell of hay assaulted his nose. Oh, excellent he was going to be kept in the barn, Remus thought in despair in the moment before his world went black.
After breakfast was eaten, and Harry had sat through the uncomfortableness that was Mrs Weasley thanking him for saving Arthur, most of those at Grimmauld place went to bed. Harry found that despite having talked to Percival he was still jittery, so he retired to the library. An hour later Sirius found him there.
"Did you want to talk about it?" the dark-haired man asked softly as he approached the boy lying on the rug.
Green eyes blinked slowly as Harry came back to himself. Ah he must have been meditating.
"Talk about it?"
"Whatever is keeping you from going up to bed, when I can see how tired you are."
"I…," Harry groaned. "I…when I saw the attack, I saw it like I was the snake. When I told the Headmaster about it, he made it seem like Riddle was possessing me, or that he would at any moment. Then when we were leaving Dumbledore's office, I had the urge to strike….to bite him. To sink my fangs into his skin."
"Like a snake?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Yes, just like I was still the snake," Harry shuddered.
"Stop that. You were not the snake," Sirius scolded.
"But….Ron was there in Dumbledore's office and he's been looking at me weird, ever since."
"I am sure Ron will come around, he will just be upset because of what has happened to his father," Sirius reassured. "We know you have the horcrux, and now there is a connection to his snake. I think that shows that perhaps the snake is another one, though I want to check with Addison first. It would be safest to assume that he knows about the link. You'll have to be extra vigilant with your Occlumency now, examine every thought, feeling or dream that you have and don't act on it unless you are absolutely sure that it is your own," Sirius said urgently.
"I will," Harry gave a painful looking half smile.
Sirius tipped his head and examined Harry thoughtfully, "You've already discussed this with Percival, haven't you?" Seeing the nod, he asked, "So, why haven't you headed up to bed?"
A hand roughly scrubbed across the pale face, what were the odds his Godfather would give him useful advice and not tease him? He took a deep breath, he was a Gryffindor so…"On Friday, I was one of the last to leave the Rec room. I have told you about the Rec room, haven't I?"
"Room on the third floor, where anyone can go to socialise, all houses welcome, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah," Sirius parroted.
"Yeah well, this girl Cho…"
"The Ravenclaw seeker, that you wanted to take to the Yule Ball last year?"
"Yeah, her. Well she was also there, and she was crying," Harry looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Well I didn't know what to do."
"There's no shame in that Harry, most guys don't know what to do when faced with a member of the fairer sex in tears."
"Well, I felt bad leaving her there by herself, so I started to talk to her. She's still grieving Cedric."
"Perfectly understandable," Sirius nodded.
"Yeah, but then, and this is the weird part, she kissed me!" there was a slightly hysterical tone to his voice.
"Well, that's…..a bit…..awkward," Sirius frowned. "You haven't done anything to, you know, lead her on have you?"
"Not that I know of," Harry's voice squeaked.
"Still no reason to be avoiding Percival…..Oh."
"Oh…what?"
"You told Percival, didn't you?"
"Of…of course, it just didn't seem right that I shouldn't I mean….I know…. it's not like we're…. well I just felt that I should you know."
"Hmmm," Sirius agreed. "Did he not take it well?"
"I think he thought it was funny actually," Harry frowned. "But then…after I told him, we were just about to leave the common room and Ithinkhekissedme."
"Sorry? Did you say that you think he kissed you?" Sirius asked incredulously. "You don't know if he did or not?"
"Well my eyes were closed!" Harry protested.
"You didn't feel anything?"
"I thought I felt something on my lips," Harry raised his fingers to brush his bottom lip, eyes unfocussed.
Sirius snickered, "Right, so Percival kissed you. I am still failing to see the problem here."
"But I don't know and what if he didn't? Or what if he did? He hasn't mentioned it again, what if I was so bad at it that he doesn't want to do it again? What if…."
Hands found his shoulders, "Harry stop!" Sirius commanded, causing the boy to still. "Now breath. Does it change anything if he kissed you? Do you like him any more or less than before?" The black head shock from side to side. "Right then, it is only as awkward as you make it. If you were freaking out about the kiss from Cho as much as you were just now, then he was probably trying to show you that he is ok with it. But he knows you both are only fifteen."
"He's sixteen now."
"It doesn't make any difference. You are both too young for anything apart from kissing and holding hands."
"You really think he's ok with it?" Harry asked unsurely.
"Come here," Sirius raised an arm, and Harry slotted underneath it, accepting the hug. "Absolutely, that boy would do anything for you. He was just trying to let you know he knows that you aren't interested in some random Ravenclaw."
Relaxing into the warmth of the hug, Harry sighed, "Maybe I could go up for a bit of a sleep."
"Off you go then, don't forget your Occlumency. I'll contact Addison and see when he is free. Seraphina arrives back tomor…oh actually it's today now, so we can head over there again, I am sure Percival will be keen to her."
"Can we see the Goblins again too? I kind of set up an account for Ron and I want it to be a surprise, but he needs to go in, so he can register his wand and get a key."
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Sirius squeezed his Godson tighter. "Ok now, up to bed."
"Thanks Sirius," Harry hugged Sirius back before making his way up the stairs.
It was lunchtime before everyone was out of bed and everyone's mood was much improved. The Weasley children, made a joyous cacophony as they practically tumbled down the stairs into the kitchen, where a smiling Molly was making lunch. When Tonks and Mad-Eye turned up to escort them across London, they were greeted gleefully. Fred and George stated that they thought Mad-Eye's bowler hat which he was wearing at a jaunty angle to cover his magical eye was decidedly fetching. And a laughing Harry reassured him that Tonk's bubble-gum pink hair, wouldn't turn any heads on the Underground at all.
Tonks herself was interested in Harry's vision of the attack on Mr Weasley, something that Harry was not remotely interested in discussing.
"There isn't any Seer blood in your family is there? she enquired curiously, as they stood at the door, waiting for the Weasleys to gather themselves.
"No," Harry said flatly, thinking of Professor Trelawney.
"No," said Tonks musingly, "no, I suppose it's not really prophecy you're doing is it? I mean, you're not seeing the future, you're seeing the present…it's odd, isn't it? Useful, though….."
Harry didn't answer as fortunately right at that moment, Fred and George came bounding into the entry way.
"You sure you won't come with us Harry?" asked Fred.
"You should know you're family by now," said George.
"I know," Harry smiled faintly. Then lent in close, "I have a little surprise to arrange for my best mate you see. Tomorrow or the day after I might need a distraction," he all but whispered, earning a curious look from Tonks.
"Right you are Harry," Fred said.
"It will only cost you…." George continued.
"A couple ideas for new products," Fred finished.
"We know you and Percival have been holding out on us," they both stood tall, and crossed their arms looking down on Harry in faked disapproval.
"Alright," Harry agreed good naturally, as Mrs Weasley bustled down the stairs followed by Ginny.
"Ronald!" she yelled up the stairway.
"Coming Mum," his voice came back drifting down the stairs. A minute later his footsteps could be heard pounding down the stairs and Moody emerged from the kitchen.
"Now Harry, are you sure you won't come? I don't like having you here by yourself," she looked at him worriedly.
"What am I Molly. chopped liver?' Sirius, stepped out of the parlour.
"Yeah, Mrs Weasley, I'm sure. Percival's here too and well, it would be a bit odd for him to go and see Mr Weasley at St Mungo's. I'll keep him company," Harry gave a reassuring smile.
"Alright than dear."
"Lead on, Moody," Tonks chirped and they all filed out.
"Are they gone then?" Percival asked sticking his head out of the parlour as the door closed.
"Yep, safely on their way," Harry nodded.
"Good, I don't think I could have coped with anymore of the surreptitious glances."
"Thank goodness," Harry sighed in relief. "I thought I might have been seeing things."
"No, whatever had Ron thinking last night, he must have told the twins about this morning."
"They weren't treating me any differently, really," Harry said consideringly.
"Maybe whatever he told them wasn't bad," Percival shrugged. "You'll only find out by talking to them."
"Well, I am glad to see you both up, as Healer Addison was available today. You have an appointment with him in an hour Harry."
"I wanted you to tell me about the ritual!" Harry whined.
Reaching out a hand Sirius ruffled the boys hair, "And I will, Addison has had it to look over. It needed to be modified, and he is checking that the changes should work. After he is happy, I'll also have Severus have a look at it."
Two sets of eyes turned to stare at him.
"Did you just call…..the greasy bat of the dungeon Severus?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Thank you for that assessment Mr Potter," the base voice that regularly sent a shiver of terror down student's spines sounded from behind him, and Harry cringed. Sirius blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry Professor," Harry apologised.
The slight quirk of one side of his mouth, reassured Harry that his professor was not actually upset. "Hmmm. We need to talk Potter," he said without further fuss.
They moved into kitchen and Sirius set about making tea.
"Dumbledore, intimated that you had seen what happened to Mr Weasley," it was half statement, half question.
"Yes, from the position of the snake, and….." Harry swallowed harshly, before choking out, "I think he knows."
Obsidian eyes studied him.
"The Headmaster has requested that I teach you Occlumency. Am I right in assuming that you have not told him about the lessons that you have received from Mr Graves?" The boys nodded in unison. "I am a master of the art. As we discussed, I will check your barriers when you return to the school, but for now at least we can tell the Headmaster that we have made arrangements. I will check yours at the same time Mr Graves," he finished sternly.
"Yes Sir," the two boys echoed.
Suddenly Snape hissed and bent over his arm.
A hand reached out towards him, "Are you okay Sir?"
He looked into green eyes that were wide in concern, "Yes Mr Potter. I am being called." Slowly he straightened, pulling his shoulders back and lifting his head. A firm determination made his eyes glitter, like jewels.
"Good luck Professor!" Percival said as the man disappeared into the fire place.
"We need to check on my Occlumency," Harry worriedly bit his lip. "We can't have Riddle seeing that!"
"We will I promise, as soon as we get back," Percival threw an arm around Harry's shoulders and gave him a hug.
"Well Mr Potter, given everything that has happened, you are doing remarkable well," Addison Baldric, smiled at the small teen. "Yes indeed. Liver and kidneys are now functioning well. You've managed to grow a few inches, gained a few pounds and put on some muscle. You'll need to keep going with the potion for bone strengthening, and keep a supply of stomach soothing potions, around for times of stress. I rather feel that your response to any sort of stress will be to stop eating, and if it gets out of hand, we will lose all the gains we have made. Lastly keep up with the exercise." He smiled gently at the boy in front of him. "Now I have bought my equipment with me, so I'll take a sample of your blood, to check the levels of toxicity and to quickly look for the presence of any potions. Not that I am expecting to find any after your little trip to the hospital wing."
Harry held out his arm, to have a vein opened and his blood collected in a vial.
"Right sit there, Mr Potter. While I put this on, and then we can have a chat about the ritual."
Harry nodded agreeably, as Percival moved to join him on the couch, and Sirius and Seraphina, made their way over from where they had been preparing tea.
"Right," Healer Addison, sat down. "The ritual seems good, though I would also like another set of eyes to have a look over it as a further check. Though there are a couple of limitations. The first being, we must have gathered all, of the receptacles, which in turn means that we must find them. Currently we know the location of two besides Harry…"
"Three…we think," Sirius said hesitantly, glancing at his Godson.
"Three?"
"Yes. The reason the boys are away from school so soon, is that Harry had a vision, where he saw Mr Weasley being attacked. He saw it through the eyes of the snake. A snake that is the known familiar of Tom Riddle."
"Hmmm," Addison scratched his head. "Yes, it seems likely, though a second living horcrux, is concerning. Perhaps Harry being a horcrux wasn't an accident after all?" he mused. "As I was saying, all the objects must be gathered together, then the ritual performed, and they will be cleansed. The second restriction is that Riddle must be in human form at the time. As you are essentially asking judgment on his soul, all parts of his soul will be judged and will pass on. The spell cannot detect things that don't have a physical form, so asking judgement too soon, will leave a piece that could then be revived later."
"Well that doesn't matter does it?" Harry asked. "After all he's got a body now."
"Yes, we just need to make sure that no one kills him before we are ready with the ritual."
"Either Imbolc or Beltane would be the best times to perform it."
Harry looked confused.
"Imbolc marks the beginning of Spring and new growth. Whereas Beltane is at the start of Summer and is a time of requesting protection from the Gods," Percival supplied.
"I haven't had any luck finding any of the other items. Hopefully Mooney will return soon, and we might be able to find something by Beltane, Imbolc is just too soon. Though that will be just before the boy's exams."
"Stuff the exams Sirius, if we can get rid of Riddle, I'll beg the Minister himself to be allowed to do them over the summer," Harry stated hotly.
"I am sure that it won't come to that," Seraphina said calmly.
"The hardest part might be trying to get Riddle there, but I'll discuss that with Severus later."
Harry starred at him hard, "You did it again?"
"Did I?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, with a smirk. "Does it matter who performs the ritual?"
"I shouldn't think so," Addison said.
"Good, well then there is no need for Harry to be there at all. So he can take them as normal, instead of looking for a way to delay them," Sirius smirked.
"But Sirius….I wasn't… and I have to be…."
"No Harry, just because Dumbledore has made you feel responsible for eliminating Riddle doesn't mean that he is right. If I can manage it at all, you will not have to go near that man again."
A soft smile crept of Harry's face and suddenly he was off his chair and had launched himself at his Godfather, "Thank you! Thank you Thank you."
Sirius wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tight, "It is the least I could do for you, to make up for my past mistakes Harry. This war should not be yours, it shouldn't even be mine."
"Thank you," Harry said one last time as he emerged from Sirius' arms and moved back to sit next to a grinning Percival. "So, what next then?" Harry asked.
He was answered by a small 'ping'.
"That's just your results Harry," the healer said, standing up. "Interesting," he glanced over a piece of parchment. "Well the levels of Venom and tears are still in balance though they have decreased ever so slightly. I'll need to do another test to confirm, but once a year should be enough for now. What is interesting is that there are some free potions particles present in your blood. They haven't been able bind to anything and so are inert and will be processed by your liver and expelled from your body over time. But that they are there means that someone has given you potions since your incident the other week. In fact, I would think that they have been given to you in the last couple of days, due to the amounts present."
"I've had the potions you've been giving me, every day," Harry said in confusion.
"Yes, but those potions are like food Harry. They enter the stomach and are broken down the same way as food is, so they wouldn't be detected by this method. These are potions designed to enter your blood stream, they could have been absorbed through your skin, eaten or drunk, or in some cases they can be made into a gas that is inhaled, though that is quite rare." The man sighed, "It will take a bit more investigation to figure out what they are. May I take the blood sample back with me, under the same oath as last time?"
Harry nodded.
"Good. Be assured there is no need to worry, as the presence of the basilisk venom is interfering with their actions, so you should remain unaffected. Still, be careful and if you notice anything odd, let me know immediately. Percival, I want you to keep an eye on him as well for any behavioural changes, that he might not notice. I have a cleansing potion that does not include Elderberry that I will send to Sirius and if we continue to get these results we might have to give you a regular dose of it."
"Ok," Harry agreed. "Thank you for coming to see me at such short notice."
"It is never a problem Harry," Addison smiled, and disappeared into the green flames of the floo.
Harry was sitting in the winged back chair in front of the parlour fire when the Weasleys returned from the hospital. A book was open on the lap table beside him and he had a piece of parchment spilling over the front of the small table.
"Have you started your homework already?" Ron asked as he entered the room.
Taking care not to disturb his table Harry looked up with a small smile. "Yeah, figured I'd get it out of the way, then I can enjoy the holidays. How's your dad?" Harry asked as Ron sat down.
With a shake of his head and a wry grin Ron replied, "The man's ridiculous, I swear. They are having difficulty getting his wounds to heal so he convinced some healer to try this muggle method, called stitches. Quite frankly it was horrifying."
"Really," Harry asked with ascending eyebrows. "It can be a bit ghastly if you have lots but shouldn't be that bad."
"Well the healer wasn't muggle born, so I'm not sure that they did it right. Hey, did you know Neville's parents are in St Mungo's?"
"Moody ….well I suppose Barty Crouch Junior told me last year, it's a bit weird now that I think about it, as he was one of the ones responsible for it. Given Nev hadn't talked about them, I figured he didn't want everyone to know, so I never said."
Ron nodded, "We met them." Then he let out a snort. "We met Lockhart too. He's still in St Mungo's, just learnt to sign his name apparently. He's very proud."
"Really, well I guess he would be," Harry grinned.
"Harry…"
Harry swallowed, this was it. This was where Ron told him what had been bothering him, and that he didn't want to be friends with someone who could be possessed by Riddle.
"Yeah Ron."
"I've been thinking about what Dumbledore said."
Harry swallowed, "Yeah."
"Well, I think in some ways he is right. Riddle could possess you via the link, couldn't he?"
"Yeah Ron he could."
"But this, with the snake, that was you watching, you only saw what was going on, right?"
"That's right Ron," Harry replied softly.
"Well, I think we need to talk to Ginny about what it feels like to be possessed, so that we have a bit of an idea. Fred, George and me, we've already decided to keep an eye on you. We didn't want to bring Ginny into it because…well you know."
The racing in Harry's heart slowed a little, "Yeah I know."
"I really think that Dumbledore was trying to make me think that you'd been possessed. I don't know why he'd do that, but I think we should keep an eye on him as well."
"Yeah, he hasn't really been that great in some of the decisions he's made regarding me over the years," Harry agreed.
"I think there is something very wrong with him."
"I've thought that for a while."
"Well I guess we'll just take down one Dark Lord at a time then. You going to be a while?"
"Yeah, I might as well keep going now that I've started."
"I'll join you in a bit," Ron stood and made his way out the door.
That night Harry sat on his bed with Percival opposite him.
"First I want you to show me what you have done. Open your eyes." Dark lashes lifted. "Legilimens."
He was drawn immediately into a realistic vision. Harry was seated on his broom opposite him and they were both midair.
"It's ok," Harry's soft voice reassured. "Because you were invited, you have a broom. Anyone else would automatically fall."
"Wow." Now that he looked around Percival was impressed. He could feel the air blowing against his face, cooling his skin as the sun shining above was a contrasting warmth. "Shall we go down?" he asked.
"If you want," Harry shrugged. The paired descended and dismounted onto a small grassy hillock, which had a path leading round it.
"What's on the other side?" Percival asked.
"Greener grass," Harry grinned.
"Tell me, you did not set your mindscape up so that you could make a pun about it?"
"No! Why would I have ever assumed anyone else would ever come here?"
"Fair enough. So where are your memories?"
"You're the expert, find them," Harry challenged.
"I'm not a master, merely someone who has used the technique for a while."
"Still find them."
Percival looked around, there did not seem to be anywhere that Harry's memories could be hidden. He stamped his feet, and the ground seemed solid under his feet, following the path around, literally only led to the other side, where there was an equally grassy hill in the distance. The only structure was a solid wall, which he could walk around in a matter of moments. He placed his hand on it.
"Not there," Harry said.
"No," Percival looked up removing his hand, from the malevolent feeling structure. "I can feel what this is." The ground at his feet was clear, though the grass had died. "Is it spreading?" He kicked at it with his toe.
Harry shook his head, not yet, but I can feel that it is angrier then before. The foundations go down ten feet. When it is not confined, there is a black tar like substance that oozes through the soil. I took a border of six additional feet around it as well."
"But?" Percival looked around the structure.
"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "I'm not really sure how that happens. If you walk around without inspecting every brick in the wall, bits of it just seem to skip. But if you ae carefully inspecting every piece of the wall, then you see it all and it takes a lot longer to go round."
"How very curious."
"Any ideas yet?"
"No, and that is a very good thing. So, this is the structure we need to reinforce."
"When I started last night, the wall was pretty cracked. He definitely knows. I have been replacing all the bricks and mortar. The inside is now lined with a smooth sheet of titanium. The problem is the base and the roof. I can't seal the bottom. This," he scuffed his foot on the ground. "As best as I can figure out is actually my brain, so physically, his actual Horcrux must be in my brain. Which means until that ritual, I can't remove it. Then I know nothing about how to make the roof strong, I have lots of cross beams, and another sheet of titanium, and then the tiles but I don't know what else."
"Harry," Percival placed his hands on the shorter boy's shoulders. "You are amazing. It took me years to figure out how to do anything remotely like this. "
"You taught me!" Harry protested.
"The only thing I taught you was how to meditate, and that you needed some way to hide your memories, the rest is all you. I actually think that you have done all you can do. I have no doubt that he will dig under that wall, eventually. We just need to hope that you figure it out before anything happens."
"What if I built in a warning system."
"How on earth would you do that?"
"I don't know. Pressure sensors in the soil around the base and spreading out in all directions, or maybe movement sensors. That way, if anything moves below, and he will have to come up here to access my memories and thoughts, I'll get a warning."
A hand slipped behind his neck, tipping his head back until he could look Percival in the eyes. They were so soft, like chocolate coloured velvet.
"You are amazing," Percival said, in a rough voice. He lowered his head slowly, keeping eye contact until the last moment. As his eyes closed Harry, felt the warm roughness of Percival's lips against his, so much firmer than the last time. The pressure and warmth disappeared, and Harry allowed his eyelids to flutter open, wondering when exactly his heart had started hammering in his chest.
"I…"
"When we go back, I want us to be together," Percival stated firmly. "I want to be able to hold your hand as we walk around school and throw my arm around you in the common room. If that is what you want Harry?"
"Y..yes…please," Harry stuttered.
"Good I was worried when you didn't say anything the next day, that you had changed your mind about us. I know we said we wouldn't define what it was but…"
Standing on his toes, Harry snaked a hand round Percival's neck and pulled him down into another chaste kiss. "I want it too," he assured.
They spent a moment grinning at each other, before Percival said, "We had best get back to the real world I suppose."
"Yeah," Harry continued to grin.
"Come on you," slowly Percival faded out, followed a moment later by Harry.
The minute he returned to himself, Percival's thoughts were a whirl, what had he done? He was bloody too old for the boy, it wasn't right! 'Stop it' hissed the dusty voice that he hadn't heard in weeks. 'You are here for this, you are sixteen, and you are his!' Taking a deep breath Percival centred himself, clearly, he needed to check his Occlumency again tonight.
Harry was staring at him in concern, "Percival?"
"Sorry Harry."
"Do you regret it?" Harry's face fell, and he hunch in on himself.
"No Harry that's not it." He sighed. "When I returned to my body I…well I just remember how old I used to be and…well fifteen to forty is a big age difference and it…..doesn't feel right."
"But you're not really forty at all, you are really, really sixteen, and sixteen to fifteen is not very much at all."
"I know. Death was just reminding me. My old memories are slowly fading away, just every once in a while…" he sighed again. "I still mean it and I still want to be with you."
"Alright," Harry seemed reassured.
"Come on we had best get to sleep."
They snuggled up together and Harry raised his hand, placing it on the tattoo of the Deathly hallows.
"Psst Ron," Harry hissed.
"'Arry?" Ron groaned groggily.
"Get up mate. We've got places to be. As soon as your mum is on her way to St Mungo's, or before if we can manage it, we're out of here."
"We can't just leave!"
"We'll be back in about an hour, I promise and we aren't going to break the law or anything. If it makes you feel better, we can take the twins with us," Harry offered.
"Why would taking the twins with us make me feel better?" Asked a disbelieving Ron. "Oh, and thank Percival for showing me that locking spell, they haven't figure out a way around it yet."
"They're adults," Harry shrugged, "but I see you point. Alright, what about Seraphina?"
"Yeah ok."
"I'll get Sirius to ask her."
"Sirius knows what's going on?"
"Of course, I wouldn't just go out without him knowing what I'm up to."
"Why can't he come then?"
"Because he needs to be here in case something happens with The Order."
Harry dashed out of Ron's room and down the stairs, before the red-head could ask him anymore questions.
"Sirius!"
"Yes Harry," Sirius stuck his head out of the kitchen door.
Waving his arms in a circular motion, Harry indicate that he required his Godfather's presence. The silver eyed man, glanced back over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a minute Molly," he said as he left the room fully. "What is it Harry?"
"Ron wants an adult to come with us. Can you message Seraphina?"
"Sure."
Sirius quickly sent the message and it ws only a couple of minutes before Seraphina replied, that she had made the appointment and they had permission to flow directly into the office.
A brief signal passed between the conspirators, Mrs Weasley had yet to return to the hospital. It seemed she wanted to provide Arthur with enough food for his stay as she seemed to be cooking enough food to fed all the children who attended Hogwarts.
"Mum!" George screamed. "Something has happened to Gred! Mum!"
"Not Now, Fred!" Mrs Weasley chided. "I'm nearly ready to go and see your father."
"But Mum, something's really wrong!"
"Bring him down here then!"
"I don't want to risk moving him!" was the panicked reply.
"Those ridiculous boys, I don't have time for this," Molly muttered as she climbed the stairs.
"Argh," her startled yell echoed through the house.
"Right, that's our sign," Harry grabbed, Ron and Percival by the hands and dragged them into the kitchen to the floor. "You first Percival. Ron the floo address is Gringotts Striknott's office."
"But Harry….Fred!" Ron looked worriedly at the door.
"No time, in you go," Harry pushed his friend into the recently vacated fireplace.
"But…"
"Gringotts Striknott's office," Harry said as he threw a pinch of flop powder in with Ron.
He stopped and listened to the noises from upstairs, it certainly seemed that Mrs Weasley was in fine form. With a grin he took another pinch of floo powder and as he thought that he really owed Fred and George something big for this one, he let it fall to his feet.
When he stepped out of the floo, Percival and Ron were already seated in front of Striknott's desk.
"Sorry Ron, but Fred is fine. He just took one of their test products for their snackboxes, it makes your fingers fall off."
Ron's eyes went very large and round.
"It's ok they've already created the paste that re-attaches them," Harry reassured. "And he was only going to take a little bit."
"But…..Mum," Ron gasped.
"We worked it out with Snape before hand he has the cure."
With a deep breath, Ron settled himself, and looked around, "So why are we here?"
The grin that broke out over Harry's face was a sight to see, he bounced on his toes in excitment.
"Mr Potter, perhaps if you sat down?" the Goblin sitting behind the desk spoke for the first time since the boys entered his office.
"Isn't Seraphina coming?"
"She stopped by, but had to visit with her own account manager briefly."
Nodding, and still smiling broadly, Harry sat down, and looked at his friend.
"Harry, I'm getting worried now."
"You remember second year right?"
"But hard not to, Harry."
"Well, you remember all the detentions I have had with Snape this year?" Harry tried to remember if Ron had been there for any of the conversations about harvesting the basilisk, he didn't think he had been.
"Yeah, I don't know what you did to piss him off this year. Though he hasn't seemed so bad recently."
"Well, we kind of struck a deal with him," Harry said bluntly.
"What could he possibly have wanted."
"Basilisk parts."
Ron gaped.
"All those detentions were us harvesting the remains of the basilisk. The first auction was a couple of weeks ago now."
"But what does that have to do with me?" Ron couldn't find a connection.
"Well, for his help harvesting the ingredients, arranging the sale and obtaining a spell to organise the Black family library, I gave Snape a portion of the profits." Ron nodded, Harry was happy to see that he didn't appear jealous.
"I suppose that whoever ran the auction got a percentage as well," he mused.
"Yes. Percival helped with the harvesting so he already got some. Ron…. you were with me that whole time, you stood by me when no-one else did…."
"I haven't always," Ron said, looking at his lap ears tipped with red. "Last year…. I know we made up Harry, but I truly am sorry. I knew that you didn't want that attention, I knew that you would never have put your name. I was so jealous, and scared for you all at once, and I didn't know what to do and I took it out on your. I am sorry."
Eyes burning with tears, Harry leaned sideways and drew his friend into sideways hug.
"Thank you," he whispered and had to swallow around the lump in his throat several times before he could continue. " When Hermione was injured, you came with me to the forest, an then when Ginny was taken you were with me the whole way, so I decided that you should get a portion to." That large grin snapped back on to his face.
"What?" Ron whispered. "No Harry, you fought that thing, it's yours."
"It's too late, it is done Ron. What's required now Striknott?" Harry looked up to the Goblin.
"Well," he withdrew a crystal ball from his desk drawer. "First we need a sample of your magic on file, this way no one else can access your vault." They talked Ron through how to push his magic into the globe. "Next we need to register your wand." Reluctantly Ron handed his wand to Striknott to examine. "Then we need to discuss who you would like as your account manager?"
"I ….an account manager?"
"Yes Mr Weasley, there has not been a basilisk harvested in nearly a hundred years before the auction we just held and the parts are most certainly desired on a global level…."
"But you need to have … ten thousand galleons at least, to need a …." Ron was looking wild eyed.
"I can tell you the amount being transferred if you do not mind these other two gentlemen being aware, Mr Weasley?"
"Yes please," Ron squeaked.
"Your proceeds from the first sale, which will be the smallest of the auctions was forty two thousand five hundred Galleons."
There was a thump as Ron fell off his chair and onto the floor in a dead faint.
"Um….." Harry starred at his friend lying on the floor.
"Foolish wizards always so fragile," Striknott grinned.
"To be fair Striknott, I don't think the Weasleys have ever had even forty two Galleons all together at one time."
"Hmm, you could be right. If we train this one well, he might just make something of himself. I do have high hopes for his elder brother."
"He is not a dog!"
Striknott showed all his teeth, "Well Percival did you want to get him up so that we can continue with this meeting? Feel free to drew your wand to do so."
"Reinnervate."
"I had a dream Harry that, a Goblin Master Accountant said that I needed an account manager."
"Yup," Harry smiled.
"How do you choose? We barely have enough money to keep a vault open!"
"Maybe you could talk to Bill?" Harry suggested.
"Um, Striknott, mould you be available to be my account manager?" Ron asked.
"Only until the third auction, then Mr Potter's accounts will reach a level, where I must dedicate the entirety of my time to them. By then you will probably have received in the order of one hundred and twenty thousand Galleons and have reached the point where you will qualify for the services of a senior account manager. This is actually ideal, as they will be encouraged to give you the best advice possible in order to grow your account, once it has grown enough, they can apply to be promoted master accountant."
With a solemn nod Ron, thought for a moment, before he spoke again, "I think I would like to do that then. If you don't mind the extra work. When are the next auctions?"
"Not until May and then again in the following January."
"That will give me time to talk to Bill, and learn something about banking and investing. Thank you for your advice," he finished formally.
"So the last thing that is left is this," Striknott, stuck his hand into his desk drawer one more time and pulled out a small brass key.
"Mum, will take it from me!" Ron whispered, remembering the conversation at the start of the summer.
"The twins have their own key, and your mum hasn't found out about it yet. Maybe they can tell you how they have managed it?" Harry suggested. "Or maybe you could get a chain like I keep mine on?"
"You don't have your key, Mum has it," Ron said.
Percival snorted, "As i I was going to leave that alone. Harry spoke to Striknott and had that key cancelled, and a new one sent."
"I've never seen it!"
"No I keep it on a chain around my neck that I never take off."
"But….oh, there is a spell on it isn't there."
"Yeah. And the chain is also spelled to only be able to be removed my me."
"You could also do what your brothers have done," Striknott interrupted.
"How do you know, what they have done?" Ron asked curiously.
"Well, their business was started up with a donation from one of my major clients so…I am essentially their account manager too. Though because of his investment in their business I will be able to maintain that account even after Mr Potter's accounts grow."
Ron's head whipped round to stare at Harry, who looked uncomfortable.
"I…ah….I gave them the winnings from the tri wizard tournament, I didn't feel right keeping it. Not after what happened."
Shaking his head, Ron turned back to the Goblin, "So what have the twins done?"
"They purchased a money pouch. It has an undetectable pocket on the side, which is spelled to hold your key. A drop of blood on the key and the pocket, will mean that if the key is lost or stolen it will automatically be returned to the pouch and the pouch will return to you. The pouch also has access directly into your vault."
"Yes please…."
"Ron…" Harry groaned. "You need to ask how much something costs before agreeing to it."
"Oh," Ron blushed. "Sorry how much is it?"
"5 Galleons for the pouch to be made and tied to your blood then five knots a month upkeep fee."
"Then, yes please that would be ideal. Thank you."
There was a knock at the door.
"Enter!" Striknott called out.
"Nearly done gentlemen?" Seraphina asked as she swept into the room.
"Nearly, just sorting out money pouches. Seraphina Picquery, this is Ronald Weasley, my best friend, Ron this is Seraphina Picquery, ex-President of MACUSA, my magical guardian and more importantly Percival's Godmother"
Ron looked a bit star struck as he gazed at the elegant woman. "Hello," he finally managed to say.
"Hello Mr Weasley."
"Please call me Ron."
"Then you shall call me Aunt Sera like Harry does. Ah here is your pouch," she glanced up in time to see Striknott, place a red velvet pouch onto the table."
"Speaking into the pouch will call the correct number of Galleons to you. Remember money is a privilege young man."
"Yes Sir," Ron agreed. He seemed to be standing taller as he stood so that they could make their way out of the bank.
"Now, let's get you lads fed and then you can floo back from the Leaky Cauldron."
